Essentialism in society Essay

Essentialism in society is â€Å"the practice of regarding something (as a presumed human trait) as having innate existence or universal validity rather than as being a social, ideological, or intellectual construct,† or in simpler terms, ascribing one trait or set of traits to a specific group of people, disregarding individual variations or possible variations ( Spelman, n. d. ). Essentialism is practiced by everyone as a biological pattern-recognition mechanism. It can, however, and frequently is, used as a hostile tool to oppress and subject people grouped together by race, gender, financial circumstances, and sexual identities and orientations. Essentialism is a dangerously powerful tool employed by politicians hoping to incite the emotions of the general populace enough to overlook the rationality of their words and meanings. Essentialism is degrading to every person on a personal level; it strips individuals of individuality, attributing traits based on skin tone, hair color, religious beliefs, sexual preferences, sexual identity, gender identity, body type, clothing choices– leaving room only for what are considered the â€Å"basics,† regardless of their truth or falseness. It defines â€Å"gender roles,† â€Å"race roles,† any role based on these traits (Narrative Therapy, n. d. ). The increasingly accessible media of popular music acts only as fuel for reducing whole bodies of people to one set of traits. Statistics regarding record sales are null and void when the actual listening audience of any popular music is concerned; it is played in shopping malls, on public transportation, in private businesses, often on public streets: any genre of popular music has an ample audience at any given moment in time. For that reason alone its many mixed messages are spread wide and unevenly (Book Rags, 2009). Pop music has songs with confident lyrics, cocky lyrics, lyrics alluding to serious depression, jealousy, melancholy, drinking and drug habits (healthy and unhealthy), often revolving around and promoting â€Å"traditional† (that is, mainstream) gender roles, sexual identities, and racial identities. Record sales alone indicate a substantial audience willing to invest monetarily in songs they may or may not necessarily agree with the lyrics of; however, the continued inclusion of such essentialist lyrics is a significant indication that a majority of listeners, if not in complete agreement with them, are not actively attempting to staunch the accelerating insertion of essentialism into the everyday lives of its listeners (On Distinction, 2009). Bibliography Elizabeth, Spelman. Inessential Woman. Google. 02 July 2009 . Book Rags. Google. 2 July 2009 . Narrative Therapy. Google. 2 July 2009 . On Distinction. 07 July 2006. Google. 2 July 2009

Family Systems and Healthy Development Essay

In today’s world, families are dynamic and interdependent systems. The developmental processes of the children in the family are deeply affected by how the family system operates. However, a family’s structure does not determine whether it is a healthy family system or not. Today, families consist of single parents, stepparents, divorced parents, remarried parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They are all able to contribute to a healthy functioning family system by meeting each family member’s needs and encouraging positive communication (Jamiolkowski, 2008). Unhealthy family systems have negative and possibly long-term effects on a child, both physically and emotionally. An unhealthy family system affects brain development and social development. Moreover, parents hold a particularly important part in their child’s spiritual development. When a family system lacks spiritual modeling, the children do not develop a spiritual relationship and lack religi ous meaning in their family life (Roehlkepartain, King, Wagener, Benson, 2006). Healthy Family Systems A healthy family system is a family unit in which each members has their needs met. These needs include safety, security, survival, love and belonging, as well as self-esteem and developmental skills. In a healthy family structure, the family members share a love for one another, respect each other and follow a set of rules that protect and maintain the welfare and development of each family member (Jamiolkowski, 2008). A happy and healthy family system has open communication between family members. Opinions and ideas are encouraged. Since children in a healthy family system are encouraged to communicate their wants and needs, they are confident enough to speak up in family matters. This helps develop a positive and confident self-identity. The children in the family are taught a core group of values to establish right from wrong, as well as personal boundaries. Rules, which must be applied, are enforced fairly and consistently, but are flexible. A healthy family system makes a child feel  cared for, validated and valued. Supportive parenting is a term used to describe parents whose authoritative parenting style is firm, with clear and consistent limits, but with warmth, proactive teaching, interest and involvement in their child’s peer activities, as well as calm discussions while disciplining. Authoritative parents tend to be firm and set clear and consistent limits. Although strict, they are loving and supportive, and communicate to the child the rationale for their punishment, along with an explanation for why they should behave a certain way. This encourages independence in the child (Feldman, 2014). Research has shown that healthy friendships in which close ties emerge are developed when parents provide a warm and supportive home environment (Feldman, 2014). Children emulate positive social interactions and roles, which they learn from the adults in their lives who they model after. Children living in healthy family systems develop a strong and positive relationship with their parents or caregiver and will encourage positive relationships with others. Unhealthy Family Systems The parenting style in the home will result in differences in the children’s behavior. For example, an authoritarian parent is controlling, punitive and strict. Their rules are not flexible and do not tolerate expressions of disagreement. These children tend to be withdrawn with little sociability. Girls are usually especially dependant on the parents, while boys tend to be unusually hostile. On the other hand, permissive parenting provides a relaxed and inconsistent method of discipline. They place little to no limits or control on how their children behave, and require little of their children. These children also tend to be dependent and moody, low in social skills and self-control (Feldman, 2014). It can sometimes be difficult to discern whether a family system is healthy or not. Even healthy family members can become understandably upset by circumstances and don’t always deal with stressful situations well. However, an unhealthy family system is usually created by one or more members. Parents who were raised in unhealthy family systems may carry over the same traits to their own families. Also, other factors that can cause an unhealthy family system is a parent or main caregiver with a serious problem such as mental illness, alcohol abuse or drug addiction. This causes communication in the family to  be strained and distorted. Opinions and ideas are discouraged and usually ignored. Usually children deal with mixed messages and conflicting ideas, making it harder for them to discern between appropriate and inappropriate behavior. They develop poor personal boundaries and have a hard time participating in loving relationships (Jamiolkowski, 2008). Effects of an Unhealthy System Children in unhealthy family systems usually suffer from one or more forms of abuse. This can range from physical abuse to psychological abuse or neglect. At least five children are killed each day by their parent or caregiver, and about 3 million children are abused or neglected each year in the United States (Feldman, 20124). Abuse, at any level causes long-term and permanent effects on the development of a child. Physically abused children are more likely to be resistant to control and do not adapt well to new situations. They suffer from more headaches and stomach aches than the average child. They also experience frequent bed-wetting, suffer from high anxiety and may show developmental delays. Psychological abuse is associated with low self-esteem, lying, underachievement in school, and misbehavior. They can easily become depressed and are at high risk for suicide. Victims of physical and psychological abuse suffer from so many consequences because their brain goes through permanent changes due to the abuse. Childhood abuse can lead to a reduction in the size of the amygdala and hippocampus. Antisocial behaviors are caused by the overstimulation of the limbic system through the feeling of stress, fear or terror (Feldman, 2014). It is likely that the child’s parents will influence their religious and spiritual development. This is done through verbal communication, induction and indoctrination of beliefs with the help of disciplinary tactics as well as rewards (Roehlkepartain, King, Wagener, Benson, 2006). Therefore, parents have the important task of guiding their children through their spiritual development. However, if the parent makes their child’s spiritual experience a negative one, it may make the child rebel. This can occur when the parents show fanaticism towards a certain belief or religion (Jamiolkowski, 2008). Parents should apply spiritual modeling, in which children model their parents’ spiritual behavior. This can include engaging in activities that promote religious and spiritual development and  performing religiously motivated charity for others. These kinds of family routines and traditions help form the religious meaning in family life (Roehlkepartain, King, Wagener, & Benson, 2006). Conclusion Maintaining a healthy family system is key for raising a confident, loving and emotionally balanced child. A healthy family system provides a positive and safe home environment which promotes communication and respect between parents and children. Supportive parents uphold rules in a consistent, yet flexible manner while explaining to the child the reasoning and lesson behind the consequence. In an unhealthy family system, children sometimes endure physical and psychological abuse, as well as neglect. This affects brain development, as well as emotional and social development. Children from unhealthy family systems are usually dependent on the parents, have withdrawn personalities or are aggressive. They are unable to create personal and lasting relationships outside of the home, including those at a spiritual level. If the parents do not show positive religious and spiritual role modeling at home, the child will likely not take an interest in it as well. References Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the life span (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Jamiolkowski, R.M. (2008). Coping in a Dysfunctional Family. New York: Rosen Pub. Group Roehlkepartain, King, Wagener, & Benson (2006). The handbook of spiritual development in childhood and adolescence. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publication.

Regional Imbalance Essay

India is a vast plural country, full of diversities of religions, castes,languages, tribes, cultures, etc. A number of cultural and linguistic groups are concentrated in certain territorial segments, to which they are attached, emotionally and historically. As has been said that during colonial rule the administration was interested in economic exploitation of the country and not in its development; it encouraged various divisions based on religion, region, caste and language and did not pursue any plan or strategy for a balanced development of the country. These resulted in regional imbalances,and group identities. Subsequently, the independent India saw the rise of regionalism, linguism, separatism, etc. In this chapter we will read about the background, causes and nature of these phenomena and possible ways out to check them. All these are related and interconnected. A region is a territory, the inhabitants of which have an emotional attachment to it because of commonality of religion,language, usages and customs, socioeconomic and political stages of development, common historical traditions, a common way of living, etc. Any one or more of these, and above all widely prevalent sentiments of togetherness, strengthen the bond. This territory can coincide with the boundaries of a State, parts of State or even with more than one State. A sense of discrimination or competition on economic, political or cultural grounds, desire for justice or favour gives rise to regionalism. Depending on reasons,and related nature, regionalism can be manifested in many ways like demand for autonomy or powers for State,creation of new State, protection of language or culture of the region or separation from the country. By regional disparities or imbalances is meant wide differences in per capita income, literacy rates, availability of health and education services, levels of industrialisation, etc. between different regions. As already mentioned, these regions may be either states or regions within a State. In this regard in India there are enormous imbalances on various accounts. The exploitative nature of British colonial rule either created or accentuated regional disparities. The planning in independent India has also not been ble to remove these. As is well known, the British colonial administration was primarily interested in selling their products in Indian markets and taking away raw materials from here. In some cases they were also interested in establishing some industries to invest their surplus capital and use cheap labour. Keeping these needs in view, they introduced Zamindari system in some regions to get maximum land revenue. In some regions they favoured peasant proprietary system a nd improvement of agriculture to create markets for their products. As such, in agriculture there came up significant variations both in production relations and level of production in different states and regions. The pattern of urbanisation was based on the strategy of exporting primary products and importing finished goods. This laid the foundation for the emergence of port towns as the major centers of urban-industrial activities. Therefore, the growth of trade nd commerce in colonial India meant the creation of jobs and educational opportunities at coastal centers like Bombay, Calcutta and Madras and some princely states’ capitals. This also led to the emergence of some consumer industries in these enclaves and hence to the development of a merchant capitalist class. This gave these regions a head start over others where the vast tracts of agriculture had lost their traditional handicrafts and other small scale non-agricultural activities in the face of competition from the high technology associated with the modern processes of industrialisation. Another factor in the uneven regional development was the growth of the education system. The British imperialists had linked India to Europe via trade relations and the coastal areas especially around the ports of Bombay,Calcutta and Madras. To man the establishments in these areas modern education was introduced. An educated professional class, mainly lower paid government and commercial clerks, grew up in these areas. These regions also threw up an elite group of lawyers and other professionals who were involved on both sides of the independence movement. On the eve of independence interstate and inter-district disparities were quite sharp and widening. There were differences in the levels of per capita income and consumption, literacy, medical and health facilities, natural resources, population growth, infrastructure development,employment opportunities etc. The independent India, thus, was burdened with the task of removing these disparities. The need for the removal of regional disparities was well recognised by the leaders of the independent India. The Constitution of India, has made it mandatory for the government at the Centre to appoint a Finance Commission once at least in every five years. It was to examine the problems arising out of the gaps between the needs for expenditure and the availability of revenue and other such matters. Accordingly, the balanced regional development had become the declared goal of the Central government and of its two principal agencies — the Planning Commission and the Finance Commission. One of the objectives of planning was to restore the balance between various areas and regions. However, these institutions were to work within overall socio-economic infrastructure of the country and the developing political process. As has already been mentioned that because of the strategic position of the ruling class and adopted model of development right from the beginning,the development has been drifting away from the desired goals. Moreover, to begin with planning was primarily restricted to the national level. Hardly any attention was paid to the problem of regional disparities and the few measures that were taken, were adopted to deal with specific problems faced by certain areas having natural calamities. Thus, the problem of regional development in a national context did not get adequate attention of the policy makers. Some of the already developed regions enjoyed the privilege to develop further at the cost of the backward regions which continued to stagnate. The Third Five-Year Plan devoted some attention to the problem of regional disparities. Some efforts were made to identify the backward regions. Fourth plan onward, planners have increasingly emphasised this objective. Deliberate policy measures are being taken to improve the levels of living of the people in regions identified as backward. However, in practice, in spite of the increasing awareness of these aspects, very little has been achieved. While industrially backward regions have been identified by India’s Planning Commission, no such attempt has yet been made as regards regions which can be deemed to be backward from the point of view of overall economic development. Actually, the main focus of regional policy during the Indian plans has been on the dispersal of industry among the different regions of India. But, in spite of various attempts for industrialisation, agriculture continues to be the most important economic activity from the point of view of output and employment in most of the States in India. And within the agricultural sector, because of emphasis on immediate increase in production,inter-state disparities in per capita agricultural production have been on the increase. It is well known that in agricultural development policy, the green revolution and its impact has been confined to relatively small areas. Thus, the disparities in socio-economic conditions of the people have beenincreasing both within and between different regions of the country. Existence and continuation of regional inequalities both among States and within States create the feeling of neglect, deprivation and of discrimination. In a country which is multi ethnic and multi religious, with groups concentrated in states or regions, these disparities also become cause of social conflicts leading to political and administrative problems. In any case regional imbalances are a major cause of regionalism in India in many ways. The movements for creation of separate States in Jharkhand area of Bihar and West Bengal, Uttaranchal and Chattisgarh in Uttar Pradesh andMadhya Pradesh were because of underdevelopment of these regions in those States and a feeling of deprivation and exploitation among people. Finally,these areas were constituted as separate States in 2001. Similar movements are going on in Telengana region of Andhra Pradesh, Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Darjeeling region of West Bengal and in some other regions. Apart from sense of deprivation in the neglected States or regions there also are grievances due to sectoral imbalances in States like lack of industrial development along with agricultural development. Because ofthis, on the one hand there have developed interests, particularly in rural areas of developed States, and on the other sectoral conflicts. Both these are encouraging regionalism in developed States. For example, in areas where Green Revolution was introduced and has been successful, thenew rich farmers class has become economically and politically important. They are now interested in perpetuating the concessions and facilities which were given to them. In spite of agriculture having become quite profitable they want subsidies to continue and income not to betaxed. These rich farmers in such States provide major social basis of regional parties. Another aspect of imbalanced development is that because of development only in limited areas, the work force from other States and areas, keep on fighting and winning transitions. Focus is on regional development and not on equivocal or equi-sectoral development. This leads to a major imbalance within a country’s economy and across state-wise economies.

Systems Thinking and Organisational Learning Essay

Systems Thinking and Organisational Learning - Essay Example In the final part, self reflection about how Self Organized Learning Environments promotes the creativity in the organizations will be discussed. Mental models are the vast range of processes that include the people, their hobbies and music, how to performs as a politician, sportsman, religion and host for the business phenomena. New mental models are quickly developed by the minds when they interact with the novel or a new process. Mental models are less or more complete and show the cognitive representation. For example, a favorite sport or hobby of individuals might be complete, which represents the knowledge about peripheral aspects or features of a hobby. On contrary to this complete mental model, a less understood mental model contains the cursory or abstract understanding (Duhaime et al., 2012). Mental models perform the function of information filtering and focus upon the attention. People read newspapers and look at headings instead of spending whole the day on reading the editorials. Other people read newspapers very quickly. Selective perception about newspaper reading is about the mental models. Business executives are often overloaded with the meetings, calls and emails; they access more data that can be possibly processed. Their mental models are focused upon the most required and critical as per their perception. It is learnt from â€Å"The bear of game† that reality understanding is built through the constructs of mental models. All players in a business can understand the complex dynamics systematically and helps them to keep away from hindering and reinforcing their beliefs. It is difficult to present the precise definition of emotions in people from various sectors. However, individuals’ everyday activities for social communication, adaptation of tasks and in decision making are affected by people’s distinct states of their emotions and moods. Emotional

An investigation and enquiry into Monologues Essay

An investigation and enquiry into Monologues - Essay Example Coming to the origin of monologues, dramatic monologues are a literary product of the 19th century. They can be labelled appropriately as the Victorian invention as the form was invented and practiced mainly by the Victorian poets including Robert Browning, Tennyson, Rossetti, and others. The earliest articulation of dramatic monologues can be identified with the advent of the intelligent criminal in the Victorian periods, and the growing concern for exploring the criminal psyche (Sinfield, 1977). Dramatic monologue is also a kind of per formative psychoanalysis as it attempts to explore the speaker’s mind. Browning is highly regarded for his ability to create devious characters in his poems. His monologues portray a complex characterization of the speakers although in a subtler way. In â€Å"My Last Duchess†, Browning’s speaker is a pompous Italian Duke who shows off the portrait of his young gracious wife he had executed. The speaker’s dissatisfaction wi th his wife’s unaffected graciousness is prominent in the monologue as quoted by Sinfield (Sinfield 4), The pleasant and gracious nature of the Duchess is communicated through the Duke’s words, however, the Duke does not intend to appreciate it in any way. There are considerable disagreements among critics with regard to the Duke’s callous revelation of the death of the last Duchess. Either the Duke is too self-possessed to care about what others think, or he intends to warn his next Duchess. The monologue demonstrates the strong obsession of the Duke who is â€Å"still obsessed with the remarkable girl he failed to dominate, and impelled to justify to himself and others his ruthless response.† (Sinfield 5) Unlike Browning’s subtle speaker characterization, speakers in Shakespeare’s monologues (Shakespearean soliloquies) reveal their deepest confessions rather blatantly. Perhaps, the best known Shakespearean monologue is the ‘To be or not to be’ monologue by the protagonist in Hamlet.

Principles of Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Principles of Economics - Assignment Example Indeed, this article highlights critical economics points. First, Rampell (2013) appreciates that prices inversely relate to demand, and as such, increase in demand causes an increase in price of commodities. The author supports this with examples of price increase of airline tickets during Christmas, tickets for Major League Baseball during World Series and roses around Valentine’s Day. Even so, the article is more concerned with products that defy this postulate. Specifically, the author questions the decrease in prices of turkey during Thanksgiving when the increased demand dictates otherwise according to the principles of economics. The author cites government data that indicates a significant decrease in prices of turkey every November, the month of Thanksgiving when demand for turkey is high. The article raises two points to explain the observed phenomenon. First, the supply-side forces postulate argues that retailers sell â€Å"loss leaders† in anticipation that the commodities for which they sell at low prices, even at a loss, would attract customers who would then buy other commodities to compensate for the profits forfeited on such products (Rampell, 2013). Secondly, the author cites the demand-side forces argument noting that consumers tend to be more price-sensitive on commodities during peak seasons. 3. In the next three to five paragraphs, apply two of the following economic concepts (supply and demand, market structures, elasticity, and cost of production) to the key points that you highlighted in Question 2. The term demand in itself makes no sense unless qualified by price and the time during which it refers to. This explains the definition of demand by Mankiw (2014) as the quantity of goods that a consumer is willing and able to buy given the price, during a specified period of time. With regards to the case article, the period is

Scholarly Paper in APA Format Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scholarly in APA Format - Research Paper Example In this section it states that the crux of this study is to have an idea between the perception of a nursing home staff about organizational processes like communication, teamwork, and leadership with the characteristics of NHA and DON like turnover, tenure and educational preparation. In order to set its ground of research, the authors have provided findings of existing literatures in the relevant field of study using proper APA format. Analysis of Method: In this section the authors elaborately discussed the method that they used for their empirical study. Forbes-Thompson et al (2006) used a cross-sectional design for their descriptive study. In the first survey, the total number of respondents was 3,894 staff and for the second survey, the combined sample included 261 administrative staff and 1,463 care staff. In this study, the characteristics of leadership in a nursing home were examined in terms of tenure, turnover, and educational preparation of the NHA and DON. The tenure inc luded two variables - the number of years in the current position and the number of years of experience in prior nursing homes. ... The survey conducted by two third percent of DON held less than a baccalaureate degree and it did not influence the ratings of staff communication, teamwork, and leadership. The findings from this study highlighted the need to explore differences in perceptions between administrative and direct care staff and the way it can or cannot influence the staff development and quality improvement activities in nursing homes. Analysis of Dicussion: In this paper discussion part directly followed the result part. It interpreted the results and related them to the findings of exiting studies and provided the implications of the results. The findings of Forbes-Thompson (2006) had implications for corporations and upper level managers who used firing as a solution for negative survey outcomes or who do not adequately rewarded their administrative teams. However, the study did not mention any limitations of it which is essential in a APA formatted scholarary paper., Analysis of Article 2: Explorin g the Influence of the Regulatory Survey Process on Nursing Home Administrator Job Satisfaction and Job Seeking.† by Terry Holecek, Mary Dellmann-Jenkins, and Dale Curry. Analysis of abstract: This paper has a properly formatted abstract part that provide its purpose in brief along with methodology and findings in a succinct way. Analysis of introduction: The study aimed at whether factors like regulatory process perceptions, survey performance like the number of deficiency citations on last survey, and demographic or facility variables helped to determine the degree of job satisfaction and job seeking attribute of administrative leaders in nursing homes. Analysis of method: This part is also formatted using APA guidelines. Holecek, Dellmann-Jenkins and

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROPOSAL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROPOSAL - Assignment Example This helps to ensure that orders from customers are hence met in due period, and that the shareholders and the suppliers are settled and hence can make their payments by following proper procedures. Hence, the transaction-processing arena has now grown and become a very important aspect of better commercial management. The term enterprise resource planning also summarised as ERP, is that process or aspect which tries to merge all of a firm’s departments, objectives and the various functions, into one existing computer system. This also services every department’s requirements by virtue of being specific. It merges by bringing together persons, software and the crucial hardware, into an effective service and an efficient delivery and production system. This hence generates profit for the firm (Peter, 1992). Even though this idea has the ease to be explained theoretically, its truth has been of a varied nature. Most firms do conglomerate varied systems and processes for meeting their own requirements. Office automation system does refer to the different machinery of a computer and its software that is utilised to make, make a collection, store, carry out manipulation of data, and finally convey office information required for the purpose of finishing tasks and objectives that are of a basic nature (Peter, 1992). For example, storing data in raw form, transferring electronically, and the prior managing of e-commerce information, does constitute the activities that relates to office automation system The term management information systems, is a set of commands and procedures that carries out the function of collecting, processing, storing and conveying the vital information to the support part of decision making and the control system. Mostly, information systems do appear to be of a formal nature that is only involved in playing the integral task in firms. Although these systems are

Social Media - important of branding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social Media - important of branding - Assignment Example Stride gum believed that by sponsoring Matt through his world trip, the company would strengthen its brand image and earn sufficient returns (â€Å"Where the Hell is Matt?† 2012). The reason for doing so was two-fold. Firstly, Stride gum argued from the point of view that a significant part of internet users was the millennial generation; the target group. By sponsoring Matt Harding on his world trip, the brand image would reach the target group just by watching the video. In addition, Stride gum acknowledged that marketing information ought to be appealing to prospective consumers. By sponsoring Matt, the information about Stride gum proved to be in line with the environment that the video depicted. Stride gum created a business environment through the jovial feelings that were established by the video. Sponsoring Matt on his world trip was a significant investment for the company that ought to bring sufficient returns to the company. Among the main things that Stride expected to achieve was a large customer base. In the business world, a large customer base reflects high profits. In addition, the company expected its productivity to increase, hence increasing business performance. Stride gum’s case is a sufficient proof that the social media is a valid platform for strengthening the brand

Positive discrimination Essay Example for Free

Positive discrimination Essay New Right Sociologists would argue that this would be a disadvantage to the government as it would lead to an eventual reduction in the nations talent pool. However, it is important to note that the methodology used in the production of The Bell Curve is both dubious and highly doubtful. This is most vividly illustrated by the article Inequality by Design, written by the Sociology Department of UC Berkeley, which claims that the statistics used by Murray and Herrstein were flawed due to omissions and technical errors. On the other hand, New Right Sociologists also argue that ethic groups are disadvantaged because they refuse to integrate into their host society. A refusal to integrate may include a refusal to take on the norms and values of the host culture; or to learn the language. This prevents them from seeking opportunities and hence leaving them at a disadvantage. New Right Sociologists would henceforth argue that the state would have no responsibility whatsoever for self-made choices, and therefore that Positive Discrimination would be pointless and a waste of both time and resources. Neo-Marxists and Social Democratic/Left Wing sociologists would argue that because Ethnic Minorities suffer from ethnic discrimination as well as poorer life chances they require and need Positive Discrimination in order to ensure that they are able to reach the best of their potential. Neo-Marxist Sociologists would refer to the argument, as advocated by Stuart Hall of black people being scapegoat for economic and social problems in times of peril. This shows that people from ethnic minorities are blamed for causing problems, and hence are put at a disadvantage with other groups. This effect is then emphasized through the schema model, in which press coverage and blame of ethnic minorities leads to prejudice, prejudgment and in turn a disadvantage for minorities in regards to a wide range of areas, including life chances as represented through education, health and work. The prejudice caused by scapegoating leads to ethnic minorities being denied jobs in the primary job market, having to get by through the routine, ill paid and unskilled jobs offered through the Secondary Job Market. This in turn impacts greatly on all other aspects of their life, including where they live and the lifestyle they lead. Because ethnic minorities are tied to the secondary job market with lower wages, or languishing in unemployment, they end up residing in inner cities and other areas which are likely to be affected by what is described as the Inverse Care Law as coined by Hart, in which those who need the most access to services receive the least. Statistics from the Office of National Statistics show that ethnic minorities tend to have the worst self-reported health, live in overcrowded housing and smoke the most. This shows the fact that Ethnic Minorities, due to the lack of job opportunities, suffer from lower than average health and lifestyles. This, coupled with the fact that ethnic minority households are three times more likely to live in poor neighborhoods (Commission on Racial Equality, 2003) tells us that ethnic minorities do indeed suffer from lower life chances due to poor health, poorer education due to failing inner city schools and finally a cumulatively lower chance of success in life that other groups due to clear disadvantages in terms of health, education and job prospects. This clearly shows that Positive Discrimination in favor of disadvantaged groups is desirable as it allows for the disadvantages caused by ethnic discrimination and its knock-on effects to be limited if not redressed, hence increasing the nations pool of talent and preventing those who are capable from languishing behind due to disadvantageous conditions. Henceforth it can be said that Positive Discrimination in favor of disadvantaged ethnic minorities is both beneficial and disadvantageous depending on which perspective it is viewed from. However, it could be concluded with a degree of certainty that Positive Discrimination in favor of ethnic minorities is both a good government policy and advantageous to the country in question- as it allows ethnic minorities put at a disadvantage to compete on what amounts to nearer grounds to those from other ethnic groups that may enjoy an advantage, whether it be through wealth, power or better overall life chances. This allows for the meritocratic principles of Functionalism to occur on fair and even grounds- facilitating competition for roles and jobs between everyone on fair and even terms, hence allowing the best and brightest, regardless of ethnicity, to reach the very top and bring mutual benefits for society as a whole.

The Effects Of Globalisation For Women Sociology Essay

The Effects Of Globalisation For Women Sociology Essay Critics of Globalisation have expressed the view that the opening of markets and foreign investment in developing countries will further exacerbate the existing gender disadvantages and create conditions of forced labour amongst women. What this paper considers is that as countries become more open and transparent through globalisation, it becomes very hard to sustain and continue cultures of discrimination and gender rights imbalances. Whilst some areas of womens rights are exacerbated by Globalization. The majority of women globally have benefited greatly from employment opportunities, access to new technologies, support from NGOs, increased political rights and social freedoms. Female education has been recognized as one of the critical pathways to promote social and economic development. Female participation in education has been acknowledged as the single most important investment that a developing country can make, translating into better living conditions for families and increased productivity. Education is a crucial element of increasing rights for women, countries that hold a higher female literacy rate have a lower gender inequality rate. In developing countries 1 in 5 girls that enrol in primary school will not complete her primary education (USAID, 2009 ) which obviously creates a massive disparity between a the female population and a more educated male population. Globalisation has increased access to NGO for women in developing countries, many of these NGOs promote the education of women and develop programs to specifically target education gender inequalities. Catholic Relief Services (NGO) targeted the increasing school attendance and reducin g dropout rates amount girls (Obanya, 2004). Once a group of girls are educated they then are able to pass these benefits onto the community and their family members and future husbands are able to appreciate the reasons and benefits of educating women; slowly increasing the female education rate with each generation. In developing countries investing in just once extra year of education means women are more likely to earn more, raise healthier families and are more likely to be better educated about diseases and health issues. Higher female literacy rates also correlate strongly to reduced fertility rates and lower infant mortality rates (Kawachi Wamala, 2007). Womens health and access to health services has improved dramatically through globalisation. Women have additional vulnerabilities, malnutrition, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy complications, cervical and breast cancer, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and genital mutilation. Globalisation and improvement of health, particularly in impoverished countries has lead to greater levels of birth control and sexual health. Developing countries have a disproportionate number of female deaths during child birth as well as high infant mortality rates, through improved health and education these rates. Women suffer from Malaria and HIV more than any other diseases, in some areas the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been able to reduce malaria infections by up to 50% greatly reducing the risks of child birth (Bellamy, 2004). Education programs by the WHO have helped to improve safe sex practises in an effort to reduce HIV infection. Womens health is improving with globalisation. Thi s is because overall Improved population health, particularly amongst the worlds poorest countries, is increasingly associated with improved economic growth. As the economies and work forces of developing countries grow stronger so do their levels of health and social awareness in the process improving womens health. In grained and miss informed cultural practises are still a major issue to for womens health. Female genital mutilation is a practise that still exists and is culturally practised, over 132 million women and girls have been victims of genital mutilation (Tinker, Finn, Epp, 2000). The majority of the African nations have now made it illegal to commit female genital mutilation, however without public education making the practise illegal would be ineffective. Government organisations along with NGOs have developed education and awareness programs in many developing nations to outline the affects and problems with this long standing cultural practise. This aims to reduce significantly the practise of female genital mutilation and so far has shown positive results. Political and democratic representation is obviously plays major role in the advancement through creation of public policies and legislation. The status of women has vastly improved through participation in democratic processes. Some countries such as Indian and France have introduced quotas to ensure a certain level of participation in the political process, the quotas aim overall to ensure that womens interests are looked after at a government level (International IDEA, 1998). The quota system ensures that cultural and gender barriers do not impede the proper representation of women in the political environment. Some critics dislike the idea of a quota system as they believe it artificially increases female representation, when democracy is meant to be democratic and that women are being elected just because they are women. This is a fairly shallow view of the overall problem, by actively representing women within politics it enables cultural change, it enables discriminatory pract ises to be overturned by governments and enables an overall fairer, balanced democratic process. As an example through the support of the UN the World Economic Forum (WEF) has developed the Women Leaders and  Gender Parity  Programme to encourage womens participation in the WEF has risen from 9% in 2001 to 17% in 2007 (WEF, 2010). Worldwide women only currently represent 18% of all political positions, whilst this may seem like a small number it is important to consider that since 1945 womens political participation has quadrupled as part of a globalised society (Karam, 1998). What this says is whilst women are still at a serious disadvantage at obtaining political positions, this disadvantage is decreasing and worldwide female representation is dramatically improving with globalisation. Whilst Western women have benefited the most from globalisation, there still remains a disparity in the working environment. Gender Inequality in the workplace is one of the most publicised issues for womens rights activists, discrimination in the workplace today is more subtle and is correspondingly harder to detect. This has resulted in a large proportion of women in part-time work and very little representation in upper managerial roles, when compared to males of equal education and experience. Whilst Anti-discrimination legislation has existed in Australia since the 1980s and yet there still remains a large disparity in the workplace between men and women, due to gender and cultural stereotypes. The glass ceiling in many professional workplaces denies women the opportunities to rise through the ranks of organisations. This was highlighted through a study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics which found women on average earn $611.50 per week and men earn $897.50 (ABS, 2005). Whi lst direct wage discrimination has all but been quashed, a division of labour still exists due to roles being defined along traditional gender lines. These roles are often rewarded more highly in favour of male workers (Jones, 1983). This is highlighted in the law profession where 60% of Monash University Law graduates are women yet less than 14% of women are partners in law firms. (McLeod, 2008). This is not something confined to the legal profession nor is it something confined to Australia, only 1 to 3 per cent of top executive jobs in the largest corporations worldwide are held by women (Wirth, Luxembourg). Despite some existing problems overall these figures have increase dramatically over the last century, even thirty years ago women had little or no representation in a large corporate environment. From 1985 to 2010 there has been a massive increase of participation of women within the workplace globally and this expect to rise further in coming years (ILO, 2010). As the world becomes more globalised gender equality within the workplace is reduced, this is because the main barriers to this form is equality culture and social norms are changed. Globalisation creates increased employment opportunities and demand for women in non-traditional sectors enable them to earn and control income, thus providing a source of empowerment and enhancing womens capacity for representation and power within the community. In a recent World Bank study of developing countries, respondents from more than 90% of the countries studied identified gender violence as a serious problem (Doyal, 2002). Modern day slavery and trafficking of women has become a major problem. Transnational crime has become prevalent through globalisation and remains a massive threat to women in particular vulnerable women. The underground trafficking of women across borders is an issue of great international concern and has been exacerbated by globalisation. The individuals that are normally transported in these operations are normally abused, raped and often forced or coerced to work as prostitutes in a target country. One of the main contributing factors to this increase in trafficking has been the widespread forced submission of women. Poverty stricken populations are more vulnerable to trafficking, because these women and girls have a very low social status that puts them at risk. Another signifigant contributor to the increase in trafficking is political targeting and conflict zones. The breakdown of society and the rule of law have made these women especially vulnerable to the lure of a better future or an exit out of their countries or event a forced exit. The counter measures in place in the majority of countries target the human traffickers with heavy imprisonment and fines, specifically in Australia this is targeted with the anti-slavery and organised people smuggling legislation where the maximum penalty imposed can be 25 years (David, 2000). This legislation aligns with the United Nations Conventions against Transnational Organised crime, which specifically targeted the trafficking of people (Green Grewcock, 2002). Despite these efforts at any given time over 2.5 million people are held in forced labor the majority of which are women and a further 98% of these experience physical sexual abuse (ILO, 2007). Overall 43% of trafficked people are used for sexual exploitation or prostitution almost all of whom are women (ILO, 2007). Cowen highlights quite elegantly the problems with globalisation, While some sectors expand extreme rapidity, other shrink and wither away (Cowen, 2002). This is true for women and globalisation in some areas women have received increased rights and economic power and yet in many places they still suffer large amounts of gendered violence. Globalisation has presented new challenges and new opportunities to women, gender equality develops from many different sources and it is often impossible to determine whether these are the result of globalisation or they just have been exacerbated by it.

The Black Panther Party Essay -- essays research papers fc

"There is nothing more dangerous than a large segment of people in society that feel that they have no place or stake in it, who feel they have nothing to lose. People who have stake in the society perpetuate that society, when they don't have it, they unconsciously want to destroy it." Unknown As a culture, we are told how to act, think, and speak among other things. We are taught to do what is considered "right" and if we choose not to, we are punished, ridiculed, and considered a menace to society. We are considered thuggish and belittled and put down for living in an alternative way. Don't get me wrong, there is some good in having a controlled society because it brings some order and stability within our society. However, the questions at hand are, could there be a way for those who do realize that we're being controlled to free themselves from the power and control that causes them to become oppressed? Could it be that we are bound and constrained and unable to have some type of agency in order to be free? If we can free ourselves, what type of agency is used? These questions are the basis for my paper. I plan to present examples of control and oppression through the film Panther that shows the struggle of the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense. The film takes place in the 1960's and it shows the struggles that the members had to go through in order to form some type of agency to free themselves from the control and oppression that the government had over their lives and their community. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were two African-American men growing up in the ghetto of California where they saw and experienced racism and police brutality. There voices weren't heard when it came to their communities and it took three young children to die by car crashes, and a peaceful candlelight vigil that turned into a fight between a neighborhood and the police (In which the police covered up their badges so that no one could report them to the police department) for them to want to make... ...oes have a place in society because without it, there would be no stability within our society and everything would be chaotic and confusing. However, for those who don't want to be controlled, and do have a form of agency which they feel will free them really don't seem to be free anyway. It seems to me that no matter what you do, say, or learn you are always controlled. I thought that the fact that the Panther Party becoming knowledgeable would have worked very well but soon some laws were changed such as the one concerning being able to carry firearms as long as they were in clear view. After all they went through they still weren't free. Many of the Panthers were either killed while fighting for the cause or are now political prisoners. So, from my observation, the only agency available to free oneself from oppression is, to become knowledgeable and that only works to a certain extent. I guess there is no plain yes or no answer to my question about whether we can free ourselves from oppression. It's as if you think you've won when you really haven't. Works Cited Panther. Dir. Mario Van Peebles. Polygram Video. 1995.

Essay --

History has been written from the viewpoint of victors in every history textbook up to this point. In A Peoples History of the United States, Howard Zinn presents a report of history told from the perspective of the oppressed American people. It begins with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and concludes with the result of the Gore and Bush 2000 presidential election. Zinn gives the unfiltered truth from educators in today's school systems. By establishing a perspective of everyday common people, as opposed to the familiar victors students have been taught in school systems, Zinn creates a recap of history that informs his readers on well known historical subjects. It describes scenarios overlooked by mainstream class books, and speaks for the voiceless. This engaging process of teaching is mind-altering, demonstrating how the roles of wealth, race, and gender play a role in American history. Why did Howard Zinn choose to base his novel on the oppressed people throughout history as opposed to the â€Å"heroes†? Zinn makes an important distinction from the start about his values towards the perspective and experiences of the oppressed over the view of the oppressor. Zinn prefered to recap the history of the US that was formerly swept under the rug. Zinn writes to show the outlook that is not presented in majority of history books, but he considered that his point of view is not the only one worth perceiving. He resolves that, â€Å"I don't want to invent victories for people's movements...I believe, emphasize new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of the past when, even if in brief flashes, people showed their ability to resist, to join together, occasionally to win†(Zinn 11). Zinn intends to display the angle o... ...mansions; persons "of Quality" traveled in coaches or sedan chairs, had their portraits painted, wore periwigs, and filled themselves with rich food and Madeira..."In Newport, Rhode Island, Bridenbaugh found, as in Boston, that "the town meetings, while ostensibly democratic, were in reality controlled year after year by the same group of merchant aristocrats, who secured most of the important offices..."(Zinn 48). White Americans would describe this time period in a positive approach, due to the evidence that they have significance in the government. The victors have definite rights, wealth, and all the work drops on the backs of their slaves. In this time period, a person's social class and race determines what they experience throughout their lifetime. These actions arrange an altogether different story and outlook than those who endured a different lifestyle.

Reading Comprehension :: essays research papers

READING COMPREHENSION This test measures your ability to understand what you read. You may be asked to:  identify the relationship between sentences  distinguish between the main and secondary ideas  make inferences DIRECTIONS: Read the statement or passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the statement or passage. 1. Myths are stories, the products of fertile imagination, sometimes simple, often containing profound truths. They are not meant to be taken too literally. Details may sometimes appear childish, but most myths express a culture's most serious beliefs about human beings, eternity, and God. The main idea of this passage is that myths (a) are created primarily to entertain young children (b) are purposely written for the reader (c) provide the reader with a means of escape from reality (d) illustrate the values that are considered important to a society 2. Australia has many strange beasts, one of the oddest of which is the koala. Perfectly adapted to one specific tree, the eucalyptus, this living teddy bear does not need anything else, not even a drink! The moisture in the leaves is just right for the koala, making it the only land animal that doesn't need water to supplement its food (from That Astounding Creator Nature by Jean George). The passage indicates that the koala (a) is a member of the bear family that does not need moisture to live (b) gets all of its nourishment from the eucalyptus tree (c) adapts itself to any surroundings (d) is the only animal that does not need food to live 3. It is early summer. August's long-awaited vacation time still seems ages away, but by the same toke, its torpor-producing heat and mildew-generating humidity have not yet arrived. Instead, these cool, end-of-June days practically insist on getting the picnic season under way immediately. But, alas, there is a difficulty: alfresco dining has a bad name among us. Tenth-rate hot dogs, carbonized chicken parts, and beef a-la-charcoal are principally what comes to mind when we hear the words "outdoor food" (from A Spanish Picnic by Robert Capon). The passage suggests that the author believes that (a) picnicking in August is long-awaited (b) August is better than June for a picnic (c) there are some negative aspects to eating outside (d) picnicking is better alfresco 4. In embarking on the fight for independence, America faced formidable obstacles. The Continental Congress did not have the authority to pass binding legislation or to impose taxes.

Discuss the Extent to Which a Vegetarian Diet Is Healthy

Discuss the extent to which a vegetarian diet is healthy. To say till what extent a vegetarian diet Is healthy. First of all need to understand what vegetarian diet is and what is mean to be healthy. Among the areas of non-traditional food, vegetarian diet is one of the oldest and most common. Vegetarianism – is an ancient healing nutrition system, which has a deep philosophical meaning, and assuming certain lifestyle.Healthy meaner – a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. However, to adhere vegetarian diet have both positive and negative sides. Mainly, vegetarian diet negatively affect oldest people. Firstly, how healthy vegetarian diet is depends only on the scale of vegetarianism. Vegetarians refusing meat and all animals products, are highly at risk of vitamin B-1 2 deficiency, especially additives are necessary for females during pregnancy and for child of vegans.On the other hand, locator-vivo- vegetarians have no nutrition risk. They don't get ham iron from meat, however they insensate It with consumption of non-ham Iron from ascorbic acid (Thronged et al 1994). Generally, refusing to meat, decrease possibility to obtain coronary heart disease, hypertension, obesity and conceivably even some cancers. Secondly, scientific studies have established that people who support vegetarianism are lighter in weight than their meat-eating opponents. The distinction of 1 unit of IBM was found by the EPIC study in the Oxford cohort (Spencer et al 2003).Furthermore, lower IBM decrease rate of type 2 diabetes and gallstones. In opposition, DIM start decrease rapidly over the age 60 in vegetarians and mainly in vegans, which leads to complication to control muscle mass. According to this, old vegans suffer from respiratory disorders which Influence high mortality among them. Nonetheless, the positive side of lower IBM shows in younger persons, what helps them in lifestyle move faster and be more flexible. Finally, the consumption of meat usually relates with saturated fat, when plant protein is commonly associated with fiber.To be healthy, in all ages, vegans should obtain recommended amount of protein and energy, arguments was presented by national and international recommendation for protein intake by Langley (1995). Adding to this, exceeding daily rate of energy and protein may result health adverse circumstance such as COD_ To reduce risk of CHOC, simply lifestyle changes should be made such as being physically active, eating healthy not saturated fat food and have a balanced diet. Moreover, there are some other benefits to keep your health e. G. Reduce risk of stroke and dementia.Taking everything Into account, vegetarian diet revised a plenty evidence which be able to increase your resistance to different sort of diseases, also prevent from obesity and deadly illness. In my opinion follow vegetarian diet and exclude meat from dally ration In some case brings many profits to your body and health. But, not all sort of people can stand by vegetarian diet or become vegans, in each case there is an exception such as pregnant women and old people that may adversely attest their health, and bring even more harm to their body.

Overcoming Prejudices and Self Acceptance-the Color Purple

Overcoming Prejudices for Self Acceptance Throughout Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple, the main character, Celie, reveals all of the hardships she has endured during her life. Celie confides in her younger sister, Nettie, and God to express the way she feels in certain situations. As the story progresses, Celie eventually finds her voice and breaks away from all the men who oppressed her during her life. For the duration of the novel, prejudice becomes a reoccurring theme. Not only does Celie struggle with the external prejudices of sexism and racism, but she also struggles with the internal prejudices toward herself.By using Celie’s struggles as an example, Walker teaches the reader that one must overcome prejudices in order to accept themselves. Sexism becomes one of the main external struggles throughout the novel. With the use of the name â€Å"Mr. __† for Celie’s husband, Albert, Walker shows the reader Celie’s growing resentment towards him. The use of this name â€Å"suggests fearful effacement of an identity too dangerous to reveal† (Heglar). She begins to show bitterness when she says, â€Å"I scurry bout, doing this, doing that. Mr. __ sit by the door gazing here and there† (Walker 43). Celie takes the traditional roll of caring for the house while Mr. _ sits by and tends to his own needs and not the needs of the family. Celie’s dislike towards him grows throughout the novel as he becomes more selfish. Sexism occurs again with the use of gender roles in Harpo and Sofia’s relationship. Sofia represents a strong woman who does not let men dominate her. She and Harpo struggle with these roles throughout the novel. Sophia takes on a more masculine roll and Celie describes their arguments as â€Å"fighting like two mens† (Walker 38). Harpo believes that he should beat Sofia because she does not act like Celie in the sense that she does not give in to his every command.Finally, the use of gender violence is passed down through the generations. Gerri Bates stated that â€Å"The act of gender violence is almost handed down from father to son† (97). When the conflicts between Sofia and Harpo begin, Mr. __ encourages Harpo to beat Sofia so that she will give in to his ways. He uses Celie as an example because she never fights back and remains very obedient. With the use of sexism throughout the novel, Walker shows the reader all of the struggles Celie faced during this time period and how she overcame them. Racism also becomes a major external struggle during this novel.During this time period, whites embodied the image of higher class citizens. Many of the women in this novel aspire to look like white women in order to become more sophisticated. The white women of this time period wore an array of bright and vibrant colors that stood out from the rest. Celie describes the barrier between the races when she says, â€Å"Us dress Squeak like she a white woma n, only her clothes patch† (Walker 95). This quotation depicts the difference between the races at the time, and how even though they tried to bring Squeak up in society, they couldn’t quite reach that level because of their race.The role of racism occurs again when the mayor’s wife treats Sofia’s children like animals. While walking around town one day, the mayor’s wife approaches Sofia and her children and begins petting them like animals and saying â€Å"and such strong white teef† (Walker 87); she looks down on the family because of their race and treats them like animals. This again builds the wall between the races and shows that the white race believed that they were superior to the black race. The theme of racism contributes to the plot again with the roles of blacks and whites within society.When Sofia begins to work for the mayor and his wife, she is discriminated against solely for her race. This act is seen when she says, â€Å"H ave you even seen a white person and a colored sitting side by side in a car, when one of ’em isn’t showing the other how to drive or clean it? † (Walker 99). This quotation demonstrates the separation between the races during this time period. The mayor’s family â€Å"continually expect her to behave according to their cultural representations of the black mother† (Selzer). Whites and blacks could not create friendships and could not talk unless it was for business purposes.The roles of races play a major role in understanding the attitudes during this time period. With the understanding of the roles that the blacks and whites played in society, one can infer that Celie had to overcome more struggles than what she had originally dealt with in order to blossom and become herself. In ultimately finding herself at the end of the novel, Celie had to overcome the internal prejudices against herself. With the use of Shug Avery in the novel, Walker displa ys the hardships Celie must face with her new found sexuality.Because this relationship uses different and new feelings it â€Å"evokes so profound an erotic awakening that Celie believes she was â€Å"still a virgin† prior to it† (Hankinson). When Celie begins to have feelings for Shug, they start out innocent and then become more serious. She describes a night that they spent together when she says, â€Å"Me and Shug sound asleep. Her back to me, my arms round her waist† (Walker 116). Celie begins to allow her feelings with Shug to become reality and shows that she does not have the shy personality that everyone thinks she does.Celie breaks out of her inner prejudices again when she confides in her sister, Nettie. Celie begins to yell at the dinner table one night when she could no longer take the verbal abuse from Mr. __ and stated â€Å"You took my sister Nettie away from me, I say. And she was the only person love me in the world† (Walker 202). Celie believed that she could only confide in Nettie and God during difficult times, but she began to realize that all of her friendships would help her out in the end to become a strong, independent woman.Lastly, the growth of Celie throughout the novel is shown through all of the women that help her along the journey in becoming herself. Although Celie tries to discover herself, â€Å"Shug Avery and Sophia Butler provide the major alternative influences that allow Celie to grow and develop† (Heglar). All of the female relationships throughout the novel help Celie to realize that women do not need men to control their lives. She also realizes that women can become self-sufficient and brave without the help from other people.With help from all the women in the novel, Celie discovers herself and comes to realize that the support of a man is not necessary in the journey to happiness. By using Celie’s difficulties as a model, Alice Walker teaches the reader that self acceptanc e comes over time and that one must overcome prejudices in order to find themselves. During the course of the novel, Celie struggles with both internal and external prejudices. In the end she conquers them all and becomes the person that she truly wants to be. She realizes this when she says â€Å"I am so happy. I got love, I got work, I got money, friends and time† (Walker 218).Walker teaches the reader that no matter what other people think, what truly matters is the beauty within and being able to handle one’s self in the worst of situations. Works Cited Bates, Gerri. Alice Walker A Critical Companion. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press: 2005. Print. Hankinson, Stacie Lynn. â€Å"From Monotheism to Pantheism: Liberation from Patriarchy in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. † Midwest Quarterly. 38. 3. Gale, 2003. Literary Resource Center. Web. 1 Feb. 2011. Heglar, Charles J. â€Å"Named and Nameless: Alice Walker's Pattern of Surnames in The Color Pu rple. ANQ 13. 1 (Winter 2000): 38-41. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 167. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Feb. 2011. inchell, Donna Haisty. Alice Walker. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1992. Print. Selzer, Linda. â€Å"Race and Domesticity in The Color Purple. † African American Review 29. 1 (Spring 1995): 67-82. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Janet Witalec. Vol. 167. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 1 Feb. 2011. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Harcourt, Inc. 2003. Print.

Understanding Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Joshua Harris Althea Johns Organizational Behavior October 21, 2012 Understanding Organizational Citizenship Behaviors Citizenship, most don’t normally associate this term with an organization like a business. Many would think of the word citizenship in terms of the country that you may live in. Some may even think of it more broadly then that. As in we are all citizens of this planet. But what is the opposite? Are there smaller citizenship classifications, and are they as important? Particularly, what about citizenship at your place of employment? What does organizational citizenship behavior mean to a company?Can it affect things like job satisfaction, efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction? Research suggests that there is a â€Å"moderately positive correlation† between job function and organizational citizenship behavior. [ (Kinicki) ] This paper will examine real examples of OCB, explain how organizations can influence OCB, and which pitfalls to watch out for. (Kinicki) Organ defined organizational citizenship behaviors as, â€Å"Individual behavior that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization.By discretionary, we mean that the behavior is not an enforceable requirement of the role or the job description, that is, the clearly specifiable terms of the person’s employment contract with the organization; the behavior is rather a matter of personal choice, such that its omission is not generally understood as punishable. † (Organ) Literature in this subject has been almost non-existent prior the early 1980’s, but has increased in popularity ever since. Its these â€Å"discretionary† behaviors that according to Brooker, â€Å"Our esprit de corps is the core of our success. That’s the most difficult thing for a competitor to imitate.They can buy all the physical things. The th ing you can’t buy is dedication, devotion, and loyalty. † (Brooker) Its this loyalty that convinced Herb Kelleher, from Booker’s article tiled â€Å"Can anyone replace Herb? â€Å" to argue â€Å"that employee citizenship is the single biggest reason for the company’s success. † However this was hard to prove with hard evidence until late 1990’s. (Brooker) In Bolino and Turnley’s 2003 article â€Å"Going the Extra Mile: Cultivating and managing Employee Citizenship Behavior† which appeared in Academy of Management Executive, they describe factors that can promote good OCB.It is the authors’ opinion that the most important being job satisfaction. (Turnley) Bolino & Turnley conclude from their analyst of several studies, that if an employee is happy, they will provide a positive organizational citizenship behavior. The article also covered other factors such as trust, job interest and involvement, organizational suppo rt, and Employee Characteristics. It is with these factors that researches use to try to come up with predictors. Perhaps one of the best predictors happens in what Bolino and Turnley calls the â€Å"recruitment & selection† process. Turnley)They provide three main ways in which human resource managers can help achieve this. The first is to look for causes that applicants are committed to. For examples, college graduates that have a lot of extra curricular activities or a professional with volunteer services. Another predictor in determining positive OCB would be to provide situational questions to the interviewee. (Turnley)This is one tool that Smucker’s uses to gage their employee’s. The last tool the article provides is personality trait questions.This is somewhat similar to situational interviews, but they are geared to the person and not a specific situation. The next natural step in influencing organizational citizenship behavior is during training. It is during training that an organization may have the best chance at eliciting citizenship behaviors. However, Bolino & Turnley, describe how this is usually the opposite of what organizations do, due to their emphasis on individual achievements. One way an organization can help influence positive OCB is to sponsor training programs that focus on cooperation and taking initiative.But probably the best would be to develop a training program that is used to improve relationships among coworkers and/or supervisors and subordinates. Bolino’s article gave an example of this at Southwest Airlines when works were cross-trained on other positions. This allowed employees to gain experience in other area, but also appreciate and help out when they could. Also a study showed that supervisors that have had training in organizational justice principles also benefit from higher levels of OCB. In the last direct way organizations can influence OCB is in compensation.Bolino’s arti cle concluded that employees are more likely to engage in behaviors that are rewarded. An example of this is Asada, the British subsidiary of Wal-Mart, gives awards to employees who go â€Å"above and beyond†. CitiGroup does something similar. It is called â€Å"Galaxy of Thanks†. Employees can thank other employees for going above and beyond. If an employee reaches so many, that employee gets special recognition by the company and can win rewards. (Young) Bolino’s article also pointed to group or organizational level compensation fosters positive OCB. But, there can be many pitfalls for compensating for OCB.Some more informal ways of promoting positive OCB would include developing a culture in the organization that is conducive for positive OCB. Having managers and supervisors living by the same standard and by having an organization act in a deserving way. As you can tell there are many ways that organizations can influence their potential positive organizatio nal citizenship behavior. But, there are some pitfalls to be aware of. While there are potentially several pitfalls, all seem easily manageable. Bolino places pitfalls in three categories: Impression Management, Costs, and Escalating.Impression Management, is noted in another article by Bolino as, â€Å"Several organizational behavior scholars have noted that individuals may engage in organizational citizenship behaviors not because they are concerned about the organization’s welfare but because such activities may cause others (especially their supervisors) to look favorably upon them† (Bolino) The pitfall here comes when rewarding this type of â€Å"Impression Management† behavior, which can put a strain on morale. (Turnley)Managers should watch for this type of motivation during citizenship assessments and be sure not to reward this type of behavior.If this behavior is rewarded the costs could certainly outweigh any potential gains. Another potential downside to positive OCB happens when employees become lax on their main job functions. Many don’t think helping another co-worker could potentially be a downfall, but that is exactly what Sprint, Xerox, and Ford found out in a Wall Street Journal study. Employees would help co-workers with computer issues and it was estimated to have cost the companies upwards of $15,000 per computer. It is thought that hiring more support personal would have been significantly less expensive, and with better quality of support. Bulkeley)The last area of pitfalls is a concept of Escalating Citizenship. You can think of this concept like inflation. Today a dollar will buy you much less than fifty or so years ago and escalating citizenship is something that manager must watch out for. If the bar for above and beyond is constantly moved higher and higher it can be catastrophic for an organization including high levels of job dissatisfaction, high turnover, and high stress. It is the author’s opi nion that the evidence is overwhelming that positive organizational behavior can greatly influence or be the â€Å"single biggest reason for the company’s success†. Brooker)In this essay we have examined why organizational citizenship is important to an organization. We also took a look at what organizations can do to positively impact OCB. Finally we examined some downsides of OCB and provided some way managers can navigate around them. Organizational citizenship behavior can be a very good thing, when done correctly. Bibliography Bolino. â€Å"Citizenship and impression managment: Good soliders or good actors. † Academy of Managment Review 24. 1 (n. d. ): 82-88. Brooker, K. â€Å"Can anyone replace Herb? † 2000. Fourtune. 19 Oct 2012 <http://money. nn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/04/17/278112/index. htm>. Bulkeley, W. M. â€Å"Study finds hidden costs of computing. † The Wall Street Journal (1992). Kinicki, Angelo. Managment: a practical introduction 5E. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Organ, D. W. Organizatioal citizenship behavior: The good soldier syndrome. Lexington: Lexington Books, n. d. Turnley. â€Å"Going The Extra Mile: Cultivating and managing employee citizenship behavior. † Academy of Managment Executives 17. 3 (2003): 60-71. Young, Joseph P. Interview. Joshua Harris. 19 October 2012.

Rn Resume

Objective To be able to integrate professional competencies in the nursing role of growth oriented company as health care provider, health educator, patient's advocated and collaborator of care in competitive world of nursing profession. * Qualifications: Registered Nurse/Registered Midwife Skilled in Surgical-orthopedic and Medical ward Skilled in Delivery Room and Intensive Maternal Unit Has two (2) years working experience in Government HospitalsIntravenous Therapist trained * Possesses good interpersonal and communication skills * Saudi Barometric Council Passer * Computer literate Work Experience: I-POSITION: staff Nurse Area: Delivery Room/ Intensive Maternal Unit Name of Hospital: Sambaing City Medical Center Location: Gambol City Duration: November 15 2011- December 31 2012 Hospital Background: Tertiary Level 4 teaching-training hospital with an authorized bed- facility. Job Descriptions: capacity of 300 and government-owned health care . . 4. Attends morning rounds. Performs direct patient care procedures. Manages and assists normal deliveries. Take records and charts. 6. Assists in the preparation of patients for treatment, examination and surgery. 7. Administers medications. 8. Operates diagnostic procedures. Al- POSITION: staff Nurse Area: Medical and Surgical Ward/ Orthopedic Ward Name of Hospital: Camp Innovator General Hospital Location: Sambaing City Duration: October 01 2010-October 05 2011Hospital Background: A 200-bed capacity secondary hospital at Western Mindanao Command Armed Forces of the Philippines. 5. Performs direct patient care procedure. Carries out doctor's order. Observes patient's records and reports. Operates diagnostic procedures. Maintains records reflecting patient condition, medication and treatment. Sets up treatment trays and prepares instrument and equipment.

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The German Nation and Martin Luther - Essay Example His theses were printed and distributed all over Europe in a span of three months. Among his biggest criticisms was the Pope’s role in raising money, an act that made him one of the richest men of his time. His argument was that the Pope should have used his wealth to help the needy in society. David’s unrelenting battle with the church got him exiled a few months after the formation of the Diet of Worms Council in 1521. A group of Martin Luther’s supporters who wanted to make him a martyr formed this council. Arthur states that in 1523, Martin Luther published the German version of the Pentateuch before producing an edition of the New Testament, in 1529 (254). This marked the beginning of the translation of the Bible into many languages and task that is still being practiced up to date. In addition to this, Luther wrote several hymns, hence marking the beginning of singing during congregational services. Presently, hymns are sung in Christian church services all over the world. His matrimony to a woman, who was herself an ex-nun, introduced the concept of marriage among Christian clergy. This act was unheard of among priests in his time. They had a large family and lived a simple life.

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Professional Learning Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Professional Learning Experience - Essay Example 70). Realizing the challenges I have to face in socialization and conflict resolution, I decided to focus Professional Learning Experience (PLE) at addressing the dilemmas of profession and its humane aspects. Awareness is the first step towards overcoming professional inadequacies and shortfalls. In many professional settings and situation, I found myself in tight spots, where it was hard to draw a line between my responsibilities as a nursing professional and the demands of social decorum. Overcoming such issues in professional career is of significant importance, in a society, hyper sensitive on the display of professional approach and social values in perfect mix. The professional socialization goal identified in this connection includes, conflict resolution, overcoming dilemmas, and role identification for nurse based on the rationale of ethics, values and social expectations. Kozier et al. (2008) presents the broad description of these goals of professional socialization and st ates, â€Å"The education of professional involves a complete socialization process, more far reaching in its social and attitudinal aspects and its technical features than is usually required in other kinds of occupation† (p. 17). ... The occurrence was reported a little late in time and when we rushed to the spot, things have already gone worse than affordable in isolation ward. Patients were gathered around a patient, speaking laud and violent. The patient was not ready to hear any argument and was insisting on his claim of being mishandled and mistreated. There were also signs of personal grudge towards the nursing staff that has been handling the case. Susan immediately grabbed his hand and patted it lovingly while asking him to cool down and drove him to a corner where she can hear his stance in private. She assured him of getting possible assistance, in getting his point over to physician and administration for reconciliation. Soon, she managed patient’s agreement over a peaceful and graceful dialogue. The patient was a retired army officer and looked genuinely hurt over the issue. Susan managed to convince him on a detailed description of his reservations. This patient told her the backdrop of the si tuation from his perspective and complaint against the behavioral shortcomings and inadequacies of the nursing staff, while Susan provided very mild and easygoing explanations to some of the professional intricacies and limitations under the circumstances. Susan was successful in pursuing the patient for a shift in isolation ward while assuring him on redress of grievances. She also manages to get his agreement over filing a written complaint of the incident. The incident had a great deal of learning for me and I closely watched various actions, behaviors and gestures which Susan has applied to overcome the conflict. Specially, her skills in convincing the patient on peaceful negociations were

Starbucks Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Marketing Strategy Essay Starbucks developed an advantage over its competitors by engaging in partnerships with stores such as Safeway, Barnes Noble where they open cafes to serve their coffee and sell their products. They improved their brand awareness by licensing its brand name on different food products such as ice cream and bottled Frapuccinos 2. What were the principal drivers behind Starbucks’ success in the marketplace? What does the Starbucks brand mean to consumers? How have the growth opportunities pursued that Starbuck has pursued affected the value of its brand name? One of the drivers behind Starbucks’ success is their store locations. The company only open stores in centralized cities in highly visible regions. Stores are always spacious with room for customers to hang out and drink their coffee. They also have great merchandise items such as coffee beverages, whole bean coffee by the pound, pastries, sandwiches, etc†¦ A big part is Starbucks’ success is their employees. Their baristas are trained to customize each drink and to explain the origin of different coffees. There are treated like partners, and trained to provide the best customer service and to deal with customer complains on the spot. The Starbucks brand means consistency and predictability to consumers. It is a promise to great coffee and great experience. Starbucks’ extensive product line strategy of creating a variety of products beyond just coffee beans was a big growth opportunity, as well as their partnerships that allowed them to expand their brand by selling ready to drink coffee, flavored ice cream and branded coffee now in supermarkets. They also have joint venture agreements in 15 countries. 3. What are the major challenges facing Starbucks as it goes global? Is the brand advantage sustainable going forward? Can Starbucks defend its position against other specialty coffee retailers? Competition is always a challenge when expanding a business overseas, as well as their lack of experience in the international market. Global expansion also means being operated by local partners and therefore making less money. However, I do believe their brand is sustainable. Starbucks is the market pioneer, which gives them major advantage against their competitors. To defend their position, Starbucks should never impose their western preferences in their international markets and continue to adapt their products to the local markets.