Wednesday, July 31, 2019
There are two levers for moving men. One is fear and the other, interest
The interest of the students is a one wild, untamed and elusive matter which controls the path to where the instruction will fall. It is a feather which has the power to tip the balance of the weighing scale between success and failure. It is a determining factor to whether the approach will be effective or not. So for the teaching-learning process to be productive and utterly successful, the teacher, instructor or facilitator must capture this intangible creature and keep a firm hold of it for it may fuel the engine of your train named â€Å"Instruction†towards the station on the avenue of accomplishment and goals. Or it may head for the worse and suffer a catastrophic derailment which is our dear students’ ignorance of what we intend to teach them which defines a real teaching fiasco. To remedy such dilemma, you must lubricate your gears with the grease of â€Å"Variations†. With doing this, we are aiming to smoothen the rotation of wheels of the lesson on the axles of the objectives we have set for the meeting. By means of conducting varied teaching methods, incorporated with series of corresponding assessment tools with appropriate instructional materials, we may ensnare and nail our students’ interest on the lesson so deep that maneuvering our way to success will be as easy as eating pie during tea time. Once we have mesmerized our students’ attention, we can gain an overwhelming boost of motion and accelerate the pace of productivity of our instruction so effective we can attain, or even surpass our educational objectives and come up with a much desirable outcome. Our teaching methods and strategies shall depend on the capabilities and needs of our students. The learners shall be at the apex of our considerations for they are the center of the teaching-learning process. The effectivity of our strategies depends on how much our learners gained from us. We are much likely to be triumphant if our students acquired a ton of knowledge from us. It will mean that we have succeeded on our aim to distribute our ideas to them. This is a way of flourishing their minds to which we are going to reap a bountiful harvest of creativity and imaginative thought in the future. Just like in farming and agriculture, in order for our farmers to produce more crops, they practice different kinds of methodologies in planting, maintaining and harvesting, integrating different sorts of techniques to come up with a new innovative way to cultivate crops. Then if we try to transfer this thought in Education, our teachers arrive at the idea of using different types of teaching approaches and techniques so that they can increase the level of the Philippine Education compared to the overwhelming standards of International Schooling. By integrating different ways of teaching, we envision to proliferate the amount of knowledge we give our students because through the use of varied methods, we can maximize our very limited time for instruction.
Gay Marriages Essay
When newer lifestyles creep into our society, inline with our thoughts and liberties, guardians of the older versions are likely to be taken back. These lifestyle changes happen in every sphere of life, like the way we eat or work. In getting along with it, we may have to abandon our traditional ways. Sometimes these may go unnoticed, as it may be beneficial to all, having none to worry about it. But other times the issues in question may be very important and fundamental, and there would be a social debate. Homosexuality and gay marriages is one such issue, which is still being debated widely. With homosexuality and gay marriages becoming increasingly present in our society, it is important that the subject be well debated and all issues projected so that it helps people to take appropriate decisions. The issue of homosexuality is not just relevant for the partners, but also to the families they are a part of, and to the society as a whole. It is therefore important that the society be well informed of the legal and social aspects of gay marriages, while being alive to the fact that evolving lifestyle issues could knock at anyone’s door. The media has a very important and responsible role in helping the larger part of the society to come to terms with evolving lifestyles.                This is perhaps what the film ‘The Wedding Banquet’ has attempted and succeeded. ‘The Wedding Banquet’ is a thoughtful and touching Chinese film revolving around homosexuality and family ties. The film brings into focus the perception of modern lifestyles, from the traditional point of view, and the difficulties and experiences involved in coming to terms with it (Don). The film projects homosexuality in a wider perspective. A gay relationship, in the midst of a heterosexual marriage and parenting, shows the wider realm of homosexuality and gay relationships. The film brings into focus a gay relationship between a Taiwanese expatriate Wai-Tung and his doctor boyfriend Simon. When Wai-Tung’s parents pressurize their son for his marriage, he plans to buy time by putting impossible conditions for his bride. However a dating company succeeds in finding a suitable match, when Wai-Tung strikes into a convenience marriage with his tenant Wei Wei. The marriage would help Wei Wei from being deported. It is when the parents of Wai-Tung reach America for the wedding banquet of their son, does they know of the developments in the family. The film has several turning points like when Wei Wei seduces an inebriated Wai-Tung and becomes pregnant, leading to deterioration in his relationship with Simon. Wai-Tung’s father approves of the actions of Simon, who he takes as his adopted son . His mother on the other hand is drawn affectionally to her daughter-in-law, whom his father considers as a business participant. At the end the father and mother leave for Taiwan, without any discontent. The movie definitely seems to address the issue of homosexuality in the family context. Bringing the issue of homosexuality face-to-face with traditionally heterosexual cultures, gets everyone on their toes to accept the reality. Lifestyle choices are here to stay and traditions must pave way to it and coexist. This low budget film won recognition for its director Ang Lee, who himself makes a short appearance as a banquet guest. It also won the Golden Bear award in the Berlin Film Festival of 1993 and the best film and best director awards at the 1993 Seattle International Film Festival (Berardinelli, 1993).                      The rights of homosexuals are increasingly gaining support with time. Homosexuals are being more welcome in our society and their rights are becoming more obvious. Gone are those days when homosexuality was considered a serious crime and homosexuals looked upon as people with sick minds. Although there are societies which still consider homosexuality a crime, it isn’t as dreadful as it once was. These developments indicate the growing perception that homosexuals are a part of our society and therefore should be accorded equal rights, equal protection and equal support from all welfare activities. The favorable trend towards homosexuals may be attributed to the general liberalization of policies in most parts of the world, broader thinking among people and the mixing of cultures and mingling of economics. But it is indeed sad that this never before support, is not extended to gay marriages. A major part of this support and backing, of homosexuality stops short of gay marriages. This indifference to gay marriage, particularly from among supporters of homosexuality stems from their perception of marriage and homosexuality. Gays are generally thought to have multiple partners and that therefore their relationships cannot be deep or emotional. The gays are considered as uncommitted and not being capable of forming lasting relationships. This description of gays cannot be challenged, as gays do have such relationships too. However, it should be noted here that such relationships also exist in heterosexual or straight society too, maybe to a small extent and that too mainly among the youth. What most people need to understand about gays is that, as gays grow and mature, they too like their straight counterparts begin to value and seek committed lasting relationships.                   It is important to realize the basics behind the emergence of homosexuality. Homosexuality is a naturally developing phenomenon. However, most ignorant people attribute it to a defiance of heterosexual norms and an intention to experiment. Some people feel that gays could choose being a heterosexual if they wanted, but that, only a very few consider that they have a choice. It is only like heterosexuals being asked to choose the sex they are attracted to. It should be understood that being a gay is natural and not selected. Several gay people, both men and women recall being attracted to people of their own sex from a very young age. The sexual orientation in most people emerge at a very early age like early adolescence, even prior to any sexual experience. Homosexual orientation is a complex subject and cannot be explained by any single or a simple, plain model. No consistent results have been found from research undertaken for homosexual orientation. Despite studying evolutionary and hormonal pattern in homosexuality, scientists have not yet understood the development of homosexual orientation in an individual. Therefore it is improper to assume that homosexuals have a choice, which they have chosen to bypass. Today however, most scientists agree that sexual orientation results from an influence of environment, cognitive and biological factors. Genetic and inborn hormonal traits play an important role in deciding a person’s sexual attitude. Psychologists and psychiatrists believe that homosexuality is not due to emotional or mental disorders; and it was in 1973, when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its official list of emotional and mental disorders, after appropriate research (APA, 2008). Research based on twin studies also indicate that male homosexuality is genetically mediated. A study with about 76 gay brothers and their families in 1993 by Dean Hamer found that gay men had more gay uncles and cousins on the maternal side compared to the paternal side. One of the most reliable finding in homosexuality adoption was reported by Blanchard and Klassen in 1997, which suggested that the odds of an individual being a gay increased by 33% correpondingly for each older brother. It has been implied that the male foetus causes a maternal immune reaction which is increasingly stronger for each successive male foetus.                 Gay marriages are wrongly perceived by many people to alter family environment. The customary saying that marriage is an institution between a man and a woman holds no water, as there is no real and moral judgement behind it. Such definitions of marriages only raise questions on the eligibility and authenticity of the defining person or institution. Who should be the one to define marriage?. They feel that same-sex couples cannot provide the necessary environment for children’s normal growth. In continuation of this, many consider same-sex marriage as a deterrent to births and continuation of species. They don’t realise that marriages are not just directed to bearing children, as even infertile couples choose to marry or heterosexual couples sometimes choose against having children. Marriage is more about sharing, love and commitment and less about bearing children. It should be realized that gay couples are capable of raising children as much as any straight couple. The fact that there is no significant difference between the children of gay and straight couples, has been proved by research. Psychologists are of the opinion that the gender of the parent is not important in raising the child; it’s the love and commitment on the part of the parents that matter. As for the continuation of species, human species are in no danger of dwindling due to reproductive failure. In fact the population explosion is really disturbing and serious issues are at stake for the oncoming generations. Gay marriages can only help in slowing the rate of population increase, than adding to it. Gay marriages have seen results, since it has already been experimented. Denmark legalised gay marriages in 1989. Several Dutch cities have had same-sex marriage rights for many years. The clergy at first offered opposition to the Danish law and a survey conducted at that time indicated that about 72 percent of the clergy opposed the law. However another survey conducted in 1995 revealed that 89 percent of the clergy supported the law. Gay marriages have been experimented and proved to strengthen the institution of marriage and contribute to the society. Any doubts on the success of gay marriages are fully vacated and its positive impact on the society acknowledged.                     The interpretation of gay marriage in religion should not be ignored when considering gay marriages. Given the binding of religion and its influence on every aspect of life, people consider religious beliefs above all contemporary issues associated with gay marriages, when deciding on them. Some religions are against homosexuality and gay marriages while some do not consider it as something important to be preached upon. In the Old Testament only two passages are referred to homosexuality, among the several thousands (Piazza, 2007). Buddhism in fact attracts several homosexuals, as there isn’t any homophobia preaching in it. The Theravada Buddhism considers all relationships i.e.; gay, lesbian or straight as being personal matters bearing mutual consent (Robinson, 2008). Therefore all relationships are considered constructive and acceptable as long as both partners are happy. Many people, who believe in Christianity, oppose homosexuality and gay marriage, on the basis of the bible. It should primarily be noted here that the bible was written at a period when there was no understanding of homosexuality or psychosexual orientation. The bible therefore does not recognise people as lesbians or gays. The inference was only directed to homosexual acts committed by persons who were considered heterosexual. However, the bible has been successfully used to interpret the views of both advocates and opponents of homosexuality whenever homosexuality is deliberated. According to the Roman Catholic Church, any sex that does not lead to procreation should be avoided and thus the use of condoms and masturbation is condemned. However, it should also be noted that the church approves sex among sterile couples and sex during pregnancy, which do not lead to procreation (Corvino, 1997). An important aspect of bible interpretation is that, many Christians interpret all texts with much flexibility except when it comes to homosexuality, where  all references to homosexual acts are taken literally. The bible actually pays very little attention to this subject and most importantly Jesus speaks nothing on this topic, in the New Testament. This apart, most instructions and recommendations of the bible are of lesser relevance today, like avoiding pork. The teachings are subconsciously breached casually, as we go about our everyday lives. For instance, there was a prominent woman once spoke at length against homosexuality, in the course of which she broke several Biblical laws by Levitical standards (Piazza, 2007), namely speaking in church, she taught men and wore a cotton and polyester dress. The Bible interestingly has a few example of same sex love. David’s love for Jonathan was implied to be greater than his love for woman, Ruth’s deep love relationship with Naomi and Ruth’s words of pledge are used in most heterosexual weddings.                     Even though gay couples are now socially accepted like never before, they are far from equal civil rights. The withholding of civil rights to gay couples can sometimes be life ruining and even life threatening. The inconvenience and sufferings of gay couples as a consequence of these unequal rights can be endlessly said. In most American states, gay couples are not given the right to make medical decisions for their partners, during emergencies. State laws stipulate that the hospitals should reach out to the families of the hospitalised partner, thereby ignoring the gay partner’s concern. Very often, the families are not in good terms with the gay couple, and may even be without contact for a considerable long time. It is obvious that the decisions taken by such families would not be in the best interests of the couple. It is sad that the hostile family even have the right to exclude the partner from the treatment room. Even upon death, the will of the gay partner can be easily challenged and custody decisions overturned by the family (Bidstrup, 2004). Families have the right to deny the surviving partner, even a visit to his partner’s grave. There are several cases where gay couples had been extremely careful in drafting their will, which however were overturned, leaving the surviving partner literally penniless. Whenever arrested, gay couples are forced to provide evidence and testify against their partners. Most gay couples, particularly the older ones have numerous such stories of injustices meted out to their friends or acquaintances. The testimony of a gay partner is as irrelevant as the testimony of a complete stranger, in most courts. In case the partner is jailed, the right to visit the partner is denied in most cases. In matters of law, arrest or imprisonment, the whims of a hostile family and the cooperation of a homophobic judge can have devastating effects on the gay couple. The discrimination is pathetically extended even to the children of gay couples, as gay parents are not able to get parenting rights when children are brought into their family, either by birth or through adoption. These are some civil rights issues, which are in no way connected to the nature of marriages. State laws, which provide for the rights of legally married couples, are denied for gay couples.                   Gay couples are definitely not accorded equal rights, although the situation is improving and would one day catch up with those accorded to heterosexual couples. One must not forget that African-American marriages were not allowed, till the end of civil war. Until 1967, there were at least 15 states that prohibited interracial marriages. It required a US Supreme Court decision that year to ensure inter-racial marriages throughout the United States (Robinson). Same sex marriages are recent happenings, which were earlier not permitted anywhere in the world. The law is often the deciding factor in the fate of homosexuality like in November 2003 when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court termed the ban on gay marriage as unconstitutional. Legislators have indeed played an important role in the acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriages. However there is a lot more for them to do. There are many states in the US, which have yet not legalized gay marriages. Apart from US, there are only a few countries that have recognized homosexual relationships. Social acceptance is a major struggle for homosexuality, which however can begin only after its legalization. Given the progress in acceptability of homosexuality till now, it is evident that all constitutions should and one day, would legalize homosexuality. It should be noted here that the European Union had demanded Turkey to form more liberal laws on sex, as a condition for its membership. Once homosexuality and gay marriages are legalized, the law should provide for the rights of gay couples, and for individual partners. Gay couples should be allowed to live peacefully like any other family, raise children and plan for their future. Homophobic attitudes should be better identified and punished when it attempts to hinder the rights of gay couples. Gay couples too have the responsibility to stand up against victimization rather than suffer alone in silence, fearing social stigma. It is rightly appropriate here to mention the fact that Brendan Fay had lodged a complaint against the Polish president for using his marriage images to warn his countrymen against gay marriages. Fay’s marriage to his partner Tom Moulton, and their marriage certificate was shown in his televised address to the nation. Fay said he considered it to be an insult and has complained to the Polish Consulate in New York (Salazar).                     The debate on providing equal rights to same-sex couples would go on. The public support for gay couples, would gradually translate to more support for marriage rights. However it is the law, which ultimately dictates on the right to gay marriages. The right of the individual to exercise his choice on his personal matters would ultimately be given to him, to enable him to select the gender of his partner. When South Africa’s highest court recognised same-sex marriages and decided to extend legal marital rights to gay couples, it became the first country to do so in a continent, which condemns homosexuality. It must be noteworthy to mention here that South Africa’s constitution is one of world’s most advanced and progressive constitutions. Constitutional reforms are important for any society to meet its trends and demands. Conservative societies should recognise and be willing to accept newer trends and passions. Just like racist discrimination was ruled out, a new dawn awaits the universal removal of discrimination to gay marriage; a dawn when all gay couples can live happily with all rights and liberties, without any fear or discrimination. â€Å"Although we cannot find that a fundamental right to same-sex marriage exists in this state, the unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated under our state constitution,†said New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Barry T. Albin, while offering equal rights to same-sex couples.                  Education too has an important role to play in understanding homosexuality. Understanding the demands and options of today’s lifestyle, is very crucial for any individual, and one should have the relevant education to take appropriate decisions. Our traditional educational policies should be revamped with the realities of today. Educators must let people know to what extent the law currently permits one to select the gender of the person he or she wishes to marry. Educators must be prepared to transform individuals as responsible persons capable of loving, marrying and raising a family, irrespective of the gender of the partner he or she would be married to. Recognition of same sex relationships as being equal to traditional marriages would drastically redefine the meaning of family (Knight, 1997). Educational policy makers should realize that they hold a sacred duty of imparting education and social skills incorporating relevance to homosexual society too. As the legalization of homosexuality and gay marriages are slowly but steadily gaining ground, one thing is clear; these steps will always progress in the same direction. Therefore education must also keep up closely in the same direction for the welfare of its beneficiaries.                The legislators have a moral responsibility to provide and ensure proper implementation of the marriage rights of gay couples, as civil and partnership laws cannot provide the same benefits as that of marriage (Johnson, 2007). The educators have a responsibility of not only transforming the society to be receptive of gay marriages, but also ensuring that gay couples succeed in every aspect of life. The society as a whole should not only integrate gay couples into its fold, unconditionally, but also be fully prepared to welcome newer lifestyle changes of tomorrow.                                                  REFERENCES Don Willmott (2004) The Wedding Banquet [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 19, 2008 from http://www.filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/reviews/The-Wedding-Banquet Berardinelli, James (1993) The Wedding Banquet [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 19, 2008, from http://www.reelviews.net/movies/w/wedding_ban.html Salazar C. New York man files complaint against Polish president for anti-gay marriage speech. International Herald Tribune (19 Mar, 2008) [Electronic version] from http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/19/europe/EU-GEN-Poland-Gay-Rights.php American Psychological Association. Sexuality [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 19, 2008, from http://www.apa.org/topics/orientation.html#whatcauses  2008 Piazza M.S. Homosexuality and Christianity [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 20, 2008, from http://www.cathedralofhope.com Robinson B.A, (2008). The Buddhist religion and homosexuality [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 18, 2008, from http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_budd.htm Corvino John. Why shouldn’t Tommy and Jim have sex? A defence of homosexuality. Same Sex: Debating the ethics, Science and Culture of Homosexuality, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. (1997). Bidstrup Scott, (2004). Gay Marriage: The arguments and the motives [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 18, 2008, from http://www.bidstrup.com/marriage.htm Knight Robert,. How domestic partnerships and Gay marriage threaten the family. Insight bulletin, Family Research Council. (1997) Johnson, Ramon. (2007) Gay marriage around the world. [Electronic version]. Retrieved on March 20, 2008, from http://gaylife.about.com/od/samesexmarriage/a/legalgaymarriag.htm
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Principles of Supporting Change in a Business Environment Essay
Change occurs frequently and rapidly in the workplace. Change in business has become the norm and businesses need to evolve to keep up with the demands of the modern world. Most of the people regard change as intimidating. It is often natural. It has great significance in business thus change does bring good for the business. So why does change happens? There are two main reasons for the changes in a business environment: 1. Reactive change- pressure to change (PEST) – POLITICAL – it is when government changes policies, regulation, etc which business needs to adapt to stay within the new laws; international changes or conflicts force business to change; legislations whether they domestic or international or future; – ECONOMIC- it is when domestic or international competitor’s behavior, trends or tax and interest rates change which forces the changes in the business; – SOCIAL- it often happens when customers demands, buying preferences change, as well as when events, media views or advertising makes business Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment. Once your business is established and running well, you may be inclined to let things continue to run as they are. However, it’s actually time to plan again. After the crucial early stages, you should regularly review your progress, identify how you can make the most of the market position you’ve established and decide where to take your business next. You will need to revisit and update your business plan with your new strategy in mind and make sure you introduce the developments you’ve noted. Reviewing your progress will be particularly useful if you feel: †¢ uncertain about how well the business is performing †¢ unsure if you’re getting the most out of the business or making the most of market opportunities †¢ your business plan may be out of date, e. g. you haven’t updated it since you started trading †¢ your business is moving in a direction different to the one you had planned †¢ the business may be becoming unwieldy or unresponsive to market demands It is also useful if you have decided that your company is ready to move on to another level. When a business is going through change: a) Describe the different types of support that people may need. Everyone is different that is way some people may find change as something stimulating and exciting making them perform better others may find it very hard and difficult to adapt. This is way this type of people need extra time and support to get use to change happening in the work place. Theory suggests that these people will go through what is called: Change Performance Curve: Shock – The initial reaction can sometimes be shock, this will automatically reduce the individuals performance as they will fear the unknown. Denial – This is when the individual will stay focused in the past and the ‘way things used to be done’. The fear of the ‘new way’ may cause the individual to continue to complete their tasks the ‘old way’. Anger – Once the initial feelings have been dealt with denial slowly turns to anger. Depression – Once the individual finally realises that the change is going to happen, they enter the depression stage The individual accepts that the change is happening. Integration But there are different types of support that can help people during change. These include: †¢ Effective planning ( plan the change an inform people of the change) †¢ Participation ( let people be involved in the process) †¢ Training or retraining ( provide training so stuff if prepared for new tasks) †¢ Encouragement or other supportive behaviours ( provide support by encouraging not criticizing- good communication can really help people accept a change more quickly. Counselling or coaching b) Explain the benefits of working with others. As said above good communication can really help people accept a change more quickly. Working as a team can really help to adapt to change and helps people get through Change Performance Curve easier as they can help each other in dealing with new and more complex tasks. You will be able to help support your colleagues if they are finding something challenging and vice versa. It is important to remember that to support and work with colleagues effectively you will need to keep a positive outlook yourself. Understand how to respond to change in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with): a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods. When change occurs in a business it is important to see it as something positive. This will help to make the process a lot easier, even though the benefits may not be immediately obvious. If employees see change as a bad thing, they will soon become demotivated, which will affect The quality and efficiency of the business. While sometimes it may be difficult to accept change, employees need to be able to adapt to whatever they are presented with. Businesses need employees who have positive attitudes; they want people who say ‘I can do that’ not ‘I can’t do that’. A positive attitude can go a long way to help solve problems in difficult situations. b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services. Changes can be either expected or unexpected but nowadays change is a permanent phenomenon. I work in retail and I know that changes in this type of business is someting that cannot be forgotten or ignored. As an employee of one of the biggest beauty retailer in the UK I see almost everyday changes in the work place that take place to improve products and services we provide. I know it is very important to keep up with customers‘ demands and market innovations. It is very important to stay positive about this changes to make sure you do your best to help the business you work for improve and stay on top along other similar businesses. Staying positive also helps to secure you job position as employers want to have employees who are willing to adapt and are positive about their work and personal development. c) Identify ways of responding positively to change. Every employee seeks positive response to change from their employees. Ways of responding positively to change are: †¢ A willingness to learn(understanding the importance of learning new information for both current and future problem solving and decision making.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Cultural profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1
Cultural profile - Essay Example Social groups mostly share a number of characteristics including involving the use of a common language, sharing cultural values and also sharing norms and traditional values (Chelidze 12). The Muslim based believers are also mostly portrayed badly as well as negatively by the media systems in the society (Chelidze 10). For example, I totally support Muslim faiths, and I have experience a number of discrimination and prejudices in the society. This usually provides bad relationship and poor interaction between Muslim individuals and other people the society. Stereotypes, discrimination, as well as prejudices based on individual cultural identities and ethnicity systems, form some of the problems that the Islamic-based religious individuals are facing in the United States (Chelidze 13). According to recent religious studies and reports, racial group, ethnicity as well as religious group of an individual role play a greater role towards various social activities in their life including their marriage practices, communication practices and their perceptions about life in general (Verkuyten 357). Therefore, the main aim and purpose of this paper is to discuss various social identities and religious beliefs and values including the Caucasian ethnicity, as well as the Islamic religion. The paper will specifically deal with the social identities covering ascription as well as avowal identity systems and how it influences my social interaction with others in the society The Caucasian race is mostly found in North America, Europe, parts of Asia as well as in some regions in Africa. Historically, various historians believed that there were two races especially the Mongolians and the Caucasians. According to these anthropologists, the Caucasians were more likeable and intelligent than Mongolians especially due to their light skin and moral values (Verkuyten 355). The Caucasian group was also closely associated with individuals
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Making A Successful And Thus A Good Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Making A Successful And Thus A Good Team - Essay Example Mainly organizations understand that being principled is high-quality business performance and pays in the protracted run. To be moral needs taking care of others, which includes, consumers and staff, appropriately and moderately. An organization that is involved in expansion and profits must create dealings with customers and employees supported on faith. Development of the employer-employee affiliation is significant to both parties for quite a few motives (McShane & Glinow, 2004, Pp 415-417). Are you confronting your first team-building session Do you doubt what you will do How to start According to Biech (2001, Pg 72-73) Team building is an organization development involvement that provides teams an opportunity to silence in their daily work to examine what's working and what could be improved. The consultant's role in team building is one of process guide, not content expert. This article provides insight into that role. It helps the consultant understand the goals of team building and how it differs from team training. The activities and norms developed in team-building sessions are different but complementary to that characteristic of management-training and skill-building sessions. Concepts such as leadership styles, decision-making, communication patterns, motivation, competition, and morale are all relevant to the process of team development. Improved Communication The basis for almost any problem in any organization is usually communication. Good teamwork can widen the circle of communication. Teamwork goes a step beyond, however, and helps people understand each other's jobs and roles in the organization. This leads to an appreciation for colleagues and a desire to help make their jobs easier. Personal Satisfaction Team members generally report a sense of personal satisfaction. A team may provide a sense of security that allows individuals to take risks and make decisions that they would not make if they were working alone. This generally leads to growth for the organization as well as the individual. Because most of us spend about 25 percent of our lives at work, it should be a pleasant experience. Teamwork can lead the way to making work pleasurable by helping to develop personal relationships. In fact, you should not feel as if you are getting up to go to work, but instead that you are getting up to go to play each day! Clear Goals Clearly defined goals are essential so that everyone understands the purpose and vision of the team. You might be surprised at how many people do not know the reason they are doing the tasks that make up their jobs, much less what their team is doing. Everyone must be pulling in the same direction and be aware of the end goals. Clear goals help team members understand where the team is going. Clear goals help a team know when it has been successful by defining exactly what the team is doing and what it wants to
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Pragmatism Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Pragmatism Project - Essay Example The problem with this is trying to find the perfect car to restore at a reasonable cost and distance, although the drive to pick up the new car will be exhilarating in and of itself. Simply knowing what I am in store for makes my heart beat faster. Ultimately, the goal here is to find and restore said car to its original factory condition. Given that, I do not want to start with nothing more than an empty frame, I will need to find the car I want intact, but in need of work. This will give me the opportunity to restore a classic to its original beauty and luster, by my own two hands. The car I have chosen is a 1961 Lincoln Continental with suicide doors. As James said, pragmatism has â€Å"†¦only an attitude of orientation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ which is why I chose this car. The act of restoring a vehicle, namely this one, is reminiscent of a time when life moved more slowly, although I was not around, I have always enjoyed the family stories. As a kid growing up, it was always fun and exciting to watch the gangster movies with their long, low cars that gave the appearance of danger. In a way, I will be able to relive moments in time of which I was not a part. Also, something of great importance in American history is that President John F. Kennedy was riding in a 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible limousine when he was shot and killed. Stark history, but it takes me home. The problems that I face in this project are simple, as finding an American car here will likely be more difficult than if I were stateside. Regardless of this, the restoration of a Lincoln is an exciting dream of mine that I will someday be able to fulfill. I have looked into it with vigor and found what I will need to do in order to complete this project with accuracy and pride, which will â€Å"†¦denote the unity of all ideal ends arousing us to desire and actions†, (Dewey, 42) Once the Lincoln I want has been found, I need to be sure that it is worth the asking price, as well as fit with my ideas and budget for the restoration. I must also consider if the condition of the car that I am buying will lend itself to the original restoration I am wanting to do, or if it is so badly beat up, or parts are too sparse, I may want to look elsewhere for another vehicle. This is the best part of the beginning, because the excitement of finding this car is infectious. I can already see myself cruising in it, windows rolled down, arm hanging out the window, very ‘hip’. Once I have the Lincoln at home, the fun would begin. Here I would strongly utilize pragmatism because there are not absolutes in care restoration. There is no state of rest, and practicality is what will allow me to succeed in this quest. I will need to have a space that is at least three times larger than the car itself, as all the parts will easily take up this extra room. The first thing that must be done with a project car is that it must be totally stripped down to the metal, piece by piece; it needs to be raw. This piece-by-piece deconstruction will give me the knowledge of what is still in good working order on the car, what is not, and what I need to find that is not there. It will also tell me a unique story, dreaming that perhaps this car once belonged to a famous gangster, but without the bodies in the trunk. This is important so that reassembly of the car will go easily and smoothly, but also to get to know my car. Each little piece tells a story of its own, its past,
Friday, July 26, 2019
Relationship Between Athena And Odysseus To The Job And God Essay
Relationship Between Athena And Odysseus To The Job And God - Essay Example Athena had developed deep attachment for Odysseus and sought the permission of her father Zeus, according to the Iliad, to provide Odysseus with unconditional support and services. She undergoes hunger, thirst, and pains in order to help her beloved King Odysseus accomplish his tasks of winning the battles and overcome his rivals and enemies. Not only this that she protected the great warrior, from calamities, disturbances, and problems, during his war campaigns, but also, she guises herself many times in the form of a bird, a shepherd boy, a little lass and others to help him reach his destination safe and sound. Her valuable counsels turned the tables in favor of her beloved and the opponents had to lick the dust during bouts and fights. Her utter feelings of unabated, unwavering and unconditional love and affection have been described by Homer in his Iliad: â€Å"Two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both. Of all the men alive you are the best in plots and storytelling. My own fame is for wisdom among the gods - deceptions too. Would even you have guessed that I am Pallas Athena, daughter of Zeus, I that am always with you in times of trial, a shield to you in battle†? The Hebrew Bible, Old and New Testaments and the Quran also contain some personalities, which had rendered their services to their beloved. In the mythology of Abrahamic religions, holy prophets, noble saints, and pious men are the characters, who rendered their services out of their love for One and the Only i.e. Almighty God, the Supreme Being.
3M Company Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
3M Company Analysis - Research Paper Example It is a multinational corporation headquartered in Minnesota, United States. It was founded by five businessmen in the year 1902. The company had an annual sale of $ 29.6 billion in the year 2012. It employs more than 84000 employees all throughout the world. The company produces more than 55000 products which include adhesives, laminates, abrasives, dental products, fire protection, medical products, electronic materials, car care products, electronic circuits, optical films etc. The company operates in 65 countries. Its products are available in approximately 196 countries through retailers and distributors. Many products are also available online and can be purchased directly by ordering on the company’s website. 3M’s Brand and its message to the customers Brand is the term, name, symbol, design or some other feature which helps in the identification of a company’s products or services. Branding is a strategy adopted by the companies for differentiating their products from the competitors through a distinctive symbol. The brand is the most valuable and useful asset of a company. 3M is a new appearance for the Best Global brands in the year 2010 mostly because of a series of vast acquisitions which have provided the company a new and innovative brand identity system (3M, â€Å"3M Makes Interbrand’s List of Best Global Brands 2013†). This new brand identity has helped the company in unifying its diversified business. It has boosted the brand awareness of the company. Defining as well as strengthening of the 3M brand lying within the fragmented market area and increasing portfolio of global acquisitions has been very challenging. The goal of the company from the perspective of strengthening its position and brand in the market lies in two steps (3M, â€Å"Reinvigorating the Brand, Driving Growth†). The first step is by making the company an industry leader and the second step is by communicating to the customers about t he company’s ability to become end to end security provider. The brand identity system of the company have been enhanced recently for delivering the brand essence in more appropriate manner and positioning the brand and its value propositions throughout the world (3M, â€Å"Brand Identity in Action†). This new brand identity strategy has helped the company in differentiating 3M from its competitors and communicating a consistent and strong message to the key audiences. Logo and slogan Logo and slogan are the key elements of the brand positioning strategy. An effective brand positioning strategy always includes a visual identity i.e. logo and a tagline or a positioning statement i.e. the slogan. 3M’s logo is unique and communicates an appealing identity to the targeted audiences. The 3M Red Logo of the company is vertically as well as horizontally centred and covers almost 1/3rd of the total width of the screen. The background of the logo is white for enabling ma ximum readability (â€Å"3M Logo Animation and Soundmark†). The company has launched an animated video of the company’s logo where a sound mark is also available so that it can be used in pertinent applications (for example- online spots, television spots, videos etc.). 3M’s slogan is a short and impressive catch phrase, motto or tagline which has helped in identifying its products in advertisements. The business slogan which is most associated with the company is ‘Innovation’. The mission statement of the company is to be committed in active contribution to a
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Empowering Employee Work Behavior and Leadership Style on Job Dissertation
Empowering Employee Work Behavior and Leadership Style on Job Performance - Dissertation Example This study is intended to provide valuable insight on human resource strategies and their relevancy to employee empowerment in diverse organizational cultures. By analyzing the results of employee and administrator surveys, the research will prove that positive relationships between management and the worker are mutually inclusive of increased job performance and employee retention. An Abstract of The Interaction Effect of Empowering Employee Work Behavior and Leadership Style on Job Performance by Student Name Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Economics The University June 2013 Recruitment, retention, and the motivation of top performing employees have been ongoing challenges for employers. In the past, business entities relied upon the principles of their predecessors to structure human resource management plans through traditional styles of leadership. Today, diversity in the workplace has evolved in to one of the most significant topics for businesses’ management of human capital.Workplace diversity is the foundation for conflict in regard to communication and the attainment of the best fit in human resource management. Behavioral theorists have used psychoanalytic research to find proven methods to obtain positive productive behaviors. When an organization’s leadership styles promote employee empowerment, the level of job performance increases. ... The purpose of this study is to establish the existence of a positive relationship between leadership approach and employee empowerment in regard to job performance. TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦1 SIGNATURE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3 P REFACE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 ABSTRACT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.5 TABLE OF CONTENTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.6 LIST OF FIGURES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 LIST OF TABLES†¦...........................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1 NATURE OF THE STUDY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..11 1.1 Sigmund Freud: Human Thought Processes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.16 1.2 Heuristics and Theory: Trust as Expectation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.19 1.3 Stewardship Theory and Agency Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦21 1.4 Motivation: Intrinsic and Extrin sic Reinforcement Learning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦22 1.5
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Men and masculinity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Men and masculinity - Essay Example This implies that masculinity is not limited to men. Therefore, women may also display behaviours and characteristics that are masculine, for instance, many women have assumed the role of family providers. According to MensLine Australia (2012) masculinity is perpetuated through social set-up and enhanced through personal interactions. Traditionally, the avenues that made men gain honour included providing for their families and exercising leadership. The traditional family set-up was composed of the father being the breadwinner and the mother acting as the homemaker. Stereotypes about masculinity are often witnessed in many men, for instance, men would describe themselves as sports fanatics while avoiding soap operas that are viewed as feminine. Masculinity is often associated with the male; therefore, there is a big issue of personality in men. In case masculinity is threatened, most men would convey feelings of shame, hostility and guilt: hence they tend to overreact in the defens e of masculinity. It is irrefutable the aspect of masculinity in the contemporary world, has assumed a different perspective, which is contrary to the traditional disposition in matters related to masculinity and sex. Masculinity is viewed as a collective gender identity that is socially constructed rather than a natural attribute. In the modern society, different forms of masculinity exist that reflects factors such as class, race, age, geographical affiliation and religious affiliation (Lee, 2002). Although masculinity is normally identified in pluralistic terms, masculinities differ from one society to another. The hegemonic masculinity emanating from the societal construct is what men measures against. Masculinity directs most aspects of the male behaviour, especially sexual behaviour. The male gender values are constructed through interaction with the men’s lifestyle and his interaction with social environments. The perception of sex as a component of masculinity is depe ndent on the sexual encounters in the early stages of development. The traditional traits associated with masculinity are control, domination, aggressiveness, violence, toughness, emotional repression and competiveness. Masculinity traits are normally acquired at a tender age. For instance, some of the insults that the young school boys commonly use to refer to their weak colleagues are the accusation of being a girl (â€Å"Guys and boys masculine things. (n.d).). Ayers (2008) assert that most men engage in body building to maintain their masculinity. Research has also affirmed that most men think that portraying dominance and power wins them admiration from women. Masculinity tells men that their urge for love and respect can only be attained through being powerful, dominant and ultimately violent. However, Alilunas (2009) posits that such factors are irrelevant to women. Many studies have revealed the problem of sexual violence, sexualised violence and sex-by-violence as products of masculinity. The contemporary society portrays masculinity despite enhanced strategies geared towards minimising or eliminating it through modernization. The first indication is the sprouting of numerous interactive forums in the media that discusses issues related to the male gender while portraying bias towards the female gender. The current modernisation has seen the liberation of women in all aspects of life, ranging from
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
To my unapproachable husband, Don Juan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
To my unapproachable husband, Don Juan - Essay Example Can it be that you have deceived me with false promises Looking back on our relationship, I wonder how I could be so innocent as to believe you would always be faithful. I have been told of your transgressions and as much as I want to dismiss the frivolous gossip, I cannot completely do so without your returning to me and putting the lie to these words (33). My servant Gusman has tried to ease my pain but even as he speaks he confirms your infidelity. How could I be so blind to your coldness (33, 41) Why have you left me Why can you not face me and defend yourself Let it be known that I can give you any number of excuses and can place the words on your tongue that would convince me that what I have been told is merely hearsay and not your true actions. I will continue to pursue you and when we meet once more, I would ask you to say the words I wish to hear. I ask only that you explain yourself, that you tell me you adore me and that nothing but death can tear us apart. I need to hear you convince me that urgent business called you away, and nothing less than that would separate us. Please make it known that you will return to me as soon as you can and that you live with the thought of being with me once more. Your honeyed words brought me into our nuptial bed, but now you would seem to be without the language of love, more tongue-tied than smooth in speech (41-42). I must tell you, t I must tell you, though it breaks my heart to say it, that my brothers are on a quest to find you and to kill you (69; Fort & Kates 47)). As heart-sore as I am at your leaving me, I do not wish to see you dead. It is my hope that Gusman can deliver this letter at least to your manservant so that you will be warned of danger. Gusman has told me that my devotion to you might be met with poor return should I find you. He has tried to convince me to stay at home, but I have not chosen to listen. Surely, you would not wrong me in this way. Do the holy bonds of matrimony have no meaning to you-you, to whom the sacred doors of the convent were no barrier (34; Fort & Kates 47). Sganarelle, your loyal servant, has called you a scoundrel. Can that truly be At our last meeting, you neglected to clear my mind of doubt, and it was I who invented a hundred good reasons for your sudden departure. Should you, at the very least, choose to answer this letter, you can swear your heart is unchanged and you still adore me. You can tell me how sad you are that business keeps you from returning home for some time, and if I simply return home quietly, you will follow me as soon as your affairs will allow it. If you cannot face me and say these words, at least in a letter they would soothe my pain. The stories I have heard about your infidelity are difficult to accept, and you could so quickly put my doubts to rest. There is talk of a peasant girl, in fact more than one peasant girl, with whom you have dallied (49; Gethner, para. 9). Tell me it is not so. If you can but convince me of fidelity and love, I will erase all of the accusations I am making against you and will love you forever. I have spoken with your father, and he assures me though you have sinned in the past, you have seen the error of your ways, and it is my strongest desire that since our marriage, you have been loyal to me. With hope for our future.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Japanese Folk and Myth in Anime Essay Example for Free
Japanese Folk and Myth in Anime Essay In order to answer the above question, we’ll need to set a line between myth and folklore. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Myth is defined as â€Å"a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially: one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of a society†. According to the same dictionary, folklore is defined as â€Å"traditional customs, tales, sayings, dances, or art forms preserved among a people†and â€Å"an often unsupported notion, story, or saying that is widely circulated†. What does this say exactly? It basically explains that a myth is the idea of a society and that folklore is the medium for expressing the idea. Another notion that I’d like to present is that myths, in general, are used to explain indescribable occurrences and supernatural events, like creation, animals, gods, rain, death, bugs, creatures, and everything else that goes bump in the night. Within most Japanese myths, there is a creature or being that unintentionally causes a major event or does some significant action, and the vast majority of Japanese mythology deals with a great deal of gods, goddesses, spirits, and creatures (so many that the list literally goes from A to Z). Branching off of myth, folklore tells the tales of people and creatures, and how they overcome or succumb to a crisis or conflict. Most of these tales are about how the world came into being, and why things are the way they are. Some are as complex as to why the sun rises and sets and why death happens, to demons that haunt bathrooms (Aka Manto and Akaname). A lot of the legends told in mythology are deeply rooted in nature and intricately describe the coming of the varying lands and elements; earth, wind, water, fire, and lightning. Some deal with customs and traditions, while others are about legendary animals and even specific locations like a cave or an island. As stated above, there are many different categories in Japanese myth and folklore: Creation, landscape, seasons, life and death, spirits, and other lesser categories like animals and traditions. The concept of the creation myth is very simple and is greatly represented within the anime series Naruto and Pokemon. Naruto As the reader may or may not know is that Naruto is an ongoing Japanese manga comic drawn and written by Masashi Kishimoto. This series has become widely known throughout Japan, and since its inception has quickly claimed number one on many official and unofficial charts. The story of Naruto tells the take of a young boy of the same name. He is a ninja of the â€Å"Village Hidden in the Leaves†, also known as â€Å"Konohgakure (KOH-NO-HAH-GAH-KUR-REH). Approximately twelve years prior to the beginning of the series, a Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit attacked the village. The Hokage (literally shadow of fire), person/leader revered for being the wisest and most powerful, sealed the demon inside a newborn child, Naruto Uzumaki. Because the demon destroyed the village and took many lives, many people shunned Naruto and treated him as if he were the demon fox itself. This, however, drove Naruto to become the Hokage in order to gain the respect of the village. During the series he gets stronger and trains with his friends/teammates Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and the team captain Kakashi Hatake, along with countless other strong ninja, such as Jiraiya and, Orochimaru (main antagonist). Character: Naruto Uzumaki ?As stated above Naruto Uzumaki is the main protagonist of the series and a very adept ninja. As a child he was shunned by almost everyone in his village, and treated with hate and distain. This caused him to misbehave and act out in order to get the attention he wanted. Because of the prejudice and isolation he suffered, Naruto began to yearn for attention and acknowledgement, he also strove to become the Hokage. Since he became a ninja, however, he’s had to prove himself time and time again, showing that despite being a troublemaker, he is also a devoted and kind hearted person. In addition, over time his reasons for gaining the title Hokage have changed; being from wanting attention to wanting to protect his friends, loved ones, and his home. At times he can be childish, having a chubby green frog shaped wallet named â€Å"Gama-Chan†, being a picky eater, even mischievous, yet when someone or something is in danger he can become serious and will always help his friends, being loyal to a fault. Folklore: Naruto Uzumaki The first thing that I’d like you to notice are the whisker marks on both of his cheeks. This is from the Nine-tailed Fox spirit that resides within him. The demon fox is known as Kurama, and he is a Kitsune. Within the world of Japanese Myth and folklore, the kitsune are a popular subject for Japanese stories. According to legend they are a powerful, intelligent, and ancient race with many magical abilities, such as shape shifting and utilizing their wisdom and superior intelligence to cause either misfortune or joy. The way that they relate to the anime Naruto is that, like Naruto, kitsune are known to be mischievous and playful, yet can also be loyal and very powerful, like the title character himself. They are portrayed, more often than not, as tricksters that play pranks for either entertainment or vengeance, and being either kind or malevolent. Similar to the character, once a kitsune is convinced to complete an action it will put all of its effort and focus on it, even if it costs it its life. Character: Sasuke Uchiha Contrary to his current persona, Sasuke was a very kind and cheerful child. This changed, however, when his entire clan, including his parents, were killed in a massacre by his older brother, Itachi, leaving the two as the only surviving clan members and instantly orphaned. Since then, he’s become very cynical and even sadistic. Even at the age of seven, Sasuke was extremely talented, mastering techniques many years ahead of his time. He later joined forces with his childhood rival, Naruto along with Sakura Haruno, and the team captain Kakashi Hatake. At first, he was indifferent and felt superiority over his teammates, but opens up over time, seeing them as family and friends. His main goal was to kill his brother for the murder of their entire clan, which entailed his defection from his village. Prior to this, though, he is attacked and inflicted with Orochimru’s â€Å"Cursed Seal of Heaven†mark, giving him immense strength, and a reason to go after his brother. Three years pass since is defection and he has grown greatly, growing strong enough to defeat Orochimaru. Folklore: Sasuke Uchiha ?Before I begin I must say that this character in particular has a lot of allusions to Japanese myth and lore. In any well written story, the name is a key part of how the character may be perceived. This is true for many characters, but perhaps even more so for the character Sasuke. His name is derived from the character Sarutobi Sasuke, and when inspected the name can be broken up into saru (monkey) and tobi (jump). The famous shinobi (ninja) was known for his monkey like agility and acrobatic prowess. Even at a young age, Sasuke of Naruto was seen as a child prodigy, being skilled in weaponry and physically superior to his class mates. Artist’s rendition of imperial regalia An avid Naruto fan may also take notice of Sasuke’s ocular ability known as the Sharingan. The sharingan, also called the mirror wheel eye, is a genetic ability shared only by people within the Uchiha clan. The name itself and the symbols within it are allusions to the imperial regalia of Japan; the Yata Mirror, the sword known as Kusanagi, and the Magatama jewel. In myth the mirror was used to lure the sun goddess Amaterasu out of a cave, bringing sunlight back to the world, and represents the truth as it can only reflects what is truly in front of it. Upon closer inspection, one may notice that within the eye are up to three marks surrounding the pupil. The comma -like marks are known as Tomoe. The Tomoe represent a multitude of ideas and objects. The most prominent of them are that they represent the second of the imperial regalia, the Magatama jewel. Along with the mirror, the jewel was employed to lure Amaterasu out Tomoe highlighted in red f the cave where she hid. The jewels were also sacred gifts given to her by the god of jewels, Ame-no-Futodama-no-mikoto. The Tomoe also represents the war deity Hachiman. Ancient samurai would adorn their armor with this crest to bring good fortune on the battlefield. Susanoo Along with the mirror and the jewel, there is the Kusanagi Sword, or â€Å"Grass Cutting Sword†(? ) In the story, Susanoo earns a sword from vanquishing an eight headed snake (Yamata-no-Orochimaru) and pulls it from its body. He then presents it to her to settle an old rivalry between them. The sword then was called â€Å"Sword of Gathering Clouds of Heaven†, and it was in the possession of a skilled warrior, Yamato Takeru. In his battles he discovers that the sword is able to control the air in the direction in which it is cast. According to legend he was in tall grass field. An emperor then sent flaming arrows at him, trying to ignite the grass and burn him alive. In one foul swoop, Yamato cut down the entire field and sent the arrows back with the swords burst of air. In the anime, Sasuke wields a sword by the same name and it is able to â€Å"cut air†, levitate the sword, and transmit the user’s ability to control lightning. Furthermore, the original sword that Sasuke wielded was taken from his former master Orochimaru, a ninja who’s theme and transformation-or true self- was an eight headed snake. Aside from the mere appearance of the Sharingan, the ocular magnificence holds other powers. To understand this, we must go back and learn a little about Japanese Creation Myth. In the beginning there were two gods Izanami (first woman) and Izanagi (first man). They created the eight islands of Japan and brought fire to the world, but in doing so, Izanami lost her life while giving birth to the god of fire. Stricken with depression, Izanagi went into Yomi (Hell) to retrieve his beloved. In the darkness, he found Izanami. She told him not to look at her, whish confused him, but he agreed. He begged her to return with him, but she had already eaten the food of the underworld, and could no longer leave. She agreed, though, and told him that she needed to rest. After waiting for Izanami, Izanagi grew worried, so he ventured back into Yomi. He lit a torch this time and what he saw disgusted him; Izanami’s once beautiful and elegant body was ruined by decay and foul creatures. He let out a cry and ran to the entrance to the world of the living. She sent creatures after him, but he managed to escape. She exclaimed that if he left, she would take 1,000 people every day, as he escaped he replied to create 1,500 people, thus starting the cycle of life and death. After escaping from Yomi, Izanagi wished to cleanse himself. He discarded his clothing, which formed gods, and went into the river. As he washed his face, three major gods were created; Amaterasu from the left eye, Tsukuyomi from the right eye, and Suasanoo from his nose. These three controlled the sun, moon, and sea and storms respectively. In the anime the Sharingan has many abilities, yet the most feared of them are the techniques Amaterasu: the Heavenly Illumination, Tsukuyomi: the moon reader, and Susanoo: Tempestuous God of Valor. The Sharingan allows the user to cast inextinguishable flames that never cease until its target is incinerated and are described as the flames of hell, burning as hot as the sun itself. Sasuke is able to summon these flames out of his left eye, and from his right is the illusionary weapon Tsukuyomi. This is the ability to trap an enemy in a dream, or rather nightmare, and torture them through their mind by controlling senses. Along with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, there is Susanoo a summoned warrior that’s made of the user’s spiritual energy. The demon warrior is usually portrayed in cloth garments and wielding the sword of Kusanagi and the Yata mirror as a shield.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Informal Jobs in Nicaragua
Informal Jobs in Nicaragua Freddy Espinoza Nicaragua is a third world nation located in Central America. The capital of Nicaragua is Managua. It is the biggest country of the region with an extension of 129,442 km2. Nevertheless its population is small in comparison with its size, only 6,071,042 habitants, although some cities like the capital, Managua, and Leà ³n are overpopulated. Nicaragua has had hard knocks in its economic history, but also has had good times. In the 60’s the economy of the country was good and increasing because of the industrialization but it started to decrease when people started to feel the oppression of the dictatorship. Also the economy was losing power because only the government and its allies had all the money; they were the largest owners of the industries while the rest of the population was poor. Then in 1972 the economy got worst because of the earthquake of that year which destroyed almost complete the downtown of the capital; many business and factories were destroyed so the production of the country decreased. In 1979 started the revolution (civil war) against the dictatorship Anastacio Somoza, causing a very low economic performance. During the revolution people were fighting in the rural areas therefore most of the croplands were destroyed. This caused the production of food to decrease and due to the shortage between the demand and the supply the prices were forced to increase in order to contract the demand. Also the revolutionaries were recruiting men in order to have more power and fight against the National Guard, which was the president’s personal army. The reclusion caused a lack of labor for the production of goods because they had almost all their people working in their guard. With this low production the inflation rate reached a percentage of 70% in 1979. The communist government of Daniel Ortega overthrew Somoza but they didn’t do something good for the economy. They stayed in the power by imposing strength and controlling the imports and exports, so the other countries with different thinking couldn’t export to Nicaragua because the government would not let their products come i nto the country. Due the political and economic crises in those times, Nicaragua’s external debt increased excessively, even more than its gross domestic product; being the debt impossible to pay. Since that time, government companies have been privatizing in order to reduce the external debt. Nowadays the economy has improved but there are still delimited works and unemployment creating a social-economic problem because many people have opted for informal jobs. Informal jobs are a type of work that occurs mostly in developing countries, these are characterized by employments that don’t comply with legal formalities. They are divided in two: wage employment and self-employment. In Nicaragua informal jobs are considered as people’s works which are not in the formal sector of the economy. These jobs are not recognized by the INSS (Instituto Nicaraguense de Seguridad Social) which control the requirements and rights of workers, or are people who decides to work by themselves and they don’t inscribe their business in the corresponded institution. In Nicaragua 63% of the population is considered poor, of that 63% the 43% is considered extremely poor and the 20% is considered poor. The education and sanitary conditions have increase but no too much, and almost the half of the population is unemployed. Half of the population doesn’t finish their studies. The level of education sometimes is until 6th grade but in rural areas it hardily reaches 4th grade Every company wants the best for its economy so they try to look for the best level of workers that they can have, that’s why everybody needs a curriculum is they want a job in a formal company and have a good salary. The relation of this whit informal jobs is that in Nicaragua many people don’t have a good grade of education and if they don’t study a major they are not going to be able to compete for good works because their lack of knowledge is going to impede them get a work that another person with a major in that work knows how to do it. We see that every time it is more important for a person to study a major and get degrees in it because in that way they can win the competition against others and get a better job. Unfortunately unemployment is everywhere and Nicaragua does not offer too many good works and they are many college graduates who are looking for a job or working in a different area of what they studied. When people don’t even find a job in another area, sometimes they are forced to work in the informal sector and it get worst for people who don’t have a major that’s why we see a lot of immigrants working in our neighbor country of Costa Rica and The United States. Sometimes the companies get advantage of this situation paying less or disrespecting the rights of workers. However they are people who look these problems and they decide to have self-employment because they prefer to earn their own money and work hard for a better future than feel their selves disrespected by someone else. In 2003 the INEC (Instituto Nicaraguense de Estadisticas y Censo) calculated that the amount of people working in informal Jobs according to their education was: 4% from college g raduates, 27% from high school, 46% from primary and 23% from any grade of education. Nowadays 79.2% of homes in Nicaragua have people working in the informal sector; and in many they are the principal income for the family. This information was given by the recent survey prepared by the firm M R, which by face to face interviews consulted 1,600 people over 16 years in all regions of the country. The rural population forms the biggest amount of people working in this sector; the cause of this is almost in its totality due the education because in rural areas the education is difficult because the teachers have to travel through difficult paths where the communication is difficult and in some places it does not even exist yet, the students have to walk large distances sometimes confronting dangerous rivers in order to get education but sometimes it is impossible to get in some days because in winter because the lack of communication routes and the river flow increases don’t let the student go to his destiny. Informal jobs in urban areas: Urban areas like Managua are characterized because you can find people from all the areas of the country that have come to the urban areas looking for a best future and good opportunities of work. Usually people from rural areas are the principal ones who emigrates to the urban areas looking for a best income but sometimes what they find is not what they thought. Due to their lack of education people hire them just like gardeners, guards, and mates earning a low salary and sometimes they don’t know their rights and are overexploited or they just do not denounced their bosses in order to don’t lose their jobs. In urban areas the biggest amount of informal jobs are seen in their local markets. Managua has 8 markets, being ‘el Mercado oriental’ the biggest market in the country and in Central America the new official data of the Corporacià ³n de Mercados de Managua (Commema) indicates that ‘el Mercado oriental’ is officially composed of 91 blocks. In these markets are estimated 35 thousand fixed traders and a similar amount of informal workers who works with baskets, wagons, and some ones who carry their products; these people are called itinerant workers. Meanwhile the itinerant workers work by themselves they are others who prefers to work for somebody else in the business of the markets, but the problem is that they also get in the informal sector because almost in all the cases they don’t get a formal contract and they are not inscribe in the INSS. These markets have a committee named CONMEMA which collect leases but they don’t collect any money f rom itinerant workers. Also they are many people who decided to create their own business at home and they create a â€Å"pulperà a†, this is basically a minimarket where you can find basic things that you forgot to buy in the supermarket commonly normal goods and inferior goods. In Managua and Masaya you usually are going to find â€Å"fritangas†at night, fritangas are small restaurants where you can find typical food and their food is characterized for being unhealthy but delicious; the fritangas are not registered or controlled by the ministry of health in the majority because they have emerged spontaneously and they are not famous enough to attract the attention of the institution, even though they are some others which comply with all the requirements and licenses. Actually fritangas have taken part of our culture and if you are a foreign you should try it when you visit Nicaragua. In the semaphores you will see the different products that the itinerant workers sell to the cars since fruits of the season until covers for cellphones and exotic animals like parrot. Government institutions like the MARENA (Ministerio de Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) have taken rules against the sale of exotic animals but they are still people selling. Also they are people who are glass cleaners, so they wait the semaphore to turn red in order to start working but sometimes they don’t get even a Cordoba. In these places we can even see the influence of child exploitation in informal jobs and homeless. Actually they have appeared women carrying newborn children and they ask for money to the cars and pedestrians, they do all these under the shining and hot sun of the tropic. They are other parents who came with their children to work and their children wait in the boulevard while the parents work, or they help their parents. The child exploitation also is reflected with paren ts that wait and watch their children since the boulevard, observing that they are working constantly either selling a product or begging. Child exploitation is common in informal jobs because it is the only place where children can work. According to Nicaraguan laws their age don’t let them work even they want to work because it is considered child exploitation so if they get a job in a formal business or company this can be demanded, meanwhile the informal sector is not controlled or regulated by any organization so they can work there with any problem while there is not an investigation. The situation in the semaphores is sad to see. Even though it has being show in national television programs and television reports, it is still seeing clearly that they are not changes and the situation continues. Informal jobs in rural areas: Rural areas have the biggest rate of informal jobs the causes are their level of education and the developed of the region. Because of the limited accessibility and the lack of infrastructure the economy activities are limited and it is based in agriculture and animal husbandry. In the most remote rural areas, people mostly harvest for their own consumption and the animal husbandry is scarce. Their income is only from the little amount of product that is left after they save enough products for consumption. The little money that they earn is used to buy clothes or a tool to improve their harvest. Commonly these people have only a cow and two chickens; although it is hard to believe they have learned to subsist just with that limitations some people continue doing it and they have family and are able to raise their children.
Child Support Agency: Critical Analysis of its Current State
Child Support Agency: Critical Analysis of its Current State Support that Needs Supporting: A Critical Analysis of the Current State of the Child Support Agency Abstract: On November 17, 2005 Prime Minister Tony Blair stated to the House of Commons that the CSA has fundamental problems. And this is the current opinion amongst many of the users of the service. This project will critically analyse the issues which have caused the agency to fail in its provision of support to some of the most vulnerable people in society; children. Table of Contents (Jump to) Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Investigation Chapter 2: Adjudication Chapter 3: Enforcement Chapter 4: Technological and Staffing Problems Chapter 5: The Future for the CSA Conclusion Bibliography Table of Cases and Statutes Preface This dissertation examines the current state of operation of the United Kingdom Child Support Agency, an organisation beset with criticism and administrative difficulties. It was hoped that the CSA, which has the two-fold role of assessing and collecting child support payments, would solve many of the problems of the court-based regime it was designed to replace. However, after 13 years of operation and several intervening attempts to reform the Agency these early ambitions have not proved well founded. In the following paper various areas of institutional weakness are identified and discussed, and conclusions are drawn on the basis of the observations made. Introduction The Child Support Agency (â€Å"CSA†) commenced operations in April 1993. It is an executive agency of government and a branch of the Department for Work and Pensions. The CSA is obliged to implement the 1991 Child Support Act and all relevant legislation relating to child support.[1] Child support, which is more popularly known as child maintenance, can be defined as the contribution made by a non-resident parent towards the financial costs of raising their child and it is usually paid to the person (usually the other parent) with whom the child resides. Before the establishment of the Child Support Agency disputes regarding child maintenance were dealt with by the courts. It was hoped that the introduction of the CSA would solve many of the problems associated with the old system in particular its inability to trace parents and its tendency to impose arbitrary and unfair settlements. The CSA was charged with the duty to assess payments on a consistent basis against a standard formula and thereafter to collect and distribute child support in an efficient manner. There is no doubt that this is a very sensitive and difficult area of public policy to manage but it is hard to avoid the assertion that the Child Support Agency has performed poorly. Criticism has been levelled at the CSA since its inception. In 1998, Prime Minister Tony Blair accepted that the CSA had â€Å"lost the confidence of the public†. He described the Agency as â€Å"a mess, in need of urgent reform†.[2] Various costly and comprehensive reforms were indeed implemented but the Agency’s performance deteriorated yet further over time. In November 2004, Doug Smith, the head of the CSA, resigned after wide-ranging criticism of the CSA systems..[3] Chairman of Work and Pensions Committee Sir Archy Kirkwood was moved to describe the situation at the CSA as: â€Å"a systemic, chronic failure of management right across the totality of the agency..†In November 2005, confronted by reports that for every  £1.85 that is collected for child support, the CSA spent  £1 on administration, Tony Blair acknowledged that the CSA was â€Å"not properly suited†to its function.[4] Blair proceeded to admit to the House of Commons that the CSA has â€Å"fundamental problems.†It is submitted that this is now the view of the overwhelming majority of commentators and clients of the CSA’s services. There is now a strong likelihood that the CSA will be subject either to radical reform or be scrapped altogether. At the time of writing in June 2006 it is anticipated that the government’s plans for the CSA will be laid before Parliament before Parliament rises for the summer. These are therefore important weeks for the Agency. This project will critically analyse the issues which have hindered the CSA in its efforts to provide support to some of the most vulnerable people in society; the children of failed relationships. Chapter 1: Investigation â€Å"†¦I make no defence of the current situation. The CSA is in an extremely difficult position†¦it is the investigating agency, then it is the adjudicating agency, then it is the enforcement agency†¦.The basic problem remains†¦It is extremely difficult to make this operation cost effective when the agency is the investigating, adjudicating and enforcing authority†¦.The truth is that the agency is not properly suited to carry out that task†Prime Minster Tony Blair House of Commons, 16 November 2005[5] Perhaps the first point to make is that the CSA caseload is very heavy. Changes in society are producing more and more broken families and thus child support claims, and many of these may prove to be highly complex cases. The investigation-stage of a case is clearly resource-intensive and the plain fact of the matter is that staffing resources and internal efficiency protocols have never been adequate to meet the demands of the burgeoning caseload. It needs hardly be said that the process of investigation of child support cases is often a very difficult and thankless task. Non-resident parents will often make great efforts to conceal and misrepresent facts so as to circumnavigate, obfuscate and frustrate the work of the Child Support Agency and it is unfair to blame the Agency for the behaviour of those with whom it is charged with dealing. Anecdotal evidence suggests that parents have taken extreme steps such as changing jobs or rendering themselves unemployed to defeat CSA investigations aimed at building a case to require them contribute financially to the upbringing of their children. It is likely that evasive or duplicitous parents create many times the amount of work for the Agency that a cooperative parent does and it is perhaps unreasonable to lay that responsibility at the door of the CSA. However, it is submitted that the style of management and administration systems operative at the Agency has exacerbated the profou nd external difficulties it faces, magnifying inevitable difficulties and allowing other problems that could be avoided under a tighter and more cogent regime to manifest themselves causing additional costs and delays. Perhaps the greatest weakness in the CSA investigation system the policy organisation’s policy that â€Å"the non-resident parent has a right to be believed†which ties the hands of Agency staff. This policy is clearly in place to reduce the administrative burden on the CSA but it is manifestly susceptible to abuse, if not, frankly, ripe for it. If a parent with care is fully aware that the non-resident parent has several jobs but has disclosed only one job to the Agency, then telephones the Agency to disclose this fact, the Agency will respond by repeating the aforementioned mantra and refuse to take further action unless â€Å"pay-slips from other jobs can be provided†, which in almost every case is an impossible demand. This is a ridiculous state of affairs, and one that gives non-resident parents full and open licence to deceive the Agency and avoid paying the proper amount to the children who are supposedly the priority in the system.. It is also submitted that the CSA, being an administrative entity, is not best suited to dealing with some of the highly complex and contentious cases that fall for its attention.. Such cases, which would probably be better suited to solution within the court system, serve as logjams in the Agency’s workload, and delay the progress of many more straightforward cases.[6] CSA investigations have been hampered not only by clumsy managerial procedures and organisation, but also by the information technology systems upon which it relies. The problems with the CSA’s IT systems have been well-publicised and are so extensive as to merit specific discussion later in this paper.[7] However, with regards to the issue of case investigation in particular, it has been impossible for management accurately to scrutinise and evaluate the performance of the Agency, and thus set in place long term strategies and goals, because of failings and incongruities within its information technology infrastructure. As the Commons Work and Pensions Committee commented in 2005: â€Å"It is difficult to exaggerate the Agency’s already low reputation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .[8] It is submitted that the credibility of the CSA is perhaps one of the greatest obstacles to its case investigation work. The Agency does not enjoy the unqualified respect of parents on either side of the child support equation, and this probably understates the truth. The CSA is widely perceived to be a disorganised and failing entity. Given that effective investigation is heavily reliant on prompt and fulsome compliance by parents, the credibility of the Agency itself has become a major factor in reducing its effectiveness as an organisation. In simple terms, parents are not scared of the CSA or intimidated by the consequences that dilatory or obstructive behaviour on their part might provoke. When one contrasts the reputation of the CSA with that of the Inland Revenue or the Police it is clear that the Agency is its own grea test enemy, in particular in regards to its role as investigator something which is so dependent on its relationship with and image in the eyes of parents, many of which already harbour a recalcitrant agenda. CSA investigation has also been hampered by weaknesses and omissions in the range of powers made available to the Agency for the fulfilment of its case investigation work. For example, Liberal Mps David Laws and Danny Alexander recently claimed that the CSA has had to shelve 46,000 cases where the non-resident parent cannot be traced, noting, almost incredulously, that there is no obligation on non-resident parents to inform the Agency when they change either their job or their address.[9] This position has been labelled as â€Å"absurd†by the Work and Pensions Select Committee.[10] It can be argued that such lacunae in the powers awarded to the CSA have made a significant contribution to the inefficiency of its case investigation operations.. Moreover, in this regard it should be noted that the ability of the Agency to obtain information about a non-resident parent’s income at the investigation-stage from Government bodies and other organisations and is woefully inadequate, and this weakness predictably generates a huge amount of unnecessary delay. The CSA’s inability to access confidential information such as credit cards records clearly hampers the organisation’s activities although there is a limit on just how far enhanced legal powers could assist in bringing the most assiduously evasive and duplicitous non-resident parent to book. Ironically, given that the future of child support may well lie in that direction, it is submitted that there has to date been poor communication and ineffective cooperation between the Child Support Agency and the Inland Revenue.. Unfortunately, even in cases where both parents offer full cooperation, due to the CSA’s parlous communication networks families rout inely have to wait many months before a child support assessment is made and a maintenance liability is established, and of course over this period extensive arrears may build up. Another factor which has frustrated CSA investigation work is that the rules and frameworks under which it operates have been subject to constant and comprehensive change over the course of the life of the Agency. Seemingly well-meaning â€Å"reforms†have been implemented with such regularity that the CSA is in a constant state of learning. For example, The Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 introduced a wholly new system[11] (known in the literature as the new scheme†) which entered into force for new cases as of March 2003. The intention was that the new scheme, which incorporated much simpler calculations, would elevate the problems of the Agency, however, it is submitted that this attempt to improve the situation at the CSA only made things worse, because the Agency now had to deal with a new an unfamiliar system alongside the old rules which remained applicable to earlier cases. Further work was generated by the need to convert cases from the old system to the new. These demands inevitably had a negative effect on the on-going case investigation work of the Agency, further depleting morale and resources. Other weaknesses in the investigation process may prove simply intractable. Under the rules of the CSA men are liable to start paying maintenance from the moment they are named by the mother as the father of the child. Unfortunately, almost one in five men who challenge the claim and ask for a DNA test discover that they are not the father of the child in question (3034 of 15909 1998-2004).[12] Refunds to the men are paid by the taxpayer, no attempt has been made by the CSA to recover any of the money wrongly paid over to the women in question. Labour MP and ex-social security minister Frank Field has commented: â€Å"The situation in the CSA is getting so absurd that even Lewis Carroll would have rejected it as a script for Alice in Wonderland.†[13] However, this is just one example of the difficulty faced by the CSA in attempting to impose an administrative framework and order in its investigative case work over such complex, sensitive and fraught personal relationships. The very latest report on the Child Support Agency’s performance, published on 27 June 2006 by Independent Case Examiner (ICE) Jodi Berg (who is charged with the responsibility of monitoring the CSA) expresses â€Å"deep concern†about the standard of its investigation work and the weakness of the basic administration of the Agency.[14] Berg reported that complaints against the Agency rose 5 per cent over the past year and noted that more than fifty per cent of all complaints were associated with delays or errors in the case investigation process. This increase in complaints follows on the back of record increases in the past two years.[15] Given the problems identified above this is perhaps not surprising. Berg recommended in more than half of all complaints ultimately investigated (1,348 over the last year) that the CSA should offer some form of financial recompense to the complainant.. The examiner concluded that the Child Support Agency would only be able to deal wi th its poor levels of customer service if it achieved the establishment of â€Å"sound fundamental administration processes†.[16] It is submitted therefore, in summation on this issue, that the CSA operates under a weak and pregnable administrative system, and that holes and ambiguities in the system are exploited by non-resident parents determined to avoid paying child support by any means. This commentator asserts that this combination of factors is in large part responsible for the poor performance of the Agency’s work on case-investigation. Chapter 2: Adjudication Alongside its role as investigator, the Child Support Agency is charged with the responsibility to adjudicate the cases that come before it. It is clear that the Agency has dramatically under-performed in this area just as it has in other spheres of its activity. The National Audit Office (NAO) has qualified its opinion on the CSA’s account in every single year since the Agency’s inception due to the level of error detected in maintenance assessments.[17] The NAO has reported that more than a quarter of receipts from non-resident parents and, astonishingly, more than three quarters of maintenance assessment debts are incorrect under the CSA‘s accounts. The NAO has also estimated that overstatement errors run to more than  £20 million pounds per year and that understatement errors may amount to around twenty times that amount.[18] This is an appalling state of affairs, and one which prejudices, in particular, the interests of children which the CSA is supposedly duty bound to hold high. The CSA Standards Committee provides the Chief Executive with a independent review of the quality of decision making within the Agency, and on the mechanisms in place for quality assurance. The Committee expected an improvement in the standard of adjudication achieved by the CSA after transition from the old to the new scheme, however it noted in its 2003/04 annual report that the new IT system was unable to deliver the anticipated results.[19] The report indicates an overall accuracy figure of 81.8%, which is below the 90% target imposed by the Government. It is submitted that this figure, which suggests mistakes in around 20 per cent or one fifth of all adjudications is unacceptable and that it cannot be explained merely by blaming IT difficulties. It is argued that staffing issues and poor management and surveillance play a significant part in erroneous adjudications and this is one aspect of the work of the Agency that cannot be defended by pointing at the behaviour of recalcitra nt non-resident parents.. The accuracy of decisions exclusively made in maintenance assessments is put at 79.8 per cent by the Committee, which is a steadily improving figure. (accuracy was put at 75% in 2002/03 and 71.6% in 2001/02). The report suggests that the primary causes of â€Å"inaccuracy†under the old scheme were: miscalculation of earnings errors regarding housing costs supersession errors[20] insufficient documentary evidence..[21] The Committee expressed disappointment that similar errors appeared to be creeping into the operation of the rules under the new scheme, and reported that these included mistakes in the setting of effective dates, elements of client contact and erroneous earnings calculations.[22] In March 2005 the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee delivered its report: The Child Support Agency: Government Response to the Committees 2nd Report of Session 2004–05. In this report the Work and Pensions Committee expressed continued concern at the â€Å"lower than expected level of accuracy of maintenance calculationsâ€Å". The Select Committee noted, the findings of the Agency’s Standards Committee as discussed above and recommended adherence to policies set down in the Transformation Programme designed to smooth the problematic transition from the old scheme to the new. These policies include double-checking for the most commonly made errors, and measures ensuring that all decisions are correctly documented (inadequately documented decisions are classified as inaccurate even if the calculation is correct). The Select Committee noted that a series of measures would be developed to further improve the adjudication process and these include: The adoption of a Standardised Adjudication Form – completion of which should be mandatory in the case of all â€Å"off-line decisions†unsupported by the system. It is submitted that this should support the documentary trail supporting these decisions. The introduction of a risk-based checking system – It is suggested that this policy should target surveillance and quality control resources on stages in the adjudication process known to be error-prone. In terms of opportunity-cost it is clearly prudent to make such stages a priority in this regard, but that is not to say that other less commonly arising mistakes should be ignored. Centralised Checking Teams – It is submitted that, in theory at least, this is also a well-founded policy. A centralised quality assurance mechanism, could more efficiently improve consistency and standardisation within the Agency and it is perhaps surprising that such a resource has not been in place within the CSA since its inception. Introduction of Quality Support Officers – again it is surprising that it took 12 years of operation before the creation of such posts were seriously considered. It is argued that the prior lack of such officers goes someway to explain the poor performance of the Agency since its establishment.. Such officers could quickly draw adjudication errors to the personal attention of the decision maker and the relevant Team Leader to ensure that misunderstandings are promptly and effectively rectified through focused coaching and targeted support.. Enhancements in Staff Training – Again it is noted that the User Education Programme concentrates on training aimed at eliminating the top five errors, but it is submitted that improvements aimed at eliminating the propensity to err in general should also be implemented if the Agency is really to address the mistakes plaguing its adjudication processes. As has been argued was the case in the context of the Agency’s case-investigation work the transition from the old scheme to the new scheme rules has proved problematic.. Efforts to improve the quality of the adjudication process have been hampered by the change from one system to the next and by the fact that the two quite different systems run in parallel and must be administered as such within the organisation.. These effects have been felt not only in the UK CSA but in its Northern Ireland counterpart. In the Annual Report on Decision Making in the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency (2003-2004)[23] the Independent Standards Committee reported that whereas under the old scheme around 1 in 4 decisions contained an error, under the new scheme almost half of adjudications contained a flaw, although curiously financial accuracy is reported to be 92 per cent in both cases. This suggests that most errors are either procedural in nature or to be found in the inaccurate/incomple te recording of decisions and this is very much a management issue. Ultimately, it is argued that it is the senior management team of the CSA that should be held responsible for the general tendency of the Agency to err in its adjudication role.. It is the function of the leadership of the Agency to set in place the appropriate systems and cultures necessary to ensure accuracy. After thirteen years of operation one would, it is submitted, properly expect that teething troubles in the adjudication process should have been long-since identified and rectified, but that does not appear to have been the case. Indeed the management malaise at the CSA, while perhaps most obvious in the context of poor adjudication standards, translates into below-par performance in other fields of activity beyond the largely internal scope of the adjudication process, with even greater force due to the determination of non-resident parents to hamper the administration that lax management has left pregnable.. Chapter 3: Enforcement Enforcement is the third of the CSA’s three main functions in the field of child support.. Yet again however, it is submitted that the Agency has been found lacking and criticism of its efforts in this arena has been both extensive and far-reaching. The CSA has consistently exhibited a disturbing failure properly to enforce maintenance payments. In an enforcement monitoring exercise supervised by the Child Support Agency Standards Committee in 2003 it was discovered that only 10 per cent of enforcement cases were dealt with in a correct manner. This, it is argued is a simply disgraceful state of affairs. Moreover, the National Audit Office has qualified the CSA’s Client Fund accounts in every single year since the Agency’s inception and this is an indefensible situation that would have led to collapse and investigation if it had occurred in the private sector in the context of any normal commercial undertaking.[24] Part of the blame can be laid on the behaviour o f obstructive non-resident parents but the lions share of the responsibility for this appalling record of failure must lie with the management and administration system dedicated to enforcement that those reluctant payers seem to find so easy to exploit. In principle, where a non-resident parent fails to pay regular maintenance, the Agency’s policies dictate that so-called â€Å"front-line staff†should endeavour to negotiate an arrears agreement. If such an agreement cannot be reached on a voluntary basis, and the non-resident parent is in employment, a debt manager may be called upon to impose a Deduction from Earnings Order on his or her salary. If this action proves ineffective the case will be referred to an Enforcement Team which will consider legal proceedings (this decision and the form of such proceedings is at the discretion of the Enforcement Team). The Child Support Agency Standards Committee have found numerous errors occurring at this important stage..[25] Among the errors the most commonly occurring include a failure to use the full range of powers available to the Agency to obtain information to allow the conversion of a case from an interim maintenance assessment to a full maintenance assessment.. In this regard it should be noted that section 14A of the Child Support Act permits criminal proceedings to be brought against those failing to provide information or who offer false information. It is argued that cultural factors within the management of the organisation deter resort to criminal action in some cases and that this tendency coupled with the fragile administrative superstructure is deleterious both to t he CSA’s performance and its reputation. Another frequently noted error is the incorrect application of Liability Orders, which are necessary to obtain legal recognition that a debt is owed as a precursor to further enforcement proceedings against the non-resident parent. In many other cases no action is taken after the issuing of a letter warning of enforcement action to an unresponsive non-resident parent.. There is strong anecdotal evidence and a commonly held public perception that the Agency takes a very tough and rigorous line on non-resident parent’s willing to cooperate and make payments, but a far less assiduous approach to uncooperative and evasive parents. It is submitted that there is a widely held belief that the CSA pursues this line with a view to the preservation of its own resources and the improvement of its own performance figures and the Agency is routinely criticised for disregarding the interests of children and single parents as a consequence. Indeed, the CSA has been roundly criticised by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman for this engrained pattern of behaviour.[26] However, that is not to say that the Agency has not made progress in some fields of enforcement activity. Prompted by recommendations made by the Standards Committee the CSA has sharpened its policies to some extent. For example the  £250 de minimis[27] debt threshold for enforcement action (imposed presumably for administrative and cost efficiency) has been abolished and new fines have been introduced along with the option to seek the withdrawal of driving licences from non-payers. That said, by 2005 the Agency had only used its power to withdraw driving licences 11 times in the five years since the introduction of the penalty[28], and given that over that period well in excess of 250,000 non-resident parents had become habitual non-payers, this must be viewed as a lamentable if not disgraceful record. Unfortunately the developing picture became even gloomier despite the increase in resources made available to the Agency’s enforcement teams. Billions of pounds have now been written off by the Agency as â€Å"uncollectable†. It is submitted that the Agency’s political overseers must take some of the blame alongside the senior management of the organisation. Under Tony Blair’s Labour administration the amount of the uncollected child maintenance had tripled from  £1.1bn in 1997 to  £3.3 billion by 2005. It is clear that the Agency puts insufficient emphasis on compliance and that, for some inexplicable reason it resorts to middle-order procedures to compel regular payments in far fewer instances than should be the case. The parent with care is typically forced to make numerous complaints before any enforcement action is taken by the CSA and even then there is no guarantee that effective measures are put in place. For example, it has been asserted that only around 19 per cent of long-term defaulting cases are subject to a Deduction of Earnings Order.[29] It has also been noted that the sheer amount of complex regulation confuses both parents with care and non-resident parents, and that the latter group has become skilled in the art of exploiting the convoluted appeal system so as to either evade payment or delay it for as long as possible.[30] This commentator is spoilt for choice in the selection of statistics for mention in this paper on the CSA’s enforcement performance but perhaps the most damning fact of all is that the Agency Enforcement unit retrievedjust  £8 million in 2005 but cost £12 million to operate.[31] That really speaks for itself. Again it is pertinent to restate the fact that non-resident parents have exacerbated difficulties over enforcement by their obstructive and often duplicitous behaviour, but this does not justify the results obtained by the Agency. If the CSA was using the full range of its powers to their full effect and achieving poor results, this commentator would indeed dwell more on the behaviour of parents and the agenda of the Government which awards and delimits the powers. However, it is manifestly clear that the Agency does not use its powers effectively something best evidenced by the stated statistic on the incredibly low use of the driving licence withdrawal option. Such a threat is obviously a potent weapon in the arsenal of the CSA, and while it may not always be appropriate, perhaps because the non-resident parent relies on his or her licence in order to generate an income, this commentator simply refuses to accept that it has only proved ap
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