Professional Issues - Child Protection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Professional Issues - Child Protection - Essay Example In the task of looking after the children who are being abused the child protection workers have to face many problems. Child welfare work is difficult and Child protection social workers have to face lots of challenges in relation to the management of violence done to the children. These child protection professionals have to face the threatening of the parents and they also have to challenge the underlying assumption that working with parents is always possible. Many of the workers have to face the threats of not only the parents but also of the supporting agencies. Decision making is the main thing which is the essence of child protection. Rebecca Aviel in his article Restoring Equipoise to Child Welfare says that an error in decision making from the part of a social worker will lead him/her to answer the questions raised by the federal court. (Aviel, 2010). Despite the area of consultation a social worker has to make decision about child safety. In a monthly article titled Ã¢â‚¬Ë œCPS Supervision: What does the present suggest for the Future?’ it appeared that despite the area of consultation a social worker has to make decision about child safety. For this they need assistance for sorting out the problems of maltreating families. When the workers do not get any assistance they make it anyway which may not be a proper one. Many young people are coming into this field without any proper education or training. They cannot be considered as professionals and they are prone to make wrong decisions which may affect the child in a bad way. In such a condition of lack of professionals the supporting agencies do not even think of keeping supervisors. The agencies also support an ineffective means of treatment of the social workers. They often try to compensate and support the ineffective supervisors and they ignore the work of the supervisors. (Liddle, et al, 1988). Child workers work in close association with the families to monitor child’s safety and well being. They have to assess the on going service needs of the children and also of the foster parents. They also have to ensure the safety of the child and look for â€Å"stable living arrangements that promote the well being of the children† (Child Welfare Caseworker Visits with Children and Parents: Innovations in State Policy, 2006). Formerly being a social worker, Robert Tapsfield, Chief Executive, Fostering Network says that it is a challenge for a social worker to make the decisions and make it right. It should be identified that the protection of the children who face child abuse is not the sole responsibility of the social worker. The responsibility is to be shared among the directors, managers, supporters, lead members and the counselors. One of the main difficulties faced by the social workers is to find out or identify the families in which the child is abused. They family may try to hide matters from the social worker who go to interview the child. Robert Taps field says that it may need officials or professionally skilled persons to undertake this task. (Milton, 2011). Social workers are to be well trained to do this task of finding facts from the family in which a child is abused or suffering. They also find it difficult to work with aggressive and violent parents who may not disclose the secrets in front of a stranger. They may indulge in violent means to prevent this. â€Å"

Social Housing Policy

Social Housing Policy In their article ‘Welfare Safety Net or Tenure of Choice? The Dilemma Facing Social Housing Policy In England, Fitzpatrick and Pawson (2007) explain and reflect upon the changing environment of social housing in England. This essay will provide a summary of the article before analysing the position of social housing in Scotland compared to that described in England. Key similarities and differences between the two countries with regard to social housing will be provided with evidence from the current literature. Finally, the conclusion will attempt to assess if the positions of social housing are really that different in Scotland and England. The key questions asked by Fitzpatrick and Pawson (2007) are: who and what is social housing for? Through an analysis of the past 30 years and a description of the current social housing policy in England, the article explores the question of access. The underlying paradox of future policy and therefore access to social housing in England is explained as the â€Å"continuing commitment to the ‘safety net role† emphasised in the 2000 Housing Green Paper and the â€Å"explicit ambition† to provide a more mixed ‘tenure of choice thus widening the possible market. Fitzpatrick and Pawson refer to the work of Stephens et al to define the key element of social housing as a question of access â€Å"determined on the basis of ‘administrative criteria rather than just ‘pricing rationing. They then go on to describe the changing environment of social housing in England, housing associations increasing share of stock, the falling number of rented properties in general and the change of age structure within the sector as important factors. The history of the ‘needs-based allocation systems using the development of objective point scoring prioritisation is explained as the progressive orthodoxy of the 20th Century which still remains prevalent in todays legislation and guidance. A concise case against needs-based allocation is then provided with the key points including residualisation and the coercive nature of such a system leading to points chasing behavior. This background provides an excellent backdrop for the changes that occurred in the late 1990s when â€Å"the standard ‘take it or leave it social housing allocations model became increasingly difficult to defend in light of rising aspirations and expectations of consumer choice† (Mullins Pawson, 2005, p138). Choice-Based Letting (CBL) Schemes are provided as current government response to develop and open up the sector by placing more emphasis on the customers choice, and as a means of encouragement for otherwise unsuitable or unwilling participants in social housing. Initial findings show that vulnerable groups are not being excluded by the new system although there are certainly questions around the suitability and impact of a more choice led approachs effects on the poorest. In considering the position of Social Housing in Scotland, the social housing sector in Britain has historically been centralised and therefore genuine variation in policy and practice has been limited. However, devolution and the enactment of legislation to set up the Scottish Parliament have led to the opportunity for divergence within both (Walker et al, 2003, p177). Let us now consider some of the similarities and differences within the Scottish and English social housing sector as described by Fitzpatrick and Pawson. It is important to mention here that it is impossible to detail all of the similarities and differences and therefore only the most clear and important have been chosen for this discussion. There has been a global move towards private housing provision in government policy and therefore it is unsurprising that there are clear similarities between the English context described by Fitzpatrick and Pawson and the Scottish context. An important similarity is that housing has risen on the agenda and has been revived in both England and Scotland (Stirling Smith, 2003), this may be due to its importance in addressing and meeting new evolving community needs in todays societies when so much emphasis is placed on home ownership and stability. Another similarity is that both Scotland and England are facing a crossroads (CIH, 2006) as the purposes of their social housing sector differ from those in the 20th Century. The CIH, (2007) describes this crossroads as a choice to either continue providing for the housing needs of the most vulnerable or diversify to meet some of the wider needs of the community with a range of tenure options. This is exactly the same situation described by Fitzpatrick and Pawson which resulted in the CBL schemes in England. Finally, and key to the need for an evaluation of housing policy, is the changing demographic whom it is serving. Fitzpatrick and Pawson state that in England more than a quarter of all council tenants in 2003/2004 were at least 70 years old whilst in Scotland, single pensioners are the most common type of household found in the sector (CIH, 2006). According to statistics, this will change in future years, as the next generation is largely a home owning population who will not need the support of social housing. Both sectors are facing an increase of younger people as the new entrants into social housing and with that come new needs and mobility patterns. Fitzpatrick and Pawson state that commonly older renters â€Å"will have lived in the sector their whole lives, their low propensity for mobility stabilizing their local neighborhoods and tenure as a whole†. This will change in both England and Scotland and the possibility of a more transient need in social housing as discussed by Fitzpatrick and Pawson (2007) will be applicable. This development has been criticised as a reinforcement of the view of social housing as solely for the poorest and most vulnerable groups and as a ‘last resort for housing (Glynn, 2007). Adding to this hollowing out of those participating in the sector in both England and Scotland, is th e Right to Buy policy which encourages and supports households who wish to purchase their homes through regulated schemes. The Right to Buy means that the economically able are moving away from social renting, resulting in the poorest and most vulnerable making up larger percentages of the social housing sector (Satsangi and Dunmore 2003, p202 and CIH, 2007, p7). With regard to differences in Scotlands social housing sector, Midwinter et al (1991) state that â€Å"there has been acceptance in Whitehall that Scotlands housing needs are both qualitatively and quantitatively different from Englands† (p92). This is perhaps more evident since the devolution of parliament and in the difference in policies that are now emerging. Only one difference has been selected for this discussion due to its significance. Although the tenant basis of both England and Scotland are changing in similar ways, the starkest difference lies in the allocation process in the social housing sector. In England, as already mentioned, the CBL scheme is being piloted and successes are being reported (Fitzpatrick and Pawson, 2007). However, Scotland is being much more cautious in its approach and is keeping to its rights based traditions (Stirling and Smith 2003, p156). The Homelessness Task Force explain we are concerned that (CBL schemes) do not operate in ways which deny homeless people the opportunity of participating, or in ways which restrict the stock of housing available for homeless people (CHI, 2002). One of the main purposes of CBL schemes is to introduce choice. The Scottish Government is enhancing applicant choice through Common Housing Registers (CHR) that will ensure people have fair and open access to housing lists and assessment processes whilst working with landlords to encourage choice, response to need and the use of stock in lettings (Stirling and Smith 2003, p151). At the same time, the Homelessness Act 2002 removes the duty of authorities in England to have a register at all (Stirling and Smith 2003, p156). Fitzpatrick and Pawson conclude that in England â€Å"whatever the governments ambitions, in high demand areas at least, social renting will remain a ‘safety net tenure catering mainly to those in greatest need.† The social housing allocation policy may differ between England and Scotland but the outcomes here are the same; in essence, the safety net is still available for those who need it most. They further conclude that social renting performs different functions in different areas of England, with the delivery of choice being more successful in the North and Midlands and that this is the â€Å"congenial outcome of these policy endeavors† (Fitzpatrick and Pawson, 2007). Scotland is also being encouraged to diversify its social housing policy in order to widen the target population and bring regeneration to areas suffering from residualisation (Glynn, 2007) and that this will be more appropriate in some areas than in others. Therefore, in conclusion, this essay has attempted to summarise the Fitzpatrick and Pawson (2007) article regarding social housing policy in England, with some key similarities and differences given with regard to Scotland. Although there are significant differences in the social housing sector in England and Scotland, there are also significant similarities; most prominently and importantly is the desire to provide housing to the most vulnerable members of society. References Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) (2002) ‘Strategic Approaches to Homelessness: A Good Practice Briefing. (Coventry, CIH). Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) (2006) ‘The future for Social Renting in Scotland. (Coventry, CIH). Fitzpatrick, S. Pawson, H. (2007) ‘Welfare Safety Net or Tenure of Choice? The Dilemma Facing Social Housing Policy in England. Housing Studies, 22, (2) pp.163-182). Glynn, S. (2007) ‘Safe as Houses. Scottish Left Review, Issue 42. http://www.scottishleftreview.org/php/upload/slr-140-I42SG.htm Midwinter, A., Keating, M. Mitchell, J. (1991) Politics and Public Policy in Scotland (Basingstoke, Macmillan). Mullens, D. Pawson, H. (2005) ‘The Land That Time Forgot: reforming access to social housing in England. Policy Politics, 33, pp135-148). Satsangi, M. Dunmore, K. (2003) ‘The planning System and the Provision of Affordable Housing in Rural Britain: A Comparison of the Scottish and English Experience. Housing Studies, 18 (2), pp.201-217). Stephens, M., Burns, N. Mackay, L. (2002) ‘Social Market or Safety Net? British Social Rented Housing in a European Context (Bristol: The Policy Press). Stirling, T. Smith, R. (2003) ‘A Matter of Choice? Policy Divergence in Access to Social Housing Post-devolution. Housing Studies, 18 (2), pp.145-158). Walker, R., Mullins, D. Pawson, H. (2003) ‘Devolution and Housing Association in Great Britain; Enhancing Organizational Accountability Housing. Housing Studies, 18 (2), pp.177-199). Bibliography Chartered Institute of Housing (CHI) (2007) ‘The Future of the Social Housing Sector in Scotland in Delivering Successful, Mixed Communities: CIH in Scotland Position Paper. (Coventry, CIH). Jellinek, D. (2006) ‘Social Housing In Scotland: Tenant Participation and Community Cohesion. (Authority Forum Report, CIVICA).

Essay --

Doctor John Parker Hammond is Scottish venture capitalist who develops a park on an island where dinosaurs can be brought back to life, through the miracles of science. He does this for the entertainment, and profit, of the people. However, the dinosaurs escape to bring terror upon those on the island, themselves, and the island itself. It is made very clear from the first scene that Jurassic Park is a commentary on global market capitalism. It both drives the story and its central complication. Capital is a resource gained through a good or service, which can be used to create more goods or services, not always ending up to be money. These things could act like money or create money. For Hammond, the park is a capital, being that he hopes to profit in some way financially from it. Hammond makes it clear throughout the film that they've â€Å"spared no expense,† in getting the park up and ready for the public. He is now made aware of the dangers of the park, due to one of his employees being killed by one of the dinosaurs. This worker is made a product of and subject to capital as an enemy from the start. When there were complications with one of the dinosaur containment units, the investors of InGen become scared off. Hammond decides to venture off to find Genarro, a lawyer, and three experts. He suggest to host these people, so they could sign off on the safety of the park, because it is a risky opportunity for investors. Doctors Grant and Satler have been very hesitant to take Hammond up on his offer. They discuss how they'd like to focus on their work. Recently, a full diplodocus skeleton was sold for over $650,000, according to BBC.co.uk. These doctors have just discovered what could possibly be the biggest find they've eve... ...such as a home loan, or perhaps creating an island filled with dinosaurs. Perhaps Jurassic park wasn't meant to be a complete commentary on consumerism and capitalism, but it was anyway. If we look at each character's intentions, we'll see that each played part in a greater idea that might possibly be a symbol for the economic system as a whole. John Hammond represents the fat-cat big business type that has an end game of profit and succession. Doctors Grant and Salter are the endorsers of the product. Malcolm is the curious consumer that doesn't fall into the obvious ploys of the fat cats and offers up an array of questions. Hammond's grandchildren are the innocent children of the market, observing and letting others be the first to grab. The characters behave in the ways the market requires them to in order to succeed. We, as consumers also behave the same way. Essay -- Doctor John Parker Hammond is Scottish venture capitalist who develops a park on an island where dinosaurs can be brought back to life, through the miracles of science. He does this for the entertainment, and profit, of the people. However, the dinosaurs escape to bring terror upon those on the island, themselves, and the island itself. It is made very clear from the first scene that Jurassic Park is a commentary on global market capitalism. It both drives the story and its central complication. Capital is a resource gained through a good or service, which can be used to create more goods or services, not always ending up to be money. These things could act like money or create money. For Hammond, the park is a capital, being that he hopes to profit in some way financially from it. Hammond makes it clear throughout the film that they've â€Å"spared no expense,† in getting the park up and ready for the public. He is now made aware of the dangers of the park, due to one of his employees being killed by one of the dinosaurs. This worker is made a product of and subject to capital as an enemy from the start. When there were complications with one of the dinosaur containment units, the investors of InGen become scared off. Hammond decides to venture off to find Genarro, a lawyer, and three experts. He suggest to host these people, so they could sign off on the safety of the park, because it is a risky opportunity for investors. Doctors Grant and Satler have been very hesitant to take Hammond up on his offer. They discuss how they'd like to focus on their work. Recently, a full diplodocus skeleton was sold for over $650,000, according to BBC.co.uk. These doctors have just discovered what could possibly be the biggest find they've eve... ...such as a home loan, or perhaps creating an island filled with dinosaurs. Perhaps Jurassic park wasn't meant to be a complete commentary on consumerism and capitalism, but it was anyway. If we look at each character's intentions, we'll see that each played part in a greater idea that might possibly be a symbol for the economic system as a whole. John Hammond represents the fat-cat big business type that has an end game of profit and succession. Doctors Grant and Salter are the endorsers of the product. Malcolm is the curious consumer that doesn't fall into the obvious ploys of the fat cats and offers up an array of questions. Hammond's grandchildren are the innocent children of the market, observing and letting others be the first to grab. The characters behave in the ways the market requires them to in order to succeed. We, as consumers also behave the same way.

Representation of Athletes in the Media

There has been an abundance literature on the subject of the representation of female athletes in the media, from television coverage and newspapers to magazines and websites. From ancient Greece where it was not allowed for women to partake in or even watch the Olympic Games and the power and independence of the Amazonian tribal warrior woman, to present day and the struggles with underrepresentation and misrepresentation of female athletes in sport media (George, Hartley, Paris, 2001; Creedon, 1994; Bernstein, 2002).The mass media is a sociocultural machine that churns out influential images and articles about (sporting) issues that reflect ideologies, values and beliefs that shape societies attitudes towards that issue, such as the underrepresentation of female athletes and women’s sport causing society to believe that women’s sporting achievement and participation in sport is inferior or of little value or less exciting then male athletes and male sport (George, Har tly, Paris, 2001; Bernsein, 2002; Duncan, 1990; Sagas et al, 2000; Economos, C. D. , Brownson, R. C. , DeAngelis, M. A. , Foerster, S. B. , Foreman, C. T. , Gregson, J. Kumanyika, S. K. and Pate, R. R. , 2001). Harris (1999) puts it that the ‘attitudes towards the institution of sport generate and support sexist ideologies and beliefs about gender’ (; 98). The literature focusses its research analysis on two main underlying issues, these being the amount of coverage and secondly, the type of representation created in the mass media of female athletes and women’s sport. These issues can be broken down further into ‘sub-issues’ which focus on the representation of women in visual media – photos, verbal descriptors – commentary, contextual – articles (Alexander, 1994; Bernstein, 2002).The amount of coverage in all mass media forms in certain time frames are usually consisting of the analysis of media revolving around the largest spo rting event in history – The Olympics. It has been proven that aside from the two weeks every four years for the Olympics and arguably the two weeks for the Commonwealth Games, sport media coverage of female sports is almost forgotten, non-existent or even ignored (Jones, 2006), for example; less than 10 per cent of coverage increases to an average of 26 per cent during major sporting events such as the Olympics (Bruce, 2008).The media’s coverage of female athletes does not carry a fair portrayal of women in sport but serves to reinforce ideologies that women are inferior and are ‘socially constructed as an alternative to their male counterparts, who play the version of the sport that â€Å"really counts†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Jones and Jackson, 1999. p 99). Many of the ways in which media has been found to represent women can be deconstructed in the photographs used in the media.Lee (1992) found, in his analysis of the Globe and Mail and the New York Times coverage of the 1984 and the 1988 Olympic Games, that male athletes received 60. 4% of the photographic coverage in parallel with the female athletes who had only 26%. So we can already begin to understand how the media is responsible for this under and miss representations of female athletes.Vincent, Imwold, Masemann and Johnson (2002) suggests 4 ways in which one can break down the denotations of imagery; 1 – Competitive: where the athlete is actively pictured partaking in his/her sport, 2 – Non-competitive: this is when an athlete is not actively participating in the sport but is in a setting whereby the sport is apparent, 3 – Active: the athlete is physically doing something other than the sport, for example spectating, 3 – Posed: when the athlete is depicted in a non-sport setting and is posed for the camera.Duncan (1990) suggests women represent ‘otherness’ in photographs when there is a focus on A) women’s physical appearance (the ‘b est looking’, ‘best kept’ athletes are captured more, B) poses with sexual connotations (images revealing body prats to resemble soft-core pornography), C) displays of emotion (tearful athletes, in victory or defeat) and D) sexual differences (women being passive and men as active).So, female athletes being pictured in a way that suggests passiveness, sexually difference and non-competitiveness, for example, will only function to perpetuate ‘otherness’ and inferiority in the sport, therefore cause to devalue and marginalise the accomplishments of female athletes (Jones, 2006). When female athletes do get high percentages of photographic coverage in the media, the photographs depict the female athletes in a passive or non-athletic role.Boutlilier and SanGoivannis’ (1983) study of the 25 year special edition of Sports Illustrated found 60 per cent of the photos of women showed them in this way and those photos depicting men in the same way was o nly 44 per cent. It can be argued this is because, in western culture, women that show traits of active physicality, toughness and aggressiveness are seen in the eyes of society as lesbian, due to these classically masculine sporting characteristics (Kane and Lenskyj, 1989).Homosexuality is only just being appreciated as a socio-acceptable sexuality, France is set to legalize same-sex marriages in 2013. But at the moment it would seem that sporting ideologies are behind the times as far as progression in social changes are concerned. In sport it can be seen as a threat to the male dominance that surrounds sport. A lesbian presence in sport is a threat because it disrupts and challenges the male hegemony by ‘upsetting existing power structures based on gender and sexuality’ (Kane and Lenskyj, 1989, p. 89), this leads to the media and the sporting industry to underrepresent female athletes and/or fix the female athletes with a heterosexual role, like wife or mother, or em phasize their heterosexuality with ‘heterosexy images’ (Griffin, 1992, p 225; Kane and Lenskyj, 1989). Heterosexy images can best be explained like this, ‘for women, being an athlete contradicts the conventional female roles, and thus the media coverage emphazises other aspects of their â€Å"femaleness†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (such as their attractiveness) (Knight and Giuliano, 2002, p 219).Martina Narvatiolva, a professional tennis player who won 18 Grand slam titles through the 80s, has always been open about her homosexuality and due to this fact received less endorsements and sponsorships throughout her career than her predecessor Chris Evert (Creedon, 1998). These two female tennis players both won the same amount of Grand slam singles titles, so it seems like a blatant strike against those who challenge dominant beliefs about male hegemony in sport.Others have learned from this, Nelson (1991) remarks on the LPGA (Ladies Pro Golf Association) and how the ‘[s]p onsors, LPGA staff, and players attempt to†¦ play up marriages and mothers, employ an image consultant to serve as hairstylist and make-up artists and maintain†¦a â€Å"silence so loud it screams†. Sponsors are only interested in sport which gains the most coverage, women’s sport and female athletes do not feature enough in the media for the sponsors to be interested, therefore when females are ‘glammed’ up and conforming to heterosexy images like mother or wife, they are more appropriate for mass media coverage (Berstein, 2002).What has happened and is happening in women’s sport is that women find themselves emphasizing their femininity so that they do not get pigeonholed as socially different, Del Ray (1978) and Felshin (1981) call this the apologetic approach theory. Women such as Jessica Ennis are encouraged to feel like they have to be overtly feminine, for example pose for fashion magazines and take part in interviews which constantl y undermine the achievements of female athletes. Female athletes are conforming to a very old patriarchal ideology of women that is increasingly forgotten in society but is very much the way in sport.This again is proof to what has previously been stated, that sporting ideologies are behind the times in regards to social change. The modern Olympic Games were reborn and were reserved for men only; in the first modern Olympics in 1896 there were not female participants. In the 1900 Games onward the number of women competing gradually grew until one millennia later more athletes competed that ever in 188 events including women’s weightlifting (Berstein, 2002) and now in 2012 is the first ever Olympics to allow female boxing.Women who compete in, what are considered male ‘appropriate’ sports are said to be challenging traditional gender role expectations and so are going against the grain of conventional ideologies in sport and society (Creedon, 1994). Boxing is abso lutely seen as a male dominated sport and so are many others such as rugby, football, basketball and weightlifting, these are considered as ‘male appropriate’ sports.The idea of male and female appropriate sports further increases the social differences between men and women in sport and by imbedding this social dichotomy sexual (physical) difference becomes gender (social) difference (Lenskyj, 1987; Kane and Greendorfer, 1994). This suggests that men and women in sport are equal to partake in any sport but the sport and media industry, by means of this segregation, are prescribing to male dominance through gender appropriating sports.For example, Tuggle and Owen’s (1999) study of the 1996 Olympic Games discovered female athletes were more likely to receive media attention if they competed in female appropriate sports. They found that 61 per cent of media coverage of women was concentrated on swimming, diving and gymnastics. These sports, along with the likes of ice skating and tennis, are ranked more sex appropriate for women because they comprise of graceful, smooth and fluid body movements that require no heavy bodily contact or contests of strength and aggression (Colley, Nash, O’Donnell and Restorick, 1987; Metheny, 1967).If men’s sport and therein masculinity is defined and associated with aggression and violence, then female athletes who take part in these sports are seen to cross the gap and are socially viewed as men and as lesbian and also vice-versa, male athletes who’s sports consists of diving and ice skating are seen and women and therefore ‘soft’ and homosexual (Eisler, 1987). With such a divide in sport, towards male and female, and the medias bias of representation and coverage towards male sport and male athletes then it can only lead the public opinion to assume that female athletes are the ‘social other’ and less important than male athletes.Sabo and Curry Jansen (1992. 176) put that†¦ the skills and strengths of women athletes are often devalued in comparison to cultural standards linked to dominant standards of male athletic excellence, which emphasize the cultural equivalences of hegemonic power, self-control, success, agency and aggression. The dichotomy can be argued as a good thing to inspire young women to play sport, according to one Australian female athlete who posed for a sexy calendar.She said it was ‘nice to feel like a women because you just feel like a dog after training with your hair all wet’ (â€Å"Stars back glamour for promotion†, 1994). She went on to say how young girls today are turned off by sport because ‘they don’t want to look muscle bound and sweaty and ‘grimy’ and that ‘glamorous’ sportswomen in the calendar would encourage girls to participate’’ (Wells, 1994). It would seem that due to the underrepresentation of women’s sport in the media, young girls only see men in sport so automatically will assume they will become muscle bound and hairy.The company that produced the calendar said that ‘the public image of female athletes is â€Å"masculine with hairy armpits† and the calendar presented women who appeared â€Å"feminine, soft and sexy†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Games girls’ fund-raising, 1994). However, one can argue that this type of encouragement into sport will have negative influences on young women such as the hyper-feminine athlete competing for recognition through her attractiveness instead of her achievements, leading away from social change and backing the patriarchal beliefs in sport. Anna Kournikova is a good example case study of this theory.Anna was dubbed tennis’s pin-up girl and in the year 2000 Kournikova was ranked 8th in the world. Usually an 8th seed or and 8th ranked would very rarely get a mention in the media but as one web-based writer put it ‘the Anna Kournikova pheno menon proves you don’t need to win tournaments to get your name- and photo- in the media’ (see Thomas, 2001). Kournikova ‘herself and the people surrounding her orchestrate the type of media coverage and hype she generates†¦As a result she has made millions from endorsements and was ranked No. 4 on this year’s Forbes â€Å"celebrity 100† – higher than any other sportswomen’ (Thomas, 2001). Is the underlying message to young women you have to be attractive to succeed in sport or is it to succeed in sport, like anything else, you need to have the drive, motivation and skills. Mackay (1999) says there is a definitely a positive from athletes such as Kournikova in that girls are encouraged by her to run around and get sweaty and that twenty years ago this was not considered feminine.Perhaps encouraging young women into sports this way and increasing the numbers of women in sport will force the media to change the way they represent wo men in the future. Gender marked sports/ appropriate sports. Leads to Language and stereotypes Journalists and reporters mainly male, women don’t want to cover females, it doesn’t pay aswell. With the passing of Title IX, which sates ‘[n]o person†¦shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in,†¦any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance,’(Title IX, Education Amendments of 1972), so many young women now actively take part in sports.For example, in the United States 2 million young women compared to just 300 000 now take part in school sports (Becker, 1988; National Federation of State High School Associations, 1991). So, all this new interest and up-and-coming talent and increased investments there has been post Title IX, $4 million in 1974 to $16 million (Sullivan, 1985), it begs the question of; why is the media not making any attempts to break out of the patriarchal belief system and encourage socia l change through the images in puts out? Also, who’s interests is it to portray and promote the modern female athletes as role models (Kane and Greendorfer, 1994).

I’m Bored- What your Child Is Really Telling You Essay

In the short essay, I’m Bored: What Your Child is Really Telling You, by Linda Morgan, children everywhere are having issues with saying what they really mean when they say they are bored. Whether at home or in school, when a child says those two words, â€Å"I’m bored†, he may be in need of parental attention, redirection of school work, and direction in completing projects and activities. In today’s world, technology takes over a child’s extra time. Instead of going outside to play with friends or having a specific hobby, adolescents find themselves caught in an Xbox or computer game. Yet after they have beaten the game or moved on to something else they still complain that they are â€Å"bored†. But what does that really mean? According to Dr. Danielle Kassow, when a child states that they are uninterested in whatever they are doing or working on, it could mean that they simply want their parents, teachers, and daycare provider’s attention. It’s common for a child to want the attentiveness of an adult. Being a kid in society today, direction is still needed by the parent; whether in school or not. Adolescents need that extra push in order to make up their own mind about what they want to do next or what they are interested in. In order to help a child make up their mind, it could help to ask them questions like â€Å"what’s your favorite hobby† or give the child educational projects to do. These questions and projects will stimulate their minds and allow them to actually pay attention to something. Unlike a project that is hands on, games on any kind of technological device will allow them the chance to put their attention on something. If a child comes home from school and starts their homework, says he is bored in the middle of the assignment, it could mean that he needs a redirection of school work. His assignments may not be as challenging as they need to be for him. He is not becoming engaged in his school work, therefore he gets bored while doing or listening to his lessons. Also, it could mean that he needs a clearer pathway as to what he should start on or how he should start the homework. Children need a coach, whether it’s the parent or the teacher. Help him become motivated and less confused as to how or where he should start. Make his understanding grow a little clearer when pushing him in the direction to where he needs to start. This â€Å"coach† persona will help to child pick up an understanding about how to layout or outline his projects or assignments. It will not only give him a head start it will help him with all the assignments he may have some trouble with in the future. At times, a child saying they are bored could mean that they are independent and wants to organize their own activities. When adolescents get caught up in the technological world, they lose sight of how to rely on themselves to create their next activity. This causes them to want the guidance from the parent or teacher. While there are still children that find themselves independent, they may get bored because they don’t know how to entertain themselves. Kids need to find activities that they are able to do on their own. Things like drawing, simple building, or going outside to socialize or play with friends. Children need the time to be allowed to decide what they want to do, something that they are able to do. Giving them this time will help them reconnect with physical activities and not so much mental activities. When kids are doing their homework, and they seem to rely on their parents or teachers too much, you could give them a little time to themselves. In order to get them to think on their own without their parent saying â€Å"you aren’t doing this right† or â€Å"this is wrong do it again, let them work the assignment without any interruptions and eventually they will understand why they didn’t get the right answer at first and how they got the correct answer in the end. After they are done the parent or teacher could check their work and then tell them what they got wrong or right. This is important for the child so they can be able to learn on their own without needing the help from the teacher or parent all the time. These little techniques will come to the guardian as an advantage. Not only is the child engaging in the activity, but he or she is enjoying the process. It’s important to know what a child means when they say they are bored so they can be helped. Whether it’s tough to figure out or there is a very easy solution, in the end there will be a drastic change in the child attention skills. Boredom is a concurring epidemic in today’s society because of all the technology we rely on. Kids do not need to be exposed to all these advantages we have at a young age. Being able to rely on themselves is important in the early stages of life. Although sometimes kids say those words some parents hate to hear â€Å"I’m Bored†, it could have a complex meaning to it. Children may need attention from the parent or teacher, redirection of their school work, and some direction in completing projects and assignments. There are many ways to help children fall away from spending too much times playing computer games, or PlayStation games and allowing them to have the responsibility of choosing their own activities. Helping them move in the right direction in school work, whether they are not getting the challenge they need or simply needing that extra help starting an assignment will ultimately have a positive effect on their progress. Independent children will need the time to figure out the correct answer on their own. The guardian will also get a positive result from giving them that time to correct their issues. Children are all different, when they say they are bored, it could be something drastic or something ve ry simple. It’s up to the parent or teacher to decide what the next move is for the child.

Overview of the Rajput People of India

Overview of the Rajput People of India A Rajput is a member of northern Indias Hindu warrior caste. They live mainly in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. The word Rajput is a contracted form of raja, or monarch, and Putra, meaning son. According to legend, only the first son of a king could inherit the kingdom, so the later sons became military leaders. From these younger sons was born the Rajput warrior caste. The term Rajaputra was first mentioned around 300 B.C., in the Bhagvat Purana. The name gradually evolved to its current shortened form. Origins of the Rajputs The Rajputs were not a separately identified group until the 6th century AD. At that time, the Gupta empire broke up and there were repeated conflicts with the Hephthalites, the White Huns. They may have been absorbed into the existing society, including leaders into the Kshatriya rank. Others from the local tribes also ranked as Rajput. The Rajputs claim descent from three basic lineages or vanshas. Suryavanshi, the Solar Dynasty, descended from Surya, the Hindu Sun-god.Chadravanshi, the Lunar Dynasty descended from Chandra, the Hindu Moon-god. They include major sub-branches of Yaduvanshi (Lord Krisha was born into this branch) and Puruvanshi.Agnivanshi, the Fire Dynasty descended from Agni, the Hindu god of fire. This lineage has four clans: Chauhans, Paramara, Solanki, and Pratiharas. These all are divided into clans who claim direct patrilineal descent from a common male ancestor. These are then divided into sub-clans, shakhas, that have their own genealogical creed, which governs the laws of intermarriage. History of the Rajputs Rajputs ruled many small kingdoms in North India from the beginning of the 7th century. They were an obstacle to the Muslim conquest in North India. While they opposed invasion by the Muslims, they also battled among each other and were loyal to their clan rather than uniting. When the Mughal empire was established, some Rajput rulers were allies and also married their daughters to the emperors for political favor. The Rajputs revolted against the Mughal empire and led to its downfall in the 1680s. In the late 18th century, Rajput rulers formed an alliance with the East India Company. By the time of British influence, Rajputs ruled most of the princely states in Rajasthan and Saurashtra. Rajput soldiers were valued by the British. Purbiya soldiers from the eastern Ganga plains had long been mercenaries for Rajput rulers. The British gave more self-rule to the Rajput princes than to other areas of India. Upon independence from Britain in 1947, the princely states voted for whether to join India, Pakistan or remain independent. Twenty-two princely states joined India as the state of Rajasthan. Rajputs are now a Forward Caste in India, meaning they do not get any preferential treatment under the system of positive discrimination. Culture and Religion of Rajputs While many Rajputs are Hindu, others are Muslim or Sikh. Rajput rulers exhibited religious toleration to a greater or lesser extent. Rajputs generally secluded their women and were seen in older times to practice female infanticide and sati (widow immolation). They are usually not vegetarians and eat pork, as well as drinking alcohol.

The Top 10 Jobs To Have Today

The Top 10 Jobs To Have Today Rachel Gillett over at Business Insider has rounded up the 25 best jobs to have now. Topping the list? Physician’s Assistant, so congrats to my cousin Alex, who apparently has it made in the shade. We’re rounding up just the top 10. 1. Physicians Assistant:There’s a high demand for this well-paying entry-level job in the medical field; average salary is $111,376, and there are 45,484 current job openings.2. Software Engineer:Yes, we should all have learned coding instead of taking those semesters of Italian in college. Engineers design and develop the systems that run on computers, and are paid on average $98,074 for it. There are more than 104,000 available openings in this field!3. Business Development Manager:This position is responsible for helping companies grow by identifying potential partnerships and prospects, then cultivating those relationships to everyone’s benefit. Average salary is $84,907, and there are currently 11,616 job openings.4. Human Resources Manager:This has sort of a who-watches-the-watchmen feeling about it, because who hires the human resources manager? But if you like managing staff activities and coordinating new hires, check out one of the 8,073 job openings available for this job, which earns on average $96,443.5. Finance Manager:In this job, you’d help companies manage their money and attend to their business needs; average salary is $122,865, and there are 9,728 job openings. If you like numbers and rock at organizing spreadsheets, this might be the gig for you.6. Marketing Manager:Are you noticing a trend? Management should be your end goal in a lot of these industries. A marketing manager coordinates- surprise!- the marketing of an organization’s products and services. There are 14,647 job openings in this field, with an average salary of $100,130.7. Database Administrator:Enjoy staying on top of inventories and customer transaction records? Consider this position, where you might ear n on average $97,835 and have 9,790 chances to find the right place to work.8. Product Manager:Are you the consummate team player? Project managers supervise design and production teams to produce and market products. There are 10,294 job openings, with an average salary of $113,363.9. Data Scientist:One of the downsides of all the data mining we do these days  is that it’s all just a pile of numbers without someone to interpret the findings and identify trends. There are 3,449 job openings with an average salary of $104,476.10. Sales Manager:Last on our round up for today (and sorry, for this introvert, kind of least) is the sales manager oeuvre- there’s an average salary of $121,657 and are 3,982 openings to choose from. So if you can find a place with a company you like and don’t mind cold-calling on the regular, this could be a great field to pursue.

Illustrator Maurice Sendak Career Biography

Author/Illustrator Maurice Sendak Career Biography Who would have thought that Maurice Sendak would become one of the most influential, and controversial, creators of childrens books in the twentieth century? Maurice Sendak was born on June 10, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York and died on May 8, 2012. He was the youngest of three children, each born five years apart. His Jewish family had immigrated to the United States from Poland before World War I and were to lose many of their relatives to the Holocaust during World War II. His father was a wonderful storyteller, and Maurice grew up enjoying his fathers imaginative tales and gaining a lifelong appreciation for books. Sendaks early years were influenced by his sickliness, his hatred of school, and the war. From an early age, he knew he wanted to be an illustrator. While still attending high school, he became an illustrator for All-American Comics. Sendak subsequently worked as a window dresser for F.A.O. Schwartz, a well-known toy store in New York City. How did he then get involved in illustrating and writing and illustrating childrens books? Maurice Sendak, Author, and Illustrator of Childrens Books Sendak began to illustrate childrens books after meeting Ursula Nordstrom, a childrens book editor at Harper and Brothers. The first was The Wonderful Farm by Marcel Ayme, which was published in 1951 when Sendak was 23 years old. By the time he was 34, Sendak had written and illustrated seven books and illustrated 43 others. A Caldecott Medal and Controversy With the publication of Where the Wild Things Are in 1963 for which Sendak won the 1964 Caldecott Medal, Maurice Sendaks work earned both acclaim and controversy. Sendak addressed some of the complaints about the scary aspects of his book in his Caldecott Medal acceptance speech, saying: â€Å"Certainly, we want to protect our children from new and painful experiences that are beyond their emotional comprehension and that intensify anxiety; and to a point we can prevent premature exposure to such experiences. That is obvious. But what is just as obvious-and what is too often overlooked is the fact that from their earliest years children live on familiar terms with disrupting emotions, that fear and anxiety are an intrinsic part of their everyday lives, that they continually cope with frustration as best they can. And it is through fantasy that children achieve catharsis. It is the best means they have for taming Wild Things. As he went on to create other popular books and characters, there seemed to be two schools of thought. Some people felt that his stories were too dark and disturbing for children. The majority view was that Sendak, through his work, had pioneered a completely new way of writing and illustrating for, and about, children. Both Sendaks stories and some of his illustrations were subject to controversy. For example, the nude little boy in Sendaks picture book In the Night Kitchen was one of the reasons the book was 21st among the 100 most frequently challenged books of the 1990s and 24th among the 100 most frequently challenged books of the 2000s. Maurice Sendak’s Impact In his book, Angels and Wild Things: The Archetypal Poetics of Maurice Sendak, John Cech, Professor of English at the University of Florida and a past president of the Childrens Literature Association, wrote: Indeed, without Sendak, an enormous void would exist in contemporary American (and, for that matter, international) childrens books. One can only try to imagine what the landscape of childrens literature would be like without Sendaks fantasies and the characters and places visited in them. These fantasies essentially broke through the relatively unperturbed surfaces of postwar American childrens literature, sending his children - Rosie, Max, Mickey, Jennie, Ida - on journeys into regions of the psyche that childrens books had not dared visit before. That these journeys have been embraced by countless other childrens authors and their audiences since Sendaks seminal works is apparent when you look at the childrens books presently being published. Maurice Sendak Honored Starting with the first book he illustrated (The Wonderful Farm by Marcel Ayme) in 1951, Maurice Sendak illustrated or wrote and illustrated more than 90 books. The list of awards presented to him is too long to include in full. Sendak received the 1964 Randolph Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are and the Hans Christian Andersen International Medal in 1970 for his body of childrens books. He was the recipient of the American Book Award in 1982 for Outside Over There. In 1983, Maurice Sendak received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his contributions to childrens literature. In 1996, Sendak was honored by the President of the United States with the National Medal of Arts. In 2003, Maurice Sendak and Austrian author Christine Noestlinger shared the first Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature. Sources Cech, John. Angels and Wild Things: The Archetypal Poetics of Maurice Sendak. Pennsylvania State Univ Press, 1996Lanes, Selma G. The Art of Maurice Sendak. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1980Sendak, Maurice. Caldecott Co.: Notes on Books Pictures. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988.

FEAR OF TECHNOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FEAR OF TECHNOLOGY - Essay Example There is a revealing fact that people are now able to envision the future in terms of technology. Our lives are dominated by products and the problems of technology because all aspects of our lives; social activities, education, even religion has come to rely heavily on technology (Banks & Stevens, 2005, p.265). The truth that has emerged is the fear of technology in relation to what they will do because its adoption has robbed humans’ privacy and even access to a variety of information. Moreover, technology has become an impersonal mechanism and this can be seen in the governments and corporate in the way they have enabled machines to run by themselves and not with the control of an individual. The society as a whole has raised questions on whether there are difficulties in the way people characterize the way technology has been embraced, or the way technology has had an impact in their lives. Complications come about in the freedom the people have in using technology, this is seen in the way humans give machines something that is humanity. When human beings refuse one or more of their responsibilities, machine readily fill the position and performs the task. Humans have developed the tendency to give expressions to do and take up the independent life they have in technology, and th e truth behind this is amplified in the technology of computers, making computers independent agents. People should not forget the fact that the autonomous life we have is our own, and there should be a confrontation with all agencies of technology in all aspects of our lives. The solution best suited to overcome this intoxication caused by technology is finding a balance that is right (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2011, p 274). This can be done by balancing between the emphases on human freedom where technology should be made neutral, and putting an established emphasis on proclivities of the humans by

Strategic performance management systems have beneficial impact on Essay

Strategic performance management systems have beneficial impact on performance, critically discuss - Essay Example A properly formulated performance management process empowers a manager to come up with effective and efficient strategic plans, set ambitious goals and follows closely the activities that work towards achieving his set goals, this leads to value creation that can be sustained for a long time. This paper will therefore aim at critically analysing the process of strategic performance management and how it impacts positively on the performance of the organisation. The Strategic Management Process The process of strategic management involves several steps, they include, first is understanding the strategic context that a business operates in, this involves both external and internal environment. In the internal environment, the first activity that a business does is the identification of the core purpose of the business, values and goal which it intends to achieve (Bisbe & Melaquero, 2012 p304). These then helps the management to come up with an overall vision of the organisations and t he direction it will take. ... The visionary goals of the organisation is the outlook of the company in future, that is how the company will be in the future and includes the achievements it hopes to have achieved by that time, these goals are set on a period of 3 to 10 years (Slack, 2006, p99). In the external environment, the company surveys the market for its products and the rivals in the market, here the business seeks to understand who the main stakeholders in the industry are and why it is necessary for the business to centre its operations on them, this activity is known as the stakeholder value proposition (Smith,2007, P 86). In order to carry out this activity, a business can use several tools that have been created that include Porter’s five forces framework. In the internal environment analysis, a business analyses its strengths and weaknesses where it evaluates its internal performance and the resources that it uses in the discharge of its responsibilities. This process enables an organisation to understand the effectiveness of its production process, how productive and skilled the employees are and how these can impact on the performance of the business (Penger & Tekavc?Ic?, 2009, p12). Model of the business is the next stage that a company undertakes, in this step the business organisation puts together all the key elements of the business strategy and visualises it. Using the Kaplan and Norton’s method, the result of this step will be strategy map while using the Marr’s methodology then the result will be value creation map and value creation narrative (Macmillan & Tampoe,2000, p105). Both of these methods used in this stage produce almost the same results

Similarities and differences between the USA and Saudi Arabia in Essay

Similarities and differences between the USA and Saudi Arabia in relation to their religion, politics, economic development, and social behaviors - Essay Example The paper tells that in Saudi Arabia, people’s way of life, the economy and politics are guided by the Islamic religion and their old customs. In contrast, the American society is guided by freedom and economic development. United States methods, therefore, differ from the Saudi people’s method. United States is the most religious developed country across the world. It is revealed that religion plays a great role in the life of American people. The history of United States is patent by freedom of religion. Constitution of this country is designed to ensure citizens have the power to establish religious practices. This, therefore, makes United States one of the countries with diverse religion. This is because it is estimated that there are over 100 different religious sects in the America. About 80 percent of them are Christians, while Jews and Muslims hold about 2 percent each. Majority of Americans are, therefore, followers of Christ. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia has Islamic as its official religion. As Muslims, Saudi Arabian people believe in God and prophets. However, they do not believe Jesus Christ was a son of God but rather a messenger. In addition, they believe Muhammad was also a messenger of God. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is, therefore, referred as an Islamic theocratic dominion. The law in this country only allows Muslims to be the real citizens of this kingdom. However, non-Muslims are only allowed to visit and work in the kingdom but cannot acquire citizenship. Moreover, Muslims are the only ones permitted to visit holiest cities in the country. One of the holiest cities is Mecca, which houses Ka ‘aba, a pilgrim shrine that was built by Moses following an order from God. United States government and politics is a clear example of democracy. This is because they are allowed to choose their representatives in their relevant States during elections. States representatives then select the best candidate to contend for the preside ncy. United States’ citizen vote for their president through the electoral process called Electoral College system. In this case, every State has electors equal to the number of members in the House of Representatives. Additionally, two senators representing each State are also included in the Electoral College system. During the elections, United States’ citizens cast votes to electors who obligate to offer support presidential candidate desired by members of their State. Whenever a president is elected, he or she is supposed to run the office for a period less than two terms comprising four years each. President in United States is the head of government and State. In addition, he is the commander in chief of all the armed forces. The structure of government in United States is categorized in three levels, which include Local, State, and Federal governments. Federal government in United States is in charge of the entire nation and has three branches, which include th e legislative, executive and legislature. In addition, the government of United States conducts its affairs in accordance to the constitution of the country. This constitution outlines freedom of citizens, function of the three arms of government and democratic rule. On the contrary, Saudi Arabian government is monarch in nature with the head of state being referred as the king. Whenever the king demises, he is succeeded by his eldest son in the event. However, the king can also choose a heir to succeed him or her in the leadership of the country.

MKTG 4050 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8750 words

MKTG 4050 - Essay Example Executive Summary The present age of business markets is dubbed by many critiques as the age of consumerism and globalization. Globalization has helped in transforming the entire world into a single global village where business organizations are breaching political and geographical boundaries to reach out to new and potential markets. International expansion and new product developments are now considered to be the strategy behind every successful organization. The aspect of globalization also implies an enhanced level of competition in the global consumer markets. This has made it important for every organization to carefully undertake and formulate a policy that would help it to grab a market share in a chosen target market. The enhanced aspect of competitiveness in the market has also enhanced the level of competition as more players are resorting to this strategy, considering the saturation of the traditional markets of Western Europe and USA. The present study would include a m arketing plan for the launch of a new product in a new market. A fictitious company named Krijen Games has been chosen as the firm while the name of the product is ‘Andromeda ® 99-XD’. The product would be a technological marvel that would have features unmatched by any of the presently available product of its kind in the market. The market chosen for the study is the Indian consumer market which has been deliberately chosen considering the business potential of the nation on accounts of its strong economic growth in the recent years. The marketing plan would consist of a situation analysis which would help in analyzing the internal and external environment of the organization. A SWOT analysis would help in the analysis of the firm. In addition, the Porter’s model of five forces would be used to analyze the competitive framework for the organization in the chosen market. Finally, a primary study would be conducted with two separate sets of questionnaires. Thes e would help in devising an appropriate segmentation and positioning strategy for the Indian market. Finally, a product mix for the new product would be created on the basis of the situation analysis and the primary study that would help the firm to gain long term sustainable competitive advantage in the Indian consumer market. 2. Introduction The global markets and business environments are changing rapidity. In recent years, significant changes can be observed in the various business activities due to this changing environment of business. Globalization has made the entire world market very competitive but this has also provided a number of opportunities to the business organizations.

Gender and Cultural Differences in Communication Essay

Gender and Cultural Differences in Communication - Essay Example Verbal communication is best used to convey particular information and is especially suited for communication via technology and over longer distances. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, is immediate compared to the former. This causes its meaning to be more ambiguous, despite the fact that various non-verbal communication forms, for example, the use of eyes and hand gestures, have the ability to convey the emotions with more effectiveness than verbal communication can. Various technological communication media such as a film can also convey many forms of non-verbal communication. Verbal Gender and Cultural Differences During verbal communication, men will normally tend to give solutions, whereas women will tend to focus more on empathy. This mirrors the fact that women are more oriented towards solidifying relationships while men in most occasions are more goal-oriented. Differences in communication across the gender divide also extend to non-verbal communication. Various gestures may be decoded one way by a man and differently by a woman. Persons from various cultures also differ in their manner of expression, even when the words and their literal meanings are translated to the listener’s native language. In some cultures, the word â€Å"yes† could really mean â€Å"maybe† while in another culture, â€Å"yes† could be considered a commitment that is binding. Women are usually better at the interpretation of non-verbal means of communication compared to men. Men also tend to be less accomplished when it comes to sending non-verbal and subtle messages.

Management of the Non-Profit Organizations Research Proposal

Management of the Non-Profit Organizations - Research Proposal Example NPOs, on the other hand, do not usually provide for substantial monetary compensation, since most, if not all, of its work force are volunteers. As such, workers are motivated more by their love and dedication to the mission of the organization and the cause for which it stands. Because of this fundamental difference, workers in NPOs cannot be persuaded to remain with the organisation and contribute their best by the usual means of increasing pay and monetary incentives. Although volunteers are drawn to the job because of the psychic income, such may not be sufficient to sustain the commitment of these volunteers in the long term, without the necessary and appropriate support and action by the human resources manager. The threats posed by the social and physical environment on the continued commitment of an NPO’s volunteer staff will remain a source of challenge to its HR managers, which this dissertation shall aim to explore. Introduction Not too long ago, there was a clear d ichotomy of organizations according to their nature and purpose. The common taxonomy of organizations distinguished them according to whether they were business corporations, organizations supporting philanthropic causes or social development purposes, or public administrative organizations. Business organizations worked to maximize profit, public administrative organizations advanced the goals of the government, and the social cause-oriented organizations worked towards the development of marginalized sectors of society. Recently, there has emerged a changing trend in how organizations are expected to operate. Business organizations can no longer be motivated by the single goal of realizing profits; it must actively pursue a corporate social responsibility program and sustainability program integrally with its main operations, in order to return to society a portion of its profits for the benefits it enjoys as corporate citizen. Non-profit organizations, on the other hand, are comp elled to face the necessity of operating on a self-sustaining basis; it can no longer rely on its previous sponsors and donors who had so generously supported it during more prosperous times, because of the deep financial crisis that will continue to defy recovery efforts for some time to come. Even as many business organizations have been forced to close, NPOs, because of their less financially tenable position, are forced to face economic realities and find ways and means to become financially self-sustaining. There are implications to the obscuring delineations between the types of organizations. Business organizations are becoming increasingly socially oriented, while NPOs are assuming activities that are increasingly economic. These affect the manner in which human resources are expected to perform and how they are engaged. Conceptual framework The term employee engagement may immediately be considered a misnomer in the sense that NPO workers are mostly volunteers rather than e mployees. As such, they are normally not bound by an employment contract where they commit to discharge a particular set of duties in exchange for a predefined monetary compensation. NPO workers perform their duties of their own accord and volition, and correspondingly excel in these duties out of a sense of dedication to further the cause of the organization. Granted that there exists already a greater affinity and identity

Gender and Cultural Differences in Communication Essay

Gender and Cultural Differences in Communication - Essay Example Verbal communication is best used to convey particular information and is especially suited for communication via technology and over longer distances. Non-verbal communication, on the other hand, is immediate compared to the former. This causes its meaning to be more ambiguous, despite the fact that various non-verbal communication forms, for example, the use of eyes and hand gestures, have the ability to convey the emotions with more effectiveness than verbal communication can. Various technological communication media such as a film can also convey many forms of non-verbal communication. Verbal Gender and Cultural Differences During verbal communication, men will normally tend to give solutions, whereas women will tend to focus more on empathy. This mirrors the fact that women are more oriented towards solidifying relationships while men in most occasions are more goal-oriented. Differences in communication across the gender divide also extend to non-verbal communication. Various gestures may be decoded one way by a man and differently by a woman. Persons from various cultures also differ in their manner of expression, even when the words and their literal meanings are translated to the listener’s native language. In some cultures, the word â€Å"yes† could really mean â€Å"maybe† while in another culture, â€Å"yes† could be considered a commitment that is binding. Women are usually better at the interpretation of non-verbal means of communication compared to men. Men also tend to be less accomplished when it comes to sending non-verbal and subtle messages.

The cask of amontillado Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The cask of amontillado - Essay Example Jealousy and pride are two of the most basic human traits that it oftentimes drives a person to murder as an act of revenge upon the person whom one feels has bested him, as in the case of Montresor and the unfortunately named Fortunato. As indicated in the opening statement of the story â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge.† (Poe 743). Within the context of the story, we can see that Montresor feels that Fortunato has made a fool of him many times and has thus, hurt his pride often. Reaching his tipping point, he then vows to exact revenge upon Fortunato, though he is unsure of whether his desire to kill the other is based upon jealousy or revenge. Montresor proves to be a master of mind games as he successfully uses reverse psychology in order to continue to entice Fortunato towards the deep catacombs where his death awaited him. He appealed to the vanity and pride of Fortunato in order to ensure the success of his plans. This leads the reader to conclude that Montresor has a perverse mind that simply wanted to do Fortunato fatal harm even though he had not done anything within the storyline to deserve such a fate. Yet towards the end, we see that Montresor still has some control over his mental faculties as he senses guilt and remorse over what he has done to Fortunato. A man whom he knows truly has not done anything wrong to him except to be better than him in certain ways. Thus we see a man, psychologically conflicted and unable to deal with the results of his actions in his

Managing Change In Mcdonalds Company Management Essay

Managing Change In Mcdonalds Company Management Essay All organisations that wish to stay in the industry for a large amount of time all have to undergo change in different forms to stay in touch with and to cater to the always changing needs and wants of customers. Some very big examples are the constant promotional burgers that are present at different fast food restaurants such as in McDonalds introducing the Great tastes of America promotion, or Gillette bringing new shaving cream ranges and shaving blades. This constant change is to bring a new product to the market such that it will boost sales. In this report I will discuss different types of change and the background to change such as environmental turbulence and formal versus informal organisations. I will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the bureaucratic organisation and compare alternative forms of development in their different life cycles. In the second section of the report I will Identify and discuss the stakeholder analysis, develop and analyze approaches for involving appropriate stakeholders in change with the help of tools and systems such as multiple cause diagrams, functional and divisional structure, team development and cultural web. In the final section I will draw up a realistic plan for the realization of change models and their outcomes such as business process re-engineering, learning organisations, Kotters eight stage model which will be most helpful for an effective change of the organisation. I will base my review and analysis on the business of McDonalds and will refer to it regularly. My main analysis will be of a chain of franchises owned by Mr. T Eagle. Background to Change It is very important as mentioned in the introduction for an organisation to regularly introduce change in either management or in the structures and process of the business. This is because of constantly changing environment the business finds itself in. In these times of recession it is important for business to find ways to minimise costs and overheads as much as possible and thus large managerial changes have taken place to remove staff and increase the duties of existing staff as the duties of a few are delegated over a large number or people. This brings us on to the area of environmental turbulence. Environmental turbulence refers to the amount of change and complexity in the environment of a company. [Alexander P. and Daniel J. Power. (2004-06).] A significant change in environmental factors can be considered as advances in technology or changes in governmental regulations. As more factors are taken in to consideration, the level of environmental turbulence increases. For a chain of McDonalds restaurants, current environmental factors are economic recession, the increasing price of fuel prices and the increase in the government taxation policies. The economic recession means that people are spending less as the media has created a fear of a lack of money and therefore people will either eat at McDonalds as it is a choice of choosing the cheaper option or choose to cook at home. To tackle this, a change in the pricing of the food is necessary, and to encourage people to come to McDonalds by portraying an image that it is affordable. Due to increasing fuel prices, the cost of deliveries will increase steeply as will the cost of electricity, thus the overhead costs will increase and therefore a change is needed to tackle this problem. Finally due to the government debt constantly increasing, the only method of acquiring money will be to increase taxation which will affect larger businesses more than it would as compared to individuals and small busin esses. Ongoing change is also necessary to ensure that the strategy fits the structure of the organisation. There are many different types of structures that an organisation can adopt and the strategy that is employed must cohere with the structure to optimise the resources available, which if not the case can lead to underutilization and inefficiency. A formal organisation has advantages such that in a midlife or mature organisation, it helps to keep track and to have a log of actions and reactions. As there are many people, especially in a mature organisation, it is possible to have two individuals who do not converse such as the frontline staff in McDonalds and the regional manager, however in a formal organisation it is easier for the regional manager to see the efficiency of the crew member by checking his or her punctuality, length of breaks, and contribution from comments made by the observations from floor and shift managers. When it comes to changing the organisation it is possible to see who is a better asset in a position where they can be utilised more effectively as compared to someone who is not. An informal organisation is easier to change as it is based on implicit understanding on social norms, and therefore there can be a change in the organisation which can be discussed and put into action immediately unlike that in a formal organisation where everything must be passed down a chain of command which may take time which may prove to be inefficient. However an informal organisation tends to be at the birth or the youth of the business where there are a few people involved in the organisation and harder to imitate in a larger organisation. Bureaucracy is a form of authority using structures and sets of regulations in place to control activity. [Lecture notes, organisational theories]The advantages of a bureaucracy are that the tasks are pre-defined and coordinated such that if a change is brought in it will be easier to implement as it will be pre-defined and the new manager in charge will have to optimise carrying out the task. Also due to its precision, speed and un-ambiguity, it is easier to bring about change as it separates production and decision making such that a change in the middle management or even the upper management will not impact too much on the frontline team. However the disadvantages of a bureaucracy are that is discourages individual growth and initiative as all decisions pre-determined and therefore if a change is brought about in the organisation, each individual must undergo training to their new position and therefore it will increase the overhead costs. There is also a risk of goal displacement taking place which is an inbuilt tendency to focus on means and not ends. [Lecture notes, organisational theories]. This may lead to problems if changes in the organisation take place as it means that Tuckmans Team Development Model From Tuckmans Team development model [Lecture notes, stages of team development], the different stages of development are: Forming Storming Norming Performing Forming This is in the beginning stages of the life cycle and is where people are not committed to the team, there is not much trust and the individuals are not clear what they are supposed to do. To progress to the next step of storming, the group must set a mission and goals, establish roles and must build up a trust between figures. This is where each individual needs to decide if they wish to be a fully committed part of the team. Storming At this stage the roles and responsibilities are articulated and agendas are displayed, however problem solving does not work well and people want to modify the teams mission. Competition is high and people are pushing for position and power. Due to this there is little team spirit and anxiety abounds. To advance from the storming stage to the Norming stage, leader must ask for and expect results, as well as actively support and reinforce team behaviour. The team must buy into objectives and activities and must request and accept feedback. Norming At this stage, success occurs and the team has all resources for doing the job. Appreciation and trust build along with the fact that purposes are well defined. The members self-reinforce team norms and the team is creative. The team gains commitment from all members on direction and goal. To advance from the Norming stage to the performing stage, the team must praise and flatter each other, communicate all the time and share rewards. Commit time to team and delegate freely within the team. The team must also be selective of new member and train to maintain the team spirit. Performing This is the final stage in the team development and it is where members feel very motivated and individual defer to team needs. The team is very efficient and there is little waste and there is a high empathy, trust, openness and support. Individuals take pleasure in the success of the team and there is a big win. System Development The stakeholder analysis is present to address the issue of who is affected by the business and to win their support. When carrying out a stakeholder analysis it is important to identify the stakeholder groups; are they large or small; and how to win their support to carry out the tasks that a business or organisation wishes to carry out. By identifying the most powerful stakeholder groups you can shape your strategy in such a way which will allow you to gain their support. Stakeholder groups can be very large such as customers and employees or very small such as the chief executive or an important investor. Each stakeholder may have a different power which can be generally divided into four different areas; Position power Resource power Personal powers Expert powers Gaining support from powerful resources you can gain more resources allowing working more efficiently. Also involving stakeholders in change of the organisation is also beneficial as if you let them know your ideas and your plans early and they agree to the strategy, there is a likely chance that they will actively support you as they will understand the benefits of the change. It will also allow you to anticipate their reaction and allow you to make adjustments to your current plan of action to ensure that you win their support. [MindTool. (1995).] Targets not agreed and vague Low job satisfaction Staff employed on minimum wage Targets not communicated down the chain of command accurately Store targets not met Crew Members too friendly with the manager Store manager present for too long Not many chances of promotion for staff Store manager cannot discipline crew members as they have built a relationship Too many staff arriving late as no fear of manager Poor effort from crew members and middle-management Increase staff turnover and so increased training costs Low sales and poor service from staff From the Multiple cause diagram it can be observed that the problem here lies in the fact that the manager of the store has been present too long and therefore a change in the store manager will bring about an increased efficiency in the work force. Performance reviews will allow the store manager to make decisions on which employees to promote or give a pay rise to as it will encourage those employees to stay. Also the store manager should make clear the targets for all shift managers and floor managers such that they can also pass these targets on clearly, and so the targets of the business owners are met by all staff at every level. Thus the appropriate stake holders that would be involved are the floor managers and the crew. As they will have to respond positively to the change in the management, and thus the owner of the franchised McDonalds must address and communicate with all levels of staff and ensure that they understand why the change has been made as a majority of staff may be bitter to see the store manager leave. Other stake holders may include the technicians and engineers who have built a relationship with the previous store manager, and to encourage them to continue to work appropriately. The resources will be unchanged regardless of the change in store manager, and thus they will not be a major stake holder that will be approached prior the change. Implementation The current system of McDonalds is based on a regulated set of relationships, and the upper management in this situation are content with current targets and therefore will not strive to increase sales or address areas where work is needed. Interacting between the kitchen crew members and the front of house crew members is strained and the kitchen crew members feel underappreciated and cannot ask anyone for help and therefore there is a current lack of commitment to the business. Also there is no structure in the management of the McDonalds in question and therefore there are certain managers which will run around taking orders from crew members and other managers who will only shout if it is to get busy and take a very backseat role, leaving crew members unaided in times of need. EEmploy a Regional Manager which will look after the stores in one area to analyse where the problem lies in each store separately and to see how it can be improved. Analyse the strength of managers to see if their qualities can be utilised better in a different store. CChange the store managers around such that they will be managing another store in the chain. If there is a store manager that has proved to under achieve constantly then address the issue and either send them to a popular store or closer to the CEO office such that the problems the manager has can be observed. CCarry out regular crew development programs such that aspiring managers from the current crew can be noted and trained. Altering and changing relationships can only occur when there is a change in the management of the business to such an extent that current power figures are still seen as present powers, however even they should feel they are not free in the sense that they do not have to perform. Thus changing the store manager in this situation and allowing a regional manager to help control all of the franchises will help the CEO to keep a better eye on the restaurant. As the store manager has no relationship with the current team of staff, he will remain faithful to the CEO. Thus as the CEO has a divisional structure over his restaurants, he can change managers around between stores and therefore, they remain loyal and trustworthy to the CEO, which will mean there is a larger team that works hard for the CEO which he can rely on to boost sales. Also this will change the flow of information and allow the CEO who is also the owner of the franchise to gain the information of performances from staff from several different sources and therefore will be able to assess the management situation between his stores regularly. Thus it will allow the stores to be organised around outcomes and not around the tasks that are carried out. Also if parallel activities such as kitchen crew and front counter crew members are trained to carry out both tasks, it will allow the integration of results such that a larger understanding of the difficulties that either side experience. This re-organisation will allow the geographically dispersed resources to be treated as centralised and will allow the CEO to take decisions for his chain of franchises as a whole and individually much more clearly and faster, thus optimising results and in essence his profit. Kotters Eight Stage Process [http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm] Create a sense of urgency A sense of urgency needs to be created inside the organisation. This is the first and most crucial step. The shift managers, the floor managers and even the long term crew members must want a change in the restaurant. Honest discussions must be made about which managers the crew and other managers feel comfortable working with and where is there a need to change the managers and if so how. Support must be requested by the regional manager to start the process for change. Creating a guiding coalition The leaders in the organisation must be identified in each store and these key people must be committed to the regional manager and support the change. Team building for change coalition is compulsory, and as with all great teams, there must be a range of different backgrounds and skills that each individual will bring to this team. Develop a vision and strategy Create a strategy for central values and vision and make sure that the coalition knows the change vision and believes in the vision such that they all believe that it can be achieved. The values are central for change and for the future of the organisation. Communicating the change vision The vision needs to be talked about often and it must be applied to all operations in the McDonalds stores and in the chain of command. The concerns and anxieties of each individual must be addressed and dealt with in the best and the most appropriate method possible. The change must be lead by example. Remove obstacles Identify or hire managers whose main role is to deliver the change. Reward and praise those who ensure that change is taking place and inversely identify those who are obstructing the change and either help them see what is needed or remove the barriers quickly. Generating short-term wins Create short term targets such as 100% scores on the gap buster, or improve sales on each day from last year, where there is little room for failure. After every win analyse what went right and where improvements can be made. Ensure that every win is rewarded. Anchor new approaches in the culture Talk of change success stories and in support of companys leaders. Include the change ideals when hiring or training staff, and ensure that key members of the coalition are recognised and their contributions are remembered. Finally creating plans to replace key leaders of change as they move on will help ensure that their legacy is not forgotten. Conclusion In conclusion, all organisations that wish to stay in the industry for a large amount of time all have to undergo change in different forms to stay in touch with and to cater to the always changing needs and wants of customers as I stated in my introduction. In my opinion, and using the evidence stated in this report, it will be most effective to improve results and to gain a larger profit to bring about a change in the business as it will increase efficiency and encourage greater team morale of all the employees. If the steps for bringing about change in the implementation are employed then ongoing change can be sustained if Kotters eight stage process is utilised.

Laughter as Therapy in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey Ess

Laughter as Therapy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey Laughter is a therapeutic form. In the novel One flew over the cuckoo’s nest by Ken Kesey laughter represents freedom and an escape from nurse Ratched’s restrictions. Laughter also proves a vital role in helping the patients deal with their problems. Not only does it help them deal with problems but it also gave them the push toward progress on getting out of the institution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mcmurphy was the one who started making people laughing in the ward. When he first came into the ward he was cracking jokes and shaking everybody’s hand. (p.16) No one in the ward responded with any real response but confusion. No body knew what laughter was in the ward, it was taken from them. The only thing they had was board games and Mrs. Ratched’s music (15). The ward was a very depressing place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Mcmurphy comes into the ward his laughing was making people uneasy. This showed how far away the patients were from reality. The chief says (22) â€Å"I see he is making every body over their uneasy, with all his kidding and joking.† Then right after he starts connecting to the patients and the Acutes actually show some sign of a smile (23) â€Å"The Acutes are grinning now not so uneasy any more glad that something out of the ordinary is happening.† Only after 8 pages there is progress already seen in the patients with laughter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chief Bromden states â€Å"The air is pressed in by the walls to tight to let loose and laugh.† Before Mcmurphy arrives it is true. After his presence is recognized by the patients Mrs. Ratcheds grip over the institution starts loosing its hold. The first thing the patients do to start breaking her hold is start the gambling. They gamble for money even though it’s against ward policy. Little by little the patients show improvement with themselves it is portrayed by the ability not just to laugh but laugh at their own qualities. This occurs in the climax of the novel during the fishing trip (p215). When every ones lines tangle up and they start laughing at each other and themselves that is when they know that they aren’t really that crazy. They knew they were getting better. â€Å"They could sense the change that most of us were only suspecting; these weren’t the same bunch of weak-knees from a nut house.†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurse ratched lost a lot of her power once the patients kne... ...y different reasons. Some people even laugh when something horrible occurs, it is a method of escape from what horrors or mishaps are going on around you. â€Å"Many psychotherapists find humor a valuable tool in helping their patients to solve their social and emotional problems.† (G. Samuel) Chief bromden was having many problems once he learned to laugh especially at him self he was mostly cured. He was considered a chronic but after Mcmuprhy showed him that he has the ability to laugh and coincide with a group he was some what cured. â€Å"jokes and commissions enable individuals to defend against anxieties, fear, anger, and other disturbing emotions.†(G. Samuel) This was true in the chief’s and Harding’s case. Both of them left the institution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Laughing is resorted to in times where we need to laugh. It’s an escape from reality, its comfort, its fear. Laughing subdues any emotion that is too high strung in our system. It lets it vapor out in a melancholy form that helps us cope with problems that no one else can really understand and help us with. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest it allowed emotional tension escape from the patients and made nurse Ratched lose her ward.

Voice over Internet Protocol Essay -- VoIP Technology Networking Essay

Voice over Internet Protocol Definition of VoIP â€Å"Mr. Watson, come here, I want you!† These were the first words that were spoken over the phone back on March 10 1876. If you combine this invention with the same invention of the first computer that was completed nearly 70 years later in 1946, you would then be able to access VoIP. VoIP is also known as voice over internet protocol. VoIP is in essence the ability to talk with ones voice via computer to computer. In the next few pages you will learn about the history of VoIP, how it works, the requirements that are needed to use VoIP, the benefits and risks of this type of technology, and lastly you will get a glimpse at the future of VoIP. Not many people know what VoIP is or even that it exists. VoIP was designed to help with the costs for long distance charges. The idea or premise of this type of technology was conceived to use ones phone line and make a call through the Internet. It was designed to be used for both local and long distance calls thus cutting phone bill costs. The VoIP way of communication was started back in 1995 and was the result of work done by some hobbyists in Israel (Interangent, 2005). These hobbyists as well as other great inventors saw a good idea. Their idea was to be able to communicate through the computer as appose to talking over the phone. The idea was not so much to get away from the phone system but more to avoid long distance charges. In the beginning VoIP was only available when there was a direct personal computer to personal computer connection. Later in 1995 Vocaltec, Inc. released Internet Phone Software (Interagent, 2005). In the beginning it was fairly difficult to use. Due to the fact that in order to really be able to communicate using VoIP both the computers that were trying to communicate to each other would be required to use the same equipment, have a sound card and use a microphone. It was a good first effort, but as many firsts, the quality was very poor. VoIP would make great strides in the next three years. In 1998 VoIP had made such great strides that some companies were able to offer personal computer to phone services. The strides also were able to offer phone to phone contact. In the beginning VoIP did not charge their customers but chose to get payment through advertisements. When you made the phone call you would have to wait through an advert... ...base TechLand Group (2005). Strategies for Migrating Corporate Voice Traffic to the Data Network, Retrieved June 6, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.techland.co.uk/index/page.index Try-three. (2005). History VoIP Article. Retrieved May 21, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.try-there.com/voip/directory/history-voip.html Tyson, J. (2005). How stuff works. How voip works. Retrieved June 3, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ip-telephony.htm Voippreview. (2004). History of VoIP. Retrieved May 20, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.voipreview.org/news.details.aspx?nid=51 Wagner, J. (2004, June 21). Networking. Retrieved May 26, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.internetnews.com/infr/article.php/3371431 Webopedia (2005, June). VoIP. Retrieved June 10, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.webopedia.com What Is (2005, June). VoIP. Retrieved June 10, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.whatis.com Wikipedia (2004). Definitions in Technology. Retrieved May 26, 2005, from the World Wide Web: www.wikipedia.com Wikipedia (2005, June). VoIP. Retrieved June 11, 2005, from the World Wide Web: http://www.wikipedia.org

Interpersonal Communication Com 200

Communication in Interpersonal Relationships Benjamin M. Phelps COM 200 Mrs. Joyce Walther October 4, 2010 Communication in Interpersonal Relationships Today many people still lack the ability to communicate effectively with in interpersonal relationships. It is through cooperation and collaboration that effective communication occurs. By analyzing and studying the communication process we can improve our ability to communicate effectively between one another. To have a successful interpersonal relationship one must first interact with others, which is called interpersonal communication (Hybels & Weaver, 2007).Recognizing emotions in other is a very important first step to building a relationship. If you can’t feel what someone else is feeling then you can’t connect with them on a personal level and that can hinder your relationship process. Interpersonal communication is important because of the functions it achieves. Whenever we engage in communication with anothe r person, we seek to gain information about them. We also give off information through a wide variety of verbal and non-verbal cues. Verbal communication has huge effects on many aspects of life, including interpersonal relationships.Speaking and telling our needs and wants verbally or non-verbally is a necessity for daily life. Verbal communication is organized by language; non-verbal communication is not. Most of us spend about 75 percent of our waking hours communicating our knowledge, thoughts, and ideas to others (Allis, 2002). However, most of us fail to realize that a great deal of our communication is of a non-verbal form as opposed to the oral and written forms. Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and motions, and positioning within groups.It may also include the way we wear our clothes or the silence we keep. In person-to-person communications our messages are sent on two levels simultaneously. If the nonverbal cue s and the spoken message are incongruous, the flow of communication is hindered. Right or wrong, the receiver of the communication tends to base the intentions of the sender on the non- verbal cues one receives. Before a person makes an attempt to form an interpersonal relationship they must decide what attracts them to that person.There are many factors that make up attraction to others. Physical attraction, perceived gain, similarities, differences, and proximity are some of them (Hybels, 2007). Most people are first attracted to others because of the way they look. Some people might have distinct characteristics that one might be attracted to such as; blues eyes, short hair, or even a small space between their teeth. If a person is not attracted to your appearance they are not likely to come up and carry on a conversation with you.For example, if an individual, who dislikes tattoos, is taking a class and has to choose a partner for a project, but there are only two people left an d one of them has tattoos he or she will mostly likely choose the individual without tattoos ,even    if the person with tattoos is a very intelligent individual. There are many cases where we are attracted to someone because of the perceived gain associated them for example, one might become friends with an employee at a restaurant in hope of having discounted meal when they eat there.The similarities and differences are a major factor in determining if the relationship will be right for you. Often we find ourselves attracted to people that share the same beliefs, values, and religion. Most people are also attracted to people who enjoy the same activities as they do. Contrary to the similarities people may also be attracted to the differences. For example, person who doesn’t like making decisions might be attracted to a strong decision maker.Because these characteristics complement each other, they might help strengthen the relationship (Hybels, 2007). Proximity is a valua ble factor also when it comes to evaluating the pros and cons of a relationship. Proximity is the close contact that occurs when people share an experience such as at work, school, or play (Hybels, 2007). If a person does not want to have a long distance romantic relationship and their partner moves away to attend college in another state, then it is most likely that the relationship will not last.Moving on to the next steps of forming an interpersonal relationship would be our motives for communicating. We are motivated to form relationships for many different reasons such as, pleasure, affection, inclusion, escape, relaxation, control and health (Hybels, 2007). If an individual is motivated by pleasure he or she might just want someone to go to the movies or discuss politics with. Maybe we might be motivated by affection; many people are looking for someone to give them attention; a â€Å"pat on the back† or a little kiss every now and then.Many marriages end in divorce bec ause of the lack of affection from their partner, but if they could have communicated effectively to each other that they needed more affection the relationship might not have ended. No matter what might motivate us, once we have started developing a relationship we have to decide how much of our selves we want to disclose to the relationship and at what point in the relationship. Self- disclosure is a process in which one person tells another person something he or she would not reveal to just anyone (Hybels, 2007).Self-disclosure is not simply providing information to another person. Instead, scholars define self-disclosure as sharing information with others that they would not normally know or discover (Borchers, 1999). Self-disclosure involves risk and vulnerability on the part of the person sharing the information. Self-disclosure performs many functions. It is also a way of gaining information about another person. We want to be able to predict the thoughts and actions of peop le we know. Self-disclosure is one way to learn about how another person thinks and feels.Once one person engages in self-disclosure, it is implied that the other person will also disclose personal information. Mutual disclosure deepens trust in the relationships and helps both people understand each other more. You also feel better about yourself and your relationship when the other person accepts what you tell them. While self disclosure can strengthen a relationship it can also damage it. A relationship can be damaged if the person you are pouring your soul out to do not like what they are hearing or if self-disclosure comes too early in a relationship it can be damaged.Thus, while self-disclosure is useful, it can also be damaging to a relationship. There are five different stages that we progress through while developing and strengthening our relationships, these are the â€Å"coming together† stages. No matter what type of relationship it is; romantic, platonic, or same gender relationship each kind still goes through each stages. The first stage is the initiating stage. The initiating stage is characterized by nervousness, caution, a bit of hesitation, and risk of being rejected (Hybels, 2007).Although one might proceed with caution, this stage can be very joyful experience and the outcomes can be great. Most people leave this stage with a new friend. The next stage is the experimenting stage. In this stage people make an effort to seek out common interest and experiences (Hybels, 2007). One might express a love for children and hopes of being a parent one day. This would be an important topic to discuss for a romantic relationship; each person needs to be aware of what the future might hold for them if they continue with the relationship.When experimenting with each other by discussing important topics and seeing the reactions of other, one can make a valid decision based on their knowledge of the other person to continue the relationship to the next stage. The intensifying stage is the third stage that we go through. Self-disclosure becomes more common in the intensifying stage. The relationship becomes less formal and statements are made about the level of commitment each has to the relationship. In this stage individuals might have nick names for one another or â€Å"inside jokes†.A statement about attending a vacation next summer in France is an example of the commitment one might have for the relationship. But while self-disclosure becomes more common and makes the relationship stronger it can also make the participants vulnerable to each other. The integrating stage is the fourth stage. This is the point where personalities are beginning to merge; people are expecting to see them together (Hybels, 2007). The individuals become a pair. They begin to do things together and, importantly, others come to see them as a pair.A shared relational identity also starts to form in this stage. By the end of this stage indi viduals should know how to communicate and responds with ease and understanding of the other person’s feelings. The final stage of coming together is the bonding stage. At this point, the participants make some sort of commitment that announces their relationship to those around them (Hybels, 2007). Two girls friends might say they are now â€Å"best friends† to announce their comment to their relationship or a couple might announce they are getting married or buying a house together.This stage involves a lot of commitment and dedication to the relationship and to each other. In all of the stages discussed we all have decision to make. We can either progress forward to the next stage, stay in the same stage we are in, move back a stage or exit the relationship all together. No matter what we as individuals choose to do we need to know how to communicate effectively to that next stage and we need to know how to handle conflict or resolve conflict in our relationships.We can do this by conflict resolution, which is negotiating to find a solution to the conflict (Hybels, 2007). Depending on how a conflict is resolved it can produce a positive or negative result. For example if two sisters are fight over a dress to wear on the weekend, they have two choices: one wear the dress and the other one does not, which leaves one sister unhappy (negative outcome) or neither of them wear it, so both are satisfied and neither of them are jealous of the other (positive outcome).It also helps to take a positive approach to conflict resolution, where discussion is considerate and non-confrontational, and the heart of the matter is on issues rather than on individuals. If this is done, then, as long as people listen carefully and explore facts, issues and possible solutions properly, conflict can often be resolved effectively. In short, interpersonal communication is just like any other works of life, it must be practiced and utilized regularly in order to be succe ssful. We must continually analyze and study it in order to improve our ability to communicate effectively in relationships.   That will lead to better relationships which lead to a better life, both personally and professionally.References Allis, R. (2002). Non-verbal Communication. Zeromillion. com. Retrieved September 25, 2010, from http://www. zeromillion. com/business/management/non-verbal- communication. html Borchers, T. (1999). Interpersonal Communication. Allyn & Bacon. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from http://www. abacon. com/commstudies/interpersonal/interpersonal. html Hybels, S. , & Weaver, R. (2007). Communicating Effectively. New York: McGraw-Hill