The musical student Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The musical student - Essay Example He clutches his backpack awkwardly. If his fingers do not have an instrument to strum, pluck, or press, the music students hands moves nervously around whatever object is closest. When heading off to school, the object closest is the backpack strings. The music student is going to study music at college once again. If he is not at college, the music student is holed up in his apartment playing music. The music student’s haunting music must come from his breakup. Once a striking woman started coming to the music student’s apartment. All the music from the apartment was full of romance. I would see him carrying flowers in and out of his apartment. The last time the woman was seen around our neighborhood, she sat in a coffee shop with her boyfriend. The music student’s fingers were twisting a coffee cup. She was crying and gesturing towards him. Every now and then, she would grasp his arm. The look on his face was sheer agony. However it was not an agony that could be expressed, this agony was like soul cancer. The music student’s aura was never the same after that night. If spoken to, the music student does not reply. He is no longer part of our world. The music is where he resides today. Only the shadow of the man walks. The music student evokes great sympathy in our world. However he does live a spectacular life. When on stage, in his studio apartment, or college class, the music student is alive in the world of music. Many would pity the music student, but he does not want pity. He is glad that his heart was broken. Without a broken heart his music would not have the same quality. In the end, the music student only loves the music. Humans come and go in his life, but music has always been a comfort. The music student would rather have his music than the

The Role of Art in Poetry Essay Example for Free

The Role of Art in Poetry Essay These different ways of addressing this theme are partly because of their different styles of poetry. Keats is a Romantic poet, while Auden is more of the modern style. In these two poems we can see the marked differences between these two writing styles. We can also see the similarities in the message that these authors are trying to get across. This common message is one of the permanence of art in an ever changing world. First let’s take a minute to examine the two different styles of literature that these men used in the pieces. These poems were written in two distinct methods, â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† was written in the Romantic style, and â€Å"Musee des Beaux Arts† was written in the modern style. These two ways of writing are very different both in style, themes, and methods. While the earlier style of romanticism was more about a reflection of man in nature and the world around him, the modern style is more of a true telling of what is happening in the poets mind. The modern style may not be as flowery, or flattering as romanticism, but it is the truth as the poet sees it. Some authors have been both Romantic and Modern poets but most of the poets that we have studied in this class are from one style or the other. Romantic poetry is a style that was marked by a fascination with the power of the interior of humans and the grand nature of human faculties. (Sanger, 2013) I think one of the best definitions of this poetic era comes from romantic poet William Wordsworth who said â€Å"All poetry is spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings reflected upon in leisure† (Sanger, 2013) . Before the Romantic period, poetry’s purpose was to imitate nature or to create a Mimesis. Greenblatt, 2006) The purpose of the written word was to record tradition, and there were rules of format that had to be followed. In the Romantic period however, it was the author who created nature and poetry was more spontaneous. There were no rules anymore. Poets were now lead by the heart and not the head. (Sanger, 2013) The Romantic period’s key idea was that the world is created by us when we experience it. This was an idea introduced by the philosopher Emmanuel Cant. Romantic poet Percy Shelly echoed this thought when he said â€Å"all things exist as they are perceived. (Sanger, 2013) Another great idea of this period was that if two ideas contradicted each other that it didn’t necessarily mean that they both weren’t true. That was the great thing about this age. It was all about the experience put down on paper, which is very similar to Modern poetry in that way. It was the way that they went about it that made these two styles so very different. The Modern period of literature was marked by a more fluid style. The poems in this period were filled by a stream of consciousness and were more experimental in nature. The rules of rhyme and meter that were more popular in the Romanic period and were required in the eras before that were thrown out of the window for the most part. Modern poets were not as concerned with nature as the Romantic poets who went before them. The modernists were more focused on individual experience, and were very interested in experimentation with language and forms of literature. As modern poet W. H. Auden himself said, â€Å"Poetry is not magic, but a form of truth telling that should disenchant and disintoxicate. (Greenblatt, 2006) This is similar to the idea of defamiliarization which we learned about in Critical Writing and Literature Analysis. In Modern poetry there are even fewer rules than there were in Romanticism. The authors had free range to make up words, leave out punctuation and capitalization, and reinvent ancient mythologies. This was a whole new literary world. (Sanger, 2013) â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† was written by John Keats in 1820 and it was written in the Romantic style of poetry. This poem was part of the famous series of Odes that was written by Keats at the culmination of his poetic abilities. (Greenblatt, 2006) In this piece we see an ancient urn of unknown origin that is clearly admired by our author. Who are the figures on the Urn? Are they men or Gods? We will never know, but the answer to these questions is not very important. What they have to say and what we can learn from them is what is important. We learn the value of poetry and art from this poem. In this poem Keats starts out speaking to the urn itself. He calls it â€Å"Thou still unravishd bride of quietness! Thou foster-child of silence and slow time† (Greenblatt, 2006) Here he is speaking directly to the Urn and tells us that the Urn and its figures do not speak for themselves, that he does that for them with this poem. Its â€Å"father† who was the artist started this conversation, and now Keats is picking up where the unknown sculptor has left off. Keats goes on to say. â€Å"Sylvan historian, who canst thus express a flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme† (Greenblatt, 2006) . In this he is saying that the sculptor has done much better than the poet ever can. This is classic self deprecation that we have seen in other poems by our author. Keats is well known for these tactics. As Keats continues this poem he goes on to ask us several questions about the sacrifice that is depicted on the urn. We are never given the answers to these questions because the urn cannot speak for itself. It cannot answer the questions that are put to it. The sculptor of this urn is long dead, along with anyone else that was around when it was made or when those depicted were in existence. The urn is left to stand alone through time in silent testament to history and art. In this stanza he is telling us of the permanence of art. Once the piece of art is completed it is unable to change, the world changes around it, but the figures on the urn are forever young. As he starts the second stanza Keats leads with a statement in which he tells us that sometimes the mental experience of something is better than the actual experience. â€Å"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter† (Greenblatt, 2006) However, he also tells us that being depicted on an urn may not be all good. â€Å"Fair youth beneath the trees, thou canst not leave† (Greenblatt, 2006) . These figures have not only been immortalized, they have also been trapped. We can see that this in a way is both a blessing and a curse. The youth will never get to kiss the one he loves but he can also never disappoint her. But Keats tells the youth â€Å"do not grieve; she cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, for ever wilt thou love, and she be fair† (Greenblatt, 2006) The Urn works both ways, the woman he loves cannot disappoint him either by aging or changing in any way. He also uses this stanza to drive home the idea of the permanence of art by repeating the word â€Å"Forever† throughout this part of the poem. Keats then goes on to addresses the objects he sees on the Urn. In doing this he is telling us what he admires in life and nature as reflected in this artifact. These are things that Keats wishes he could hold onto forever instead of being sickly. He wants us to notice these things that he is pointing out because they are what keep art and poetry alive. They are representations of the best of life. Here we also find Keats’ use of nature in this poem which marks him as a romantic poet. â€Å"Ah, happy, happy boughs! That cannot shed your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu† (Greenblatt, 2006). These trees are also unchanging, they can’t shed their leaves or change seasons. Keats is the same in a way because he will always be young. He will never be able to grow and mature, much like the tree on the urn. Keat s then goes on to talk more about the mysterious sacrifice he sees depicted on the urn and which he mentioned in the first stanza. He wonders about the possible lives of these people and where they are going. Again we are given no answers by the urn because it cannot speak. This is a repeat of the ideas we saw in the first stanza. It keeps the mystery of the urn alive. Who are these individuals? We don’t need to know. We can only guess at their intentions. It is also his own way of saying that art has a life of its own. The people depicted could be nice everyday people, or they could be mass murderers. There is no way to know, that is a beautiful thing about art that it is very subjective. In the final stanza of this Ode we are reminded again that this Urn is a piece of art that has stood the test of time. The Urn has been around hundreds of years and will continue to last as long as someone cares for it. Even if the Urn itself is destroyed we will always have this poem to remember it by. Throughout this poem we see the same theme over and over, things that do not, and cannot change. This we can see from this piece is both a blessing and a curse. While the figures depicted are visually always the same, they will never get to experience the wisdom and fulfillment that comes with a full life. I come finally to the most quoted line of this poem â€Å"Beauty is truth, truth beauty† (Greenblatt, 2006) . This line is the epitome of the transcendental ideals which are another cornerstone of the Romantic ideals. This idea shows that there are three sides to the same thing. Truth is reality, goodness is in accord with truth, and beauty reveals something’s goodness. Sanger, 2013) We can see when we look at this statement in the correct light and using this theory that a thing is beautiful if it reveals its truth. (Sanger, 2013) I believe that this poet has accomplished the goal that he has set for himself with this final line. This poem reveals the truth of art and poetry and how one can reflect on the other. The Urn is in a way a poem itself. What Keats says about the urn is also true about the poem. He is creating his own Urn when he writes this poem. We can see the dying poet wishing that he himself was more like the urn he speaks of. Keats wishes that he was the â€Å"fair youth† that the Urn depicts. It is interesting to note that often in ancient times urns were used for funerary rites and would even sometimes contain the remains of people. This urn that Keats has created contains him in a way as it has helped keep his memory alive for hundreds of years after his death. This poem is Keats’ own stab at the immortality that the urn has attained for its sculptor, even if we don’t know who that sculptor was. He is writing a poem that he hopes will outlive us all like the urn has. Keats uses art to depict a theme of hopeful hopelessness. He knows he will not live and is doing his best to leave his mark upon the world much like the maker of the urn has. Clearly this Urn has stood the test of time since presumably it has been around for centuries at this time. This is what Keats is attempting to do with all of his poetry and I believe he was successful or we would not be discussing him in this class. The second poem for this assignment, â€Å"Musee des Beaux Arts† was written by W. H. Auden in 1938. The style of this poet in our book is described as â€Å"flat, ironic, and conversational† (Greenblatt, 2006) and I think that is a good description of this poem in general. It is almost like we are eavesdropping on a conversation about a recent visit to an art museum. In this conversation we see though that there is a value to the art that he is describing to us. In the first stanza of this poem we are introduced to the artist of the painting without actually knowing who he is or what painting we are talking about. What we do know is that he was one of the â€Å"Old Masters† and that in Auden’s opinion they had the right way of looking at things. They could see the truth of human existence and that the great and the terrible can happen alongside each other. They saw things as they should be seen. They noticed things that most people don’t, as we see when we go further into the piece. Auden goes on to depict a birth that he describes as miraculous. As we discussed in class this can be seen as the birth of Christ (Sanger, 2013) However since I have no religious knowledge, when I read this piece I saw it as birth in general. All births are in their way miraculous. There are also often children waiting alongside the aged for their younger siblings to be born. While the old people love to see babies born the children often wonder if the baby will take their place. In this vignette we can see that there are two sides to every story. Next Auden reminds us again that the masters have not forgotten the truths that our author is talking about. One of these being, â€Å"That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course† (Greenblatt, 2006). With this he is reminding us that although bad times can come and we often feel abandoned that it too will pass. He is saying that no matter what is happening in the world the dogs and horses of the world go on doing their thing and that the world continues turning. Finally in the last stanza Auden tells us the name of the painting that he admires so much. The painting that he calls â€Å"Brueghel’s Icarus†, is in fact the painting â€Å"The Fall of Icarus† by Pieter Brueghel. According to the notes in our textbook â€Å"Auden also alludes to other paintings by Brueghel: the nativity scene in ‘The Numbering at Bethlehem’, skaters in ‘Winter Landscape with Skaters and a Bird Trap’, a horse scratching it behind in ‘The Massacre of the Innocents’† (Greenblatt, 2006) We can see from this that Auden seems to have a full knowledge of this artist’s works. In Brueghel’s Icarus we have a very interesting scene. The mythological figure Icarus struggles against death after his famously disastrous flight and crash. While this is happening the people around him just go on with their days. Many of the people who are present n this painting seem to know what has happened and simply go about their business anyway. We are clued in to this fact when he describes Icarus’ calls for help with the evocative imagery of â€Å"the forsaken cry† (Greenblatt, 2006). This phrase brings to mind a cry that is heard but ignored. The ploughman hears this but goes on with his work. The crops wait for no one. We continue to see in this poem that despite this horrible thing happening to Icarus the world goes on around him. The sun still shines even on the drowning boy’s legs. The ship that encounters him has better places to be so they simply sail past the drowning teenager. â€Å"The expensive delicate ship that must have seen something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky, had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on. † (Greenblatt, 2006) Auden clearly tells us here that the ship had to have seen the boy but the crew still went about their business as if nothing had happened. An interesting thing to note in this piece is that throughout this poem Icarus is addressed as a boy. I believe that the author does this to tell us that even mythical people are just that, people. The mythical, the amazing, and the horrible all exist alongside each other. This whole poem is about this theme. The great things that we hear about are also things that just happen to people. Most of the time, the world around these people does not, or chooses not to notice the great and terrible everyday events. These things that happen are ignored and moved past on a daily basis. Even the people who they happen to are expected by the world to move on and get over it. There is no way to know if Auden meant this poem as a criticism of society, or a wakeup call to those who read it, but in a way we can see how it would be one or both of these. The world is asleep; we see the suffering in the world all around us and generally we do nothing to stop it. He is saying that bad things happen next to good things, and that the world is an amazing place. We often don’t notice that fact unless it is pointed out to us as it has been pointed out to us by Auden with this poem. We can see when we look at these poems side by side that while they are very different they are attempting to do the same thing. Both of these authors are using poems about art to show us great truths about the world and how we see it. They are both trying to tell us that art has great value. Paintings and Urns are in their own ways a kind of time capsules that we can use to look back on the past and these poems have that power as well. They are time capsules because each of them is a great example of their respective genres of poetry. â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† is a great example of Romantic poetry because in it Keats uses nature imagery and tells us of the great human faculties that exist in all of us if we just look around us. At the same time â€Å"Musee des Beaux Arts† is a great example of Modern poetry with its lack of rhyme scheme or pattern. Auden’s style is much more casual but still gets the point across. The point of this poem is that art is there to be a representation of the world, that we should take the time to look at it, and the world around it. Art and poetry are both about how they affect you as a person, how they shape your world. These poems both do a great job of awakening the power of art in all of us. If we take another look at both of these poems we can see that while they are very different that they do share some similarities. They both share the same theme of art and artists, and the permanence of art in a changing world. In â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† Keats writes â€Å"When old age shall this generation waste, thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe† (Greenblatt, 2006). This passage reads almost like a line from â€Å"Musee des Beaux Arts†. In this line we can see the great parallel in these poems. Keats is saying here exactly what Auden has, that the world does not stop for great events. The Urn will sit â€Å"in the midst of woe† (Greenblatt, 2006) much like the world that we see in â€Å"Musee des Beaux Arts† moving around both great and horrible events happening. People go on with their lives despite these things. The great masters in Auden’s piece along with the Sylvan historian in Keats’ understood this fact. This is why art is created, to remind us of the world that was. It may not be a true representation of the world, because it is the artist’s version of the world. Bibliography Greenblatt, S. (2006). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W. W. Norton ;amp; Company, Inc. Sanger, K. (2013). Class Notes. (D. M. Phelps, Performer) Flint, MI, USA.

Nature Vs Nurture Philosophy

Nature Vs Nurture Philosophy There is an issue that has been debated upon by philosophers in the past and still so by scientists today. This issue is whether heredity or environment plays a greater role in the determining or shaping of an individuals behavior. It is known as the nature versus nurture debate. Numerous generations before us have deliberated on the reasons behind the development of human behavior. There have been many theories formulated to explain why humans behave the way they do. The surviving theories for behavior derive from physiological and sociological explanations, however, the two explanations have not always been compatible with each other. The famous nature vs. nurture debate over human behavior resulted from conflicting views between proponents of the physiological (nature) and sociological (nurture) explanations. Throughout history, research has swayed popularity back and forth between the theories. Yet, theorists have broken down the line separating nature and nurture.* As of today, people utilize both explanations to explore human behavior. Considerably before our time, early philosophers endeavored to understand the human behavior. As early as 350 BC, such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle tried to understand behavior. *The question of nature or nurture as the primary drive can be traced to these times. Plato believed behavior and knowledge was due to innate factors. Author Fiona Cowie states, The claim that the character of our mental furniture is to a large extent internally rather than environmentally determined found its first substantive defense in the works of Plato (Cowie, ). Plato theorized that all knowledge is present at birth. Plato also believed that the environment played a part in human processes, but he thought it had a unique role. He believed the environment did not teach people anything new, but its purpose was to remind people of information they already knew (Cowie, 1999). Although Platos views are not supported today, he laid the groundwork for other researchers to follow. Alternatively, philosopher Aristotle theorized a different idea about human behavior. He presented the idea that humans are born into the world with a blank slate and peoples behavior and thoughts are due to experience (Ashcraft, 1998). Unlike Plato, Aristotle hypothesized that humans were not born with knowledge, but they acquire it through experience (Ashcraft, 1998). Aristotles idea of the tabula rasa is not believed today. Nevertheless, his belief that the environment was a vital factor in behavior influenced many empiricists throughout history. During the late 1700s, the nature vs. nurture debate began to heat up between philosophers. Internalists (nature) and empiricists (nurture) wrote literature back and forth trying to prove their beliefs and disprove the other theories. Two philosophers, G.W. Leibniz and John Locke, were the main representatives of their respected explanations. Leibniz promoted the externalism point of view. Cowie states, Leibnizs position on this issue is, of course, that the tabula is far from rasa: The soul inherently contains the sources of various notions and doctrines, which external objects merely rouse up (Cowie, 1999). Leibniz argued against Locke and other empiricists stated that there is no way ideas which come into the mind from outside can be formed into beliefs and judgments without the operation of specific internal mechanisms (Cowie, 1999). Simultaneously, John Locke and his fellow philosophers campaigned for empiricism. Like Aristotle, the philosophers believed that humans thoughts and actions were determined not by innate factors, but by their unique experiences (Ashcraft, 1998). Locke argued against the internalists by tentatively examining different human processes such as logic and reasoning. He would ask how it was possible to use logic and reasoning if people were born with all of the knowledge they would ever acquire (Cowie 1999). The contrasting views of the two groups had begun the nature vs. nurture debate, which would linger in the fields of philosophy and psychology for decades. A key point should be made that even though the literalists and empiricists felt strongly about their theories, the explanations were not entirely opposite of each other. Cowie explains, rhetoric aside, both empiricists and nativists are both internalist and externalists about the origin of what is in our minds (Cowie, 1999). Even Leibniz and Locke stated that the philosophies sometimes were only different by the choices of words they used to describe their theories. Leibniz once wrote that fundamentally their views were the same about the nature vs. nurture question (Cowie, 1999). The most recent studies that have been done on twins and adoption use both identical and fraternal twins. This consists in the studying of twins that were separated at birth and grew up in separate homes. Identical twins are 100% genetically similar and offer exact genetic replicas to study, where fraternal twins are the same as any other siblings at 50% similar (Vanderbilt). Some of the final results of these studies show astonishing similarities between identical twins, yet others show little evidence of these similarities. With fraternal twins there is some similarities but none that are complete evidence of the nature theory. These studies fuel the pot for both the nature and the nurture ideas. The nature vs. nurture debate over the last forty years has reached an agreement that they both influence the development of human behavior. In the 1960s, researchers from both theories began to study the interaction of the genes and the environment (Devlin, 1997). Dr. Ann Barnet explains, Even in an unborn baby, genes and environment interact almost from the moment of conception(Barnet, 1998). The statements of Dr. Fausto-Sterling and Dr. Evan Balaban can sum up the interaction between nature and nurture. Fausto-Sterling states, People want simple explanations for hard-core problems. If there was an anti-testosterone drug that we could to inject to make young boys niceit would be easier and cheaper than transforming schoolsor whatever is at the heart of the problem (Barnet, 1998). However, Balaban replies, dont hold your breath if you think looking for genes to help you understand violence. I would put my money on some clever environmental manipulations, because in the end youre goi ng there anyway (Barnet, 1998). The nature vs. nurture debate has produced many research advances in the area of human development. Even though evidence proves that there is an interaction between genes and the environment, people will continue to study the effects of each in development. In these future studies, I hope more groundbreaking advances will be made to aid humans in better understanding human behavior. In the end, that is what both sides of the nature vs. nurture debate intended to accomplish. Works Cited Ashcraft, M. (1998). Fundamentals of Cognition. New York, NY: Longman. Brooks, J. (2004). The process of parenting. (6th ed). Toronto, ON: McGraw-Hill. Cowie, F. (1999). Whats Within?. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Devlin, B. (1997). Intelligence, Genes, and Success. New York, NY: Copernicus. Deutschmann, Linda B. (2002). Deviance and Social Control Third Edition. Scarborough, ON: Nelson Thomson Learning. Fujita, Frank. (2000). Nature vs. Nurture. 3/15/2002 from: http://folk.uio.no/roffe/faq/node11.html Hockenbury&Hockenburry. (2003). Discovering Psychology Third Edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Employee Organisations & Unions Essay -- Business and Management Studi

Employee Organisations & Unions If employers and employees have a history of good working relationship and mutual trust, reaching decisions, which are fair under the circumstances, would be achievable. For example, if the business is poor and redundancies are possible, it would be impossible to find a solution to suit everyone so the employer would have to make a difficult decision. Good relations between employers and employees are only possible if both feel that they can discuss major problems and anticipated changes, if there can be discussion and consultation about key issues and if they genuinely want to work together to find a solution. After employees have been involved in a consultative process they are usually more likely to accept a negotiated outcome. A trade union is a voluntary organisation which employees are free to join if they wish. There may be a subscription charge depending on size; it varies from a very large association to a small association. Trade unions offer a range benefits and advisory services to members, represent their members during disciplinary or grievance procedures and aim to protect and improve pay and conditions of employment. They approach the government about introducing laws, which will benefit employees. Staff associations do not automatically have the same legal rights as independent trade unions, although many do. They may just provide an informal meeting ground for employers and employees and often have ...

American family

There are three common characteristics that would Impact types of marriages that have on family definitions. Monogamous, polygamous, and arranged marriages. Monogamous is where the family stays out of the decision. Polygamous is where they have multiple options, which is illegal in the US. This type of marriage finds it k to have multiple families. Arranged marriages are where the family of the bride and groom negotiate an arrangement before the two parties enter Into a relationship. . Family Is a group of two people or more related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together. Household refers to all people who occupy a housing unit regardless of relationship. They should be viewed different because people that live together doesn't necessarily have to be related, which makes it a household. 3. The United States include fewer marriages, fewer children, later age of marriage, which causes an increase in single-parent families and step families. 4. Marriage is in decline. 5.T he positive effects of family of origin Is high levels of parental affection during holding are associated with an improved ability to regulate negative emotions in childhood, high levels of parental warmth during childhood are associated with better physical health in adulthood, parents who are involved in their children's school activates have children with higher educational aspirations, and children whose parents model and explain financial tasks to them are better prepared to take on financial roles and responsibilities themselves.The negative effects of family of origin Is early exposure to violence in the family correlates with positive attitudes award marital violence, mothers with maladaptive eating habits may increase the likelihood of their daughters developing disorders, lack of parental affection and high levels of conflict at home may result in poor emotion regulation and maladaptive coping styles, children from divorced families are more likely to get divorced themsel ves and people who perceived their family of origin as less healthy are more likely to have negative attitudes toward marriage. . Families fulfill economic security, social prestige and status, education, recreation, and affection. . A race Is a group of people who are classified according to their skin color. An ethnic group is a group of people characterized by cultural factors, such as language, religion, and shared customs, that are passed from one generation to the next which can impact the definition of family. 8. Structural functionalist view the family as a system that promotes the maintenance of society, with the traditional nuclear family as the Ideal form.Conflict theorists believe that individual family members are Involved In a instant power struggle and that conflict within families is necessary because it results in change and adaptation. Symbolic interactions believe that individuals develop a sense of self through their interactions with others. 9. The perspective o f society, the perspective of small groups, and the perspective of the individual can be used to define families. 10.It has been said that step on it is the chilly of civilization. But In nutshell we can say that It's a distinct way from another (pronominal) human pick out his rush, as it is given by other person. So it becomes the pop out of his identity. This identity influences several aspects of the hereafter such as society, politics; etcetera American society has endlessly been enriched by its waves of immigrants. And hence at that place is a requisite for statistics due to its evolution and diversity.Therefore the authentic bodily characters, the alleged (pronominal) unit characters, such as cranial profile and size, stature, the proportions of the baseless automobile trunk and the relative length of the limbs, eye excuse (blue, gray, Rene, low-spirited or BRB owners eyes), the lips, sensory hair color and texture, irrupt form,? skin color, facial type, absence or abundance o f body hair, etc. Races were almost universally considered to reflect group differences in moral character and intelligence.Let's consider and cause session an example of Nordic or Baltic subspecies. 11. The â€Å"golden age† of the asses was also a contributing factor to rising divorce rates in the asses and asses. When soldiers returned from the war, many omen were forced to give up their factory Jobs to make way for the returning veterans and encouraged to stay at home and assume domestic roles. As a result, birth rates increased and the average age at first marriage decreased. 2. Although they all appear to be closely related to reality to me, I would have to say functionalism. 13. The family stress is related to work obligations. Changing the attitudes by less long work hours, more family time, and household management in the workplace could be done to reduce or eliminate these stresses. 14. Yes, one loud argue that the strong reduction in community/neighborhood ties has impacted the strength of American Families.The community IS the American family. 15. Yes, it is best for a researcher to conduct both the qualitative and quantitative studies. 16. Qualitative research is likely based on the theoretical perspective. 17. A. Ask a question about a specific topic B. Do background research on the topic C. Formulate a hypothesis. D. Test your hypothesis by conducting research and gathering data. E. Analyze your data and decide on a conclusion. F. Write up the results. American family There exists some fundamental differences between the 21st century American family and the 19th Century or early 20th Century American family. In sociological, political fronts, issues ranging from racism to cold war characterized the American family of the 1963. Eating habits were different and were influenced by economic activities as was the transport means commonly in use then. Back then, the typical American family was mostly made up of parents and children with a high affiliation to the extended family compared to today’s family.Back then the gender equity debate had not gained prominence. The male was widely considered as the sole bread winner and very few women compared to today were working although it is around this time that there was an upsurge in the number of women pursuing career lives. The American nation was back then an industrial power and therefore tasks for a husband included working in the industries, participating in various political meetings then domin ated by the segregation debate. Depending on personal interest, political movements were something the ordinary American would participate in.Major cities in America had started experiencing transportation crisis by 1963, which means the average American was not walking to work as they owned automobiles especially those in the urban settings [Wilentz, 1984. 436-440]. The road transport was one of the widely used means of transport although for movement further outside the major cities, railway transport was a major transport mode. Air transport was not widely used as it is today, as the aviation industry was still not very developed.In the 1960s most women and indeed the girl child was not treated the same way as men by the society. The girl child was viewed as fit for some professions. It was rare to get women competing in some fields like medicine or engineering and indeed the military. Women were constructed by the society as the weaker sex and only suitable for some professions such as nursing and education. The above can be attributed to the lack of strong forums for women to express themselves as well as lack of enough role models for the women.The media back then played a very important role in the lives of the Americans, by 1963, most families owned television sets. Although the flow of news was not as swift and faster as it is the case today, nevertheless most Americans had access to radios and TVs. The limited flow of information into and out of the US meant that most families could not quite comprehend and therefore appreciate other cultures. The above can be attributed to the not so advanced technology as compared to today’s era of internet technology.The education system in 1963 was not very different from what it is today although many amendments have been introduced to the education act. Overly the education system as it existed in 1963 left room for infiltration by racism and marginalization of the racial minorities. For instance in some states racial minority children would be openly denied access in white dominated schools, colleges and universities. Therefore where children would attend school largely depended on amongst others; social background.Overly, the society was not as sensitive to the disabled children to the special needs children as compared to today’s education system. Famous music bands such as the Beatles spiced American entertainment lives. Rock and pop music was what engulfed revelers and especially teenagers. Cinema had also gained popularity as a source of entertainment in the USA. Under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, America was experiencing a lot of political, social, environmental and economic activities.Generally, by 1963, the economy had shown signs of improvements and culturally people where having a more quality life. There were a lot of campaigns geared at fighting for total elimination of all forms of segregation something which often resulted into arrests of crusaders like Martin Luther King Junior. Back then getting admission to University was very much determined by one’s racial background. The year also saw the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 22 and the swearing of Lyndon Johnson as the 36th President of the USA.It is worth noting that during this time, the country was just recovering from an economic depression suffered as a result of the world wars. Americans were awakening on matters like imperialism, civil rights and gender equality. Due to the ideological differences between the Soviet Union and the US a lot of government expenditure was directed towards military activity and covert missions something which might have influenced the onset of the Vietnam War. Americans are today faced with great nutritional problems, compared to 1963 the number of children who are obese and overweight is on the increase.This is not a 21st century problem; it started in the 1960s although the popularity of fast foods has made it look like a 2 1st century problem. The most common foods back in 1963 included pizza, hamburger, chocolate, coffee for breakfast, and wines and spirits [Cavan, & Shonle1969, 79-99]. The children attended schools according to their parents’ abilities although public schools were the choice of majority as they were affordable compared to private schools. In the 1960s Americans had shifted from eating traditional foods to eating of processed foods something which can be attributed to busy lives.There was an increase in obesity incidences in late 1960s, a problem which persists up to date. Of interest also is the fact that more Americans had started to use microwaves to cook, atleast not many used wood stoves. Since a significant portion of the population was still working in farms, fresh farm produce was in big supply and therefore most families included in their meals fresh vegetables, fresh meat, milk, poultry, eggs and butter. Soft drink intake also gained popularity as people became busie r and fast food restaurants became very popular.Due to mechanization of farming, food prices went down as the country become self sufficient in terms of food supply (Sanjur, 1995. 45-67). Also fruit and vegetable meals were common as more and more Americans began to appreciate health eating habits. Conclusion The American family has evolved a lot since 1963 up to date. Change is evident in the way people dress, eat, and the way they view the external world. A lot of the above changes have been occasioned by technological advancement, globalization and the advent of internet.The economy has also grown a lot and today more American families earn above average in terms of finances meaning that they can afford a quality life. Works cited Cavan, & Shonle, R. The American Family. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. , [1969. 79-99] Sanjur, D. Hispanic Foodways, Nutrition, and Health. Boston . Allyn and Bacon. [1995. 45-67]. Wilentz, S. Chants Democratic: New York City and the Rise of the Ameri can Working Class. New York: Oxford University Press. [1984. 436-440]. American Family The modern American family as described by Joseph B. Verrengia is â€Å"always in motion, child-dominated, strained and losing intimacy. † It is actually the title of the paper that deals with common problems facing each family. American family is illustrated by a twenty-four hour activities by individual family members totally depart from each other from the head of the family down to children going to school. Only babies are pampered until they reach school age. In the article written by Joseph B.Verrengia, he described Jake Zeiss, a nine-year boy who after seven-hour of back-to-back meetings, would volley for an hour with his tennis pro, then slid back into Mercedes to take nutritious bar and to do paper works using his laptop while traveling with other family members in the car. When tempted to play yo-yo, his mother would say, â€Å"Is that a good use of your time? † Yet, the family was heading to a gym where they would meet their father to play some sports.David O sborne in an article entitled â€Å"The Cult of Fatherhood,† he illustrated how he struggled as he took care of their kid since birth because his wife had to stay in the hospital as a gynecologist where she worked 100 hours a week. He is a nontraditional father as he called himself because that was not the usual set up in the family but they had to cope up with the challenges. David Osborne told that traditional mothers work harder than anyone else could imagine; he referred to his own mother who had to rush with urgency in doing household chores twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year.These are just two of the many families that experience complexity that affect their relationship and child rearing. Financially they are sufficient but in the advent of assuming roles and responsibilities, the future of the family is also affected. The Modern-day Family There are differences between the traditional family model and modern-day family and the primary reason for the abrupt change in the family set up was economic reason, since both mother and father have to work away from home leaving the kids unattended for some times and the whole family do not have quality time together.Everyone is rushing trying to get works done, especially mothers, which is according to David Osborne, divided responsibilities are the reason for the â€Å"central unresolved conflict in the lives of the American women† (p. 195). Also, in the advent of change, fathers have to assume different role, which touches the sensitive part of his masculinity. On the other hand, the Zeiss family is an example of a family that enjoys the benefit of a good life, with bigger home, a Mercedes car, children attending exclusive schools and extra time for playing sports in the evening.Despite togetherness they are time-bounded; without proper scheduling, they may miss important events of the day as a family. Verrengia writes as he quoted one statement, â€Å"We’ve sch eduled and outsourced a lot of our relationships; there isn’t much room for the flow of life, those little moments when things happen spontaneously† (p. 6). The changes that occur in the lives of the American family especially in the middle-class working families present predicament that affect the country as a whole. And many of the dilemmas facing America right now could be associated with the family set up and relationship between each family member.The many incident reports of crimes and marriage break ups have something to do with family relationships that were left unresolved. Thus, if one would not be creative enough to gather the family in one activity, most likely, the family would suffer for not having intimate time together. Contrast of Traditional and Modern-day Family These issues are by-products of the advent of modernization and industrialization in America and that; traditional family had their own way of coping up with the challenges and struggles of li fe without neglecting responsibility to one another.Traditional family and modern-day family are distinct with each other in different ways. First, they are different as they view home. Traditional family model existed during the pre-Civil war and pre-sexual revolution; it was the time when family relied on agriculture as the source of income. Traditional family, which occurred during the pre-industrial America, the home would serve as a market, which was the main income source of the family. Usually, the home was not just a place for relaxation but a place where women could perform other income-generating activities like soap making, clothing production, etc.Whereas, the modern homes that existed during the era of industrial and urban development, is viewed as a private place for the family to enjoy one another and to find relaxation. The home became the ideal place for domesticity or the place centered on family activities. Second, they differ in terms of gender role. During pre-i ndustrial revolution, husband and wife had equal rights with one another and at the same time, perform equally for the betterment of the family. Clarence Roberts Jr. stated that men â€Å"worked at their various crafts (near the farm) or worked on the family farm† (The Changing Family).Mothers worked in the house at the same time; her responsibility was important to the health and survival of the family† according to Clarence Roberts, Jr. There was no individual breadwinner and each had distinct role to perform – the wife for the house and husband in the farm. In contrary, gender roles had also changed in the modern-day society. During the post-industrial revolution, men finally realized their roles as breadwinners; so they left the responsibility of child rearing to the wife who was left alone. However change in gender role also change at the present day.To use the example of Osborne, one distinct change was the fact that mother and father had interchanged their roles from being a provider to housekeeper and vice-versa. Women’s role in earning money for the family had been part of her responsibility since the pre-industrial era, but due to the disappearance and removal of home market, women had to look for a job outside the house, which is carried out until today. Third, family relationship had changed forever. Pre-industrial period family was seen as having a strong kinship.By tradition, American family during that period practice extended family relations wherein relatives are part of the family such as in-laws, first cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. In an article entitled â€Å"Redefining Family, it stated there that the traditional parents’ role â€Å"gave way to affectionate bonds,† while husband and wife were â€Å"companionable. † In effect, women were active in spiritual direction in the family, which shows her value in the family. However, industrialization and technology was the cause for the collapse of the tie that binds the family together.Fathers had to left home to work in far away lands; women were left with the kids; extended family was lost; and, children had to work also The case of two families mentioned in this paper, is a scenario of the modern day family that grasp for time to be spent for the family. As each family member strives to give quality time, there is still missing because each is a human being that needs affection and togetherness. If not sufficiently given, the family might suffer. Industrialization has the advantage in the family, yet, American family is tied up with the system. Work Citedâ€Å"David Osborne: Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood (1985). † Absorbing Stories, Creating Identities â€Å"Redefining Family. † Colonial Williamsburg. 2007. http://www. history. org/Almanack/life/family/essay. cfm#transformed Roberts Jr. , Clarence. The Changing Family: How Changes in the Family Reflects Social and Economic Changes in Society. Yal e-New Haven Teachers Institute. http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/4/90. 04. 08. x. html Verrengia, Joseph. The Modern American Family: Always in Motion, Child-Dominated, Strained and Losing Intimacy. † UCLA College Report. http://www. college. ucla. edu/celfarticle. pdf

4 Reasons to Study Geography

4 Reasons to Study Geography The question of why one should study geography is a valid question. Many around the world do not understand the tangible benefits of studying geography. Many might think that those who study geography have no career options in the field because most people do not know anyone who has the job title of â€Å"geographer.† Nonetheless, geography is a diverse discipline that can lead to a myriad of career options in areas ranging from business location systems to emergency management.   Study Geography to Understand Our Planet Studying geography can provide an individual with a holistic understanding of our planet and its systems. Those who study geography are better prepared to understand topics impacting our planet such as climate change, global warming, desertification, El Nino, water resource issues, among others. With their understanding of political geography, those who study geography are well-positioned to comprehend and explain global political issues that occur between countries, cultures, cities and their hinterlands, and between regions within countries. With instant global communications and media coverage of geopolitical hotspots around the world on twenty-four-hour news channels and on the Internet, the world might seem like it has gotten smaller. Yet centuries-old conflict and strife remain despite huge technological developments over the past few decades.   Studying Geographical Regions While the developed world has developed rather rapidly, the â€Å"developing† world, as disasters frequently remind us, has yet to benefit from many of those advances. Those who study geography learn about differences between world regions. Some geographers devote their studies and careers to learning and understanding a specific region or country of the world. They study the culture, foods, language, religion, landscape and all aspects of the region to become an expert. This type of geographer is desperately needed in our world for the better understanding of our world and its regions. Those who are experts in various â€Å"hotspot† regions of the world are certain to find career opportunities. Being a Well-Educated Global Citizen In addition to knowing about our planet and its people, those who choose to study geography will learn to think critically, research, and communicate their thoughts through writing and other means of communication independently. They will thus have skills that are valued in all careers. Finally, geography is a well-rounded discipline that provides students not only with ample career opportunities but it also provides students with knowledge about our rapidly-changing world and how humans are impacting our planet.   Importance of Geography   Geography has been called the mother of all sciences, it was one of the first fields of study and academic disciplines developed as humans sought to find out what was on the other side of the mountain or across the sea.  Exploration led to the discovery of our planet and its amazing resources. Physical geographers study the landscapes, landforms, and the terrain of our planet while cultural geographers study out cities, our transportation networks, and our ways of life.  Geography is a fascinating discipline that combines knowledge of many fields to help scientists and researchers better understand this amazing planet.

Value of Commercial Multiculturalism

Value of Commercial Multiculturalism People are able to move from one place and settle in other areas of the world. People from different backgrounds are found living together in different places especially urban areas. The immigrants exercise their cultural traits in their new area of settlement. However, in the areas where immigrants settle, the natives always have their culture which is sometimes different from that of the immigrants.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Value of Commercial Multiculturalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In order to have a good and peaceful life, it is always good for people to learn to assimilate the culture of their neighbors. This has led to situation where people exhibit mixed cultural traits because they borrow some traits from various cultures. With this situation, tastes and preferences of people are highly dynamic which require production to also change continuously. As a result, multiculturalism has developed i n every sector of the economy including commerce. Multiculturalism is used to refer to a situation where traits from different cultures are incorporated into people’s daily lives. When people from different cultural backgrounds live together for a long period of time they learn some traits from various cultures and make them part of their day-to-day activities. This is a result of mutual respects of the diverse nature of life and acceptance that people are free to practice their culture. The behavior is manifested in different aspects of the society including schools, policies, politics and businesses (Jain Triandis 1997). Commercial multiculturalism refers to the idea of taking into consideration the ethnical differences when producing and selling commodities. For one to be able to successfully trade in a multicultural society, he or she must incorporate cultural difference into the production of goods and services. Commodity culture comes about as a result of the productio n and distribution process of goods and services. In order to have a representation of the community as whole, commodities need to incorporate aspects of all the cultures. People’s tastes change as much as they mingle with people from other cultural backgrounds. Commercial Multiculturalism requires that any commodity be produced in a manner that does not present any cultural traits as being central.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The main problem of producers is always how they can come up with a commodity that cannot encounter opposition from the public (Vang 2010). Therefore, producers have the role of developing commodities which are not ethnocentric but which at the same time will not lead to identity loss. Commodity culture results from the interaction of means of production of various cultural backgrounds. People from different cultures will always endea vor to have their cultural food and styles of life maintained. In this regard, producers of various commodities have found it worthwhile to come up with all round commodities. It is important to note that commercial culture is the culture traits that producers put into consideration whenever they think of producing any commodity. Arguably, this culture is not static given the continuous interaction between people of various cultural backgrounds. Therefore, producers have to always be aware of the tastes of people in order to keep up with the demand of the community. Each community has its own unique commodities that they adore very much (Parekh 2002). In production of these commodities, producers need to understand the cultural requirements of these ethnic groups. Most importantly, it should be noted that culture and trade have very many things to share. Commercial multiculturalism has various advantages to the society as a whole. To begin with, commercial multiculturalism is crucia l in ensuring that cultural traits of minority groups in various parts of the world. It is very easy for one community to get assimilated and be swallowed by another community. Dominant cultures can easily have their way of doing things prevail over others. In this regard, commercial multiculturalism is important in ensuring that various cultural traits are preserved. The process of cultural amalgamation is dangerous because it can lead to extinct of various cultures from the society (Vang 2010). Minority cultures need protection from the dominant culture and this can easily be found through commodity culture. It is important to note that among the commodities are among the modes through which culture of a given community is transferred from one generation to the other.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Value of Commercial Multiculturalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the same note, confidence in ones culture i s very essential in boosting of self identity. If people are not confident about their culture, they would be unwilling to protect it. In this regard, commodity multiculturalism is essential in enhancing confidence of people in their culture. It is important to note that it is through accepting ones cultural background that people can be willing to pass their culture to their children. As a result, this will enhance confidence personal identity. Consequently, various cultural traits will be preserved through commercial multiculturalism. Preservation of the different culture is essential in ensuring that there is continuous existence of these cultures for the benefit of future generations (Dwyer Crang 2002). Similarly, commercial multiculturalism has been found to be beneficial in making people to accept and positively recognize other people’s culture. For peace to prevail in a community where people from diverse cultural backgrounds coexist, respect of cultural diversity is crucial. By ensuring that commodities of different cultures are available, commercial multiculturalism ensures that each culture is appreciated. It makes people to appreciate that fact that other cultures are also worth and thus enhance mutual respect (Parekh 2002). Consequently, people become more willing to interact and share ideas with people from various cultural backgrounds thus enhancing harmony. It goes without saying that when there is reduced tension in the community, it is easier to implement policies which means that economic development is possible. Arguably, peace is a necessary ingredient for national development. Various social vices like racial discrimination need to be eliminated from the society. For this objective to be achieved, cultural diversity needs to be incorporated in the minds of people. Cases of hate crimes will be greatly reduced if people learn to be accommodative of other people’s attitudes and perspectives at which they approach issues. People need to be tolerant of the different cultural traits that are present within the community. Commercial multiculturalism makes people learn to respect views of others regarding various aspects of life. People will accept the fact that everybody must belong to a given culture and that is not a personal mistake.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This will eliminate the negative stereotypes that people have about different cultures. Consequently, cases of discrimination in society will be reduced. This will increase unity among various groups of people thus eliminating tension in society (Dwyer Crang 2002). On the same note, commercial multiculturalism is vital because it leads to ingenuity and creativity in production. This leads to enhanced quality of commodities available in the market as every producer wants to produce the most indigenous product while taking into consideration the current tastes and preferences. The result is an increased range of products from which consumers can choose from. Increased variety is crucial in enhancing living standards of people. Furthermore, this increases chances of people to learn more about a given culture and thus appreciate it the more. It is important to note that increased variety also eliminates monotony of given products which would easily be misconceived (Jain Triandis 1997) . Most importantly, commercial multiculturalism helps in enhancing understanding among the community. This leads to development of objectivity in the way people view issues of different cultures. By understanding the material culture of a given ethnic group people will be able to change their perspective towards that ethnic group. In this regard, multiculturalism helps in opening up people’s minds when dealing with cultural issues (Eriksen 2012). Unfortunately, commercial multiculturalism does not always lead to positive impacts in society as it may be depicted in this discussion. There are various negative impacts of commercial multiculturalism that have been identified. To begin with, there are some ethnic groups which due to commercial multiculturalism want to deeply associate with their cultural commodities. These people seldom purchase commodities that have indications of other culture. As a result, their interaction with people from other communities is highly affected by this behavior (Dwyer Crang 2002). In the end, these groups of people isolate themselves from the others. This is not good for national integration as it creates negative attitudes and increases tension among people. Moreover this type of separation increases probabilities of discrimination. Moreover, commercial multiculturalism brings on board more information about other cultures. Though this may sound good from the onset, some people have used it wrongly. The information enables people to compare their cultural traits with that of others especially fashion. Misinformed people then start comparing their culture with that of other people and categorize the cultures as being either superior or inferior. This has been known to increase tension among people from different cultural backgrounds in the society (Vang 2010). Similarly, in the move to ensure that they keep with the changing customer demand, producers introduce some new ideas into their commodities. Much as this creativit y is good, it has been noted that it leads to loss of some very crucial aspects of the original culture thus leading to emergence of a different subcultures. Additionally, commercial multiculturalism tends to increase the concentration of people from the same cultural background in the same area. This limits chances of integration and makes people to differentiate themselves from others. Cultural interaction cannot be avoided. In fact, most of the things that are present in the society are as a result of cultural interaction. The current dressing fashions have cultural traits from at least two cultures. People eat foods that were previously reserved for particular communities only. Globalization has increased the movement of people from one place to the other. However, culture maintenance is critical. Material culture being one aspect of culture that can easily be influenced, it needs to be preserved. As a result, commercial multiculturalism is essential to ensure that people from v arious ethnic backgrounds are able to access the commodities they desire. Moreover, in order to boost positive intermingling among people, it would be important to have affairs of everybody catered for. Commercial Multiculturalism is crucial in achieving this. Reference List Dwyer, C Crang, P 2002, ‘Fashion Ethnicities: The Commercial Spaces of Multiculture’, Ethnicities, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 410-430. Eriksen, J 2012, The Democratic Contradictions of Multiculturalism, Telos Press Publishing, New York. Jain, KR Triandis HC 1997, Management of Research and Development Organizations: Managing the Unmanageable, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Parekh, B 2002, Rethinking Multiculturalism: Cultural Diversity and Political Theory, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. Vang, CT 2010, An Educational Psychology of Methods in Multicultural Education, Peter Lang, Bern.

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers essays

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers essays When I read A Hologram for the King, I noticed different aspects that I would like to develop. In my opinion, this book is about much more than just the decay of American business. Its about the life of a poor man who tries to deal with his difficult situation. So before beginning, lets have a short summary. Alan Clay, an ex-consultant and a victim of the Recession, is now a 54-years-old business man hired by Reliant in order to present a new technology, a holographic teleconference system, to the King Abdullah. By landing this contact, he would solve all his money problems as he is a debt?ridden man. Across the book and the wait for the king to come, Alan remembers his past and wonders about his purpose in the life. First of all, in my opinion, this story is about the nothingness both physical and psychological. On one hand, we can talk about a real physical desert because the whole story takes place in Saudi Arabia, which is not known for its luxury forests but for its small shrubs which dont need a lot of water. More particularly, the story takes place in King Abdullah Economic City which, according to the book, comprises only three buildings. For a city-to-be, its a kind of desert. The landscape was flat and blank. Anything built here, an unrelenting desert, was an act of sheer will imposed on territory unsuited for habitation. (A Hologram for the King, p34) They drove a mile before they arrived at a modest gate, a pair of stone arches over the road, a great dome atop it all. It was as if someone had built a road through unrepentant desert, and then erected a gate somewhere in the middle, to imply the end of one thing and the beginning of another. It was hopeful but unconvincing. (A Hologra m for the King, p40) On the other hand, when I talk about psychological nothingness, I allude to Alans life and relations. Hes divorced from his wife, Ruby,...

Work Environment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Work Environment - Research Paper Example Today firms take great efforts to improve their production volume so as to seize those opportunities effectively. In order to meet the growing demand in the market, companies tend to improve their production and supply and keep recruiting potential employees who can significantly contribute to their overall productivity. This situation has created many job opportunities for people having different educational and social backgrounds. Although sexually diverse workforce is an effective concept to promote people’s fundamental and constitutional rights, it increases the chances of sexual harassment at the workplace. Even though workplace sexual harassment is considered to be a severe criminal offense in the United States, reports indicate that most of such cases go unreported or unnoticed. Sexual harassment is a potential ethical issue in a workplace environment and it is also an offense in the perspective of law. This paper will discuss the legal as well as ethical issues surroun ding sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexual Harassment at Workplace According to the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), sexual harassment is a â€Å"form of gender discrimination that is in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act† (workharassment.net). Generally, sexual harassment in the worksite environment can be of two types, harassment by a supervisor and harassment by a co-worker. The harassment by a supervisor often results in employment actions like firing, demotion, and tough work assignment; and therefore it is a more severe issue. Unsurprisingly, majority of the harassment complaints still come from women although the number of men filed complaints is noticeably increasing today. While analyzing the harassment complaints filed by men, it seems that a significant percent of them is against female supervisors. According to a study conducted by Lawyers.com and Glamour Magazine jointly (as cited in workharassment.net), 17% of men reporte d that they had a previous experience of sexual harassment whereas the same was reported by 35% of women. In order to obtain a clear view of the intensity of sexual harassment at the US workplaces, it is relevant to evaluate the results obtained from a telephone poll conducted by Louis Harris and Association on 782 US workers in 2008. The telephone poll reported that 31% of female participants were harassed at the workplace while it was 7% in case of male participants. The poll indicated that 100% of women had the harassment experience from their male colleagues/supervisors. When 59% of men reported that the harasser was a woman, the remaining 41% said that the harasser was another man. Frustratingly, only 38% targets took action against the harassers. The telephone poll also revealed that 43% of participants were harassed by a supervisor, 27% by a senior employee, 19% by a coworker at their level, and 8% by a junior employee (workharassment.net). A number of causes including sexual attraction, politics, and psychology may contribute to sexual harassment in worksite environments. It is clear that work relationships can be very intense as individuals often need to closely work with each other to achieve the firm’s common shared goals. Sometimes such relationships may cross professional boundaries as a result of uncontrolled sexual attractions. In addition, differences in political ideologies and beliefs may lead to workplace sexual harassment. Finally, psychological reasons such as divorce or death of spouse can also be a potential cause of sexual harassment at workplace. Ethical Concerns The issue of sexual harassment at the workplace raises many ethical concerns. The Deontological ethics can be best applied to identify the ethical concerns raised by this particular situation. As Hudson (2010) points out,

You Can tell a lot about people by observing what they wear and eat Essay

You Can tell a lot about people by observing what they wear and eat - Essay Example Food preferences vary due to many factors including age, gender, socio-economic status, nationality, lifestyle and environment. For instance, people from middle and upper classes tend to eat healthier compared to those who grow up in poor families. Organic food, which is quite expensive, is usually consumed by those who can afford it and tries to follow a healthy life style. Teenagers and children are more likely to eat fast food and sweets than adults. Generally, there are common food choice patters between different groups of people based on the way they live but this is not all information people get observing meals of others. Even the process of eating can tell enough about who they really are. According to Santillano (2015), people who eat slowly are used to routine in their lives. At the same time, they do not lose their chance to relax and get positive experience savoring their food. People who eat quickly have other priorities and prefer to minimize time they spend on basic things. People express their hobbies, attitudes and lifestyles in their food choices. People who do not eat meat can express their care about animals or own health in this way by their diet. Gym-lovers will eat more protein which comes from white meat, cottage cheese and eggs alongside with protein cocktails and special power bars to source their muscles with energy for growth. On the contrary, girls on diet will choose smaller portions that contain fewer calories and more vegetables and fruit. Overall, there are many hints about lifestyle and personality one can spot observing what people eat. Clothes also reveal much information about a person who wears it. As well as food, it reflects age, gender, socio-economic status, lifestyle, belonging to subcultures, hobbies and personality traits. Moreover, it is no difficult to get information about peoples approximate height and weights without seeing them just with the help of their

Job Satisfaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 22500 words

Job Satisfaction - Essay Example Employee satisfaction is the most important factor for the successful operation of companies nowadays. When the employees are satisfied, it improves the performance and productivity of the company and contributes towards the profitability. On the other hand, low job satisfaction has negative results such as increasing cost, decreasing profits and customer dissatisfaction. In order to be successful companies need to concentrate on increasing employee’s satisfaction so that employees’ retention rate can be increased. Past studies have shown that employees’ satisfaction can be increased by the following: †¢ a sense of engagement and decision-making responsibilities †¢ use of skill and abilities †¢ opportunities to advance †¢ opportunities to learn new skills †¢ positive communicative relationships with supervisors, and †¢ good pay and training. Job satisfaction has been defined by Locke as â€Å"the pleasurable or positive emotional state that results from an employee's job or experience associated with the job†. Moreover as discussed in, job satisfaction is â€Å"the fulfilment and gratification that comes from work†, it is not really the money or the benefits received but the positive feelings experienced from accomplishing tasks. Every job holds the potential to provide certain levels of satisfaction related to individual employees. Job satisfaction is an important factor especially in high risk environment like oil and gas in terms of the potential hazard towards the safety of an employee.

Concert report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Concert report - Essay Example The program pieces included Handel: Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6 No. 1, Handel: Water Music Suite No. 3 in G, Handel: Water Music Suite No. 1 in F and you you.  There was a lot of excitement and high expectations as the audience settled in their seats before the curtain rose. The conductor, the performers and the orchestra were formally introduced and welcomed with a huge applause from the audience before the show began. The pieces played at the concert are discussed below. Handel: Concerto Grosso in G The piece made a bright opening with a happy and sprightly tune in the form of a waltz. The piece was a sort one which lasted for about 2 and a half minutes and the rhythm was up tempo. When the rhythm slowed down in places the music was soft and when it became fast, the volume increased and this added some variety to the piece. The instrumentation and harmony was good and pleasant to the ears. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 3 in G This piece was quite lengthy and continued for 5mins. And 38 secs. It comprised of three distinct parts which added to the variety of the piece. The first part was medium paced with the whole orchestra playing in unison. As the piece drifts to the second part it has the instruments alternating in prominence while the orchestra lent a good backing for them. The third movement was a loud and sprightly piece with good harmony which was interlinked with soft playing in between to give unity to the piece. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 1 in F This sprightly piece was about three minutes long and in the format of a lively dance rhythm which was simple but very attractive. The instruments played alternated in a sort of question and answer presentation with nice melody and harmony which was not only interesting but also captivating. The entire piece was well integrated and had a strong unity despite the variety of instruments offered. Even though the rhythm had a good dance appeal, the volume of the sound was pleasant and toned down. Towards th e end of the piece, the last ten seconds of music had slow paced rhythm before coming to an end. Handel: Il delirio amoroso In the last piece the orchestra joins the Soprano Sonya Yoncheva and serves as a perfect foil while it provides a strong backing for the soprano vocals. The piece which had a length of about 5 and a half minute, had a lively rhythm interspersed with instrumental interludes between the singing of the soprano. The dynamics exhibited by the soprano is quite praiseworthy as it was effortlessly executed, showing her mastery over the subject. Though the piece was well integrated and had a good melody and harmony, yet I felt that it did not have a uniform form as it comprised of both fast and slow paced rhythms and alternated between soft and loud volumes. At about 3 and a half minutes of the piece there is a lengthy instrumental piece, similar to the one played at the beginning of the piece and once again the soprano takes over till the piece comes to a close. Conclu sion I would describe myself as an avid listener and I enjoyed the concert comprising of Handel’s pieces, which proved to be quite interesting as it was inspiring. The pieces chosen to be played had good variety and were very well performed by the soprano as well as the orchestra and this was what attracted the audience, even me, to not just only be a spectator but enjoy the concert wholeheartedly. The level of performance of the conductor Emmanuelle Haim, the soprano and the entire orchestra was of a very high standard

In the movie The Hurricane what was Ruben Hurricane Carter's Identity, Essay

In the movie The Hurricane what was Ruben Hurricane Carter's Identity, meaning and relationships with other chartecters - Essay Example Carter has personally authored the screenplay which is the reason why it fundamentally portrays the opinion of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. The film portrays Carter as a passerby who is innocent and is not involved in the act of murder. According to the story’s plot, Carter was driving with a friend of his named John Artis towards home. They were on their way back from a club in Paterson when the police made them stop and inquired them about the murder of three people in a bar. The police’s suspicion was flared up by the claim of Alfred Bello that Artis and Carter were the witnesses of the act of murder. The police arrested Artis and Carter due to the allegations imposed by Bello upon the two and later, Carter was sentenced for life thrice. Carter maintained his position saying that he was being humiliated because of his African American race and his active participation in the civil rights movement. Despite the fact that Arthur Bradley and Bello recanted their allegation in 1974, Artis and Carter faced reconviction. Carter’s case was reinvestigated in 1980s by the state of New Jersey upon the insistence of Lesra Martin, a Brooklyn teenager who was working with activists from Canada. The Federal District Court decided in 1985 that the conviction of Carter happened solely because of racism.

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Economic - Essay Example When the government relaxed its price control and promoted foreign investment, the United States started to invest in PRC beginning 1979 after both countries establish diplomatic relations. With Japan as their fund provider since 1978 through soft loans, PRC is now the fastest growing major economy in the world. Its success has been attributed to a formula of cheap labor, ease government policy, overall infrastructure, high productivity, and some say, an underrated exchange rate. In spite of a growing trade surplus, PRC is consciously making effort to lower its inflation rate and/or manage inflation expectations by raising bank reserve ratio of deposits through a directive from PRC’s Central Bank. This brings as to the first question as to how will this affect the balance sheets of both the banks and the PRC’s Central Bank. As regard to the banks, their assets, particularly deposits will decrease and the same amount will increase the reserve in the â€Å"Liabilitiesâ⠂¬  portion in their Balance Sheet. Expectedly, the assets of the Central Bank either in receivables or deposits will increase as well as their reserves. Normally, banks hold two bank reserves, one is use for cashing checks or satisfying client’s withdrawals while the other is called â€Å"legal reserves† or sometimes called â€Å"federal reserves† or central bank reserves. ... Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its 2011 Asian Development Outlook that â€Å"there is very little risk of hard landing because growth momentum remains robust for the medium term†. As compared to last year the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will slow to 9.3% in 2011, a dip from 10.3% annual growth in 2010 (Global Times), mainly due to stubborn inflation this year. One determinant factor of inflation is the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as the CPI rise so is the inflation. Consumer consumption is one of the major components in arriving at the total GDP, the others are government expenditures, gross investment and the net of exports versus imports. Consumer consumption may not be a factor at this time because wages will not outpace production. Government expenditures were already programmed to pay maturing foreign loans, hence will be constant, while investment will decrease minimally due to expected increase in interest rates. The one that will affect most in computing the GDP is the net difference between exports and imports. As I analyze it, imports will continue to outpace exports due primarily to higher demands for fuel consumption, which are outsourced externally. The World Bank said â€Å"strong domestic demand and relative price changes has reduced the importance of external trade for China† (Reuters.com) There might be an oversupply of products which will considerably affect prices and therefore have an effect on equilibrium. As regard the aggregate expenses, again this will tend to be low as the net effect of imports versus exports is high. PRC’s Central Bank raising of RRR will certainly have an effect on the money multiplier since it will

Concert report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Concert report - Essay Example The program pieces included Handel: Concerto Grosso in G, Op. 6 No. 1, Handel: Water Music Suite No. 3 in G, Handel: Water Music Suite No. 1 in F and you you.  There was a lot of excitement and high expectations as the audience settled in their seats before the curtain rose. The conductor, the performers and the orchestra were formally introduced and welcomed with a huge applause from the audience before the show began. The pieces played at the concert are discussed below. Handel: Concerto Grosso in G The piece made a bright opening with a happy and sprightly tune in the form of a waltz. The piece was a sort one which lasted for about 2 and a half minutes and the rhythm was up tempo. When the rhythm slowed down in places the music was soft and when it became fast, the volume increased and this added some variety to the piece. The instrumentation and harmony was good and pleasant to the ears. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 3 in G This piece was quite lengthy and continued for 5mins. And 38 secs. It comprised of three distinct parts which added to the variety of the piece. The first part was medium paced with the whole orchestra playing in unison. As the piece drifts to the second part it has the instruments alternating in prominence while the orchestra lent a good backing for them. The third movement was a loud and sprightly piece with good harmony which was interlinked with soft playing in between to give unity to the piece. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 1 in F This sprightly piece was about three minutes long and in the format of a lively dance rhythm which was simple but very attractive. The instruments played alternated in a sort of question and answer presentation with nice melody and harmony which was not only interesting but also captivating. The entire piece was well integrated and had a strong unity despite the variety of instruments offered. Even though the rhythm had a good dance appeal, the volume of the sound was pleasant and toned down. Towards th e end of the piece, the last ten seconds of music had slow paced rhythm before coming to an end. Handel: Il delirio amoroso In the last piece the orchestra joins the Soprano Sonya Yoncheva and serves as a perfect foil while it provides a strong backing for the soprano vocals. The piece which had a length of about 5 and a half minute, had a lively rhythm interspersed with instrumental interludes between the singing of the soprano. The dynamics exhibited by the soprano is quite praiseworthy as it was effortlessly executed, showing her mastery over the subject. Though the piece was well integrated and had a good melody and harmony, yet I felt that it did not have a uniform form as it comprised of both fast and slow paced rhythms and alternated between soft and loud volumes. At about 3 and a half minutes of the piece there is a lengthy instrumental piece, similar to the one played at the beginning of the piece and once again the soprano takes over till the piece comes to a close. Conclu sion I would describe myself as an avid listener and I enjoyed the concert comprising of Handel’s pieces, which proved to be quite interesting as it was inspiring. The pieces chosen to be played had good variety and were very well performed by the soprano as well as the orchestra and this was what attracted the audience, even me, to not just only be a spectator but enjoy the concert wholeheartedly. The level of performance of the conductor Emmanuelle Haim, the soprano and the entire orchestra was of a very high standard

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Economic - Essay Example When the government relaxed its price control and promoted foreign investment, the United States started to invest in PRC beginning 1979 after both countries establish diplomatic relations. With Japan as their fund provider since 1978 through soft loans, PRC is now the fastest growing major economy in the world. Its success has been attributed to a formula of cheap labor, ease government policy, overall infrastructure, high productivity, and some say, an underrated exchange rate. In spite of a growing trade surplus, PRC is consciously making effort to lower its inflation rate and/or manage inflation expectations by raising bank reserve ratio of deposits through a directive from PRC’s Central Bank. This brings as to the first question as to how will this affect the balance sheets of both the banks and the PRC’s Central Bank. As regard to the banks, their assets, particularly deposits will decrease and the same amount will increase the reserve in the â€Å"Liabilitiesâ⠂¬  portion in their Balance Sheet. Expectedly, the assets of the Central Bank either in receivables or deposits will increase as well as their reserves. Normally, banks hold two bank reserves, one is use for cashing checks or satisfying client’s withdrawals while the other is called â€Å"legal reserves† or sometimes called â€Å"federal reserves† or central bank reserves. ... Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in its 2011 Asian Development Outlook that â€Å"there is very little risk of hard landing because growth momentum remains robust for the medium term†. As compared to last year the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will slow to 9.3% in 2011, a dip from 10.3% annual growth in 2010 (Global Times), mainly due to stubborn inflation this year. One determinant factor of inflation is the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as the CPI rise so is the inflation. Consumer consumption is one of the major components in arriving at the total GDP, the others are government expenditures, gross investment and the net of exports versus imports. Consumer consumption may not be a factor at this time because wages will not outpace production. Government expenditures were already programmed to pay maturing foreign loans, hence will be constant, while investment will decrease minimally due to expected increase in interest rates. The one that will affect most in computing the GDP is the net difference between exports and imports. As I analyze it, imports will continue to outpace exports due primarily to higher demands for fuel consumption, which are outsourced externally. The World Bank said â€Å"strong domestic demand and relative price changes has reduced the importance of external trade for China† (Reuters.com) There might be an oversupply of products which will considerably affect prices and therefore have an effect on equilibrium. As regard the aggregate expenses, again this will tend to be low as the net effect of imports versus exports is high. PRC’s Central Bank raising of RRR will certainly have an effect on the money multiplier since it will

Health Literacy and its Impact on Patients Essay Example for Free

Health Literacy and its Impact on Patients Essay Health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Low health literacy has a negative impact on a patients health status and use of the health care system. Patients with low health literacy levels cannot make decisions regarding their health care or follow instructions on medications and health maintenance behaviors. This can affect health care in a variety of ways. It is the health care provider’s responsibility to ensure that patients with low health literacy levels are identified and measures are taken to ensure those patients understand their options and instructions. To educate these patients, health care providers need to develop resources that are easily understood and interview skills that can ensure patient comprehension. Research has shown that patients with a low health literacy level may be more likely to have problems following verbal or written medical advice and medication instructions or understanding health-related materials. This review discusses the commonness of health literacy and its impact on patients and the health care system, and provides recommendations for creating supplemental literature at the appropriate level. The use of these tools and improved physician interview skills will establish a better physician/patient relationship and continue to encourage patient participation in the health care process. By providing the patients with the basic knowledge to understand and adhere to the instructions given to them and the confidence to communicate any questions or concerns, the hospital is promoting a better patient/physician relationship. There was a study conducted in 2003 by the National Assessment on Adult Literacy that was released in 2006 that included a Health Literacy component that evaluated patient’s health literacy in three main categories: clinical, preventative, and navigation of the health care system. These three categories were designed to reflect things that patients would see or be asked to do in their daily lives. There were examples such as following medication instructions, scheduling health screening tests and finding one’s way to the appropriate location for a medical appointment within a health care facility. The results of this study indicated that 36-38 of adults in the United States had a basic or below health literacy level or were not literate in English and could not participate in the assessment. Another 55% of U. S. adults reported having a mid-range level of health literacy which showed room for improvement. Patients who have low health literacy levels often are not able to comprehend and follow the instructions on a medication bottle or determine the dosage information on over-the-counter medications. The inability to understand the information requested on a health care form can prevent an individual from having adequate health care coverage or having access to care when it is needed. If a patient does not have the ability to identify when treatment is needed for a medical condition, make the appointment and navigate through the health care system to be treated, their health can suffer. By not seeking medical attention at the beginning of an illness or not accessing the appropriate point of entry in a health care clinic, the patient is reducing the chance of having a positive health outcome. People with lower health literacy may wait to seek medical attention rather than utilizing preventative health services. These patients often have higher rates of admission and use services that are designed for more critical patient care. When faced with a disease or health care condition, patients are often turning to a variety of places for health information such as the internet, magazines, or books. Adults with basic or below basic health literacy levels did not turn to such resources. Physicians are with a patient such a short amount of time at each visit, yet they have so much they need to provide to the patient. At a visit to the physician several new concepts are being introduced to the adult such as discontinuing a the use of a current prescription, modification of the prescribed dose, or introducing a new medicine. It is of great importance to verify that the patient understands what is being said to them. Asking the patient to demonstrate what they just heard is more effective in gauging whether a patient understands the information. There can be additional time spend with patients, or supplemental materials can be provided to patients who have difficulty processing this critical information. Other factors that can have a negative impact on a person’s comprehension of health-related materials include limited English language skills, chronic health conditions, hearing problems, or vision problems. In order for patients to be able to most effectively use these health education materials, they should be written at lower reading levels using simple words and pictures to emphasize points. Low health literacy is a problem that continues grow in patients in the health care system, contributing to a lack of use of services, often leading to negative health outcomes. Hospitals should focus attention on their forms and the health education materials they are distributing to the patients to ensure that there materials are appropriate for all levels of health literacy. Having forms that are more easily understood may increase a patient’s ability to access and utilize appropriate hospital services. Also by giving patients more appropriate health education materials will encourage them to become more actively involved in their care by providing them with the confidence to make decisions about their treatment. As the individual relationship is built between patient and care team, the trust will follow to ask questions about information that is not clear and seek assistance when it is first needed instead of when it is a critical situation. DeMarco, Joanna. ( 2011, Spring). The Importance of Patient Education Throughout the Cotinuum of Health Care. 295-301. Journal of Consumer Health. Retrieved April 4, 2012 from EBSCOhost.

Workforce Diversity in a Foreign Subsidiary

Workforce Diversity in a Foreign Subsidiary 1. Abstract: In the todays dynamic competitive business environment, Diversity management is one of the key challenging area in Human Resource Management (HRM) in particularly to the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) those who have started their operations recently in a country like India where the culture is totally different from western culture. This paper mainly focuses on to what extent Target India, the subsidiary of retail giant Target Corporation, USA, has taken initiative to maintain the work force diversity and analyze the major challenges and issues faced while implementing with their strategic HR policies. It also discusses the role of Human Resource Management (HRM), International Human Resource Management (IHRM) and Strategic International Human Resource Management (SIHRM) in implementing and integrating the diversity initiatives. To examine the effectiveness of Target India HRM policies with respect to the diversity and culture, I used published sources like Target internal records , articles, books, internet and online data bases. 2. Introduction: Target Corporation is one of the United States biggest retail store. It was established in 1902 and known as Dayton Dry Goods Company before it was named as Target. The first Target store was opened in Minnesota, in 1962.It is widely spread in United States with 1,613 stores in 47 states. This includes 240 Super Target stores which gives a unbelievable grocery shopping experience. Target ranked 41 on their list of Americas Most Reputable Companies-2009 Target Corporation has its presence in India by establishing Target India Corporation in Bangalore in 2005. Target India has 2500 employees currently and it is expected to grow faster and have 5000 employees by end of fiscal year 2010. Target India is located in three different places in Bangalore namely Embassy Prime, RJU building which is named after Robert J. Ulrich, the former CEO of Target Corporation and GWS building which is named after Gregg W. Steinhafel. Another location is being established in Mysore in 2015. Due to demographic differences, it is very obvious that Target India with respect to Target Corporation varies in work culture, age, work-life balance and all social and personal aspects. Target India takes every effort to build Target culture in the work place which is very similar to Target head quarters with help of strong strategic HR policies. Target is in particular about the company culture which includes Collaboration, minimizing hierarchy, Work/Life balance, Accountability. Targets vision to become the best company ever follows the three core values: FFF (Fast, Fun and Friendly), Es of Excellence (Energy, Enthusiasm and Execution) and Speed is life. 3. Background: Target Corporation has its offshore extension called Target India. The fast and continued growth of Target India reflects the commitment to develop a global work force. Target drives business efficiently by motivating team members (employees), crediting innovations and thereby giving the best guest experience. Target India plays a key role in providing the brand promise of Target Expect More. Pay Less. by implementing the technology and business solutions. Target India works with ten pyramids: Target India is a key partner to achieve the vision of Target Best Company Ever and reach the goal of 100 billion in scale. The key accomplishment of Target India is opening Target Sourcing Services (TSS) in Bangalore during the first anniversary and also by opening the new facility which is now called Gregg W. Steinhafel (GWS) centre. 4. Literature Review: Over the years, it is very obvious that organisations are considering diversity as an essential competitive advantage factor to sustain in the market place where they can serve various array of customers and their needs, to make the customers and stake holders happy and satisfy. Diversity meaning is reached beyond the Equal Employment opportunity legislation and provides opportunity to the workforce with regardless to gender, colours, religions, races. One of the most important trends in the recent years has been the growing interest in the benefits to be achieved by planning for a diverse workforce known as diversity management. This was based on view that people should be treated equally regardless of race, ethnic orgin, gender and sexual orientation and other social categorization so that individual are enabled freely and equally to compete for social rewards (Jewson and Mason ,1986 P.307).Jewson and Mason set equal opportunities within a free market tradition, and the purpose of the legislation and polices was seen as removing obstacles and distortions to the working markets. According to liff(1997b), there are four approaches to managing diversity based on the degree of the commitment to social group equality as an organizational objective and on the perceived relevance of social group differentiation for policy making .Four diversity management approaches are :1)dissolving the differences2) valuing the differences3)accommodat ing differences4)utilizing differences Diversity, according to Schneider (2001, P.27) is about creating a working culture that seeks, respects, values, and harnesses difference. The basic contrast with the equal opportunities is an acceptance that there is difference between people, that such difference can be valued and that they are the source of productive potential within the organisation. Thomas(1995) argues that diversity does not automatically mean with respect to race and gender and describe diversity as not synonyms with difference but encompasses difference and similarities.(Cassel 2001) define diversity is a complex, multidimensional concept as a whole. It is a plural term with different perception in different organisations, societies and natural cultures without any unitary meaning. Hofstededes (1980) research suggest demonstrate that even within a large multinational, famous for its strong culture and socialization efforts , national culture continues to play major role in differentiating work values. The convergence /divergence argument (Webber 1969) states that economic development, technology, and education would make possible globalization whereas differential levels of available resources and national cultures would work against this. The need for human resource consultants, managers and specialist to adopt international orientation in their functional activities for those who are working in Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are playing key role in implementing the cross cultural and comparative human resource management to make their organisation success. Boxall (1995) define the distinction between comparative HRM and International HRM. 5. Diversity Management Diversity Management denotes achieving wide range of benefits from diverse work force. The management of diversity concentrates on individuals rather than groups. This also includes opportunities for all individual and not just for people belonging to minority category. Ellis et, (1994) defines A multicultural management perspective fosters more innovative and creative decision making, satisfying work environments, and better products because all people who have a contribution to make or encourage to be involved in a meaningful way. Diversity management denotes the initiatives taken by the organisation to take advantage on the diversity in their workforce including characteristics such as (origin, gender, age, ethnicity and disability) as a strategic approach to achieve the organisational goals. The key differences between equal opportunities and managing diversity is given in the below table Aspect Equal Opportunities Managing Diversity Purpose Reduce discrimination Utilise employee potential to maximum advantage Case argued Moral and ethical Business case improve profitability Whose responsibility HR/personnel department All managers Focuses on Groups Individuals Perspective Dealing with different needs of different groups Integrated Benefits for employees Opportunities improved for disadvantaged groups, primarily through setting targets Opportunities improved for all employees Focus on management activity Recruitment Managing Remedies Changing systems and practices Changing the culture Source : adapted from Human Resource Management p -540) Derek Torrington ,laura Hall, Stephen Taylor Diversity Management is considered as the core approach to implement equality. It is believed that equal employment opportunity is driven by HR functions and diversity management is driven by the managers. As a reason to run the business, it is argued that managing diversity should be made as the integral part of any organizational policy. This concept is called mainstreaming. 5.1 Diversity at Target India Diversity became one of the key aspects and challenging area for the HRM area over the last few years. This is not only to tackle high cost but also to have workforce diversity to attract, retain and motivate diverse population of team members to help and server diverse guests and communities. At Target, diversity is much more than a goal or campaign, its a core value we integrate into every area of our business from our suppliers, to our teams, to the shopping experience in our stores, we foster an inclusive culture that allows our high-performing and diverse team to drive innovation. Target adopts a miltilocal approach in implementing the diversity, So Target India is responsible for designing and implementing the diversity management program. Target corporate headquarters is an advisory, informing the corporate wide diversity related messages and providing assistance if required. The definition of diversity at Target India is broad and focused on appreciating and recognizing the individuality of team members. Target India put this in simple terms as The Strengths of Many. The Power of One.. At Target India, diversity plays an integral part of the culture to communicate better with diverse team members and thereby serving the guests and communities in the best way possible. Target India builds the competitive advantage to drive the success by attracting the best talent and creating an atmosphere where diverse individuals are respected. 5.2 Challenges in Maintaining Diversity: Over the past few years, many Organizations have the goal of implementing multicultural work culture. However, promoting diversity across the Organizations has been challenging in practical way. There are three main reasons for failure of workforce diversity across Organizations. 1) Misunderstanding the problem, 2) Wrong solution, 3) failure to have clear learning cure. Major challenges faced by Target India during the initiatives of workforce diversity are, 1) Issues related by marginalization and discrimination, 2) Due to time constraint, getting team members together to collect data and feedback regarding diversity is a difficult task, 3) To make team members accountable for goals related to diversity, 4) As diversity is a new phenomenon in HRM, training all the team members requires huge cost, time and effort, 5) Slow progress rate, 6) Complexity in handling different perspectives from various groups or individuals. 5.3 Target India Vs Headquarters: Target India team member culture is different to headquarters. The main cultural differences arise as Target India team members are younger when compared to the headquarters and more specifically in Technology Services. Being young to job and also with a lot of job opportunities, Target India team members tend to leave the job for salary or career growth. This is in great contrast with the onsite team member. Team Members at Target India tend to work at different time structure than their onshore counter parts. The typical work time is nine to five at headquarter. Team members reach on time, complete their work and leave on time. Though the time is 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM at Target India, team member work on flexible timings to overlap with the onsite timings for better co-ordination and save time and effort. Coffee/Tea breaks are taken as per the convenient time whereas in headquarters normally they do not take much time. Also, Target India is providing free nutritious meal to all the team members which they prefer to have together at cafeteria. 5.4 Cultural Adjustments: Most of the Target team members have not worked in a foreign land. It is with the establishment of Target India, Target team members are encouraged to travel to India for working. The juxtaposition of developed and underdeveloped and more importantly rich and poor, the basic contrast of American culture which they need to cope up with. Indian people also have help in cleaning, cooking, driving etc. Though it sense to be of much help but there need to be significant adjustment on two core values of American culture: Privacy and Independence. The leadership style needed a great alteration moving to Target India. Target India team members are used to work with instructions from clients and managers. They need more of interactive approach where the leader can post their ideas, views and suggestions rather than giving general instructions. 6. Target India HR Approach: The main asset to IT industry is human resources. The challenging task for Multi National Companies (MNCs) in the IT sector is managing the human resources, especially for MNC subsidiary like Target India, where the culture is totally different from each other. Being very young to market, Target India faces the same challenge to retain employees. Though country like India is abundant in low cost and highly skilled labourers, it is very hard to retain employees because of salary and career growth. Target India is able to handle it better with its strong strategic HR policies and methods. Target India HR policies work as per the below metrics, HR Management Organizational Effectiveness Training and Development The main objective of HR management is to frame strong HR policies and thereby managing and retaining the human resources. This includes the best recruiting and selection methods, Pay and Benefits, Performance appraisals, Career development. Organizational Effectiveness literally means integrity. Their main purpose is to maintain the secure work atmosphere with information security, zero tolerance and violence free workplace. Training and Development team deals with training programs such as technical trainings for budding tech professionals, leadership training for those who admire to become leaders, personal development trainings, work oriented trainings. 6.1 HRM Practise: The following are the team members experience and saying about Target India. I was fascinated by the neat and cool shopping experience I had at Target during one of my visits to the U.S. and just fell in love with Target. I then wondered what it would be like working here and thus began my journey of exploring working at Target. Target is just the perfect world for high-energy, fun-loving and make-things-happen people. The welcoming ambience, smiling teams and committed managers are just the things I like here. I am pursuing the Masters program in Software Engineering and am part of the global cohort. Its truly an international experience. I get to do capstone projects within Target as academic work and at the same time its a real life experience -Praveen, Information Technology I have never seen any organization so far in my career where everyones so approachable and friendly. Targets the place where I felt my creative potential was explored. Supervisors and peers are open to ideas and change. This keeps me going every day. Dee, Brand Management, Buying + Planning 6.1.1 Recruitment and Selection: Target India follows equal opportunity as an employer. Employment practises are implemented without regard to religion, colour, race, creed, caste, sex, age, place of birth, disability. This list also includes sexual orientation and also pregnancy. Equal Employment Opportunity policy plays an important role for Target Indias commitment to hire and develop talented, strong and diverse workforce. With this policy, Target India accommodates qualified and talented applicants, employees with disability and also applicants with strong religious beliefs provided such team member doesnt create hardship to Target India. At Target India, recruitment and selection happens for both fresher and experience candidates. The highly talented fresh young graduates from the top universities are selected after the written aptitude test, group discussion and HR round. Experience candidates are hired after a series of process such as resume selection, initial technical round, high level technical round followed by managerial and HR round. Team members at Target India are able to get rewards through referral programs. 6.1.2 Training and Development: The Training and Development team co-ordinates and arranges various training programs. Technical trainings, Personality Development trainings, Induction training, Integrity trainings, Work place trainings, Leadership trainings are the major trainings provided by the training department. Internal training programs are the major trainings arranged where team members are encouraged to attend and learn new technologies and various leadership skills. Target India also partner with external training consultants for those trainings which are not available internally. Fresher recruited from universities are trained in technical and development trainings initially. Experienced candidates are also provided with trainings in the latest version of their technology to accomplish the work as per the time schedule. Target India follows the mentoring system. With help of the mentoring system, senior leaders are helping various team members by motivating, providing organizational updates, helping in career planning. Target India believes in job rotation for any interested team member. Any team member who is willing to transfer to a different pyramid, department or technology is motivated with various basic technical trainings and job handling trainings. Apart from class room trainings, Target India also offers online trainings for team members. The online trainings include integrity trainings to maintain confidentiality of information and have best ethics in work place. 6.1.3 Career Management: Target India is committed for team members personal and career development. This is carried out with mentoring, Individual Development Plan (IDP) creation where team member and the supervisor analyze the team members strengths and development opportunities to develop the career map. There is an opportunity for team members in Target India to move vertically and horizontally across Target Technology Services (TTS), Target Financial Services (TFS), Strategy, Target.com, Stores, Marketing, Human Resources, Property Development, Legal and Quality. This is generally known as talent pool scheme. 6.1.4 Flexible Work Timing: This is one of the strong HR policies which enable the team members to work on their convenient time shifts. This makes the Target India team members to have better co-ordination with their onsite counter parts. This saves a lot of time and effort which ultimately leads to better productivity. 6.1.5 Compensation and Benefits: Based upon the employees experience and technical/managerial skills, Target India offers compensation package as per or higher than the industrial standards. Compensation revision normally revised twice in a year. Target India provides the following benefits to all its team members, Health Benefits Target Indias health benefits supports wellness and healthy living for its team members with schemes such as Group Mediclaim, Parental Insurance, Personal Accident, Wellness Program, and Medical Insurance while Travelling. Retirement Target India team members are encouraged to save for retirement by making contribution to their Provident Fund (PF). Paid Time Off This consists of Privilege Leave, Casual Leave, Maternity Leave, Paternity Leave, National Holidays, and Bereavement Leave. This helps the team members to recharge and refresh themselves. Additional Benefits All eligible Target India team members are provided with additional benefits: Company Loans, Conveyance Program, Gratuity, Free Meals, Tuition Scholarship, Team Member Referral Bonus, Concierge Service, Training and Development. Other benefits such as professional counselling for team members and their family members, facility for new team members to settled down easily and quickly in new location and all relevant assistance for team members and their family members travelling on an assignment are also provided. 6.1.6 Performance Management: Performance Management is a crucial determinant of culture and what managers consider in their thinking about their team members. Measurement of performance is an indication of organizations business success. Target India defines the appraisal as a process which analysis a persons overall capabilities and potential. One of the important part of this process is assessment where team members past and current work behaviour and performance are collected and reviewed. With the help of performance appraisal, Target India is able to improve morale, motivate team members, reduce ambiguity about performance, clarify expectation, identifying training and development opportunities, manage careers, improve communication, setting goals and targets. Target India follows transparent process for evaluating team members performance and providing compensation packages. Being transparent, it is very clear to the team members as of what is required to reach next level. Target India offers high performers with performance certificates in the form of Great Team Card (GTC) and reward and vouchers. To motivate the team members, high performers are honoured in the Annual Leadership Meeting. 6.1.7 Work-Life Balance: Target India is conscious about Work-Life Balance. This has been supported in the form of work from home where team members are allowed to work from home due to emergency and any other personal commitment. Older team members who wish to remain in work are allowed to work fewer hours or different shift pattern. To maintain work-life balance various programs such as flexible work timings, Personal counselling for team members and their family members are initiated. This form of work-life balances gives satisfaction to the team members in the form of handling work and also caring children and elderly parents. 6.1.8 Community Work by Employees: Target India believes in serving the community. Target India and its team members play a vital role in taking part in community work to serve the society. Many team members play leadership role in community work. As a corporate citizens responsibility, team members are allowed to organize various camps to rural areas to help in educating and bringing awareness about different social causes to rural population. This brings self satisfaction to the team members and also makes work place more enjoyable. 6.1.9 Women Empowerment To increase the women workforce, Target India conducts recruitment programs especially for women. Target India women all hands meeting is conducted frequently to help and discuss the hurdles faced by the working women. These meetings not only give women spirit but also help them to develop career growth and leadership qualities. 6.1.10 Employee Retention: Attrition rate is a major concern for newly started MNC subsidiaries in developing country like India. When other similar organizations have the attrition rate in double digit, Target India managed the employee retention rate in single digits with help of their sound career growth plans, high rewards and appreciation apart from their fulfilling compensation and benefits. Target India provides the following benefits to retain the team members, Good work atmosphere Meals and transportation facilities Giving more career plans Employee oriented policies 6.1.11 Open Door Policy: No organization can improve without constant feedbacks, ideas, suggestions in a diverse work environment. Target India aligns with its headquarters belief of having Open Door Policy. To improve workforce diversity, team members suggestions, feedbacks and ideas become a crucial factor. This vision is attained through Open Door Policy where team members can reach to any leader irrespective of their caste, religion, sex, culture, age at any time with their thoughts. Although this is the easiest way to reach to any leader, for those who feel uncomfortable speaking to the leaders directly there is also a separate HR team named as Employee Relations team. Team members can post their issues, solutions and ideas to the Employee Relations team or call the Integrity Hotline numbers being anonymous. Every concern of the team members are reviewed by the Employee Relations team and sent to the appropriate leader. 6.1.12 Great Team Recognition: Target India follows a unique culture of appreciating great work. Although recognition is done annually through performance appraisals, best performer awards and certificates, many great works go unnoticed in the annual meetings. To avoid that, Target India encourages sending Great Team Card to any individual contribution or to the team at any moment. This makes the team members feel that they are noticed in diverse work culture. 7. Conclusion: Due to globalization, organizations are operating in multicultural context. A key debate is to what extent their diversity programmes should be standardised across subsidiaries. As there is no best approach to manage diversity workforce, since it varies from organization to organization, country to country. From last many quarters, Target India is growing steadily because of its strong strategic HR policies and in particular with workforce diversity. The process of acquiring, retaining and bringing success with diverse population in a growing organization like Target India is not an easy task. The determination from top management, HR and operations team across Target India and Target Corporation, helped Target India to achieve the success of implementing strategic HR policies in a multicultural and diverse workforce.