Books especially Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Books especially Great Expectations Essay Pip is very childlike the way Dickens describes him, almost naive and he has a large imagination.Dickens shows Pips naivety by telling the reader Pip believes his mothers name was also Georgina as that was written on the gravestone.  Pip is introduced when he is at the graveyard.  Dickens aims for the readers empathy by telling us that five of his siblings are dead and buried with his mother and father.  The historical context Dickens used was that in the 1800s children died young.   Then we are introduced to the criminal who we later learn is called Abel Magwitch. When Pip meets the convict he is in irons, rags and is hungry.  Dickens showed us this man was of lower class by the way he spoke and the fact his did not wear a hat like gentlemen did.  A man with no hat, and broken shoes.  Abel comes off as a scary man however once he has food and a file for his irons, his attitude changes.  Dickens tries to get sympathy for Abel by the way he describes him as having a limp and using his arms to warm himself up as well holding himself together. Estella is introduced in chapter eight.  Estella is the adopted daughter of Miss Havisham; Estella was brought up to hate men by Miss. Havisham.  This causes Estella to poke fun at many aspects of Pip.  She has been taught well like most upper class children and Dickens shows this by her speech and appearance.  Dont be ridiculous boy, she believes herself to be higher and more important than Pip due to her being of a higher class.  Miss. Havisham was a wealthy woman who got jilted at the alter, her life went down hill from there as if she was stuck in the time.  We can see that from the way Dickens describes the way her house was decorated.  Dickens makes Miss. Havisham come over as a bitter spiteful lady by using her speech and actions. Sometimes I have sick fantasies. She went on.  The Setting.  The first chapter is set in a graveyard which gives the reader an eerie yet calm feeling until the convict appears changing the atmosphere to dramatic.  Dickens uses words like overgrown, forgotten and bleak to create the sense of setting and atmosphere.  He then goes to use words like terrible and fearful to fit into the new dramatic setting.  Towards the end of chapter one, Dickens uses nearly a full paragraph on just describing the setting. sky was just a row of long angry, red lines and black lines intermixed.   This gives off a rather calming yet suspenseful atmosphere. Chapter eight is started with a strong sense of suspense and curiosity, the setting and atmosphere being both questionable and fearful.  Dickens uses words like scornful, dark and uncomfortable to successfully create an atmosphere; he describes Miss. Havisham as almost skeleton like then he continues to actually have Pip compare her to a wax skeleton.  Dickens uses words like hollow eyes, faded skin and very slim to get his point across.When comparing the two settings they are very similar by that way they are both set in a dark settings and suspenseful atmospheres.   The storyline. The entire book is mainly focussed around Pips days and his meeting of new people in both different classes.  Chapter one is focussed on Pip meeting the convict, who is of a lower class and then chapter eight is focussed on Pip meeting Estella and Miss. Havisham who are of a higher class.  The story is about Pip and his feelings when he meets each of these people as well as the expectations he has for himself once meeting those people.  Pip tries to raise his expectations for himself once hes met Estella. Dickens chooses everything carefully when writing a storyline, like names for instance he describes calling upon Estella in chapter eight as her light came along the dark passage like a star. Estella is actually Latin for star so you can tell he chose the name wisely as well as fitting historical context into the chapter.  He also uses pat experiences to help write about events in his books especially Great Expectations.

Fast Food and Vending Machines Arent the Problem Essay Example for Free

Fast Food and Vending Machines Arent the Problem Essay There has been an ongoing debate as to whether schools should be allowed to subsidize and sell fast food in the cafeterias as well as the use of vending machines in schools. I believe that it is when people who prepared the food started to lose sight of proper nutrition and portioning that made the problem. In some schools, vending machines are also part of the money-making machine that helps fund a schools various academic and day to day activities. At the Old Orchard Beach School, it has been reported that: The team implemented Tulane University’s CATCH nutrition education curriculum and wrote school vending policies that led to the removal of sodas and junk foods, and replaced them with water, 100% fruit juices, and healthier snack options. The vending machine signage was changed to advertise water instead of soda pop. The vendors were very cooperative in making the changes, and vending revenues have remained the same. Students have also taken an active role by writing their own nutrition policies, such as policies regarding foods served for classroom parties. At the Vista High school, Enid Hohn is the Director of Child Nutrition Services for Vista School District. He has learned to use the necessary evil to the benefit of his students and the school system. In 2005, with the support of the School Superintendent, he converted the junk vending machine at the Vista High School into a healthy, popular, moneymaking machine for the school. He relates the success story of his pilot project this way: The Principal was not very enthusiastic about this change. He indicated that he had been receiving $600. 00 per month ($7,200. 00 per year) in vending commission and was not interested in losing it. CNS gave him a $10,000. 00 signing bonus to offset his fears. We had difficulty getting students interested in signing up to try all the free food and beverages so we set up sample tables in a room close to the eating area and coerced students to come in and help us. We conducted food testing for three days and involved about 100 students. Once that was done it was important to set up focus groups with various students. Once school started we determined there was a need for additional machines due to the popularity of the Healthy Alternative Vending Program and the volume of items students were purchasing. (qtd. in Healthy Vending: The Vending Challenge paragraph 16) I am arguing that school vending machines should be allowed to sell fast food that fall under specified criteria controlled by the Child Nutrition Services of each school district based on the above information. The school earns the funding they need while staying within the guidelines of proper health and nutrition, while the children nutritious food without knowing it. Certain school districts argue that selling junk food and sodas in vending machines which are easily accessible to students in between classes since these are mostly located in the lobby cause deterioration in the students over all performance. It makes him sluggish, gives him a shorter attention span and prevents him from concentrating. Jeffrey Koplan, vice president of for academic health affairs of Emory University has stated that: Obesity may be a personal issue, but at the same time, families, communities, and corporations all are adversely affected by obesity and all bear responsibility for changing social norms to better promote healthier lifestyles. We recognize that several of our recommendations challenge entrenched aspects of American life and business, but if we are not willing to make some fundamental shifts in our attitudes and actions, obesitys toll on our nations health and well-being will only worsen. (qtd. in National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government paragraph 2. ) In addition, the National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government, report also warned parents and schools alike that: By the time they are 14 years old, 52 percent of boys and 32 percent of girls are drinking three or more eight-ounce servings of soda a day. It would help for us to remember that vending machines dont stock themselves, we do. This whole argument will prove to be a farce if the parents of the children cant or wont supervise the children or serve a nutritionally balanced meal at home. I refer you once again to the opinion of the National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government report: Parents can exert a profound influence on their children by promoting healthy foods and an active lifestyle from an early age and serving as role models. Parents can encourage their children to develop a healthy, varied diet by introducing new foods in a persistent but non-coercive fashion. Studies show that repeated exposure is most critical during the early years of life and that it can take five to 10 exposures to a new food before a child will accept it. (qtd. in National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government paragraph 5 I therefore, would like to reiterate that, there is no real reason with which to ban junk food and vending machines in schools. Instead, schools should learn to package healthy junk food. Learn how to use these things in order to promote good health and proper nutrition. The students will certainly be much more receptive of this approach. Works Cited: 1. Enid Hohn, R. D. , Director of Child Nutrition Services. Healthy Vending: The Vending Challenge. November 2006. November 13, 2006 http://www. vusd. k12. ca. us/cns/healthyvending. htm 2. National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government. September 30, 2004. November 13, 2006. http://www8. nationalacademies. org/onpinews/newsitem. aspx? RecordID=11015 3. Schools and School Districts That Have Improved School Food and Beverages and Not Lost Revenue. November 2006. November 13, 2006. www. cspinet. org/nutritionpolicy/improved_school_foods_without_losing_revenue2. pdf - 4. Bruce Buchanan. Getting to Wellness. October 2005. November 13, 2006. http://www. asbj. com/wellness/S1. html

Interactive Behaviour at Work

Interactive Behaviour at Work Cheniere Energy was founded in 1983 and is a world leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) company. Through its subsidiaries the company engages in the development, construction, ownership, and operation of onshore LNG receiving terminals and natural gas pipelines in the Gulf Coast of the United States. It also engages in oil and natural gas exploration and development activities. Cheniere Energy is based in Houston, Texas with offices in Johnson Bayou, Louisiana, and London called Cheniere International UK Branch. The London office consists of six people who are responsible for sourcing and trading LNG cargoes for Cheniere as well as managing the day to day operations and activities of the office. Purpose of the report The purpose of this report is to examine work issues at Cheniere International UK Branch resulting from office harassment and specifically the conflict between an office assistant and the operations manager. It focuses on the interactive behaviour themes relating to communication, work relationships and leadership. Definition of Interactive Behaviour at work The term interactive behaviour at work refers to the reciprocal communication conduct of two or more persons. It covers both their overt behaviour and the factors and processes underlying it. It also extends to the use of communication for purposes such as self-presentation, co-operation, influencing others, working in groups and leadership. (Guirdham, 2002) Definition of the themes Communication According to Guirdham (2002) communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Interpersonal communication at work may be face-to-face or indirect, formal or informal, and transmitted verbally or non-verbally. Communication is affected by language, communicator style, the differences between one- and two-way communication, power and status, culture, gender and disability. These effects on communication give rise to barriers, which can be analyzed as intrinsic, individual level and inter-group. To be high in quality, communication must overcome these barriers. Work relationship Interdependence and social orientations, roles, norms and conformity as well as co-operative, competitive and conflict behaviour are all concepts that help us to understand and be more effective in work relationships. Other important aspects related to the issues discussed cover conflict resolution, cultural differences, coping with prejudice, discrimination and harassment. (Guirdham, 2002) Harassment is defined as: conduct which is unreasonable, unwelcome and offensive, and which creates an intimidating, hostile or humiliating working environment. (Mullins, 2005) Harassment is a potential cause of stress. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as: The adverse reaction people have to excess pressure. It is not disease. But if stress is intense and goes on for some time, it can lead to a mental and physical ill health. Leadership Leadership can be defined as the ability of an individual to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organisation of which they are members (Guirdham, 2002) There is a close relationship between leadership and management, especially in work organisation, and an increasing tendency to see them as synonymous. However, arguably there are differences between the two and it does not follow that every leader is a manager. Leadership might be viewed in more general terms, with emphasis on interpersonal behaviour in a broader context. According to Mullins (2005) due to its complex nature there are many alternative ways of analysing leadership. Leadership may be examined in terms of qualities or traits approach, in terms of the functional or group approach, as a behavioural category, in terms of styles of leadership, through the situational approach and contingency models, and in terms of distinction between transactional and transforma tional leadership. Problem identification The issue discussed in this report involves the deteriorating relationship between a manager and an assistant (myself) in a small office environment. In addition the report looks at the behaviour of a director of the company involved to whom the employees were directly responsible to. Matters discussed include the identification of key points of conflict between the two persons involved, the style of management, the reaction of fellow employees, the interaction with the director involved and steps taken to resolve the issue. Background and causes of problems I joined the Cheniere International UK Branch in 2008 as an office assistant. Working at their London office in Mayfair where there were three other employees at my level, two were English and one was an American. I was the only one having English as a second language. The operations manager was a mature English lady with a very strong personality and an accretive attitude. I noticed that I was being asked to do considerably more work than the other assistants and that the manager was querying my efforts every day. At first I thought this was because I was new to the job and that it was a way of measuring my capabilities and ability to cope with the stresses of the work. It became clear however that this was much more of a particular attitude toward me as compared to the other employees. Maybe write something about working in a multi-cultural environment or possibly highlight that there was predominance of white Anglo-Saxon employees and as such no exposure to different cultures or ethnic diversity. Inter-cultural problems arise when members of an in-group perceive members of an out-group as inferior. This can promote in-group favouritism, increased tendency to stereotype members of out-groups and negative attitudes to actual or perceived cultural differences. It can result in exclusion of members of out-groups, negative evaluations and harassment. In a small office environment it would be unusual for someone in a position of authority to feel threatened by a single junior employee. It is difficult to give any clear instances of harassment, as such, as this was a subtle but constant undermining of my position on a daily basis. This was apparent in her constant criticism of my work and references to my Polish background and English not being my native language. I made a point of asking the other assistants to check my work and they always said it was fine and that was just her way and not to worry. One occurrence that began to give me an insight to her behaviour was when she asked me, in front of all the other assistants, why I did not work as a nanny or cleaner as all other Polish girls did. This indicated to me that there was the possibility that her actions were not actually based upon my performance but upon a much deeper prejudice and possible stereotyping of Polish people (either collectively or by gender). In a strange way this was a relief as until then my confidence had been undermined and I felt under stress at work. It seemed nothing I ever did was right, I was often depressed, both at work and at home and it was difficult to understand why she picked on me and what was causing the problem. It also made it difficult for me to try to see how I could resolve the problem. Being aware of the personality clash between us I was trying to understand what caused her hostile behaviour and I blamed myself that it was I who caused the conflict, but on the other hand I knew I normally never have any major problems engaging with people, being an easygoing and friendly person. The Thoms-Kilmann Conflict Mode Questionnaire can be useful in explaining my stance in the conflict. Scoring 9 in avoiding and 9 in accommodating styles shows that I am not an assertive person, do not wish to hurt peoples feelings, obey orders and I am generally a selfless type of person. (See Appendix x for a copy of the Thoms-Kilmann Conflict Mode Questionnaire you took.) It was very difficult to please and satisfy her probably because she developed irrational beliefs and prejudiced views about me. If being from Poland meant to her that I should be a nanny or cleaner she maybe believed that people of other races or backgrounds are in some way inferior and therefore deserve to be treated as second class. According to Tehrani (1996) the lack of self awareness in harassers increases their fears and prejudice. Harassers never feel strong enough to test their views objectively, preferring to live in an irrational world, where they need to continually support their prejudiced views with biased evidence. To explain even deeper her behavior I would say she portrayed the actions of a stigmatizer. Freidson (1983) stated that in Erving Goffmans theory of social stigma a stigma is an attribute, behaviour, or reputation which is socially discrediting in a particular way: it causes an individual to be mentally classified by others in an undesirable, rejected stereotype rather than in an accepted, normal one. In this managers eyes I was different; she may not want to accept me because of my nationality, my different accent, my origin. Goffman divides the individuals relation to a stigma into three categories: the stigmatized are those who bear the stigma; the normals are those who do not bear the stigma; and the wise are those among the normals who are accepted by the stigmatized as wise to their condition. I then represent a stigmatized person, the manager is normal and rest of our team can be seen as wise. Strategic Implications of the problem My case can be seen as a micro problem because it describes a situation in a small office and only a few people are involved in the conflict. I am the only person who was harmed and it could be argued that it is difficult to show macro implications from this issue. However, I would like to stress that harassment at the workplace occurs very often and causes a lot of problems. According to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) harassment in the workplace costs employers in the UK more than  £2bn per year in sick pay, staff turnover and lower productivity. 19 million working days are lost each year as a direct result of workplace harassment. 1 in 4 people report that they have experienced harassment in the last 5 years. 70% of HR professionals have witnessed or have been aware of harassment in their organisation. Organisations that fail to address the problem of unacceptable behaviour at workplace pay a heavy cost in terms of loss of staff, reduced innovation, mor ale and sickness absence. This is in addition to the cost of litigation and bad public relations (Tehrani, 1996). My issue did not affect the organisation in a significant way, except high staff retention within 1 year two office assistants left the company because of Janes difficult character. As mentioned before 25% of the population suffer from harassment. By describing my personal experience I raise an issue that affects a lot of people and something that organizations have to deal with. Harassment is related with work relationship one of the main themes which are described in this paper. According to Tehrani (1996) harassment has a number of common elements; it involves a hurtful behaviour, this behaviour is repeated over a period of time and the person being harassed finds it difficult to defend themselves. People being harassed will also have difficulty in being rational in their thinking, believing the acts or views of a harasser are the views of everyone else. When I was working for Cheniere I was felling sad, negative and worthless. In addition my feelings were heightened with outbursts of anger, crying, loneliness and hurt. Lack of pleasure in almost everything that I was doing was significant and difficult to cope with. Being humiliated resulted in the lack of self confidence to assert myself and challenge the unacceptable behaviour of operations manager. It needs to be added that harassment is linked with stress. Guirdham (2002) stated: Some of the major effects of stress include sleep trouble, tiredness, being unable to cope well in conflict situations, wanting to be left alone, smoking, drinking and eating too much, being unable to influence or persuade people and finding it difficult to get up in the mornings. I recall that I was often very tired, could not sleep, and did not want to see my friends or family. Some people were asking me why I let her be abusive and rude towards me. The answer is because she had power over me. As I mentioned I held the lowest position in the office and I was supposed to listen to everyone and doing whatever they needed at work. Among French and Ravens (1959) power sources there is one which can be implemented in this situation coercive power. (Podsakoff and Schriesheim, 1985) Threats and punishment are common tools of coercion. I was often given undesirable tasks by Jane. There is one in particular where she spilled tea on her desk and asked me to clean it. My example demonstrates that this source of power can often lead to problems and in many circumstances it involves abuse. Coercive power can cause unhealthy behaviour and dissatisfaction in the workplace. (mindtools.com) From my above evaluation it can be stated that the operations manager was definitely my significant other at that time. She had very strong influence on my self-esteem and my behaviour. Many organisations and their managers and executives are guilty of ignoring, tolerating or sustaining conflicts and harassment (Guirdham, 2002). This statement confirms the behaviour of my director who was trying to explain me that I should accept the fact that Jane is generally a difficult person and therefore should not take it personally what she says and how she behaves. Lack of leadership qualities can be seen in my bosss attitude. A large portion of the existing literature on leadership focuses only on the positive traits of leaders. However, the so-called dark side of leadership, or negative personal traits of leaders, has received relatively less attention. Also, in practice, leadership is mostly evaluated in terms of the positive traits and strengths of leaders, even though certain organizational factors and followers characteristics significantly contribute to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of leaders (Toor and Ogunlana, 2009). The director was not an effective leader . A leader  who lacks character or integrity will not be seen as a competent one. Even though he was intelligent, affable, persuasive, or savvy, he was also prone to rationalizing unethical behaviour. Office harassment is a very unethical issue and should be resolved by a companys leader, but it was not in my case. Moreover leaders not attuned to the needs of the employees are not effective either. Successful leaders focus on workers satisfaction and loyalty. They should find ways to consistently engage them and incorporate them into companys policies and make sure they know and obey their code of conduct. If they ignore, mistreat, or otherwise do not value their employees, they will not be valued for competences. Furthermore good leaders should communicate effectively across mediums, constituencies, environments of course employees. My boss was aware that Janes behavior was harmful but did not react and did not want to be involved in the conflict. This observation can lead to a s tatement that the director represented a laissez faire leadership style. According to Flynn (2009) this type of a leader describes passive leaders who are reluctant to influence subordinates or give direction. They generally refrain from participating in group or individual decision making and to a large extent, abdicate their leadership role. Subordinates are given considerable freedom of action and, therefore, seem likely to maximize their power and influence. Although laissez- faire leadership can be very successful in some environments where followers are responsible for self-monitoring, problem solving in my case it was not what I needed. I was looking for a mediator in my conflict with Jane, someone who can direct and take steps to resolve the problem. From Blake Mouton Managerial Grid perspective, it could be argued that the director represented Impoverished Leadership which is known for creating a work environment that is not satisfying and not motivating. The result is a pl ace of disorganization, dissatisfaction and disharmony. (Rollinson, 2005) My boss had low concern for employee satisfaction because knowing I was depressed and was in a conflict he was not concerned about it. A major danger of stereotyping is that it can block out accurate perception of an individual and lead to potential situation of prejudice or discrimination. This in consequence can build communication barriers. Janes tendency to ascribe negative characteristics to me on the basis of a general categorisation was a simplified process of her perception. Her stereotyping process based on my nationality and education had a significant implication to the atmosphere in our office and my wellbeing. Her prejudice caused communication problem between us. According to Erven (2008) stereotyping is a barrier to communication when it causes people to act as if they already know the message that is coming from the sender or worse, as if no message is necessary because everybody already knows. People stereotype genders, races, religions, and cultures. They combine them to say things but often incorrectly creating assumptions. Stereotypes develop from reality. Poles steal British jobs became a stereotype because a lot of Poles are poor and had to learn how to survive and came here to look for a job but they do not deserve to be stereotyped. It might be true that most of Polish women work as nannies or cleaners but, it does not identify me, my needs, and my weaknesses. So if Jane used the stereotypical view of Polish women towards me, she missed who I actually am, as an individual. I wanted to communicate, talk to her and did not want to be lost in the stereotypical concept. People are complex and need to be understood as individuals, not stereotypes. Uniqueness is what gets lost in the stereotypes and lack of proper communication. People should listen, understand, consider the whole person, and that requires rejecting the preconceived assumptions, based on the stereotypes t hat are created and used. Communication is at the heart of many interpersonal problems faced by employers. Understanding the communication process and then working at improvement provide a recipe for becoming more effective communicators. Knowing the common barriers to communication is the first step to minimizing their impact. Stereotyping is a barrier to proper communication, it cannot just disrupt communication, it can destroy it. The significance of non-verbal communication and body language need to be evaluated in this report as in my case it was more important than verbal communication. According to Mullins (2005) non-verbal communication includes inferences drawn from posture, gesture, touch, invasion of personal space, extent of eye contact, tone of voice or facial expression. Very often the operations manger was using proper language and if was not obvious for others to see the conflict between us and her antipathy. Her tone of voice and facial expression were sending messages that I was not accepted and were unwelcomed. Mullins (2005) adds also that in our face-to face communication with other people the messages about our feelings and attitudes come only 7 per cent from the words we use, 38 per cent from our voice and 55 per cent from body language, including facial expression. Significantly, when body language such as gestures and tone of voice conflicts with the words, greater emphasis is likely to be placed on the non-verbal message. He also suggests that when verbal and non-verbal messages are in conflict (like in my case regarding communication with the operations manager) accepted wisdom is that the non-verbal signals should be the ones to rely on, and that what is not said is frequently louder than what is said, revealing attitudes and feelings in a way words cannot express. Alternative options for resolving problem Leave the job or stay. People have bad days at work. But if that bad day is every day, it might be time to consider leaving the job. Some causes of job dissatisfaction are impossible to alter, and in this case employees may well be better off making an exit. Leaving the job is usually a very difficult decision and can often cause mixed emotions: joy because of moving on to something better, sadness at losing people we enjoyed work with, relief we dont have to cope with the problem and conflicts anymore. Uncertainty about the future and new job has usually a big impact on peoples decisions. I was also concerned about my future. Staying with Cheniere was an alternative, but I was concerned how I can change the atmosphere and Janes behaviour. Talking to her or to my boss were the options to make my work conditions better. Alternatively I could stay with the company and try to accept the environment and ambiance, and try to reduce sensitivity to hostility or displays of prejudice. Mullins (2005) evaluated difficult people: Perhaps our reluctance to identify, and then directly address, conflict within organisations is based upon the widely held belief that conflict is inevitable, negative and unmanageable. There is a tendency to see conflict as a result one persons personality. Conflict may be inevitable, but how dramatically situations could be changed if we could also view it as positive and manageable. What if we think of these situations as raising questions of difference? What if we were to make a shift away from blaming individuals and their personalities, recognizing instead that it is through normal hum an interaction that outward expressions of difference are produced? Unfortunately coping with difficult people is not one of my strong points. Another option was to beat her at her own game. Act like her, be unsympathetic, telling colleagues how unfair she is. This option would be very difficult because she held higher position and therefore had power and because I respect people it wound be something against my values and beliefs. Choice of option I was trying to resolve the problem. I talked to the director but was ignored and was told that I should accept the situation as it is and accept Janes behaviour because she is difficult and she is not going to change her attitude. Another advice was that I should be less emotional and try to be mentally stronger. He did not wish to speak to Jane to ask to change her attitude and help her to cope with her hostile behaviour. Tehrani (1996) argue that the role of leader in developing the skills which enable people to communicate in an open and assertive manner is perhaps one of the most effective tools in addressing conflicts. The support of an assertive and caring manager is an important aspect of rehabilitating a harasser. Harassers need support when they are developing the new skills and behaviors in communication which will replace the harassing behaviours. I also talked to Jane but I was told that I read her intentions badly. She was trying to tell me that there was no issue betwe en us and I should not waste her time for such conversations. Rationale for choice Because I had an interesting job, was satisfied with my compensation I did not want to leave thus I was trying to find a resolution. I was not accepted by one of the co-workers but I did not want to be a victim of harassment. I was trying to be a survivor. According to Tehrani (1996) victims of harassment frequently express the view that there is little they can do to prevent the harassment taking place. They have no choice but to put up with what is being done to them. This perception of lack of personal control or power must be changed if the harassee is ever to make sense of what has happened to them. Survivors, on the other hand, are able to begin to make choices and decisions about what they want to do to stop or resolve the harassment. Survivors of harassment take an active part in deciding how they would like things to be handled when resolving their problems. They are keen to take responsibility for making things happen, rather than behaving passively, allowing others, howeve r well meaning, to take over control. One of the main skills survivors of harassment learn is to be assertive in expressing what they want and do not want to happen during the harassment investigation; to be able to say yes or no regardless of the wishes of others. Assertiveness is also one of the most important skills needed to prevent harassees becoming victims of harassment in the future. Finally the survivors of harassment are able to look forward to the future, a future without harassment, while the victims concentrate on the harassment itself, rather than on how they can change things to prevent the harassment occurring again. Although I was trying to help myself, was looking for help from the directors and also arranged a meeting with Jane, nothing changed. Implementation of Option I eventually decided to leave. It took me 2 weeks to find another job. The difference in the working environment was immense. New co-workers were pleasant and friendly. I am glad that I took control over the situation and left the company. I will never fully forget this experience but sometimes we should experience and accept the extremes, because if the contrast is lost, we lose appreciation. Time for Implementation I was working for this company for 5 months before handing in my resignation. Conclusion In recent years there has been an increasing recognition of the harm that could be done to individuals who become the victims of harassment or bullying. Although there have been significant moves to introduce legislation and guidelines that deal with the introduction of organizational policy and procedures on harassment and bullying, the occurrence of harassment is still common in many British organizations. My case in this paper can be perceived as a representation of this problem for many organizations. This is not an easy issue to deal with for mangers, people who cause harassment and most of all for people who suffer from hostile behavior. Background and causes of such conflicts are often implicit and not easy to resolve. Understanding the communication process and communication barriers is important to effectively control the problem. Leadership skills and appropriate use of power can be crucial.

industrial revolution :: essays research papers

The Industrial revolution was a time of drastic change and transformation from hand tools, and hand made items to machine manufactured and mass produced goods. This change helped life, but also hindered it as well. Pollution, such as CO2 levels in the atmosphere, rose, working conditions declined, and the number of women and children working increased. The government, the arts, literature, music and architecture and man's way of looking at life all changed during the period. Two revolutions took place, both resulting in productive but also dire consequences. Before the first industrial revolution, England's economy was based on its cottage industry. Workers would buy raw materials from merchants, take it back to their cottages, hence the name, and produce the goods at their home. It was usually was owned and managed by one or more people, who were generally close to the workers. There was a good worker/boss relationship, which was demolished and destroyed by capitalism. This industry was efficient but the workers productivity was low, making costs higher. The longer it took one person to manufacture a product, the higher the price. Subsequently, goods were high in price and exclusive only to the wealthy people. The year was 1733, the demand for cotton cloth was high, but production was low. This crisis had to be solved or England's economy would be hindered. The answer came from a British weaver, John Kay, who invented and fashioned the flying shuttle, which cut weaving time in half. John Kay was a pioneer and his invention paved the way for numerous inventors. Although at first, many workers didn't accept machines, in fact, many inventions were destroyed, but what was inevitable, couldn't be stopped. The machines had made their way to England, and nothing could stop them. By the 1750's, the industrial Revolution had begun. At first, inventions were strictly limited to cotton weaving. Inventions such as the spinning jenny and the water-powered frame, both of which provided spinning yarn faster, the spinning mule, the power loom and the cotton gin, all helped the manufacture of cotton goods by speeding up the process. Mass production had begun, along with capitalism. Capitalist, people who have their own materials, money and space, bought many machines and stored them in a factory, where hired people worked the whole day manufacturing goods. The factory system had replaced the cottage industry. Mass production made usually expensive items, such as shoes, less expensive and easily affordable by lower class and less wealthy people.

My Philosophy of Education :: Teaching Teachers Educational Essays

My Philosophy of Education Mrs. Carson stands at the front of the classroom explaining the homework she had just assigned. She hears a few muffled voices in the back and directs her attention to those students. One of the boys raises his hand in a nervous manner wondering if he should follow through with the question. Mrs. Carson calls on him to speak and he asks, "When are we ever going to use this in the real world?" This question is one that every teacher hears his or her students ask. The question for me is, Should we change the curriculum of the school so students won't be able to ask that, or should we change the method of teaching in the classroom so the students won't want to ask that question?" In my opinion, the answer lies in the philosophical approaches of behaviorism and progressivism in the classroom. There are different aspects of behaviorism in which B.F. Skinner noted, that I would like to take into my class. I am a big advocate of positive reinforcement. I see where rewarding the students for doing something correctly and doing it well encourages them to continue in that like manner. In this approach, the students will learn the material even if they are not sure what effect it will have on them in their future. The goal in this philosophy is to turn the extrinsic rewards I give the students into intrinsic rewards, over a period of time. when I was in elementary and junior high school, the only reason I wanted to make good grades was for gifts (mostly money) and praise given by my parents and teachers. As I got a little older and went into high school and later college, I started wanting to do better because of the satisfaction I would find with myself. The philosophy of behaviorism also deals with the big role environment plays in a student's academic career. I completely agree. Throughout junior high and most of high school, I had the worst science teachers anybody could possibly imagine. In the ninth grade, my teacher was always preparing a lab for us...but during out class period. Amazingly, we never did anything because he could never find the right materials.

Deafness and the Power of Signing Essay -- Sign Language Deaf Communic

Deafness and the Power of Signing When the deaf Miss America spoke to a crowd of thousands about overcoming her handicap, deaf people across America were disgusted. Deafness is not a handicap, I have been told again and again. It is a cultural identity, a way of life, a choice, even (some hard-of hearing people speak of the time when they had to decide, deaf or hearing), but never a handicap, never something to be overcome. The sign for people like Miss America is the sign for hearing, with the forefinger circling up by the forehead instead of down by the mouth. She thinks she's hearing, is what it means. There is also a sign for the reverse: some hearing people get so involved in the deaf community that they think they are deaf, like the woman who pretended to be deaf and got to be in one of those real-life Saturn Commercials. She was a minor celebrity until she was found out - an investigative reporter called her house and she answered the phone. Afterward there was an outpouring of letters to DeafLife magazine fr om people who said they had known all along her signing was not perfect, and the sign she made up for Saturn in the commercial was not in accordance with the deep structure of American Sign Language. American Sign Language is a naturally acquired language; my sister, at five, has perfect ASL grammar and sentence structure, something I will never really have. Grammar in ASL is about your face: eyebrows are lifted for yes or no questions, scrunched together for wh- questions. When signing the word "big", say "Cha" with your voice. It is important to look the signer in the face; use peripheral vision to absorb the hand and arm movements. This, of course is not as easy as it sounds - deaf people have extraordi... ...cks views the uprising as the deaf community's coming of age, the time they decided to go on their own, and it was the beginning of a resurgence of deaf pride which had been waning since Clerc's days. 3. Cohen, Leah Hager. Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World. New York: Random House, 1994. The title refers to a sign expression, the sign equivalent of "you missed the boat." When Leah Cohen was growing up, her father was the principal of Lexington School for the Deaf, an oral school in New York. Cohen learned ASL as an adult and shows a deep love and respect for the language, but she is not convinced that an exclusively ASL education is the best solution. She believes in a compromise between ASL and speech, that oral education is still important, particularly for poorer deaf children, who have fewer opportunities to work in the deaf community or with interpreters.

Pepsi vs Coke Brand Positioning

Week 5: Branding and Positioning Reading: * Articles – Please be sure to read all articles and view all videos listed. They are short but insightful. 1. Interbrand Names 100 Best Global Brands http://www. marketingpilgrim. com/2010/09/interbrand-names-100-best-global-brands. html 2. What P&G Taught Me About Brands http://maxbrandequity. com/Documents/What%20PG%20taught%20me%20about%20Brands. pdf 3. The Power of Brand Equity http://www. thinkingleaders. om/archives/964 Questions: Write what you believe are the current global brand positionings for Coke and Pepsi (the brands, not the companies)? Few other companies in the world have been able to construct and manage their brands as well as these companies. Much of the successful of these companies can be attributed to way in which they have managed their soft drink brands. Coke has positioned itself as an integral, crucial part of people’s everyday lives.The brand, particularly through its commercials, creates intimac y with its consumers by evoking memories and experiences with the brand and their unique selling proposition â€Å"live the Coke side of life† is a prime example of this. It’s an invitation to live on the positive side of life, with Coke. It invites people to create their own positive reality and overall says, only Coke will do because essentially, Coke is happiness in a bottle. Importantly, from a global marketing perspective, it allows each country the opportunity to interpret their own moments of happiness and the brand’s role in those moments.Pepsi’s new global brand positioning (announced this year) is reflected in their caption â€Å"Live for Now† which invites and inspires Pepsi fans to live each moment to the fullest through a breadth of global, pop-culture platforms, including relationships with music and entertainment brand evangelists, digital innovation, epic events and unique partnerships. This positioning enables the brand to pursue n ew partnerships with some of the world’s leading artists and entertainment properties.Do you believe the global positioning is different from the positioning these brands are utilizing in your home country? If yes, please provide the positioning in your home country and explain why you think it is different. The global positioning of Coke and Pepsi is the same around the world by way of general theme and overall message, however due to the differences in culture and society across the globe, the execution of the company’s respective positionings must be different for each of the markets that they serve.As each country/region of the world is quite different, it is imperative that the message is tailored in a way that is relevant and best captures the target market. For example, the recent Coke advertisement in Australia depicts a group of friends playing around on a boat off the coast (presumably of Australia) which clearly taps into the Australian beach culture. This m essage of joy and happiness is still carried but it’s made more relevant to the particular market which it is serving by the way in which the message is constructed and contextualised.The Interbrand report indicates that the Coke brand is much more valuable as an asset than the Pepsi brand. Please explain why you believe this is true, being sure to comment on: a. Strength of positioning – Coke has positioned itself more emotively than Pepsi as is evident in many of Coke‘s advertisements over the years which moreso depict the human experience through a strong emphasis on families and the community. b.Key points of parity and points of difference – both emotive in their message, but different in that Coke really taps into the general consumer’s happy experience with the brand, whereas Pepsi I believe is more targeted (particularly to the youth market) and has the image of being high-energy and action-oriented, and I think a large part of their target audience associate themselves with the brand because of that image. They are similar in that both brands consider themselves to be bold and refreshing. c.Whether any of these points of difference are competitive advantages – Coke’s positioning, with its strong association to feelings of joy and happiness, I believe gives it a competitive advantage in that these feelings and positive connections with happiness give it timeless appeal, whereas Pepsi seems to be more in-the-moment and almost â€Å"timely† by comparison. Coke, I feel, represents a state of permanent happiness whereas Pepsi is all about excitement, which we all know, is an emotion that is often fleeting. This position of happiness/longevity, I believe, is more attractive to consumers. . Line extension strategy Having a strong brand that consumers are loyal to allows an organization to extend its line of products and bring to market new products more easily.If Coke’s brand is stronger and bette r positioned (which I believe it is), then by extension, it will be of greater value since the introduction of new products can more easily be made, and therefore, new revenue streams open up for the company. There are, of course, risks associated with line extension, however if managed well, leveraging an existing brand can be of enormous financial benefit to a company. . International presence – I think Coke’s broader appeal to such human states as joy and happiness allows the brand to resonate more strongly across cultures whereas Pepsi, with its greater reliance on pop-culture and entertainment artists makes it more restricted in its global reach. Clearly, Michael Jackson will have less appeal in a developing country than in the United States, however Coke’s association with feelings of joy, family and life more generally can, as a message, be more easily carried across borders and into countries.