Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay

Nursing is an occupation that work with people of all ages, cultural background and lifestyle to help them accomplish the highest level of care possible. They play an important role in society as well as in economy since they are the ones that provide care to people with illness and not capable to take care of themselves. Recent studies demonstrate that population of nurses is declining and hospitals are desperately struggling to keep hold of their current nurses. Shortages in nurses are definitely shocking , given that the evolving population require skilled nurses to take of them throughout their desperate times. A nursing shortage is determined when the amount of nurses being retired and the amount of nurses entering the nursing field is not the equivalent. Nurses educate people to support and sustain their own wellness and to avoid illness. Research studies have shown that majority of US citizen are overweight, and unhealthy. This study demonstrates major cause to promote more to enter nursing field since there are so many diseases on the rise like obesity cause people to have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pleasure, and other harmful qualities, cancer, heart attacks etc. If rate of nurses keep dropping, patients would have to wait longer to treatment and there will be lot of patients that are being admitted in the hospital. People with severe conditions will have to wait for long time before the nurses can attend them, which could result in either death or other serious condition since most of the operations that saves a person’s life happens in a millisecond. A second can mean life or death to the patient’s existence. Nurse turnover is the description given to nurses that quit, or terminated from nursing industry over the nurses that join it (Huber, 2010). High standards, hard labor, major skills, and high education are various factors that cause nurse turnover to increase over the past few years. This paper will be focusing over the causes of nurse turn over and solution to resolve issue from a leader’s stance than a manager’s point of view. Comparing and Contrasting the Approach of Nursing and Manger Nurses and a supervising manager make up the essence of every nursing association. The manager is in charge and is given the opportunity to make a difference in the work environment. The managers have many goals, including directing, teaching, and encouraging the nurses and staff. By doing this, those under the manager can achieve more on a professional level, while being satisfied with their career. Even though the managers might not have much of a status in certain hospitals and work environments, they still strive to encourage and influence critical settlements. A manager must always be supportive of the nurses and staff. There are some work environments where the managers always provide help and advice. It is very difficult for nurses to stay in the field and work when their manager does not show respect or satisfaction towards their efforts. Thus, the manager must not only be responsible for critical decision making, but the happiness and motivation of the employees. Even though the nurses are in charge of their patients, the manager is the one who overlooks both the patients, nurses, and staff. To be a nursing leader, one must direct the nurses, employees, and other staff members throughout all situations. Their personality must be one that is knowledgeable, strict and fair. They must be able to lead others, take care of monetary issues, and talk with different types of people. Nursing leaders must also have great people skills. This includes taking with fellow employees and overcoming language obstacles. An important example is conducting interview sessions with different types of people and being able to make conclusions on their personalities, as well as grading the individual based on their ethical values. A nursing leader should also be able to provide an enjoyable territory in a difficult environment. This can be completed by organizing and arranging everything from budget costs to special occasions. In this way, a nurse can have something to look forward to after they have finished taking care of their patient. The nursing leader can also help raise money to help those around them by hosting fundraisers. By advocating the study of nursing, a nursing leader can conserve the nurses and staff in the work environment. They can promote the career of nursing to the younger generation. For example, there have been recent articles discussing problems between the United States of America and Syria. If there is a possibility of a war, the United States must have many nurses to help with the crisis. Thus, promoting the nursing career is crucial because it will be very beneficial. One way this can be completed is by having the nursing manager step up as a role model to the younger generation. Another possibility is to publicize the career to those who are still studying in college with undeclared majors. Personal and Professional Beliefs of Nursing Nursing is a profession that concentrates on the desires of others and taking care of patients that need professional care. Nurses are believed to provide holistic care for the patients as it is the finest method to heal a patient quicker. Nurses deserve respect for the work they perform on a daily basis basis. Over the past few years, media have been demonstrating false illustration of nurses. The famous TV series known as Gray’s Anatomy is a perfect example of the misleading ideas about hardworking nurses. Even though its purpose is to entertain people, people take it seriously. As by the writer the best to contradict the declining rates of nurse turnover is to prove good leadership skills, people skills, financial skills, and quality care skills. Conclusion Over the past few years the number of nurse turnover has amplified. As we all know, nurses play an significant role in culture, physically mentally and financially in the United States as well as in other countries. Hospital and clinics are trying hard to hold onto their nurses because the number of nurses joining the medical field is declining. In order to convey more people to enter medical field, one must educate the rising students about the benefits about being a nurse and how they affect the society. Another technique is using advertisement to as way to encourage people to enter medical field. Using these strategy, it can help the medical field increase population of nurses. Reference Huber, D.L., (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care Management, (4th ed.). W.B. Saunders, 092009, retrieved from http://www.gcu.edu Steven T. Hunt, (2009) Nursing Turnover: Costs, Causes, & Solutions, Success factors for Healthcare retrieved from www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/handouts/LHHS%20081312%20NursingTurnover.pdf View as multi-pages

Describe a room of your house: My drawing room

My living room has a peculiar shape. From the pinnacle it would look like a big rectangular shape forms it with the longest sides facing north and south. To the side facing north it is then attached a smaller shape known as square. A black and white fitted carpet has covered the whole room. In addition to that, to the side facing south, is attached a half hexagonal shape. Inside the square section of the room there is the television, which is a flat, screen Philips 40 inches. The television is on the top of one of the 12 shelves that compose the TV storage combination drawer. The six drawers under the shelves, two for each column that means that over the drawers there are four shelves, are smooth running as well as accessorised with a drawer stop. The post is provided with a groove prepared for lighting and cabling, basically foil finish and aluminium. The shelves are In tempered glass. The colour of the drawers is white. In the shelves there CDs of any existing kind as well as my silver and green XBOX 360, speakers, DVD player brand Philips and sky's white digital box. On the topside of the wall facing east there is a black glass bookcase with doors. It is composed of 14 adjustable shelves; also whenever I want I can adjust the spacing between them to my needs. On the bottom of the wall facing west there is a glass door cabinet. The cabinet is in tinted solid spruce. The raw material that has been used for the cabinet is strawberries' tree's wood. The colour is dark brown and it is equipped with eight shelves. On top of them there are mainly glasses as well as two tee's services in porcelain. In the center of the room there is a painted finish white coffee table. The top is in glass with the corners reinforced in wood. The bottom part is in wood. The table is pretty short, as it has to go on level with the sofa. The sofa is divided in three sections that can be moved around in order to create a suitable combination. Its rephult white cover is removable. The sofa is a hundred percent cotton. Its steel frames are chrome plated and therefore it gives then that silver shiny look. Positioned on top of them there are two black cushions each. On the same wall there is a portray painted by Boccelli, the paint represents a man who has nothing and rests on the doorstep of an Italian church. Whenever I walk inside it a feel weird however. I don't know why but I don't feel at home and wish for braking free out of its invisible grasp. I suppose this could mean that I don't like my house or I don't like my family. I don't really know what to say; I like sitting on the sofa alone because I am use to it, however if my father were to sit beside me uneasiness would fill me. Describing the dining room My Dining room and kitchen are separated by a sliding door; therefore I like to think of them as u unique room although they aren't. It has a kind of rectangular shape. The floor of my dining room is in dark brown wood; consequently it can also be called parquet, which from French means wooden patterned floor. On top of the parquet there is a rug. The wool is soil-repellent as well as hard wearing. It is composed by a hundred percent-multicoloured wool although the prevalent colour is burgundy. In the center of the room there is a huge dining table made of oak veneer. It visibly is brown and a shady one as well. It has a height of abut 74 centimetres. The ten chairs are made of solid beech. The cover is sensibly dry-cleaned as it is made of seventy-five percent cotton and the remaining twenty-five percent of viscose/rayon. The legs of the chairs are tinted in brown black while the rest is in sanne white. The more elongated sides of the room are in communication with the South and North Pole. Very close to the wall facing east there is an armchair that could even substitute the chair of the person that heads the table as it is on the same level. The armchair is made of the same material of which the chair are made of a part from the legs which are made of plated chrome. The cover of the seat is removable, as the colour white can easily be soiled by any other colour, in order of being washed and then placed over again. If it tears it can then be substituted. On the north wall there is a portray entitled Sur La Table. Two pendant lamps illumine the room, which creates two different shades. The lamp is handmade. The material used is natural wood, not the synthetic one. Positioned ion the table there are four green, red, blue and purple candles. Attached to the wall facing west there is a red-glassed door cabinet. The cabinet is formed by twelve sliding shelves, which can change the amount of space between them. Inside them there are different kinds of glasses: Vodka, whisky, rheum, cocktail, champagne, snaps white wine, red wine, wine, juice and water. Other things inside are porcelain plates: Saucers, mugs, sugar bowls, cream jugs, trays, serving stands, oven/serving dishes, serving plates, oven serving plates with holders, gravy jugs, serving bowls with lid, side plates, deep plates and normal plates. Describing My Bedroom My room has a rectangular silhouette with edges which have been smoothed so that it gives them that modern design look as well as making the walls looking as single one that encircles the room. The colour of the walls is light blue; it strongly as well as nostalgically remembers me of the ocean that surrounds the place from which I come from, Jamaica. Similarly the colour of the — wall is deep blue. I have six light bulbs inserted inside the empty corresponding cavities, which were previously made on the covering wall; all of them can rotate and focus in different points. The floor instead of being made of marbles is parquet, which means wooden floor; moreover its colour is obviously golden-brown. It is basically patterned flooring constituted of rectangular timber boards. My bed's longest side is sided by the right wall of my room, while my personal computer and peripherals are on the other side of the room. The writing desk is equipped with a lamp as well as a laptop. It is made of stainless steel while the legs in powder-coated steel. Stool is silver coloured which goes well with the colour of the table as well as the one of the laptop. Under the table there I have a pedal bin in galvanised steel. Inside my room there is also a television that faces the door and is right in front of the north wall; under it I have my green XBOX 360 as well as my black play station 2. To its right I have a double glazed window, which does not allow the external rumours to enter inside my room. On the bottom right corner I have a four-door wardrobe; its doors are made of tempered glass reinforced with wood on the edges. On the centre of the room I have a red seating combination sofa. It is soft, Hardwearing and easy to care leather. Its legs are in Nickel-plated steel. In conclusion room is something material to others while to me its something precious and as a live as me since it can represent me and it does. What is disorder to some is order to me, this is something that I cannot change. Studying people belongings can mean understanding people since their feeling usually are enclosed in these loveless objects to strangers that appear alive to their owner.

Assessment of ALDI Marrketing Plan

Today, marketing is a fundamental aspect and have assisted most companies around the globe to achieve growth potentials. Apparently, institutions that value total quality management and customer satisfaction usually position the business at a good point to compete favorably in the market (Wilkie, et al. 2015, p. 424). To favorably compete in the dynamic business environment, most organizations align their objectives with its functions units including the finance, human resource, and operation management.   The selection and targeting of the right customers and provision of customer-centric products are among the primary considerations that most business has relied on to develop marketing strategies.   Efficient marketing requires the employment of professional marketers who can perform an appropriate media planning and ensure enacted measures culminates to the desired objective. The most important factors of production are the qualified marketing department, operation management, and above all the financial resources (Stannage, 2106). Marketing, therefore, is the process of positioning the product to the consumers to influence their buying decision (Kotler & Keller, 2016). A focus is usually on the customer's purchase behavior and afterwards informing and promising them that the qualities they might be seeking are contained in the product. In the report, I have explored the marketing strategies used by Aldi Australia in overcoming the fierce competition that has existed in Australia market for a long period. Also, the report has described the background of Aldi, followed by an analysis of the marketing strategies the company has used since the incorporation in 2001, and further offered recommendations to boost marketing strategies currently used. From the conclusion, it is apparent that marketing is a critical function that plays pivotal roles in the success of business, more so, the Aldi Stores in Australia. History about Aldi dates back the year 2001 when the players in the grocery industry recognized its presence in Australia market. Before this period, the company was in operational but under different names and if not, it was under different management and existed in other countries. Aldi operates beyond the borders, for instance, most of Europe, and it majorly deals in the grocery industry (Grant & Butler, 2011, p. 49-90). Because the report intended in assessing the marketing strategy plan for Aldi in Australia, other areas like the United Kingdom and the United States where the company operates were not captured. Despite starting when a significant market share was dominated by Woolworth and Coles, the embrasure of technology and adoption of low pricing strategy has enabled it overpower these competitors and emerge as one of the best supermarkets to shop in Australia (BBC, 2015). Besides, Aldi makes a monthly sale of more than a billion every month where an average of 6.1 million people shops in Aldi stores located all over the country. The investment of about $2.8 billion in the grocery industry shows that the company is large and there and it records an annual turnover of about $7billion. However, measures need to be enacted to enhance the implementation of marketing strategies, in consideration of the changing customer needs and preferences. The company is currently aiming at establishing more stores in the Southern region of Australia to increase the number of stores from about 450 stores (Ruddick, 2012). However, the expansion in the major city has been a problem because of the discriminative State regulations governing planning and developments in urban cities. These bureaucracies existing for smaller firms to establish development projects in the major city has negatively impacted on the pace of infrastructural growth for Aldi. This restriction has bee n a major setback to the administration of the company. In the recent days, the technological breakthrough has been the primary factor that has significantly boosted the efforts of sales persons and promoted media planning. Aldi has appropriately utilized the, marketing mix â€Å"4ps†, promotional mix â€Å"Mc Kinsey 7s†, opportunities and strengths and financed promotional and marketing plans (Pash, 2016).   A thorough understanding of the external environment through the use of environmental tools assists the management to gain knowledge about; the magnitude of competition as well as customers purchasing behaviors (Solis, 2011, p. 201-202). Relying on the internal environment is importance in customizing on the strengths and opportunities. Over the period, Aldi has been keen in applying a marketing approach that tally with the company financial ability (Pash, 2016).   This part has, therefore, assessed the marketing strategies and further proposed other approaches to be applied by the management of Aldi. Aldi is a famous company in the provision of quality products at relatively low prices. In addition, its marketing strategies are well known to buyers because they focus much on the market needs and company mission. Indeed, Aldi has been more influential to suppliers and manufacturers to offer quality products at lower prices (Muston, 2014). The company has, however, applied the following sales and marketing measures to convince and attract customers. As we talk today, Aldi is one of the leading sellers of grocery products to the most of the people in Australia who are known to uphold price sensitive character. First and foremost, Aldi has utilized pricing strategy to win the favor of the customers. The approach has involved selling quality products to customers at the lowest price. Despite the company just being a dealer, it has managed to offer its products to consumers at affordable prices. Additionally, their services have been satisfactory. From statistics, the company offers its products as cheap as at 25%, in comparison with the prices offered by other supermarkets (Chung, 2015). Secondly, Aldi has applied marketing mix and sales promotional mix. These two are the major approaches used by companies. Aldi is not an exceptional. The marketing mix has included the elements of price, product, place and price (Voberda, et al. 2011). The price aspect however, was a major strategy as discussed above. The marketing mix led to the distribution of the products near customers. Aldi has established most stores at convenient places that are reached by customers. Marketing mix has, therefore, been greatly depended on by the company and it was successful because of the unlimited support from the shareholders (Lancaster, et al. 2002). Furthermore, it has utilized advertising through electronic media like the Television and Radio.   It has an excellent record in monitoring the effectiveness of the advertising media as well as media planning. Apparently, these two forms are reached by most of the target market served by Aldi. Also, Aldi has been using differentiation strategy. Under this approach, it has ensured that the right products are offered to the customers. They offer products that are needed by consumers but not any product (IBIS world, 2016). And the interesting part above all is that these products are usually of the best quality. Users found it very unusual to shop in Aldi stores where there is a variety of products, of high quality and at the lowest cost. Sincerely, this approach is the best holistic experience customers have had from Aldi. As per now, Aldi is still performing well in the grocery industry. The success is not only in Australia but also experienced in the other parts where the company has affiliates. With the developments experienced in technology, businesses are imperatively required to perfect the current operational and marketing approaches (Bradley, 2010, p. 90-120). Therefore, the enhancement of these strategies can be possible through normal changes based on the prevailing market conditions. Some of the additions and considerations that are supposed to be implemented by Aldi are discussed below: First, Aldi has to embrace integrated marketing communications. Through this method, the marketing approaches utilized are usually complemented by the others. Those that become ineffective are, however, are boosted by the other. Consequently, a large number of customers will be reached. However, this approach works well if the organization has enough funds to finance the initiative (Kotler & Keller, 2016). But the long-term effect is that it enhances most number of the targeted population to reach more information. Secondly, it should adopt creativity and innovations through incorporating technology into organizational processes. For example, talented employees indeed bring new ideas and methods of overcoming the fierce competition on the market. Being a company that has redefined the grocery industry in Australia, and applying the cost leadership approaches, it will be ironical to found that the same company is lagging behind in technological know-how. The adoption of technology will automatically enhance the use of social media, internet, and other electronic sources to promote its products (Lancaster, et al. 2002). In the long run, the company will found itself in a scenario where other transactions will be conducted by e-commerce. Thirdly, Aldi should focus on the use of publicity. Substantial investment in publicity will foster a good relation with the customers who will consequently develop customer loyalty. Though it has been involved in a marketing campaign, this trend should continue by adding more focus on it (Shimizu, 2016, p. 25-26). Lastly, it should enhance the marketing mix strategies by using appropriate sales promotion techniques. Through market research, the firm can understand when to use a particular form of marketing and sales promotion mix (Reicheld, et al. 2010, p. 121-126). For these methods will timely inform the consumer about the new developments in the products and price to offer them an opportunity to perform price comparison. Most importantly, Aldi should use appropriate form according to customer segmentation to ensure everybody has sufficient information about the company. Wrapping up, it is apparent that marketing is a fundamental subject for any organization. An effective marketing strategy will be the reason for the success, contrary in which failure will be inevitable.   The management of Aldi applies effective sales and marketing techniques that were much customer-centric which have resulted in this unquantifiable success. For instance, the pricing strategies have attracted most customers to prefer purchasing the products from Aldi stores. However, this method was not the only strategy that resulted in the success. There are others like advertising, public relations, market campaigns, differentiation and more. It thus implies that there is a great need for businesses to consider all possible measures for them to withstand the changing market. Most importantly, the opportunities and strengths should be adequately relied on in turning the hostile external environment bearable.   The marketing mix 4ps and Mc Kinsey 7s model should appropriately c ombine for the goal of meeting organization short and long term objectives. Through embrasure of the discussed topics, Aldi has managed to reach where it is and considering the plans that are already in place and the company will still grow. BBC, (2015). Aldi overtakes Waitrose's market share. BBC News dated 8th April, 2015. . [Online] Accessed on 19 th Jan, 2017, from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32218170 Bradley, Nigel (2010).Marketing Research: Tools and Techniques. Oxford University Press, Oxford, p.90-120 Chung, F. (2015). The Supermarket switch is on as Aldi takes top award in customer satisfaction: Business retail July 21 2015. Accessed online on 19 th Jan, 2017, from: https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/the-supermarket-switch-is-on-as-aldi-takes-top-award-in-customer-satisfaction/news-story/3ce35413bb26d01118190010c9cb0916 Grant, R., & Butler, B. (2011). Contemporary strategic management: An Australasian perspective, John Wiley and Son Australia, 5(21), 54-90 IBIS world, (2016). Supermarkets and Grocery Stores in Australia: Market Research Report. Retrieved on 19 th Jan, 2017, from https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry/default.aspx?indid=1834 Kotler P & Keller, (2016). Marketing Management 15 th Global Edition published by Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd. Lancaster, G., Massingham, L. and Ashford, R. (2002). Essentials of Marketing: Fourth edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Muston, P (2014). Marketing Practices and Strategies for Aldi:  slide share, retrieved on 19 Jan, 2017, from: . Pash, C.   (2016). Aldi opens its battle with Coles and Woolworths in South Australia: Business Insider Australia. Accessed on 19 th Jan, 2017, from: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/aldi-opens-its-battle-with-coles-and-woolworths-in-south-australia-2016-2 Ruddick, G. (2012). Billionaire Aldi heir Berthold Albrecht dies at 58. Retrieved on 19 th Jan, 2017, from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9729434/Billionaire-Aldi-heir-Berthold-Albrecht-dies-at-58.html Reicheld, Z and Sasser, N. (2010), â€Å"Enhancing Customer Retention Through Relationship Marketing†, Journal of Marketing, 6 (11): 121-126. Shimizu, Koichi (2016). Co-marketing (Symbiotic Marketing) Strategy: (Japanese) 5th edition, Souseisha Book Company, pp.25-62. Stannage, T. (2106).‘Marketing help: Marketing Strategies that work.   Business Consultancy Services,  weblog post,  retrieved 19 January 2017, from: . Solis, B. (2011). Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 201–202. Voberda, H., Morgan, R., Reinmoeller, P., Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R. (2011) Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalization, South Western: Cengage Learning. Wilkie, D., Johnson, L., White, L. (2015). Overcoming late entry. The importance of entry position inferences and market leadership: Journal of Marketing Management, 31: 424

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Enterprising management ( food care ltd-quality caterer must cut a bigger slice of the profits cake) - Essay Example Another ploy used by rivals is the offer of other services unrelated to catering to suggest as a bundle of services to customers who prefer to devolve these to a single party for sake of convenience and overall lower costs. Yet another worry for FCL is the rumour that it is likely to be taken over by a larger rival. This puts off the prospective or existing customer in the belief that their quality will be affected adversely. This also affects the workforce as they feel threatened by these takeover prospects. There are three issues that need to be dealt with. (1) A definitive business strategy needs to be designed to take the business forward; (2) Profitability has to increase from the present low of 2%; and finally the (3) Self-esteem, especially of the workforce, has to be boosted. Strategy can be planned by understanding the nature and need of competitive advantage; increase in profits requires a business plan; and raising self esteem in the workforce requires motivation. (1) Business strategy has to revolve around acquiring and then maintaining customers. This has special application in the catering business where the customer is retained for very long periods. In such organisations the orders are repetitive and require tailor made executions that must continue to satisfy the customer. Customer satisfaction rests on the principles of quality, price and service. The customer has to be convinced that quality will mean long-term health and nutritious value of the meals supplied. Price has to be competitive and for this the strengthened supply chain will ensure lowest costs. Still some price escalations may happen and it is here that the element of strong service comes into play. Service can include some peripheral services like running of the catering centre from the customer premises or providing some extras to augment tastes and preferences. These services must however relate to the core competency of the organisation as it is here that they will be

Greek Rationalism and Philosphies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greek Rationalism and Philosphies - Essay Example Research by different history scholars including Duikar and Andrea, irons out various factors to be responsible for the early golden wisdom. Some of the reasons get related to the religion while other relates to various traditions of the Greece. Medieval philosophy and the scholasticism relies on logical reasoning manifested by ancient Greeks, which had the capability to apply various principles and concepts of different field to come up with solutions and inventions in life2. Rationality and philosophy of the Greek is an extremely imperative subject that should be addressed with considerable concern. It is, therefore, vital that reliable and up to date sources are used. The sources must have data well presented and historical in nature without alteration in favor of the author. It is for this reason that I chose sources such, as Duiker’s world History and Andrea’s Human record, as well as other sources in the reference list. The references offered valid information, wh ich helped me in coming up with a proficient and a well-detailed paper. The ability to read and write is one of the factors attributed to the ancient rationality of the Greeks. This is related to the discovery of Alphabet letter system, which enabled joining of the letters, to form words. This became part of history when ideas could get recorded and be relied on for reference. Buddhism, for instance, neglected reading and writing after some time, until they Developed, Brahmi alphabet. This marked the beginning of their spreading to other parts of Asia from Greece. Alphabets used to date by different people, were invented by the Semites of the Mediterranean coast; not forgetting the Phoenicians and the Hebrews. This was due to natural drawings and practice that later led to representations of consonants as an alternative to words. This was raw ideas and further improvements and modifications were needed. It is at this point that the Greece invented vowels, which could make meaningful words. Reading and writing was, therefore, a common activity to scholars and certain people that enabled developing of ideas and rational thinking. In addition, it facilitated communication while at the same time enabling sharing of ideas by people from different calibers. This further pushed for the earlier rational philosophy in Greece3. The earlier rationalism also gets attributed to involvement in trade by the Greece in the ancient time. Their closeness to Mediterranean ocean for instance facilitated international trade. Moreover, the Greece used the presence of sea winds to motivate trade. Oversea trading enabled interaction with people from different regions a factor, which added more ideas to the Phoenix, which were downright traders and at the same time inventor of alphabets4. The role of religion in the ancient rationality is also not forgotten as it influenced enormously to the general shrewdness. The logics and reasoning from Christian cultural masters, for instance, con tributed to the scholarly nature of the ancient Greece. In their teachings, they differentiated their methods were derived from Greek’s natural reasoning and not from any other source. This could confirm the church Dogma at that time as prime philosophical

Analysis of India and Stagflation Literature review

Analysis of India and Stagflation - Literature review Example It is caused by cost-push inflation according to new Keynesian economic models. Such inflation occurs when certain factors increase the cost of production. These include government policies, e.g., fiscal ones, or the paucity of resources. Radhika Rao, a Singapore-based economist with DBS Bank, opines that â€Å"The economy might be trapped in a stagflationary-type environment, as growth is at the cusp of moving another leg lower while inflation bottoms out† (qt. in Kala). There is less local and foreign demand for Indian industrial goods. Even the borrowing costs have gone up. The automobile industry which drives manufacturing growth has forecast that auto sales will fall for the second continuous year. However, as Kala notes, exports grew on stronger global demand as the weak rupee makes Indian exports more competitive; and consequently, the imports into India become costlier, thus bringing down the deficit. Globalization is greatly responsible for stagflation, with the effec ts felt in most other countries. The question that Shrivastava asks is whether the Indian economy should have been opened up in a more selective manner. The global financial markets are volatile, which affects the Sensex, for instance. Moreover, the demand for Indian goods and services has reduced due to the recession in the US. Inflation has been growing due to a rise in commodity prices and a steady rise in the price of oil. Because the Indian economy is dependent on those of the US and other rich countries, a home market for products is no longer a prerogative of the government. The US recession has led to fall in exports, whereas the rise of the rupee against the dollar (till recently) cost many job losses. Indian companies are finding it difficult to raise capital abroad due to the decisions taken by the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the USA. The rise in prices of steel, cement, and oil has increased the costs in all industries. Due to the hike in interest rates to keep inflation under check, the cost of interest has also gone up. Uncertainties at the global level have slowed down the growth of industrial investment. Oil prices have increased due to futures trading in oil because of excess liquidity in the hands of big speculators. Another reason for this was the low value of the dollar (before the Indian rupee went into a free fall). Food prices have increased for various reasons. The demand for food has changed greatly. Since industrial agriculture is based on the use of fossil fuels, price hikes in oil directly affect food prices too. Climate change is another reason for raised food prices. With the increase in globalization, there is constant pressure on India to globalize the food sector and to bring the prices in line with those abroad. The US decision to push biofuels has led to a rise in food prices. The US government started giving subsidies to farms for growing corn to make ethanol for use in cars.  Ã‚  

Case-note on R (onthe application of Nicklinson) v Ministry of Justice Essay

Case-note on R (onthe application of Nicklinson) v Ministry of Justice [2014] UKSC 38 - Essay Example such a case, autonomy refers to the capability and right to make a personal choice, and as such, in most circumstances people always act in denial of the legitimacy of choices especially in situations whereby there is a militate against autonomy1. A specific example applicable in such a case is the voluntary entry by an individual into drug addiction, or into slavery. Consequently, when one chooses suicide, he or she chooses not to be in a position to make any more choices. However, it is imperative to note that the choice of suicide is defendable before the courts of law. Nevertheless, the main argument that the choice of suicide in some cases promotes autonomy does not fit to enlist in the favour of the same because suicide still stands out as a course of death. Through this judgement, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom substantially advanced the cause of individuals in the country who are keen on putting an end to their lives in a humane manner. In addition, it also created a precedent for other cases as a leading judgement within incompatibility declarations in the appreciation margin of the United Kingdom. Tony Nicklinson, the key player in this case, wanted to put an end to his life after getting tired of his illness which had paralysed him almost completely after he suffered a catastrophic stroke. However, the bone of contention in this case was that Nicklinson health condition could not permit him to end his life on his own. As such, his physical incapacity demanded that he seeks the help of another person in putting an end to his life, since he could not perform it without receiving help from other people except through self-starvation. Therefore, Nicklinson wished to receive assistance from others in order to commit his proposed suicide. Nevertheless, section 2 of the 1961 Suicide Act stood in the way of other people coming to his help to aid him commit suicide lawfully2. The suicide act says that an individual, â€Å"D† commits a legal offense

Amazon Analysis Essay Example for Free

Amazon Analysis Essay Key drivers of change Technological most important aspect of Amazon’s Pestle factors: Key drivers for change: * /Internet penetration rates * Web development e-commerce * Protecting their patented software and not being imitated easily by competitors. E-commerce-Bezos understanding of e-commerce through knowledge of web users and the web that has made amazon a dominant company on the web . ’(pg 27 Saunders 1999) ,Branding of the website is important . (Pg 91 saunders) Commitment to e-commerce has to be maintained, by keeping ahead of the technology curve, Amazon’s one-click technology is important in keeping customers visiting. pg 32-33 saunders ) Porters 5 forces analysis The threat of Entry * How will new entrants into the market overcome barriers to entry * High barriers to entry are good for existing competitors and amazon. Barriers to entry are * Scale and experience Economies of scale , when Amazon reach high level production It will be hard for new entrants to match them, experience curve effects help Amazon to have learned how to do things more efficiently than new entrants. Whilst the new entrant is building up experience it will be doing so at a higher cost than Amazon. The threat of substitutes Price/Performance ratio * Barnes and Noble, in store availability of books, although more expensive, could be more convenient to consumers, have the option of not giving over credit card details. as well as trying the product out before they purchase it. * Auto trader, HMV could potentially offer a better service as HMV, as they have stores which could be more convenient again for onsumers. * Consumers could opt to go to cinema rather than buy from Amazon for videos. Extra Industry affects Amazon will have to be aware of substitutes away from their own industry such as search engines that could set up a similar service to their own e. g Yahoo. com. The Power of Buyers Low switching costs Our result indicates that buyers explore and try a vast number of available options in their early experience of the market but tend to seek relational exchanges as their exper ience matures Our finding is contrary to what is observed in popular online markets for physical goods such as eBay and Amazon: buyers are interested in maintaining recurrent business with a limited number of providers (Wolf,E,2010,Move to depth:Buyer Provider interactions in Online service Marketplaces E-service Journal, Vol 7,pg 2-14,Ebsco ) By acquiring book pages and Telebook defended consumers buyer power even more so in relevance to low switching costs ( Amazon case study) ,in 1997 they had lowered prices even further certain books had up to 40% off, in which encouraged repeat purchasing. An associates program was launched so Amazon could help small merchants, so that they could link to Amazon. com to sell from its data base and they receive a commission from each sale. The idea behind this is so that more people would buy from Amazon and it stops Consumers from switching( The power of suppliers * Amazon created a good relationship with wholesalers and shippers from the start. * Private investment of $1. million dollars and $8 million of silicon valley at start up * $50 million worth of shares enabled an aggressive expansion of the business * Designates its maintenance of inventory to others, storage space isn’t an issue. * Amazon are dependent on wholesale distributors such as Ingram ,independent publishers and music and video companies for the stock it sells therefore saving Amazon a major cost in terms of allocation. * In 1999 Ingram provided 50% of Amazon’s book titles, barnes and noble threatened to aquire it, Amazon it would seem are dependent on t hese retailers. However Amazon can find another book supplier but the suppliers may become competition as they could cut the middleman out (Amazon ) and utilise forwards vertical integration by selling directly to consumers. * Amazon in a weak negotiating position with suppliers as there isn’t many book suppliers. Competitive rivalry * The industry growth rate was high, World wide web had a fast growth rate, predicted at 2,300 percent monthly * Barnes and noble could have been considered a threat as they had infrastructure as well as a online arm * E-bay only focused on online auctions, in which was only a small area of Amazon’s business model. With customer experience costs largely fixed, Amazon’s costs as a percentage of sales can shrink rapidly as they grow their business. * Amazon continued to lower prices as well as free shipping on orders over $25. (This allowing Amazon to increase their volumes of output , this leading to price wars and increased competit ion. * Amazon is seen as ‘Virtual’ i. e it has no brick and mortar stores like competitors ( barnes and noble ), as well as no storage costs. Thus enabling them to invest more capital into enhancing its brand and website. * There is Low differentiation in Amazon’s industry in terms of online auctions as customers can easily switch between them and E-Bay as well as online book sales as they can switch to rivals such as Barnes and noble, although Amazon was able to undercut their rivals as they competed on price, By having no high costs in terms of storage of stock or buildings they could pass this benefit onto customers. Referring to competitor Barnes and noble’s 1999 company report they had other costs , such as rental space and the costs of opening up new stores , Barnes and Nobles costs of sales an occupancy increased from $2. 413 billion in 1998 , whereas inn 1999 it was $2. 019 million, this indicating that they had high fixed costs. And Amazon could therefore capitalize on this as their costs of sales were a lot less. * Competitors such as barnes and noble would have High exit barriers as they have a lot of assets through their stores that others may not buy.

Interpersonal Relationship and Beauty Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Relationship and Beauty Essay Beauty is not something we can measure, it something that we judge on a person. We can see a face for less than a second and rate whether that person is beautiful or not. Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture. An ideal beauty is an entity which is admired, or possesses features widely attributed to beauty in a particular culture, for perfection. Helen Keller once said, The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Beauty is a kind of quality. Websters dictionary defines beauty as something that is pleasing to ones sight or mind. However, beauty encompasses so much more than that. Beauty may not be recognized at once in people that you meet, but is recognized through close relationships such as family and friends. After time, though, beauty shines through a person by them giving their hearts. So, the stereotypical guy or girl model that most of the world perceives as beautiful, is not the same beauty that family and friends see. Aaron Spelling director of Bay Watch had this to say â€Å"I can’t define it, but I know it when I walk into a room. I talked with a modeling agency that books top male models and they were more descriptive: Its when someone walks in the door and you almost cant breathe. † (Etcoff) Aaron Spelling gives a good definition on what society perceives beauty as. Society thinks of beauty as features that can be found by examining someone just by looking at them not by who they are through their actions and feelings in life. In the article â€Å"What is beauty† it says â€Å"The oxford English dictionary defines the word beautiful as excelling in the grace form, charm of color, and other qualities. †(Etcoff) See, all points are proven that beauty is looked at through external form except through â€Å"and other qualities. † This is where close relationships, such as your family and friends see these other internal qualities rather than outside qualities. In Nancy Etcoff article it states â€Å"We can see a face for a fraction of a second, and rate its beauty. † (Etcoff) How can a fraction of a second determine if someone is beautiful or not? Etcoff explains that it is absurd that you can rate someone beautiful or not in a fraction of a second. This is where family and friends rate your beauty through your actions. This is from the close relationship you have with them. This shows that it takes time to know if someone is truly beautiful of not. David Hume, a Scottish philosopher and historian said â€Å"Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. That is something that everyone should take to heart. Beauty is missed by so many people because they do not take the time to stop and appreciate all that God has created. † This quote explains beauty is all around us and it’s not our right to judge and say what is beautiful. Instead of judging someone, families do not. They judge you for who you are as a person rather than your looks. Internal and external beauty is both very important in our society. To be beautiful internally means to have a knind heart and be understanding. To be beautiful externally means to be beautiful on the outside such as having a nice figure and a attractive smile. Internal beauty is important because beyond looks, it is your personality that is noticed. External beauty is important because it is your attractive figure that brings attention to someone’s great personality. These two types of beauties are represented and influenced by family members, friends, and society as a whole. Family members are important in how we perceive beauty. Depending on the family member, there is an absolute distinction made between beauties. Parents are most likely to look at the internal beauty rather than the external, while siblings look at the external part more closely. Family members are key in how society perceives beauty and how they show it. Without this part of society, people would most likely judge people for there looks rather than their personality. Internal beauty shows someone’s character. There character is the most important part that is judged. In the article â€Å"What is Beauty† it states â€Å"Although the object of beauty is debated, the experience of beauty is not. Beauty can stir up a snarl of emotions. (Etcoff 68) Nancy Etcoff means that beauty is considered and object in society, but family and friends don’t consider it an object but a possession that is unique to that specific person through there personalities and actions. So, although friends ar friends, they tend to be one of the most hypocritical judges. The thing that matters to friends is if a girl is pretty or vise versa. Then chances are she may also have a nice personality. But if she doesn’t appeal externally, then her internal beauty must also be lacking. This, however, is not always true. Society is the most judgmental of all critics regarding beauty. But in todays society, external beauty is always stressed significantly. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many girls in our country that have eating disorders. Successful women are perceived with external beauty which makes girls feel that they have to look like that which makes them go on ridiculous diets that cause them harm. Society rarely stresses the importance of internal beauty. But family and friends see the persons personality and overlooks the external beauty. By this it gives that person the confidence to accomplish and that they set there mind too no matter what gets in there way. It seems however, that society places too much effort than before how a person looks. Rarely, does a society ever judge a person by the way they act. Based on the influences of family, friends, and society, it looks like family is the most reasonable judge of external and internal beauty. Siblings especially are the fairest judges. Friends are somewhat neutral, and stand the middle ground in differentiating between the two beauties. Society is the harshest critics of beauty, always stressing the external beauty. It seems society will always be one sided; and no one can do anything about it. The best way to judge beauty is by the individuals own standards, not from any other influences. Nancy Etcoff says â€Å"Our bodies respond to it viscerally and our names for beauty are synonyms with physical cataclysms and bodily obliteration breathtaking, femme fatale, knockout, drop dead, gorgeous, bombshell, stunners and ravishing. We experience beauty not as rational contemplation but as a response to physical urgency. This means that all these names that we say to represent beauty have an effect on the people they are being said about. Society has this beauty on a pedestal that no one can ever reach. Family and friends show reality and show the standard of beauty that everyone is at in there unique way. Beauty is something influenced by society, making us look at people externally and not internally. We are based on that beauty has to be perfect in every way that we miss out on internally beautiful people. In life, God didn’t create everyone the same way or the same shape; he created everyone different from one another. So no one can be perfect. We as a society and in the whole world need to look passed the flaws we see in people and truly, sincerely look at who they are and how they act. In a sense there really is no true definition for beauty. Its family and friends that hive a unique definition that everyone should go by. It’s how you act that is your beauty not your looks. Looks don’t last forever, its your personality that last a lifetime.

Successes And Failures Of Un Control Of Human Rights Violations International Law Essay

Successes And Failures Of Un Control Of Human Rights Violations International Law Essay 1. United Nations signed Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948 for protection of human rights and maintenance of world peace. Regrettably, the record on this front has not been encouraging. Although UN has been successful in avoiding third World War in the past six decades but the painful reality, however, is that wars, some international and several internal, have taken place and produced casualties estimated to have exceeded those of World War II. Failures of UN 2. The performance United Nations in Somalia was fitful. Its absolute failure in maintaining even some impression of peace in Bosnia is a serious and ineradicable blemish on its image and has sternly damaged its credibility. To the victims of the Bosnian conflict, be they Muslims, Croats or Serbs, the UN has become a malicious joke, a dirty word. Feeble impotence of UN forces to counter substantial and atrocious violations of basic human rights had deeply shaken the faith of the international community in the world organization.  [1]   3. Since its inception UN has shown failure around the world except in the case of Kuwait, the UN has been incapable to take valuable and absolute measures to implement peace. Under the influence of this incapability, the organization has in practice employed other means to preserve international peace, tranquility and security. UN peace keeping missions around the world especially concentrated in African contentment are directed towards this effort. 4. The UN does not enjoy an exceptional record, in these missions especially after its failures in Bosnia, Somalia and Rwanda. The problems persistent to the UN Peacekeepers are:- (a) The fundamental disagreement over the allocation of authority among the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Secretary General. (b) The absence of any clear and coherent policy. (c) Widely different perceptions about what constitutes threat to peace. (d) The Security Council is essentially a political body and its decisions have largely been swayed by political considerations in many cases. (e) There have been reservations and concerns that the integrity of the Charter may be impaired by political tendencies. (f) Over dominance of the five Permanent members of the Security Council due to the veto power that they enjoy. 5. There numerous instruments existing for the protection of human rights as mentioned in Chapter I and UN Charter has clearly laid down the Human Rights which all human beings universally enjoy as seen in Chapter III. It is extremely surprising that despite all those lofty resolutions and conferences, the violation of human rights is so common and frequent. (a) Central American Region. Violation of human rights in this part of the world remains more or less in intransience. In Guatemala and El- Salvador, the torture and kidnappings were quite regular. In these Central American countries such violations denied many of their basic liberties through imprisonment, mistreatment of prisoners and denial of due legal procedures. In Nicaragua a state of emergency overruling all accepted rights was imposed and the UNO hardly took any notice of these violations. In Honduras and Panama thousands remain cramped in jails for no serious charges (for protests against Human Rights violations in 1987). The UN then too has remained unmoved. (b) Tibet. In the this land of Lamas, wherein a struggle for independence is continuing for decades together, the citizens of the nation are being suppressed by military rule of martial law. The denial of basic human rights is predominantly visible, but it created no ripples in the corridors of the UNO. The opposition by the Tibetans at the time of Olympics in China was well highlighted by international media however not adequate attention was paid to their cause and protest. (c) Arab and the Middle East Region. In the Middle East countries, mainly in Iran and Saudi Arabia, the situation remained quite ghastly for decades now. In the name of Religion and Allah, citizens have been denied free trial and investigation, many were put to axe on mere religious Fatwas. The UNO remained a quite spectator to all these misdeeds in the name of religion. The international law and basic rights as promulgated have been denied in the name of local religious law and crime and atrocities have been created publically but neither UN nor any human rights organizations have been effective in providing respite to the citizens from these dreadful crimes. (d) Afpak Region. The bare violation of Human Rights by the Taliban and other militant organization in the region continue with their dictatorial style of religious fundamentalism with no intervention by the UN visible on the horizon. US forces are operating in the region but they are not been able to provide much relief to the citizens of Afghanistan.  [2]  In spite of presence US and NATO forces in the region violation in the Pakistan itself have not been influenced by the presence of these forces and the media coverage provided to them. FATA and NWFP region of these two nations is the human centre of terrorist dictatorship and need urgent UN attention. (e) African Continent. Rwanda is set to succeed in its proffer to be part of commonwealth despite serious record of violation of human rights. In spite of such a high rate of violation by the nations and violent opposition by NGOs that the entry into the club would encourage Kigali to raise level of violation and it will become difficult to take any action as in case of Fiji.  [3]  Democratic Republic of Congo in which freedom of speech, the press and human rights are undermined or violently abused, in which courts fail to meet international standards and country which has invaded its neighbors four times since 1994 the killings by Tutsis and retaliatory killings of Hutus.  [4]  Although government in Darfur has increased deployment of police and security personnel against gender based bias and sentenced several security personnel for rape the human right situation in Darfur is still grim, the town of Tawilla is completely deserted after police attack.  [5]   (f) Human Rights Violation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The convolution of the ethnic problem and ethnic hatred has been the origin of the human carnage which has resulted in an unparalleled toll of human lives. Campaigns launched for ethnic cleansing devastated this Balkan republic. European community and US largely perceived that the Serbs were responsible for the massacre of the Muslims. International community has failed to evaluation the civil war sit in Bosnia dispassionately and blamed the Serbs. In fact, the failure of UN to bring about a resolution in the discord between various groups in the state has also been one of the major reasons for such a large scale violation of human rights. (g) Oil for Food Scandal. The program was part of a inclusive set of UN- mandated sanctions intended to prevent Hussein from reconstituting a menace to his neighbors. The program allowed approximately $7 billion per year of Iraqi oil revenues to be used to procure food and medicine for the Iraqi people. It was endeavourer of UN forces that money was utilized for same but not to purchase weapons or WMD- related technology for the Hussein regime. The UN sanctions regime against Iraq, including the Oil for Food program is worth close scrutiny not because it was a scandal, although scandal there was, but because taken as a whole, it is the most successful use of international sanctions on record.  [6]  Documenting the why and wherefores of that success is as important as correcting the shortfalls that allowed a rogue regime, in connivance with unscrupulous international businessmen, to siphon funds from UN- administered Iraqi accounts.  [7]   (j) People Died of Starvation in Somalia. Despite the large presence of a troops of a UN security force and a faction of ceasefire observers, around Somalia the ceasefire was overlooked and in its place fighting continued with increasing brutality. The relief operations were at great risk. During the final quarter of 1992, factions in Somalia split into more and smaller factions, many of those even formally disobeyed the UN Security Council which made the situation even harder to control. No heed was paid to hundreds of poverty stricken refugees who were dying of starvation every day.   This mission in Somalia failed to control difficult situations which involve numerous parties. Given UNs limited military strength and the impossibility to get the different warlords of Somalia to negotiate peacefully, UN attempts to maintain peace and security like that of the operation in Somalia was bound to fail.  [8]   (h) Resolutions 1235 and 1503 and Its Effectiveness. When Resolution 1503 was adopted by UN, it was seen as a step further than Resolution 1235 in the development of shielding machinery. This insight probably arose from the fact that while initiatives under 1235 lie completely in the hands of the member states. Resolution 1503 gave the power to individuals and NGOs. (i) The Greece case. A detailed and well documented complaint against the government (1967-74) was lodged by NGO of the state but it was tossed back and forth by the working group concerned for two years. The complaint was finally dropped when the Greek military command released a large number of detainees (without changing the illogical system of detention and torture).  [9]   (ii) The Uganda Case. Idi Amins of Uganda case was another case to surpass through the muddle established by 1503. Information and complaints concerning the administration did arrive at the commission in 1974 and again in 1976/77. Not until 1978, on the eve of Amins flight following the defeat by the Tanzanian Army, aided by Ugandan insurgents, did the Commission take any action at all. That action implied the form of a request to the Secretary General to appoint a special envoy to Uganda under the confidential procedure. The procedure laid down under resolution, once the subject of great hope, has purely not lived up to the expectations. It often served as screen behind which gross violators who could take shelter behind it. If the objective was to obtain prompt publicity or public action for serious human rights violations, the 1503 procedure is inappropriate.  [10]   6. Delayed Action by the UN. The UN mission was designed as the mechanism to form rules of relationship between the members of international society. Since the end of World War II, there had been hardly any wars between states, but there were as many as 110 local conflicts between states.  [11]  The military forces of 71 governments participated in these conflicts, and 135 supporter group and non-governmental forces were engaged.  [12]  The consequences were appalling: thousands of innocent civilians have been killed in these conflicts. Over the years there has been upward trend in internal rather than interstate conflict. The UN is mostly without initiatives except to acknowledge to the invitation of warring parties, or in certain extreme cases when it intervenes to prevent abuse of human rights. The UN usually has been silent observer to the situation with a certain detachment until it reached a critical point, and intervenes only after the situation has gone out of hand. B y the time an intervention is affected, the parties have already intensified their mutual detest and preventable damage is caused. Successes of UN 7. The UN has been unprejudiced and successful setting values for setting roles, selectively successful in monitoring abuses; and almost frail in enforcement. Governments usually subordinate considerations of UN effectiveness to the principle of non-interference. However, the modesty of the achievements of the UN should not blind us to its reality. The Universal Declaration embodies the moral code, political consensus and legal synthesis of human rights. The world has grown more complex in the sixty years since. The simplicity of language belies the passion of conviction underlying them. Activists and NGOs use the Declaration as the concrete point of reference against which to judge state actions. The Covenants require the submission of periodical reports by signatory countries, and so entail the creation of national infrastructures for the protection and promotion of human rights. It might be probably difficult to measure the successes of the UNO objectively. However it would be wor thwhile to have an overview of the various achievements attributed to it over the years in the field of human rights. 8. Democracy Promotion. UN investigated individual complaints of human rights abuse, the UN Human Rights Commission always focused world attention on cases of arbitrary detention, torture, disappearance, and has generated international pressure to be bring down pressure on governments to improve their human rights records. The United Nations has enabled people in many countries to participate in free and fair elections, including those held in Cambodia, Namibia, El Salvador, Eritrea, Mozambique, Nicaragua and South Africa. It has provided electoral advice, assistance, and monitoring of results.  [13]   9. Promotion of Independence Self Reliance. The United Nations has played a pivotal role in independence of countries that are now among its Member States. Independence of nation and its countrymen as is agreed worldwide is a fundamental human right. 10. Maintaining Tranquility and Peace. Deployment peace-keeping forces and observer missions, the United Nations has been able to restore calm to allow the negotiation process to go forward while saving millions of people from becoming casualties in the conflicts. There are presently 16 active peace-keeping forces in operation. 11. Ending Apartheid. United Nation played a important role by imposing measures like an arms prohibition segregation in sporting events, which played a major role in bringing about the downfall of the apartheid in South Africa. General Assembly called it a crime against humanity. UN conducted elections in April 1994 in which all South Africans were allowed to participate on an equal basis, followed by the institution of a majority government. 12. Humanitarian aid to victims of conflict. UN has provided aid to more than 50 million refugees who are victim of war, famine or persecution the UN High Commissioner for Refugees since 1951 in an abiding effort harmonized by the United Nations that often involves other agencies. UN was the first to reach for the assistance of victims of war between Sri Lankan military forces and LTTE. It provided aid in terms of food, medical and other humanitarian assistance. UN provided aid worth $ 37.5 million to the Tamil victims and pressurized the government for early resolution of conflict. UN provided aid worth $ 460 million to the victims of flood in Pakistan.  [14]   13. Assistance in Promotion of Women Rights. United Nations has been working for a long time to progress the lives of women and to empower women. Several conferences during the UN-sponsored International Womens Decade set an schema for the improvement of women and womens rights across the globe. The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) have sponsored programs and projects to improve the quality of life for women in more than 100 countries. They include education, credit and training UN provided access to new food-production technologies and marketing opportunities, and other means of promoting womens work. End Notes

We Must Regain Our Lost Civil Liberties Essay -- Privacy Act, Patriot

With our nation’s tragedy of September 11, 2001, arose a deeply shaken America, shocked by the extent of the cruelty. An act of terrorism of that magnitude had never been seen before in our country. Patriots quickly came together, supporting the president to pass legislation, known as the USA Patriot Act, to tackle internal and external threats to this nation. The debate ensued, focused on which types of surveillance technology should or shouldn't be allowed for arresting terrorists. However, the question remains as to how these devices are going to be used, and how personally are those who use them held accountable. The purpose of this paper is to confirm that the proposed monitoring and archiving of users’ information on social networking sites would represent yet another erosion of our civil liberties for only a minor gain to our national security. The USA Patriot Act or simply the Patriot Act sanctions the use of wiretaps, additional surveillance of technology, such as voice mail and e-mail, trap and trace devices, and demands for educational and business records. The Department of Justice justifies that such actions in criminal investigations, have been used for years. However, this action comes under intense scrutiny by critics such as the ACLU who maintain that the secrecy surrounding the use of such tools as well as lower criteria for attaining the authority to use them â€Å"represents a broad expansion of power without building in a necessary privacy protection† (The USA PATRIOT Act: Myth vs. Reality, n.d.). The Patriot Act was signed into law on October 26, 2001, 45 days after the terrorist attacks on September 11th. The debate over what the Patriot Act actually allows law enforcement officia... ...om http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1669540,00.html National Security. (n.d.). American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/National-Security Presidential Powers, NSA Spying, and the War on Terrorism: Americans’ Attitudes on Recent Events – Overview. (2006). American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/24262res20060224.html The New York Times (2009, December 12). Twitter Tapping. [Editorial]. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/opinion/13sun2.html The USA Patriot Act. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot The USA Patriot Act: Myth vs. Reality. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/subs/add_myths.htm

The Uncertain Future of the Camera Cinemas :: Movies Films Theaters Essays

The Uncertain Future of the Camera Cinemas Nestled in the center of downtown San Jose sits one of the cities few cultural landmarks worth saving. The Camera Cinemas have been an institution since 1975. They serve as the unofficial home to San Jose’s small, but popular independent movie following. Unfortunately, they are at risk of being shut down for good if a new home can not be found in the next few years. This paper discusses the historical fight the Camera Cinemas have had to endure and what they must do to survive into the next century. They may be saving their best performance for last. Prior to 1975, there were no art movie houses in San Jose. The South of First Area (SOFA) Camera One currently resides in, was a red light district, home to prostitutes, porno theatres, and drug pushers. So what in the world was an art movie house doing in area like this? You could say the Cameras were ahead of their time, paving the way for what soon would be recognized as one of most culturally intellectual areas in the world. Because the closest art movie houses were 50 miles away, independent film fans looked to the Cameras as a source for entertainment in their own backyard. The Camera chain would expand in 1984 adding the Camera 3 theatres to their small but soon-to-be growing chain. It was during this time that the Cameras would start to receive top quality art and foreign films with the likes of those seen in San Francisco. The Cameras would eventually expand to four movie houses adding the Towne and Los Gatos Theatres. The relationship seemed like a match made in heaven; a s mall independent movie chain showing first run foreign and art films in the large and growing Silicon Valley. What could possibly go wrong? Much like everything else, too much of a good thing hardly ever goes unnoticed. The Camera Cinemas served as the only theatres downtown for nearly twenty years. So when the area started to flourish, big business started to open its eyes and take notice. With the opening of the brand new Pavilion Shops in downtown, AMC movie theatres looked to capitalize on an untapped market. In many situations, such as with department stores and supermarkets, competition can sometimes help to generate business. However, due to film zoning laws and the sheer commercial power of a chain like AMC, the Cameras stood to be jeopardized and ran out of business.

City Ordinances and State Laws :: Expository Essays

City Ordinances and State Laws In the spirit of civic duty, I thought I'd inform you, the responsible citizen of Mount Vernon, of some of the important laws that we live by. Combining my copious amounts of free time with my love of the mundane, I dug through our city's ordinance code as well as state law to unearth some rules we all need to know about. First off, let it be known that many of these crimes come with penalties. State laws can carry heavy prison time while city ordinances come with fines up to $500. Bearing this serious business in mind, let us begin. We all know not to start fights or provoke violence, but there are other more important things to know about. For instance, never ever harass someone via a telegraph. Don't even think about it. In fact, don't "circulate a report or warning" of an epidemic, either. Imagine the pandemonium that could result if you convinced them that your incessant smoker's cough could spread syphilis. State law prohibits these things. Public nuisances, usually found in the city code, are my personal favorites. Do not, for goodness sake, keep flammable, "unreasonably" offensively smelling, "noisome," toxic or otherwise objectionable stuff on your lawn. Leaving exploded gas station burritos in your dorm microwave is OK. Furthermore, keeping diseased animals (even if they're tied up) or animal carcasses (even if they just look like they're asleep) is not just a bad idea; it's also against the law. The city's ordinances go to great lengths to protect our beloved streets and sidewalks and the inhabitants thereof. If you cannot find a safe sidewalk to walk or run on in Mount Vernon, you must stay on the left side of the road. No exceptions. Considering tying your sled to the back of a car and riding it around? Don't even think about it. Sled/car combinations are illegal. Thinking about building some kind of device to launch cantaloupes or other large melons at oncoming traffic? Forget it. Shooting things into the street is prohibited. In fact, simply obstructing a sidewalk is a serious offense. Leaving something like grass clippings or a car on a sidewalk is illegal. Waiting more than 48 hours to clear the sidewalk of snow or ice is illegal. Leaving an open flame or unspent fuel on a sidewalk is illegal too. If you encounter anyone committing these offenses, call the police immediately and tell them it is a critical emergency.

American Lit: Anne, the Author to Her Book, Mistress Bradstreet Essay

In â€Å"Anne,† begin with The Author to Her Book, which evidently was written as the epigraph to the second edition of her collection of poems. What of her personality as a woman comes through in the poem? In â€Å"The Author to Her Book† It is immediate that the reader knows that a woman and a mother wrote this piece. â€Å"Thou ill-formed offspring of my feeble brain, Who after birth did’st by my side remain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This sentence sets the stage for everything that would come next about her from staying by her side while children, to going out into the world with friends, and becoming adults and moving out of the house. Threw the middle of the poem, lines 5-10, you can tell that she is unhappy with her children for what is unclear but â€Å"brat† and â€Å"cast thee by as one unfit for light† can’t be a good sign. The last two lines though you can tell she will always love her children but she has to let them go. For a mother in that time period, especially a mother of 8, you can really get the sense of how much of an up and down ride I was to raise so many children and all the responsibility’s that when along with it. †¢In â€Å"Mistress Bradstreet†, what poems show her in her social life as the wife of a high official? From reading â€Å"Upon the Burning of Our House† I can gather that she was a wife of a high official or that she had had any money is to be new to Virginia she and her husband had many thing you wouldn’t think would be in a typical pilgrims home. Things that were burn such as a trunk, table and her stores even though she doesn’t really describe her stores, these alone would tell you that she was better off than most even before the mention of â€Å"pelf† which meant money or wealth. Works Cited George Perkins, B. P. (2009). The American Tradition in Literature. New York: McGraw Hill.

Humor within Leadership Theory Essay

The key to the success of any venture is strong leadership (Howe 1994). Courage, vision, and humor are key ingredients in the formula for success. Service to the community or communities also plays a critical role in the development of leadership potential. The importance of humor in this model is fundamental. Every leader has some selfdoubt, but using humor and spiritual authenticity to overcome self-doubt will lead to success and prosperity. And what is said for leaders also can be said for those who are led. Muslim humor is famous all over the Western world. There is an almost endless number of collections, anthologies, and treasuries of Muslim humor, bulging with tens of thousands of Muslim jokes and anecdotes. That the humor of every ethnic group mirrors its conditions of life, its economic, political, and social circumstances, its position vis-a-vis other population groups, is so self-evident that it needs but passing mention. What is perhaps not so apparent is that the jokes, the anecdotes, and the other manifestations of humor are keys to understanding the life of the people in question and can serve as peepholes through which we can look into otherwise hidden corners of existence. As far as muslim communities are concerned, treasuries of Muslim humor can and should be used, and humor should be applied to make the West more likable and admired by the young muslim communities of the world. The techniques and strategies of humor are equally relevant at several levels of living systems, as well as between levels. Thus, the study of humor in multicultural society is interdisciplinary and is becoming a discipline in its own right. The current work is toward methods of negotiation with humor in which the objectives are to obtain a more cooperative long-term relationship and a more rewarding substantive outcome for young muslim communities. Muslim humor is second to no other product of the Muslim mind in revealing the mental state of the Muslims in any given place and at any given time. Whether it contains selfcriticism, directing its barbs at a Muslim group from which the humorist wishes to distance himself, or whether it compares the Muslims and the Gentiles, most often to the latter’s detriment, the Muslim joke is a manifestation of Muslim thinking and feeling about the in-group and various categories of out-groups. For example, the actor Sasha Cohen in the movie Borat makes young muslims laugh by making fun of Israel, despite him being Muslim himself. It would be ridiculous to pretend that none of the people who found Sasha Cohen funny were laughing at him for the wrong reasons. Some would have been laughing at what they took to be his imitation, others at one further remove, were probably laughing at the black parts of his monstrous hybrid. They laughed louder and longer because he revealed it to be alien, eccentric, and absurd in its snobbery, stupidity, and perverse attachment to numerous forms of destructive hierarchy-class, race, religion. Those dismal qualities were not being exposed from the outside by a stranger but explored from the inside in a daring act of patriotic love. That laughter does not intersperse loathing and self-hatred with manic elation. It helps instead to cultivate the everyday, ordinary virtue involved in managing healthier relationships with otherness that are not deformed by fear, anxiety, and violence. The most powerful weapon for creative mind stretching and therefore for reconstruction is humor, especially when it is self-directed rather than outward bound. Humor directed at another serves to break the lifelong habits of a sickly (symbiotic) relationship between people. Self-directed humor is a real mind healer: By flooding the anxious mind with grotesquely exaggerated fears, it banishes phobias and obsessions. In general, it drastically corrects in the mind and in behavior habitual neurotic (self-sabotaging and destructive) patterns. Humor is a technique involves any action one take to cause the proposals, ideas, or values of another to be rejected in favor of own by getting group members to laugh at, ridicule, or scorn the other person’s proposals (Duncan, 1990). Rationalization is founded on trust and respect, and if respect is lost, so too is much of power. While power may abhor a vacuum, it equally abhors scorn. Without respect, dominance cannot be maintained. Getting others to laugh at or denigrate in any way the proposals of others that one oppose is another way to exercise power in the organization. Perhaps the ultimate in withdrawal of consent is laughter. Nyberg (1981) proposes that laughter, not revolution, is more common in overthrowing a regime. Authority fears rejection more than any other threat to its legitimacy. Especially in informal organizations, if the leader loses the respect of the fellows he or she is incapable of securing their compliance in even nominal organizational transactions. Humor is a motivated process of communication between living systems with the goal of reaching agreement about certain joint or reciprocal acts. These acts may involve management of conflict, exchange of resources, or cooperation on actions directed at the mutual environment. Behavior within a system is normally regulated by the template of that system. Internal conflict may indicate a need to amend the template. Humor can be used to modify the template so as to remove the source of conflict. For instance, when negotiation occurs between components or subsystems of a system, as in talks to manage conflict between two divisions of a corporation, the resulting humor may modify the template with respect to the roles and required behavior of the divisions. Three general stances facilitate reflexive humor: not-knowing, curious, and collaborative. They provide a way for individuals to explore, express, and share the views and meanings of situations that, otherwise, can drive them apart. Let us examine each in turn. Not-knowing Stance This stance involves taking the nonexpert position of not knowing. Taking this stance encourages humor by levelling the hierarchies of position and knowledge. While hierarchies exist in all organizations, emphasizing them discourages humor; deemphasizing them encourages humor. Reflexive humor emphasizes equal participation rather than hierarchical power, thereby bringing about a shift from hierarchy to collaboration. Humor is characterized by content and relationship aspects. We all are aware of the content aspect of communication – the information that a message is intended to convey. The egalitarian ethic of reflexive humor eliminates the positions of hierarchy and power in the humor. A not-knowing stance conveys the message that everyone is equally qualified to generate ideas, opinions, and perspectives about a situation or a problem. This means that the manager enters into the dialogue without any preconceived notions or ideas. The not-knowing stance also encourages listeners to attend to both the â€Å"outer† humor of others as well as to their own â€Å"inner† humor. This egalitarian approach encourages each participant to contribute to the mutual exploration of ideas. Curious Stance The curious stance simply means that one expresses one’s ideas in a funny manner. A dogmatic or assertive expression of ideas often hinders the creative process, but a comic mode of expression encourages others to take, leave, or develop ideas at will without vesting or territoriality. This climate encourages the free exchange of ideas on their own merit and without threat of penalty. Taking this stance helps to multiply varying perspectives on a problem and, naturally, leads to an evolved solution. A final advantage is that emergent solutions are usually not only the best thought-out and most fitting but also explored and designed by the individuals who will implement them. Collaborative Stance This stance is the result of the two preceding stances. The shared perspectives, ideas, and meanings contributed by the conversants evolve into common knowledge. This process filters many levels of perceptions and triggers deep involvement among participants making possible the co-construction of a jointly-owned outcome. They bring about better understanding among individuals whose culture and gender may create varying perceptions of the same reality. There is nothing simple about dealing with diversity. Diversity is one of the most complex and refracted areas of management because it involves the intimacy of the self with the impersonality. The first step in implementing reflexive humor in university setting is to form small, voluntary, diverse groups. Participants can come from either the same class or a variety of divisions. There are only two rules for membership in the group – commitment and confidentiality. One quickly comes to realize that the premises and stances of reflexive humor are not part of normal communication repertoire. People have learned to function in the hierarchical worlds of home, school, and, the university. In these settings they do not always relate to one another on an egalitarian basis. Much less accepted is the practice of communicating with others, whether colleagues or superiors, from a curious or not-knowing stance. Furthermore, assuming a collaborative stance in their dealings with one another is not an everyday occurrence either. One achieves competence in reflexive humor through learnable skills that require practice. One trains individuals in reflexive humor by introducing each premise and stance and allowing time for practice. The individual being trained acquires the command of one skill before moving on to the next. It may be difficult to begin the training by talking about diversity issues. To create a conducive climate, groups might begin by discussing study-related or other relatively neutral matters because such topics are more familiar and potentially less explosive. Reflexive humor is a general theory that lends itself to any communication context. Therefore, in any setting or on any topic, the process of reflexive humor will evoke multiple points of view and generate mutual self-awareness for the participants. Jointly concentrating on common tasks is an excellent way to begin diversity training. With practice, the process of reflexive humor will engender a sense of trust among its participants. The structure of reflexive humor creates an environment wherein participants can freely exchange their views and, eventually, communicate with one another on deeper and more meaningful levels. Trust and synergy. †¢ Trust reduces the amount of time and energy wasted in suspicion and politics. This time and effort can therefore be better deployed on added-value activities that help to deliver the purpose and vision. †¢ When trust, competence and alignment come together we can achieve synergy, and unlock high performance. †¢ To develop into an attuned team the members of the group have to be able to trust each other. Reflexive humor is a new approach to face-to-face communication. It offers a process by which one can access the uniqueness of each individual as well as each individual’s cultural paradigm. Through this approach, individuals can better generate information and co-construct those mutual realities that lead to enhanced problem solving. Reflexive humor is particularly useful to individuals from different cultures who wish to establish a common ground for mutual understanding and action. Humor is not just joking, and management is not just the bloodless supervision of humans in the machine-like achievement of goals. Human emotions and feelings are involved in many issues, especially in culturally diverse settings. The reflection of feeling captures the emotional aspect of human nature. The purpose of this microskill is to identify and make explicit emotions that are often concealed allowing the listener to tune into the speaker’s emotional experience. While nothing seems more ordinary than to empathize with another, the reflection of feeling has a specific structure. The reflection of feeling informs the speaker that you are aware of his or her emotions. This in turn encourages the speaker to clarify further the issue at hand. The listener needs to be cautious about inaccurately labelling feelings. Adequate time and care must be given to identify the precise feeling correctly. Mislabelling an emotion is a sure sign of misunderstanding the speaker. The reflection of meaning may be the microskill that is most relevant to the diverse workplace. It has to do with how different racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural groups organize life and experiences as well as the meaning they draw from those experiences. This microskill may appear to be very much like the preceding ones of the paraphrase (which restates thoughts) or the reflection of feeling (which reflects emotions). Indeed, the reflection of meaning combines thoughts and meanings. One should remember that both reflecting skills of humor deal with profound issues – emotions, values, meanings, and the particular sense each one of us makes of the world. Neither skill should be used insincerely or manipulatively. Inappropriate use can cause as much anger and distrust, on the one hand, as understanding and trust, on the other. However, used ethically, with a sincere attitude, no microskill is more useful, what joke one may make of situation, what values may motivate seemingly culturally different behaviors, or why an action or word that is unimportant (or important) to you may be important (or unimportant) to a colleague. Patterns of eye contact and gaze also play an underestimated role in sense of humor. White males have their own, unique, eye contact patterns. When speaking, a white male looks away from the listener most of the time, making eye contact with the listener to emphasize significant points. While listening, a white male looks at the speaker most of the time. Eye contact indicates that the listener is paying attention to what is being said. Another pattern of eye contact signals the moment when turn-taking occurs for speaker and listener. Generally, when the speaker is nearing the end of a statement, he briefly looks away from the listener. Then, upon finishing the utterance, he reestablishes eye contact to signal that it is the turn of the other person to speak. Major humor problems can result if eye contact patterns are not in synchrony. Without either conversant being consciously aware of it, at appropriate times in the white male style a trustworthy person looks in the eye, while an untrustworthy person does not. If both parties share this pattern, conversation flows smoothly. If the patterns are at odds, one may call the other shifty, while the other may feel uncomfortable. In such a situation, the humor becomes strained, and the participants are conscious of that fact. White males do not seem to employ or recognize the value of nonverbal communication, in general, or of eye contact, in particular. Yet, it is evident that eye contact patterns play a significant role in effective humor. The general white male pattern is for speakers to gaze less at listeners and for listeners to gaze more at speakers. This is how white male listeners demonstrate their intentional listening or attending behavior. One of the most significant characteristics of the Muslim verbal communication style is its oral tradition. Muslims were forcibly transported from traditional societies that were oral. The heritage of orality may be most evident in two areas of the Muslim verbal communication style: the mode of listening, and the importance of expressing feeling during interpersonal interaction. Comparative studies have found that Muslims and whites have different verbal communication styles. Whites tend to make more use of the attending or listening skills in their face-to-face communication by using a forward lean of the upper body or asking open-ended questions. Muslims tend to be more directive by giving advice or confronting. An earlier discussion of microskills noted that open questions are less direct and invite a conversational partner to provide more information on a topic while closed questions tend to retrieve specific pieces of information and limit dialogue. Depending upon the circumstances, each type of question is equally valid. However, a dialogue with predominantly closed questions can take on the tone of an interrogation. Similarly, humor replete with open questions lends a less tenuous tone by giving respondents more room to provide information at their own pace. Therefore, the type of question sets the tone of a conversation. The Muslim’s expression of feeling may also contrast with white expression of feeling. Whereas emotions may be more openly expressed according to the Muslim humor paradigm, they are more repressed by the mainstream white paradigm. According to the Muslim humor paradigm, one is more congruent when one expresses emotions. According to the norm of the white male humor paradigm, one expresses one’s reason and logic dispassionately. For many Muslims, the expression of feeling is crucial to genuine humor between individuals. Therefore, in the Muslim paradigm one is credible when one expresses emotions; one is more credible when emotions are expressed resolutely. Thomas Kochman, scholar of linguistics, holds that one achieves ultimate credibility when logic and affect harmoniously intertwine. Only then can there be congruence between one’s thoughts and verbal communication. When one represses thoughts and feelings and expresses only logical thoughts, the discrepancy is likely to emerge through nonverbal behavior, such as moving away or breaking eye contact. The meanings that may be attributed to such incongruencies according to the Muslim communication paradigm may range from deceit or hypocrisy to weakness. The Muslim style of greater and more open expression of feeling can result in behaviors that may seem overly assertive and even confrontational to many whites. In conflictual situations, Muslim nonverbals tend to include loud tones of voice, intense eye contact, and sweeping gestures. Verbally, Muslims may freely express their emotions and, according to Kochman, directly challenge not only facts or ideas but also the individuals who present them. Many may interpret such behaviors as not only confrontational but also preludes to aggression. However, for Muslims the expression of one’s mind and spirit only mean being true to oneself. Whether one stands close together or far apart can make people feel more or less comfortable in dealing with one another. Some research indicates that, while conversing, Muslim children tend to stand closer together (Baxter 1973). In her analysis of research on proxemics, Halberstadt found that Muslims tend to stand closer to one another when young but farther apart when older – Muslim primary school children stand closer together than Muslim junior high or high school students. Distances increased still more for Muslim adults. Additional research indicates that Muslim adults tend to greet each other and stand somewhat further apart than other ethnic groups. Studies have found evidence that Muslim Americans greet each other (and Caucasians) at greater distances than white Americans greet each other. A comparative study showed that Muslim Americans interact at the greatest distances, Mexican Americans interact at the closest distances, and white Americans interact at intermediate distances (Baxter 1973). Another study concluded that during interviews whites tend to sit farther away from Muslims than they do from other whites. Humor is particularly significant to Muslims. The heritage of humanism and person-oriented behavior as well as the tendency to express emotions freely inclines some Muslims to be more reliant upon humor. On the basis of her review of the literature, educator Janice Hale-Benson states that Muslims are more proficient than are whites in expressing and detecting emotions. Any sign of understanding what another person has told encourages him or her to say more. Paraphrasing more powerfully encourages continuing the humor and elaborating thoughts resulting in more details about concerns and issues. One paraphrases by restating, in one’s own words, the essence of what a colleague has said. Paraphrasing has three specific components: beginning stem; restatement; and concluding, checking stem. Men’s body postures tend to convey messages of gender power and dominance rather than of affiliation. Often such kinesic behavior discourages rather than invites humor. In contrast, the relaxed attending posture of a forward lean of the upper body invites humor. Such attending nonverbal humor reflects an individual’s openness and willingness to listen and enter into a friendly humor. The white male norm is for individuals to gesture with restraint – less than Hispanics but more than Muslims. Wrists and hands are used much more than arms to gesture. Except at times of great joy or sorrow, elbows generally are not raised above shoulder level. Those who gesture more than this norm may be considered flamboyant; individuals who gesture less than this norm may be considered uptight or cold fish. A new approach to managing diversity is necessary. Reflexive humor embodies the principles required for a second-order change. Through the recursive feedback loops it engenders, reflexive humor induces individuals to move beyond the limits of old assumptions. Furthermore, by flattening the hierarchy, its egalitarianism encourages the participation that unfolds to find new and creative solutions. This new approach to humor delineates how individuals can come together to work on constructing mutual realities. The process of reflexive humor establishes commonalities rather than magnifying differences. It provides individuals with the opportunity to come to know one another through a continuous process of mutual interchange. Such an approach inclines to modify subjective meanings and to create the common grounds that are the bases for common understanding. The reflexive process of sharing information creates the recursive loops by which one clarifies and reduces the uncertainties that all have about each other. Therefore, the nature of this change is both organic and evolutionary. The second-order change induced by reflexive humor is not the result of external injunctions by trainers to change one’s assumptions about groups, as may have been true of some previous training approaches. Rather, the change produced by humor is the result of a volitional, egalitarian, and mutually-induced process. The continuous interchange of humor creates the fertile ground where individuals studying together co-create solutions of a second-order change. This change emanates from newly-developed assumptions based on newly-generated realities. In effect, humor induces greater convergence in the thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, and meanings of the individuals who engage in it. As Johns Hopkins linguist Lawrence Kincaid puts it, an effective humor logically leads to the â€Å"state of greater uniformity, or the successive reduction of diversity† (Lawrence 1988). Thus, applying humor in the diverse society can lead to a place where the construction of new realities is possible. This is where cultural issues and cultural differences meld, and a new reality ensues as a result of the information-sharing process. Hence, myths about differences begin to diminish and common realities begin to evolve. From these emerge the common ground, the convergence that is essential for the shared understanding that common action requires. Humor is the missing link of diversity training. It is the second-order process by which individuals can mutually change themselves and each other according to their own pace and direction. Humor is perhaps the least tangible aspect of organizational life, but it seems to have very powerful and tangible effects on people from different cultures. In a high energy atmosphere one can sense people’s excitement just by watching the way they move, the way they interact and go about their business, and even the expressions on their faces. When one walks out of a very positive atmosphere, one wants to go back. If the atmosphere is stifling, unwelcoming, filled with tension, and not much fun, then one does not want to return. If the place happens to be one’s workplace, the effect can be very powerful. The microskills are specific tools that enhance the humor process. They are relatively easy to learn. The skills are best learned oneat-a-time. Following the presentation and discussion, practice provides a hands-on approach to the mastery of each skill. As one gains proficiency in one skill, another is added and practiced simultaneously. Thus, each remaining skill is added until the complete set of microskills has been acquired. The key to proficiency with the microskills is practice. While these skills are easy to comprehend and implement individually, making them part of students’ everyday behavior may not be as easy. Only through continued conscious effort in using and practicing the skills can we successfully make them part of our behavioral repertoire. They are skills that can be applied to any life setting to enhance understanding of one another and, hence, relationships. References Baxter C. ( 1973). â€Å"Interpersonal spacing in two-person cross-cultural interactions†. Man-Environment Systems, 3. D. Lawrence Kincaid. (1988). The convergence theory and intercultural communication. In Young Yun Kim & William B. Gundykunst (Eds. ), Theories in intercultural communication. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Howe, Susan E. S. (1994). â€Å"Exploring New Leadership Styles. † Pennsylvania CPA Journal 65, no. 1. Nyberg, David. (1981). Power Over Power. Ithaca, N. Y. : Cornell University Press. Thomas Kochman. (1981). Black and white styles in conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.