Bibliographic Essay on African American History - 6221 Words

Bibliographic Essay on African American History Introduction In the essay â€Å"On the Evolution of Scholarship in Afro- American History† the eminent historian John Hope Franklin declared â€Å"Every generation has the opportunity to write its own history, and indeed it is obliged to do so.†1 The social and political revolutions of 1960s have made fulfilling such a responsibility less daunting than ever. Invaluable references, including Darlene Clark Hine, ed. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004); Evelyn Brooks Higgingbotham, ed., Harvard Guide to African American History (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001); Arvarh E. Strickland and Robert E.†¦show more content†¦3 ï ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼Ã¯ ¿ ¼ Morgan, American Slavery American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia (New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1975), offers a cogent explanation of the anomaly while T. H. Breen and Stephen Innes, Myne Owne Ground: Race and Freedom on Virginia s Eastern Shore, 1640-1676 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1980) personify the changing status of Africans in the Old Dominion. Kenneth Morgan’s Slavery and Servitude in Colonial North America: A Short History (Washington Square: New York University Press, 2000) covers much of the same argument as Morgan but includes a larger geographical region. Most general sources contain limited discussions of enslaved women, especially in the North, but Nell Irving Painter, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol (New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1996); C. W. Larison, Sylvia Dubois, A Biography of the Slave who Whipt her Mistres and Gand her Fredom (New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), and Kenneth E. Marshall, â€Å"Work, Family and Day-to-Day Survival on an Old Farm: Nance Melick, a Rural Late Eighteenth- and Early Nineteenth-century New Jersey Slave Woman,† Slavery and Abolition 19 (December 1998): 22-45, help to eradicate the void. The incongruent existence ofShow MoreRelatedThe New Deal: The Depression Years by Anthony Badger790 Words   |  3 Pagesits modern form. It was a time of unprecedented government intervention and in many ways changed the way Americans viewed government. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929, it was clear that the government was going to take immediate action. Anthony Badger’s The New Deal: The Depression Years, 1933-1940 is an outstanding summary of some of the most difficult, yet important, years in American history. A frustrating factor of this book is that Badger doesn’t use footnotes, even with direct quotes. 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Electricity Billing System Free Essays

1-310-919-0950 Log In | Sign Up StudyMode. com Essays Book Notes AP Notes More Essays  » English Composition  » Inquiry Electric Billing System By damzee, Sep 2011 | 2 Pages (435 Words) | 546 Views | Report | Sign Up to access full essay RATELESS 0. 218 /* rate of charge first 200 unit */ RATEMORE 0. We will write a custom essay sample on Electricity Billing System or any similar topic only for you Order Now 334 /* rate of charge following unit */ PEN 0. 015 /* penalty for unpaid balance */ Inputs int unit /* unit of electricity used */ float UnpaidBal /* unpaid balance */ Outputs float Penalty /* charge of penalty */ float UseCharge /* charge for the current electricity use */ float TotalBill /* total charge */ PROGRAM ALGORITHM (FLOW OF PROGRAM) 1. Display user instructions 2. Get data: unpaid balance and electricity unit used 3. Determine electricity unit used and compute use charge 4. Determine unpaid balance and compute penalty 5. Compute total charge 6. Display the total bill amount DESIGN OF COMPUTATION OF USE CHARGE The data required to compute the use charge are listed. We separate the involved data categories into Input, Process and Output. Input Data int unit /* unit of electricity used */ Process Data RATELESS 0. 218 /* rate of charge first 200 unit */ RATEMORE 0. 34 /* rate of charge following unit */ Output Data float UseCharge /* charge for the current electricity use */ Algorithm for Computation of Use Charge We know that different rate will be used if the electricity unit used is more than 200. Thus we use if else selection to design the algorithm. if unit 200 compute use charge for more than 200 unit else compute use charge for less than 200 unit Formula for Use Charge Use Charge=(unit-200)*RATEMORE+200*RATELESS /* more than 200 */ UseCharge=unit*RATELESS /* less than 200 */ DESIGN OF COMPUTATION OF PENALTY The data required to compute the penalty are listed. We separate the involved data categories into Input, Process and Output. Input Data float UnpaidBal /* unpaid balance */ Process Data PEN 0. 015 /* penalty for unpaid balance */ Output Data float Penalty /* charge of penalty */ Algorithm for Computation of Penalty Penalty is dealt when there is an unpaid balance. We use if selection to design the algorithm. if†¦ [continues] Read full essay Cite This Essay APA (2011, 09). Electric Billing System. StudyMode. com. Retrieved 09, 2011, from http://www. studymode. om/essays/Electric-Billing-System-774944. html MLA CHICAGO Welcome StudyMode. com is the web’s leading learning tool. We inspire millions of students every day with over 650,000 model essays and papers, AP notes and book notes. Learn More Related essays Standard For Electrical Power System †¦ Std C37. 2TM-2008 (Revision of IEEE Std C37. 2-1996) IEEE Standard for Electrical†¦ 84 pagesNov 2010 Water Billing System †¦ General Objective: To create an accurate, reliable, and correct water billing†¦ 15 pagesMar 2011 Electric Power Systems †¦ and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-471-17859-0 ISBN-10: 0-471-17859-4 1. Electric†¦ 566 pagesNov 2011 Billing System †¦ use of transistor that stores instructions, providing good and affordable electric†¦ 6 pagesDec 2011 Student Billing System Documentation(Not Yet Completed) †¦ will appear: the tuition fee, entrance fee and all data involved in the billing†¦ 36 pagesFeb 2012 Ready to get started? Sign Up Free Products Essays AP Notes Book Notes Citation Tool Company About Blog Help Jobs Contact Follow Facebook Twitter Google+  ©2012 StudyMode. com Legal Site Map Advertise How to cite Electricity Billing System, Essay examples

HND Business Management

Question: Discuss about the HND Business Management. Answer: Introduction: Over the last few decades, the whole idea of business has undergone a drastic change. It no longer involves the traditional idea of purchase and sale through a few limited numbers of shops, because it is much more than that. In the strictly competitive market of the present world, there are multiple shops, which are selling the homogeneous products, and as such any organization has to make a lot of research and has to keep on interacting with the consumers, to be able to evaluate its present market position, as well as its prospect in the near future (Bryman and Bell 2015). The Wing Wah Company has been able to gain much reputation in the local market, by being the only cake shop, in the area, till the year of 2009. However, from 2009 onwards, many new, modern and much more lavish cake shopping outlets have been set up in and around the locality. Resultantly, this has reduced the sales growth of Wing Wah Company, and hence the organization must take up some immediate steps to combat the issue of revenue decline in the recent years. Discussion: Although there are various new cake shops which are developing around the locality, this cannot be deemed as the actual reason for the sudden decline in the profitability of the Wing Wah group of companies. The main problem underlying this whole scenario is that Wing Wah company , as a cake shop has failed terribly to update itself in accordance to the changing needs and preferences of the consumers in the modern business world. Hence, a few recommendations are advisable in order to assist the store provide consumers better satisfaction as well as to regain its position in the consumer market. Information and Knowledge Needs: Identification of an Objective for improvement within the Organization: As the organization is going through difficult times at present, Wing Wah has attempted to identify the major problem that is challenging the organizational success. It has been understood, that because of a huge number of cake shops developing in the locality, the demand of Wing Wah has gradually reduced. It is for this reason alone that, the organization has decided to increase its engagement and communication with the consumers as an objective, which will aid it in regaining its position in the market (Vivek et al. 2012 pp.122-146). Communication with the consumers is an important part of any business organization, and Wing Wah is following a less digital and more traditional approach to the marketing process. As a result, it is unable to create positive engagement with the consumer base, unlike the other rival shops. The presence of Wing Wah on social media tools, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, will help the company to interact with the consumers, and to keep them engaged with the current updates of its latest offers and discounts. The online presence of the organization will further help in the development of the brand recognition of Wing Wah. The importance of Likes and Shares, in making a brand popular cannot be overstated. Hence, social media marketing strategy will be the new objective of wing Wah, that it will aim to achieve. Examination of Information Needed to Ensure Effective Decision Making Process: The authority of the company has to undertake a research to study the reason behind the change in the consumers attitude towards the shop . There may be multiple reasons behind the same, but the most obvious ones should be chosen first for conducting the research. Since the major problem the organization is encountering, is that it is facing a lot of competition from the other rival shops, it must be able to track down the factors which are present in the rival cake shops, and yet cannot be availed in Wing Wah. It may happen that the consumers are getting greater and more attractive discounts and offers on the cake products, in the other shops. Information should be gathered from the potential consumers, as to, whether they prefer virtual shopping facilities of the other shops or not. Hence, a questionnaire may be distributed among the existent consumers as well as the old ones, asking them if they feel that their products sold by them, are a bit overpriced. The survey method should distribute a questionnaire in the following format: Questions Response Response Response Do you feel that the price of our confectionary product is comparatively high? Yes No Maybe Do you prefer online mode of business over the offline method of shopping? Yes No Maybe Are you content with the customer service offered by the organization? Yes No Maybe Strategic Recommendation for Improvement of the Organization: The objective that Wing Wah has set before itself is to create brand awareness with the help of social media tools. Hence, the present strategic plan of Wing Wah will be focused on creating social media marketing plan. First, Wing Wah, will aim at interacting more freely with the consumers, which will help them to build a stronger relation with the consumers. It will also introduce attractive discounts on social media platforms, so that it can gain the attention of potential consumers. The organization will improve its customer service via social media marketing methods. However, while the marketing managers will be entrusted with the duty of responding to the consumers inquiries and feedbacks, they must be trained as to how to deal with negative feedbacks. The marketing managers must deal with complaints or negative remarks, patiently, and apologize individually to the clients in case there us any fault on part of Wing Wah. in order to create a loyal customer base. Wing Wah will int roduce various attractive offers and coupons for the existent consumers. Through the online presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Wing Wah will create meaningful relationship with the consumers. Last but not the least, Wing Wah will use analytics such as Facebook Insights in Hootsuite, which will help the company in understanding the demographics and patterns of the consumer behavior. On the one hand, while this will help in creating target audience, on the other hand it will also help Wing Wah to understand the actual needs and specific preferences of each consumer. Assessment of Internal and External Sources of Information: The cake shop will conduct research and enquiry into the recent business researches and studies being done, in the country as well as abroad, to acquire a comprehensive knowledge about what are the recent innovative strategies that are likely to contribute to the success of an organization. For instance, a recent research was undertaken by IBM, which established the fact that consumers, all across the world are more interested in and are attracted to the digital form of marketing. Being a traditional shop, Wing Wah does not offer any digital experience to the consumers, and it is here, that it may need to reconsider and reevaluate its business needs and strategy. The research was carried on more than 1,10,000 consumers being an online research, and the statistical data collected can help even medium scale organizations, such as the Wing Wah, to exploit the information, for formulating a better business strategy. The organization does not always need to spend an enormous amount out of its own budget for conducting the research, but it may seek help from the internet to collect the wealth of information about the factors behind the change in consumer behavior. The organization needs to be technologically updated, and the company has to track the information about the nearby cake shops from online sites, to comprehend the things in which Wing Wah is lacking. This will be an external source of information, as the organization; itself will employ means to research about the market condition of the rival organizations. Again, the organization, may hire a professional, but as it is not big enough to do that, it can ask its managers to invest more time for doing the investigation. The responsible official of the organization may be asked to shop in the rival cake shops, and he must ensure that he is discreet enough to take note of the different pricing system and unique servicing methods, which are lacking in the Wing Wah organization. Most of the organizations nowaday s have an online presence, and Wing Wah, can easily track the performance and market condition of its competitor shops by following them on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Apart from the primary mode of research, the store can also seek help of some secondary mode of research, with the help of the professional information providers, such as Hoovers which will charge the organization a minimum amount of subscription fee for gathering information, about the recently implemented strategy, of the rival stores. Hoover is an organization that helps organizations understand the market value or competitive strategy of the rival organization, in a competitive market, and this will be an example of an external source of information. Networking and Communication Processes: Identification of Stakeholders: The stakeholders of an organization are the people who are deeply involved in the business activities of the organization, and have interest in the concern of the organization. The stakeholders of an organization may be its employees, or its customers or even its investors (Miles 2012).The stakeholders of an organization are the biggest assets, and hence the Wing Wah Company must ensure that it is capable of communicating well with the stakeholders, especially through the use of social media. The first and foremost step, here, is to open up the official business page of the organization on various social sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and others. According to a recent research, 74% of the consumers get influenced by Facebook, while purchasing a product. Hence, Wing Wah Company should start up a Facebook page, and it should keep on updating the consumers about the latest offers and discounts, that the company is offering (Hajli 2014 pp.387-404). Explanation of the Method of Making Contact with the Stakeholders: As Wing Wah company is already suffering from a decline in the rate of sale and growth, it must introduce lucrative offers to its consumers, and much of the offers will go unheard and ineffective, until the organization starts publicizing them on social sites. Again, a huge number of the consumers claim that they use their Twitter accounts to know as well as to recommend their favorite products and services to their acquaintances (Brodie et al. 2013 pp.105-114). Figure 1: Statistical Data showing the Use of Social Media by the Small Scale Business Organizations (Source: McCarthy 2014) Involvement of Stakeholders in the Decision Making Process: As the above diagram represents, most of the small scale as well as the medium scale organizations are nowadays seeking help of social sites, to communicate with the customers, both existent as well as the potential ones. As Wing Wah, is losing out much of its, customers recently, it must keep in touch with the consumers, and interact with them in a more engaging way. However, this communication procedure must be done in a friendly manner, so that the consumers do not feel that the organization is solely making connection with them, on materialistic ground, but they should feel that they are being valued, and their needs are being prioritized by the organization. Hence, the store should every now and then, present some sort of participatory games, which will invite the customers to the store to check out the latest offers, and also reward them with small things, as per the budget of the store (Aral et al. 2013 pp.3-13). Strategic Recommendation for the Improvement of the Networking Process in the Organization: Companies like Kroger, have already used business strategy for communicating with the consumers through the social sites. One example is when Kroger had proposed an offer via Facebook, whereby the consumers could get one item free with anything that they buy from the store on Friday. These advertisements go viral on a social site, and helps in increasing the publicity of the organization. However, the objective of involving the consumers in a more active way, cannot be fulfilled, unless the internal stakeholders of the organization, come forward and assist in the communication process. The employees of the store have to be more active on the social sites. At least two to three employees have to be involved in the process. While one can be entrusted with the duty of updating the customers about the latest discounts and recent offers via the social sites, the other two can be successfully used to keep a track on the customers response and feedback on these sites. It often happens that an organizations reputation is marred by the negative feedback, complaints or grievances posted on the social sites, and hence it is the duty of the internal stakeholders to remove such negative comments, or if necessary, get back to them, by apologizing to them. Communications Process: Report on the Existing Communication Method of the Organization: Wing Wah is a medium scale organization, and this is the reason why it mostly communicates to its consumers with the help of print media. The company takes help of pamphlets, and flyers and provides advertisement on the newspapers about their service. The organization does not make much use of online strategy of business communication, but it relies more on leafleting methods. However, this proves to be more expensive for the organization, as it requires recurring expenditure for almost daily circulation of the advertisements. Additionally, it cannot reach a wider mass, as recent studies suggest that the young people spend more time on social media, rather than reading newspapers and going through pamphlets. One Method to Improve the Communication Process: Keeping this in consideration, the company has decided to communicate with its customers via social media. The organization will open up official business pages on various social sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This method of social media communication will have two important functions: To inform the consumers about the recent offers and new products To communicate much freely and intimately with the consumers Further the company also needs to improve its inter personal communication. As the current objective of the firm is to improve its communication and engagement with the customers, it must make sure that the organization also maintains good communication within the organization to help it achieve the plan. Method to Improve communication Skills in the Organization: At present, the store has a manager and he looks after the financial transactions taking place within the firm. The workers in the store help the consumers in the act of purchasing the cake products. The organization, however, needs to be more interactive with each other regarding the implementation of the proposed plan (Subramanian 2013). The manager of the store, before the beginning of the day, should call forth all the employees who are responsible for the social media marketing, and should direct them as to what they will be required to do in the given day. He should first summon the worker who is assigned with the job of promoting the products and service online, and tell him what aspects about the store need to be updated by him. The employee may also preferably make some suggestion, apart from listening to the manager. Next, he should call forth the employees who will be responsible for responding to the inquiries of the consumers, and he should be given proper instruction as to what his reply should be. This work will also demand adequate communication skills, as the individuals will be required to interact with the consumers in a friendly and engaging way, feeling free to apologize whenever the situation will demand. The manager should communicate in a very simple way, the needs which are to be addressed by the employees and as to how to achieve the same, by increasing co-operation with the consumers and improving inter-personal skills. Personal Plan to Develop My Communication Skills: The senior manager of an organization must be very adept in interpersonal as well as intrapersonal communication skills. I should be able to not only communicate well with the staffs and the consumers, but also need to reflect on my own position, and understand what more I can do, to bring about significant improvement in the business. I should be able to interact more fluently and in a straight forward method with my working staffs with respect to the goals I have formulated to boost our sale growth, and how to implement them, in a given time. I must also improve my communication skills, so that I can be more resourceful about the emerging and immediate needs of the organization. As part of my good communication skills, I will need to not only give out commands but also listen to the suggestions and advices, if any, of my working staffs. If any consumer comes to me complaining about any aspect of the shop which he is not liking, I will need to respond in a much friendly and polite w ay, and I should be capable of convincing him that such a problem will not crop up in future. Speaking in a friendly manner with the consumers can help to avoid much dispute and ill reputation in future (Wood 2015). Appropriate Systems: Diagram Report on the Existing Approach of Data Collection and Dissemination: The Human Resource department of the organization is highly responsible not only for collecting the information about the employees, but also about keeping the confidentiality of the same. First of all, the information will be collected by the HR department, and it will consist of detailed information about the employee, and the following points regarding his background will be first collected: Name Age Designation Address Qualification and experience Salary and position history Present salary and other job benefits At present, all the information pertaining to the details of the employees are kept by the HR of the company, and he keeps this information, after collecting the details from the recruiter. These personal details are kept in the personal folder allotted for each employee. However, such information is highly confidential and personal, and does not get shared with any second person. A successful HRM department is that which ensures smooth transfer of information regarding the employees, as and when required. Wing Wah company maintains a well-organized system of storing all the information about a single employee, whereby the HR is responsible for keeping all the information pertaining to the employee, such as name, address, beneficiaries, in a single file. Each employee has a single folder maintained under his name, so that the HR can pass over the required information, whenever necessary to the respective managers. Further, the HR of the organization not only stores the information ab out the employees, but it also updates the information, as and when the need arises. However, the HR also ensures the confidentiality of the information collected, and hence it does not allow an easy dissemination of the information, unless it is a case of emergency. Further, the organization collects the information from the employees, which are required only for legal purpose or for the sake of the business. The organization has also made strict rules as to what extent can the personal records of the employees be viewed by a third party, in case of emergency. In addition to all these, the HR of the organization also checks the history and background of the applicants before recruitment, in order to reduce chances of theft and fraudulence within the organization. Figure 2: Flow of Employee Data within the Organization (Source: Paginas.fe.up.pt 2016) Formulation of Strategy to Improve the Collection and Dissemination of Information: Although Wing Wah already enjoys a well-organized HR management team, yet it has recently realized that the organization is facing certain inconveniences in the process of accessing the data about the individual employees. To help in easy access of information, the company can store all its information in the computer, as it will not only help in easy access of the information at the right time, but will also reduce the risk of data loss in subsequent period. The computer based storage of information is also a very wise decision in case the company fears the chance of data breach. The HR department of the organization bears extremely valuable information about its employees, and it must ensure that this information do not get leaked or damaged. Implementation of Strategy to Improve the Collection and Dissemination of Information: The company needs to seek the regular guidance of a professional computer forensics expert to ensure the firm that its employee information is safe, and is not getting leaked. Further, the employees information should be recorded on the computer in an alphabetical order to help in easy and convenient access of the information (Cdpgroupltd.com 2016). However, there remains a possibility that the data may be lost even from the computer, and as such the whole organization may be in a great problem. Keeping this in mind, the computer-based storage of the information will be beneficial for the organization, as the HR can copy and paste the data of the employee, in an USB hard drive, in case the data gets misplaced or lost. Plus, the use of computer based data storage system will also enable the organization to keep a separate track on each sphere of the HR department, as there are some really useful software available in the market. The Wing Wah company can make use of the available softw are as these can be used to keep the data of the employees in a more accessible way. One very popularly used software for this purpose, which the organization, can also make use of, is called Staff Files, which offers various tabs to the HR, like wagestab, benefitstab, or accrualtabs to manage multiple aspects of the employee data accurately. Reference List: Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue-social media and business transformation: A framework for research.Information Systems Research,24(1), pp.3-13. Brodie, R.J., Ilic, A., Juric, B. and Hollebeek, L., 2013. Consumer engagement in a virtual brand community: An exploratory analysis.Journal of Business Research,66(1), pp.105-114. Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015.Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Cdpgroupltd.com. Employee Data Management Service (EDM). [online] Available at: https://www.cdpgroupltd.com/En/Services/Services225.shtml [Accessed 5 Jul. 2016]. Hajli, M.N., 2014. A study of the impact of social media on consumers.International Journal of Market Research,56(3), pp.387-404. Miles, S., 2012. Stakeholder: Essentially contested or just confused?.Journal of Business Ethics,108, pp.285-298. Subramanian, K. ed., 2013.Excellence in business communication. Pearson. Vivek, S.D., Beatty, S.E. and Morgan, R.M., 2012. Customer engagement: Exploring customer relationships beyond purchase.Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice,20(2), pp.122-146. Wood, J.T., 2015.Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters. Nelson Education.

Personal Development Plan Effective Acculturation

Introduction Personal development entails diverse activities that aim at improving one’s awareness, talent, potential, identity, health, self-knowledge, and building one’s human capital. Additionally, personal development also contributes towards the realisation of an individual’s dreams and aspirations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Development Plan: Effective Acculturation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Chambers, Schwartz, and Boath (2003) emphasise the importance of incorporating a personal development plan in one’s quest to continue his or her professional development. A personal development plan outlines the actions that one intends to concentrate on in order to attain the intended level of development (Armstrong 2008). Consequently, it provides individuals with an opportunity to think in a structured manner the issues to address. Findings of previous studies conducte d emphasise the importance of students thinking about and planning their future. Personal development is only effective if a number of elements such as thinking deeply and in a structured manner about one’s life and ambitions, have access to the necessary information, people to trust on and share one’s reflections with, have an opportunity to test oneself in new areas, and develop the acquired skills and knowledge. This paper illustrates a personal development plan by taking into account a number of issues. Firstly, the paper realises the existence of culture shock in learning institution and workplaces and hence the importance of ensuring effective acculturation during the induction process. Secondly, the paper has illustrated the importance of developing effective teamwork and presentation skills in individuals’ personal development efforts coupled with developing a comparison of the report and academic journals. The personal development plan is illustrated by outlining the personal development objectives intended to be attained and the actions that will be undertaken in order to accomplish the stated objectives. Finally, the paper gives a conclusion and reflection on the course.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Acculturation and Culture Shock Culture is more than an asset of norms and customs. It is also composed of how individuals interact and relate (Rathje 2009). Culture is an important aspect in one’s personal development. In the contemporary society, interacting with individuals of diverse cultural background in individuals’ effort to develop their personal or professional portfolios through academics is inevitable (Mercer 2006). This aspect has emanated from the high rate of globalisation, which has made it easy for individuals to move across cultures (Rathje 2009). Existence of cultural differences presents a maj or challenge due to possible conflicts that might emanate due to cultural differences such as meanings, values, and rules. Consequently, developing intercultural competencies is paramount. The high rate of cultural diversity being experienced in the society has made is paramount for individuals to undergo through a comprehensive acculturation process. Ward, Bochner, and Furnham (2001) define acculturation to include the changes that occur due to continuous contact between individuals of diverse cultural background. The first phase towards the attainment of acculturation is culture shock. Rathje (2009) defines culture shock to include â€Å"a number of emotional reactions that emanate from loss of perceptual reinforcement associated with one’s culture to new cultural stimuli which have minimal or no meaning† (p.45). According to Yeomans and Sampson (2005), induction is a critical aspect in the student’s performance, which arises from the fact that it contributes towards students understanding the institutions practices, processes, and procedures. Induction and acculturation are closely related.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Development Plan: Effective Acculturation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Induction is concerned with ensuring that an individual fits in a particular organisation. Therefore, it is broadly concerned with acculturation. Through induction and acculturation, students can develop effective and sustained contact with their colleagues (Marx 2001). Ultimately, their performance is not adversely affected by the existence of cultural shock that might lead to anxiety and psychological discomfort (Passmore Cantore 2012). During the induction into the university, cultural diversity is one of the issues that were evident. On my part, I valued cultural diversity in a number of ways such as recognising the existence of a ‘mix of students’ , ‘mix of cultures and a wide variety of people from different background. Secondly, I appreciated the importance of cultural diversity in my learning process. Consequently, I was in a position to deal with cultural shock. Despite my ability to deal with cultural shock, one of the major challenges that I was faced with was how to become acculturated into the university. In a bid to become acculturated effectively, I was required to internalise other student’s values, beliefs, meanings, and norms. Due to effective acculturation, I would be in a position to develop a positive perception regarding the institution’s cultural diversity. The cultural diversity characterising the student population presented an opportunity for gaining new knowledge and ideas regarding other cultures (Gilbert 2004). Additionally, the cultural diversity in the school would provide me with a chance to expand my horizons and meet with individuals that I would not have met in my life, which is an important aspect towards my personal development and hence future success.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The induction process was also effective due to the lecturers’ responsiveness. Over the years, the institution has adopted an ‘open door policy’, which enables students to interact with lecturers freely. The lecturers’ responsiveness has made the institution very effective in making the students to become acculturated. Despite the effective induction and the lecturers’ responsiveness, one of the key improvement areas that I should focus on in my personal development relates to acculturation. From appendix 2, it is evident that I have been capable of nurturing a number of personal skills and knowledge. Some of the skills that I have developed relate to teamwork skills, flexibility/adaptability, and ability to understand statistics. Teamwork and Presentation Skills Over the years, scholars have been defining teamwork with reference to the classical systems theory. The theory asserts that outputs, processes, and inputs develop over time. Team inputs re fer to the individuality of tasks to be undertaken, and the team members’ attitude. Team process entails the coordination and interaction required between team members in order to achieve the desired goals (Kanki, Helmreich Anca 2010). On the other hand, team outputs entail the outcome of the team performance. Alternatively, teamwork entails a set of interpersonal, communication, and problem solving skills required by individuals in the course of executing a particular task whose objective is to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is one of the elements that employers are increasingly valuing in the course of hiring new graduate employees. The increment in its relevance has emanated from increased shift to projects teams in organisations’ operational process (Gilbert 2004). Development of teamwork skills enables individuals to put their teams’ objectives first. Griffith Graduate Project members assert, â€Å"The ability to work in cross-disciplinary team is the mo st prised workplace attribute† (Griffith University 2012, p.2). Most institutions of higher learning organise their study practices as an individual process. However, the employers value people skills. Due to this transformation, learning institutions are increasingly adjusting their practices by incorporating group and team projects in their study programs. Irrespective of learning institutions incorporating or not incorporating such programmes, it is vital for individuals to be concerned with how to develop their inter-personal skills. One of the most important aspects in becoming an effective team member is effective communication. Communication enables one to express himself or herself orally, by writing, or using other visual aids. There are diverse people skills that an individual should focus on in their effort to attain personal development. Some of these skills include listening skills, leadership skills, speaking skills, being a team member and negotiation skills (Av ery, Walker Murphy 2001). Additionally, individuals can incorporate a number of elements in a bid to nurture effective presentation skills. Currently, governments, community groups, and businesses are increasingly shifting to teams in an effort to enhance participation, streamline processes, and improve performance (Carayon 2011). Considering the changes in the workplace, development of teamwork skills competencies and presentation skills is paramount in my personal development. In a bid to become an effective team player, I will focus on a number of aspects. As a postgraduate student, I appreciate the existence of diverse roles in a team. As a result, I will integrate a number of determinants in accordance with Dr. Meredith Belbin’s team roles. Some of the aspects that I will focus on include being a problem solver, cognisant of team members’ feelings, and being an implementer. Additionally, I will be in a position to be an effective coordinator, implementer, sharper , finisher, a planter, teamwork, specialist, investigator, and a monitor. This aspect will enhance my ability to develop a balanced team. In the course of undertaking their tasks, team members face situations that may adversely affect their effectiveness. In a bid to deal with such situation, I will focus on nurturing effective situation monitoring competencies, which will enhance my ability to evaluate the performance of fellow team members. Ultimately, I will be in a position to ensure that the team is operating in accordance with the expected procedures. Moreover, I will also ensure the provision of effective mutual support to team members, which will be achieved by ensuring effective coaching and feedback. In a bid to enhance a positive outcome of team projects, I will ensure that sufficient assistance is provided to team members in the course of performing the assigned tasks. In addition to the above teamwork skill competencies, I will also focus on development of effective lea dership and communication. Upon attending the residential, I gained a number of skills on leadership. Some of the leadership skills that I gained relate to how to coordinate and direct team members, task allocation, organising and developing a positive working environment. Additionally, I gained a number of skills on how to deal with conflict that might arise amongst team members. In a bid to ensure that I become an effective team leader, effective communication will be ensured. One of the aspects that I will ensure entails effective initiation of the intended message, its acknowledgement, and verification before sending to the intended sender. Additionally, I will also ensure that effective communication in the team is nurtured. This aspect will contribute towards the team members developing sufficient understanding of their colleagues’ abilities and roles (Kanki, Helmreich Anca2010). Report and Academic Journal Comparisons Numerous issues can contribute towards personal de velopment. Some of the issues that other scholars have focused on entail appreciating the existence of cultural diversity in the society. Cultural diversity has come out as one of the most important aspects individuals’ effort to attain a high level of personal development, which arises from the fact that it enables individuals to appreciate and respect the diversity that exists in our society. The authors have emphasised on the importance of utilising the cultural differences across individuals for their personal development. One of the ways through which this goal is achievable is by gaining new knowledge and skills from the diverse culture. Consequently, the authors have concurred that cultural differences is an important asset in learning institutions, workplaces and the society. Another key driver that stands out in individuals’ effort to attain personal development relates to ensuring that an optimal social learning environment is developed. This element will imp rove the effectiveness with which individuals interact and share ideas. Effective interaction stands out as an important aspect in teaching and learning. Considering the high rate of technological development, technology comes out as one of the most important elements that should be incorporated in individuals’ development process. Personal Planning and Action Plan To achieve the desired level of personal development, effective action planning is necessary (Everard Morris 2004). The first step towards personal development entails identifying the goals that one intends to focus on in order to succeed in life. In my quest to achieve personal development, I intend to attain a number of goals, which include educational attainment, development of my strengths, improving interpersonal relationships, developing a high level of self-awareness and improving my health. Attainment of the above personal development goals will be dependent on how effective they will be implemented. Conse quently, an action plan will be incorporated. The action plan will outline the personal development objectives, the priority associated with the identified objective, activities that will enable achievement of the objective, the necessary resources, the target date for attainment of the objective and evidence that the milestone has been achieved. The chart below illustrates the action plan that will be utilised in attaining personal development. Goal Milestone (activities to be undertaken) By Date By whom Resources needed Evidence that milestone is completed Educational attainment -Successful completion of my postgraduate degree -Cooperating with the lecturers and fellow students -Within 2 years -The assistance of lecturers will be sought so as successfully undertake my studies -Reading resources such as books -Internet for undertaking research -A high pass mark in the postgraduate course Improving interpersonal relationships -Nurturing good communication -Embracing teamwork -Appreciating the prevalence of cultural diversity in the workplace, institution and the society -Within the remaining period of my postgraduate course -Team project coordinator -Effective time allocation to attend and be involved in team projects -Successful completion of team project within the set duration -Lack of major conflicts between team members that might affect team performance Developing my personal strengths and self-awareness Identifying my weaknesses in various areas of personal development such as emotional, habits, values, needs, and emotions -Focusing on the most important areas of self-awareness, which include personality, values, habits, needs, and emotions During the duration of my master’s course -I will seek the opinion of fellow students by developing a questionnaire. -Effective questionnaire -Fellow students as respondents -Understanding of my personality, habits, needs, emotions, Improving my health -Ensuring that I balance my work and personal l ife in order to avoid stress Within 2 months – Lecturers -Fellow students Seeking the assistance of the lecturers and fellow students Effective time management –Low level or no stress in the course of undertaking my duties Conclusion and Reflection Personal development planning is an important aspect in individuals’ quest to achieve their professional and career goals, which arises from the fact that the planning contributes towards effort improvement in individuals to attain the personal development goals. A number of issues might hinder individuals’ ability to attain the desired level of personal development. One such issue relates to the existence of cultural shock. The high rate of globalisation has led to increased cultural movement. Consequently, it is paramount for individuals to be effectively acculturated. This aspect will aid in dealing with the cultural differences prevailing amongst individuals. Personal development planning enables effecti ve identification of the personal development goals and formulation of an action plan to be followed in the quest to achieve the goals. This move increases the probability of attaining a high level of personal development. The module has been of great importance in my quest to achieve personal development. Firstly, it has provided me with an opportunity to interact with individuals of different cultural backgrounds. As a result, I have appreciated the importance of being an effective team player and developing sufficient communication skills. Reference List Armstrong, M 2008, How to be an even better manager; a complete A-Z techniques and essential skills, Kogan Page, Philadelphia. Avery, C, Walker, M Murphy, E 2001, Teamwork is an individual skill: getting your work done when sharing responsibility, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco. Carayon, P 2011, Handbook of human factors and ergonomics inn healthcare and patient safety, CRC Press, California. Chambers, R, Schwartz, A Boath, E 2 003, Beating stress in the NHS, Radcliffe Medical, Abingdon. Everard, K Morris, G 2004, Effective school management, Paul Chapman, London. Gilbert, N 2004, The best 143 business schools, Princeton Review Publishers, New York. Griffith University: Teamwork skills toolkit 2012, https://www.griffith.edu.au/ Kanki, B, Helmreich, R Anca, J 2010, Crew resource management, Academic Press Elsevier, Boston. Marx, E 2001, Breaking through culture shock: What you need to succeed in international business, Nicholas Braeley, London. Passmore, J Cantore, S 2012, Top business psychology models: 50 transforming ideas for leaders, consultants, and coaches, Kogan, London. Rathje, S 2009, ‘The definition of culture: an application-oriented overhaul’, Inter-culture Journal, vol. 8 no.1, pp. 1-25. Ward, C, Bochner, S Furnham, A 2001, Culture shock, Routledge, New York. Yeomans, R Sampson, J 2005, Mentorship in the primary school: Mentorship in action, Routledge, New York. Appendices Ap pendix 1: SWOT Analysis The chart below illustrates an evaluation of my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths -Being open-minded, thoughtful and careful -Good communication and presentation skills -Very effective in analysing issues and situations before making a conclusion. Weaknesses Taking unnecessary risks Too much planning with no action Tendency to getting bored with implementation and consolidation Opportunities -The high rate of cultural diversity in the society presents an opportunity to develop my interpersonal relationship. -Developing effective teamwork and presentation skills will improve my competitiveness with regard to human labour. Threats –Cultural changes in the society due to increased cultural movement present a challenge in my acculturation efforts. -Possible conflicts due to cultural differences may hinder my ability to develop interpersonal relationships. Appendix 2: Skills, Knowledge Audit Skills Scale 1 2 3 4 5 Level of motivation Flexibility and adaptability Verbal communication Being an effective team worker Being initiative Competency of understanding numerical data and statistics Effective expression through writing Commitment to learning –Willingness to continue learning Self-confidence Appendix 3: Personal Development Statement The course has helped me to appreciate the importance of developing a number of personal skills as a student of business and economics. Some of the key important skills that I have appreciated relate to teamwork, self-awareness, presentation skills, and the need to appreciate cultural diversity. Considering the changes in the workplace, the course has contributed towards a greater appreciation of the importance of developing teamwork and presentation skills. In a bid to be an effective team leader, my personal development strategy will focus on becoming an all-round team leader. This go al will be achievable by appreciating the various team roles. Considering the increased incorporation of teamwork, there is a high probability of being a member of a team that is characterised by diverse team roles. By being an effective team leader, I will be in a position to deal with the differences and challenges associated with these roles. Ultimately, I will be in a position to contribute to attainment of team project goals and objectives in the future. One of the requirements for being an effective team leader entails being analytical. This element will improve the probability of identifying possible deviations and gaps that might arise in the course of executing team projects. Additionally, effective presentation skills will ensure that team members share intelligence necessary for attainment of the goals. By being an effective team leader, I will be proactive in making decisions that will mitigate and eliminate negative effects that might arise. In addition to being an effe ctive team leader, the personal development strategy adopted will also contribute towards improvement in my problem solving skills. Problem solving skills is one of the most important personal development elements. This assertion arises from the fact that the ability to resolve issues that arise increases the probability of achieving the desired goals. In the course of team operation, conflicts are inevitable. However, the effectiveness with which team leaders solve team issues determines the success of the team. In my personal development, I intend to be an effective problem-solver and implementer. In a bid to achieve this goal, it is necessary that I incorporate a high level of creativity. One of the issues that I will focus on in ensuring harmony within the team is brainstorming. This aspect will aid in identifying possible alternative courses of action. By taking into account these issues, I will become an effective team player. In my course of personal development, communicatio n will play a very significant role. This arises from the fact that it will enhance my presentation skills. In a bid to deal with this issue, I will incorporate diverse communication methods and tools. Some of the aspects that will be considered in developing effective communication include being a good listener, being confident, effective handling of the audience, and being audible. Additionally, I will incorporate various communication aids such as visual aids such as PowerPoint, storytelling, and writing. By incorporating the above communication and presentation skills, a high degree of assertiveness will be developed. Ultimately, I will become an effective communicator, which is a key requirement in succeeding in the complex work environment. This essay on Personal Development Plan: Effective Acculturation was written and submitted by user Edith Martin to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Historical Method essays

Historical Method essays History is the study of the past. For historians the past dates back to 4,000 B.C., when events were first marked by writing, until present day. In its content history is everything. Historians spend their whole lives figuring out which events are more substancial than others. In order to achieve this, the historical method is put into practice. A problem solving technique using the gatheration of data, classification, interpretation and the most essential step, writing and teaching. The first step to studying the past events is gathering data. There are two types known as primary and secondary resources. Although both play an important role in gathering information, primary is the one you can not omit. In order to decipher which is primary and which is secondary there is a criteria that must be met. Person and time are the two categories under criteria. An example of primary resources would be a journal entry written by a person during that specific event. A historian could use a victim of the Holocausts diary as a primary source. Being that the victim experienced those actual events. Secondary resources would be a text book or magazine article written about a past event. The writer however, was not present at that point in time. Secondary resources eventually evolve into primary. The second step deals with classification. Every historians way of classifying is different. Their frame of reference is based on genetics and their environment. The way a person is raised to believe in certain aspects or taught by the people around them determines their point of view. The first way to classify events is chronologically. A historian might take World War II for example, and list all the events from when the war began to the final battle that ended the war. Another approach is concepts and ideas. A historian might group events according to religious aspects, social, economical, environmental, etc....

Hyphenation of Phrasal Adjectives

Hyphenation of Phrasal Adjectives Hyphenation of Phrasal Adjectives Hyphenation of Phrasal Adjectives By Mark Nichol Hyphens have been erroneously omitted from phrasal adjectives in the following three examples, each of which is followed by an explanation of the error and a corrected version of the sentence. 1. Three of those assembly members face a tough reelection in a Republican heavy district or represent the economically hard hit Central Valley. A lack of hyphenation in the phrase â€Å"Republican heavy district† prompts the reading â€Å"a heavy district inhabited by Republicans,† but the phrase means â€Å"a district populated mostly by Republicans,† so the phrase â€Å"Republican heavy,† as a phrasal adjective modifying district, should be hyphenated; the same rule applies for the final phrase: â€Å"Three of those assembly members face a tough reelection in a Republican-heavy district or represent the economically hard-hit Central Valley.† 2. The objective is to enhance focus and character work on a scene to scene basis. The phrase â€Å"scene to scene† modifies basis, so it should be hyphenated: â€Å"The objective is to enhance focus and character work on a scene-to-scene basis.† (However, just as one would write â€Å"a district heavy in Republicans† or â€Å"the Central Valley was hard hit,† the phrasal adjective should not be hyphenated when it follows the noun, as in â€Å"we worked on the script scene to scene† (or, better, â€Å"scene by scene†). 3. A weary customer said, â€Å"This is a serious shop until you drop situation, and I am dropping.† What kind of a situation is it? One in which the customer shops until he or she drops. The idiomatic phrase â€Å"shop until you drop† is a phrasal adjective modifying situation, so it should be hyphenated: â€Å"A weary customer said, ‘This is a serious shop-until-you-drop situation, and I am dropping.’† If that train of four hyphenated words seems too cumbersome, enclose it in single quotation marks: â€Å"This is a serious ‘shop until you drop’ situation, and I am dropping.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?In Search of a 4-Dot Ellipsis50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing - Essay Example Either way, each person needs to look at the facts and decide for themselves if the treatment is worthy or worthless. Understanding exactly what EMDR is and how it works is needed before being able to make an informed decision as to whether it works or not. Developed in 1989 by Francine Shapiro, the concept was that by focusing on a traumatic event while either refocusing on following an object causing eye movement, tapping, or touching an object over time would alleviate the stress and traumatic feelings associated with the memory (Kitchiner, Roberts, & Bisson, 2006). The eye movement was supposed to refocus the memory or desensitize it and reprocess with a new positive affirmation or memory (Devilly, 2005; Karatzias, Power, McGoldrick, Brown, Buchanan, Sharp, et al, 2007; Kitchiner et al, 2006; Lee, Taylor, & Drummond, 2006; Taylor, Thordarson, Fedoroff, Maxfield, Lovell, & Ogrodniczuk, 2003). Much research has been conducted in regard to this therapy and there seems to be no middle ground in the fall out of the results. People either believe the treatment works or not. Proponents of EDMR have conducted studies, both observational and empirical and have found that the rapid eye movement is an investigatory action which is known to help disassociate the patient from the traumatic memory.

Special observances enhance mission readiness and unit cohesion Article

Special observances enhance mission readiness and unit cohesion - Article Example They form part of the continuous equal opportunity process of educating the relevant stakeholders. Special observances create an opportunity for the commander to promote human relations within the unit. They enhance unity within the unit, awareness, as well as, a deep understanding of the contributions that every member of the unit makes, and the unit’s accomplishments. It is the responsibility of the commander to ensure that the unit takes part in these observations. During the special observances, there is recognition of the unit’s accomplishment and achievements (Fort Jackson, 26). This boosts motivation amongst the unit members, who work towards maintaining their exceptional performance and accomplishing all that the unit has planned. It not only enhances the mission readiness, but also promotes the unit cohesion. The fact that all the members of the unit become aware of what they need to accomplish promotes the mission readiness. Additionally, after the recognition of the unit’s performance, the members continue working hard, which as well promotes the mission readiness. Being aware of what the commander expects from the unit, promotes cohesion within the unit since every member works towards achieving a common goal. Observances enhance cross-gender awareness and cross-cultural awareness. It enhances harmony amongst the members of the military, as well as, their families. All these promote cohesion within the unit. The military has members from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and, therefore, enhancing multi-cultural awareness promotes togetherness within the unit. The members of the unit work together as one team without focusing on the fact that they are from different cultural backgrounds. By bringing their families together, they recognize the fact that they share a lot in common what contributes to deepening their relationship. The members of the military not only work together while on their official duties, but as well help each other on the personal level i.e. helping each other tackle personal problems. This brings them together as one united family. Special observances are part of extensions of the training objectives. For example, by observing some tragedies that occurred in the past, the members of the military would be in a position to respond to such tragedies effectively in the future (Henderson 102). Members of the unit go through training to equip them with skills that are in line with the mission readiness. Special observations are as well part of educating the unit members about equal opportunities and other affirmative actions. This enhances cohesion and hard work within the team since it makes members recognize the fact that the unit embraces the equal opportunity affirmative actions, as well as, the fact that promotions within the unit are on merit. The focus of the observance is not only on the recognition, but also on encouraging interaction amongst the members of the unit. Interaction is critical in the unit as far as cohesion and mission readiness is concerned. For example, it is through the interaction that the members of the unit share experiences and ideas relating to not only their official duties, but also their personal lives. Interactions allow members to share their personal problems whereby all the unit members join hands to help their colleagues who are experiencing problems (Washington 59). This is one of the key ways through, which the observances promote cohesion within the unit. It is the responsibility of the commander to ensure that observances are successful and that the interaction within the unit is effective. Effective communication within the un

Transsexualism Case Essay Example for Free

Transsexualism Case Essay Introduction Transsexualism deals with the basic features for the identification of human gender. This aspect has not received much understanding. Popular media has not shown the clear image of transsexualism and stories about the possibility for the occurrence of changes in sex has been explained in a very sensational way. These stories have led people towards the misconception about transsexualism and they do not know what the term ‘transsexualism’ really means. The term ‘transsexualism’ refers to the condition of a person in which a person’s psychological sex is quite different from the physiological sex of that person. Such people think that their soul has been put in the wrong gender body (Butler, 2001). This paper provides information about transsexualism, reality and myths about transsexualism, possible causes of transsexualism, treatment of transsexualism, social, legal and economic implications of transsexualism. What Does Transsexualism Mean? It is very important to understand few terms before the detailed explanation of transsexualism. People usually consider the terms gender and sex as the same concept but in fact they are quite different from each other. The term ‘sex’ provides information about the type of genital organs of a person. Thus this term is specific with the anatomical sex of a person. The term ‘gender’ explains how a person determines himself/herself in terms of female, male or others. The two terms are considered as one by a large number of people because majority of the people think about their gender that is in accordance with their anatomical sex. Anatomical sex has been explained to a greater extent as compared to gender. Some people get confused when they are asked to explain their gender as they do not consider them as a clear male or a clear female. There are two further terms that arise from the term ‘gender’. ‘Gender identity’ shows how a person experience and percept internally about his or her gender. ‘Gender role’ determines how a person spends his or her life in society and how he or she socializes that is dependent on the gender identity of that person (Campbell, 2001). Reality of Transsexualism Transsexualism is a condition in which a person does not like his or her genital sex and feels highly uncomfortable with it. Such feelings are long lasting. Such persons want their genital sex to be opposite of their actual genital sex. They feel that they would live a better and comfortable life with the genital sex opposite to their actual one. They want this change to be on permanent basis. A large number of people consider transsexualism as a psychiatric problem but it has been found that in reality a female body may have a male brain or vice versa. A psychiatrist consultant is assigned to make sure that the person who claims to be a transsexual and wants to change his or her genital sex is indeed a real transsexual. It is also determined that whether the person wishing to change his or her genital sex is mentally stable to cope up with the new gender in the society. Transgenderists is another term that is used by people who feel that their genital sex is not according to their gender and they wish to live their life the way that is opposite to their genital sex. Such people do not go through the process of genital surgery. Myths about Transsexualism Transsexualism is often misunderstood with some conditions that have some common points among them. Transvertism: People in this condition do not wish to change their genital sex though they often get dressed as the opposite sex. Homosexuals and Bisexuals: Such people do not wish to have the sex opposite to their actual genital sex. They attract same sex people. Hermaphrodites: Hermaphroditism is a condition which is very rare. In this condition, the person does not wish to change his or her genital sex neither he nor she considers himself or herself as a person with a gender that is opposite to his or her actual genital sex. Such people have genital sex organs that are not completely developed either in males or females. There is no mismatch of their body with their mind. They just have a body that is strongly intersexed (Elliot, 2001). Possible Causes of Transsexualism Unusual combinations in chromosomes lead to transsexualism though the possibility is 1 in 400. The chromosomes of transsexuals are not standard karyotype like standard karyotype of male (XY) and standard karyotype of female (XX). This is due to some confusion in the hormones when the development of fetus was taking place. Chemicals are another cause for the occurrence of transsexualism. Transsexualism may occur when a woman takes oral contraceptives without knowing that she has already conceived. Some drugs are also responsible for transsexualism when the drugs were given to pregnant women. The most common drug in this regard is diethylstilboestrol. Hormonal disturbance due to oral contraceptives or drugs lead to the birth of transsexual babies. There are some chemical pollutants responsible for the occurrence of transsexualism. Such chemical pollutants are man-made. Some of them are dibenzodioxins and polychlorobiphenyls that are found to bring disruption in androgen and / or estrogen receptors. Transsexualism may also occur without any biochemical reason. Sometimes, transsexualism occurs due to the anemic expectant mother. Sometimes, sufficient amount of nourishment is not received by the fetus, or sometimes sufficient quantity of material hormones become the cause of transsexualism when these hormones result in the disruption of the development of fetus by crossing the placenta in a large quantity. The gender and brain sex of the fetus can not be changed once pregnancy has passed the relevant stage. The brain can never be changed even when some changes may happen in the body due to the alteration in hormones. For this reason, the transsexuals undergo surgery to change their genital sex to match their gender as the brain had been developed (Heyes, 2000). Treatment of Transsexualism Sex reassignment therapy is the only effective treatment of transsexuals. No psychological treatment has been found effective enough for transsexual people. The mental health of transsexual people determines the extent to which the sex reassignment therapy is required. Transsexuals that are suffering from severe anxiety, depression, addictions of different types and possessing suicidal behavior often get much relieved from their problems when they go through the sex reassignment therapy. Gender identity disorder is the way to diagnose transsexualism among people who are ready to be treated psychologically. Transsexual people must have to go through psychological treatment before the sex reassignment therapy. Once they get the label of gender identity disorder, the rest of the way towards the sex reassignment therapy becomes easier for them. There may be some people who have been found with gender identity disorder but they do not wish to change their genital sex. Transsexuals usually do not prefer to undergo psychological treatment as they consider their desire of the sex reassignment therapy as their physical need (Hird, 2000). Social, Legal and Economic Implications of Transsexualism Transsexual people usually face harassment and assault when people around them come to know about their history. Transsexuals prefer to quit their previous job and leave their social circles after the sex reassignment therapy and they start living their life from the scratch. By doing so, they think that no body would ever come to know about their past. Sometimes, the family members and very close friends leave transsexuals after the sex reassignment therapy. The problems of transsexuals become worse when they have to face the legal issues. Such problems vary from country to country. In Britain, transsexuals are not allowed to make any amendment or change in their birth certificate. Where as, in the United States, some state jurisdiction allow transsexuals to make necessary amendments and changes in their birth certificates. They can even replace their original birth certificates with new ones. Other state jurisdictions help transsexuals by sealing their previous records so that their privacy can be maintained. Transsexual people had to face economic crisis after the sex reassignment therapy. They had to quit their previous job as the employers were not at all cooperative with transsexual employees. Now, the situation of economic issues for transsexuals varies from country to country. In the United States, anti-discrimination laws have been passed in California for protecting transsexual employees. The employers are forced to treat their transsexual employees equally. They cannot be terminated (Butler, 2001). Conclusion Transsexualism is a medical reality and it should not be treated psychologically. Transsexuals should be allowed to decide whether they want to go through psychiatric treatment. They should be treated as normal humans socially, legally and economically. References Butler, Judith. (2001). Doing Justice to Someone: Sex Reassignment and Allegories of Transsexuality. GLQ 7, no. 4: 621-36. Campbell, Carolyn. (2001). Transversing across the Genders. Transgender Tapestry 94: 63-68. Elliot, Patricia. (2001). A Psychoanalytic Reading of Transsexual Embodiment. Studies in Gender and Sexuality 2, no. 4: 295-325. Heyes, Cressida. (2000). Reading Transgender, Rethinking Womens Studies. NWSA Journal 12, no. 2: 170-80. Hird, Myra. (2000). Genders Nature: Intersexuality, Transsexualism and the Sex/Gender Binary. Feminist Theory: An International Interdisciplinary journal 1, no. 3.

Containment Of Communism Essay -- Communism Essays

The Cold War is the closest the world has ever come to complete destruction. In this period of time, two world super powers were in a stalemate economically and militarily and were constantly competing to be the superior. The Cold War started as result of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union had some differences on their perspectives of the world. United States being the richest country in the world promoted democracy and capitalism in the world. The newly formed Soviet Union thought that communism was a better political system because it transformed their economy and status in the world from nothing but a declining empire to a super power once again. The Cold War was a long series of events in which the communist tried to spread their ideas of government and socialist economy, known as expansionism, and the United States and some of the other Western powers such as Great Britain tried to contain it. Containment, a term introduced by George F. Kennan, was the foreign policy the United States practiced from 1946 to 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. The United States saw the Soviet Union to be a direct threat to the free world. During president Truman and Eisenhower’s administration the policy of containment evolved so drastically that American presidents would put anything on the line, including world peace. It started with the Truman Doctrine (1947) that stated the United States would help any country financially and militarily that was interested in keeping the world free for democracy. The Truman Doctrine came about as direct result of communist guerillas in Greece trying to take over the government. American advisers believed that the guerillas were taking orders from the Soviets after they launched a civil war against the government. The United States decided to assist the standing government in Greece because they believed it would have a large impact on Europe and most importantly Turkey that was having its own problems with communism and was strategically located next to large oil reserves of Iran. Congress approved $300 million to aid Greece and $100 million in food and military expenses to aid Turkey. The second large step in containment was the Marshall Plan. Proposed by Secretary of State George Marshall, it would provide economic relief to rebuilding Western European nations such as Great Britain, France, Belgium and even... ...ed to nationalize the Suez Canal through which three fourths of all European oil is passed. After several months of negotiations Britain, France and Israel attacked Egypt and retook the canal. United Nations condemned their actions and forced them to give up the canal to Egypt once again. As a result of the Eisenhower convinced Congress to approve the Eisenhower Doctrine that would â€Å"assist any nation in the region that required aid against aggression from any nation controlled by International Communism.† The Eisenhower administration was very careful not to alienate any Middle Eastern countries that could provide the country with a steady supply of oil and this affected his foreign policy and the policy of containment. During the Truman and Eisenhower administration a policy of containment served to save the free world from communism. But at times these two administrations put world peace on the line to prove its superiority as a nation. One cannot judge these events to being wrong or right because values of a nation and people change with time, we can just learn from these events and know that the next time United States has a contest of superiority it could cost us the world.

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 7

I've been looking everywhere for you,† Blaise said. â€Å"I had to call Mrs. Ross to find out you were here.† Her black hair was wild and windblown, tumbling over her shoulders. She had taken off her red bow tie and unbuttoned the top button of her dress shirt. There was color in her cheeks and dark light in her gray eyes. She looked extremely beautiful and very, very witchy. Thea and Eric had moved apart and Thea had the feeling they were both blushing. â€Å"We were just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Eric said. â€Å"Um. Heh.† While Blaise scrutinized him, he picked up the blue blanket and started refolding it. â€Å"Uh, can I show you around?† â€Å"I don't care much for animals unless they've been shish-kebabed.† Blaise surveyed the room with one hand on her hip. Oh, she's in a terrific mood. Thea's palms were getting damp. She wasn't sure what Blaise thought of the embrace she'd walked in on†¦ but Thea was supposed to be leading Eric on, wasn't she? Her eye fell on the Kleenex daubed with Eric's blood. Unobtrusively, she reached for it and crumpled it in her hand. â€Å"So you left the dance,† she said to Blaise. â€Å"Where's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Who'd actually been Blaise's date tonight? Sergio? Kevin? Someone else? â€Å"There is no dance,† Blaise said. â€Å"They shut it down. Leave it to Randy-he was always a royal pain.† Then her face changed; she blinked and put on a sweet smile. â€Å"And who are you, darling?† In the doorway to the corridor, Rosamund backed up, Madame Curie clutched to her chest. She didn't say a word, but her hostile green eyes never left Blaise. â€Å"Uh, sorry,† Eric said. â€Å"That's my sister. She's- shy.† â€Å"So this is a family affair,† Blaise said. â€Å"How nice.† Thea said, â€Å"I think it's time to be going home.† She needed to talk to Eric, but alone, not with a disgruntled munchkin and a suspicious witch looking on. She glanced at Eric, feeling a little shy herself. He looked the same. â€Å"Well-see you at school.† â€Å"Yeah.† Suddenly he smiled. â€Å"You know, that's something else I was going to mention. If you're even thinking about going to Davis, you might want to get into honors zoology. It's a good class.† â€Å"Um-we'll see.† She was aware of Blaise watching her. But outside, all Blaise said was, â€Å"Sorry if I was rude. But I've been looking all over for you, so I could tell you what a great time I wasn't having. And†-she shook her midnight hair out with a charming smile;-â€Å"it's so much fun to be a bitch when you want to be.† Thea sighed, then stopped in her tracks. â€Å"Blaise, the car!† Kevin's silver-gray Porsche looked as if it had been through a war. The front bumper was caved in, the passenger door was mangled, and the windshield was cracked. â€Å"I had a little trouble,† Blaise said coolly. â€Å"It's all right, though; I met a guy tonight named Luke Price, who's got a Maserati.† She looked at Thea, then added, â€Å"You don't disapprove, do you? Of treating humans that way?† â€Å"No-of course not. I just don't want to get expelled again.† â€Å"It's not illegal to have an accident. Here, you have to get in through the driver's side now.† She drove, not seeming to choose any particular direction. Thea sat quietly, acutely aware of the probing glances cast her way every so often. â€Å"So,† Blaise said at last in her silkiest voice, â€Å"did you get it?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Don't be funny.† Thea held out her hand with the crumpled Kleenex on her palm. â€Å"I didn't fill the vial; that was ridiculous. But I used my ingenuity and got enough.† â€Å"Hmm.† Blaise's tapering fingers, tipped with blood-red nails, dosed delicately on the tissue. Startled, Thea snatched it back and the Kleenex tore. She ended up with only a corner. â€Å"Hey-â€Å" â€Å"What's the problem? I just want it for safekeeping,† Blaise said smoothly. â€Å"And so how did everything else go?† â€Å"Fine,† Thea said. Her palms were getting damp, but she managed to keep her voice airy. â€Å"I think he's hooked,† she added, trying to imitate Blaise's most languid and arrogant tones. â€Å"Oh, really?† They had ended up on the strip, which meant the car was now crawling through traffic. Neon highlighted the curious half-smile on Blaise's lips. â€Å"And what was that about Davis?† â€Å"Nothing. It's where he's going to college, so of course he'd like me to be with him.† â€Å"He's already thinking about the future. Well, that was fast work. Congratulations.† Thea didn't like the way she said it. More than ever, she wanted to protect Eric from Blaise-but she wasn't sure how. It depended on how much Blaise suspected. â€Å"You know, I think it's the pop that's the most fun,† Blaise went on reminiscently. â€Å"Human boys are all different-but in the end, they're all the same. And when they give in completely, you can almost hear it. There's a ‘pop.' Like a balloon breaking.† Thea swallowed, staring at the huge golden lion in front of the MGM Grand Hotel. Its green eyes reminded her of Eric. â€Å"Really? Sounds interesting.† â€Å"Oh, it is. And after the pop, they just kind of collapse, and everything they are, their whole self, just sort of pours out in this internal hemorrhage. And after that, of course, they're useless. Like a stag that's too old to mate. They're just-over.† â€Å"How nice.† â€Å"You know, I think Eric's ready for that pop. He's already in love with you; I could see that. I think it's time.† Thea just sat. A vampire girl, wearing a dress with a black rose design, threaded her way through stopped traffic. Finally, Thea said, â€Å"Blaise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What, is that a problem with you? Are you having difficulty with that? Are you a little soft on him, maybe? Are you a little too fond of him?† â€Å"Blaise-â€Å" â€Å"Are you in love with him?† Shock waves went through Thea, and the last question seemed to vibrate in the air. At last she whispered, â€Å"Don't be ridiculous.† â€Å"And don't you try to fool me. Remember who you're talking to. I know that dopey look you get when you're mooning over some animal. I saw the way you were holding him.† Thea felt desperate. It wasn't just Blaise she was afraid of here. Night World law couldn't be clearer about the penalty for loving a human. Death. Not only for her, but for Eric, too. There was only one thing Thea could do. She turned and looked at her cousin directly. â€Å"All right, Blaise, you do know me. We've always been like sisters, and I know that however you act sometimes, you still love me-â€Å" â€Å"Of course I do,† Blaise said impatiently, and Thea realized that was part of the problem. In the changing light of the Bally hotel's neon pillars, she could see that Blaise's eyes were wet. She was frightened for Thea-and angry at being frightened. Thea grabbed her cousin's hand. â€Å"Then you have to listen to me.† It was a naked plea. â€Å"Blaise-when I first met Eric, something happened. I can't explain it-I can't even really describe it. But there was a connection. And I know this is going to sound insane, and I know you're not going to like it, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She had to stop to breathe. â€Å"Blaise, what if you found your soulmate, and they were something that everybody said you shouldn't love†¦.† She stopped again, this time because Blaise had frozen. For a moment they both just sat, and then, very slowly, Blaise withdrew her hand from Thea's. â€Å"Found†¦ your†¦ soulmate?† she said. Warmth pooled in Thea's eyes. She had never felt so alone. â€Å"I think so,† she whispered. Blaise turned to face the windshield. Purple light shone on her black hair. â€Å"This is more serious than I thought.† The tears overflowed. â€Å"But will you help me?† Blaise tapped her slender fingers on the steering wheel a few times. Finally she said, â€Å"Of course I'll help you. I have to. We're like sisters-I would never abandon you when you're in trouble.† Thea was so relieved she felt dizzy. Paradoxically, it made her cry more. â€Å"I've just been so scared†¦. Ever since it happened, I've been trying to figure things out.† She hiccupped. Blaise was looking at her again, smiling, gray eyes glittering oddly. â€Å"Blaise?† â€Å"I'm going to help you,† Blaise said, still smiling, â€Å"by getting him myself. And then I'm going to kill him for putting my sister in danger.† There was a moment when everything inside Thea seemed absolutely still-and the next instant it all exploded into chaos. â€Å"Never,† she said. â€Å"Do you hear me, sister? Never.† Blaise stayed calm, driving. â€Å"I know you don't think it's best-now. But one day you'll thank me.† â€Å"Blaise, listen to me. If you do anything to him-if you hurt him-it's me you're hurting.† â€Å"You'll get over it.† In the rainbow light of the Riviera, Blaise looked like some ancient goddess of fate. â€Å"It's better to hurt a little now than to be executed later.† Thea was so angry she was shaking. So angry that she made a mistake. If she'd kept on arguing the same points, she thought later, Blaise might eventually have started to listen. But she was furious and terrified and she blurted out, â€Å"Well, I don't think you can do it. I don't think you could take him from me if you tried.† Blaise stared, as if caught for once at a loss for words. Then she threw back her head and laughed. â€Å"Thea,† she said. â€Å"I can take any boy from anybody. Any time, any place, any way I want to. That's what I do.† â€Å"Not this time. Eric loves me, and you can't change that. You can't take him.† Blaise was wearing a secret smile. But she said only two words as she turned off the strip and onto darkened streets again. â€Å"Watch me.† Thea didn't sleep well. She kept seeing Randy Marik's face, and when she dreamed, it turned into Eric's face, blood-streaked and vacant-eyed. She woke up to see sunshine streaming in the room. It was a bedroom with a split personality. One side was fairly neat and decorated in pale blues and spring greens. The other side was messy and was decorated in the color, the primal color, the one that roused emotions, that meant passion and hatred both. Red. And usually Blaise was lying on that side underneath her red velvet Ralph Lauren bedspread, but this morning she was gone already. A bad omen. Blaise only got up early for a reason. Thea got dressed and went downstairs warily. The shop was empty except for Tobias sitting gloomily in his usual place beside the cash register. He grunted when Thea said hello and went on staring at the wall, one hand clutching his curly brown hair. Wishing, undoubtedly, to be outside on the weekend like other nineteen-year-old guys. Thea went into the workshop. Blaise was sitting at the long table, wearing earphones and humming to herself. A project was spread in front of her. Thea stalked up close. She could see right away that it was beautiful. Blaise was a genius at creating jewelry, most of it based on ancient designs. She made necklaces of bees and butterflies, spiraling flowers, serpents, leaping dolphins. It was all alive, all joyous†¦ all magical. That was where the real genius came in. Blaise put each element of the piece together with a purpose in mind. The gems were chosen to enhance each other: ruby for desire, black opal for obsession, topaz for yearning, garnet for heat. And asteria, the smoke-gray form of sapphire with a six-pointed star. Blaise's stone, just the color of her eyes. Blaise had them all laid out loose. But her magic wasn't just in the gems. Interwoven into every piece were herb caches, tiny compartments that could be filled with potions or powders. She could literally drench the jewelry in sorcery. Even the design itself could be a spell. Every line, every curve, every flower stem could have a meaning, could make the eye follow a pattern that was as powerful as any symbol traced on the floor in chalk. Just looking at the piece could be enough to charm you. Right now Blaise was working on a necklace to knock you dead. Thea could see it taking shape. Blaise used the lost wax method of jewelry-making, which meant that she carved out her pieces in stiff blue wax before casting them in silver or copper or gold. What she was carving now was breathtaking. Heart-stopping. An intricate masterpiece that was going to have roughly the same effect as Aphrodite's magic girdle- which meant no male was going to be able to look at it without falling under the spell. And she had some of Eric's blood. The vital ingredient that meant she'd be able to personalize this spell for him. The one good thing was that it would take Blaise a few days to finish this piece. But once it was done†¦. Eric didn't have a chance in Hades. Thea backed up, not knowing-and not caring- whether Blaise had noticed her. She headed blindly for her bedroom. She and Eric were soulmates. But Blaise was, in some ways, Aphrodite herself. And who could resist that? What am I going to do? She had a little of Eric's blood herself on the corner of the tissue. But she could never outmatch Blaise in creating love spells. Blaise had years of experience and a natural talent that left everyone else in the dust. So I have to think of something else. Something to keep her from getting to him in the first place. To protect him†¦ Thea straightened up. I can't. It's too dangerous. The summoning spells aren't for maidens. Even the Inner Circle has to be careful with those. But Grandma has the materials. I know she does. I've seen the box. It may kill me even to try. An odd serenity came over her. If she concentrated on that-on the risk-she felt better than if she thought about what Gran would say if she found out. She wasn't afraid to face danger for Eric. And as long as she kept thinking about that, she could block out the thought that her idea was not only dangerous, but wrong. This time she went down the stairs almost as if she were sleepwalking. Calm and detached. â€Å"Toby, where's Gran?† He lifted his head a bare inch. â€Å"She went to see Thierry Descouedres, something about his land. Told me to come and pick her up tonight.† Thierry was a vampire and a Night Lord. He owned a lot of the land northeast of Las Vegas-but what did Gran have to do with that? It didn't matter. The important thing was that Gran wouldn't be back all day. â€Å"Well, then, why don't you go out and have some fun? I can watch the shop.† Tobias looked at her with dazed blue eyes-and then his round face lit up. â€Å"Seriously? You'd do that? I could kiss you. Let's see, I'll go visit Kishi†¦ no, maybe Zoe†¦ no, maybe Sheena†¦.† Like all boy witches, he was in tremendous demand with the girl witches in town. Still muttering, he checked his wallet, grabbed the car keys, and headed for the door as if Thea might change her mind any second. â€Å"I'll be back in time to pick her up, I promise,† he said hastily and was out the door. The instant he was gone, Thea turned the sign on the door to closed, locked up, and tiptoed to the counter. It was in the locked lower shelf, an iron chest that looked five hundred years old. Thea picked it up with an effort-it was heavy. With her teeth gritted and her eyes on the bead curtain that separated the store from Grandma's workshop, she staggered up the stairs. She made two other trips downstairs to gather materials. The bead curtain never stirred. Last, she went to Gran's bedroom. On a nail near the headboard was a heavy ring with dozens of keys. Thea took it. Back in her own bedroom she shut the door and stuffed a towel underneath so Blaise wouldn't smell the smoke. Okay, now let's get this thing open. She sat crosslegged on the floor in front of the chest. It wasn't hard to find the key that would fit the lock-she just looked for the oldest and crudest iron key on the ring. It fit perfectly and the chest opened. Inside was a bronze box, and inside that a silver box. And inside the silver box was an ancient book with yellowing, brittle pages, and a small green bottle with wax and ribbons securing its cork. There were also thirty or forty amulets. Thea picked one up and examined it. A lock of blond hair had been twisted and woven into a knot, and then sealed in that shape with a round piece of clay. The clay was dark earthy red, and Thea touched it reverently. It had been made with mud-and the blood of a witch. An entire Circle had probably worked on this for weeks: charging the blood, chanting, mixing it with secret ingredients, baking it in a ritual fire. I'm touching a witch, Thea thought. The very essence of somebody who's been dead hundreds of years. The cabalistic sign stamped on the front of the amulet was supposed to show who the witch was. But lots of the pieces of clay were so worn that Thea couldn't make out any trace of a symbol. Don't worry. Find a description of somebody in the book, and then match the amulet to them. She turned the fragile pages of the book carefully, trying to read the spidery, faded writing. Ix U Sihnal. Annie Butter, Markus Klingelsmith . .. no, they all sound too dangerous, hudo Cagliostro- maybe. But I don't really want an alchemist. Dm Ratih, Omiya Inoshishi†¦ wait a minute. Phoebe Garner. She scanned the page on Phoebe eagerly. A gentle girl from England who had lived before the Burning Times and had kept familiars. She'd died young of tuberculosis, but had been considered a blessing by everyone who'd known her-even humans, who appreciated her ability to deflect spells from her village. Human villagers had mourned at her grave. Perfect, Thea thought. Then, she began scrabbling through the amulets, looking for one with the same symbol impressed on the clay as the book showed by Phoebe's name. There it was! She cradled the amulet in ?her palm. Phoebe's hair had been auburn and very fine. Okay. Now get the balefire ready. It had to be made from oak and ash, the two kinds of wood that had been burned to bake the clay. Thea put the dry sticks in her grandmother's largest bronze bowl and lit them. Now add quassia chips, blessed thistle, mandrake root. Those were just for general power raising. The real magic was in the tiny bottle that had been carved out of a single piece of malachite. It was the summoning potion, and Thea had no idea at all what was in it. She dug at the wax with her fingernails until the cork twisted freely. Then she paused, her hands shaking with every beat of her pulse. Up until now, she'd only examined things she shouldn't: bad but forgivable. New she was going to kindle a forbidden fire†¦ and that wasn ‘t forgivable. If the elders discovered what she'd done†¦ She pulled the cork out.