The Underlying Profitability Of Importing American Books...

I. Introduction China Zhijian Publishing House, founded in 2010, is a company which mainly publishes Chinese publications and about 600 categories of new books can be published every year. The category of publications includes popular books, reference books, applied technology books, textbooks, medical electronic and audio-visual publications and so on. In addition, China Zhijian Publishing House had 2 readers services departments at Beijing and established 50 agent sites, and meanwhile, it had also achieved internet selling by applying online sales platforms. In recent years, China Zhijian Publishing House plans to bring American books into China markets, thus, some outstanding American books can be sold in China. This report is going to analyze the underlying profitability of importing American books into Chinese market through the aspect of culture and economy. II. Country’s Relevant History China is an ancient country with more than 5000 years of history. In the past, China experienced a series of wars before the founding of the new China, such as the Opium War, Sino - Japanese War, the Second Revolution, the Northern Expedition, Encirclement Campaigns, Anti-Japanese War and War of Liberation. China faced a series of severe wars, and never gave up any chance to fight with enemies. China is also an energetic country with a lot of ancient culture and history. In the ancient times, the literature of China was well developed in the ancient style. There are a lot of greatShow MoreRelatedWhat Factors Do You Think Attributed to Suraj Bhais Success? Was He Merely in the Right Place at the Right Time’’, or Are There Characteristics About Him That Contribute to His Success?9099 Words   |  37 Pages IN   OPERATION . 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Black Elk Speaks By John Neihardt - 1392 Words

Black Elk Speaks is a devised work some have debated to be a work of literature, a biography, an autobiography, and even an ethnography that has remained practiced in multiple academic disciplines. Black Elk Speaks was written by John Neihardt and published in 1932; Neihardt was not a literary or an anthropologist, but a poet and short story writer who wrote a multi-layered interpretation of a holy man’s life while failing to include portions of the story in order to advance the interest of his readers, ultimately making the meaning of the story his own. When the intended story was that of a holy man whose job was to hold the circle together through the power of a vision given to him and despite feeling as though he failed his people he†¦show more content†¦In order to receive such sacred information Neihardt had to become a tribal member; predictably Neihardt returned in the spring and through a series of rituals became adopted as Black Elk’s spiritual son ( Holler, 1984). On May 10th 1931 Neihardt began to learn Black Elk’s story, over a period of 18 days he sat with Black Elk while Black Elk’s son Ben interpreted the language between the two and Neihardt’s daughter Enid documented the conversation in short hand; forming the first few layers of possible bias in the work. Black Elk was a member of the Oglala Sioux and grew up during the beginning of the production of the Transcontinental Railroad. Black Elk first remembered hearing voices around the age of five, but did not have his first vision until he was 9 years old when he befell very ill. His vision constitutes for one of the longest chapters of the book; Black Elk describes being taken on a cloud to cloud world to meet with his six grandfathers. Each grandfather gives Black Elk an object that holds a specific power that will save his people: a cup, a bow, a pipe, and a red stick. He is told that he must remember what has been bestowed upon him for his people will face difficulties and great change. He is given visions of fighting, war, starvation, and people fleeing (Neihardt, 1972). Many have argued that Black Elk’s vision could also contain bias due to the fact that the story was told sixty years after the account and Black Elk’s story could

Dick Smith Case Study free essay sample

Strategic management and strategy is a key factor when trying to compete and the external and internal environment needs to be analysed to do it effectively. By using business level strategy Dick Smith can compete with its competitors and achieve its goal of being one of the main brands that Australians prefer to buy. Strategic management is defined as dealing with the major intended and emergent initiatives aken by general managers on behalf of owners involving utilization of resources to enhance the performance of firms in their external environment (Harrington and Ottenbacher, 2010). By using strategic management firms can gain a competitive advantage over other firms and compete with them. Blumentritt (2006) explains that strategic management is a process of beginning with a mission and vision. After its goals are set analysis and planning begins followed by implementation. An evaluation takes place at the conclusion. The nature of competition in many world industries is changing; there is a new landscape in the 21st entury. There is hyper competition like never before, technological advancements are at a high and investments are becoming enormous. Technology is constantly changing so businesses must adapt to stay up to date and use their resources wisely. Fleck (2008) talks about disruptive technologies and how they caused problems. He explained that disruptive technologies bring a new value proposition to the market and offer different features. The rate of technological improvements tends to be faster than the improvement demanded by customers. Ngamkroeckjoti and Johri (2003) describe hyper competition as rapidly scalating competition arising from strategic decisions made by global and innovative competitors. Dick Smith foods is in a difficult position as it is not selling its product as cheaply as international competitors, hoping that its Australian made product will appeal to Australians for them not to buy from overseas. With technology being so advanced to produce so much so cheaply, Dick Smith will struggle to appeal to a market who simply wants the cheapest product. Kefalas (2007) states that there are six sectors in the general business external environment hich must be considered when implementing strategy. He talked about the demographic, economic, socio-cultural, legal, technological and global sectors. As Dick Smith is concerned about products being bought from overseas instead of within the country, he is focusing on the socio-cultural aspect of the general environment. Another segment he would be researching would be global markets as he has to compete with all the cheaper alternatives. Mason (2007) talks about the five sources model of competition which includes threat of new ntrants, power of suppliers, power of buyers, threat of product substitutes and intensity of rivalry among competitors. Mason talks about products needing to be differentiated; products must be at competitive prices and must be unique in order to attract customer loyalty. Smith appeals to customers with its unique Australian branding but prices are not as competitive as cheaper alternatives from overseas. Customer loyalty would be crucial for Smith to stay competitive as this is why he created the brand, to appeal to Australians. He must also be ware of the rivalry among competitors, it is a popular industry but with his iconic brand name he can be unique from the rest. The external environment is very important to all businesses as they must know what they are up against, especially one that must compete with the world. Not only does the external environment need to be analysed but also the internal environment which relates to processes inside the business. Chen and Mohamed (2007) talks about the internal environment, how it involves resources, core capabilities and core competencies. Resources are described by Martin and Zaghloul (2011) as inputs into a firm’s production process. Capabilities are used to deploy resources and are based on developing the organisation through human capital. They also talk about core competencies and how they provide a framework that articulates professional skills and set benchmarks from which success can be demonstrated. Dick Smith uses its resources to outsource its products from other Australian businesses and then the Dick Smith label is presented on the product. This has caused controversy and critics state that all Dick Smith is oing is pushing out other Australian owned businesses. Willcocks (2011) states the obvious in that outsourcing is beneficial due to cost savings and greater value of the product overall. As Dick Smith products are already at a higher cost due to not coming from cheaper labour overseas, outsourcing is a crucial part to their production process. Corporate level strategy relates to product and market choices of a firm and business level strategy defines how well it deploys its resources in a given market when facing their competitors says Nandakumar, Ghobadian and O’Regan (2010). They also go on to explain about the different strategies such as differentiation, focus and cost leadership. Baack and Boggs (2007) describes these strategies as being vital as they are a result of environmental features but are rooted in the firm’s decision to pursue a broad or narrow target market and a uniqueness or cost competency. Dick Smith specifically focuses on the differentiated and focus strategies due to their appeal and focus on the Australian market. He makes his product different by purely being Australian and making it clear that it is not made cheaply verseas, keeping a lot of Australia’s labour force out of employment. This would also mean having a large focus on Australians and the target market of those who do not want to be replaced by international competitors. These strategies will appeal in the future as more products are moving overseas, it is a smart strategy that appeals to true Australians. Dick Smith is an Australian brand that needs to use strategic management as it needs to compete with much cheaper international alternatives. As the 21st century has become focused on technology and is hypercompetitive, Dick Smith must compete in an ever rowing world. He must be wary of the five sources, being aware of product substitutes and intensity of competitors. As well as being aware of these external factors he must focus on using resources wisely and continue outsourcing to reduce costs. Dick Smith is still staying competitive even though his profit has reduced considerably over the years. He uses smart business level strategies such as differentiation and focus to appeal to Australians as a group to keep jobs here. Overall Dick Smith has been competitive over the years even though competitiveness has been lacking recently.

Why did the Tsarist regime collapse in 1917 Essay Example

Why did the Tsarist regime collapse in 1917 Paper In order to analyse how and why the Russian monarchy based government collapsed in 1917, it is essential to look at the factors that undermined the regimes authority and power base. These factors, which this essay will look into, can broadly be divided into long and short-term factors. I will discuss the long-term factors firstly and then draw attention to the shorter term and immediate issues. The system of government that the tsar employed was an autocratic one, that is, one in which the reliance of rule is placed on one person. This system was looking increasingly outdated in the early twentieth century, as many of the European states, most notably Britain and France had long since abandoned their monarchs as sole despots. The growth of industry and the new social classes created by new economic conditions increased the gap between those who had money and power and those who had not. The demand for parliamentary democracy was growing from the enlarged middle classes and educated liberals. We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the Tsarist regime collapse in 1917 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the Tsarist regime collapse in 1917 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the Tsarist regime collapse in 1917 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The personality of the incumbent Tsar, Nicholas undermined the future of a tsarist Russia. A problem with a hereditary system of power wielding is that power is forced upon and individual regardless of ability or will to perform the tasks presented. Nicholas was weak, hesitant and reactionary. He also found himself in a position where outsiders such as Rasputin could heavily influence Tsarist policies and decisions. The industrialisation of Russia, although not as comprehensive or widespread as that process in other European countries, still caused appalling working and living conditions for the working classes, or the proletariat as Marx called them. With no political voice to air their grievances, the lower social classes were increasingly hostile to the antiquated system of government. The increased growth of organised opposition to the Tsar weakened his hold on the reins of power further by creating a stronger voice for sections of society opposed to the monarchy, in particular in the cities and industrial areas. Certain short-term factors, such as the impact of the First World War on Russian society also helped lead to the demise of the Tsar. Despite causing an initial feeling of patriotism in Russia, as had happened in most other countries, the war caused immense economic and social difficulties that the regime found it immensely difficult to survive with. Food shortages, spiralling inflation and difficulties supplying the vast military machine of the Russian Empire created difficulties for Nicholas and his ministers. The experience of ordinary Russian peasants of the war; on the battlefield and on farms and in factories caused unrest and helped make them more receptive to radical political ideas and messages being advocated by certain groups such as the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. The lack of scrutiny and opposition had caused the administration to become ineffective and bureaucratic and it founded it increasingly hard to operate with a significant degree of efficiency, which was essential in the wartime situation faced between 1914-17. Demonstration and unrest in the major cities, especially in the capital Petrograd were fairly commonplace as the war dragged on. These protests were more spontaneous than organised, yet this shows the significant expression of political sentiment of an uniformed and uneducated population. The armed forces, along with the population were also becoming disillusioned with the Tsar due to the series of military failures and empathy for the plight of the demonstrators. Because of this, many units supported the protests and refused to take action against them. The decision of Nicholas to abdicate and the lack of any replacement within his family finally caused the Tsarist administration to fold. Contrary to popular myth, it was not in fact soley the February revolution which had caused the regime to collapse, but it was in fact an amalgamation of factors, of which the impact of the war was most probably the most significant. Many historians believe that the regime would have collapsed when it did even if the revolution had not occurred or had been delayed. The lack of support from aristocrats in his government and irritated army generals made his ability to deal with the problems he faced in 1917 extremely impaired. By stripping the Tsar of his power base in the form of his cronies in the government and the army, he simply couldnt survive very long at all.

Affirmative Action For Colleges essays

Affirmative Action For Colleges essays Affirmative action has been the subject of increasing debate and tension in American society. Should someone be able to attend a university just because of his or her nationality? This has been a growing debate all over the country. There are two sides of this argument. On one side, you have people that embrace equal opportunity programs, ensuring that every nationality is applicable for the college that they hope to one day attend. On the contrary, you have a group of people that believe that affirmative action is unfair. They believe that a persons skin color shouldnt determine whether or not they get accepted to a college, but rather their character and qualifications. What is the right thing to do? Should an African American student be accepted to a university with sub-par grades, when there is a White student that is not accepted with better grades than the African American student? According to affirmative action program, the black student will get in before the white student because his is a minority. This is truly a tough issue to handle. At the same time, if there were no affirmative action, would admissions for colleges be fair and equal? That is the question that many of college professors have been analyzing and debating over for years. Under a federal court order to abolish affirmative action, Texas universities have seen a drop in black and Latino students since 1996(http://aad.english.ucsb.edu). Trying to boost the numbers, the Texas Legislature mandated that the top 10% of each high school be offered automatic admission to University of Texas or Texas A ...

Cancer Case study essays

Cancer Case study essays Mr. L. is a 69 year-old male with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), FAB-M1 normal cytogenetics diagnosed in May of 2001. He received chemotherapy (7+3: AraC/idarubican) at that time and achieved complete remission. He developed a relapse in the April of 2002. He deferred treatment as he was trying alternative medicines. He eventually was treated with chemotherapy (Mylotarg) again in May of 2002, but this did not result in remission and he is considered to be in refractory relapse. Mr. L. has a history of neutropenic fever, otitis media, diabetes, positive VRE in his blood, and Coronary Artery Disease. Mr. L does understand that there is no cure for his disease and that is why he has chose alternative care. He has refused a referral to UW-Madison At this time he is still trying alternative medicines, and comes into the Cancer Center for lab draws, and if needed he has blood and/or platelet transfusions. He has refused Procrit and GM-CSF, to assist in his condition. Mr. L is married and his wife is supportive of him and his choice in attempting alternative medicine. He also has many siblings who are supportive of him and 2 of them were tested for HLA compatibility to see if they would be able to help their brother and tested positive, although due to his remission it is not possible for him to have a transplant at this time. His stressors are having a disease that there is no know cure for, having chemotherapy not work, trying alternative therapies, and having to come into the Cancer Center each week to have his blood work tested (CBC Mr. L. is in Eriksons stage of generativity versus stagnation. I feel that he is in the generativity part of this stage. Generativity is where the person is able to assist the younger generat...

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 84

Summary - Essay Example b. The issue is clearly stated and there can be no confusion in regard to its aspects. It should be noted that the issue is made clear in the following two ways: a) direct reference is made to the issue and b) the potential implications of the issue for humans and the planet are mentioned, leading the reader to the identification of the article’s main issue. b. The conclusion is clearly stated. In fact, in the last paragraph the author notes that ‘weve remained too silent for far too long’; this phrase illustrates the view of the author in regard to the strategy followed up today for handling the particular problem. c. The conclusion is related to the question raised in this article but not directly. In fact, the conclusion highlights the fact that no action has been taken up today for addressing global population growth but it does not focus on the key reason for which such action should be taken. a. The reasons that support the evidence are differentiated: a) for Paul Ehrlich, the continuous global population growth could result to a chaos, b) in the context of an article published in Time magazine, global population growth could lead to the increase of instability and c) the magazine Scientific American has promoted the idea that global population growth would threaten the availability of food. b. The first of the above reasons is based on a personal belief of Paul Ehrlich; the relationship between global population growth and instability is based on the personal experience of the General Michael Hayden, the author of the article published in Time magazine. As of the third reason, the relationship between global population growth and increased food needs is based on the personal belief of the American economist, as this belief is probably resulted from the study of demographic trends in countries worldwide. c. The evidence is related to the conclusion but not directly. In fact the evidence helps to understand the reasons for which initiatives

Reaya Co Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaya Co - Essay Example Our primary goal is to provide nurses who offer excellent care and packages that set public standards and surpass client expectations in a compassionate, appropriate and economical manner. Our vision is to transform the quality of healthcare through values of care, service, novelty and excellence. We are acknowledged by our staff, clients and the society as the best organization to work in as well as the best place for nursing practice. We provide nurses that are highly skilled professionals assuring each family peace of mind that their loved one is in excellent hands. Reaya Co. strives to uphold safe evidence-based nursing practice that reaches the scope of the nursing career as defined by the Joint Commission International. Our nurses possess specialized knowledge and abilities with extensively different paths of practice. We allow independence in decision making to ensure that personal capabilities are accomplished to full potential. The nurses are sophisticated and are adapted to work in different environments with changing client needs. We recognize the need for life-long learning and continuous skill development among the nursing fraternity. Reaya Co. professional services provide a number of learning opportunities for our staff through conferences and events. Our professional services offer expertise and consultancy to our staff regarding various workplace ergonomics as well as health and safety matters. We ensure that our employees are guaranteed of safe working conditions and that they are adequately equipped for safe patient management and disaster preparedness. We promote research activities spearheaded by our nursing professionals as well as other stakeholders in healthcare to ensure our clients take advantage of the latest inventions in nursing and also for our staff to develop research competency for their future career and personal development goals. We also offer internship opportunities that expose upcoming nursing professionals to

Managing Change Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Change - Assignment Example Furthermore, for such a company to survive through all those years in the competitive market, it has to set its strategies right. In this report, we are going to explore the approaches that Nike towards corporate responsibility. Nike is therefore developing a new approach to corporate responsibility to consider ways at which it can harness the power of its business so that it influences environmental and social changes as the business grows. As the year 2006 approached, Nike’s acting goal was to make sure that every business unit incorporates corporate responsibility to their development strategies, responsibilities and performance. In addition to that, Nike was going to evaluate success by the extent at which the various businesses have met their goals for corporate responsibility as well as the business growth. ‘CR must evolve from being seen as an unwanted cost to being recognized as an intrinsic part of a healthy business model, an investment that creates competitive advantage and helps a company achieve profitable, sustainable growth. For that to happen, we saw we needed to transition our corporate responsibility efforts beyond that of standard risk and reputation management approach usually taken, and beyond the work of an isolated function within the business model. We realized that effective strategies are ones that embrace the whole enterprise. Responsible competitive outcomes result from holistic approaches and business processes that extend from factory workers to consumer, from sources or raw material to communities, where we can influence social and environmental change, from our workplace to the world we all share. An environmentally friendly product made under poor labor is a hollow success. A product made under good conditions but that is bad for our planet is a missed opportunity. We don’t believe in trade-offs. We do believe – passionately so – in innovating to create new and better solutions’. In this report, we

Examining Organizational Culture In Tawam Hospital Nursing Essay

Examining Organizational Culture In Tawam Hospital Nursing Essay The assignment is about the organizational culture and the effectiveness on the organizational process and outcomes. During this assignment I will start with the culture definition, than I will identify the factors that affecting the organizational culture either internally or externally. Moreover, I will try to analyze my organizational culture and to recognize the type of my organizational culture and its appropriateness with my department plan. Before I end with the conclusion, I will speak about the main key lessons taken from the organizational culture assignment and how will apply it on my department using two effective different ways which is one of the biggest challenges in this assignment. Gudykunst and Ting-Toomey (1988) defined the culture as the learned beliefs, values, norms, symbols and traditions that are common to group of people. It is these shared qualities of group that make them unique culture in dynamic and transmitted to others. In short, culture is the way of life, customs, and script, of group of people. II Factors Affecting  the Organizational Culture: There is no single definition for organizational culture; its influenced by multifactor, like the organizational behavior or the communication of the organization, and also some people affected by the management science of the organization to analyze the organizational culture. A system of knowledge, of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and actingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. that serves to relate human communities to their environmental settings (Allaire Firsirotu, 1984). A set of understandings or meanings shred by a group of people that are largely tacit among members and are clearly relevant and distinctive to the particular group which are also passed on to new members (Louis, 1980). There are numbers of external and internal factors affecting any organization. External factors are beyond the control of the organization, whereas the internal factors can be controlled to an extent. (See table 1) External factors Internal factors Political legal Economic Socio/Cultural Technological Demographics Competition Suppliers Distributors Employee Wholesalers Shareholders Partners Table 1: factors affecting the organization. III- My Organizations Culture:   Analysis of My Organizations Culture:   I had analyzed my organizational culture depending on the Harrisons questionnaire (see Appendix 1) to identify the type of culture whether its power, role, task, or self culture. I have found that my organizational culture is Role culture (See table 2). I totally agreed with the result, it fits with my department and organizational culture. Culture power role task self Score 39 57 34 20 Table 2: Organizational Culture. My organization is one of the biggest hospitals in the United Arab Emirates; its called as Tawam hospital. Its a governmental facility, operated by the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and managed by Johns Hopkins medicine. It provides healthcare services to the community of Alain city and referral for the emirates and other surrounding gulf countries. Its a 477 bedded tertiary centre, and also it has with polyclinics with 92 specialty clinics per day and 3 primary healthcare centers located around the city to facilitate the healthcare for the surrounding areas. The organization was established on 1979 in Alain city while I have joined the organization in 2006; its accredited by JCI since 2006. My organization is one of the biggest healthcare organizations in the country, it has a divisional structure, its composed from multidisciplinary specialties and divisions, each division work as a small organization focusing on their specific plan leading in the end to achieve the general plans and objectives of the organization under the supervision of the top manager of the organization (CEO). My culture is really a role culture , it runs by the coordination of senior managing group, all works inside the organization controlled by rules, regulations, and fixed polices that protect the employees and provides a high quality of care to all customers. The CEO is impersonal and correct, he never use his authority for his own personal issues. All leaders in the organization follow the appropriate ways/channels of communication structure directed from top to down and information flows upward within the functional pyramids which meet at the top, but the cross-communication is totally rejected. Most of the employees are competent, responsible and reliable and they meet the duties and responsibilities of their job description with strong sense of loyalty to the organization leading to provide a high quality of care to all customers. The relation between the employee and the organization is controlled by rules and regulations through clear contract between them, leading to build up strong trust and relationship. The controller of the employees activities is the responsible one for directing them with impersonal exercise of economic and political power to enforce procedures and standards performance. Due to the role culture of the organization, works run through formal rules and regulations, and that help in improving the control and managing conflicts between the staff by formal ways, also it protects the security of the employee against the external factors and enhancing the team work between them. Finally, I believe that the role culture is acting properly during this period, with the new JCIA standards and the organizational rules; there is a good environment for the employees to provide the best care for all types of customers with safe and evidence-based practice. The Appropriateness of the Culture with the Department: All cultures are good in the right place, because each culture is good for something and less good for others (Handy, 1990). Before going deeply and critically analyzing the fitness and appropriateness of the role culture with the strategic plans of my organizational/department objectives and, what are my departments mission, vision and values? The departments mission is to provide a full range of medical, surgical, and specialized services to our patients (Employee Handbook, 2007, p. 4). However, my departments vision stated that the department will provide high quality, affordable, medical services delivered in friendly, safe, and caring environment which meet JCIA standard of care (Employee Handbook, 2007, p. 4). Lastly, my departments value stated that the department believes in treating all patients, visitors and employees with respect dignity and quality and guided by UAE laws and respect for patient rights (Employee Handbook, 2007, p. 4). I believe that the role culture is the ideal one for his department which is dealing with clinical services and with high quality of care in suitable environment and all these issues controlled by accredited standards and country laws. Harrison (1972) who analyzes the organizational culture defined the role cultures as those in which behavior is governed by rules, regulations and legitimacy. Priority is given to developing appropriate policies and procedures, and thus emphasis is placed upon means rather than ends. In addition to that, there are several factors which lead the role culture to be fit with the objectives of the department starting from the formal way of communication which lead to enhance the effectiveness of work, and will provide good and suitable environment for work. Also, all the employees are aware for their rights and responsibilities which will provide safe and comfortable media for work and protect them from any external assault. On the other hand, the main problem that faces my department in the last recent years is the existence of few people still believing in the power of national culture and how they can affect and change inside the governmental organization, but by the accredited standard that applied in the organization, it was started to resolve gradually and people start to believe by rules and regulations. Finally, I believe that the role culture going with the same direction with my departments strategic plans in a very effective way to achieve the main goals and mission for his department by providing high standards of clinical services and customer services with high accredited standards and evidence-based practice. Key Lessons: During the last two years, my job was a staff nurse in my department, but a team leader responsibility was allocated to me to take care about one of the treatment rooms in the infusion center inside the oncology department, my team consists from three nurses and I am the younger staff. I learned a lot of management skills and good experience from daily activities that helped me in managing the team in a good manner, but I still missing the basic part, that will support me in all decisions and will change my way of thinking and improve my problem solving skills, which is the updated knowledge. During the analyzing of my organizational culture, I learned several useful lessons in improving the outcomes of my practice. The main two key lessons are: managing conflicts and managing team work. Managing Conflicts: The 1st lesson is how to manage conflicts; Marquis and Huston (2003) defined conflict as the internal or external discord that results from differences in ideas, values, feeling between two or more people. To be a good manager, you need to understand the personality of all your employees in your department, to clarify all the rules, standards, rights and responsibilities for the employees and to be the reference in all the problems occurs in the department. Conflicts have two different faces either positive or negative. In the positive face, conflicts will lead to more safe competitions and team work and it should be controlled by rules and regulations. Tjosvold and Tjosvold (1995) stated that conflicts also have appositive side, however for example, in the process of learning how to manage conflict, people can develop more open, cooperative ways of working together. On the other side, conflicts also having the negative face which will increase the stress and affects the team works if it kept unresolved. Lombardi (2001) found that unresolved conflicts have potentially harmful effects on people. Serious conflicts can be very stressful for the people involved. To manage and control conflicts, you need to prepare good the environment in your department, to be fair between the employees, to make sure nobody will lose from this conflict and try always to make conflicts having positive face, which will lead to reach your objectives and outcomes in good manner. The optimal goal in resolving conflict is creating a win-win solution for all involved. This outcome is not possible in every situation, and often the managers goal is to manage the conflict in manner that lessons the perceptual differences that exist between the involved parties (Marquis Huston, 2003). Managing Teamwork: The workforce or people factor is recognized as an important organization asset in contributing to performance at an individual, team or organizational level (Senior, 1997). One of the most important lessons from this assignment is how to manage teamwork, to apply this lesson in the real practice, you need to have common purposes between the manager or the team leader and the group, all rules and responsibilities should be clear for all, and tasks should be contributed equally between them, climate of trust, learning and mutual support should be inserted in the department, team must be composed from different characteristics like experience, skills and knowledgeable people, in addition to that you also need good manager who manage the team and direct them in the correct way and to solve the conflicts and problems in professional way . A managerial challenge when developing and recruiting teams is to ensure that they have necessary collective skills and competencies to deliver not only the organizations business objectives but also to establish effective teamwork (Kieran Judith, 2006). IV Conclusion: To conclude the assignment, I talked about the organizational culture and the correlation with the internal and external factors that can affect the organization, moreover, I critique my organizational culture Role culture using Harrisons questionnaire to distinguish it, then I try to approve the appropriateness of the role culture with my department strategy and finally I ended my assignment with most key lessons that he learned from my organizational culture which are managing conflicts and managing teamwork. Finally, to manage people and organization, you need to be good manager or a team leader by building good teamwork, understanding the organizational behavior and culture and putting a development plan for your department and keeping your employee motivated all the time. No manager can make a team perform well but they can create a supportive environment and ensure the right conditions are in place to encourage the development of the characteristics of effective team work (Kieran Judith, 2006). V References: Allaire, Y., Firsirotu, M.E. (1984). Theories of organizational culture. Organization Studies 5,193-226. Gudykunst, W.B., Ting -Toomey, S. (1988). Culture interpersonal communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Handy, C. (1990). Understanding schools as organizations. London: Penguin Books. Harrison, R. (1972). Understanding Your Organizations Character. Harvard business Review, 119 128. Human Resources Department. (2007). Employee Handbook: Tawam hospital.UAE. Kieran, W., Judith, S. (2006). Healthcare Management, U.S.A, New York: Open University Press. Lombardi, D.N. (2001). Handbook for the New Healthcare Manager. Sanfrancisco: Jossy-Bass. Louis, M.R. (1980). Organizations as culture-bearing milieu: In Organizational Symbolism. Greenwich, CT: JAI. Marquis, B. L., Huston, C. J. (2003). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory Application (4th ed.). Philadelphia PA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Senior, B. (1997). Team role and team performance: Is there really a link. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 70(3), 241. Tjosvold, D., Tjosvold, M.M. (1995). Psychology for Leaders: Using Motivation, Conflict, and Power to Manage More Effectively. New York: John Wiley Son VI- Appendix 1:

They got next Essay -- essays research papers

They Got Next On April 24, 1996, women’s basketball announced â€Å"We Got Next† as the NBA Board of Governors approved the concept of a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) to begin in June 1997. Since that day in 1996 there have been many firsts for the WNBA: Val Ackerman -- the first president of the WNBA; Sheryl Swoopes -- the first player signed to the WNBA; Cynthia Cooper -- the league’s first Most Valuable Player; the Houston Comets -- the first WNBA Champions; Lisa Leslie -- the first WNBA player to capture all three MVP awards (regular season, All-Star and Championship) in one season. The WNBA deserves the same attention and respect equal to the NBA due to its equal entertainment value, competitiveness, and their rights to compete and be seen, and get paid just as much. Critics say that the WNBA isn’t really entertaining because the game is just about running up and down the court shooting lay-ups and making free throws, that there is always one team dominating, and that the game is boring because none of the ladies can dunk. Well, the slam dunk is no longer a move reserved for Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and the other high-flying guys of the NBA. Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks made history on July 30, 2002 when she did a one-handed slam dunk in a game against the Miami Sol. Leslie's history-making move should pave the way for more women to try slamming the ball during WNBA games. Lisa Leslie is just one of the women making the WNBA more exciting and entertaining. Although Leslie was the big story for the league in 2002 becoming the first WNBA player to capture all three MVP awards in the same season, joining NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Willis Reed as the only pro hoopsters to accomplish that feat. In 2001, The WNBA welcomed its 10 millionth fan prior to game 2 of the WNBA Championship at the Staples Center. The Seattle Storm won the first pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft in the inaugural WNBA Draft Lottery held in New York. Things got even more entertaining when the top ten picks included four of the most exciting college players coming from the same team that won the National Championship that year. They were Connecticut Huskies Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Ashja Jones and Tamika Williams going 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th in the draft. Now two years after Cash was drafted to the Detroit Shock, and after going 9-25 in the 2002 season... ...0 per season, while the guys (even those that play only a minute or two) rake in $4.5 million on average. The situation is so bad that many of the women are forced to play a second season in Europe just to make ends meet. The NBA and the WNBA are owned by the same management and says that women can’t have more because their league is still losing money, as most startups do. The men’s side didn’t turn a profit in its early years either, but the players weren’t shortchanged. Decent salaries were considered an investment in the future of the league. Besides, the women aren’t asking for those mega-millions. They just want a raise. And one way to get it would be to adjust the money formulas. NBA players get close to 60 percent of revenues back in salaries. The women get a pathetic 15 percent, and are prohibited from the lucrative endorsement deals the men enjoy. Even though the WNBA is still a young league, it is showing great strength that the women are hear to stay and they are not just going to knock on the door to prejudice they are going to kick it down in order for them to be seen as real professional athletes who are just as entertaining and competitive as the men of the NBA.

Descriptive Writing

Though not very big, my home is a place where my heart is. My home is the most comfortable, warm and cozy place where I live with my family and spend most of the time in. Entering the east facing wood paneled front door of my home, I am welcomed by my pseudo German Shepherd. An off-white shoe cabinet in the foyer is neatly arranged with everyone’s shoes. In the foyer there is a gilded mirror which is placed above a half moon console table which is decorated with a bowl of colorful blooms and little round. Interior decoration being our forte, we still are thrilled to step into the living room and see our artistic touch. The tray ceiling designed with lights faces down on our Lorenzo leather armchair and divan sofa which we have saved hard to buy. Square shaped cushions quilted with floral designs are well arranged on the divan sofa. The polished wooden floor tiles, feels so cool under my feet. In front of the sofa, lays a Persian rug, a gift from my much travelled aunt on which the unique Kenshoma style coffee table lends a contemporary look. A collage of all my artwork from kindergarten to standard 6 takes pride of place above the flat screen Samsung TV. Across on the opposite wall is the window overlooking the park. As we enter the doorway on the west wall, we pass into a well lit hallway leading to the bedrooms one on the right and the other on the left, each with its own en suite. My sanctum sanctorum is on the left, with a pad of my very own in pastel colors of Nippon-Lemon Drop and Golden Buff. Against the south wall by the window is my four poster mahogany bed with Laura Ashley sheets and quilt. The parted Laura Ashley curtains open onto a balcony which is opposite my bed. From the balcony, I can see and hear the rippling sea rolling away to the horizon. On the far wall of my room is the bathroom on the left and almost a bare walk-in wardrobe on the right. My few but elegant clothes from Nicole MNJ, Soda and Padini hang in the closet. My two pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes sits forlorn at the bottom shelf. My Prada handbag, not original of course sits proudly on display by the floral upholstered chair next to the period-style dressing table and mirror. Incidentally my walk-in wardrobe has a connecting door to the bathroom. Now let me take you through my bathroom, my second best place of refuge, away from the heat. It is a small marvel of glass marble and modern fitting like rain shower. My toothbrush and toilet paper holders are from IKEA. My Johnson Suisse square vanity is above the off-white marble counter. Above the vanity, I have a dark wooden framed mirror which was given by my grandfather. On the counter, I have placed three scented candles on ornate candle stands of wrought iron which I bought from SSF, the home deco store. My room constantly smells of fresh lavender. It has soothing and calming effects on me, especially on days when I have tough assignments. Light floods this small cubicle from a frosted glass window and two white down lights from the ceiling. To me, my home is the most relaxing place to stay. Almost all of my tensions become extinct just when I place my first foot in my home. My home is a place where if I had a chance, I would not want to leave for awhile. Finally I would like to quote John Howard Payne’s 19th century song â€Å"Mid palaces and pleasures though we may roam. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. † (John Howard Payne, 1823)

Abas essays

Abas essays In its years of following its unprofitable initial release, a groundswell of interest earned Blade Runner the distinction as being one of the best science fiction movies. The story, adapted from Philip K.Dicks do androids dream of electric sheep?, remains the same. Its set in Los Angles, 2019, where genetically engineered human known as replicants have been created as slave labor for the planet colonies. But these replicants have been causing revolts and are now forbidden on earth. Blade Runner is a strangely compelling and humanistic detective story, with futuristic sets design, amazing cast of actors, and phenomenal special effects which all help this movie to be consider a classic. Ridley Scotts, famous British Director, used all these elements to make a film noir, science fiction movie which makes the viewers ask themselves questions like what is humanity? Firstly, the design in Blade Runner is rich and artistically done throughout the film, and it speaks for its era since everyone thought of the future the same way it is shown in the movie and this is one of the classic qualities of the classical film. The design in Blade Runner shows Los Angles in 2019 and uses many props which help complete the look of its set. According to Desson Howe the incredible, futuristic sets designed by Lawrence G. Paull is phenomenon, (Howe par.7) and this can be proven by looking at the grand skyscrapers and buildings that arise from the dark. Its just like what viewer would think the world will be in 2019, dirty streets full of people, smog everywhere, hover cars hovering through the sky and the weather is always raining. Also hair and make-up was used a lot in this film mostly to portray the characters. Pris the women replicant in the film before trying to seduce Sebastian, the lonely scientist, and asking to tell her the location of her creator, she sprays her eyes black and that makes her look like a ra...

Official and Nonofficial Nicknames of U.S. States

Official and Nonofficial Nicknames of U.S. States The United States has 50 named states; thats obvious. What isnt so obvious is the fact that every one of those states has a nickname (official or not)- or maybe even more than one. Some come out of the pages of history (Constitution State, Land of Lincoln), and some come from what grows there (Peach State, Spud State) or an identifying natural feature (Grand Canyon State). Some just make you want to go there (Sunshine State, Colorful Colorado, Land of Opportunity). Historical Nicknames To folks not living there, some of the nicknames might seem odd or mysterious. Or they might not be what you think. The Constitution State isnt where the U.S. Constitution was drafted (remember, that was in Philadelphia), but rather the nickname comes from the document with regulations for running towns put together in 1639 by three cities; it was called the   Fundamental Orders and is considered by some to be the first constitution written in the States. Theres plenty of debate there whether it constitutes a constitution, however. Wars come into play in Alabama, Maryland, and Tennessee. Yes, the yellowhammer is a bird, but pieces of yellow cloth on the Confederate soldiers uniforms resembled them, earning first the troops the nickname and then eventually the state. And the Old Line refers to the steadfast Maryland troops from the era of the American Revolution. Tennessee soldiers who volunteered during the Mexican-American War (not the War of 1812) earned them their states nickname. Also from the colonial era, the Tar Heel nickname comes from the fact that North Carolina pine trees were harvested to make tar, pitch, and turpentine, used in wooden naval shipbuilding. The messy job ended up with workers inevitably finding the sticky substance on their feet, hence the name.   In 1889 in Oklahoma, settlers poured in to stake land claims. Those who came in early, before the specified time, were called Sooners. The territory became a state in 1907. State Nicknames Heres a listing of the often colorful nicknames of the 50 states. When a state has multiple nicknames, the official or most common state nickname is listed first. Alabama: Yellowhammer State, Heart of Dixie, Camellia State Alaska: The Last Frontier Arizona: Grand Canyon State, Copper State Arkansas: The Natural State, Land of Opportunity, The Razorback State California: Golden State Colorado: Centennial State, Colorful Colorado Connecticut: Constitution State, Nutmeg State Delaware: First State, Diamond State, Blue Hen State, Small Wonder Florida: Sunshine State Georgia: Peach State, Empire of the South, Goober State Hawaii:  Aloha State, Pineapple State Idaho: Gem State, Spud State Illinois: Prairie State, Land of Lincoln Indiana: Hoosier State Iowa: Hawkeye State Kansas: Sunflower State, Salt of the Earth Kentucky: Bluegrass State Louisiana: Pelican State, Sugar State Maine: Pine Tree State Maryland: Old Line State, Free State Massachusetts: Bay State, Old Colony State Michigan: Great Lakes State, Wolverine State Minnesota: North Star State, Gopher State, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Bread and Butter State Mississippi: Magnolia State Missouri: Show Me State Montana: Treasure State, Big Sky State Nebraska: Cornhusker State Nevada: Silver State, Battle Born State, Sagebrush State New Hampshire: Granite State New Jersey: Garden State New Mexico: Land of Enchantment New York: Empire State North Carolina: Tar Heel State, Old North State North Dakota: Peace Garden State, Flickertail State, Roughrider State Ohio: Buckeye State, Modern Mother of Presidents Oklahoma: Sooner State, Panhandle State Oregon: Beaver State Pennsylvania: Keystone State, Quaker State Rhode Island: Ocean State, Little Rhody South Carolina: Palmetto State South Dakota: Coyote State, Mount Rushmore State Tennessee: Volunteer State, Big Bend State Texas: Lone Star State Utah: Beehive State Vermont: Green Mountain State Virginia: Old Dominion Washington: Evergreen State, Chinook State West Virginia: Mountain State Wisconsin: Badger State Wyoming: Equality State, Cowboy State

Influential designer of the 20th century Research Paper

Influential designer of the 20th century - Research Paper Example In addition to this, fashion especially women’s fashion during this period consisted of highly formalised wear such as chemise, drawers, corsets, flannel petticoats and the like. Coco Chanel sough to change all of this by introducing her style in fashion that concentrated on simplistic wear that emphasized the female figure above anything else. Moreover the fashion produced by Chanel relied more on automated production as well as simplicity that helped to drive down the costs of fashion wear. In this manner ordinary people were able to afford fashion wear as regular clothing. Coco’s fashion is also an extension of provocation right down from her apparel that represents the ordinary to her jewellery lineage that combined real and imitation jewels to spark awe at little cost. Historically the post World War One period saw a rise of feminism that had not been witnessed before. The vacuum left behind by men leaving for the front meant that women had to occupy all kinds of positions in society that provided impetus for their equality in society. The demands of practical work meant that women’s attire had to evolve to reflect daily considerations in work such as welders, fitters, police women etc. Women were finally in a position to dress up to reflect gender liberation. Coco Chanel was at the fore front of this very move in the fashion world. Among Chanel’s major contributions to design is her ethnic influence in clothing that reflected the clothing of Slavic peasants. Ethnic references to haute couture existed as far back as 1900 but Chanel amplified this design strategy by providing it sustainability. Most of the beading and embroidery used on Chanel’s collections from the early 1920’s were derived from Russian sources. Furthermore, Chanel fused oriental stitching with stylised folk motifs which represented her signature for a long time to come (Charles-Roux, 2005). Chanel also introduced embroidered

Are ETF are threat to the asset management industry Essay

Are ETF are threat to the asset management industry - Essay Example The idea is that the stocks are repeatedly sold while the capital funds of the company continuously increase. Basically, the process is simple and managing the financial resource of the organization is not that hard to accomplish. No matter, the emergence of ETF or the exchange traded fund has increased the chances of doubting the capability of financial managing personnel to handle the competition in selling and re-establishing stocks in comparison with that of the marketability of the ETFs that are introduced in the world of business at present. 1 In this regard, this study shall further investigate the truths behind the intuitive sense of dealing with monetary issues and management among business operations today and how ETFs affect this particular process of financial control procedures. Through seeing how ETFs actually proceeded to affect business funding and marketing, it is expected that this study would be able to see the direct threat or non-threat that ETFs may have on business fund management procedures used today by proprietors of modern commerce. Cash flow in the business industry is a very important matter to consider. This especially involves huge organizations that are funded through financial investments from their primary stock holders. With profit getting higher, the level of benefit that the administrative party and the investors party receive form the business operations increase as well. It could not be denied then that effectively managing business monetary fund among business organizations is one of today's most important matters of consideration when the talk about business and finance is being tackled. TO be able to manage monetary fund effectively, many financial experts today continue to develop different approaches to the said procedure. Being able to provide the parties involved [the stakeholders] with the monetary values that they deserve to receive as part of the business organization is what is most cared for. Selling stocks is one of the effective approaches used by business finance managers of different business operations at present. Stocks are noted as particular monetary assets owned by investors to which the foundation of any particular business is based on. With the increased amount of stock fund invested in a particular business entity, the capital of the entire organization increases as well. This is how stock is that important to well established organizations at present. They particularly see stock ownership as a huge security blanket for their businesses in case any particular financial problems arise in the future. Dealing with these issues of monetary control has practically given birth to the existence of monetary management industry. This industry basically aims to continue giving secure assurance for the assets of business organizations present in the industry at present2. Through this, the owners of businesses are assured that they are protected by securities and other organizations that are providing such assured options of being protected from bankruptcy. Considerably, the birth of the different options of financial security programs offered to primary business stock holders have grown especially during these financial trying times that is currently

Description of pictures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Description of pictures - Essay Example There is a beautiful bunch of budding flowers in the left corner of the picture and they are also placed on the woman’s side. These flowers symbolise love. On the right side of the picture is a vase containing maize cobs. Apparently, these cobs have been placed on the side where the husband is and these may symbolise farming. One striking thing in the picture is that it can be noted that the sun is rising in the distant horizon and it seems to be rising in the hearts of the man and the women. The rising sun in the hearts of the man and husband is a ray of hope that all be well for them since it looks like they are silently praying for their kid. The picture is colourfully designed and it is placed on a wall since there is also a white paper stuck on the wall on its right side. Picture 2 Picture two above shows two people, a man and a woman riding fat horses. The man is riding on horse that is whitish in colour while the woman is riding on a horse with equally the same colour b ut is dotted. These two people seem to be riding in the opposite direction since the picture only depicts their backs. They are both wearing brown hats and the woman’s hat seems to be decorated two items which look like flowers. The two people in the picture are both wearing jerseys. ... The landscape is brown in colour which implies that it is an arid place that does not have any vegetation. The background colour in the picture as well as the colour of the sky is orange which may be caused by the rising sun. It seems that these people are riding opposite the direction of the rising sun. Picture 3 Picture three above shows a large body of water that looks like an ocean. The water stretches beyond the reach of the sky and this site is very common when one is standing at the edge of the sea. The eye cannot see beyond the horizon of the ocean. The colour of the water is green and it seems that there are plants of different colours floating on top of the water. Some of the plants are green while some of them are blue. A closer look at the picture shows that it is moving in ripples of turbulent waves. This situation usually happens when the weather conditions are windy such that there are waves in the sea. The other interesting thing about the picture is that it is not co mprised of any solid physical feature like mountains which shows that it was meant to depict a site of an ocean. In most cases, water in the ocean is not stable especially in windy conditions. The plants in the ocean usually float on top of the water and in most cases, they beautify the sea. The picture is colourfully designed such that it requires special attention in order to figure out what it represents. Picture 4 In picture three above, it seems that there people. Two of them are wearing similar clothes which are brown in colour and they seem to be wearing black belts. One interesting thing about this picture is that the two men seem to be sprawling on the ground and they are agonising in pain.

Women and their role in the labor movement and unions in Canadian History Essay Example for Free

Women and their role in the labor movement and unions in Canadian History Essay Equal employment policy for women stands at an historic juncture in the advanced industrial democracies. In Canada, a federal Human Rights Act went into effect March 1, 1978 . It not only established a commission to handle complaints of discrimination but also introduced the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, making possible the adjustment upward of womens wages based on a comparison of the rates of pay for women who work in dissimilar jobs. This represents a radical departure from similar policy in other countries. Four approaches to equal opportunity and equal pay policy stand out: collective agreements between trade unions and employers; a legal strategy emphasizing litigation; a legal strategy involving administrative enforcement; and general employment and training programs. The activities of womens organizations and of women in trade unions facilitated the achievement of equal opportunity policy through these means. The time, courage, and commitment which so many women have given to formulating, implementing, and fighting for equal pay and equal opportunity policies are the bedrock of the successes that have been achieved. This work will develop a heightened appreciation of the womens labor movement and consider its role in Canadian history. Since the 1900s, Canadian womens groups have remained strong and consistent voices for reforming or creating policies influencing labor policies. At the turn of the century, several womens groups were actively involved in social reform, but the most influential was the National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC). Founded in 1893, NCWC was established by middle-class women who believed that womens mothering and nurturing within the home could be transferred to the public sphere, resulting in more humane and progressive social policies. This ideology has been labeled maternal feminism. NCWC lobbied for childrens aid societies, mothers pensions, minimum age-of-work legislation, and curfew and truancy acts as strategies to reduce juvenile delinquency. Although members campaigned for jobs for women in social work, teaching, nursing, recreation, and police work, they undercut the same professional advances by insisting that womens most natural place was at home. Numerous other womens groups began in the early years of the twentieth century. For example, the Young Womens Christian Association focused on providing a safe place for young urban working women to live, and has continued to provide accommodation, community activities, and support groups for women and their families up to the present. The Womens Christian Temperance Union promoted child protection legislation and reformatories for juvenile delinquents, as well as fighting for the prohibition of alcohol which was viewed as detrimental to family life. The Canadian Federation of Womens Labor Leagues also focused on concrete reforms of working conditions such as maternity leave and equal pay for equal work. Womens groups flourished during the first half of the twentieth century, although most accepted the patriarchal family and worked within the tradition of volunteerism. Mary Corse, member of the ITUs womens auxiliary and co-founder of the Womens Labor League in Calgary, was the lone candidate to win a seat on the school board. All other eleven candidates were defeated. After a spring of distraction and a summer of preparation, the Calgary branch of the Dominion Labor Party (DLP) came into being in September 1919. Its model was the Alberta DLP, formed eight months earlier, and both branches adopted a constitution and platform loosely based on those of the British Labor Party. Local labor figures were quick to point out this connection. The meeting concluded with the election of Pryde as party president, Alice Corliss as vice-president, and Edith Patterson as secretary-treasurer. This strong representation of women in senior positions in all, three of the seven executive officials were women would be an enduring feature of the DLP throughout the 1920s. According to historian Roome (1989), the Calgary DLP had a core of fifty to seventy-five active female members, consisting of single working women usually teachers or journalists and married women belonging to union auxiliaries. A Canadian-American Womens Committee on International Relations made up of the Womens Committee on International Relations of Canada and the U.S. National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War had been established to examine problems of joint concern to women. It held a conference in Montreal in April 1943 which was attended by seventy delegates. Frances Perkins, Margaret Bondfield, Rose Schneiderman, and several senior members of the ILO staff (including the Acting Director and Assistant Director) addressed the conference and discussed the wartime activities of the ILO. A round table session, at which Elizabeth Mayer Johnstone reviewed the wide gains of women during the war, gave special attention to the problems of domestic workers. A second potential influence on attitudes was the re-emergence of feminist activity in Canada during the 1960s. Second-wave feminism has challenged the many social and economic barriers to womens full participation in public life and widened womens experiences, aspirations and social expectations. The womens movement in Canada incorporates many different forms of feminist philosophies (for example liberal feminism, radical feminism and socialist feminism) which have all contributed to the policy objectives of the womens movement and constructed a â€Å"feminist† agenda for social change. Although the focus of these different strains is distinct and they have, at times, come into conflict with each other, they can often be found within a single movement organization such as National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC). The contemporary womens movement in Canada has benefited immeasurably from a long tradition of womens voluntary associations. Religious groups such as the Anglican Church Women, the United Church Women, and the Catholic Womens League, and other groups such as the National Womens Institutes (a national organization of largely rural and small town women), the National Council of Women, the Canadian Federation of University Women, the Imperial Orders of Daughters of the Empire, and the Fà ©dà ©ration des femmes de Quà ©bec, have been in existence long enough to have built national networks of women with some interlocking memberships and considerable ongoing exchange of information. The NAC developed from a coalition of these and other trade union and professional women. The improvement of equal pay laws in Canada owes much to a voluntary organization NAC. An umbrella organization with a membership consisting of approximately 130 Canadian organizations, NAC has a combined membership of about 5 million women. NAC later expanded its agenda and became an active lobbyist on behalf of the concerns of Canadian women. Since its inception in 1972, the organization has been active in the struggle for improved labor legislation, including the enactment into Canadian federal law of the ILO Convention 100 concept of equal remuneration for work of equal value. The main impetus for NACs formation came out of the pressure put on the prime minister of Canada and his cabinet by a group of leading Canadian women to create a Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW). Royal commissions in Canada perform an important role in the study of special issues—from taxation, to the relations of labor and capital, to national security. The commissions vary widely in their composition and goals but the approach of most is similar. They research the issue, hold public hearings across the country, receive briefs, and make recommendations for legislative and administrative reform. On the matter of equal pay, this commissions recommendations were strong and sweeping. As a result, in 1973 the federal government appointed a Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and a government department (Status of Women Canada) to co-ordinate efforts to promote the advancement of women. Because women are closely aligned with children and family, numerous family policy issues have been promoted. In the same year, the federal government established the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSW), a para-governmental organization to advise government and inform the public through research and education. For over twenty years, the CACSW researched and analyzed numerous issues relating to family policy, such as reproduction, family law, child care, and employment leave for family responsibilities. After the 1995 cut-backs, however, the CACSW was dissolved and some of its functions merged with government. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, provincial advisory councils also monitored womens status and provided research and information on family issues. Feminist groups have also initiated and developed important family services at the local level, especially transition houses for women and their children fleeing from abusive homes. While the shelter movement began as a feminist alternative to mainstream social services, many transition houses now receive government funding. By the mid-1980s, however, womens groups focused more on preventing the erosion of social programs than on pushing for new ones, with greater public concern over government spending and a backlash against feminism. Since 1983, the conservative group REAL Women of Canada (Real, Equal and Active for Life) has argued that the state is undermining the traditional family by responding to alternative lifestyles and by funding interest groups such as NAC. REAL Women, with roots in the western Canada anti-abortion or pro-life movement and in fundamentalist Christianity, promotes stronger government support for home-makers but opposes abortion, liberal divorce laws, pay equity, and universal day care. Several recent innovative initiatives are worthy of note. In June of 1995, after a year of intense planning, three branches of the 10-day Quà ©bec Womens March Against Poverty converged on the National Assembly in Quà ©bec City to join 15,000 supporters. This March was initiated by the Fà ©dà ©ration des femmes du Quà ©bec, and organized by more than 40 groups including unions, anti-poverty groups, immigrant groups and womens organizations. The March was quite a success: in response to their nine demands, the Quà ©bec government agreed to raise the minimum wage; to introduce a proactive pay equity law; to deduct child support payments automatically; to set aside 5 per cent of social housing for poor women and five places for every 15 in non-traditional trades; to reduce the length of sponsorship for immigrant women; to allocate money to the social economy to generate jobs; to extend basic employment standards to those on workfare; and to freeze student fees. Building on this initiative, NAC and the CLC sponsored a national womens March Against Poverty For bread and roses, for jobs and justice in May and June of 1996. Caravans traveled to Ottawa from both the west and east coast stopping in over 100 communities. The March ended with a two-day womens Tent City and a protest rally of over 40,000 women at Parliament Hill which demonstrated against the right wing corporate and government agenda. The Canadian union movement was actively involved in building the World March of Women launched on 8 March 2000 and culminating on 17 October 2000, the International Day for the Elimination of Poverty. This worldwide activity endorsed by over 200 countries and 2200 organisations was initiated by the Fà ©dà ©ration des femmes du Quà ©bec modelled on their successful 1995 March. Over the past century, Canadian womens groups have made a strong impact on policy reform. The socialization explanation argues that the impact of the movement and the policy positions promoted by womens groups during this second wave of feminist activity, have led to growing differences in womens and mens attitudes. The Canadian womens movement has acted as an advocate for many political issues touching the lives of women. Social welfare policies, and questions of international and domestic force and violence along with feminism and equality issues have frequently been found on the movements agenda. By conveying pro-women policy positions to politicians and the general public through lobbying efforts, the mass media, and the educational system, the movement has become an active agent of socialization in society, providing a political space in which women can reconceptualize their social identity. Trade union women worked with community based feminist groups, both to build coalitions around key issues such as childcare and pay equity, and to pressure the union movement to respond to the feminist challenge. Canadian womens movement have had an important impact on the politics and practices of the Canadian life, weakening the tendency towards individualistic solutions and introducing (and reintroducing) a class perspective. Coalition strategies both respond to and highlight the significance of diversity in the Canadian context, that is, they represent recognition of power dynamics and an organizational alternative to homogeneous organizations. Whatever the debates about the â€Å"success† of the womens movement or about a perceived growing backlash against feminist goals, there is little doubt that in Canada it has greatly altered the political agenda and has helped pioneer new forms of political action. It has indeed brought â€Å"the personal† into the political arena. Works Cited Ball A. â€Å"Organizing Working Women: The Womens Labor Leagues.† Canadian Dimension 21(8): 1988. Cohen M. â€Å"The Canadian Womens Movement†. In Pierson et al., 1993. Everitt, Joanna â€Å"The Gender Gap in Canada: Now You See It, Now You Dont.† Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology. Vol.: 35 (2), 1998. Kealey, Gregory S., and Peter Warrian, eds. Essays in Canadian Working Class History. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1976. Kearney, Kathryn. â€Å"Canadian Women and the First World War,† Canadian Woman Studies 3 (1), 1981. Palmer, Bryan D. Working-Class Experience: Rethinking the History of Canadian Labor, 1800-1991. 2nd ed. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1992. Roome, Patricia. â€Å"Amelia Turner and Calgary Labor Women,† in Beyond the Vote: Canadian Women and Politics, ed. Linda Kealey and Joan Sangster,. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989. REAL Women of Canada. Brief to Members of Parliament. 18 November 1986. Vickers, J., P. Rankin and C. Appelle. Politics as if Women Mattered: A Political Analysis of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Pr. 1993.

Ethnocentrism And Cultural Relativity Essay example -- essays research

It is always troublesome not to understand another culture, especially, in New York City where we live in a society that is rapidly changing. The City has increasingly brought people of various cultures, to interact closer with each other. This interaction can be either positive or negative depending on the level of sensitivity and respect people have for other culture groups. These two types of behaviors are related to two important concepts known as ethnocentrism and cultural relativity. Ethnocentrism is â€Å"the attitude of prejudice or mistrust towards outsiders that may exist within a group (in-group) in relation to other (out-group)†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (Harper-Collin Dictionary of Sociology). Importantly, there are also three levels of ethnocentrism: a positive one, a negative one, and an extreme negative one. The positive definition defines ethnocentrism as â€Å"the point of view that one’s own way of life is to be preferred to all others† (Herskovits 1973: 21). There is nothing wrong with such feelings, because â€Å"it characterizes the way most individuals feel about their own cultures, whether or not they verbalize their feelings† (Herskovits 1973:21). It is this point of view that gives people their sense of people-hood, group identity, and place in history. Ethnocentrism becomes negative when â€Å" one’s own group becomes the center of everything, and all other are scaled and rated with reference to it†(Herskovits 1973:21) . It reaches extreme negative form when â€Å"a more powerful group not only i...

Changing Family Dynamics

The Acceptance of Multifaceted Lifestyles The New Western Family A white picket fence surrounding a red-brick house in which a doting wife, successful and hard-working husband, and two and one half children reside was, at one point in time, the epitome of North American life. Since the era of that belief has passed, North American society is being affected by various factors that act as catalysts for the fall of the American Dream and the subsequent rise in the embodiment of increasingly different family structures.Modern North American culture prides itself in its inclusiveness and adaptability, yet it is prepared to accept that the definition of a family is no longer one of concrete wording? According the Andrew Cherlin, â€Å"Marriage has undergone a process of deinstitutionalization—a weakening of the social norms that define partners’ behaviour—over the past few decades (2004: 848). Studies in divorce, cohabitation, remarriage, and the legalization of gay a nd lesbian unions have proven that the nuclear family no longer consists of a man, woman, and a reasonable number of children.This literature review not only explores and distinguishes various factors discussed in pieces of work that influence North American society to embrace demographically diverse structures both also discusses the potential for a future resurfacing of the American Dream. Divorce and the Nuclear Family A nuclear family is commonly defined as a father, mother, and dependent children. This definition is being deconstructed by many factors, primarily through divorce. The introduction of no-fault unilateral divorce laws in North America forms the query of whether divorce rates were affected or not.According to Justin Wolfers (2006:1806), author of ‘Did Unilateral Divorce Laws Raise Divorce Rates? A Reconciliation and New Results’, both types of divorce, consensual and otherwise, form a particular number of divorces each year. These subcategories of divor ce, however, do not comprise the amount of divorces that occur annually though the simple process of marital unsuitability. Andrew Cherlin (2005:36) writes that in the early 1900s, â€Å"about 10 percent of all marriages ended in divorce, and the figure rose to about one-third for marriages begun in 1950.But the rise was particularly sharp during the 1960s and 1970s, when the likelihood that a married couple would divorce increased substantially. † This threat of divorce may have been, in fact, what prevented young adults from getting married in the first place. Rather than marry with the fear of divorce, a sense of security can be established by remaining single for longer periods of time. The age at which many individuals first marry has increased and now rests between 25 and 30 years of age (Cherlin 2005:40). The rate of divorce has seemingly plateaued as of recently.However, this does not indicate that the introduction of no fault unilateral divorce laws did not impact th e rates of divorce in any way. The chain-reaction caused by these laws is one that directly influences marriage. Marriages have become less frequent, and their decline unequivocally results in an analogous fall in the number of divorces (Rasul 2003:28). Andrew Cherlin (2004:849) discusses that the decrease in marriages has much to do with its deinstitutionalization process. North American society is adopting new methods of living as family units, such as cohabitation and remarriage.Cohabitation, Remarriage, and the Nuclear Family Cohabitation is the act of living, unmarried, with a partner. According to Cherlin, a large number of couples cohabitate as a replacement for marriage. However, a similar amount of these relationships dissolve within twenty-four months, suggesting that it is not a strong alternative for a marital union (2005:35). During the twentieth century, typical beliefs surrounding marriage were again changing. Having children, living together, and maintaining sexual r elationships are all facets of life that were beginning to fit the social norms established (Cherlin 2005:40).Regarding the success of marriages associated with pre-marital cohabitation, indicators are not positive, as many unions fail shortly after being made legal (Rasul 2003:30). This being said, not all new marriages end in disaster. Remarriage is a new marriage to a new partner, and is an increasingly prevalent family structure in North American society. Following divorce, individuals who decide to marry again engage in remarriage. This type of marriage can involve parties who have children or who are childless. In the case that children are involved, step-families are created.As quoted by Godina in the review of, ‘Understanding Stepfamilies: Their Structure and Dynamics’, fellow writer, Grinwald, believes that, â€Å"by the year 2000 the stepfamily will be the predominant family structure in the United States and will actually outnumber the nuclear family† (Godina cited Grinwald 2001:318). This statement is in accordance with others, all supporting the conviction that stepfamilies are becoming an increasingly dominant family structure and that many children will be members of one in their lifetimes (Godina 2001:318).Individuals who do not remarry, or those who have not been previously married take on different family structures then those previously discussed. These forms are the single-parent household or a lone existence. Single Parents, Habitual Solitude, and the Nuclear Family Contrary to the nuclear family structure previously discussed are the family structures involving single parenthood and habitual solitude. There are two primary ways in which single-parent families are established, the first being through divorce.A divorced parent who has children and makes the decision not to remarry establishes themself as a single-parent family unit. The second way is through unwed pregnancy. This lifestyle is not only growing in populari ty for couples alone, but it is also adopting a sense of normalcy to incorporate the birth of children. According to Cherlin, as cohabitation is generally seen as equivalent to marriage in modern North American society, many children that would at first be deemed illegitimate are in actuality, not.Rather, they are born of a cohabitating couple. (2004:849). The authors of, ‘Context and Inclusivity in Canada’s Evolving Definition of the Family’, Nicholas Bala and Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich concur with Cherlin’s hypothesis, stating that the increased number of children being raised by single parents can be explained not only by the increase in divorce rates and corresponding rise in couple separation and the births of children in cohabitating relationships rather than marriages (2002:148).For individuals who have no children and no existing desire to wed or cohabitate, there is the option of living by oneself. This lifestyle choice is also increasing in North A merican society, even if only for part of a person’s life. Achieving success and happiness are often considered common goals shared by the majority of North American society. For many, this means acquiring a post-secondary education and procuring an enjoyable, rewarding career.These two objectives, receiving an education and job position, are two things, according to Andrew Cherlin that young adults are completing before considering marriage (2004:852). Stefan Buzar, Philip E. Ogden, and Ray Hall’s article titled, ‘Households matter: the quiet demography of urban transformation’, is in accordance with Cherlin’s report, stating that the new trends being discovered in family demographics include evidence supporting the idea that not only are the traditions surrounding marriage devolving, but marriage itself is changing and is often being put off by adults (2005:416).Not only are members of North American society delaying marriage, but some are assumin g roles in an entirely different form of marriage than that historically accepted. This form is that of same-sex relationships. Homosexuality and the Nuclear Family Once prohibited, same-sex unions are no longer a thing of the past, as the lesbian-gay community has received and is continuing to receive support from North American society regarding both marriage legalization and lifestyle recognition (Bala and Bromwich 2002:148).This statement is in agreement with Cherlin’s article, ‘The Deinstitutionalization of American Marriage’, in which he discusses how the deinstitutionalization of marriage was influenced not only by the acceptance of lifestyles such as cohabitation and non-marital conception, but also by the window of opportunity the aforementioned factors created for same-sex relationships to emerge as a new lifestyle choice (2004:852).Same-sex unions, which are now accepted in many countries including Canada and a number of American States is the newest a ddition to the breakdown of marriage as an institution, yet despite its unspoken level of normalcy, organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church do not view it in positive light. In fact, â€Å"in January 2001, the Vatican released a document attacking homosexual unions as ‘a deplorable distortion’, signifying ‘a serious sign of the contemporary breakdown in the moral conscience† (Bala and Bromwich 2002:165). The disdain towards same-sex partnership however, is not seen in all religious communities.Similar to legal institutions, they too are slowly changing their perspectives on gay and lesbian marriages. The shift from, at one point in time, displaying no support for same-sex unions whatsoever to showing an increasing amount annually suggests that there is new hope for the diversity of family demographics. The Future of Family Structures The out-dated, seemingly archaic beliefs that a family is comprised of a man, woman, and their dependent children is now steadily being replaced in North American society by the ideology that a family unit can consist of a number of combinations of men, women, and children.From single parents with children to large step-families and from gay and lesbian couples to habitually single individuals, the information and knowledge discussed in this literature review is purposed to open the eyes of North American society and equip them with the ability to readily accept the new and more diverse family structures mentioned and prepare society for the new definition of family. As discussed in Andrew Cherlin’s article, the future of the North American family structure cannot be determined exactly.Rather, it can be hypothesised that family demographics will continue to change and create more diverse structures, or the demographics will revert to the way they were during the era of the American Dream (2004:858). Studying family demographics and the factors that influence their changes is important to so ciety because in order to be fully accepting of new family forms, the North American society must first understand them. In fact, Jean M.Lynch states in her article, ‘Considerations of Family Structure and Gender Composition: The Lesbian and Gay Stepfamily’ that, â€Å"the study of alternative family forms as unique and a recognition of distinct challenges and strengths is of paramount importance in expanding the family studies research,† (2000:94). North American society is becoming increasingly inclusive of multifaceted family forms. Factors mentioned in this literature review such as divorce, remarriage, single parenting, are continuously impacting demographics concerning family diversity.The iteration of defining a contemporary North American family has, and likely will continue to change over the years. However, in continuing to accept a variety of family structures, North American societies will move forward demographically, and therefore promote further de velopment of the family structure. References Bala, Nicholas. , and Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich. 2002. â€Å"Context and Inclusivity in Canada’s Evolving Definition of the Family. † International Journal of Law, Policy, and the Family 16(2):148 Buzar, Stefan, Philip E. Ogden, and Ray Hall. 2005. Households matter: the quiet demography of urban transformation. † Progress in Human Geography 29(4): 416. Cherlin, Andrew J. 2005. â€Å"American Marriage in the Early Twenty-First Century. † The Future of Children 15(2):33-55 Cherlin, Andrew J. 2004. â€Å"The Deinstitutionalization of American Marriage. † Journal of Marriage and Family 66(4):849 Cherlin, Andrew J. 2010. â€Å"Demographic Trends in the United States: A Review of Research in the 2000s. † Journal of Marriage and Family 72(3):409 Godina, E. 2001. Review of Understanding Stepfamilies: Their Structure and Dynamics. Edited by Craig A. Everett.Journal of Biosocial Science 33(2):317-318 Lynch, Jean. 2000. â€Å"Considerations of Family Structure and Gender Composition: The Lesbian and Gay Stepfamily. † Journal of Homosexuality 40(2):81-95 Rasul, Imran. 2003. â€Å"The Impact of Divorce Laws on Marriage. † Department of Business, University of Chicago and CEPR, Chicago, Illinois. Unpublished manuscript. Retrieved 4 November 2011 http://www. cepr. org/meets/wkcn/3/3519/papers/Rasul. pdf Wolfers, Justin. 2006. â€Å"Did Unilateral Divorce Laws Raise Divorce Rates? A Reconciliation and New Results. † The American Economic Review 96(5):1806, 1814.

Difficulties Interracial Couples Experience

I see interracial couples all the time facing unique struggles and lacking support from family, friends and multiple others. Having knowledge of the reasoning behind this lack of acceptance will help one form a greater understanding that may enable an individual to adjust the judgmental difficulties that they are faced with in an interracial union. The interactions with people that mixed couples experience can be viewed as symbolic interactions because the gestures and words that are interpreted often in negative ways can contribute to the difficulties faced.People deal with racial struggles all over the world. Different countries experience a greater degree of struggles than others. Since Canada is a multicultural country, one might assume that interracial couples would be more accepted and faced with less racial struggles. Unfortunately, that is not the case; couples are still ridiculed. In present day, it's true that interracial couples are more accepted now than years previous bu t support of exogamy is still low. A mere fifty years earlier, the thought of a mixed union was a taboo. During the era of segregation, a mixed union between an AfricanCanadian and a Caucasian person was unthinkable. The federal government in Canada has a history of polices that have attempted to separate races from joining in relationships. A vivid example of Canada's attempt to control and prevent interracial intimacies is the Indian Act. â€Å"The Indian Act, with all its variations, clearly restricted and provided penalties for interracial sex and marriages. † (Real Canadian History, 2012) Some of the discrimination that mixed couples receive today, from individuals has been passed through the previous generations.Though, as generations become more educated they re likely to be more opened minded. The history of views on interracial relationships has contributed to the lacking acceptance experienced in present day. There is no one definitive answer as to why there is hatr ed toward mixed unions, what does exist in the scholar world are a few general statements that provide some understanding. Most Of the problems that interracial couples face relate to racism, discrimination and prejudice. Today's â€Å"young people, who have went to college are educated and more commonly opened-minded. (Bridge News, 2007) This generation is commonly the population participating in interracial unions and they are often more accepting. â€Å"Their parents however, are not as educated and are still strong believers of sticking to your own race. † (Bridge News, 2007) This is a reason why some parents disapprove of mixed relationships. Parent's opinions are often very important to their children. Stereotypes about different races can also influence the views that a parent could have regarding an interracial union that their child is apart of. Prejudice often results from the mismatch between beliefs about the attributes typically possessed by members of a social group (that is, their stereotype) and beliefs about the attributes that facilitate success in valued social roles† (On the Nature of Prejudice, p. 19). Similarly, â€Å"[On the Nature of Nature of Prejudice] argue[s] that the potential for prejudice exists when social perceivers hold a stereotype about a social group that is inconsistent with the attributes that are believed to be required for success in certain classes of social roles† (p. 3). Parents are non-accepting when such perceived stereotypes are negative. Jon K. Mills at Vanderbilt University did an investigation Of a group with 142 undergraduates on the receptions of family acceptance concerning interracial relationships. Mills concluded, â€Å"both Black and White students indicated that family perception of these interracial relationships would be negative† (Family Acceptance Involving Interracial Friendships, p. 349). The most common question that is asked of mixed couples is â€Å"what do your par ents think of your relationship?This is more evidence that parental disapproval is a common difficulty that mixed couples endure. â€Å"Hate still looms as aforementioned because of the inherent survival mechanism that many racial groups want. It is a form of protection almost. † (Lotus, 201 3) Parents have a hard time accepting or even considering the idea of having a grandchild that is mixed with another race different from their own. â€Å"Ezekiel (1995) argues that racists often fear their own survival as a group and hate gives them comfort and assurance that their survival will be met or achieved. Another common issue in mixed unions is the joining of different religions and different cultures. Couples are usually supportive of each other's beliefs but often run into problems. Some religions pacifically disagree with marrying outside of the said religion. More generally couples run into issues such as dietary restrictions. As an example, practicing Muslims do not eat po rk and all of their meat must be hall. Different religions lead to different holidays, which can keep couples wondering which traditions they Will pass onto their kids.Interracial couples are ridiculed often because of the difficulties they will pass onto their children. â€Å"In October 2009, a Louisiana Justice of Peace refused to perform a marriage for a mixed-race couple because he was concerned with the rejection and confusion their hillier would experience growing up† (Curry, 2010). Some mixed couples decide not to have children because they do not want their children to go through the things they have experienced and to avoid the difficult decisions of which traditions to pass forward.This is another contributor to why individuals do not accept interracial couples and it is also a difficulty regarding important decisions that mixed couples must make. A lot of research regarding interracial couples reveals that such couples face difficulties that are often due to family opinions. There are multiple reasons why families, specifically parents, do not accept mixed unions. Such reasons have been elaborated on and it has been expressed that parental opinions are often a large influence in one's life.When parents have negative views on mixed relationships, it places a burden upon children participating in such relationships. It is true that other factors such as religious and culture differences, give difficult problems to mixed couples as well; such factors are not always as detrimental because they are outweighed by the benefits they receive in the relationship. Research on mixed relationships also revealed any unknown benefits of these relationships.