Epiphany

Who I Am As a child I grew up telling myself and everyone else that I never wanted to get married and have children. I watched my mother get married and divorced twice and seen what kind of pain that inflicted on her and us kids. I thought that I would be a better person if I stayed single and didn't have any kids to worry about. Of course I fell in love early in adulthood and decided to have children. A few years later my fear f becoming like my mother in the aspect of marriage, divorce and having kids came alive.I felt like such a fool for allowing that to happen to me. Usually by the time I get home from work and picking up the kids, It Is late and I do not feel like taking the time to actually cook a meal. One evening we got home earlier than we usually do so I decided to fix dinner, sit down and actually eat as a family. I can remember myself standing In front of the stove thinking of the frustrating long day of work I had, getting aggravated because the kids were running around the souse.The kids were playing and being loud which Is what a 4 year old boy and 4 year old girl would do. Then It suddenly becomes quiet and Patrick comes to me and says â€Å"Mommy, you know what? † I say with an annoyed tone of voice â€Å"What Patrick? † He says â€Å"your superman. † I picked him up and gave him a big hug. In that moment I realized that out of all that has happened to me In my life, I am truly grateful that I have my children and that I am actually a better person because God brought them Into my life.

Analysis of the Carlsberg Advertisements

Analysis of Carlsberg Advertisements Cultural differences and similarities between Denmark and Great Britain Consumer Behaviour RSM353 Chernenko Kirill The following examination of British and Danish versions of printed advertisements of Carlsberg beer is to determine role of culture in advertising and compare and contrast how the same brand is advertised in different cultures. I. Danish printed advertisement The poster shows 4 men in the forest having conversation and smiling, meanwhile everyone has a bottle in a hand.The background shows the connection to wild nature: large green trees together with five fallow dears, a magpie, a fox and a pheasant. The men have been hunting, possibly, and decided to take a break. The idea is to illustrate a moment of relaxation and enjoyment of Carlsberg beer in a good company. The slogan â€Å"Vores ol brygget pa det bedste vi har† (Our beer. Brewed from the best we have) at the bottom, involves different product characteristics. The first part â€Å"Vores ol† awakes the awareness of Danes, because their traditional beer connects people in Denmark.Per contra, the final part focuses on quality of a beverage, which worth to go hunting. The image and the content of a text box creates a unified whole. The advertisement illustrates the traditional myth of drinking beer since hunting is an old tradition and according to the text box â€Å"Only 11% of the Danish hunters are hunting to hunt† which implies social interaction with friends. And, therefore, the social belonging to that particular group is related to drinking beer.Furthermore, Carlsberg beer can be seen as a reward for hard-working process, going beyond the beverage and highlighting old traditional values which express the hunting myth. In addition, a humor takes special place in this print. Relaxed hunters are surrounded by animals, walking nearby very close. It seems that animals are not afraid of intruders. The beer is no longer just a beer. It b uilds community and harmony between the people, and also between the animals. This is a signal of weak uncertainty avoidance in Denmark.Carlsberg beer provides relaxing atmosphere and sense of peace as well as hygge (fun on Danish). Moreover, the poster represents the everyday culture, playing on the symbolic associations. Consequently, Carlsberg intends to tell a true story about the real product. Denmark is a very individualistic culture where independence is very important. Nevertheless, the Danish advertisement (the slogan â€Å"Vores ol†) contradicts individualism. Instead, the advertisement drives towards collectivism.It turns out that Danes are double-standard people: they keep distance from other people, sitting alone in public transit while they pursue the sense of belonging, seeking community involvement. Ultimately, Denmark is categorized as a low-context culture. That means that additional information and reasoning is required. Although this poster does not provid e explicit argumentation apart from slogan and little text box. In my opinion, information given is sufficient enough to deliver the message to Danish consumer. II. British printed advertisementUK version demonstrates 2 young men sitting on a terrace of a luxury house with a sea view and two beautiful young women in the background The woman standing next to swimming pool is showered by a cloud above. Next to her is another young woman, who is lying in the sun with a rainbow over her body. Aforesaid young men are both smiling and holding a bottle of beer. There is a snowing cloud between them, which keeps the beer on the table refrigerated. Perhaps, they talk to each other, sharing opinions and ideas about everything behind them, which is not realistic.It can be assumed that the man on the left is telling about his fantasy (which is the actual background of a print). This flight of imagination is correlated with a text box â€Å"Carlsberg don't do the weather, but if we did it would probably be the best weather in the world†. I will interpret it this way: Carlsberg is already producing the best beer in the world; if only Carlsberg made weather, it would also be the best in the world. The informal contradiction â€Å"don’t† is used to make the text ordinary, which links to the fact that Carlsberg beer is an everyday beer for any event, any time.According to this ad, the best weather is summertime, beautiful ladies either taking shower of rain or sunbathing and cold Carlsberg beer with a snowing cloud above. This idealistic lifestyle reflects the fantasies and desires of younger audience, which is the actual target population. This unrealistic weather is not only a castle in the sky, a dream, but also a myth of success which implies luxury, nice weather and exclusive alcoholic beverages. Young men stylish clothes and beautiful beach house proves that link.British small power distance is visible in this poster by the use of four independent yo ung people who are able to make ideals in countries, where individualism is highly valued. Beer-drinking culture in is also manifested in this advertisement. In Great Britain beer is a social drink, it is not consumed alone, it should be shared in a company. Just like in Denmark, British are double-standard people: individualistic community seekers. Overstatement in slogan â€Å"Probably the best beer in the world is a sign of masculine cultures, it is often used.The features of the product related to luxury and high status is another a signal of masculinity. On the other hand, slogan also has an understatement â€Å"probably† which represent feminine values. Weak uncertainty avoidance can be noticed in text box focused on what the product does rather than what it can. And again, if Carlsberg could modify the weather it would be just as good as their beer. Communication style is more high-context than low-context. This is caused by the indirect, implicit message the viewer h ave to understand (metaphor: snowing clouds performs the role of refrigerator). III.Cultural Differences and Similarities The above analysis of Carlsberg advertisements of Denmark and United Kingdom illustrates how dominant cultural values, believes and norms reflect the style and content of particular print. There are some characteristics in common while there are a few differences. In the first place, both advertisements involves myths. However, British one provides the myth of success, whereas Danish ad is linked to old Dane traditional values such as hunting and social interaction. Secondly, in both posters beer-drinking culture is related to social process and relaxing activity.The Denmark version possess harmony, peace and community while British focal point is high quality and exclusive luxury. Thirdly, both Denmark and Great Britain advertisements are high-context despite the fact that both countries are classified as low-context. Text boxes are not that informative such as the image scenario. Although Danish ad is more symbolic meanwhile British one has more high-context communication. Last but not least, in both prints all characters are smiling, expressing the joy and satisfaction. This is a distinctive feature of strong uncertainty avoidance cultures.On top of that, both countries are double-standard combining individualism with collectivism (as previously mentioned â€Å"individualistic community seekers†). Still, UK ad demonstrates more signs of highly individualistic values Appendix A Danish printed advertisement, 1999 Only 11% of the Danish hunters are hunting to hunt There is intelligence that can create intense peace as the taste of the original Carlsberg humble exclusively from flowers of the hemp plant Our beer. Brewed from the best we have Appendix B British printed advertisement, 2007

Emotional Intelligence: Crucial to an Organization’s Success Essay

â€Å"Historically, leaders in most organizations have neglected emotions in the workplace. Today we realize that emotions are very much a part of workplace success. How individuals respond to real situations each and every day and what organizations do to foster productive emotional responses can make the difference between the organization that stumbles and the organization that thrives.† Marcia Hughes, President Collaborative Growth Many companies today are teetering on the edge of disaster. Excessive downsizing has created employees who find themselves overworked, underappreciated and constantly seesawing between exhaustion and fear. Competition in the workplace is fierce and many new recruits feel a need to turn to aggressive tactics to get ahead of their peers or risk falling behind. Business leaders are beginning to realize that such negative emotions among their employees are not healthy for the organization and its prospects for success. Many are seeking ways to turn negative emotions into positive, productive behavior. Research indicates a strong correlation between emotional intelligence and individual job performance. By emphasizing emotional intelligence in hiring and in teambuilding and training programs, senior management and human resources professionals can improve decision making, problem solving and the ability to cope with change among employees. Emotionally intelligent organizations maximize potential for business success and increase productivity because people in these organizations share more powerful connections. Organizations today must strive to become more emotionally intelligent. Their success – indeed their very survival – depends on it. Emotional Intelligence Defined Emotional intelligence, alternatively known as EI or EQ, reflects an individual’s ability to deal with daily environmental challenges and helps predict success in life, both in professional and personal pursuits. EI competencies include empathy, intuition, creativity, flexibility, resilience, stress management, leadership, integrity, happiness and optimism, as well as intrapersonal and interpersonal communication skills. Emotional intelligence is based on a long history of research and theory in personality and social psychology. The three most widely used approaches to emotional intelligence were developed by Reuven BarOn, Daniel Goleman, and Jack Mayer, Peter Salovey and David Caruso. While the theory and practice of EI continues to evolve, the central premise that social and personal competencies are vital for a productive life remains a common theme throughout each model. And research continues to demonstrate EI’s importance to both individuals and organizations. Measurement of Emotional Intelligence The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i ®) is the first scientifically developed and validated measure of emotional intelligence. Reuven Bar-On is an internationally acknowledged expert and pioneer in emotional intelligence and has been instrumental in defining, measuring and applying various aspects of the concept since 1980. He coined the term â€Å"EQ† (â€Å"emotional quotient†) in 1985 to describe his approach to assessing emotional and social competence and created the EQ-i, which was the first test of emotional intelligence to be published by a psychological test publisher (1997). Today EQ-i assessments are the most widely used measure of EI, approaching two million copies distributed worldwide, making it one of the most popular psychological tests. The EQ-i provides information for each individual on five composite scales and 15 subscales: o Intrapersonal Scales: self-regard, emotional self awareness, assertiveness, independence, self-actualization o Interpersonal Scales: empathy, social responsibility, interpersonal relationships o Adaptability Scales: reality testing, flexibility, problem solving o Stress Management Scales: stress tolerance, impulse control o General Mood Scales: optimism, happiness The EQ-i can be used by organizations as part of the recruitment screening process to assist in identifying potentially successful employees. It can also be employed in identifying emotional and social skills for employee training programs, teambuilding and enhancing leadership capabilities in the workplace. In addition, an organization’s return on investment can be measured using this reliable instrument. The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Organizations A growing body of research demonstrates that emotional intelligence is a better predictor of â€Å"success† than traditional measures of cognitive intelligence (IQ). The workplace is an ideal environment for people to develop their social and emotional skills, as individuals are motivated to develop those capabilities in pursuit of success and promotion. The concept is equally important to employers, as their bottom-line productivity rests on the emotional intelligence of the whole organization. When executives and employees work to improve capabilities in areas in which they are weakest, it benefits the entire organization, improving communication and increasing productivity. The EQ-i creates a profile of an individual’s emotional intelligence, showing both areas of strength and weakness. Individuals can use this information to develop areas in need of improvement. Organizations can use these profiles to show whether a potential hire would make a good addition to the team or expose traits in existing employees in need of enhancement through training or incentive programs. An action plan can be developed once an individual or organization has this information, supporting growth in desired areas. â€Å"As the pace of change increases and the world of work makes ever greater demands on a person’s cognitive, emotional, and physical resources, this particular set of abilities will become increasingly important.† Cary Cherniss, Ph.D. Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Rutgers University Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice Scores in each EQ-i category can predict job performance and satisfaction. When an organization evaluates the emotional intelligence of its employees and of its star performers, it gains a strong blueprint for improving individual performance, enhancing the workplace climate and driving productivity. Application of the EQ-i by the U.S. Air Force demonstrates the financial power of this information. The exceptionally high turnover rate of recruits was changed by finding that recruits who scored well in five factors – assertiveness, empathy, happiness, self-awareness and problem solving – were 2.7 times more likely to succeed. By using this instrument to find those who are right for this position, the Air Force increased retention rate by 92%, saving an estimated $2.7 million in less than a year. The consequences for neglect of emotional intelligence in an organization can be devastating to productivity and bottom-line business results. Breakdowns in internal communication that produce confusion, uncertainty, hostility and reduced productivity are just a few of the factors organizations face if they do not actively pursue a strategy of fostering emotional intelligence in the workplace. Successful organizations today strive to reap the benefits of becoming more emotionally intelligent: improving performance of employees and executives, building strong teams and driving productivity. â€Å"The quest to make companies more emotionally intelligent is one more and more organizations are embarking on, whether they use the term or not. An organization’s collective emotional intelligence is no mere soft assessment; it has hard consequences.†

Soil concentration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Soil concentration - Essay Example High concentrations of Cl- destabilize membranes and denatured proteins, which is toxic for plants through soil degradation (Huang 17). Due to the decreased water permeability and porosity, it leads to water deficit in plant’s leaves. This inhibits metabolism and plant growth, hence making Cl- harmful to plants. It leads to misplacement of Ca2+ from cell wall and reducing the latter’s activity occurring on the apoplast, reducing salinity balance in plasma membrane. Increase in CL- and Na+ in the membrane can block the detoxification process (Huang 74). However, there are some soil tolerant plants, commonly referred to as halophytes, which have a higher endurance than the less tolerance ones (glycophyte) (Huang 75). Salinity of soils in natural environments is mainly caused by the upstream movement of seawater to rivers, which supply plants with water. However in far inland places, natural seepage occurs from geologic marine deposits that wash salt into surrounding areas. Transpiration and evaporation can also extract water through vapor, leading to an increase in soil solution. It is also possible for water droplets that move from the ocean to disperse and later evaporate, causing salinity. Therefore, the distance to saline water from a sidewalk differs and is determined by assorted factors (Levy, Guy, Pinchas

Business Foundation Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Foundation Management - Assignment Example It jacked up it prices by 60% because of the deal they made with Hollywood (Sandoval 1). The deal was that Netflix was to pay a specific amount of money for every user per month for any user who had the right of connecting to the Hollywood content. This was regardless of whether they Netflix consumers viewed that content or not. Therefore, Netflix could not afford the luxury of paying for the digital content for individuals who were not watching it. The organisation argued that it was not cost of living increase and nor was it inflation. Regardless of the fact the analysts argued that the new hike in prices by Netflix was because of the new studio contracts, Netflix maintained the contracts had nothing to do with it. It also maintained that neither was it the high costs of doing business had caused it to hike the prices. In the Netflix’s blog, they say that when they launched their $7.99 unlimited streaming plan, whereby DVDs by mail were treated as a two dollar adds on to their unlimited streaming plan (Sandoval 1). In that previous year, the management had not anticipated offering DVD-only plans. Thereafter, they realised that there was still a very large continuing demand for DVDS. This was from both their existing member and the non-members. They continue to argue that, given the long life they thought that DVDs by mail were going to have, treating DVDs a two dollar add on their unlimited streaming plan was neither making great financial sense not satisfies the individuals who just want DVDs. Netflix mana gement argued that creating an unlimited DVDs by mail plan whereby it did not include streaming at their normal prices, which were very low, $7.99, it did not make any sense (Sandoval 1). In addition, they stated that it would not ensure a long life for their DVDS by mail offering. The most argument that comes regarding this decision was that the price hike was mostly to force the millions of Netflix’s members and non-members to go for

Plant research and faulty arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plant research and faulty arguments - Essay Example By mid 21st century, the population will have increased by more than three billion people and the worst truth is that majority of these people are continuously being born in countries experiencing water shortages. By the year 2020, expectations are that the population will hit twenty two billion, figures that are more than high. Ideally, there water conservation is mandatory, therefore, so that these people will not experience water shortages owing to discovery that the emerging worldwide water shortage threatening (Consolver 17). Another argument used by people who waste water is that there can never be water exhaustion, as the oceans can never dry up. This is a faulty reasoning because it there have been sayings that the world may actually run out of water before running out of oil. Moreover, of all the water on earth, only three percent is fresh water and the most of it is frozen (Consolver 16). Another faulty reason given by people who waste water is that their usage is not a waste as their usage is for basic needs. People should give water a second thought. A single toilet flush uses three gallons of water. A ten minute shower uses up fifty gallons of water. There is consumption of forty gallons of water any other time someone loads laundry. Such statistics definitely speak serious message to all. People should find ways of minimizing the amount of water used. The water used up in watering lawns is also another factor contributing to the water shortages experienced in parts of the world. People should invest in drought-tolerant crops that require less amount of water for survival (Consolver 16). The Sedum rubrotinctum is an example of drought-tolerant vegetation that gradually grows into a beautiful mat like vegetation. It survives very well with an occasional watering and it is an excellent soil holder. The plant resembles a mat of succulent herbs with fleshy club shaped leaves that are red tinged at the tip

English Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English - Thesis Example It means larger reception hall or church, more drinks and food, more invitations and a bigger wedding cake. The first deliberation to make when deciding about the guests’ numbers is who is significant and who must attend the wedding. To reduce the wedding size, send invitations to the most important people as this will minimize the cake size to be baked, the reception hall and church size and, cut down on the total cost. The section is among the prime expenses depending on the category selected for a wedding. An important decision to be made involves whether the couple prefers a formal meal of sitting down which would be more expensive since it requires more staff or a buffet presentation. Another important factor includes considering what will be served before and after food if necessary. Always prefer the quality cheaper alternatives which could come as a package. The other central element of the wedding is the photography and music session. Depending on what the partners would like, either music playing in the event, live entertainment or hiring a DJ, options must be weighed. A wedding is a one-time occasion in individual’s life so planning must be made bearing in mind the benefits to the partners for the

Anishinabi Clan System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anishinabi Clan System - Essay Example These people are also interrelated with a help of any kind of kinship – internal or external. In some cultures the representatives of the clan should be the relatives, they speak about the close and far, internal and external relationships, among their family members the representative of the clan under the study will enumerate all the known relatives; in this system each person had a specific name like the sibling of same gender was named niikaanis. So, we can say that the clan system is not a brand new thing in our world, but the clan system of Anishinabi is very peculiar. During our classes we studied the cultural, religious and historical features of the American clan system. So, let’s take a close look at the peculiarities of the Anishinabi clan. The history of our society knows a lot of examples of the people’s unions, one of which is the clan system. There is not much information about the Anishinabis, but we can find enough to study their clan system. This is the group of people that lives in the North America. It was one of many Algonquian-speaking groups that inhabited this part of the continent now it is the last one that remained. The native inhabitants used to call this land the Turtle Island and created their myths around their native land. These people preserve their culture and traditions with a help of inter-tribal marriages and relations. The Anishinaabe clan incorporates the Odawa, Ojibwa, and Algonquin people, who inhabit the lands of the modern Ontario state. They are related by their traditions and language. To the point, we also have to mention that the whole clan was, and still is, divided into five main groups named: th e Bimaawidaasi, the Giishkizhigwan, the Nooke, the Baswenaazhi and finally the Bemaangik. Originally the whole nation was divided into so-called odoodeman which equals the modern understanding of clans and groups. Each group had its own ruler who was also

Thrart Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Thrart - Assignment Example Within such perspective, no other show that can effectively compete Blue Man Group’s adventurous, entertaining, and ludicrous production. Contextually, the Blue Men do not speak but rather present an innocent and infinitely curious viewpoint of the world around us. The situation allows the performers to alter the show over the years in an attempt to reflect the specific generations. Moreover, they have taken to theming the shows on the human beings’ technology addiction. Hence, it is a great experience to secure a seat amongst the audience and watch the story unfold as the performances progress. As the performers approached the stage, they passed near the audience wearing blue masks. I could feel some fear in me since they looked scary as I sat in the front seat. They also spread out their hands to reach out to the audience. I yearned to get a touch of the performers, but I could not dare stretch my hand toward the blue masked hands. In this respect, I only stared at them waiting to watch the performance live as opposed to watching a television. After a while, the Blue Men went on stage and started the long awaited ensemble acts. They seemed more of magicians and collaborative in the acting techniques they employed (Sutton 2:00). Unfortunately, I felt lost, as I could not retrieve myself from getting lost during the first scene. For instance, the Blue Men could stare to one another, and use signs to communicate leaving me in the world of wonders. I kept questioning on what the scene is all about since they could not utter a word. The case left me wondering for the rest of the first scene. In this context, I did not like the acting projected in the first scene because they do not even provide a synopsis to the audience. The performance became attractive in the proceeding scenes, as the actors seemed concerted in the drumming. The most hilarious of all was the rhythmic sound that came out of their collective effort that

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms Essay Example for Free

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms Essay I. Importance of Study Found in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, a group of Norwegian psychologists conducted an observational longitudinal study to discover whether or not there is a relationship because Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms (PTSD). Mette Senneseth, Kjersti Alsaker Gerd Karin Natvig, conducted this study. According to the journal, the aim of the study was to examine HRQoL and PTSD symptoms in the people that attend Accident and Emergency departments (AE), due to the fact that they suffer from some type of psychosocial crisis (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). Hereafter, this is referred to as Research 1. The study done in Research 1 revealed that there has been an interest in researching one’s quality of life, and how it correlates with one’s health. The term HRQoL refers to the â€Å"effects of health, illness and treatment on QoL† (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). There have been a number of studies that suggest that traumatic life events, including, but not limited to, sexual assault and military combat, have a negative effect on HRQoL. Additionally, poor HRQoL is not only associated with PTSD symptoms, but they are related to differences and modification in HRQoL, and there is a negative correlation between the two (Alasker et al. 2011, 403). The researchers hypothesized that people who seek help at AE, suffering from such psychosocial calamites, have lower HRQoL than the general population of Norway at the time of the study, and that the participants will have improved HRQoL after two months (Alasker et al . 2011, 403). In addition, a second hypothesis predicts that participants who have high levels of PTSD symptoms at the time of the study will have reduced symptoms after the conclusion of the study at two months. Lastly, the third hypothesis wraps the study up by predicating that high levels of PTSD symptoms are associated to low HRQoL scores in a follow-up experiment (Alasker et al., 2011, 403). Found in the Cyber-psychology, Behavior and Social Networking Journal, a group of researchers conducted a study to compare the effects of VR-graded exposure therapy (VR-GET) versus treatment as usual (TAU) on people suffering from combat related PTSD (McLay et al. 2011, 223). Robert Mclay, Dennis Wood, Jennifer Webb-Murphy, James Spira, Mark Miederholf, Jeffery Pyne and Brenda  Wiederhold conducted this study. Hereafter, this is referred to as Research 2. The doctors responsible for conducting this study found that there has only been one â€Å"randomized, controlled proof-of-concept† study that was specifically designed for Active Duty Service Members suffering from PTSD (McLay et al. 2011, 223). Also, the doctors wanted to extend the â€Å"already found research gathered† from victi ms of PTSD, and take the study one step further. The researchers of Research 2 hypothesized that â€Å"patients with combat-related PTSD would be more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in VR-GET than treatment as usual† (McLay et al. 2011, 224). VR-GET is a virtual reality stimulation that combines graded virtual reality exposure with â€Å"physiologic monitoring and skills training† (McLay et al. 2011, 224). Also, VR-GET promotes engagement with, rather than escaping the events and experiences that prompt a traumatic episode. II. METHODS In regards to Research 1, the participants in the study had to meet three criteria before they were able to participate. During the recruitment period, the researchers found participants who were attending the AE due to a â€Å"psychosocial crisis and who consulted a psychiatric nurse,† were 18 years of age or older, and those who were able to both read and understand Norwegian (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). A total of 113 were asked to participate in the study. Of those 113 people selected, 99 of the people participated in the baseline study, and 41 participated in both the baseline study, and the follow-up study. Aforementioned, this was an observational longitudinal study, where participants were observed repeatedly over a long period of time. There were two types of instruments that were used for the research in Research 1. The first instrument that was used was a SF-36 Health Survey, which is a â€Å"36 item self-report questionnaire that assesses eight domains of physical and MH ranging from 1-100† (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). In this survey, the higher score reveals the best HRQoL, and the lower score reveals the poorest HRQoL (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). The second instrument that was used for this study was the Post-traumatic Symptom Scale (PTSS-10), which is a ten item self-report questionnaire that â€Å"assesses the presence  and intensity of symptoms† (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). On the PTSS-10, scores range from 10 to 70, and a score of 35 or greater results in a PTSD diagnosis (Alasker et al. 2011, 404). In addition to the two questionnaires, participants were encouraged to go to consolations at the AE. The number of consultations that each participant attended varies throughout the study. In regards to Research 2, â€Å"participants for the study were all Active Duty Service Members who had been diagnosed by a military mental health professional as having PTSD† related to military combat (McLay et al. 2011, 224). At the end of the baseline assessment, those who were qualified to participate in he study were asked to draw a piece of paper out of an envelop, making the selection of treatment completely random, and giving the participants an equal chance of choosing either treatment. There were a total of twenty people that participated in this study; ten assigned to the VR-GET and another ten assigned to TAU (McLay et al. 2011, 225). The two methods of Research 2 consisted of the VR-GET and the TAU. The participants that were assigned for the VR-GET had a sequence of sessions that consisted of different activities. First, the therapist would meet with the participant and discuss their trauma history. In the second session, participants were asked to reveal their more traumatic stories of their military combat and tours. In later sessions, the participant used the virtual reality helmet to relive their most traumatic events, based off of the information that was gathered about them in the earlier sessions. In each session, the participants were observed on their ability to face their fears and anxieties (McLay et al. 2011, 225). â€Å"Participants assigned to TAU could receive any of the regular services available to them at the NMCSD and NHCP. These two facilities offer full spectrum of PTSD treatment, including, but not limited to, cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and group therapy† (McLa y et al. 2011, 225). III. ANALYSIS/RESULTS Analysis The researchers for Research 1 used the two self-report questionnaires to gather their data. In addition, the researchers processed the data using  statistical analysis with the help of SPSS16 Processor for Windows (Oslo, Norway). The researcher for this study wants to compare the results of the two surveys with the general population of Norway, and to succeed with that, they used SF-36 data through the Norwegian Coordinated Living Conditions Survey from 2002, consisting of 5131 people (Alasker et al. 2011, 405). In Research 2, it was found that participants in the baseline study had lower norm-based scores in all eight HRQoL domains in comparison to the general population of Norway. In the follow-up study, two months later, the â€Å"participants still had lower norm-based scores than the general population of Norway, but participants had improved their HRQoL in five of the eight domains from the baseline study to the follow-up study† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). In regard to the PTSS-10 questionnaire in Research 1, among the participants in the baseline study, 79% of them had a PTSS-10 score that was 35, expressing high levels of PTSD symptoms (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). At the follow-up, â€Å"59% of the participants had a PTSS-10 score that was 35, which shows high levels of PTSD symptoms, which can indicate a risk of developing PTSD† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). The researchers for Research 2 aimed to identify which of the VR-GET or TAU would yield a greater percentage of participants with a â€Å"clinically meaningful reduction in PTSD† (McLay et al. 2011, 225). The researcher succeeded in deepening their research by investigating the â€Å"difference in CAPS scores at an initial assessment and then at the post-treatment assessment in VR-GET versus TAU† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). The CAPS is a â€Å"rating scale for PTSD that corresponds with the 17 symptoms of PTSD† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). Participants were classified according to whether or not they had a 30% of larger reduction of their PTSD based on the results of their CAPS. ii. Analysis Results Taking a look at Research 1, and the question concerning whether or not there is a link between PTSD symptoms and HRQoL, researchers looked at the differences in SF-36 scores between PTSS-10 subgroups in a follow-up study (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). â€Å"The PTSS-10 high scoring and low scoring subgroups at the 2-month follow-up differed in all eight of the HRQoL domains in the follow up study† (Alasker et al. 2011, 406). In addition, the PTSS-10 low scoring participants had improved HRQoL in six out of the eight domains (Alasker et al. 2011, 407). In regards to Research 2, all ten of the participants assigned to the VR-GET were assessed with the CAPS at the post-assessment. Seven out of the ten participants showed an improvement of 30% or more on the CAPS. On the other hand, out of the ten participants that were assigned to the TAU, one did not complete a CAPS assessment. Nevertheless, one out of the nine returning participants receiving the TAU revealed more than a 30% improvements on the CAPS (McLay et al. 2011, 226). â€Å"There was no significant difference between VR-GET and TAU average CAPS scores both before and after the treatments, but there was indeed a significant difference in the average CAPS score over the course of the entire treatment† (McLay et al. 2011, 226). IV. DISCUSSION Results Summary Concerning Research 1’s first hypothesis, participants of the study reported lower HRQoL compared to the general population of Norway in all eight HRQoL domains (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). In regards to the second hypothesis, participants in Research 1 reported high levels of PTSD symptoms at the time of the baseline experiment. Furthermore, PTSS-10 scores did improve from the time of the baseline experiment to the follow-up. The results show that PTSD symptoms decrease for people suffering from a psychosocial crisis in the 2 months after attending the AE (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). Lastly, concerning the questions if there is a link between the level of PTSD symptoms and HRQoL in the follow-up study, the researchers found that a â€Å"high level of PTSD symptoms after a two month period were linked to lower HRQoL† (Alasker et al. 2011, 408). Results for Research 2 Strengths and Weaknesses In regards to Research 1, there are many strengths and lurking variables that should be pointed out. One strength of the study was that they  progress of the study was completely up to the participant. The participant had the option as to how may consultations they wanted to attend, and the varied decisions led to different results. Another strength of the study was that they used instruments that were both appropriate to the study, and reliable. On the contrary, there were several confounding variables in Research 1 that must be acknowledged. First, there is no evidence that anyone in this trial was on any sort of anti-depressant or medication that would affect his or her scores on the SF-36 and the PTSS-10. Also, there are so many different traumatic events that would cause someone to show symptoms of PTSD. The study should limit its participants to those who experienced similar types of trauma. As for Research 2, there were also strengths and weaknesses to the study. As for its strengths, the doctors did a good job through their selections process to select a small group of people who were highly qualified for this study. Also, the exam that was used to measure the severity of the participants PTSD was based off of seventeen symptoms of PTSD, whereas the instrument used in Research 1 (PTSS-10) only focused on ten symptoms of PTSD. Lastly, the ten-week span of the study was appropriate in yielding results. Just like any other study, there are confounding variables that need to be identified for Research 2. Although the goal was to get the participants in for a reassessment at the conclusion of the study (ten weeks), reassessment for some did not occur until as far as 36 weeks. With that being said, participants have plenty of time to have a relapse, or more time in combat that can result in more severe PTSD. iii. Future Directions The researchers of Research 1 suggest that a â€Å"randomized control trial with a control group is needed to investigate the effect of the psychosocial interactions that are given to this group† (Alasker et al. 2011, 407). In addition, they suggest that it is crucial to get more, information about the long term effects of acute crisis intervention on PTSD symptoms and HRQoL â€Å"given by psychiatric nurses to participants† (Alasker et al. 2011, 410). The researchers of Research 2 also have some suggestions for further directions of this research. It was stated that other studies on the topic  of virtual reality therapy on PTSD victims, improvements in symptoms aren’t visible until sometimes three months after treatment. For future studies there needs to be a longer wait time for the follow-ups so that there can be the most accurate results. In addition, the journal states that careful monitoring of the participants is also something that needs to be done more thorough in the future because a participants overall health, aside from PTSD, must be taken into consideration when the researchers are making observations and conclusions about the participants (McLay et al. 2011, 226). Works Cited Mette Senneseth, Kjersti Alsaker, Gerd Karin Natvig. (2011). Health-related Quality of Life and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Accident and Emergency Attenders Suffering From Psychosocial Crises: a Longitudinal Study, Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(2), 402-414. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.rocky.iona.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=6c7164f6-d4f6-4ce6-8a46-f1ad579caf63%40sessionmgr15vid=5hid=24 Robert N. Mclay, Dennis P. Wood, Jennifer A. Webb-Murphy, James L. Spira, Mark D. Wiederhold, Jeffery M. Pyne, Brenda K. Wiederhold. (2011). A Randomized, Control Trial of Virtual Reality-Graded Exposure Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Active Duty Service Members with Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking Volume 14, Issue 4. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.rocky.iona.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=61603dcf-c639-423e-8f1e-365db0b36d61%40sessionmgr13vid=4hid=24

British Punk Movement Causes

British Punk Movement Causes Was the Punk movement in Britain merely a working class response to the advent of Thatcherism and free-market ideas? Im in love with Margaret Thatcher; that is what the Notsensibles ironically sang, or let us say yelled, in 1979 (Im in love with Margaret Thatcher). Maggie, Maggie you cunt! added violently the Exploited in 1985 (Maggie, Horror Epics). The corpus of songs written on, or rather against, Margaret Thatcher is quite extensive, not only during the Punk years, which is not surprising since she was the only British Prime Minister in the 20th century to win three consecutive terms-May 1979, June 1983 and June 1987. At the time of her resignation in November 1990, she was Britains longest continuously serving Prime Minister since 1827. During the eleven years she spent at number 10, the change of style she imposed on British politics and economy was tremendous to the extent that to some commentators there was no turning back (Jones et al. 666) and it would be a euphemism to say that nobody remained unconcerned about Mrs Thatchers revolution. No wonder then, that between the Punks wearing their leather jackets, smoking sixty cigarettes a day and staying up all night on speed (Savage 133), and the dressed up to the nine woman from Grantham, who was an Oxford educated Conservative and a Methodist, the clash was inevitable. That is the reason why it is chiefly interesting to ask the following question: Was the Punk movement in Britain merely a working class response to the advent of Thatcherism and free-market ideas? In other words, is it possible to relate to a major shift in politics one of the most famous, aggressive, contradictory, and yet ephemeral phenomenon of British popular culture? If such a question might appear quite obvious given the contemporaneousness between the emergence of the Punk culture-or subculture-and Thatchers rise to power, it will nevertheless require a balanced answer. Indeed, one of the key elements of our analysis will be, first, to take a closer look at the sociopolitical context in order to break the stereotypes. We will then be led to wonder whether the message conveyed by the Punks was rather concerned with a certain type of society at large. Finally, we will observe that the artificiality of Punk music and its merchandising definitely challenges the so-called proletarian revolt against a new political and economic order. There is nothing easier but to systematically oppose Thatcherism and the British Punk movement since they approximately emerged at the same time. Margaret Thatcher had become leader of the Conservative Party in 1975 and had begun formulating her own brand of Tory policy while the following single from the Sex Pistols-probably the most famous and influential Punk band in Britain-was released in November 1976: Anarchy in the UK (Savage 563). Nevertheless, that would be forgetting that most of the social strain had been accumulated under the Callaghan-Labour-government: By July 1975, England was in recession. The unemployment figures for that month were the worst since the Second  World  War . . . . Not only had output shrunk, but public spending had risen to 45 per cent of the national income, and was threatening to unbalance the whole economy. (Savage  108) Dave Laing, in One Chord Wonders, analysed the subject-matter of the lyrics on the debut albums of the first five punk groups to achieve prominence in 1976-7 (27) and very interestingly concluded that the overwhelming number . . . of social and political comment lyrics came from the first Clash album [The Clash] (29). That proves that social (economic, political, etc.) preoccupations were already there before Margaret Thatchers first premiership, before a truly Thatcherite government was ever established. Therefore, the idea according to which the Punk movement would be a mere response to Thatcherism is being challenged quite importantly here. We have used the word Thatcherism several times already, but what does it really mean? An attempt to define what that could be might prove very useful to our analysis. According to Overbeck: Thatcherism is a reasonably coherent and comprehensive concept of control for the restoration of bourgeois rule and bourgeois hegemony in the new circumstances of the 1980s . . . The central elements in the Thatcherite concept are the reorientation of Britains foreign policy and the redefinition of its place in the world; its attack on the position of the trade unions and the Labour Party (Thatcher aims to eliminate socialism as a serious political force); the restructuration of the role of the state in the economy; and finally a reordering of the balance of power between different fractions of capital in Britain. (in  Jessop  et  al. 3) That long definition seems to establish Thatcherism as a political theory, an ideology, such as Marxism for instance. Nevertheless, most modern commentators share the . . . view that Thatcherism does not represent a coherent ideology (Evans 2). Indeed, as Peter Riddell reminds us: the [first] Thatcher administration has not followed a pure free-market or monetarist programme, though strands of both have clearly been important (6). He suggests another definition: Thatcherism is essentially an instinct, a series of moral values and an approach to leadership rather than an ideology (7). We have to leave there the definitional considerations for it would be too long to go through all of them-full books have been written on the matter-but it was interesting to point those out because since some specialists argue that there is no such thing as Thatcherism, we could have a hard time trying to prove that the Punk movement in Britain merely was (or was not) a working class response to it. As far as the working class is concerned, when one reads the lyrics of Maggie, a song by the Exploited we have already alluded to in our introduction, it is true that it clearly refers to its financial difficulties: Twenty five quid to live on, seven days a week to survive! Five and twenty pictures of the queen! You wont see the starvation in her eyes! Twenty five quid to dish out and youre already ten in debt, so with fifteen singles left over the landlord gets the rest! Maggie, Maggie you cunt! Maggie, Maggie you cunt! Maggie, Maggie you cunt! Maggie, Maggie, Maggie, Maggie you fucking cunt! Twenty five reasons for trouble! Three million mouths to feed! Theyre destroying your mind and body while they increase their own needs. Twenty five quid of insult! Two meals soon kills your health! They want to see you suffer! They want to see you dead! (Horror Epics) Indeed, despite the end of the recession in 1982, unemployment continued to rise [and] reached a peak of 3.2 millions in 1985 and the cost of unemployment benefit . . . on those in work continued to increase (Evans 29). One of the government counter-measures was to ma[ke] it less easy to qualify for unemployment benefits (op. cit.). But, nevertheless, if we take a look at the structure of the popular vote in the 1979 and 1983 general elections we observe that the working class-a shrinking category-vote swung from the left to the right. This is a phenomenon called dealignment, which Peter Dorey defines as such: the changing allegiance and electoral behaviour, particularly with regard to identification with, and regular support for, a political party (154). The reasons for dealignment are numerous and we cannot go through all of them here but let us just say that, among other things, the crisis had brought on a great uncertainty about the future and that Labour was not trusted anymore to solve social issues. Furthermore, Mrs Thatchers law and order policy was appealing to people living in poor and unsecure areas. As a result, Labour . . . witnessed its working-class support fall to 50 per cent in 1979 (and to 42 percent in 1983) (Dorey 155). Finally, British punk bands political orientation was ambiguous: La semaine oà ¹  «Ã‚  God Save the Queen  Ã‚ » sortit, les Sex Pistols furent simultanà ©ment accusà ©s dà ªtre communistes, anarchistes et mà ªme dappartenir au National Front (Chastagner 80). Thus, it was hard to see who they were fighting for-but themselves. Moreover, as Laing points out: Right to work by Chelsea was one of the best known of the early punk songs. Its title echoed the slogan of a left-wing campaign against the rising jobless totals of the mid-1970s. But though the song is a protest about standing around just waiting for a career, its diagnosis of the cause of unemployment was impeccably right-wing: the lyric blames the power of the trade unions. (31) Bearing in mind all those considerations, we should now wonder whether the Punk movement in Britain was a reaction against a certain type of society as a whole rather than just a working class response to Thatcherism and free-market ideas-for that view proved being too restricted and often even wrong. The Punks were born in a society which had left them very little hope for the future-in God Save the Queen (Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols) the terms Theres no future for you and No Future are repeated many times and were even taken as a leitmotif to describe the punk generation later on-and they reacted violently against a social system which had deprived them of their very essence. To exist, their only chance was then to incorporate the conventional symbols of that society and to throw them back at people in the most absurd and incomprehensible manner-thus foreshadowing post-modernism: quelle que soit la rà ©ussite [des] diffà ©rentes sous-cultures à   exprimer le d à ©sarroi de groupes sociaux, gà ©nà ©rationnels ou ethniques et leur identità © collective, cest bien leur fonction de rà ©sistance symbolique qui est soulignà ©e (Le Guern 46). Otherwise, who could understand the significance of a safety-pin used as a jaw piercing for instance, or the blurred political messages conveyed by the successive punk bands-from Stalinism to Nazism? Of course, what we called a kind of society as a whole also includes music and we should not forget that the Punk movement was also a response to the rock establishment: Rocks neo-elite no longer spoke to this new generation . . . and rock superstars were overindulged rich men who lived in foreign countries to avoid paying taxes that helped to service the working class. As a form of protest against the rock establishment, punkers adopted the attitude of rebellion and dressed themselves in the leathers of the original teen rebels of the American fifties, a sharp commentary on the twisted values of establishment rock. (Eliot 188) As Chastagner pointed out: Le mouvement punk redonnait la musique aux sans-grade, aux malhabiles, aux frustes. Pas besoin dapprentissage, dinitiation, nimporte qui pouvait monter sur scà ¨ne et jouer (81). The One Chord generation was born and their music was vilified by many. Analysing how punk rock was described in the daily and weekly newspapers, Dave Laing noticed a great variety of words pertaining to the following semantic fields: mental illness, physical illness, unpleasant effects, and violence (100). One could think of such an opposition as being the main cause of the short-lived punk experience but it actually was reinvigorating; according to Philip H. Ennis: punk concentrates all the passion once carried by mature rock into an explicit repudiation of adult life (366). Therefore, punk rock could both be seen as a political, social, and artistic movement (independent and nurtured on new trends, such as International Situationism), and as the renaissance of rocknroll in its true form, i.e. before the latter became a product of the consumer society. Rock Roll was once loathed-Franck Sinatra declared: Rock n Roll is the most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression it has been my misfortune to hear (in Burnett 29)-and produced by independent labels; it is this existence on the fringe of society that also gave to punk music its apparent authenticity: If BBC radio 1 had been willing to give immediate heavy rotation treatment to, say, the Sex Pistols God Save the Queen the day it was released, then the disc would probably never have been conceived. Popular culture, if it is to be progressive, must embody an element of opposition to the establishment, provocatively questioning the status quo. (Bennet 167) It is definitely not surprising then, that in the case of the Sex Pistols it was their arrival at commercial stardom [that] marked the end of their social relevance (Eliot 188). But we will look into that more extensively later on. For now, we would like to shed light on some of the Punk movements intrinsic contradictions. We have just alluded to independent labels in the previous paragraph. It is relevant to observe here, that many of the anti-Thatcher records were released on independent labels-arguably themselves models of Thatcherite entrepreneurial flair (Heard  BBC News). Moreover, we must remember that Mrs Thatcher asserted the primacy of the individual (Savage 110) and that she valued very much self-reliance, obviously derived from Samuel Smiles notion of self-help described in the late 19th century (Self-Help). We cannot help thinking that those values were not totally incompatible with the kind of selfish attitudes that had emerged during the events of 1968 and which extensively developed in the 1970s along with the Punk movement-one of the Sex Pistols first singles, released in 1976 along with Anarchy in the UK, was titled I Wanna Be Me (Savage 563). To Muggleton: subcultures are manifestations of self-expression, individual autonomy and cultural diversity (167). After those reflections on punk musics relationship with society and culture, we are now obviously led to question the credibility of the Punk movement. We have gathered some obvious clues so far, but what will put another nail in the coffin of Punk music is its artificiality. Indeed, it developed mainly under the influence of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, whose preoccupations were very often far from the working class: La naissance du mouvement punk doit beaucoup à   Malcolm McLaren,  «Ã‚  crà ©ateur  Ã‚ » des Sex Pistols. Il ny a rien de spontanà ©, rien de la rà ©volte brute des opprimà ©s, aucune rà ©bellion des damnà ©s de la terre dans le travail de McLaren. Cest un intellectuel, ancien à ©tudiant des Beaux-Arts et nourri des à ©crits situationnistes. Fascinà © par mai 68, il essaya, avec sa compagne de là ©poque, Vivienne Westwood, de faire violence au corps social britannique en se servant de la mode. Ils ouvrirent une boutique de và ªtements sur Kings Road, à   Londres. . . . Le succà ¨s narrivant pas assez vite, McLaren eut lidà ©e de se servir dun groupe de rock comme vitrine pour ses và ªtements et porte-parole de ses thà ©ories. . . . On se rend bien vite compte que la naissance des Sex Pistols et le mouvement punk qui en a dà ©coulà © nest pas une rà ©action spontanà ©e aux conditions sociales de là ©poque. Il y a au dà ©part . . . une stratà ©gie bien à ©l oignà ©e de la rà ©volution prolà ©tarienne. . . . La rhà ©torique  «Ã‚  classe ouvrià ¨re  Ã‚ » est surtout un argument publicitaire. (Chastagner 77-78) The first Sex Pistols concerts took place in Art Schools, it was not a music born in the streets-unlike what is very often said-and it could then be seen as a form of art which message was primarily dedicated to an enlightened university educated elite, and delivered with a fake working class accent. Dave Laing stresses that Lydons pronunciation was very artificial, notably in the song Anarchy in the UK in which the unnatural rhyming of the last syllable of Anti-Christ with Anarchist shifts the attention away from the message to the rhyme-scheme and could momentarily set up an ambivalent signal about the sincerity of the whole enterprise (58). The artificiality was also found in the names. Johnny Lydon was rechristened Johnny Rotten-the legend says that it was because of his very bad dental hygiene-and John Simon Ritchies stage name was Sid Vicious. Moreover, McLarens will to sign his group with a major company is another proof of punk musics ambiguity: it seemingly struggled to fit in the very system it was claiming to reject, to destroy. We witnessed to a love-hate relationship with the music industry, particularly with the very famous EMI episode: The Pistols received a $100,000 advance upon signing, only to be released two days later after a wave of protests from shareholders.  .  .  . (Eliot 188). The band changed record companies several times before finally becoming one of Virgins best selling artists-even though the relationship with Virgin was very tense too. It is also interesting to point out that God Save the Queen was originally titled No Future but that the name was changed into a more commercially effective one to coincide with Elizabeth IIs jubilee and, according to Eliot, [the song] shot to number two, and the group disbanded. Success killed the message; a familiar rock scenario (189). As early as the summer of 1977, cracks started to appear within the punk movement; it looked like things were being made safe again, opposition was being channelled and recuperated, rebellion commodified (McKay 73). A new vanguard known as the post-punks denounced the business punk music had become, even giving a new lease of life to the formerly declining record companies while the punk message had always been-at least, politically speaking-to clearly dismantle the establishment. But as Laing observes: Whether or not punk rock was dead after 1978 [i.e. after the Pistols fragmentation], the punks themselves were not. . . . By 1981 the performances of bands such as The Exploited had all [the characteristics of punk music] (109). He continues, referring to Crass who attacked punk bands who had sold out' (113). Crass is very interesting to look into since they were seen by anarchist thinkers to be the only band carrying the political-musical line forward.  .  .  . (McKay 77) and b ecause one of their bà ªtes noires was, of course, Margaret Thatcher. Their opposition to the Iron Ladys Falklands war was very strong and gave birth to no less than two songs: Sheep Farming in the Falklands, which was one of the best-selling punk records of 1983. . . . (Laing 113), and How Does It Feel (To Be the Mother of a Thousand Dead)? (McKay 81). Crass found themselves largely alone on the punk scene in . . . criticizing the actions of the British government. . . . [Nevertheless, they still managed] to avoid recuperation [and] to maintain political and artistic autonomy in the music industry of all places. That is such an achievement. If punk was a discourse of authenticity, . . . Crass must be placed at the centre of [it]. (McKay 81-82) However, we do think that their do it yourself, DIY attitude-described by McKay as a strategy of bricolage (78)-seems to echo Thatchers thought in an uncanny fashion: recovery can only come through the work of individuals. . . . And the worst thing a Government can do is to try to smother it completely with a sort collective alternative (Speech to Conservative Rally in Cardiff). Some individualistic values were shared-we already observed that before with the Sex Pistols-both by the Punks and Margaret Thatcher, therefore it remains impossible to clearly oppose them. To conclude, we shall remember that we attempted to demonstrate that, for various reasons, the British Punk movement was not a mere working class response to Thatcherism and free-market ideas. Firstly, punk social protests started before the emergence of Thatcherism-if such a political doctrine can even be considered to exist at all. Plus, both the lack of clarity in the punk political message and the working class disillusionment for left-wing ideals led us to think that the issue was far more complex. That is the reason why we then tried to briefly analyse the implications of the Punks criticism of society, notably as a strong symbolic force, and as a vehement opposition to the establishment in general. However, we finally realized that the artificiality of the Punk movement, along with its intrinsic ambiguities pervading our analysis, prevented us to define it as being truly anti-Thatcherite, proletarian, or opposed to free-market economy.

Contributions of Charles Darwin to Science

Contributions of Charles Darwin to Science Title: The contribution to science by a scientist of your choice. 3000 words This paper discusses the contribution to science made by the English scientist Charles Darwin, (1809-1882), author of The Origin of Species (1859), the originator of the Theory of Natural Selection or Evolution. It examines the manner in which the work of Darwin could be related into the existing science curriculum, considering his work as an exemplar of the scientific method. It also sets out to relate the scientific discoveries and principles involved to other aspects of the school curriculum, especially in the area of citizenship. The contentious nature of Darwin’s ‘discovery’ in his own time illustrates the fact that there is a common interest in the discipline: we are, in a sense, stakeholders in scientific facts and methods, since they help to determine the shape of our daily lives. As the House of Lords points out, ‘.this is not confined to scientists; it extends to those who make policy, whether public or commercial, on the basis of scientific opport unities and advice. Policy-makers will find it hard to win public support.on any issue with a science component, unless the publics attitudes and values are recognised, respected and weighed in the balance along with the scientific and other factors.’ (House of Lords, 2000, para 2.66). Despite its age, Darwin’s theory continues to be debated, and can inform us about the importance of observational skills and scientific integrity. It also provides precedents for the way science and society interact, which may be useful in our society. As the Royal Society observes, ‘It is thus not trust in science per se which is of concern but the speed of scientific and technological development, the uses to which science is put, and the ability of regulatory and institutional structures to keep pace with this change.’ (Royal Society, 2004, p.13). Darwin’s work brought him notoriety, but also controversy and personal vitriol. (See illustrations). This is where the link between science and citizenship can be made. How does this contribution map to the science curriculum? As a 2002 Report by House of Lords acknowledges, ‘The foundations of an interest in science are laid at primary school, between the ages of 5 and 11.’ (House of Lords, para. 6.3) The principle benefit which could be obtained through the work of Darwin is a general accessibility, which would itself enable learners to engage with the curriculum. As Meadows points out, ‘Much of cognition and learning depends on identifying the relevant knowledge that the learner already has in existing memory so that this knowledge can be used as a starting point for learning what is new. Having no starting point†¦will hamper learning and reasoning†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Meadows, 2006: p.112). A variety of authorities and analysts have noted there that are continuing conceptual problems in the way learners, and the wider community engage with science. These are attributable to a variety of factors. Qualitative (i.e. phenomenological) research commissioned jointly by the DTI and the Well come Trust revealed public support for the idea that ‘Science makes our lives change too fast.’ (Wellcome Trust, 2000, p.23) Beyond this apparently simple picture there lay a more complex picture, with differentiated levels of understanding and interest claimed for different areas of science. Environmental concerns, health issues and medial discoveries held the greatest interest for 82-91 per cent of respondents, whilst new technology was considered more interesting by 74 per cent. Only 48 per cent of those questioned claimed that energy issues were the most significant for them. (Wellcome Trust 2000: p.21) The same research also discovered that it was possible to categorise respondents into different groups, determined by their interest in science, and the degree of trust they felt in science and scientists. Correspondingly, subjects characterised themselves as ‘confident believers’ at the end of the continuum most engaged with science, to ‘supporter s’ half way along the scale, right down to those who stated that science was ‘not for them’. (Wellcome 2000: pp.5-7) Correspondingly, there are several overlapping benefits which could be obtained through an expanded use of Darwin’s work. Firstly, an enhanced understanding of scientific method, secondly, an improved awareness of the operation of natural laws, and thirdly, the means by which research results are validated, interpreted and shared. The benefits of this could start to be felt even at the Primary phase, as Peacock et.al. argue, ‘Primary science is perhaps best regarded†¦as an intellectual, practical, creative and social endeavour which seeks to help children to better understand and make sense of the world in which they live†¦(and)†¦should involve children in thinking and working in particular ways in the pursuit of reliable knowledge.’ ( Peacock et al., 2007: p.1). It is in this way that a rigorous interpretation of the general principles established by Darwin might be very beneficial, in overturning and challenging pre-conceived ideas about identity and value, such as those often attributed to the so-called ‘hidden curriculum.’ As Bishop and Simpson point out, ‘The pressures of the hidden curriculum are also present with regard to structure. The children themselves can be very forceful in structuring science activities with preconceived social frameworks.’ (Bishop and Simpson, 1995: p.7). In thematic terms, Darwin’s work is thoroughly supportive of the Knowledge, Skills and Understanding element of the science curriculum, i.e. , Ideas and evidence in Science, Investigative Skills, and subsidiary disciplines such as planning and presenting evidence. By the time students reach Key Stage 3, these skills are being further developed under the headings of Practical and Enquiry Skills, Critical Understanding of Evidence, and Communication. In practical terms, principles developed from Darwin’s theory could be incorporated into the science curriculum as early as unit 1A, Ourselves, and then continued on through key Stage 2 in Life Processes and Living Things. Within the latter, it would be important to focus on sub-unit 4, Variation and Classification, and 5, Living Things in Their Environment, noting how living organisms vary and change according to their context. This theme could be carried on developmentally in the context of Key Stage Three, which incorporat es two highly relevant modules, Organisms, Behaviour and Health, and The Environment, Earth and Universe. Moving away from the formal curriculum, Darwin’s theory could help by developing the foundations of causal reasoning and also problem solving, contributing to a general improvement in science standards overall, across all units of study. How does the work of the scientist demonstrate the scientific method, or is it a counter example? From an educational and scientific perspective, Darwin’s work is interesting because it is based extensively on observation and deduction, rather than extensive or repeatable physical experimentation. Because of the enormous timescales involved in the evolutionary processes which preoccupied Darwin, it is in effect, impossible to prove, in absolute terms, whether the theory is correct or not. The theory still has its detractors, and direct opponents, who object to it on ideological or theological grounds. Despite this however, it has become a generally accepted scientific principle. Darwin’s work is therefore, in one sense, the purest expression of the scientific method, especially since it was formulated in a vacuum of worthwhile antecedents, and an atmosphere of considerable ideological opposition. The only possible way in which his work might be deemed a ‘counter example’ is the manner in which it ran directly contrary to much mainstream scientific think ing amongst his contemporaries. However, it definitely was a discovery made because of – rather than in spite of – scientific method. Essentially, what Darwin did was to propose an interpretation of events, extrapolated from a vast amount of biological and geological evidence: he then formulated a specific interpretation of causality which, in his analysis, had only one possible scientific outcome. It is this kind of observational model, based on causality, which can tap into the learner’s innate cognitive ability, even from the youngest age. As Meadows observes of children’s interpretative perception, ‘†¦By the beginning of school years, it follows basic causal principles, for example that causes precede effects rather than following effects, that they covary with their effects – the effect regularly and predictably appears after the cause and does not appear without it, and the cause and effect are close, or at least linked, in time and space.’. (Meadows, 2006: p.109) How can the work being discussed be used to address citizenship issues in schools? As Rose and Rose indicate, it has always been possible to take the view that, ‘science appears to advance in a more or less ordered manner, irrespective of the prevailing social environment in which it is performed.’ (Rose and Rose, 1970, p.241) The power of Darwin’s work lays in its ability to bridge the gap between science and the community, and it is here that his relevance to issues of citizenship may be found. Darwin’s contribution to science as mirrored to a great extent by the way his work reinforced other areas of academic, philosophical and social study: all of this makes it directly relevant to citizenship issues. As Wallace points out, ‘A reading of the Origin†¦make it difficult to assert that Darwin’s mind was ‘devoid’ of economic and philosophy. A more sustainable conclusion is that it was permeated by principles of political economy and philosophy in the form of a language which did not differentiate between the political and the biological.’ (Wallace 1995: p.11) In other words, Darwin’s work was implicitly bound up with the values of his host society: it is this which makes it an ideal link between science and citizenship. The only contrast is that we move from a Victorian context, to a present day one. This, it may be argued, has potential benefits for science, education, and society alike. As the Royal Society concluded with regard to the current science curriculum, ‘many students lacked enthusiasm for. the subject, and felt frustrated by a content-heavy curriculum which gave them little room to explore controversial and ethical issues that might interest them.’ (Royal Society, 2004, p.21 ) Darwin’s work, it may be argued, is perfectly adapted to facilitate the latter: it is not remote, or obscure, and on certain levels it is highly accessible. The links between science and citizenship manifest themselves in various ways. Firstly, there is the whole issue of public understanding of, and trust in science. As Meadows points out, ‘†¦understanding cause builds up into what has been called a ‘naà ¯ve physics’, a coherent set of notions about how objects behave; if this gives rise to the formation and testing of hypotheses by observation and experiment, it becomes the basis for a physics which is scientific rather than naà ¯ve.’ (Meadows, 2006: p.109). Darwin’s work teaches us that it is not only the observation of a phenomena, but the cultural capacity to assimilate its meaning, which is important. Scientific matters are not the discrete concern of the scientific community itself, but spill over into the political sphere and eventually concern us all. This is especially true when ethical issues become involved, as they increasingly tend to do in the biological and life-sciences, affecting everything from the air we breathe, the food we eat, the health treatment we can expect, and even the degree of control we might have in determining the health, gender, and character of our children. The important point here is that attitudes vary, from a profound mistrust, to an almost myopic faith in science. As the House of Lords observed, neither position is entirely valid, a situation it attributes sqaurely to schools. ‘In common parlance, scientific is almost synonymous with certain. This perception, which is probably picked up at school, is virtually true of much old and well-established scientific knowledge. In many of the areas of current concern, from climate change to cancer, it is however very wide of the mark.’ (House of Lords, 2000, para. 4.1) It is not the fallibility of science which is useful from a citizenship point of view, but rather the necessity of maintaining an open mind and capacity for objective debate. It is also important to remember that we all share a collective responsibility for the way that society is conducted, and the manner in which scientific affair are run on our behalf. Again, this is not a remote or academic debate, and at its most intense, can demonstrate the relevance of scientific method in our everyday lives. As the Royal Society points out, contemporary crises such as that created by BSE illustrates this. ‘ BSE highlighted profound concerns about the science advice process and the role of scientists and government officials, the effectiveness policy making and action within departments such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the ability of Ministers to both gauge and communicate risk effectively, and fundamentally the relationship between science and politics.’ (Royal Society, 2004, p.17) If we take the Key Stage Three Citizenship curriculum as an example, the continued relevance of Darwin’s ideas becomes apparent. In the sphere of political, legal and human rights, we must take account of the DFES guidance that every child is A unique child.every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured. (DFES, 2007: p.5). The essence of Darwin’s thought is that all people are descended from the same ultimate source, and therefore equality before the law, and of political rights, is a prerequisite of an equitable society and civil polity. This in turn leads into the principles of democracy and the idea everyone should have a voice in determining the legislative conduct of government. The importance of maintaining freedom of speech and allowing a diversity of views are also essential to the principles of citizenship as enshrined in the curriculum. It is important to remember that, without these facilities, Darwin’s scientific ideas might never have received public attention. In Section 2, Key Processes, the KS3 Citizenship curriculum requires that learners ‘†¦engage with and reflect on different ideas, opinions, beliefs and values when exploring topical and controversial issues and problems.’ (QCA 2007: p.30). Darwin knew that publishing his ideas about evolution in Victorian society would draw fierce opposition from many quarters, because of its dissonance with biblical teachings about the Creation. This opposition was likely to be immovable and resistant to logic: As Hull points out, those ‘†¦who rejected evolutionary theory primarily for theological reasons†¦would not have been able to accept it even if all the evidence had been overwhelmingly in its favour – which it was not.’ (Hull 1974: p.450). Similarly, his right to debate his theories with opponents and critics fo rmed an important part of the way in which he fundamentally changed attitudes, way beyond the purely scientific sphere. As Darwin himself wrote of one of his counter-theorists, ‘He will be dead against me, as you prophesied†¦but he is generously civil to me personally. On his standard of proof, natural science would never progress, for without the making of theories I am convinced there would be no observation.’ (Hull 1974: p.229). As can be seen from this, it should be possible, in a tolerant and progressive society, to express and discuss opposed views in a reasonable way: the freedom to do this, and determination to protect such freedoms, are important tenets of contemporary citizenship. As the Key Stage Three citizenship curriculum puts it, responsible citizens should be able to ‘†¦communicate an argument, taking account of different viewpoints and drawing on what they have learnt through research, action and debate†¦justify their argument, givi ng reasons to try to persuade others to think again, change or support them.’ (QCA 2007: p.30). In contemporary UK society, responsible citizenship also requires us to understand diversity of cultures and identities, and that movement of people, either temporarily or permanently, is an intrinsic feature of our society and economy. This is fully reflected in the citizenship curriculum, which states that learners should recognise †¦the hanging nature of UK society, including the diversity of ideas, beliefs, cultures, identities, traditions, perspectives and values that are shared.’ (QCA 2007: p.33) Darwin’s theory of natural selection is supportive of such perspectives in a variety of ways. By teaching us that we all have common origins, his thinking undermines any ideas of intrinsic racial difference, or any barriers erected around such ideas. Since we all developed from the same biological source, there can be no justification for valuing any individual differently: in other words, concepts of ‘biological determinism’ are invalidated. Moreover, a ny attempt to do so can, by Darwin’s teaching, at once be revealed as arbitrary, subjective and unscientific. There are obvious cross-curricular links to be made here, both historically and in terms of contemporary societies, where such conditions still endure. Children are natural observers of the phenomenon around them, and Darwin’s ideas are profoundly supportive of this. Meadows points out that children ‘†¦appear to draw inferences about the causes of events they see, to discriminate between self-caused and other-caused movement, to categorize living things that are agents as different from inanimate objects.’ (Meadows, 2006: p.109). Being citizens also accrues us the responsibility to change things for the better: correspondingly, although we have rights in society, we have a duty to ensure that such rights are exercised responsibly, without impinging on the rights of others. Darwin’s theory also taught us that we are, as social actors, en tirely interdependent upon each other. Bibliography Amigon, D., and Wallace, J., (1995), Charles Darwin’s the Origin of Species: new Interdisciplinary essays. : Manchester University Press, Manchester. Anderson, R.D., (1992), Universities and Elites in Britain since 1800, MacMillan, Basingstoke. Bishop, A., and Simpson, R., (1995), Strategies for Structured Play in Science in the Nursery’, Primary Teaching Studies, Autumn, Vol.9, No.3, pp.5-8. Burgess, R.G., (1989), The Ethics of Educational Research, Falmer Press, Lewes. The Children’s Plan: Building Brighter Futures, (2007), Department for Children, Schools and Families. HMSO, London. DeFalco, J., ‘Trade-Offs, Risks and Regulations in Science and Technology: Implications for STS Education.’, in Kamur, D.D., and Chubin, D.E., (eds), (2000), Science, Technologyand Society: A Sourcebook on Research and Practice, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. DFES, (2007), Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage: Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for Children from Birth to Five, HMSO, London. House of Lords, (2000) ScienceandTechnology, 3rd Report, downloaded from http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199900/ldselect/ldsctech/38/3801.htm Hull, D.L., (1974), Darwin and his Critics, Harvard University Press, Mass. Kamur, D.D., and Chubin, D.E., (eds), (2000), Science, Technologyand Society: A Sourcebook on Research and Practice, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York. Lenton and McNeil, (1991), ‘Primary school teachers understanding of the biological concepts in the National Curriculum’ Primary Teaching Studies, Oct., Vol.6, No.2, pp.196-203. Mackenzie, D., and Wacjman,J., (eds), (1994), The Social Shaping of Technology: How the Refrigerator got its Hum, Open University Press, Milton Keynes. Mauther, M., Birch, M., Jessop, J., and Miller, T., (2002), Ethics in Qualitative Research, London, Sage. Meadows, S., (2006), The Child as Thinker: The Development and Acquisition of Cognition in Childhood, Routledge, London. Pursell, C., (1994), White Heat, BBC Books, London. QCA, (2007), Citizenship: Programme of Study for Key Stage 3 and Attainment Target, QCA. Rose, H., and Rose, S., (1970), Science and Society, Penguin, Harmandsworth. The Royal Society, (2004) Excellence in Science: Science in Society, London. Rose, H., and Rose, S., (1970), Science and Society, Penguin, Harmandsworth. Scruton, R., (1982), A Dictionary of Political Thought, MacMillan, London. Science and the Public: A Review of Science Communication and Public Attitudes to Science in Britain, A Joint Report by the Office of Science and Technology and the Wellcome Trust, (2000), HMSO, London. Wakeford, T., and Walters, M., (eds) (1995) Science for the Earth: Can Science Make the World a Better Place? John Wiley and Sons,Chichester. Wallace, J., (1995) ‘Introduction: difficulty and defamiliarisation-language and process in the Origin of Species’, in Amigon, D., and Wallace, J., (1995), Charles Darwin’s the Origin of Species: new Interdisciplinary essays. : Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp.1-46. Winner, L., ‘Do Artefacts Have Politics’, in Mackenzie, D., and Wacjman,J., (eds), (1994), The Social Shaping of Technology: How the Refrigerator got its Hum, Open University Press, Milton Keynes.

daily language :: essays research papers

The way we talk and the language that we use is heavily influenced by the people we are around all the time. Due to our diverse culture, our population consists of many people who act and do things differently. This affects the way we talk to each other whether it be with friends or family. A person who grows up around a group of people who are very proper and speak eloquently tends to incorporate that into the way he or she talks. If a person grows up around people who curse constantly, obviously that person is going to grow up to use vulgar language. This is true in the case of Weaver, a M.F.A. candidate at George Mason University, who refers to his use of profanity in terms of self-identity, proclaiming, â€Å"So I grew up into who I am† (182). Scott Weaver grew up around his dad’s baseball team who constantly swore at every chance they got. Because he was around them all the time, the vulgarity that he heard everyday was incorporated into his language. Scott Weaver said, â€Å"I speak English adequately, Spanish horribly, and Profanity fluently. I thrive on it. I live through it. I’m only comfortable in class if the professor lets some curse words slip. Vulgar language is my home† (182). In a way I sort of grew up with the same kind of peers that Scott Weaver had. I went to school at La Salle Academy which is predominantly comprised of African Americans who have no problem saying the â€Å"N-word† to each other in practically every sentence. It is also happens to be an all boys school so with no girls for anyone to impress, the amount of cursing is out of control. Since I went to that school for four years, I have gotten used to all the cursing and have used it in my vocabulary as well. Although everyone around me would say the â€Å"N-word† it has never caught on with me. Since the word was so popular, Hispanic people would say it as well as white people who would try to â€Å"act black†. But no one would have a problem with it particularly because it is â€Å"cool to be black.† I don’t live or thrive on curse words myself like Scott Weaver but I use them a fair amount. Some even say that my cursing is multilingual. I speak English and slang fluently because most of my peers speak a lot of slang, as well as all the television and music that I am exposed to everyday.

Free College Admissions Essays: Responding to Future Challenges :: College Admissions Essays

Responding to Future Challenges    As the world grows so do our challenges. Not only are our problems growing in number but they are also growing in complexity. There is scarcely a day that goes by when I don't hear about some new problem that will soon threaten us all. While some of these problems such as El Nino, earthquakes, and other natural disasters cannot be stopped -- there are other challenges such as the spread of racial hatred, rising risk of disease spread, and the growing levels of civil unrest throughout much of the world which threaten many lives everyday. Most of the future's challenges will only be made possible if all people, regardless of race, color, or nationality, attempt to work together for a stronger world. There are many ways in which I believe that I can help society meet this future challenge of coming together as a united world.    While I was an exchange student, I saw the world from a different point of view. For the first time, I realized that the people of the world have so many similarities in comparison to the few and insignificant differences. To make the people of the world unite would merely take time in convincing people of the world that we are all in pursuit of the same basic goals. All that it would take to show that this could be done is two different cultures to unite and then the rest of the world what can come by the strength all gain by coming together.    I believe that I can help in solving some of the barriers that hold us back from completing the task that we all desire which is unity. I served as a miniature version of a diplomat when I was an exchange student. I helped people in another country see that we all have common goals and I also helped sever the bonds to racial hatred by providing them insight into the American way of thinking and they did likewise for me. I have done everything to help sever these ancient bonds and will continue to do so in the future as I feel I am called to do.    Many suffer problems on a much less grandiose scale. Although these problems may not seem to be as big as world peace or global warming, they are however present.

How does Steinbeck present the life of an itinerant worker at the beginning of the novel?

Steinbeck begins his novel by creating the setting. He paints a beautiful image of a peaceful environment where Lennie and George live in. This suggests an ironic tone to their lives as it is not quite as peaceful and harmonic as the setting. Their lives is quite the opposite, as they work hard and their only form of entertainment is starting fights, drinking heartly and going to cathouses. Readers are introduced to the lives of itinerant workers in America during the Great Depression.Steinbeck uses setting to describe itinerant workers’ lives such as â€Å"small square windows† – a symbolism of the prison-like working conditions of a farmhand worker. Also, it portrays the small constricted view of the outside world that these itinerant workers had. They did not have any privileges and did not afford to have any luxury. It could be argued that their bosses had total control over the itinerant workers.They were confined to have a simple life such as displayed when it is said â€Å"Tell ya what – know what he done Christmas? Brang a gallon of whisky right in here and says, Drink hearty, boys. Christmas comes but once a year.† This shows their simplicity and how they are easily pleased and impressed due to their low expectations. Although, at the mercy of their bosses, itinerant workers were victims of exploitation of work such as being overworked and maltreated as seen in this quote â€Å"The boss gives him hell when he’s mad†. This suggests the workers had to keep the boss satisfied.African-American itinerant workers are mentioned at the beginning of the book and the frequent use of the word, now an explicitly racist word â€Å"nigger† is heavily used to emphasise the attitude society had to african-americans. The first reference to it is in the quote â€Å"Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger.† We are hinted to the idea of â€Å"niggers† being treated worse than men such as Lennie and Geo rge, because of their skin colour and the old belief of african-americans being less â€Å"worthy†. Itinerant workers were used to the constant verbal and occasional physical abuse given by their bosses. Readers get the opportunity to understand better the mentality of itinerant workers and how they would prefer to spend their leisure time.â€Å"When the end of the month come, I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get  whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night.†, â€Å"Order any damn thing I could think of†, â€Å"Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool†. Readers keep being reminded of their simple life and low-life cheap entertainment which was the norm, this was what itinerant workers enjoyed. Another suggestion to entertainment enjoyed by them is in the form of violence: â€Å"After that the guys went into Soledad and raised hell.†. As they were farm-men and known for being masculi ne, they would carry out violent acts for the sake of satisfaction.Their simple way of living and their natural simplicity is stressed several times in the beginning of the novel such as when Lennie is described to the boss in an attempt to make him appear more handy: â€Å"Oh! I ain’t saying he’s bright. He ain’t. But I say he’s a God damn good worker.†. This emphasises the lack of education amongst itinerant workers. It is also reflected in the sociolect used by these men, which is grammatically incorrect but widely spoken: â€Å"An’ you ain’t gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed, neither.†In conclusion, we are exposed to a lot of information in the beginning of the novel that describes the way itinerant workers lived and their personalities and interests in order to properly understand the story.

Management and Union Relationships in an Organization

In today’s business environment, the relationship between management and union can play a vital role in the success of an organization. My research of the roles of unions and management will enable me to present concrete information of how these two entities perform in an organization. The Role of Management in an Organization â€Å"Management is the process of working with people and resources to accomplish organizational goals† (Bateman & Snell, 2007). In an organization, management has the responsibility of performing four major functions.These functions consist of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. According to (Carter McNamara, n. d. ), â€Å"As planners, management identifies goals, objectives, methods, resources needed to carry out methods, as well as, responsibilities and dates for completion of tasks. As organizers, management organizes resources needed to achieve the goals in an optimum fashion. Examples are organizing new departments, human reso urces, office and file systems, re-organizing businesses, etc.As leaders? management set direction for the organization, groups and individuals and influence people to follow that direction. Examples are establishing strategic direction (vision, values, mission and / or goals) and championing methods of organizational performance management to pursue that direction, and as controllers, management coordinates the organization's systems, processes and structures to reach effectively and efficiently reach goals and objectives.This includes ongoing collection of feedback, and monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures accordingly. Examples include use of financial controls, policies and procedures, performance management processes, measures to avoid risks etc† (Free Management Library, n. d. ). The Role of Unions in an Organization Unions are associations that represent the collective interests of their employee-members in bargaining and negotiating with organi zations. Trade unions generally seek to obtain higher wages, reduced working hours, and improved working conditions for employees.The also seek to improve workplace safety and obtain increased benefits, such as health insurance, pensions, and disability insurance, for employees. Unions work to protect the employment security of their members by negotiating the implementation of seniority rules and to eliminate â€Å"at-will† employment contracts which has subjected non-union employees to dismissal without cause. Although trade unions did not obtain legal recognition until the 1930s, laborers began organizing to bargain collectively with employers long before obtaining such recognition (Encyclopedia. om, 2011). Unions also help the organization by supporting the productivity of the workers. According to (OrganizationLabor. com, 2008), â€Å"They help in organizing training workshops so as to enhance their workers’ skills at the workplace. Also, they hold forums to sens itize workers on changes going on in the market as well as educate them on pertinent matters that would benefit them in general.Further support, which may differ, may be given at personal levels. A member might get legal representation in case of litigation where an employer is involved. Unions when conflict arises between employees and employers conduct meetings and hold talks with relevant policy and decision makers. This ensures quality talks from both sides and decisions of resolve that benefit the employer as well as employee. The Management and Union Relationship In today’s business environment, labor and management relations have been put on hold while organizational changes and transformations take place. There are some who believe that labor-management relations are a relic of an era when rising standards of living and stable markets seemed to be predictable.According to the text (Creative union-management relations, 1995), â€Å"Discounting the importance of labor- management relations is an extraordinary misunderstanding of the power and possibility of labor and management to catalyze organizational and human change. A union-management relation is not about playing out a Noh dance of ritualized motions or technical legalisms–it is an intensely human connection that affects the lives of managers and unionists alike. And as a very human connection, it arries with it the seeds of creativity and innovation† (Cohen-Rosenthal & Alfandre, 1995). During the 1950’s labor contracts renewed every three years. Each contract term was seen as progress to a better way of life. Unions and management who still believe in this idea are losing benefits accumulated over time. The predictable foundations of those benefits and collective bargaining seem to not work in this day and time. Collective bargaining has produced innovations and progress within organizations.According to (Cohen-Rosenthal ; Alfandre, 1995), â€Å"Numerous advances, such as new forms of employee participation in the workplace were first introduced at the bargaining table: New benefit packages, new types of working hours, new investment funds, new learning arrangements, and family friendly policies, etc. † When developing a labor-management partnership, one must understand and honor the significant differences between the traditional union and management workplace cultures. Both sides will have their own assumptions, values, and way of doing business.If the differences are not properly managed, they could get in the way of the partnership. According to (M. Scott Mulinski, 1998), â€Å"What looks easy for management to accomplish maybe difficult for the union. When a labor-management team comes up with a solution to a problem, management's normal reaction is to immediately implement it because it makes sense and affects the operation's bottom line. However, the union may be wary of implementing the proposal before it has been thoroughly discus sed at the union meeting(s) and the membership supports the concept.Management's insistence to act immediately may cause the union to back off or implement without support from its membership. Failure to recognize the union's â€Å"way of doing business† places unnecessary strain on the relationship and can result in a breakdown of the trust level between the parties, and possibly create political problems for the union leadership (which could spell an end to the entire partnership). † A labor-management partnership is built upon the philosophy of teamwork, cultural change, trust, free flow of information, removal of organizational barriers, and development of a high-performance workplace.There should be no venture into a work area that does not accept the partnership philosophy or whose agenda is different from those set by the labor-management partnership. This partnership can run into problems if demands exceed resources. A level of trust must be gained within the pa rtnership. If trust issues are addressed, effective, honest communication will develop alleviating fears of retaliation for speaking out. This also produces a higher level of respect and less conflict. An effective labor-management relationship will increase the availability of appropriate training and skill development programs. According to (M.Scott Milinski, 1998), â€Å"in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. a labor-management committee was established to address staffing and overtime problems in the city's 911 Telecommunications Center. The committee decided that it needed to better understand how the city's pay system operated before it could address staffing issues. At that point the committee received training on the city's budget and classification plan. Now the committee was prepared to design a new classification, conduct a professional pay study, recommend the appropriate pay range for the new classification, and estimate cost savings through reduced overtime† (Milinski, 1998). Although conflicts will remain, there must continue to be acknowledgements of changing roles and control issues. Management within unionized organizations have always been told to enforce contractual rules and their rights to make decisions, however in a labor-management partnership management roles must change from controller to team member. The key to a successful labor-management partnership lies in the fact that, â€Å"although everyone's role changes, the supervisor and middle manager must adjust more than anyone else. The supervisor's primary role is changed from controller to coach.Middle managers need to understand that their responsibility to the new partnership is to support the effort by helping remove organizational barriers to performance. Middle managers, like many others, must see the employees and supervisors as primary customers† (Milinski, 1998). Organization and Union Strategies for a Conducive, Working Relationship Organization Strategies/Actions: 1. Behav e in ways that demonstrate their respect for the institution of organized labor and their respect for the legitimate role union leaders play within both the union and management organizations. 2. Show concern for the issues that are important to the union.For example, the source of power and income for unions is its membership. 3. Stop seeing the contract as the union's contract. 4. Maintain communication about all business issues Union Strategies/Actions: 1. Publicly acknowledge the importance of effective management. 2. Accept and help their members understand that companies employee people in order to get specific work done in order for the company to success and that employment is not an entitlement and that businesses are not social welfare organizations. 3. Convince the union membership of the need for change and the need for cooperation.The commitment of management and unions to implementing the above strategies will enable the development of an effective partnership. Conclus ion My review of the roles of management and unions has assisted me in concluding that management and unions can form an effective partnership. In a unionized organization, management’s role is to secure resources needed to ensure that the organization reaches its goal. This includes the hiring of a qualified labor force. The role of a union is to ensure that the organization provide its labor force with appropriate wages, benefits, safe work environment, accessible training, and skills development. If management and unions would be more respectful of their roles and positions in helping an organization to maintain success, a lasting relationship can be developed which will benefit all involved.ReferencesBateman, T. S. , ; Snell, S. A. (2007). Management: Leading and collaborating in a competitive world. McGraw-Hill Cohen-Rosenthal, Edward, ; Alfandre, Catherine. (1995). Creative union-management relations. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 18(3), 16. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 6682141). Encyclopedia. com. (2011). Trade Unions.Retrieved on March 14, 2011 from http://www. encyclopedia. com/topic/Trade_Unions. aspx M Scott Milinski. (1998). Obstacles to sustaining a labor-management partnership: A management perspective. Public Personnel Management, 27(1), 11-21. Retrieved March 20, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 28486826). McNamara, C. (n. d. ). Free Management Library: All About Management. Retrieve on March 14, 2011 from http://www. managementhelp. org/mgmnt/skills. htm#anchor165831. OrganizationLabor. com. (2008). Trade Unions. Retrieved on March 15, 2011 from http://www. organizationlabor. com/