Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Racial Prejudices Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Racial Prejudices - Research Paper Example According to Allport (1954), definition of prejudice is a negative bias directed to a particular group of people. On the hand, racism is has a foundation on beliefs and shown in behaviors that believes race to be a biological entity and claims other racial groups apart from their own are psychologically, intellectually and physically inferior (Allport, 1954). Pascoe (1985) describes racism that it results from race prejudice transformation and ethnocentrism through power exercise against another racial group regarded as inferior by institutions and individuals with unintentional and intentional support of the whole culture. Therefore, the racism core includes prejudiced mentality of superiority in a in group with a power exercise to subjugate a group considered out. Therefore, as prejudice is attitudinal in nature mainly, racism extends the attitude into a discriminating behavior against another group. Many theorists have tended to explain why racial prejudice is easy to develop. Som e claim that racial prejudice is one of the by-products of evolution for adaptive strategies for survival that make humans beings to distinguish between a foe and a friend (Oskamp, 2000). Furthermore, the process of natural selection programmed the human brain to depend on physical markers in assessment of a potential threat among competing different racial groupings. This perspective is echoed in prehistoric societies where interpersonal interactions among different tribes were noted to be dangerous in transmission of deadly diseases (Allport, 1954). Adaptive reactions to these threats were to attribute a potential threat to people of an out group who were identified by different physical features. From this perspective, racism and prejudice can be and has been embedded in the cultural, biological and social collective human consciousness. Pascoe (1985) points out that many scholars have conceptualized the psychodynamic of psychological processes thought to explain racial prejudice development and maintenance among the whites. The conceptual perspective views racial prejudice as an unconscious ego mechanism for defense designed for reduction of anxiety among most experience of white people due to conflicted super ego and id based racial feelings and thoughts (Oskamp, 2000). There are different sources of racial prejudice; key among them are various forms of fear. The expectation that another person will do harm , perception that the other’s difference in viewing the world will create to one’s own challenges, presumption that by interacting it will lead to rejection, embarrassment or ridicule and the fear generation of negative consequences due to negative stereotypes. According to Allport (1954), the theoretical support that suggests forcing of people to change their behaviors will results to a long term in change of attitude relates to the theory of cognitive dissonance that stipulates that people cannot think in a particular way and contrarily behave in a manner without interfering with the belief structure. Therefore, according to Pascoe (1985), two strategies can work to this problem: First, attention should be paid to the normative exertion to change behavior as contrary to legal pressure. Second, steps to be taken to make sure that the moral pressure conveyor is someone respected, similar to the target. Oskamp (2000) adds that strategies that try to change the
Monday, October 28, 2019
Euthanasia Pros And Cons Essay Example for Free
Euthanasia Pros And Cons Essay Introduction Health becomes everyone concerns since it influence our today’s activities. People who get sick will likely not feel up to do any activities and therefore reduce their effectiveness. This is the underlying reason why we witness growing number of nutrition supplement in recent days. The aims of such growth are to give our bodies additional synthetic foods to replace the natural ones that we should take but do not have time for it. Since cure takes lots of money and time, today people understand the need to take preventive instead of curative actions. However, at some cases, there are patients who cannot stand having a great suffer and they decide to end their life by medical practice called euthanasia. Euthanasia exists as one of medical approaches, which is commonly conducted in some countries. It is not supported by decree but some rules agree to a standard defense from general practitioners that have remained to official principles. This depends on charitableness of the demand and relievable-ness of the pain. Considering than euthanasia is debatable from the point of ethical view, therefore, the research statement of this paper is â€Å"amidst the endless debates over the practice of euthanasia, what are ethical arguments that both support and cons it.†Concerning the ethical issues, this paper will elaborate three ethical argument of euthanasia. Three Arguments of Euthanasia 2.1      Background of Euthanasia Euthanasia is the process or practice to end the life of a person who suffers from a severe disease by committing an unusual medical treatment. The objective of euthanasia is to end the pain of a person who has a terminal disease or devastating illness. Many people consider it as a medically accepted murder since, at some places; a general practitioner may legally decide not to extend the patient’s life. Many organizations oppose the practice of euthanasia by encouraging the use of advance medical technology, which has been used to lengthen the lives of patients who are continuing great suffering (â€Å"Euthanasia†). Technological progresses in medication have enabled to lengthen life in patients with no optimism of revival. The negative consideration of euthanasia has occurred because of the practice of using extraordinary means to save life. Under such circumstances, the positive consideration of performing euthanasia has come to mention acts that aggressively cause death. In practice, Euthanasia uses some methods such as antibiotics, drugs, or surgery in large quantity but eventually lethal pain medication is supplied. Euthanasia is an ordinary practice among U.S. hospitals and general practitioners (â€Å"Euthanasia and End-of-Life Decisions†). There are, in general, two methods of euthanasia: active or passive. Active euthanasia refers to the practice where a general practitioner simply put to death a person who suffers from terminal conditions. Meanwhile, passive euthanasia brings up any action of letting the patient to die, which may comprise failing to give needed medicine. Both of active and passive euthanasia can be voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary (â€Å"Euthanasia†). Ethical View of Euthanasia Oxford Advanced Learner’ Dictionary defines ethic as a system of moral principles and rule of conduct[1]. In the case of euthanasia, moral principle might apply not only for the patient but also for the medical industry in general. Concerning the ethical view, Gillon (1994) explains there are four ethical principles that are related to health care: respect autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and promote justice. In the case of euthanasia, we will discuss the role of three principles; they are respect autonomy, non-maleficence, and promote justice. 2.2.1   Respect Autonomy In the respect autonomy, the principle underlines the important to educate, communicate, respect, and empower. We found that autonomy becomes sensitive issues in the practice of euthanasia since it is both important and controversial since there is controversy between the medical ethics to strive for making people staying alive and the intention of family or individual to end someone’s life due to severe diseases that someone attains (Gillon, 1994). The importance of euthanasia has been found to play significant role in today’s health care industry although it generates a conflict between rights of individual and the family. In addition, people who support euthanasia have capitalized on people that confuse, and fear about the use of modern life-lengthening technologies. Being capable of deciding the time and manner of person’s death regardless the destiny is showed as the definitive freedom. On the other hand, a choice to take person’s life or to let a doctor to take life a suffering patient is very dissimilar from a choice to refuse extraordinary oppressive cure (â€Å"Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide†).            Furthermore, people must be cautious of those who force to end the lives of the elderly people and the severe patients. If people ever make a decision that break quality of life, they should provide good reasons for ending the life. There is dissimilarity between permitting nature to take its path and aggressively helping death. The term of euthanasia becomes famous in society since it is a kind of â€Å"death with self-respect†or helping suicide (â€Å"Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide†). Non- maleficence In the non-maleficence, the ethical view is to do no avoidable harm both to individuals and to groups (Gillon, 1994). In line with this view, the euthanasia may be seen as unethical practice since medically, any patients still have opportunity to heal and medical technology may help to lengthen life of patients with severe diseases. They also start to speculate whether they have the rights to get for themselves or their fellowmen an easy death, which will curtail suffering and appear to them more in agreement with human self-respect (â€Å"Declaration on Euthanasia†). Many people argue in the some states in answering the question of what comprises aggressively causing death and what comprises only permitting death to happen obviously. In a more extensive meaning, both shortest killing and â€Å"letting a patient to pass away,†where the movements required saving a life are not simply to be taken (â€Å"Euthanasia and End-of-Life Decisions†). Legalizing euthanasia would also contravene some public confidences about human rights and equal opportunity. Some of them declare human absolute rights to stay life, to have autonomy and the happiness. If people’s rights to stay alive are reduced in value, the other rights will have no sense. Peoples, who stand for the attentions of elderly and disable people, and those who suffer AIDS or other incurable sicknesses, by current medical technology, are reasonably feared of having judged to be killed by euthanasia method (â€Å"Euthanasia and End-of-Life Decisions†). Promote Justice. The third ethical view is the promote justice. It simply explains fair distribution of resources, respect for rights and respect for morally acceptable laws. One problem in euthanasia case is that it â€Å"is not fair.†We (the elderly or patients with severe diseases) are not â€Å"created equal†. Under such circumstances, the doctor has to try to create a level playing field, in the interests of justice (Gillon, 1994).            Concerning the promote of justice, some states in the U.S face constituent vote schemes and â€Å"legislation statements†trying to legalize euthanasia and help suicide. Public judgment concerning this subject has become more significant because extensive maintain could extremely well smooth the progress of the legalization of these policies in other states (â€Å"Declaration on Euthanasia†). A recent survey reveals that almost all of Americans support the practice of euthanasia. However, advanced research has illustrated that there are important disparities in levels of support for euthanasia across different social groups. Lately, these approaches have been accepting more awareness since they can control the legislation and recognize how to be concerned about the patients in the future (â€Å"Euthanasia suicide mercy-killing right-to-die physician assisted†). The regulation distinguishes that euthanasia is a practice that had been tolerated for many years in which it allows the practice of euthanasia and medical doctors who help to end someone life under some conditions. The conditions are the patient’s suffering is intolerable with no hope of recovery, the patients who ask for euthanasia must be voluntary and persevere over time, and the patient must be completely conscious of his/her situation, hopes and choices. Conclusion Euthanasia is the process or practice to end the life of a person who suffers from a severe disease by committing an unusual medical treatment. The objective of euthanasia is to end the pain of a person who has a terminal disease or devastating illness. Many people consider it as a medically accepted murder since, at some places; a general practitioner may legally decide not to extend the patient’s life. The practice of euthanasia is still debatable from the point of ethical view. This paper reveals three ethical view of its practice based on Gillon (1994), the three ethical views that we discuss in this paper are respect autonomy, non-maleficence, and promote justice. Works Cited â€Å"Euthanasia suicide mercy-killing right-to-die physician assisted.†2005. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www.euthanasia.com â€Å"Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide.†2004. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm â€Å"Euthanasia.†2005. Retrieved October 15, 2006 http://ethics.acusd.edu/euthanasia.html â€Å"Euthanasia and End-of-Life Decisions.†2004. Retrieved October 15, 2006 fromhttp://ethics.acusd.edu/Applied/Euthanasia/ â€Å"Euthanasia.†2005. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www.nrlc.org/euthanasia/index.html â€Å"Declaration on Euthanasia.†1980. Retrieved October 15, 2006 from http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19800505_euthanasia_en.html Gillon R. Medical ethics: four principles plus attention to scope. BMJ 1994; 309: 184-188 Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (4th ed.).(1989). [1] Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (4th ed.).(1989).
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Liberals LOVE Gun Control Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays
Liberals Love Gun Control     Gun Control can be called the 'acid test' of liberalism. All true liberals must favor stricter gun controls. After all, doesn't the United States have the most heavily armed population on the earth? Are we not the world's most violent people? Surely these facts must be at least casually connected. Therefore the apparently desperate need to "do something" about the vast quantity of firearms and firearms abuse is obvious.                Guns are employed in an enormous number of crimes in this country. In other countries with stricter gun laws, gun crimes are rare. Many of the firearms involved in crime are cheap handguns, so-called Saturday Night Specials for which there is no legitimate use or need.                The public is polarized on the issue of gun control, Anti-gun control activists believe that it is each and every American's individual right to bear arms. After all, the Second Amendment to the Constitution states that:                A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.                Advocates of gun control say that even with 20,000 gun control laws already in existence, the serious problems due to firearm misuse continue. Obviously, the controls that have been designed have not been sufficiently effective. Therefore the pro-gun controllers argue, we need more uniform legislation, more extensive gun controls, and effective enforcement.                Various pro-gun control organizations disagree on methods of gun control needed. For example, there are individuals who would ban all handgu... ...med there is less incidence of crime? The examples from California and Switzerland are evidence to that fact. Enough freedoms have already been lost in this country, can we afford to lose another? With some 20.000 firearms regulations now on the books, we do not need still more gun-control laws. We need to enforce the laws that we have now. It's time to stop the wait. The only thing Congress should rush is the adoption of meaningful criminal justice reforms to keep violent predators off our streets. We do not need more laws that restrict the ability and the right of honest women and men to protect themselves from criminal attack.  WORKS CITED  Lee, Patricia. "Fighting for Freedom." Guns & Ammo Sept. 1992: 26.  Cramer, Clayton. Are Concealed Carry Permits a Threat to Public Safety?. American Rifleman Sept. 1993: 27-28
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Comparison and contrast on the narrative point of view in metamorphosis and chronicles of a death foretold Essay
In metamorphosis Franz Kafka uses a narrative point of view called third person omniscient, where it is mostly limited since only his thoughts and feelings are presented, however on the other hand in the chronicles of a death foretold Garcà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½a Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez relates the plot of a murder about which everyone knows before it happens through the use of a narrator who tells the story in the first person, as a witness to the events that have occurred 27 years earlier, Yet the narrator is recounting the tale years later from an omniscient point of view, sharing all of the characters’ thoughts. I intend to compare and contrast both narrative point of views in both metamorphosis and chronicle of a death foretold, through affirming the techniques that are used to clarify this point of view such as diction, the use of black comedy, the use of irony etc. One of the properties of first person narration is that the narrator may be a character who tells the story as he/she sees it. The fact that a first person narrator tells the story from his/her point of view, in most cases tends to make the narrator unreliable and therefore unbelievable or doubtful for example in the chronicles of a death foretold the narrator states that Santiago Nasar is innocent this shows that the narrator is biased and unreliable. A first-person narrator gives his own point of view but does not know what other characters are thinking this is an ability usually reserved for the third-person omniscient point of view like in metamorphosis. The third-person omniscient point of view can enter the consciousness of any character therefore making him credible and more reliable than a first person narrator. In Kafka’s metamorphosis we sometimes see things through Gregor’s eyes, but more typically we see him omnisciently from the outside (from other characters like his father, his mother or his sister) this occurs on page 126 at the beginning of chapter three, this effect causes the reader to feel sympathy for Gregor. This dual effect is extremely powerful in making the reader believe what they read since it is not only one person’s opinion however it is many that say the same things. Limited omniscient narrators are usually unbiased or neutral (which means that they don’t favour any particular characters). The narrative point of view seems to present a picture of Gregor and the world as he understands it, both before and after his metamorphosis. This does not necessarily mean that all of Gregor’s judgements are to be accepted in fact it is quite on the contrary, Kafka uses irony and black comedy to indicate that Gregor is at times misled, for instance in thinking he can still go to the office even after becoming an insect and, more sadly, in thinking his family is putting his interests first. Since the narrator is omniscient we are given the attitudes and tones of other characters in the book, for example when Gregor’s father first sees Gregor he gets angry thinking that he had lost the only means of providing for his family (page 106) . When we read this we have no doubt that Gregor’s father Mr. Samsa is angry this is called credibility. The third person omniscient narrator also helps us in getting a clear picture of the surroundings through description. An example of this can be found at the bottom of page 105 the description of the stains on the white doors helps to give the reader a mental picture of the surroundings. Another example of this can be found on pages 119-120 when Gregor’s room is described as â€Å"cosy†and â€Å"comfortably furnished with old heirlooms†. Another example of the third person narrator’s description of the surroundings is when the narrator describes the view from Gregor’s window as being â€Å"melancholy†and quite depressing (through the mention of raindrops and the weather) on page 87. These descriptions all help the reader in understanding Gregor’s pain, suffering and helplessness towards the situation. One of the most outstanding features of Chronicle of a Death Foretold is the point of view Garcia Marquez uses to tell the story. Narrating the story from the first-person point of view is the unnamed son of Luisa Santiago, having returned to the river village after being gone for twenty-seven years, the narrator tries to reconstruct the events of the day that ends in the murder of Santiago Nasar. In this novel, however, Garcia Marquez makes the narrator telling the story credible towards the end to give the effect of confusion. The reader is confused about whether the narrator is reliable or not. Even though the narrator isn’t the main character in the text he plays and important roll in the novel as well as in the investigation. The fact that he cannot enter other characters consciousness also complements the fact that first person narrators are unreliable and unbelievable. We do not learn what the other characters are thinking or feeling unless they show us by their words or actions. First person narration can be unreliable due to the limited knowledge and/or understanding of events that have occurred. The author may use this unreliability to give questionable moral values or to make the character or reader biased about the people and events that are described. The difference between objectivity and subjectivity is the difference between fact and opinion, An objective piece of information, therefore, needs to be the whole truth or at least to be unbiased, whereas a subjective point of view is biased because it is either not the complete picture or it is merely a perspective or an expression of feelings. Depending on whether the narrator is objective or subjective we can judge whether the narrator is reliable or not. If the narrator in chronicles of a death foretold was omniscient he could have given a reliable account of the events that took place after the murder, however since he is biased, he blurs the edges and makes the diseases that the people of the town obtained seem as if they were being punished for not stopping the Vicario brothers. However, scientifically the diseases had nothing to do with guilt. The narrator in chronicles of a death foretold also creates confusion through giving details that aren’t connected to the murder as well as different versions of the chronological events. For example in the beginning of the text the narrator gives accounts of the weather on the day of the murder and showed that each character gave different versions of the weather according to how each of the characters were associated with Santiago Nasar (page 17), the narrator also gives details that aren’t linked to the murder such as the details given about the wedding (lavish, expensive etc.). The techniques used to clarify the narrative point of view include the use of irony, black comedy, magic realism, diction and sentence structure. For example in metamorphosis when Gregor attempts to get out of bed, Kafka uses black comedy to give the effect that any topics or events that are regarded as serious or depressing are treated with humor. Another technique of clarifying narrative point of view used by Mà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rquez is the use of quotations persistently throughout the text. The word â€Å"liberating†on page 107 in metamorphosis, as well as the line â€Å"Gregor waited in vain†reflect Gregor’s inner thoughts as the omniscient narrator reveals them, this suggests that the narrator is objective and that the narrator is omniscient. In metamorphosis the point of view shifts as the corpse of Gregor Samsa is discovered, this shift in the point of view convinces the reader that the Samsa’s had been relieved from an enormous burden. The removal of the â€Å"burden†off the Samsa family helps them in planning for the future as if Gregor never existed. This gives the reader the impression that the Samsa’s are cruel and wicked and it also creates a feeling of pity for Gregor. In conclusion I strongly believe that point of view is very important in Chronicles of a death foretold as well as in metamorphosis. I believe that both writers were successful in their choices of narrative point of view. If I was to describe the narrative point of view in chronicles of a death foretold in one word then it is â€Å"fatalistic†, however if I was to describe the narrative point of view in metamorphosis in one word it would be â€Å"accommodative†.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
The Sun Rising
This is a dramatic poem where the speaker and his lover are in bed together. The speaker personifies the sun, and is speaking to it throughout the poem. As the sunlight comes through the windows, the speaker tells the sun to leave them alone. He seems to feel that their life together is complete, and that the sun is being a nuisance. He then tells the sun that his lover is worth more than anything the sun can ever find outside their bedroom. It is a love poem of an unusual kind.In this poem, composed in the form of a dramatic monologue, the poet lover is angered at the Sun and calls it names for disturbing the time him and his lover are spendong together. . He addresses the Sun as â€Å"busy old fool†. He calls it unruly because, by peeping in to the bedroom through windows and curtains it disturbs the lovers. The poet-lover tells the Sun that lovers’ seasons do not run to its motions. He advises the Sun to go and do such routine and dull jobs like chiding late-schoolbo ys and apprentices, waking up court-huntsmen and peasants.The expression â€Å"country ants†is imagery. It refers to the peasants, drudging like ants. However, the poet and his lover are not like ‘them', they are superior to all that is going on around them and they should not be disturbed. They get up with the Sun and toil the whole day, till sunset. Love knows no season, no climates. It is not affected by time. In this section of the poem we come across personification like â€Å"busy old fool†and â€Å"saucy pedantic wretch†to show the annoyance the poet has at this intruder.The poet’s wit is apparent when he tells the Sun that he has no reason to think that his beams are â€Å"so reverend and strong†. The poet lover could eclipse and could the beams of the Sun with a wink. He does not do so because he does not wish to â€Å"loose her sight so long. †This indicates that the love between the poet and his lover is so obsessive, so strong and has such potency that he does not even want to lose sight of her for her second. The Sun travels all over the world in twenty four hours. The poet asks the Sun to go round the world, see all Kings, come back tomorrow and say ifDonne uses hyperbole to exaggerate the importance of himself and his lover, â€Å"in one bed lay†- he is insinuating that all important elements of the world are there in the their bed and in their room. They are everything. To Donne, this moment with his love means everything and he describes it as such. The same imagery continues in the concluding verse of the poem where â€Å"She’s all States, and all Princes I†. The poet’s mistress is all States. She is the world. The Sun can shine over only half of the world at one time. The lovers, on the contrary, are the world.It logically follows that the Sun is â€Å"half as happy as we†. When we come to this part of the poem we notice a shift in the mood of the poet. Th e Sun is no longer the â€Å"busy old fool†or the â€Å"saucy pedantic wretch†of the first verse or stanza. It is now an aged fellow in need of ease. The poet offers it the needed ease; the Sun’s duty now is warming the world. It warms only half of the world at a time. By shining on the lover’s bed it can shine over the whole world at a time. â€Å"Let the bed be the centre and the walls the sphere†of the Sun with this arrangement the aged Sun can do its duties with ease.At the beginning of the poem the poet asked the Sun to go away from there. Now he invites the Sun to go round their bed and shine on them. He does not want to lose his lovers sigh for even a second- shows how much he loves her. The poet addresses the sun as a person and rebukes the sun because it has wakened him and his lover from their sleep. He demands to know why lovers should obey time. He also shows his dominance over the sun, calling it a ‘saucy pedantic wretchâ€⠄¢ and tells the sun to bother other people instead such as late school boys or workers imploring or more time to sleep.He tells the sun to find the royal court people and farmers to let them start their day instead of controlling the lovers, because time does not exist in love and unlike season or climate or sun, love doesn’t change. Hours, days and months are just silly, useless measures. The poet challenges the sun about its strength, that the sun isn’t is high and mighty because he can make it disappear by winking, except he doesn’t want to lose sight of his lover. He teases the sun that his lover’s eyes are so beautiful and bright that it can blind the sun.He tells he sun to go to far away countries like India or stay because the entire world is with him in the bed. The sun can also find kings but he and his lover are so superior that even the kings will say the most important people are in his room, ‘all here in one bed lay’. The poet c laims that his lover is ‘all states’ and in fact the whole world itself and he is the ‘prince’ that rules it, nothing else exists other than them. They are the celebrity, and even other princes want to mimic them.He declares that honour and science are nothing compared to their love and that the sun is only half as happy as they are. He says the sun is old and so it should rest because its duty is to warm the world and since they are the world, the sun has completed its duty. Then, the poet cleverly turns the sun’s refusal to leave into a show of its generosity and by shining at them, it has centered itself upon the room of his love and so they are the sun, the center of the universe
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Charismatic Leadership and the New Leadership Approach Essays
Charismatic Leadership and the New Leadership Approach Essays Charismatic Leadership and the New Leadership Approach Paper Charismatic Leadership and the New Leadership Approach Paper Charismatic Leadership the New Leadership Approach 1. What are the similarities and differences between charismatic and transformational leadership? A charismatic leader is a leader that makes you believe in his ideas (makes them appealing), and not just accept them, exactly like a transformational leader. He really wants the subordinates’ commitment to the company’s goals and to the leader himself. To gain employees’ approval of himself, the charismatic leader will prove to be good at handling crowds of people, at analyzing their mood and consequently at talking to them. He will not rely on his power as a superior or the authority it gives him, and will take personal risks, which will grant him the trust of the people he works with. On the other hand, a transformational leader, who could well be charismatic, has the objective of transforming the whole company: thing that only a charismatic leader with good intentions would want to do. As the charismatic leader has everyone’s trust, it can be very dangerous for the organization if his priorities are not properly set and/or if they have a too high opinion of themselves and their capacities. In some cases, a leader can be so charismatic that subordinates would believe anything he says, even when it’s not the best for the company: and this is the main difference between charismatic end transformational leadership. 2. Read the attached excerpts from business media and consultancy presentations concerning leaders that are said to be charismatic. a. Is it correct to talk of charismatic leadership in these cases, according to the definitions of charisma found in the course literature? Steve Jobs is obviously a leader according to the definitions of charisma we went through: he got to give Apple the image it has today, and he manages to catch everyone’s attention at every important speech/introduction of a product (products he kind of takes responsibility for because he is the one who gets to choose what will be developed). Julia Hands, I would say, is not so much of a charismatic leader as Steve Jobs. She is, undoubtedly, an efficient leader and a really good manager but her obvious shyness and discretion bother me a bit. Last, John Stewart, is more a mix of transactional and transformational leader. b. What typical elements of charismatic leadership can you find in the texts? What elements seem to be lacking? Concerning Steve Jobs in the extract from the Economist: â€Å"the firm’s employees will continue to ask themselves â€Å"what would Steve do? †when making decisions. †; he’s got everyone’s trust, loyalty and awe, he is a role-model. Jobs also illustrates well the communicating skills of a charismatic leader. We can even see John Stewart’s reaction in times of crisis. c. Are there any notable ideas about charismatic leadership that can be traced in these descriptions of leaders? Charismatic leaders motivate followers, who look up to them and consider them as especially gifted people, who take responsibility for their decisions/actions. d. Can you identify any of the potential problems with charismatic/transformational leadership pointed out in the literature? As a charismatic leader gives a company its public image and is the glue that holds teams together, that can be a problem if the said leader has to leave the company. Who’s going to be the replacement? Could that person be as charismatic? 3. Summarize the central argument of Levay in one main sentence and develop it in three main points. What is this argument based on? In this article, the author wants to show that, even though a charismatic leader is often considered at the origin of lots of changes in the company, he may be in favor of the status quo, or the traditions (contrarily to what we can find in some of the definitions of charismatic leadership. ; he wants to show there is such a thing as â€Å"Charismatic leadership in resistance to change†. According to me, three main points are presented in this text: First, â€Å"if charismatic leadership arises in situations of change, the leader’s mission can be to propose and effect change, to resist change and propose a return to a supposedly previous state, or to resist change and defend the status quo. †(p. 39) It is shown in the text that charismatic leaders, with a ll the usual characteristics we give them (strong personality, extraordinary skills, devoted followers†¦), can have different opinions concerning change. Second, â€Å"the likelihood of charismatic leadership arising in defense of the status quo will increase if a relatively powerful group perceives ongoing or impending change as threatening their interests and/or values. (p. 139) As people usually gather round who promises to give them what they want, if they don’t want any changes, they will â€Å"worship†someone who defends status quo. Last, â€Å"If a charismatic leader and his or her followers have effected change and realized their main goals, they are likely to resist further changes that they perceive as threatening what they have achieved in terms of their interests and/or values. †(p. 140) Like previous point, people side by the leader who wants the same thing. The argument is based on the study of real cases of leaders opposing change. 4. Summarize the central argument of Tourish Pinnington in one main sentence and develop it in three main points. What is this argument based on? I think that the authors of this article want to show that transformational leadership theories â€Å"have the potential to encourage authoritarian forms of organization†and that transformational leaders are so focused on corporate cohesion that â€Å"internal dissent†(meaning the people in the company who do not agree with the majority ) is neglected. They suggest another, â€Å"less flawed†, model of transformational leadership. First, they compare the current transformational leadership to a cult, showing that they have the same defining points (charismatic leadership, a compelling vision, common culture†¦); which seems to prevent people from expressing their ideas, doubts†¦ Also, as it is the leader’s job to prepare key documents and as a whole, express the â€Å"group’s opinion†, there isn’t many opportunities for the followers to express their real opinion, and if they do so, they are â€Å"heavily penalized†for their dissent. And, if the leader is too narcissistic/driven mad by the power he has, there can be some, more or less, important consequences for the organization: as the leader is really good at giving speeches, he may retain bad news and maximize good news, â€Å"create an illusion of control through affirming information and attributing negative outcomes to external causes. †(p. 155) 5. Both Levay and Tourish Pinnington discuss aspects of charismatic/transformational leadership that are more problematic than the mainstream view in leadership research. Assuming that they are right in their arguments, can charismatic/transformational leadership still be an ideal for contemporary leaders and organizations? If we assume that such problems as those described by Levay and TourishPinnington exist, in my opinion, charismatic/transformational leadership can still be ideal, because it really motivates followers, gives them an example to follow†¦ To counteract the negative side, we could just try to establish an equivalent authority to keep an eye on those leaders and report anything suspicious to the board of directors. (without giving this authority a saying in the organizational decisions)
Monday, October 21, 2019
SPIDE System Essays
SPIDE System Essays SPIDE System Paper SPIDE System Paper The S stands for search, it means to look 20-30 seconds ahead for information to help you travel. The P in SPIDER is to predict. You predict the actions or changes on or near the road that could increase risks. The l, stands for identify, it means that you identify objects or conditions ahead that could help you interfere with your path. The D means to decide, you decide what action to take at least 4-5 seconds ahead of time to control or decrease risks. Lastly, the E in SPIDER, stands for execute, which means to perform the actions needed. The first risk was on a Sunday morning, when me and my mom were heading to MAC Donaldson to get breakfast. We were on the corner of our street ready to turn left, when suddenly a car going like 35 miles per hour , comes out of nowhere. I thought that he was going to crash us, and that we were going to get hurt. But lucky my mom stopped the car in time, and the car didnt crash us I would of done the same as my mom to prevent an accident. The second risk I had, was on a Tuesday, in the afternoon. My dad had come to pick us up because we missed the bus. We were in the street, and from like 2 blocks away, you could see that the light was green. But all of a sudden, the light turned yellow, and we were t going to be able to pass the light before it turned red, but lucky my dad stopped quickly. On the side next to us though, the truck accelerated because he didnt want to wait, but when the other lane s turned green, the cars went and so the truck got crashed by 2 cars, Just because he didnt want to wait. I was really proud of dad because he stopped instead of going. Im pretty sure I would of done the same. The third risk I had, was on Friday, when all of my family, including me, were going to my aunts house because she had cooked us dinner. So we were on a long street that had a speed limit of 20 miles per hour. My dad was following the speed limit, but the car in front of us was t. I guess that he or she was really inpatient because that person had decided to go faster, even though he or she knew that there were uniqueness if you went faster. At the end of that street there was a police officer checking the speed limit of each car with some type of gun. When the officer saw that the car in front of us was speeding, he stopped the car and gave that person a ticket. It was really good that my dad had decided to keep the limit because first, we decreased many chances of an accident. Second, we didnt get a ticket. I would have done the same as my dad, or even went a little bit slower, Just to make sure. SPIDER System By Malaysia
Sunday, October 20, 2019
The History of the Man-Made Invention of Money
The History of the Man-Made Invention of Money Money is anything that is commonly accepted by a group of people for the exchange of goods, services, or resources. Every country has its own exchange system of coins and paper money. Bartering and Commodity Money In the beginning, people bartered. Bartering is the exchange of a good or service for another good or service. For example, a bag of rice for a bag of beans. However, what if you couldnt agree what something was worth in exchange or you didnt want what the other person had? To solve that problem, humans developed what is called commodity money. A commodity is a basic item used by almost everyone. In the past, items such as salt, tea, tobacco, cattle, and seeds were commodities and therefore were once used as money. However, using commodities as money had other problems. Carrying bags of salt and other commodities was hard and commodities were difficult to store or were perishable. Coins and Paper Money Metals objects were introduced as money around 5000 B.C. By 700 BC, the Lydians became the first in the western world to make coins. Countries were soon minting their own series of coins with specific values. Metal was used because it was readily available, easy to work with and could be recycled. Since coins were given a certain value, it became easier to compare the cost of items people wanted. Some of the earliest known paper money dates back to ancient China, where the issuing of paper money became common from about AD 960 onwards. Representative Money With the introduction of paper currency and non-precious coinage, commodity money evolved into representative money. This meant that what money itself was made of no longer had to be very valuable. Representative money was backed by a government or banks promise to exchange it for a certain amount of silver or gold. For example, the old British Pound bill or Pound Sterling was once guaranteed to be redeemable for a pound of sterling silver. For most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the majority of currencies were based on representative money through the use of the gold standard. Fiat Money Representative money has now been replaced by fiat money. Fiat is the Latin word for let it be done. Money is now given value by a government fiat or decree. In other words, enforceable legal tender laws were made. By law, the refusal of legal tender money in favor of some other form of payment is illegal. Origin of the Dollar Sign ($) The origin of the $ money sign is not certain. Many historians trace the $ money sign to either the Mexican or Spanish Ps for pesos, or piastres, or pieces of eight. The study of old manuscripts shows that the S gradually came to be written over the P and looking very much like the $ mark. U.S. Money Trivia On March 10, 1862, the first United States paper money was issued. The denominations at the time were $5, $10, and $20. They became legal tender by Act of March 17, 1862. The inclusion of In God We Trust on all currency was required by law in 1955. The national motto first appeared on paper money in 1957 on $1 Silver Certificates and on all Federal Reserve Notes beginning with Series 1963. Electronic Banking ERMA began as a project for the Bank of America in an effort to computerize the banking industry. MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) was part of ERMA. MICR allowed computers to read special numbers at the bottom of checks that allowed computerized tracking and accounting of check transactions.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6
Summary - Essay Example However whether obtaining ISO 9001 certificate and the registration process efforts impact or benefit competitiveness and profitability need to be critically analyzed. The aim of the present paper is to summarize the article written by Han, Sim and Ebrahimpour (222) for the International Journal Services and Operations Management, titled â€Å"Relationships among ISO 9001, competitive dimensions and profitability†to understand and bring light on this perspective. 2. Summary of the article The main purpose of Han, Sim and Ebrahimpour (222) article is â€Å"to better understand the relationships among ISO 9001 certification, competitive dimensions and profitability by focusing on two major industries in the USA†. The research was conducted using survey questionnaire. 2.1 Background and Hypothesis The authors introduced their article by stressing upon the ISO 9001 certification importance and its impact on improvement of quality. They also stated that significant discipli ne is needed in ISO 9001 implementation and its principles ensure that output consistency can be improved by procedures that are well planned and documented, resulting in achieving the goals of quality improvement and reduction of cost easily. ... However as customers’ needs are dynamic so is the world class manufacturing company’s operations strategy. Thus authors have conducted an empirical research to also understand the present relationship between registration efforts of ISO 9001 and firm’s profitability and its four competitive dimensions. After conducting a thorough past literature review Han, Sim and Ebrahimpour (224) tested nine hypothesis that are illustrated using the below figure The nine hypothesis tested in this research are listed below â€Å"H1 ISO 9001 registration efforts have a positive effect on quality. H2 ISO 9001 registration efforts have a positive effect on cost reduction. H3 ISO 9001 registration efforts have a positive effect on flexibility. H4 ISO 9001 registration efforts have a positive effect on dependability. H5 ISO 9000 registration efforts have a positive effect on profitability H6 Quality has a positive effect on profitability H7 Cost reduction has a positive effect on p rofitability H8 Flexibility has a positive effect on profitability†(Han, Sim and Ebrahimpour 225-226) Figure 1: Theoretical model – Relationships among ISO 9001, Competitive dimensions and profitability (Han, Sim and Ebrahimpour (227) 3. Research Design and Methodology The research was conducted using a questionnaire and sample was selected with due process for the survey. The questionnaire was developed based on literature review and later reviewed for content validation by external judges. The survey was tested for â€Å"clarity, relevance and technical accuracy†by the collaborative program in Massachusetts and all facets of the survey were commented upon (Han, Sim and Ebrahimpour,
Friday, October 18, 2019
Case study, a road map for natural capitalism Study
, a road map for natural capitalism - Case Study Example The term ‘Natural Capitalism, stresses on the weakness of industrial capitalism as it is practiced in contemporary society. It’s is perceived as unnatural and the one that lacks logic in all aspects. The article What should we do: A Road Map for Natural Capitalism (2007), Harvard Business Review, Lovins, A.B., Lovins, L. H. & Hawken, P. Jul/Aug 2007, Vol. 85 Issue 7/8, p. 172-183 provides an insight of what for years has been ignored and the dangers that the ecosystem is in and humankind in the long run that is often ignored. One fundamental idea, that the article offers, is the need for companies and government to rethink their operations that hurt the ecosystem (Lovins et al., 2007). The companies and the government should set a strategy rooted in these principals and global work consistently towards their eventual implementation. Furthermore, the key to the community successfully employing these practices need our governments and companies to start placing a value on earth’s natural capital or ecosystem services. Simply put, economy is always dependent and fed by the same earth’s natural environment and for many of these services there exist no replacement. According to the article, by quantifying the expenses of the ecosystem and having them in their company balance sheets, firms can begin to minimize their wasteful depletion of the resources and eventually seek innovative ways to make changes in their production processes that will not lead to stretching these natural resources more than ever imagined. The perceived shift to this modern paradigm give a competitive edge to industry and lower expenses by increasing their bottom line and assist to start to stabilize the endangered earth’s climate while starting to replenish the earth’s biosphere. Through this the article claims that it is a win-win situation for both the humankind in the future and the ecosystem. The articles
A5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
A5 - Essay Example There needs to be clear processes of setting up goals for the benefit of the partners. The inter-organizational systems need to be effective to facilitate the flow of information between the collaborating organizations. This essay is a critique of the enabling telecommunication and distributed connectivity technologies utilized by Microsoft and SAP in their collaboration. SAP is one of the principle providers of software for businesses, which are significant for improving the capacity of the business to be innovative for better service delivery to clients. It is the unending quest for better services that has made SAP to grow to the current status. The organization has been capable of establishing clients in more than 100 countries, which is an indicator of the success that the company has accomplished in less than 20 years. SMEs as well as organizations in the international market are major clients of SAP. On the other hand, Microsoft is a major computer software company that is distinguished globally for its significant software solutions. The paper describes the inter-organizational systems as well as a description of the organizations’ inter-organizational systems. It also highlights how these systems are used to define and support the partnership, ranging from management considerations to specific telecommunication and networking archi tectures used to support the collaboration. Microsoft and SAP are two global companies have been successful in establishing a strong collaboration whereby each partner benefits from the association. The most significant collaboration between the two organizations is through Mendocino, which is a project whereby each organization contributes towards transformation of the manner in which clients are served by the employees involved in handling information. The project empowers the personnel involved in information handling in SAP to become more accurate and efficient. Microsoft designed the project with the aim of helping
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Children With Cerebral Palsy and Genetic Disorder Assignment
Children With Cerebral Palsy and Genetic Disorder - Assignment Example The present research has identified that the work â€Å"Quality of life of parents of children with cerebral palsy†is a cross-sectional design with a control group. It is not experimental in the sense that cerebral palsy is inflicted on the subjects. Instead, a post-test study is apparent, where the post-results of the effects of having cerebral palsy are examined. The authors wanted to know the differences and similarities in the quality of life conditions between parents with children who have cerebral palsy and parents who have healthy children. The authors chose the right research design because they aimed to know how cerebral palsy affects the parents, instead of children with cerebral palsy per se. The author has rightly presented that through the comparative approach, they can determine these differences and similarities and make deductions from the data. Sample Size: 40 parents of children with cerebral palsy aged 6-17 years. The control group was composed of 40 p arents of healthy children (27 mothers and 13 fathers). Sample characteristics: They are parents of children with cerebral palsy aged 6-17 years. These children were treated at the Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation of the Medical University of Bialystok. Their cerebral palsy conditions are as follows: spastic tetraplegia - 18 (45%), spastic hemiplegia (hemiplegia spastica) -15 (37.5%), spastic diplegia (diplegia spastica) -7 (17.5%).
Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Global Warming - Essay Example conservatives whether the issue of global warming have been verified and concluded or were just all deception to route the issue to a rather more complicated picture of politics and economics. However, the issue that the Earth is heating up and that greenhouse gases should be immediately reduced have been the primary concerns for most environment advocates around the world, pointing out our responsibilities to eliminate those elements and be able to save our planet before anything else worse could happen. With the release of the documentary entitled An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, former Vice President Al Gore brilliantly showcased what he assumed to be the possible consequences of global warming if we, humans will not restrict ourselves in producing greenhouse gases. He furthered in his book An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It, that â€Å"the world’s oceans are becoming more acidic due to enormous quantities of CO2†(p. 40) and that the most dramatic impact of global warming is the melting of ice sheets in the Arctic which will result to rising of sea level to up to 6 feet. However, Gregg Easterbrook, an environmental commentator rebutted that these were â€Å"realistic short-term prospect†and that even mild restriction in the use of greenhouse gases will immobilize the economy. He rather emphasized the use of technology and effective regulations of environmental laws to somehow lessen the use or productio n of greenhouse gases and eventually alter the immediate progress of climate change. He stayed optimistic that previous air-pollution problems have been reduced faster in a cheaper way added that added that â€Å"the basic pattern observed in all other forms of air-pollution control – rapid progress at low cost – should repeat for greenhouse-gas controls†(Some Convenient Truths, para.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Children With Cerebral Palsy and Genetic Disorder Assignment
Children With Cerebral Palsy and Genetic Disorder - Assignment Example The present research has identified that the work â€Å"Quality of life of parents of children with cerebral palsy†is a cross-sectional design with a control group. It is not experimental in the sense that cerebral palsy is inflicted on the subjects. Instead, a post-test study is apparent, where the post-results of the effects of having cerebral palsy are examined. The authors wanted to know the differences and similarities in the quality of life conditions between parents with children who have cerebral palsy and parents who have healthy children. The authors chose the right research design because they aimed to know how cerebral palsy affects the parents, instead of children with cerebral palsy per se. The author has rightly presented that through the comparative approach, they can determine these differences and similarities and make deductions from the data. Sample Size: 40 parents of children with cerebral palsy aged 6-17 years. The control group was composed of 40 p arents of healthy children (27 mothers and 13 fathers). Sample characteristics: They are parents of children with cerebral palsy aged 6-17 years. These children were treated at the Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation of the Medical University of Bialystok. Their cerebral palsy conditions are as follows: spastic tetraplegia - 18 (45%), spastic hemiplegia (hemiplegia spastica) -15 (37.5%), spastic diplegia (diplegia spastica) -7 (17.5%).
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
City Council Meeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
City Council Meeting - Essay Example Seated at the center is the Deputy mayor and also the Head of Committee Services. To the left of the mayor are seated the Chief government, the town Solicitor and also the Council Manager. They supply recommendation on the conduct of the meeting similarly as creating a politician record of the proceedings and selections taken. Upon election, Councilors ar allotted a particular seat within the Chamber. The media create use of a Press Table set below the soapbox and ahead of the Members seating room. Variety of officers also will be gift within the meeting for supporting numerous aspects of the meeting. There’s a Public Gallery to the left of the Lord politician. Officers Gallery is going to be to the correct of the mayor. Each seat has shared access to an electro-acoustic transducer that is controlled from a console on the soapbox within the Chamber. The Lord politician encompasses a reproduction of the electro-acoustic transducer layout on the chamber in order that those desires to talk are often known. The console and also the Mayors electro-acoustic transducer incorporate associate degree override button. The reduction from originally a hundred sixty five Councilors to the current ninety Councilors implies that not all of the seats within the Chamber square measure currently occupied. The Council meets each seven weeks and extraordinary conferences square measure generally commands to subsume specific problems. At the start of each municipal year the council holds its annual general meeting. This is often the meeting wherever the mayor, deputy mayor, leader and executive board square measure appointed, yet as the numerous different committees of the council. There square measure total ninety councilors in thirty wards of urban center council. One ward is consisting of roughly twelve, thousand populations. All wards square measure community based mostly wards. There square measure three councilors for every ward. They’re the representative
Asia Essay Example for Free
Asia Essay 1. Which internal and external factors have helped Reliance group to grow into its current position? Reliance group is an example of a well-managed company that has been able to take advantage of interior competitive advantage possibilities as well as exterior ones. On one hand, Reliance started out with Dhirubai Ambani by borrowing money from the Indian government, shifting towards textiles made out of synthetic plastic fibers and receiving benefits from government incentives and political connections at its origin and middle life cycle. Reliance responded perfectly to the world leading industries at the time and acted as a pioneer in introducing them in the Indian market. As the world’s leading industry shifted from a high demand for plastics and textiles derived from plastics to petrochemicals and fuel production, the Reliance group did likewise by building petrochemical plants in India and tried to make the maximum profit out of what India had to offer to the world and itself at the time and had not been developed to its maximum potential yet. On the other hand, government played a key role in Reliance success as it enabled the company to export worldwide and grow in domestically by reducing quotas and tariffs as well as taxes on the raw materials needed for manufacturing. 2. In which aspects has the management of Reliance group been typical for Indian management? In which aspects has it been atypical? Most of the aspects of the management of the Reliance group can be easily related to the way companies are managed in India. Reliance group is a family run company that depends gravely on the relationship between the siblings that own the company, all siblings had the father and founder as the center of the company and once he passed away the company was divided amongst the brothers and sisters. Another typical Indian attribute is the diversification of the operations of the company, Ranging from petrochemical to eatable products or telecommunications. Each brother took care of a different sector and the gender role with a tendency towards masculinity and seniority was also seen when the company was divided giving the oldest of the brothers 70% of the market share of the company, 20% to the younger brother and only 5% to each one of the sisters. What was very atypical was the monochromic way the company has been run, however it can easily be explained due to the fact that they need to replicate the way the international monochromic market works that emulates the way US firms work. 3. Do you think Reliance Group has to transform its fundamentally to remain successful in the future? Yes, I do believe that Reliance group should find of way of not having to depend on the fluctuations of the global market as much as it does, Thus preventing the company from ever being as impacted as it was by the recent global crisis. I believe they should expand domestically as a way of having a â€Å"safe space†in case there is another crisis in the future and perhaps try to grow deeper ties with other Asian countries like Japan or China that did not suffer from the crisis at the scale that western economies did and that are geographically closer from India than many other western countries.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Effective Communication Principles: Barriers and Mechanisms
Effective Communication Principles: Barriers and Mechanisms General Skills Cultural Differences It is adamantly essential for us to watch out the way we communicate to each other as in the case of age, race, physical capability and reaction. We are required to focus on watching our formal language for example if in a foreign country. Certain words could stand for different meanings regardless of the way we pronounce them are being pronounced. Different physical body architectures or rather formal clothing could mean severe insults to certain cultures. Consuming different foods could mean a great insult to some cultures as well. Barrier to This A barrier to this specific communication is silence within the working environment, lack of physical integration and job unity, lack of staff embrace and secluded frequent foreign language usage in the working environment. Overcoming this Barrier In order to avoid such things, cultural differences must be respected as a hideous part of an individual matters a lot especially if he or she is from a foreign country. Foreign language in the working environment must be kept at a minimum or not be used at all until working hours. Question answer The most important part of the communicative network is the audience. It is vital for them to be involved in the presentations. A nosey part of the audience not being given a chance to express their cloud would feel neglected and fully ignored. Interactive quizzes can be improvised to enable it grab attention of an audience. Question: Is the audience fully informed about the presentation? Answer: The quiz is the only source of grabbing their attention and answering the unravelled question marks. This is an important part of effective communication because the audience gets to be fully updated of the resourceful information via general involvement. Barrier to This A barrier to this type of communication is inert forms of meetings that do not involve much audience interaction. Overcoming this Barrier An autonomous or rather random forms of involving the audience in test and trial questions will always ensure that concentration has been captured from the start of the conference. The audience will also feel highly favoured for being given a chance to ask and respond to questions. Techniques for Engaging Audience The common ways of involving the audience besides questions and answers are seminars, note-taking, weekly reports, newsletters and introductive entertainment. These would strengthen the outcome of the audience plus motivate the individuals to chain magnetize others in joining too. Effective personalized introductive entertainment is a technique for engaging the audience. Barrier to This A barrier would be lack of audio devices that support interactive techniques, lack of proper location and appropriate accommodation to cater for a vast amount of audience. Overcoming this Barrier The answer would be to try as much as possible to ensure that an organization force-feeds its financial department into providing the right location, proper accommodation and audience engagement mechanisms. Interpersonal skills Techniques and Cues The urgent need for accomplishment in tasks that involve different targets require diverse submissive techniques. This also applies to sensitive counter-interactive tasks that exemplify human input in order for the same accomplishment. The cues applied by human input on computers for communication are American symbol writing or smileys that mimic Short Messaging (SMS) language on mobile phones. SMS on paper has become a common infection or rather writing habit by so many people. Barrier to This A barrier to this one is extreme use of electronic devices on the market that support non-improvised writing. Overcoming this Barrier The way to overcome this type of writing would be trying to avoid robotised short typing, have enough time for writing easily readable and mature writing. Positive and Negative Language Instant Nos and YES’s paraphrased in meagre, instant communicative technology has become an infrastructure of the interpersonal skills. Some entrepreneurs love applying these sort of technology in seminars especially when they communicative across tables whilst in a seminar or conference. These can also be utilised by individuals with language communication difficulties or basically hearing problems. The languages come in forms of head nods signifying YES or NO, hand-waves signifying YES or NO, finger-rolling signifying DENIAL,ATTENTION or TENSION, direct face avoidance signifying FRUSTRATION or SHAME, cloak over face signifying SENSITIVITY, FEAR or LACK. And many others that are being performed. Barrier to This A barrier to this one is extreme use of gestures, inevitable circumstances such as disabilities. Overcoming this Barrier The way to overcome this would be to try as much as possible to learn the second partys moral spectrums and forms of communication. ‘Smileys’ or Emoticons Sensitive forms of communication can be exchanged between individuals at some point but via explicit symbolism language known as emoticons. This is a strictly prohibited form of communication that might follow a wrong path and smudge official documentation. Barrier to this Use of personal cell phones at workplaces especially official environment where these devices are totally prohibited. Overcoming this barrier Sentimental steps must be taken by the HOD’s to ensure that the employees leave the devices out of the office environment. Written Communication Skills Spelling and Grammar It is important for one to be skilful in his or her own writing especially in spelling and grammar. Your instructive form of writing should be smart enough to portray an employee that communicates well inside and outside the place of work. One is expected to be handling documents that will require professional writing that will require further grammatical emphasis besides the edification mode. One is expected to demonstrate extreme ability to use proper grammar in speaking and writing. One will be expected to communicate with clients via official paperwork and this will greatly demand a high qualification of spelling and grammar level. Barrier to This A barrier to this one is lack of intensified professional official language training. Overcoming this Barrier The way to overcome is have extensive training in a particular official language that is required in the working environment. Structure Ones composition should be professionally designed such a way that it is architecture in paragraphs, footers, headers, contains necessary references and accompanying hyperlinks if available. It is vital for the writer to act as the reader himself and make his writing as presentable and easily understandable as possible. A great writing is one that is attractive to the eyes of the reader and does not â€Å"dim†him out. Barrier to This A barrier to this one is mismanagement of writing infrastructure without the use of proper interdivisional architecture. Overcoming this Barrier The way to overcome this would be to utilise readily available formatting tools within typing programmes. Reviewing and Editing It is important for every person to review his or her work before finalizing it so as to clarify unforeseen mistakes encountered along the way whilst typing. This is deeply important in a working environment especially in the Web Designing working environment because what is being typed without further clarification might end up in the eyes of the public in error. Barrier to This Barrier to this one is human ignorance on readily available devices that provide proper reviewing. Overcoming this Barrier A way to overcome this would be assigning specially assigned task reviewers in a job environment whose work is to ensure that nothing goes unattended like reviewing and editing. Mechanisms That Can Reduce Communication Barriers Grammar, Language Spelling use Ensure that correct official language construction is maintained in your writing in order to create a diverse understanding. Avoid pigeon or rather chat session like communicative language that comes in only shortened words. Poor grammar and spelling in writing discredits the writer plus it paints a bad moral aspect. Note-taking Plays a very vital role in ensuring that individuals thirsty for further research on a particular discussed matter after noting them down. Information is noted down for future references in case of emergencies. Lack of Abusive Language Abuse is one of the greatest destroyer after fire damage in communication. Politeness and quite approach towards fellow peers is a highly valued attribute. Constant Device Misuse In this familiar unit, regular use of personal devices in working areas or rather environments is a great havoc. This causes a great barrier and in order to eliminate, one must apply totally switch off this device. If this does not work at all, then the involved disturbed parties must move to a secluded, quite area away from noise and disturbance. Noise and Disturbance For a peaceful working environment, away from excessive noise and disturbance that is hard to avoid. The management is determined to ensure that noise reduction amplifiers are utilised. And that all personal devices are kept on silent mode. References: SMILEY Accessed 21 December 2014 ENGAGE AUDIENCE Accessed 21 December 2014 TECHNIQUES AND CUES Accessed 21 December 2014 STRUCTURE Accessed 21 December 2014 REVIEWING Accessed 21 December 2014 John Lenny WamagataID: 14081308 Literary Forms: Differences and Similarities Literary Forms: Differences and Similarities In order to properly compare and contrast the major differences between literary forms, we must first look at their similarities. The drama, poetry, and short story are all creative works of art. They all use tone, symbolism, imaginative language, satire, and, irony to captivate their audiences attention and bring their individual creative work to life. In addition, drama and the short story all have a protagonist, antagonists, minor character, stock character, the foil, foreshadowing, and dramatic irony in one way or another within their stories. Still, we can clearly see that each literary form approaches their audience in different ways. The major element of drama that distinguishes it from the short story and poetry is its ability to draw you into imaginary experiences by its intensity and visual performance. This is evident in the dramatic play Riders to the Sea (Synge). This is a play that is considered a tragedy. It depicts a woman who has lost all the male members in her household. It shows her struggle with the sea and her last living son Bartley. We are exposed to the dramatic irony of the play. In line 225-229, we finally find out that she saw her son Bentley riding the red mare and her dead son Michael riding on the grey pony wearing new clothes and shoes. This symbolizes that Bentley is soon to die from the sea as well. The ironic part is that she had no knowledge of the bundle of Michaels clothing that the girls had kept from here. Therefore, she was not aware that the priest found a drowned man in Donegal that turned out to be her son Michael. This could also be considered a short story if it did not use the play writers narratives and used descriptive language instead. Moreover, in a short story we are forced to use our imagination to decipher the symbolic meanings of the writer. Thus, we are not able to visually experience the characters and atmosphere. We must read or listen to this type of literary form and use the writers imaginative language to fully experience the intended outcome of the author. For example, Kate Chopin used symbols in her short story called The Story of an Hour. She used symbolism throughout the entire story to describe Mrs. Mallards true feelings towards her husband. In paragraph four, Kate has her slumping and sighing into a chair, using symbolism it appeared as though she was actually distraught over her husbands death. However, in reality she is so happy that her farce of a marriage is over and done with. Then we see in paragraph six that the world becomes brighter, new and fresh. However, the writer Kate Chopin was symbolically painting a picture of her being freed from the constraints of a loveless marriage. This short story could be considered a tragedy because of the protagonists feelings towards her husband and her dramatic and untimely demise. However, when we read a poem we look more to the authors expressionism, creativity, rhythm, and tone. A poem is emotional and musical. The rhyming of each stanza in a poem assists me in the reading and comprehension of the authors meaning in his or her literary work. For example, William Wordsworth poem She dwelt among the untrodden ways used romanticism, tone, symbolism, and rhythm to covey his feelings of his love for Lucy. By rhyming a poem it allows the reader to imagine it as a romantic musical lullaby. Moreover, when it is performed, you can mentally picture the musical rhythm in your head. Also; the performance assists the listener to visualize the symbols as the reader speaks them. We can feel how much he treasured Lucy by what he wrote in line five. He believes she is a rare treasure that is hidden by a mossy stone or if you will, a beautiful violet that is not easily seen. This sort of poetic symbolism brings the authors creative work to life and creates an ambiance of visu alization to the literary work. In order to properly compare and contrast the major differences between literary forms, we must first look at their similarities. The drama, poetry, and short story are all creative works of art. They all use tone, symbolism, imaginative language, satire, and, irony to captivate their audiences attention and bring their individual creative work to life. The major element of drama that distinguishes it from the short story and poetry is its ability to draw you into imaginary experiences by its intensity and visual performance. Moreover, in a short story we are forced to use our imagination to decipher the symbolic meanings of the writer. Thus, we are not able to visually experience the characters and atmosphere. However, when we read a poem we look more to the authors expressionism, creativity, rhythm, and tone. Thus, we can conclude that each writer approaches their intended audience in different ways by the form of literature that they choose to adopt for their literary works.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The Significance of the Earth in The Good Earth :: The Good Earth
The Significance of the Earth in The Good Earth "And O-lan in the house was not idle. With her own hands she lashed the mats to the rafters and took earth from the fields and mixed it with water and mended the walls of the house, and she built again the oven and filled the holes in the floor that the rain had washed." There can be no doubt that the symbol of earth in Buck's novel, The Good Earth, is one so potent that it permeates and binds the entire tale. It is presented repeatedly throughout the novel, either through gentle allusion or outright statement. None can dispute that the earth itself is a vital component in the livelihood of any farmer, thus it is not surprising that the farmer Wang Lung places so much value into his lands; however, there is a separate element of the earth that Pearl S. Buck brings forth in her tale about a farmer's prosperous rise in feudal China, that element of regeneration and revitalization that is so apparent within this selected passage from the book. Many times throughout the book did the earth pull Wang Lung through hardship and difficulty, and it was the one constant factor in his life, even as things changed--people dies, great houses fell, war and famine raged, and inner turmoil plagued his very being. Throughout all of these obstacles the earth was always there, waiting for Wang Lung--whether as poor farmer or as wealthy man of the village--to return to it, and draw from it those ever-present qualities of life and healing. The very words of the selected passage are pregnant with these qualities, as Wang Lung and his family, returning from the south to his land after a great and terrible period of famine, close those horrible years through the almost magical substance of the earth. It is symbolic how O-lan the wife, tending to the structure of the farmland house (a symbol itself in the Wang family) uses the "earth from the fields" to mend the walls of the house--thus the ailments of the "house" are healed by the richness of t he land.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Essay
A bond between a father and a son is sacred, and is surely one of the most firm bonds that have ever existed. When such a bond is severed, a lot of anger can be provoked, most probably in the form of revenge. Throughout â€Å"Hamlet†by Shakespeare, one can observe the theme of revenge exemplified by the main hero, Hamlet, Laertes, and the young Fortinbras, plotting their revenge against the murderers of their fathers. Hamlet is the first of the three to plan his revenge. While in mourning of the recent, mysterious death of his father, the king, he is contacted by a spirit, which bears resemblance to his father. When the ghost tells Hamlet that the new king, Claudius, is responsible for his father’s murder, Hamlet proclaims that he will exist to avenge the death of his father. He will carry out the ghost’s request: â€Å"Thy commandment all alone shall live/ Within the book and volume of my brain†(I.V.102-103). Though Hamlet has promised revenge, his actions are delayed. Hamlet decides that his revenge must wait for a while. He has realized that the ghost he has contacted might simply have been an evil spirit leading him to damnation. Instead of completely believing the ghost, he decides to set up Claudius in order to catch his conscience: â€Å"The spirit I have seen/ Maybe a devil/†¦Abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds/ More relative than this. The play’s the thing/ Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king†(II.II.594-601). Hamlet’s plot for obtaining solid evidence for convicting the king is to have a play. The basis of the play will be a simple reenactment of the murder of Old Hamlet. Both Hamlet and his trusted advisor, Horatio, will watch Claudius for his reaction. This will give him sufficient reason to kill Claudius. Hamlet’s plan for the play shows his fear of being tempted by the devil into damnation. This shows his religious beliefs yet again. The first example of his faith are in Act I when he is reluctant to commit suicide for fear of the resulting after life: â€Å"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt/. . .Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter†(I.II.129-132). These religious beliefs of Hamlet will prove to play a big part in his revenge scheme, and will stall it. The next part of Hamlet’s plot for revenge involves his general temperament. He decides to act as if mad in order to speak and act freely. Any abnormal behavior can be passed off as his temporary insanity. This way he can say and do things to get certain reactions or information from people in order to help him plot his revenge. He does ask however, that his acquaintances do not say anything about his crazy state being false: â€Å"How strange or odd some’er I bear myself/As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/To put an antic disposition/That you, at such time seeing me, never shall/Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase†(I.V.179-183). This allows him to further his revenge. Later in the play in Act 3, Hamlet has an unpleasant encounter with his former love, Ophelia. During this heated discussion Hamlet learns that she now has sour feelings toward him and gives him back his gifts. He snaps and unleashes all the built up anger and emotion and bitterness that he has been recently feeling. But he also says something that is intended for Claudius to hear. It is a threat that will play into his ply for revenge. Hamlet proclaims that of â€Å"those that are married already-all but one-shall live†(III.I.150). This overt threat directed toward Claudius is indeed overheard and begins to worry Claudius as planned. Claudius decides to take action to protect himself. He no longer believes that Hamlet is mad with love: â€Å"Love? His affections do not that way tend/Nor what he spake, though it lack’d form a little/†¦There’s something in his soul/O’er which his melancholy sits on brood/And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose/Will be some danger; which for ! to prevent/†¦he shall with speed to England†(III.I.164-171). Claudius now suspects that Hamlet is suspicious of him, which Hamlet believes will cause him to do something to prove his guilt, thus allowing Hamlet to carry out his revenge. Hamlet then takes his next step in revenge by having the play acted out. Hamlet and Horatio will both watch Claudius throughout the play. Hamlet realizes that there is no hell for him to go to, but to just turn into dust upon his death. This is another step in the progression of Hamlet’s revenge. The final step of motivation in Hamlet’s revenge comes during the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. The queen drinks from the king’s cup that has been poisoned to kill Hamlet. She falls and proclaims she has been poisoned: â€Å"O my dear Hamlet/The drink, the drink! I am poison’d†(V.II.315-316). Laertes then tells Hamlet everything including how he has poisoned Hamlet: â€Å"Hamlet, thou art slain/No medicine in the world can do thee good; In thee there is not half an hour’s life/The treacherous instrument is in thy hand/Unbated and envenom’d/. . .Thy mother poison’d/I can no more. The King-the King’s to blame†(V.II.319-226). Hamlet has finally been motivated enough to act. The king has poisoned his mother and father, and tried to kill Hamlet also. Hamlet then avenges his father’s death by wounding the king with the poisoned sword: â€Å"The point envenom’d too! Then, venom, to thy work/ Wounds the King†(V.II.127). Hamlet has achieved the revenge that he has planned for the entire play. But he must now avenge his mother’s death so he forces the king to drink from the poisoned cup: â€Å"Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damned Dane/Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?/Follow my mother†(V.II.330-333). By poisoning the king twice, Hamlet has punished Claudius for both the murders of his mother and his father. Hamlet finally got his revenge but died in the process. The center ideas of the play are the revenges of Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras. All had obtained the revenge that they had wanted. All had avenged their father’s deaths. But all did it in entirely different ways. Hamlet took a while to complete the revenge, he is a man of contemplated inaction. Laertes took a different approach to revenge and accomplished it in a rather short amount of time. Laertes is a man of uncontemplated action. Fortinbras, different from the others, waited for the right moment to act. He carefully planned what he would do over a long period of time and then waited to act. Fortinbras is a man of contemplated action. All three accomplished their revenges-Hamlet killed Claudius, his fathers murderer; Laertes killed Hamlet, his fathers murderer; and Fortinbras did not have to kill Hamlet the son of his father’s murderer, but he did take over the th! rone. All people bent on revenge in Hamlet, accomplished it, making the play a revenge play.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Environmental Policy Essay
Last month in the New York Times, Kate Galbraith noted that the campaigns of both Barack Obama and John McCain presented widely differing views on climate change and energy policy, particularly with regards to cap and trade schemes, market-based policy instruments intended to maneuver industrial sectors into reducing their greenhouse emissions. Cap and trade schemes have recently been gaining much currency within the discussions of environmental policy as a means to address the negative impacts which industry has upon the greenhouse problem. Such systems work by creating a financial incentive for emission reduction through the imposition of costs on emissions. By establishing a ‘cap’ which limits the total amount of emissions that can be made by a designated group of polluters and leaving them free to trade permits to pollute with one another, it encourages these polluters to meet or fall below the cap in a flexible market-based fashion, rather than forcing them to comply with stringent regulations that could needlessly compromise their business operations. Companies able to cut their emissions can further profit from selling their permits to those companies facing difficulty in reducing their own emissions. The incentive is that all the companies would choose to bring their emissions to cap levels and try to do so in the most cost-effective fashion. It encourages them to innovate the means to reduce emissions. Other governments have already taken action to introduce cap-and-trade schemes of their own: Australia has the New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme; the Climate Change Response (Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill was recently enacted in New Zealand; and the European Parliament has its own system known as the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme. At present, no system similar to these exists in federal law, and representatives for both candidates – Dan Esty for Barack Obama, Douglas Holtz-Eakin for John McCain – maintained that this should be remedied as soon as possible. Where they disagree is how such a system should be structured. According to Esty, Obama favors distribution of emissions permits through auction, as this would force polluting businesses to pay competitively during initial distribution. Speaking for McCain, Holtz-Eakin advocates pre-determined distribution, limiting transactions to the permit trading market itself. The design of a cap and trade system is not a trivial matter. A poor design can wreck the efficacy of a cap and trade system as a policy instrument. If permits are distributed too generously, as Holtz-Eakin proposes, what could result is a situation in which industries have little incentive to expunge their business operations of greenhouse emissions, as they would effectively be operating in a trading market where permits are near worthless. Also, cap and trade systems cannot stand alone as an emission-reducing policy instrument, as there is a potential for traders to ‘game’ the market by deliberately holding out on purchasing permits until the last minute so as to reduce their value, making unreduced emissions affordable to even the worst emitter. Furthermore, cap and trade systems lack transparency and present opportunities for fraud. Worse still is that a poorly designed cap and trade system will not account for the geography of polluters, resulting in a NIMBY effect where pollution becomes localized to create ‘emissions ghettos. ’ As such, it should be recommended that any cap and trade system be designed to account for environmental justice, be subject to transparency, and should distribute permits at a market price, perhaps even stabilize such a price at a level high enough to incentivize the development of techniques and technologies to reduce emissions. Furthermore, a cap and trade system must be complemented by other policy instruments such as pollution zoning and carbon taxes. Works Cited Galbraith, Kate. â€Å"Candidates’ Advisers Spar Over Cap-and-Trade. †New York Times. 23 September 2008. Retrieved online November 9, 2008 from: http://greeninc. blogs. nytimes. com/2008/09/23/candidates-advisers-spar-over-cap-and-trade/? scp=3&sq=cap%20trade&st=cse Parker, David. â€Å"Historic climate change legislation passes. †New Zealand Government. 10 September 2008. Retrieved online November 9, 2008 from: http://www. beehive. govt. nz/release/historic+climate+change+legislation+passes Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme 2008, Introduction to the greenhouse gas reduction scheme, Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme. Retrieved online November 9, 2008 from: http://greenhousegas. nsw. gov. au/documents/Intro-GGAS. pdf Pearce, Fred. â€Å"European trading in carbon-emission permits begins. ’†New Scientist. 6 January 2005. Retrieved online November 9, 2008 from: http://environment. newscientist. com/channel/earth/dn6846-european-trading-in-carbonemission-permits-begins. html
Cosmetic Surgery Is Moving Toward Multiethnic Beauty Ideals Essay
â€Å"The increasing number of nonwhites getting cosmetic surgery is helping society accelerate from a crawl to a full-bore sprint toward one truly melted, fusion community.†In the following viewpoint, Anupreeta Das questions whether minorities go under the knife to look more Caucasian. She suggests that as ethnically ambiguous beauties emerge in entertainment and the media, many African American, Asian, and Latino cosmetic-surgery patients want changes that harmonize with their ethnic features. In fact, Das states more surgeons today are specializing in race-specific procedures. This blending and reducing of racial characteristics through cosmetic surgery allow minorities to fit in with beauty standards that are moving away from a Caucasian ideal, she claims. Das is a journalist based in Boston. As you read, consider the following questions: 1.As stated by Das, how do rhinoplasty procedures differ among Caucasians, African Americans, and Asian Americans? 2.Why did Jewish people embrace cosmetic surgery, according to the viewpoint? 3.According to Das, what do critics say about the increase of ethnic models in the fashion industry? For almost a century, the women who have turned to cosmetic surgery to achieve beautyâ€â€or some Hollywood-meets-Madison Avenue version of itâ€â€were of all ages, shapes, and sizes but almost always of one hue: white. But now, when there seems to be nothing that a few thousand dollars can’t fix, women of color are clamoring in skyrocketing numbers to have their faces and bodies nipped, snipped, lifted, pulled, and tucked. This is a step forward, right? In the land of opportunity, we applaud when barriers break down and more people get to partake in the good life, as it were. There are many explanations for the new willingness of minorities to go under the knife: their swelling numbers and disposable income, the popularization of cosmetic surgery and its growing acceptance as a normal beauty routine, and its relative affordability. What’s significant are the procedures minorities are choosing. More often than not, they’re electing to surgically narrow the span of their nostrils and perk up their noses or suture their eyelids to create an extra fold. Or they’re sucking out the fat from buttocks and hips that, for their race or ethnicity, are typically plump. It all could lead to one presumption: These women are making themselves look more whiteâ€â€or at least less ethnic. But perhaps not to the extent some suppose. â€Å"People want to keep their ethnic identity,†says Dr. Arthur Shektman, a Wellesley-based plastic surgeon. â€Å"They want some change, but they don’t really want a white nose on a black face.†Shektman says not one of his minority patientsâ€â€they make up about 30 percent of his practice, up from about 5 percent 10 years agoâ€â€has said, â€Å"I want to look white.†He believes this is evidence that the dominant Caucasian-centered idea of blond, blue-eyed beauty is giving way to multiple â€Å"ethnic standards of beauty,†with the likes of Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, and Lucy Liu as poster girls. â€Å"No way†is the answer Tamar Williams of Dorchester gives when asked if her desire to surgically reduce the width of her nose and get a perkier tip was influenced by a Caucasian standard. â€Å"Why would I want to look white?†Growing up, the 24-year-old African-American bank teller says, she longed for a nose that wasn’t quite so wide or flat or big for her face. â€Å"It wasn’t that I didn’t like it,†Williams says. â€Å"I just wanted to change it.†Hoping to become a model, she thinks the nose job she got in November [2007] will bring her a lifetime of happiness and opportunity. â€Å"I was always confident. But now I can show off my nose.†Yet others are less convinced that the centuries-old fixation on Caucasian beautyâ€â€from the Mona Lisa to Pamela Andersonâ€â€has slackened. â€Å"I’m not ready to put to rest the idea that the white ideal has not permeated our psyches,†says Janie Ward, a professor of Africana Studies at Simmons College. â€Å"It is still shaping our expectations of what is beautiful.†A Peculiar Fusion Whether or not the surging number of minority patients is influenced by a white standard, one point comes with little doubt: The $12.4 billion-a-year plastic surgery industry is adapting its techniques to meet this demand. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), for example, has in recent months held meetings on subjects ranging from Asian upper-eyelid surgery to so-called ethnic rhinoplasty. The discussion will come to Boston this summer [2007] when the academy will host a five-day event that will include sessions on nose reshaping techniques tailored to racial groups. And increasingly, plastic surgeons are wooing minoritiesâ€â€who make up one-third of the US populationâ€â€by advertising specializations in race-specific surgeries and using a greater number of nonwhite faces on their Web sites. It could be that these new patients are not trying to erase the more obvious markers of their ethnic heritage or race, but simply to reduce them. In the process, they’re pursuing ethnic and racial ambiguity. Take Williams. With her new smaller nose and long, straight hair, the African-American woman seems to be toying with the idea of ambiguity. And maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. The intermingling of ethnicities and racesâ€â€via marriages, friendships, and other interactionsâ€â€has created a peculiar fusion in this country. It’s the great mishmash where Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are celebrated in one long festive spirit, where weddings mix Hindi vows with a chuppah, where California-Vietnamese is a cuisine, where Eminem can be â€Å"black†and Beyonce can go blond. And the increasing number of nonwhites getting cosmetic surgery is helping society accelerate from a crawl to a full-bore sprint toward one truly melted, fusion community. There were 11.5 million cosmetic procedures done in 2005, including surgical ones such as face lifts and rhinoplasties and nonsurgical ones such as Botox shots and collagen injections. One out of every five patients was of African, Asian, or Hispanic descent (separate statistics aren’t available for white versus nonwhite Hispanics). According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of minority patients undergoing cosmetic procedures increased from 300,000 in 1997 to 2 million in 2005. Although the total demand for cosmetic procedures also increasedâ€â€from 2 million in 1997 to 11.5 million in 2005â€â€the rate of increase for minorities is higher than the overall rate. (Women account for more than nine-tenths of all cosmetic procedures.) Different ethnic and racial groups favor different procedures. Statistics compiled by the AAFPRS show that in 2005, more than six out of every 10 African-Americans getting cosmetic surgery had nose jobs. Unlike rhinoplasties performed on Caucasians, which may fix a crooked bridge or shave off a hump, doctors say African-American and Asian-American nose reshaping usually leads to narrower nostrils, a higher bridge, and a pointier tip. For Asian-Americans, eyelid surgeryâ€â€either the procedure to create an eyelid fold, often giving the eye a more wide-open appearance, or a regular eye lift to reduce signs of agingâ€â€is popular. According to the AAFPRS, 50 percent of Asian patients get eyelid surgery. Dr. Min Ahn, a Westborough-based plastic surgeon who performs Asian eyelid surgery, says only about half of the Asian population is born with some semblance of an eyelid crease. â€Å"Even if Asians have a preexisting eyelid crease, it is lower and the eyelid is fuller.†For those born without the crease, he says, creating the double eyelid is â€Å"so much a part of the Asian culture right now.†It’s probable that this procedure is driving the Asian demand for eyelid surgeries. Breast augmentation and rhinoplasty top the list of preferred procedures for patients of Hispanic origin, followed by liposuction. Asian-Americans also choose breast implants, while breast reductionâ€â€the one procedure eligible for insurance coverageâ€â€is the third most preferred choice for African-American women after nose reshaping and liposuction. Doctors say African-American women typically use liposuction to remove excess fat from their buttocks and hipsâ€â€two areas in which a disproportionate number of women of this race store fat. The Culture of Self-Improvement Of course, the assimilative nature of society in general has always demanded a certain degree of conformity and adaptation of every group that landed on American shores. People have adjusted in ways small and largeâ€â€such as by changing their names and learning new social mores. Elizabeth Haiken, a San Francisco Bay area historian and the author of the 1997 book Venus Envy: A History of Cosmetic Surgery, says ethnic minorities may use plastic surgery as a way to fit in to the mainstream, just as another group used it in the early 20th century. â€Å"The first group to really embrace cosmetic surgery was the Jews,†says Haiken. Her research indicates that during the 1920s, when cosmetic surgery first became popular in the United States, being Jewish was equated with â€Å"being ugly and un-American,†and the Jewish nose was the first line of attack. Most rhinoplasties therefore sought to reduce its distinct characteristics and bring it more in line with the preferre d straighter shape of the Anglo-Saxon nose. That people would go to such extremes to change their appearance should come as no surprise. â€Å"Going back to early 20th-century culture, there is a deep-seated conviction that you are what you look like,†Haiken says. â€Å"It’s not your family, your birth, or your heritage, it’s all about you. And your looks and appearance and the way you present yourself will determine who you are.†In the initial sizing-up, the face is the fortune. Physical beauty becomes enmeshed with success and happiness. Plastic surgeons commonly say that minorities today choose surgery for the same reasons as whitesâ€â€to empower, better, and preserve themselves. â€Å"It’s the universal desire to maintain youthfulness, and it doesn’t change from group to group,†says Dr. Frank Fechner, a Worcester-based plastic surgeon. The culture of self-improvement that surrounds Americans has also made plastic surgery more permissible in recent years. â€Å"Making oneself overâ€â€one’s home, one’s car, one’s breastsâ€â€is now a part of the American life cycle,†writes New York Times columnist Alex Kuczynski in her 2006 book, Beauty Junkies: Inside Our $15 Billion Obsession With Cosmetic Surgery. â€Å"Doctors have sold us on the notion that surgery †¦ is merely part of the journey toward enhancement, the beauty outside ultimately reflecting the beauty within.†Nothing captures this journey better than the swarm of plastic surgery TV shows such as ABC’s Extreme Makeover, Fox’s The Swan, and FX’s Nip/Tuck. These prime-time televised narratives of desperation and triumph, with the scalpel in the starring role of savior, have also helped make plastic surgery more widely accepted. Through sanitized, pain-free, 60-minute capsules showcasing the tr ansformation of ordinary folks, reality TV has sold people on the notion that the Cinderella story is a purchasable, everyday experience that everyone deserves. Mei-Ling Hester, a 43-year-old Taiwanese-American hairdresser on Newbury Street, believes in plastic surgery as a routine part of personal upkeep. So when her eyelids started to droop and lose their crease, she rushed to Ahn, the plastic surgeon. He sucked the excess fat out while maintaining, he says, â€Å"the Asian characteristic†of her eyelids. Hester also regularly gets Botox injected into her forehead and is considering liposuction. â€Å"I feel great inside,†she says. With hair tinted a rich brown and eyes without lines or puffiness, her beauty is groomed and serene. â€Å"I work out, I eat right, I use good products on my face. It was worth it,†she says of her surgery. Although Hester says she pursues plastic surgery for betterment and self-fulfillment, she recognizes her privileged status as someone born with the double eyelids and sharper nose so prized in much of the Asian community. â€Å"I just got lucky, because if you look at my sister, sheâ₠¬â„¢s got a flat nose.†Another sister was born without the eyelid crease and had it surgically created, says Hester. The concept of the double eyelid as beautiful comes from the West. â€Å"For many, many years, the standards for beauty have been Western standards that say you have to have a certain shape to the eye, and the eyelid has to have a fold,†says Dr. Ioannis Glavas, a facial plastic surgeon specializing in eyelid surgery, with practices in Cambridge, New York City, and Athens. Sometimes, the demand for bigger eyes can be extreme. Glavas recalls one young Asian-American woman he saw who, in addition to wanting a double eyelid procedure, asked him to snip off some of the bottom lid to expose more of the white. â€Å"I had to say no to her,†he says. Glavas says both Asian women and men demand the double eyelid surgery because it is a way of looking less different by reducing an obvious ethnic feature. Presumably, Asian patients aren’t aiming to look white by getting double eyelids (after all, African-Americans and other minorities have double eyelids), but the goal is social and cultural assimilation, or identification with some dominant aesthetic standard. Across-the-Board Appeal In recent years, the dominant aesthetic standard in American society has moved away from the blond, blue-eyed Caucasian woman to a more ethnically ambiguous type. Glossy magazines are devoting more pages to this melting-pot aesthetic, designed (like the new Barbies) for across-the-board appeal. Today’s beautiful woman comes in many colors, from ivory to cappuccino to ebony. Her hair can be dark and kinky, and she might even show off a decidedly curvy derriereâ€â€a feature that has actually started to prompt some white women to get gluteal augmentation, or butt implants. However, critics say these are superficial changes to what is essentially a Caucasian-inspired idealâ€â€the big-eyed, narrow-nosed, pillow-lipped, large-breasted, boyishly thin apparition. â€Å"There has been a subtle change in the kind of models you see in Victoria’s Secret catalogs or Vogue,†says Dr. Fred Stucker, the head of facial plastic surgery at Louisiana State University, Shreveport. But â€Å"they take the black girl who has the high cheekbones, narrow nose, and pouty lips.†It’s not uncommon, he says, to find â€Å"a white face with dark skin.†Going by the recent surge of minorities demanding plastic surgery, it is plausible that this attempt by canny marketers and media types to promote a darker-skinned but still relatively uniform ideal is working. After all, they are simply following the money. According to the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth, which compiles an annual report on the â€Å"multicultural economy†in the United States, minorities had a combined buying power of several trillion dollars in 2006. In 2007, the disposable income of Hispanics is expected to rise to $863 billion, while African-Americans will collectively have $847 billion to spend. By 2010, Asians are expected to have buying power totaling $579 billion. And all of these groups are showing a greater willingness to spend it on themselves and the things they covet, including cosmetic surgery. Katie Marcial represents exactly this kind of person. The 50-year-old African-American is newly single, holds a well-paying job in Boston, and has no qualms about spending between $10,000 and $20,000 on a tummy tuck and breast surgery. â€Å"I’m doing this mainly because I’m economically able to do so,†says Marcial, a Dorchester resident whose clear skin and youthful attire belie her age. With her three children all grown, her money is hers to spend. â€Å"I can indulge in a little vanity,†she says. Marcial says she chose a young, Asian-American doctor to perform her surgery because â€Å"I thought she would know the latest techniques and be sensitive to ethnic skin.†Historically, plastic surgery has been tailored to Caucasian women. Glavas says that in medical texts, the measurements of symmetry and balanceâ€â€two widely recognized preconditions of beautyâ€â€were made with Caucasian faces in mind. Such practices led to a general sense among minorities that plastic surgery was for whites and kept them away from tinkering with their faces and bodies. But even as the industry now adapts to its new customers, plastic surgeons are divided over whether surgical specialization in various ethnicities and races necessarily caters better to the needs of minority patients. Dr. Julius Few, a plastic surgeon at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, hails the fact that plastic surgeons are customizing their procedures to focus on minorities, â€Å"so it’s not just the one-size-fits-all mentality of saying, well, if somebody’s coming in, regardless, they’re going to look Northern European coming out.†He even sees â€Å"a sort of subspecialty†emerging in various ethnic procedures. Meanwhile, Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, who is chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Boston University Medical Center and has a large number of nonwhite patients, is skeptical of the notion of specialization in ethnic and racial cosmetic surgery. â€Å"It strikes me more as a marketing tool than a real specialization,†he says. In 1991, Michael Jackson crooned â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white.†Jackson’s message about transcending race may have won singalong supporters, but his plastic surgeries did not. His repeated nose jobs and lightened skin color (he has maintained he is not bleaching but is using makeup to cover up the signs of vitiligo, a skin condition) were perceived by minoritiesâ€â€especially African-Americansâ€â€as an attempt to look white. Doctors say that â€Å"Don’t make me look like Michael Jackson†is a popular refrain among patients. â€Å"People were put off by dramatic surgeries and preferred subtle changes,†says Shektman, the Wellesley-based plastic surgeon. The New Melting-Pot Aesthetic Choices have expanded since then. Minorities can now hold themselves up against more ethnically and racially ambiguous role models that may still trace their roots to the once-dominant Caucasian standard but are becoming more composite and blended. â€Å"The concept of ideal beauty is moving toward a mix of ethnic features,†says plastic surgeon Ahn, a Korean-American who is married to a Caucasian. â€Å"And I think it’s better.†The push toward ethnic and racial ambiguity should perhaps be expected, because the cultural churn in American society is producing it anyway. Sure, promoting ambiguous beauty is a strategic move on the part of marketing gurus to cover their bases and appeal to all groups. But it’s also a reflection of reality. Not only are minorities expected to make up about half the American population by 2050, but the number of racially mixed people is increasing tremendously. The number of mixed-race children has been growing enough since the 1970s that in 2000 the Census Bureau created a new section in which respondents could self-identify their race; nearly 7 million people (2.4 percent of the population) identified themselves as belonging to more than one race. For minorities, this new melting-pot beauty aestheticâ€â€perhaps the only kind of aesthetic standard that befits a multiethnic and multicultural societyâ€â€is an achievable and justifiable goal. Increasingly, advertisements use models whose blue eyes and dreadlocked hair or almond-shaped eyes and strong cheekbones leave you wondering about their ethnic origins. The ambiguous model might have been dreamed up on a computer or picked from the street. But advertisers value her because she is a blended productâ€â€someone everyone can identify with because she cannot be immediately defined by race or ethnicity. By surgically blending or erasing the most telling ethnic or racial characteristics, cosmetic surgery makes ambiguity possible and allows people of various ethnicities and races to fit in. For the Jewish community in the 1920s, fitting in may have had to do with imitating a Caucasian beauty ideal. For minorities today, it’s a melting-pot beauty ideal that is un iquely American. How appropriate this ambiguity is, in a culture that expects conformity even as it celebrates diversity. Das, Anupreeta. â€Å"Cosmetic Surgery Is Moving Toward Multiethnic Beauty Ideals.†The Culture of Beauty. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"The Search for Beautiful.†Boston Globe 21 Jan. 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. Document URL http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&dviSelectedPage=&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=&displayGroups=&sortBy=&zid=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010659218&source=Bookmark&u=lawr16325&jsid=8af464626ea9692fea0cb02ef9c121a3 Gale Document Number: GALE|EJ3010659218
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