Spanish National Anthem

At times, our political and cultural landscape can seem like an endless parade of divisive controversy. We cannot agree, so why not disagree—and disagree loudly? The latest war of debate and rhetoric centers around the presence of illegal aliens within our country’s borders. Should they stay? Should they go? While the subjects themselves protest in the streets, individuals of all creeds and colors are waging a ping-pong of protests across air waves and across coffee tables. Through these spirited arguments, a symbol of the nation’s division has emerged, and—ironically enough—it is one of the core symbols of America itself.The current battleground in the illegal immigration debate concerns the recent release of a Spanish version of the United States national anthem. Titled â€Å"Nuestro Himno† (â€Å"Our Anthem†), the controversial translation of â€Å"The Star-Spangled Banner† is being produced by Urban Box Office president and British-born Adam Kidron; it is being performed by popular Latin stars such as Wyclef Jean, Pitbull, Olga Tanon, and Carlos Ponce (Associated Press, 2006). Is this translation an attempt at American assimilation, as its defenders claim? I believe that the answer is no. If the song were a true attempt at honoring America, it might be understandable. However, â€Å"Nuestro Himno† is nothing more than a political tool whose purpose is more division. Further, it is an indirect assault on one of our nation’s most sacred symbols.The song’s producer defends its release by claiming that it is a means for more people  to understand and learn the national anthem: â€Å"There’s no attempt to usurp anything. The intent is to communicate†¦.and also express to express gratitude and patriotism to the United States†¦.†However, in the very same interview, Kidron (the producer) reveals a deeper intention: â€Å"I wanted to show my thanks to these people (who)†¦.do the jobs I don’t want to do† (Associated Press, 2006). This song is being released less as an ode to America and more of an ode to illegal immigrants. If not, then why was the song’s release timed to coincide with the immigration protests and Congress’ debates about illegal immigration? Why are a large chunk of the profits produced by the song going to immigration groups?Why did the record label encourage Latin-themed radio stations to concurrently play the song at a certain time, in a show of â€Å"solidarity†? Why do many of these radio station employees (whom one would expect to be the strongest supporters) question the motives of the song? â€Å"We should be trying to assimilate, not aggravate,† says one Latin radio host.An immigration web magazine writer adds, â€Å"If you want to say all those things, by all means, put them on your poster board, but don’t put them on the national anthem† (Associated Press, 2006). And what â€Å"things† is the latter referring to? It seems that in June the song will be released as a remix, and several lines will be added to the song, including: â€Å"These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws †¦ let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born† (Wides-Munoz, 2006). This remix begs the question, When did â€Å"mean laws† become an adjective for â€Å"gratitude and patriotism†?This song is not a celebration or even a mere translation of the national anthem. It is literal rewriting and bastardization of our country’s symbolic history into a weapon of political propaganda. Sure, pop, rock, and country versions of the anthem may exist, but all of these versions honor the words of the song. Yet not one verse of â€Å"Nuestro Himno† stays true to the English-versed national anthem. Following is one excerpt of the translation:The glow of battle, in step with li berty My people keep fighting It's time to break the chains At night they said: â€Å"It's being defended!† Oh say! Your starry beauty is still unfolding. (Online extra, 2006)How many words do we find in this version that are also included in the original?†¦two.Could anyone even say (without deep examination) which verse of the national anthem thisâ€Å"translation† derives from? Sad to say, the first question which enters my mind upon reading thisverse is who â€Å"My people† are? Is the song remembering the American soldiers who fought fortheir country, as Francis Scott Key did? Or is â€Å"My people† simply another coded ode to illegal  immigrants?â€Å"The Star-Spangled Banner† is a celebration of all that America stands for. Its author  poured these lyrics out of his soul in a burst of inspiration. Something stirred inside him as he  witnessed his flag flying proudly, withstanding a night full of â€Å"bombs† and â€Å"rocke ts† from  enemy forces. The poem (and subsequent song) captured the bravery, loyalty, and independence  which that flag came to symbolize. Why did these verses survive over a century—faithfully sung  in everything from bars to baseball games?   Why did the song officially become our national  anthem in 1931? It spoke to the hearts of the American people, and to the soul of America itself.As the president himself says, â€Å"One of the important things here is that we not lose our national  soul† (Associated Press, 2006). If we allow our country’s most sacred symbols to be tarnished by  politics, we will lose. The only way to ensure that does not happen with our national anthem is to  preserve it and protect it in the form which its creator intended: English. Assimilation means  blending in, and America is for all intents and purposes an English-speaking nation. A Spanish  national anthem does not assimilate our principles; it rejects th em.We do not change our national animal symbol (the bald eagle) because some might prefer  a turkey. We do not alter our national colors because some might be offended by red, white, and  blue. And we never, ever compromise our American democracy:USA Today/Gallup Poll:69%–the national anthem should only be sung in EnglishReferencesAssociated Press. (2006). Oh say can you see the national anthem in Spanish? Retrieved May 2,  2006, from CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/28/anthem.inspanish.ap/Online extra: English translation of Spanish-language version of national anthem. (2006).Retrieved May 2, 2006, from Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/ ci_3764054?source=rssWides-Munoz, Laura. (2006). Spanish ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ draws ire. Retrieved   May 2,2006, from My Way News: http://apnews.myway.com/article/ 20060428/

Cross Culture

Introduction: Introduction Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizations so that an understanding response results. Simply we can say, Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more person. The transmission of the sender’s ideas to the receiver and the receiver’s feedback or reaction to the sender constitute the communication cycle. SENDERRECEIVER InputOutput [pic] Feedback Brain drain Brain drain Brain drain Fig- 01: Communication Cycle Culture is an idea in the field of management which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization. Culture is a complex concept. In other words, culture is central to what we see, how we make sense of what we see, and how we express ourselves. Objective of the Report: The Primary Objective of this report is to analysis of cross cultural communication in IBM. The report has accumulated information to know about company’s cross cultural communication, to find out its positive and productive communication in their organization and does the work effectively. Methodology: Sources of data: †¢ Secondary Data: All the data and information are collected from secondary sources. Cross-Cultural Communication: The success of a business depends on its ability to communicate. Communication serves as the medium for instruction, assessment, interpersonal relationships, group interactions and all other interaction that takes place in business. With globalization, business is no longer constrained within the boundaries of a single country. Large business organizations have corporate offices in different parts of the world. They need to communicate in order to promote coordination. Also in multinational companies people from different parts of the world are employed. The way an individual communicates, is influenced by his or her culture. Hence in today’s increasing global economy, it is important for managers and employees at all levels to understand, appreciate, and manage the impact of cross-cultural communication in the workplace. As our world grows, expands and becomes increasingly more interconnected by various technological advances, the need for effective communication among various cultures is increasing. People from different backgrounds tend to perceive information differently. Hence, misinterpretation of information can lead to conflict. Cross cultural communication is of great importance through out the world. Though in our country, due to the lack of cultural diversity, cross cultural communication is not treated with that much importance. But still with the advancement of technology we have to interact with businesspeople in faraway countries and for this we need know about effective techniques of cross cultural communication Definition of Cross-Cultural Communication: To understand cross cultural communication first we need to know what culture is. Culture refers to a group or community with which we share common experiences that shape the way we understand the world. Cross-cultural communication looks at how people, from differing cultural backgrounds, endeavor to communicate. It is more frequently referred to as Intercultural communication. (Ramsey, 1999). Culture refers to all the knowledge and values shared by a society. The word culture is often considered in terms of nationality or one's country of origin. Other more specific distinguishing characteristics of culture are region, orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation and preference, age, marital and parental status. Another approach to understanding the concept of culture involves the beliefs, values and norms that exist to guide an individual's behaviors in solving common problems. Culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and generate behavior (Porter, 1991). Culture is the shared customs, beliefs, and social structures that make up a society, including languages, rules, myths, family patterns, and political systems. (Boone et al. 1997). Cross cultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual processing tool with which people from different cultures create shared meanings (Berko et al. , 1997). When we speak to someone with whom we share little or no cultural bond, it is referred to as cross cultural communication. Our need to communicate across culture can be very beneficial personally and professionally. Within an intercultural setting, nonverbal and verbal communications are both prevalent in emphasizing the differences in cultures. The way we act and the things we say determine whether or not we belong in a certain culture. Nonverbal communication systems provide information about the meaning associated with the use of space, time, touch and gestures. They help to define the boundaries between the members and nonmembers of a culture (Hofstede, 1991). Hence, Cross Cultural Communication is the communication that takes place among people from different cultures. Cross cultural communication does not only mean face to face communication it includes all forms of written and oral communication. History of Cross-Cultural Communication: The need for Cross-Cultural communication was felt with the spread of global commerce. It is very tough to get the specific date when cross-cultural communication started. Initial initiatives in cross-cultural communication were taken in different countries in different time period. One of the pioneers of the computer industry, IBM started cross cultural communication in 1953. It was introduced by the CEO of that time Thomas J. Watson Jnr. According to Thomas it was the policy of IBM to hire talented people regardless of race, color and background. During 1978-83, the Dutch cultural anthropologist Geert Hofstede conducted detailed interviews with hundreds of IBM employees in 53 countries. Through standard statistical analysis of fairly large data sets, he was able to determine patterns of similarities and differences among the replies. In the year 1991, Geert Hofstede undertook the first global studies on how a specific business culture, at the time one of the most widely distributed companies, interacted with the local cultures of some 39 different countries. Another professional development initiative is IBM’s Shade of blues – a more in-depth program for managers who are engaged in cross-cultural business interactions or have multicultural teams. Recent Research on Cross-Cultural Communication: As people from different cultural groups take on the exciting challenge of working together, cultural values sometimes conflict. We can misunderstand each other, and react in ways that can hinder what are otherwise promising partnerships. Oftentimes, we aren't aware that culture is acting upon us. Sometimes, we are not even aware that we have cultural values or assumptions that are different from others. One of the major barriers in business communication is cultural diversity. Many communication researchers are trying to find out new and effective ways to improve cross cultural communication. In many cases patients face problems with both translation difficulties and not being able to see the type clearly. As a result they are sometimes unable to take their prescriptions correctly. Many of the pharmaceuticals around the world have been trying to solve this problem. Recently they have come up with a tool which can print instructions for taking medicine in 11 different languages on the prescription bottle labels. Patients no longer have to depend on translation from a friend or relative to make sure they are taking their prescriptions correctly. The languages include English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Polish, Russian or Portuguese. The tool is also equipped to print a 20- point type versus the typical smaller type, for those patients who prefer larger printed labels on the bottle labels to easily identify their medicines and how to take them. On July 6, 2005 Mark Nash, an American entrepreneur created a cross-cultural website created especially for non-resident Indians and offshore call center personnel (Nash, 2005). The website www. intro2america. om was designed to provide information about American culture. It was also designed to provide information to call center personnel who speak with Americans on a daily basis as part of their job responsibilities. The site is designed to make the transition to American lifestyle easier and reduce the difficulties & misunderstandings upon first moving to the States. The site provides useful information, which is related specifically to cross-cultural types of issues. Moving from an Asian culture to a Western culture can be challenging. The site was designed for the specific purpose of easing the transition to American way of life, for those who are moving to the United States (See Appendix for the sample of the website). To serve customers from diversified cultures, they have taken a great deal of effort and time to analyze what their customers around the globe want. To achieve this they are trying to understand their customer’s behavior, cultural and spending patterns when they fly with Malaysia Airlines. The airliner has successfully catered to the demands of wide variety global customers around the world. Application in the work place: IBM, the leading business organization in computer sector, has a huge diverse workforce from the very beginning. They have concentration to manage the cross cultural communication among these employees. Here we have selected IBM’s Australia branch to present as an example of cross cultural environment where employees are working together with their cultural differences. IBM has developed their cross-cultural program based on the legal requirements of Anti- Discrimination Act & Racial Discrimination Act and corporate values. IBM’s policies on cultural diversity are based on years of corporate experience. It is a long-held view that by valuing diversity, it uncovers new perspectives, taps different knowledge and experience and generates innovative ideas, suggestions and methods. Three pillars that are in place to make up IBM’s diversity strategy are: †¢ Creating a work/life balance: Their strategy is to find the average working age of general Australians through statistical findings and fix age limit for average Australians. †¢ Advancement of women: They think women should contribute more to the workplace. So, they encourage participation of women. †¢ Integration of people with a disability: IBM authority thinks that they have a social responsibility for physically and mentally disable people. The authority always tries to create some opportunity of employment for those people. IBM’s most effective diversity programs combine ‘push and pull’ strategies. They have made good headway through company-led, top down practices such as formalized training or policies like floating cultural holidays. However, IBM’s progress comes about through the contributions by individuals who are passionate about diversity issue. Aside from IBM’s diversity team within human resources, three other groups within IBM have formally identified roles in the implementation of the company’s overall diversity strategy. These are IBM’s Diversity Council, diversity contact officers and diversity champions. The Diversity Council The main objective of the IBM’s Diversity Council, is to ensure that the contribution of employees from different background is properly encouraged and valued. Its key objectives are to enhance employee awareness, increase management awareness, and encourage the effective use of IBM’s diverse workforce. This is achieved through personal commitment, regular communication, by gaining support for the program from other IBM managers and influencing decision making. Under the guidance of the Diversity Council, a series of cultural diversity employee roundtables have been held to gather more face-to-face feedback and ideas from staff. These meetings have generated many practical ideas for increasing awareness of cultural diversity within IBM. Professional development IBM has a professional development program. The objective of this program is to ensure that the employees within the organization can identify and remove psychological barriers of diverse workforce and communicate effectively. The main focuses of this program are: †¢ Understanding the cultural bias of each team member and their impact on mutualperceptions. †¢ Determine the reasons why certain behaviors and communication styles fail in somecultures. †¢ Identifying approaches to address cultural gaps that could lead to misunderstandings. †¢ Handling issues about team decision-making, giving or receiving feedback and conflict resolution. Findings: IBM, One of the pioneers of the computer industry started cross cultural communication in 1953. †¢ They think women should contribute more to the workplace. So, they encourage participation of women. †¢ IBM authority thinks that they have a social responsibility for physically and mentally disable people. The authority always tries to create some opportunit y of employment for thosepeople. Recommendations: Considering research and the case of IBM, we have some recommendation here which will decrease discrimination and increase production by making the flow of cross-cultural communication fluent. Those recommendations are as follows: ? IBM should compare their policy for cross cultural communication with others, so that they can get some new ideas to implement in their organization. It will help them to update existing policies as well. ? Not only the HR department of IBM, but also all other employees of the organization should be involved in the process of making cross cultural communication easier. It will help the whole organization to become a good team. ? Training and raising awareness can improve mentality of the employees towards others. They will learn to respect and honor others differences. Place people from different cultures as team leaders. If diverse employees get opportunity to work and share success they will be highly motivated. Discrimination will be dissolved from them and the communication process will work freely. ? A good idea can be to focus different segments one after another so that every segment can achieve expected mentality. This process will form unity and emotion among the employees of the organization. Discrimination will be terminated and the total organization will work as one body. ? Each program introduced in the organization should honor the basic values of the organization. Every program should ensure that none of the employees are discriminated in terms of race, national origin or religion. Conclusion: From the above research we have seen that cultural communication plays a vital role for effective communication for companies around the globe. In our country due to the lack of cultural diversity we do not have to face the problems related to intercultural communication. Many of the successful companies having corporate offices have been able to coordinate their activities through out the world through the successful implementation of cross cultural communication. One of the fore runners in this sector is definitely IBM. IBM has independent division to come up with new policies and strategies to improve cross cultural communication in the workplace. Reference: Boone, L. E. , Kurtz, D. L. , & Block, Judy R. (1997). Contemporary Business Communication (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentince-Hall. 67. Ramsey, James (1999). Available: http://encyclopedia. localcolorart. com/encyclopedia/Cross-cultural_communication/ (July, 17 2005). Carbaugh, D, (1990). Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact. New York: Pergamon Press. 19. Berko, R. , Rosengeld, L. , & Samovar, L. (1997). Connecting: A Culture Sensitive Approach to Intercultural Communication. Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace. 121. Porter, R. , and Samovar, L. (1991). Communication Between Cultures. Belmont:NTC Publishing Group. 273. Payne, C. (2001). Culture and Communication. Available: http://www2. mhc. ab. ca/users/cpayne/portfolio/cultcomm/default. htm (July, 29 2005). Appendix [pic] A sample website dedicated to understanding cross-cultural types of issues. [pic] ———————– Idea Letter, Fax, Phone call, E-mail etc. Idea Cross Culture Introduction: Introduction Communication is the process by which information is transmitted between individuals and/or organizations so that an understanding response results. Simply we can say, Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more person. The transmission of the sender’s ideas to the receiver and the receiver’s feedback or reaction to the sender constitute the communication cycle. SENDERRECEIVER InputOutput [pic] Feedback Brain drain Brain drain Brain drain Fig- 01: Communication Cycle Culture is an idea in the field of management which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization. Culture is a complex concept. In other words, culture is central to what we see, how we make sense of what we see, and how we express ourselves. Objective of the Report: The Primary Objective of this report is to analysis of cross cultural communication in IBM. The report has accumulated information to know about company’s cross cultural communication, to find out its positive and productive communication in their organization and does the work effectively. Methodology: Sources of data: †¢ Secondary Data: All the data and information are collected from secondary sources. Cross-Cultural Communication: The success of a business depends on its ability to communicate. Communication serves as the medium for instruction, assessment, interpersonal relationships, group interactions and all other interaction that takes place in business. With globalization, business is no longer constrained within the boundaries of a single country. Large business organizations have corporate offices in different parts of the world. They need to communicate in order to promote coordination. Also in multinational companies people from different parts of the world are employed. The way an individual communicates, is influenced by his or her culture. Hence in today’s increasing global economy, it is important for managers and employees at all levels to understand, appreciate, and manage the impact of cross-cultural communication in the workplace. As our world grows, expands and becomes increasingly more interconnected by various technological advances, the need for effective communication among various cultures is increasing. People from different backgrounds tend to perceive information differently. Hence, misinterpretation of information can lead to conflict. Cross cultural communication is of great importance through out the world. Though in our country, due to the lack of cultural diversity, cross cultural communication is not treated with that much importance. But still with the advancement of technology we have to interact with businesspeople in faraway countries and for this we need know about effective techniques of cross cultural communication Definition of Cross-Cultural Communication: To understand cross cultural communication first we need to know what culture is. Culture refers to a group or community with which we share common experiences that shape the way we understand the world. Cross-cultural communication looks at how people, from differing cultural backgrounds, endeavor to communicate. It is more frequently referred to as Intercultural communication. (Ramsey, 1999). Culture refers to all the knowledge and values shared by a society. The word culture is often considered in terms of nationality or one's country of origin. Other more specific distinguishing characteristics of culture are region, orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation and preference, age, marital and parental status. Another approach to understanding the concept of culture involves the beliefs, values and norms that exist to guide an individual's behaviors in solving common problems. Culture is the acquired knowledge people use to interpret experience and generate behavior (Porter, 1991). Culture is the shared customs, beliefs, and social structures that make up a society, including languages, rules, myths, family patterns, and political systems. (Boone et al. 1997). Cross cultural communication is a symbolic, interpretive, transactional, contextual processing tool with which people from different cultures create shared meanings (Berko et al. , 1997). When we speak to someone with whom we share little or no cultural bond, it is referred to as cross cultural communication. Our need to communicate across culture can be very beneficial personally and professionally. Within an intercultural setting, nonverbal and verbal communications are both prevalent in emphasizing the differences in cultures. The way we act and the things we say determine whether or not we belong in a certain culture. Nonverbal communication systems provide information about the meaning associated with the use of space, time, touch and gestures. They help to define the boundaries between the members and nonmembers of a culture (Hofstede, 1991). Hence, Cross Cultural Communication is the communication that takes place among people from different cultures. Cross cultural communication does not only mean face to face communication it includes all forms of written and oral communication. History of Cross-Cultural Communication: The need for Cross-Cultural communication was felt with the spread of global commerce. It is very tough to get the specific date when cross-cultural communication started. Initial initiatives in cross-cultural communication were taken in different countries in different time period. One of the pioneers of the computer industry, IBM started cross cultural communication in 1953. It was introduced by the CEO of that time Thomas J. Watson Jnr. According to Thomas it was the policy of IBM to hire talented people regardless of race, color and background. During 1978-83, the Dutch cultural anthropologist Geert Hofstede conducted detailed interviews with hundreds of IBM employees in 53 countries. Through standard statistical analysis of fairly large data sets, he was able to determine patterns of similarities and differences among the replies. In the year 1991, Geert Hofstede undertook the first global studies on how a specific business culture, at the time one of the most widely distributed companies, interacted with the local cultures of some 39 different countries. Another professional development initiative is IBM’s Shade of blues – a more in-depth program for managers who are engaged in cross-cultural business interactions or have multicultural teams. Recent Research on Cross-Cultural Communication: As people from different cultural groups take on the exciting challenge of working together, cultural values sometimes conflict. We can misunderstand each other, and react in ways that can hinder what are otherwise promising partnerships. Oftentimes, we aren't aware that culture is acting upon us. Sometimes, we are not even aware that we have cultural values or assumptions that are different from others. One of the major barriers in business communication is cultural diversity. Many communication researchers are trying to find out new and effective ways to improve cross cultural communication. In many cases patients face problems with both translation difficulties and not being able to see the type clearly. As a result they are sometimes unable to take their prescriptions correctly. Many of the pharmaceuticals around the world have been trying to solve this problem. Recently they have come up with a tool which can print instructions for taking medicine in 11 different languages on the prescription bottle labels. Patients no longer have to depend on translation from a friend or relative to make sure they are taking their prescriptions correctly. The languages include English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi, Polish, Russian or Portuguese. The tool is also equipped to print a 20- point type versus the typical smaller type, for those patients who prefer larger printed labels on the bottle labels to easily identify their medicines and how to take them. On July 6, 2005 Mark Nash, an American entrepreneur created a cross-cultural website created especially for non-resident Indians and offshore call center personnel (Nash, 2005). The website www. intro2america. om was designed to provide information about American culture. It was also designed to provide information to call center personnel who speak with Americans on a daily basis as part of their job responsibilities. The site is designed to make the transition to American lifestyle easier and reduce the difficulties & misunderstandings upon first moving to the States. The site provides useful information, which is related specifically to cross-cultural types of issues. Moving from an Asian culture to a Western culture can be challenging. The site was designed for the specific purpose of easing the transition to American way of life, for those who are moving to the United States (See Appendix for the sample of the website). To serve customers from diversified cultures, they have taken a great deal of effort and time to analyze what their customers around the globe want. To achieve this they are trying to understand their customer’s behavior, cultural and spending patterns when they fly with Malaysia Airlines. The airliner has successfully catered to the demands of wide variety global customers around the world. Application in the work place: IBM, the leading business organization in computer sector, has a huge diverse workforce from the very beginning. They have concentration to manage the cross cultural communication among these employees. Here we have selected IBM’s Australia branch to present as an example of cross cultural environment where employees are working together with their cultural differences. IBM has developed their cross-cultural program based on the legal requirements of Anti- Discrimination Act & Racial Discrimination Act and corporate values. IBM’s policies on cultural diversity are based on years of corporate experience. It is a long-held view that by valuing diversity, it uncovers new perspectives, taps different knowledge and experience and generates innovative ideas, suggestions and methods. Three pillars that are in place to make up IBM’s diversity strategy are: †¢ Creating a work/life balance: Their strategy is to find the average working age of general Australians through statistical findings and fix age limit for average Australians. †¢ Advancement of women: They think women should contribute more to the workplace. So, they encourage participation of women. †¢ Integration of people with a disability: IBM authority thinks that they have a social responsibility for physically and mentally disable people. The authority always tries to create some opportunity of employment for those people. IBM’s most effective diversity programs combine ‘push and pull’ strategies. They have made good headway through company-led, top down practices such as formalized training or policies like floating cultural holidays. However, IBM’s progress comes about through the contributions by individuals who are passionate about diversity issue. Aside from IBM’s diversity team within human resources, three other groups within IBM have formally identified roles in the implementation of the company’s overall diversity strategy. These are IBM’s Diversity Council, diversity contact officers and diversity champions. The Diversity Council The main objective of the IBM’s Diversity Council, is to ensure that the contribution of employees from different background is properly encouraged and valued. Its key objectives are to enhance employee awareness, increase management awareness, and encourage the effective use of IBM’s diverse workforce. This is achieved through personal commitment, regular communication, by gaining support for the program from other IBM managers and influencing decision making. Under the guidance of the Diversity Council, a series of cultural diversity employee roundtables have been held to gather more face-to-face feedback and ideas from staff. These meetings have generated many practical ideas for increasing awareness of cultural diversity within IBM. Professional development IBM has a professional development program. The objective of this program is to ensure that the employees within the organization can identify and remove psychological barriers of diverse workforce and communicate effectively. The main focuses of this program are: †¢ Understanding the cultural bias of each team member and their impact on mutualperceptions. †¢ Determine the reasons why certain behaviors and communication styles fail in somecultures. †¢ Identifying approaches to address cultural gaps that could lead to misunderstandings. †¢ Handling issues about team decision-making, giving or receiving feedback and conflict resolution. Findings: IBM, One of the pioneers of the computer industry started cross cultural communication in 1953. †¢ They think women should contribute more to the workplace. So, they encourage participation of women. †¢ IBM authority thinks that they have a social responsibility for physically and mentally disable people. The authority always tries to create some opportunit y of employment for thosepeople. Recommendations: Considering research and the case of IBM, we have some recommendation here which will decrease discrimination and increase production by making the flow of cross-cultural communication fluent. Those recommendations are as follows: ? IBM should compare their policy for cross cultural communication with others, so that they can get some new ideas to implement in their organization. It will help them to update existing policies as well. ? Not only the HR department of IBM, but also all other employees of the organization should be involved in the process of making cross cultural communication easier. It will help the whole organization to become a good team. ? Training and raising awareness can improve mentality of the employees towards others. They will learn to respect and honor others differences. Place people from different cultures as team leaders. If diverse employees get opportunity to work and share success they will be highly motivated. Discrimination will be dissolved from them and the communication process will work freely. ? A good idea can be to focus different segments one after another so that every segment can achieve expected mentality. This process will form unity and emotion among the employees of the organization. Discrimination will be terminated and the total organization will work as one body. ? Each program introduced in the organization should honor the basic values of the organization. Every program should ensure that none of the employees are discriminated in terms of race, national origin or religion. Conclusion: From the above research we have seen that cultural communication plays a vital role for effective communication for companies around the globe. In our country due to the lack of cultural diversity we do not have to face the problems related to intercultural communication. Many of the successful companies having corporate offices have been able to coordinate their activities through out the world through the successful implementation of cross cultural communication. One of the fore runners in this sector is definitely IBM. IBM has independent division to come up with new policies and strategies to improve cross cultural communication in the workplace. Reference: Boone, L. E. , Kurtz, D. L. , & Block, Judy R. (1997). Contemporary Business Communication (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentince-Hall. 67. Ramsey, James (1999). Available: http://encyclopedia. localcolorart. com/encyclopedia/Cross-cultural_communication/ (July, 17 2005). Carbaugh, D, (1990). Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact. New York: Pergamon Press. 19. Berko, R. , Rosengeld, L. , & Samovar, L. (1997). Connecting: A Culture Sensitive Approach to Intercultural Communication. Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace. 121. Porter, R. , and Samovar, L. (1991). Communication Between Cultures. Belmont:NTC Publishing Group. 273. Payne, C. (2001). Culture and Communication. Available: http://www2. mhc. ab. ca/users/cpayne/portfolio/cultcomm/default. htm (July, 29 2005). Appendix [pic] A sample website dedicated to understanding cross-cultural types of issues. [pic] ———————– Idea Letter, Fax, Phone call, E-mail etc. Idea

Changing Roles Of Nurses Nursing Essay

Changing Roles Of Nurses Nursing Essay The role of nurses has grown considerably in the last decade in accordance with the rapid changes in technology, as well as political and socio-economic developments. The perioperative practitioners play a significant part in this all nursing profession. However, the role of perioperative nurses considerably changes in the operating theater for a variety of reasons. For instance, the diverse regulations and rules clearly explain the role of these nurses in the operating room. In addition, from the viewpoint of legal, moral, and professional perspective, the role of nursing within the perioperative landscape has come many challenges. The changing environment dealing with professional accountability and its effect on the scope of nursing practice has emerged. According to Boss (2002), the changes in the nursing roles over the years have been influenced by several guiding codes; Code of Professional Conduct (UKCC 1992) and Code of Professional Conduct. These changes include the whole a rena of developing roles in perioperative nursing which include working as advanced scrub practitioner (ASP). Dowling (1996) explains that these new functions of nurses deal with principles like meeting the needs of patients, giving an all rounded, complete care as well as developing needed skills. In addition, responsibility and accountability are essential skills are required in this field. Nurses who serve as ASP have several issues to content with such as independence, professional accountability, and duty to care in addition to legal issues. Of late, nursing has developed into all the functional activities which arose as a result of the technological, socio-economical and political changes. The ASP is part of all this nursing activities since their roles always vary for several reasons in the operating theater. For instance, different regulations and rules always define the roles of the ASP nurses who operate within the theatre are generated differently. In the ethical, legal a nd professional perspectives, the ASP preoperative environments have many new challenges which must be addressed on a daily basis. The ever changing boundaries of professional responsibilities and their influence on the practice have emerged. The clinical and practice influence has influenced the academic, professional and academic development of the Scrub Theatre practitioners. The Advanced Theatre Scrub Practitioners are personally accountable for their practice and must always work in a cooperative and collaborative manner with the healthcare professionals and other people who are involved in provision of care, respect and recognize their contributions to the care team. For the Advanced Theatre Scrub Practitioners to be successful in their careers, they must be effective and always work towards achieving a certain goal. The Advanced Theatre Scrub Practitioners provide the nursing care to the patients in a perioperative environment and they also deal with the technical and instrum entation equipment that will be used during the whole process. Emotional labor is always very crucial for both the nurses and the ASP and it ahs been established to be very important in the nursing profession. In the Operating theatre, the ASP have to consider two major areas in their work which include one, to keep the surgeon dealing with the patient happy and the second, not to upset the surgeons. The second point is a big reminder that if the ASP can make the Surgeon jovial and happy, then they will be very sure that they will not upset the surgeons. It is highly recommended that the ASP maintains the emotional labor with the co-employees rather than the patients.

Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Leadership - Term Paper Example The traits required for becoming an effective leader is to firstly value the team members, developing a vision for the organization, sticking to the golden rule which is to treat the employees/team members in a respectable way. Other traits of effective leaders are to admit the mistakes if they occur and try to rectify them immediately. If employees need to be criticized, they should be done privately and not in front of the other employees. All plans should be according to the aims and objectives of the organization and leaders should work upon promoting a healthy and competitive environment of the firm. Leadership Style & Skills and Importance of attending Talks & Relationships The type of leadership skill required for a CEO of a consumer technology corporation is the democratic style of leadership and the transformational style of leadership. The final decision in this leadership style is taken by the leader but the employees or team members are allowed to give in their opinions a nd suggestions for the decisions that are to be taken by the organization. The team members’ views and suggestions are pondered upon by the leader and the best possible option is decided by the leader. The team members are actively involved in the projects and decisions and are well aware of the progress of the organization. In this type of leadership style, the level of job satisfaction among employees is high and so is the productivity level of the firm. Being a consumer technology corporation, changes in the field of technology are taking place at a dynamic mode and hence via a democratic leadership style the organization has the opportunity to be on the right track and would also be meeting the expectations of the consumers accordingly. Through the democratic leadership styles by leaders, the skills of the team members or employees are also developed. The leader also gets a chance to discuss various issues with team members and hence these talk sessions allows the confide nce and morale level of the employees to be boosted. Through such conversations, the leaders get to build upon good leader-employee relationships and hence further job issues and tasks are done is a smooth and consistent matter. These particular talk sessions helps in boosting up the productivity level of the firm. Leader following & communicating Vision & Setting the Tone The mission and vision of any organization are vital messages that need to be followed and abided by the entire organization. The vision of the firm gives direction to where the organization is headed and what it plans to achieve through its production services for the consumers. Hence it is extremely important for the leader to follow and communicate the vision of the firm in an explicit manner to the employees or team members of the organization. A leader sets the tone for the organization by developing certain sets of values and principles for the firm. The vision and mission statement reflects upon the tone of the organization and employees therefore know the direction of how they should perform their work and also know about the rules and regulations that are to be followed in the organization. By following the mission and vision, the leader is able to optimize their potential capabilities on leading the organization (Northouse, 2012). Leader Having

Reference list Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reference list - Essay Example Since early involvement is crucial in the reduction and prevention of aggression, this volume encourages professionals and researchers to acknowledge animal abuse as a human public health problem and a significant issue, which should be incorporated as a syllabus topic in teaching. The book examines the relationships between human interpersonal violence and animal maltreatment, expands the research scope in this developing area, and offers practical documentation and assessment strategies to help researchers that confront violence to perform their duties better through attending to such connections. The author incorporates data on seven kinds of child neglect and mistreatment – ranging from physical and sexual abuse to maltreatment by drug or alcohol-addicted parents – and summarizes the intricate ways by which abuse effects on later functioning of psychology. The author reframes conventional conceptions of psychopathology and defines approaches for treatment to abuse-linked Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), self-destructive behavior, borderline personality disorder, interpersonal dysfunction, and impaired self-reference. This book is a useful resource for abuse professionals and for overall therapists who wish to know the relationship between several forms of psychological trauma and the permanent effects of child abuse. Child abuse is not a new social issue, neither is it a deviant or haphazard activity. It is deemed to be an accepted portion of our tradition. While domestic aggression is currently politically recognized as among the most pervasive and entrenched form of hostility within our society, issues of child abuse have yet to gain the same scope of consideration. This is in spite of the actuality that every year, thousands of kids, suffer sexually, physically, and psychologically as an effect of

Westward Expansion Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Westward Expansion - Research Paper Example It is vital to note that manifest destiny was not an official government policy but it led to enactment and passage of policies such as the Homestead Act, which in turn motivated colonization of the West and acquisition of territories. More so, it played a vital part in the American thought of 1800s. An American newspaper editor known as John O’Sullivan was the first person to use the term manifest destiny when he was writing about the proposed annexation of Texas. It was stated that the American manifest destiny was to dominate and over-spread the continent in that via this expansion, America could be recognized economically, socially and politically superpower. In sum, O’Sullivan stated that American was chosen to play the role of expanding westward and establishing civilization (Woodworth 33). It was argued that it was the role of America to spread democratic institutions and liberty to other parts of the world. The main underlying aspect of this American mission was a strong feeling of racial and cultural superiority. Additionally, the Anglo-Saxon America stressed that they had the right to spread to the west while bringing them ideas of Protestantism and self-government. The American conflict with Mexico coincided with American’s desire for expansion. Mexico that had attained independence from Spain had initially accepted and encouraged U.S settlers in Texas but its ruler Santa Anna banned further U.S immigration. However, when Texas announced its own independence from Mexico, Santa opposed the move and vowed to put down the insurrection. This led to annexation of Texas was very controversial due to the issue of slavery. It was believed that Texas was going to add another slave state thus its bid to join the Union was threatened by the issue of slavery as it was believed that it would divide the Democratic Party. Polk encouraged and supported annexation of Texas because of the Country’s compromise on expansion. The Oregon trial was part of the concept of manifest destiny because manifest destiny was the concept that required America to expand into the western territory. Therefore, the Oregon Trail was the people who were moving or travelling from East to the West. This illustrated manifest Destiny because people on the Oregon trial were travelling and spreading out to the West, which was the central concept of manifest destiny (Rick 41-42). The idea of manifest destiny is well demonstrated in the California gold rush where gold mining led to influx of Chinese immigrants in California. This development was criticized by the Americans who lived in California because they believed that no person from other continent cold conduct business in their territory. The idea of manifest destiny was well illustrated in 1845 when James K. Polk became the president in that he initiated an aggressive expansionist plan. At this time, most of Mexican territories had been inhabited but America ignored this development and di smissed as baseless. More so, many people believed that English speaking Americans, protestant were better prepared and equipped to rule Mexican territories than Spanish speaking Mexicans or American Indians (Anders 64). The United States of America tried to purchase California and New Mexico in 1835. However, the U.S battled in the Mexican-American war, which enabled it to acquire the territories of New Mexico and California. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 During the early 1800s, slavery was the most divisive issue in the United States of America. After the revolution, most States in North of Maryland started programs of slowly outlawing slavery, and in the early years of 1800s, the States that still practiced Slavery were in the South. The Missouri compromise in 1820 was a

Answer the question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Answer the question - Assignment Example The teacher would implement a humanist view to teaching and learning in some ways. First, whenever possible, allow each student to choose the activities to complete. They would also teach their students to set attainable academic goals. Finally, the teacher would allow students to participate in group work. Terms frequently used in education are often difficult to define because there are different types of definitions. Constitutive definitions, such as those used in the dictionary, use alternative words to define a term(Fraenkel & Wallen, 2009). The terms can also be defined by example. An operational definition is the working definition of a term for a specific research undertaking. Usually, to develop a working definition, the researcher will modify scholarly definitions of a term to adapt it to their research setting, or assign a value to the term. The term "excellence" may be defined operationally by quantifying excellence. Suppose a researcher investigates the relationship between class attendance and academic excellence. The researcher may define academic excellence as a mean grade of B and above. By this definition, a student who scores a mean grade of B or above is considered to have achieved academic excellence. Otherwise, the student who scores a grade lower than B is considered having not excelled in their studies. There is some truth in the statement that clarity of definition does not always result in effective communication(Fraenkel & Wallen, 2009). This might be the case for some reasons. First, different cultures attach different meanings to the same term. Therefore, in the event that the person defining the term and its recipient are of different cultures, the term may convey a different to the recipient from the one intended by the sender. Even when used within the same culture, a term may fail to convey the intended meaning because it carries many meanings and the person defining it has

Discussion board in communication class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion board in communication class - Essay Example One more theme which is unpleasant, embarrassing, or uncomfortable for people to talk about directly is associated with using bathroom or toilet. In such cases, the following words are used: do one’s business, powder nose, answer nature’s call etc. Age is also among the themes discussed with the use of euphemisms. For instance, â€Å"mature† is used instead of â€Å"old, while â€Å"wrinkle† may be substituted by a â€Å"character line†. In other words, euphemisms make ideas sound more appropriate and respectful. There is a great difference between how men and women communicate. As the video as well as everyday life shows, women are more emotional, they lay out their feelings. In addition to this, women have very a lively way of talking, they gesticulate a lot and have noticeable variations in vocal pitch. Also, they focus mostly on details rather than on the gist of what is discussed. In their turn, men are more direct, reserved and less emotional; facts are what they need and look for in conversation (DeVito, 2004). From women, men could learn how to express empathy and sympathy in communication more than they tend to. From men, women might learn how to be more fact-oriented while communicating. Among the three listening styles, experiential, auditory, and visual, the last one suits me best. Visual listeners are able to consume more information and, consequently, be more effective in communication, by seeing people they talk to. Visual listeners are influenced by eye contact, facial expressions, and body language of those who take part in conversation. Personally for me, eye contact is one of the most essential things in communication; it is very important for me to see that a person is interested by keeping an eye contact; also, I learn a lot from a person’s body language. I believe that it is very important because it is necessary to know what the interlocutor feels at the moment of speaking. For example, very often, folded arms are

Business strategy analysis_ case Nucor corporation Essay

Business strategy analysis_ case Nucor corporation - Essay Example b) Analysis of Nucor’s challenges are exaggerated competition from global competitors, fluctuating steel cost, increased raw material cost, amplified energy cost and increasing costs to abide by the environmental convention (Nucor, 2013). d) Recommendation is provided to the company for dealing with their challenging issues. Nucor Corporation needs to practice pricing and revenue optimization which will prove to be successful technique for enabling the company to enhance profitability and competence (Nucor, 2013). e) Implementation of the plan can be possible by the contribution of the company’s readily available human resources, financial resources and time. The company has a strong organizational culture in combination with various technological innovations to support the growth plan. Nucor Corporation over the recent years has positioned itself as the fourth largest steel manufacturer by market capitalization. The chart below shows the increased revenue increase of the steel company over the two years (Whatley, 2013). The sales of the company has been rising over the several quarters, now having revenue increase of 15%. Due to the tremendous consolidation of the steel industry and monopolistic US steel market conditions, the company did not cut its prices much in order to respond to down market in the current years. Nucor Corporations net sales declined due to selling less steel and not lowering prices of steel. The company is making attempts to grow in the UK economic downturn and trying to build a long term value for their shareholders (Dzielinski, 2013). Nucor Corporation is also facing a tough competition from other leading foreign steel manufacturers which are offering steel products in highly competitive prices. Nucor Corporation has positioned itself as the global leader in environmental performance. According to the analysis of the case study the company has been able to make improvements in revenues and

Women Roles in Near and Middle Eastern, African and European Societies Research Paper

Women Roles in Near and Middle Eastern, African and European Societies - Research Paper Example Prior to the advent of Islam, the role and status of women was dependent on the tribe and area they belonged to or e.g. the Bedouin, the tribes of the south of the Arabian Peninsula, the tribes of Mecca etc. But the overall condition was still very bad because of the prevalence of customs like infanticide and unlimited polygamy. Women had virtually no legal status and no right to either inheritance or to divorce. V. M. Moghadam studied their situation and argues that the position of women was mostly influenced by the extent of urbanization, industrialization, and the political ploys of the management (Moghadam 4-9). Women had no role in the politics and had no suffrage rights. They were good only for producing male babies; female babies were even buried alive out of shame. Women were sold into marriages by their guardians and the suitor could end the marriage whenever he liked. Hatoon al Fassi, a Saudi historian, studied much earlier historical origins of Arab women's rights by using evidence from the ancient Arabian kingdom of Nabataea. Her findings indicate that Arab women in Nabataea had independent legal personalities but they lost many of their rights through ancient Greek and Roman law prior to the arrival of Islam. Many of these constraints became the part of the culture and were retained even after the advent of Islam (al-Fassi 12-18).The advent of Islam brought a lot of betterment for the condition of the women. They were given the right of inheritance and their consent was made necessary in marriage according to the edicts of Islam. Female infanticide was strictly prohibited. Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, carried the instructions that made elevated the status of women in the society. Where women were previously not allowed to get a formal education, its acquirement was made mandatory for both men and women in Islam. Women were seen in many roles after the arrival of Islam, as educators, teachers, and scholars and even as businesswomen. Women were fou nd working in a wide range of commercial activities and diverse occupations, for e.g. as farmers construction workers, lenders, dyers, spinners, investors, doctors and nurses, presidents of guilds, peddlers, brokers, scholars, etc. Muslim women also had domination over certain branches of the textile industry which was the largest and most specialized and market-oriented industry at the time, involving them in occupations such as dyeing, spinning and embroidery. In comparison and stark contrast, the property rights and wage labor for females were relatively uncommon in Europe until the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. Similarly, women started playing an important role in the foundations of Islamic educational institutions, such as Fatima al-Fihri's founding of the University of Al Karaouine in 859. This positive trend continued through to the 12th and 13th centuries, when one hundred and sixty mosques and madrasahs were established in Damascus out of which twent y six were funded by women through the Waqf (charitable trust or trust law) system (Lindsay 191-196). Women of the contemporary Arab world

A Problem Exists Essay Example for Free

A Problem Exists Essay My Assignment 4 Persuasive Paper Part 1: A Problem Exists, will inform of the author’s thesis on this paper. Additionally, the history of gun laws will also be incorporated in this paper. Moreover, this report will speak on several issues and or problems that author looks upon as unfavorable achievements, promoted by gun laws. Lastly, a conclusion for possible improvements if concealed weapons laws were not permitted will be included in this report. As we view the news and read newspaper articles, there continues to be ongoing stories and articles of school and workplace shootings and hostile environments. It appears that individuals of society are even lashing out at the innocent, when things are not done as they may see fit. For example Sandy Hook shooting took the lives of many innocent children, who victims of a troubled individual. Due to the excessive murders that are being committed in schools and workplaces, at this time, the author still agrees that citizens should not be allowed to carry concealed weapons to schools, or the workplace. Georgia actually created the first gun control law in 1837. This Georgia law banned handguns. However it was not long lived, because eight years later The Georgia Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional and cited the Second Amendment as its basis for this determination. The Second Amendment states â€Å"the right of the people to keep and bear arms (U. S. Const. amend. II, 1791). After the Civil War, Black Codes in several Southern States sought to prevent blacks from owning and carrying guns. That essentially ended in 1868, with the Fourteenth Amendment’s citizenship guarantee and equal rights clause† (Goforth, 2013). Since then numerous laws have been debated and created. The first problem with the right to carry conceals weapon within the school is the potential environmental concern for continuous mass murders. For informational purposes, â€Å"We will begin with the definition of mass murder as four or more murders at a single location (a school, workplace, home or public place)† (Hillshafer, 2013). There have been three significant mass school murders in the past 14 years. They are the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre, the 2007 Virginia Tech Shootings and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. In the author’s opinion had the administration been allowed to carry concealed weapons the total of murders would have been escalated. Hostile environments more than likely create hostile situations and altercations. â€Å"The likely explanation that Concealed Carry plus Stand Your Ground laws result in 600 more deaths per year is that a young man with a concealed weapon in an argument is more likely to escalate the dispute and think he is standing his ground† (Hillshafer, 2013). As the year 2013 begun there continues to be great debate and political issues on what the gun laws should be or what the laws should cover. In January, 2013 it was written â€Å"The great American gun fight began this month with handshakes and smiles in a reunion of old foes at the Vice President’s ceremonial office† (Schered, 2013). This statement helps to enlighten us on the ongoing political rivalry that continues amongst our candidates. Our American leaders should put focus on what will really save lives on the American people instead of what will make them more famous, prominent or a great candidate amongst the people. As we all maybe aware our country entered a recessional period in the year of 2008. At this time there were numerous lay-offs, â€Å"Nationwide economic recession, which has led to cities and governmental organizational laying-off police and law enforcement personnel† (Nykodym et al. , 2011). This was a period where economic issues were examined thoroughly and everyone was in search of a means to increase revenue. Those layoffs led to increased crime rates in cities, which the author believes were then used for economic gain. â€Å"Record high rates of concealed firearm carry permits issued to the public, motivated by a well-organized social movement for Second Amendment Constructionism, accompanied by increases in firearms and ammunition sales such that many dealers cannot meet customer demand† (Nykodym et al. , 2011). This is unthinkable, but true the unfortunate layoffs boosted our economy on a different level. The author beliefs are that it wrong to take someone else’s misfortune for personal gains. In this situation, it could also cause the death of many innocent victims, because of the high rate of gun sales. In conclusion many aspects were discussed. Such as hostile environments, and the possibility of escalating violence with concealed weapons being present. Additionally, political gains were discussed on how candidates use gun laws as a chance for recognition. And the third point was the unfortunate economic use of gun laws. Perhaps if concealed weapons are not allowed, escalated incidents would not arrive, because defendants/victims would not have that extra boost which causes an occurrence to end with gun fire. If candidates concentrate on the prestige of human lives and not political gain our society could be populated with more individuals who were killed due to unfavorable gun laws. And finally, maybe society should concentrate more on what would be ethically or morally suitable, such as the welfare of all humans. We as humans should stop looking for personal gain in every event that happens along the way.

Freud And James Theoretical Positions Essay Example for Free

Freud And James Theoretical Positions Essay Sigmund Freud and William James helped unveil a new zeitgeist in the burgeoning field of psychology. Freud’s psychoanalysis and James’ functionalism would influence theorists and practitioners for decades, earning each man a prominent place in psychology’s history books.   What are the cornerstones of these milestone theories of human behavior, and how do they compare? In regards to basic human nature, James and Freud could not have been more divergent in their views. William James’ functionalism promoted a free will that carries us toward a â€Å"final destination. † A personal analysis that reflects one’s own unique individual experiences was highly valued. Each event in our lives moves us through a constant stream of different contexts and consciousness. Therefore, James did not focus so much on our good or evil natures, preferring instead to view our world as painted with a palette of varying shades of gray. Human beings cannot be divided into convenient categories and labels, but rather exist as unique and complex individuals. James’ pragmatic and functional mentality (we all have a purpose) leant him a slightly humanistic view in which most people strive toward a common good for the betterment of society. (James, 1983) In stark contrast, Sigmund Freud heralded a rather pessimistic view of human nature, emphasizing instincts as our innate drive and aggression or sex as our primary channels for those desires. Much of his psychoanalytic theory centers around the concept of a libidinous id—a force deep within us and beyond our awareness which harbors all of our secret impulses and desires unfit for society. Most of our lives, our personality is spent in a conflict between the bad id and the good, law-abiding superego. We repress most of our negative feelings out of conscious awareness, but they still manifest themselves in the form of physical illness and mental neurosis, just as the infamous â€Å"Anna O.† demonstrates.   Also, Freud’s proposed psychosexual stages of development further reveal his emphasis on instincts (primarily sexual) in molding everyone (Schultz Schultz, 2000). The emphasis on innate physical causes for behavior represented a strong departure from structural and empirical schools of thought, and both Freud and James brought this difference to the forefront, albeit in different forms. â€Å"No mental modification ever occurs which is not accompanied or followed by a bodily change†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†The spiritualist and the associationist must both be cerebralists†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Psychology is â€Å"the adjustment of inner to outer relations†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.The psychologist must be a â€Å"nerve-physiologist†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..All of the preceding statements, taken from William James’ Principles of Psychology (1983), highlight an underlying theme in his theory—the body (most especially the brain) is a vital and essential component of â€Å"mental life.† Consciousness, he asserted, must be studied in its natural setting, and study of the â€Å"conditions† (the physical components) of â€Å"phenomena† is crucial. He cited as proof of the brain’s importance how factors such as a blow to the head, drug use, or other sorts of brain trauma have the potential to almost complete reverse someone’s behavior and personality. In addition, his theory of habits also indicates his belief in the brain’s ability to mold lifelong behaviors. Also, James held that emotions were the direct result of physiological reactions to stimuli (Schultz Schultz, 2000). Despite his nativist assertions, however, James did appreciate that vital role environmental factors played in human development. According to functionalist thought, the function of our consciousness is to freely adapt to our environment in order to survive. We accomplish this through â€Å"choosing† our paths. An active mind that filters, combines, selects, rejects, and generally â€Å"weave(s) an endless carpet† appealed to James. He prized the role of motivation in directing our attention. Far from being mere passersby on the highway of life, we are rather highly energetic and involved â€Å"drivers† paving our own indelible mark and fueled by free will (James, 1983). Freud shared James’ basic nativism. Freud’s study of Anna O. demonstrates his certainty that the mind can exert a tremendous influence upon the body. The whole concept of neurosis states that physical bodily symptoms which have no apparent physical origin are likely the result of defects or repressions within the mind (Schultz Schultz, 2000). Freud always remained very deterministic in his theories. All people are born with innate libidinous impulses. All people repress those instincts, resulting in various complexes. All people pass through the psychosexual stages of development, and the personality of everyone is basically set by the age of seven. However, unlike William James, Freud’s stance is rooted in a passive mind completely helpless to impulse. Perhaps this passivity—and lack of faith in the human condition—is the strongest contrast between Sigmund Freud and William James. However, both men will continue to influence psychologists across the world for many generations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References James, W. (1983). The Principles of Psychology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Schultz, D. P. Schultz, S. E. (2000). A History of Modern Psychology. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.

Corporate Social Responsibility Analysis Commerce Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility Analysis Commerce Essay Nike an American Multinational has its engagement in the development and design, worldwide selling and marketing of apparels, equipment, footwear, services and accessories. It has its headquarter near Beaverton, Oregon, Portland. It is one of the leading brands in supply of athletic shoes, other sports equipment and apparels. It had a revenue exceeding US$24.1 in the 2012. Till the end of 2012 it had employee strength of around 44000 people worldwide. It is valued at around $10.7 billion which has made it the most valuable brand in the sports product market. According to The Oregonian Nike and Precision Castparts are only ones among the Fortune 500 companies with their headquarters in Oregon. Being one of the leading brands Nikes works is dedicated towards delivering inspiration and innovation to every athlete. They have a clear vision to provide itself and its customers to thrive in sustainable economy where profit, people and planet are balanced. To have such an approach they are integrating sustainable practices and principles and have involved corporate responsibility into Sustainable innovation and business. Corporate social responsibility reports mainly self-regulation of the corporate involved in business model. It is a self-regulating built-in policy under which business ensures the monitoring and compliance of issues having spirit of laws, international norms and ethical standards. (About Nike, 2012) The three main types of CSR report are Philanthropy In case of philanthropic approach the companies contribution extends far above from just making financial contribution, financial check etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ however apart from financial aspect it involves contribution of a wide range of support and expertise in modern philanthropic activity. In the financial year 2007-09 they mainly had their contribution towards community giving guidelines and responding towards international crisis. Starting from the year 2007 the foundation has provide more than $100 million to its partners and programs that benefits adolescent girls. In the financial year 2010-11, Nike contributed a sum of around $27 million to its own Nike foundation. Its philanthropic investment also had a great impact from its collaboration with NoVo foundation. NoVos contribution to cause of girl effect was around $112 million. The leveraged Philanthropy helped the organization by enabling them to have long term success financial flows and scaling without limits. (Nikes Charity Fund, 2012) The Nike employee grant fund provides a huge amount of $500000 every year to communities near its global headquarters. The funding is done based on a priority which is ordered in the following manner that is health, education, environment and social inclusion. However physical activity involving practices and sustainability deeds have a higher demand and potential to have a long lasting effect on the community. The overall stats for the year 2011 were around 44 programs and 28,000 people which have been funneled by the company. The Oregon Community Foundation also has a role to play in guiding the Nike people in granting and funding recommendation activities of the company. The company is benefited by such deeds as this contributes the company with economic growth contributions, monetary payments and public health and science in an effective manner Community Based Development The company has a strong belief towards human potential. Their aim behind leveraging the reach of their brands and their sizes is to have a long term positive effect. This would provide support to the communities and empower them thus improving the place where we play, live, work. Being a global economy the company by leveraging the power of their partners, consumers and employees aim at having exciting innovation and thus scaling up the power sport. They have taken a leading step in creating a number of such programs both a single basis as well as on partner basis. Naming a few: Social Change Networks program for sports: The concept behind this program is simply to bring sports based communities together in order to propagate best practices, shared ideas and have proper funding and also overcome the local changes. Homeless World Cup: Nike has funded this organization which works to build resilience; camaraderie and self-esteem with homeless children who can be made a part of football team and a way to get back on their feet. Magic Bus, India: This organization works in helping the vulnerable children by educating them and by providing them a place to live and have a stable environment. Nike (Red)/Grassroots Soccer: Nike worked with Grassroots Soccer organization by providing funding and donation to the young people ignoring gender, religions, races and boundaries. Similarly Let Me Play, Students Run LA are also funded by Nike Inc. The Nike Foundation is a non-profit organization started by Nike Inc. that is dedicated in investing on adolescent girls to provide positive change for them on the planet. (Community, 2012). Creating Shared Value The Company is about the evolution embraced by the creation of shared value that has taken place in the private sector. The increasing attraction of the companies towards creating shared value they have benefited the society and boosted their competitiveness at the same time. The sophistication of capitalist model has created shared value to show evolution to its next stage. The company has created a winning culture through the representation of its values visually which are action, inclusiveness and competitiveness. The difference between fulfilling corporate social responsibilities and creating shared value is that there is a need for societal and economic benefits in relation to cost but mot taking action of doing merely good. The idea behind it is creation of value for the company and its community thus integrating in order to compete and produce profit in the long run. Creating shared value has appealed to corporate sector in a form to improve corporate sustainability conscious citizenship or social responsibility. The companys culture has always motivated towards creating shared value. The concept of holistic bottom lines, mutual benefits and stakeholder engagement is dictated by creating shared value. But it has been resonated by instantly dictated responsibility that has been resonated by mortality. Benefits of CSR A sustainable report is away to show the companies sustainable growth in a way which is similar in manner of financial report and facilitates companies to have a sustainability comparison. A sustainability reporting has the benefits of metrics and agreed disclosures reporting which systematic and in order.CSR is basically the combined integrated approach of good social and environmental governance practices in to all aspects of business which provide an integrated approach to all aspects material with non-financial issues. There are two basic benefits of CSR for both at company levels and property levels. First, it acts as a guide to the company and its programs that also acts as measure in facilitating organizational shifts and continuity in turnover. Secondly, it also helps in invoking the tracking procedures and measurement that enable analysis in terms of purchases, waste, water and energy. The data above further helps in in decision making in terms of retrofits and programs and capital expenses. The careful implementation of CSR policies can help an organization and it is a resource drain which is good for an organization. The benefits of CSR to Nike are The company has started new business ventures like New Green Venture Capital Arm to Fuel Innovation, New Model of Corporate Venture Capital etc. It has gained customer retention and has established some permanent motivated customers. The company has also improved its relationships with suppliers and developed networks like Native American Employee Network, Latino Employee Network, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Friends Employee Network, Black Employee and Friends Network etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It has established an employee friendly environment giving rise to human resource retention and attraction towards a happy workforce. The company has also saved money incurred in energy and has managed its risk and operating cost. There has been a vast improvement in points that differentiate the company from its rivals like reebok, puma. The company has also improved in terms of generating innovative learning like starting development programs like Nike summer of innovation etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and improving its standard and reputation from a leading brand to a best brand in the market. The company has also succeeded in generating media opportunities and publicity in a positive manner in business activities ethically to invoke interest. (Corporate Social Responsibility Companies in the News, 2012)

Mindfulness Based Meditation Essay -- Cultivating Mindfulness

This paper is about my experience with mindfulness based meditation and scientific inquiry of these experiences. Mindfulness based meditation is describes as technique used to cultivate nonreactive, non-judgmental and stable awareness of the present moment (Garland and Gaylord, 2009). The end goal is to sustain this meta-cognitive state for a long period of time. I practiced non-denominational form of mindfulness based meditation for the first time in my psychology class, which was devoted towards intellectual and experiential examination of meditation. The practice was conducted in a group it was instructed by our own professor and it begun at the end of class. There was one sessions per week and each session was structured meaning it was timed and the focus was on the out breath. I experienced numerous emotions, sensations and mental states while I practiced meditation. During my practice the focus was on the out breath and by doing so the idea was to have non-judgmental and non reactive awareness of emotions, thoughts and sensations that arise in my mind while I practiced meditation. Firstly, for me meditation served as a tool for self awakening, by ‘’awakening’’ I mean meditation made me realize the existence and dominance of mind wandering and ignorance. In a scientific study it was shown that mind wandering was the majority of the conscious experience (Hasenkamp et al., 2012). Before I practiced meditation I was unaware of the effects of mind wandering not only on performance towards certain task but also towards sustaining attention to the present moment. For example on my very first session of meditation I realized how I completely zoned out for the first few minutes until we took a break and that made me further realiz... ..., MA: Shambhala Publications. Ricard, M., & Chödzin, S. (2010). Why meditate?. Carlsbad, Calif.: Hay House, Inc.. Corey, G., & Corey, M. S. (2010). I never knew I had a choice: explorations in personal growth (9th ed., instructor's ed.). Australia: Brooks/Cole. P164 Craighead, W. E., Miklowitz, D. J., & Craig, L. W. (2013). Psychopathology(Second Edition ed.). New Jersey: Wiley. P200 Ricard, M., & Thuan, T.X. (2001). The quantum and the lotus: A journey to the frontiers where science and Buddhism meet. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press. [Chapter 1] Arch, J.J., & Craske, M.G. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness: Emotion regulation following a focused breathing induction. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44, 1849-1858. Filaber, D. (2013). Transform Your Life with Meditation:The Lives and Legacies of the Greatest Meditation Masters. Bloomington: AuthorHouse. P33

The Fast Food Health Scam Essay -- Health, Nutrition

For decades the fast-food industry has supplied Americans with tasty, comforting food, quickly and for a low cost. It was not until recently, when the health craze first hit America in the late 1980’s that the corporations developed a new approach to marketing health food products to fit their customer’s wants (Nielsen 450). Even the most common fast food chains, such as McDonalds and Subway started advertising â€Å"healthier† food items on their menus to continue appealing to the general public. In order to maintain significant market share of the industry, fast food companies must entice people of all ages and advertise alternative menu options, even if the nutrition content does not support the messaging. While fast food restaurants give the impression of offering healthy food, nutritionist studies show healthy alternatives are not as nutritious as advertised (Chandon 85). The reality is Fast Food companies hoax their costumers into believing the fast-food ad vertised is healthier but do not provide enough nutritional information for them to make educated decisions. The advertising technique of persuasion leads to false impressions of a product, much like the advertisement claims of selling healthy fast food. In â€Å"The Indictments Against Advertising† by Courtland L. Bovee and William F. Arens, both authors of business and contemporary advertising textbooks, briefly discuss advertising’s effect on the consumer. They also showcase business strategies, in this case the fast-food industry, persuading people to â€Å"want what they don’t need† (Bovee 358). With fast food marketing teams promoting healthy alternatives like apples instead of French fries or milk instead of soda, the companies are able to dupe the consumer into believing the... ... example, ordering a double quarter pounder with cheese and apple slices gives a false since of justification because they chose to forgo French fries (Chandon 302). Adding a marginally healthy substitute to an unhealthy entrà ©e should not be construed as a nutritional meal. Consumers also need to be aware of the adverse effects of adding high-fat high-sodium extras to their meals, such as cheese, mayonnaise, dressings, and special sauces. Instead if a person wants nutritional value within a fast-food meal they must diligently consider health content and portion size to avoid overeating and unwanted weight gain. Individuals need to take personal responsibility of their choices and not believe the false impressions of advertisers. Implementing nutritional knowledge not only while dinning in fast-food restaurants but into everyday life will lead to healthy longevity.

Ah, Wilderness - Significance of the plays title Essay -- Ah Wildern

Ah, Wilderness - Significance of the play's title The title of the play, Ah, Wilderness, by Eugene O'Neill, plays a significant role in the understanding of the play. The "wilderness" is used as a metaphor for the period in a male's life when he is no longer a boy, but not yet a man. This play tells the story of the coming-of-age of Richard, and the evolution he undergoes while becoming a man. The "wilderness" used in the title is a metaphor for the years between childhood and manhood. Life, for a man, is like the woods. When one is a boy, he is in a clearing. Everything told by adults is taken as truth, and because of this trust the truth is clear. As one enters the in-between years, the truth is no longer as clear. The developing mind begins to question the notions held by those in control, parents in particular. This period is like a wilderness one must wander through. When one exits the woods, things once again become clear. One no longer feels the need to wander aimlessly through the darkness, and one usually returns to the truths instilled by parents. Richard begins the play as a boy on the verge of manhood. A studious youth, just beginning to sow the seeds of rebellion, he at first feels no need to rebel against things close at hand. This soon changes with a visit to his father from Richard's girlfriend's father. Richard has been sending poetry to Muriel, his girlfriend, and her father sees the subject matter of this poetry as inappropriate. Unbeknownst to Richard, Muriel has been coerced into writing a letter to him breaking off the relationship. Richard feels so heartbroken he rebels against everything. This moment is the point in which Richard enters the "wilderness." The perfect opportunity to prov... ...uneasy side glances, and steels himself for what is coming." Richard has come back around to his prior ways of thinking. He now states "(His head down humbly.) I know I was a darned fool" (844). Richard, in the course of the play, makes the transition from boyhood to manhood. As with most young men, Richard enters the "wilderness", a metaphor for the stage of rebellion, and exits with no lasting scars. Richard's father, like most parents, realizes that Richard has walked out of the wilderness and states, " . . . I don't think we'll ever have to worry about his being safe--from himself--again. And I guess no matter what life will do to him, he can take care of it now" (845). This statement shows the necessity of the wilderness to the evolution of man, and the importance of a father's understanding during this important stage of development. Ah, Wilderness - Significance of the play's title Essay -- Ah Wildern Ah, Wilderness - Significance of the play's title The title of the play, Ah, Wilderness, by Eugene O'Neill, plays a significant role in the understanding of the play. The "wilderness" is used as a metaphor for the period in a male's life when he is no longer a boy, but not yet a man. This play tells the story of the coming-of-age of Richard, and the evolution he undergoes while becoming a man. The "wilderness" used in the title is a metaphor for the years between childhood and manhood. Life, for a man, is like the woods. When one is a boy, he is in a clearing. Everything told by adults is taken as truth, and because of this trust the truth is clear. As one enters the in-between years, the truth is no longer as clear. The developing mind begins to question the notions held by those in control, parents in particular. This period is like a wilderness one must wander through. When one exits the woods, things once again become clear. One no longer feels the need to wander aimlessly through the darkness, and one usually returns to the truths instilled by parents. Richard begins the play as a boy on the verge of manhood. A studious youth, just beginning to sow the seeds of rebellion, he at first feels no need to rebel against things close at hand. This soon changes with a visit to his father from Richard's girlfriend's father. Richard has been sending poetry to Muriel, his girlfriend, and her father sees the subject matter of this poetry as inappropriate. Unbeknownst to Richard, Muriel has been coerced into writing a letter to him breaking off the relationship. Richard feels so heartbroken he rebels against everything. This moment is the point in which Richard enters the "wilderness." The perfect opportunity to prov... ...uneasy side glances, and steels himself for what is coming." Richard has come back around to his prior ways of thinking. He now states "(His head down humbly.) I know I was a darned fool" (844). Richard, in the course of the play, makes the transition from boyhood to manhood. As with most young men, Richard enters the "wilderness", a metaphor for the stage of rebellion, and exits with no lasting scars. Richard's father, like most parents, realizes that Richard has walked out of the wilderness and states, " . . . I don't think we'll ever have to worry about his being safe--from himself--again. And I guess no matter what life will do to him, he can take care of it now" (845). This statement shows the necessity of the wilderness to the evolution of man, and the importance of a father's understanding during this important stage of development.

Earhquake in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

On December 26, 2004, mass destruction and devastation was the result of a large earthquake off of the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake began in the early morning on Sunday at 7:58:53 AM, and wreaked havoc on thousands in the affected areas. BBC News reported on the earthquake, stating that â€Å"Sunday’s tremor – the fourth largest since 1990 – had a particularly widespread effect because it seems to have taken place just below the surface of the ocean, analysts say† (BBC News). The earthquake had significant effect on the region and the people living in these regions. Not only was the earthquake damaging and devastating, but the quake was also the cause of a correlated tsunami that caused even more damage and destruction to the area. â€Å"This earthquake is the largest event in the world in 40 years, and produced the most devastating tsunami recorded in history† (Lay). â€Å"Coastal communities across South Asia – and more than 4,000 km away in Africa – were swept away and homes engulfed by waves up to 10 m high after the quake created a tsunami that sped across the ocean† (BBC News). The geographic location of the Earthquake in absolute location is 3. 316? North, 95. 854? East; and the relative location of the quake was off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra, which was 155 miles South Southeast of Banda Aceh, Sumatra Indonesia, and 185 miles West of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia (USGS). The earthquake that shook the West of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, as well as many other neighboring countries, was of a great 9. 0 magnitude on the Richter scale. â€Å"At the source of the earthquake, the interface between the India plate and the Burma plate dips about 10 degrees to the east-northeast. The subducting plate dips more steeply at greater depths†(USGS). The quake occurred when the Earth’s crust, a 1,200 km segment of the crust, shifted beneath the Indian Ocean, as far as 10 to 20 meters below (Marshall). As the crust shifted and the quake went into motion, a substantial amount of energy was released. Energy released by this overwhelming earthquake was an â€Å"estimated 20X10^17 Joules, or 475,000 kilotons (475 megatons) of TNT, or the equivalent of 23,000 Nagasaki bombs† (Marshall). All of this stored elastic energy that was released by the earthquake, in turn initiated the† uplift of the seafloor and the displacement of billions of gallons of seawater† (Marshall). These events lead to a massive tsunami. â€Å"Over a period of 10 hours, the tsunami triggered by the quake struck the coasts of over 12 countries† (Marshall). â€Å"The region where the great earthquake occurred on 26 December 2004, marks the seismic boundary formed by the movement of the Indo-Australian plate as it collides with the Burma subplate, which is part of the Eurasian plate† (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"For millions of years the India tectonic plate has drifted and moved in a north/northeast direction, colliding with the Eurasian tectonic plate and forming the Himalayan Mountains. As a result of such migration and collision with both the Eurasian and the Australian tectonic plates, the Indian plate’s eastern boundary is a diffuse zone of seismicity and deformation, characterized by the extensive faulting and numerous large earthquakes† (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"Previous major earthquakes have occurred further north, in the Andaman Sea and further South along the Sumatra, Java and Sunda section of one of the earth’s greatest fault zones, a subduction zone known as the Sunda Trench. Slippage and plate subduction make this region highly seismic† (Pararas-Carayannis). In addition to the Sunda Trench, the Sumatra Fault is responsible for seismic activity on the Island of Sumatra. This is a strike-slip type of fault which extends along the entire length of the island† (Pararas-Carayannis). East of northwest Sumatra, â€Å"a divergent plate boundary separates the Burma plate from the Sunda plate† (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"More specifically, in the region off the west coast of northern Sumatra, the India plate is moving in a northeastward direction at about 5 to 5. 5 cm per year relative to the Burma plate† (Pararas-Carayannis). The region where the earthquake occurred –and particularly the Andaman Sea- is a very active seismic area. Also Sumatra is in the center of one of the world’s most seismically active regions. Earthquakes with magnitude greater than 8 struck Sumatra in 1797, 1833, and 1861† (Pararas-Carayannis). It is obvious that Indonesia is an area that is highly susceptible to earthquakes, because of the shifts and movements of the tectonic plates that Indonesia lies on. â€Å"Indonesia is surrounded by four major tectonic plates, the Pacific, the Eurasian, the Australian, and the Philippine plates. All these major tectonic plates and their subplates are presently active. Major earthquakes and tsunamis can be expected in the semi-enclosed seas and along the Indian Ocean side of Indonesia. Major earthquakes in the semi-enclosed seas can generate destructive local tsunamis in the Sulu, Banda, and Java Seas. Major earthquakes along the Sunda Trench can generate tsunamis that can be destructive not only in Indonesia but to other countries bordering the Indian Ocean† (Pararas-Carayannis). The major tectonic feature in the region is the Sunda Arc that extends approximately 5,600 km between the Andaman Islands in the northwest and the Banda Arc in the east. The Sunda Arc consists of three primary segments; the Sumatra segment, the Sunda Strait Segment and the Java Segment. These locations represent the area of greatest seismic exposure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"In the immediate vicinity off Northern Sumatra, most of the stress and energy that had accumulated were released by the crustal movement that caused the 26 December 2004 earthquake. The subduction of the India tectonic plate underneath the Burma plate cause upward thrusting of an extensive block and generated the destructive tsunami† (Pararas-Carayannis). As the Burma plate â€Å"snapped upward, it was a huge geologic event. The dislocation of the boundary between the Indian and Burma plates took place over a length of 745 miles and within three days had set off 69 aftershocks† (Elliot). â€Å"The aftersocks represent nature’s way of restoring stability and temporary equilibrium. It is unlikely that a destructive tsunami will occur again soon in the same region, however caution is advised for coastal residents in Northern Sumatra and in the Nicobar and Andaman Islands. If an afterschock is strong enough and it is strongly felt, evacuation to higher elevation is advised. In fact, strong shaking of the ground is nature’s warning that a tsunami may be imminent† (Pararas-Carayannis). The natural disasters also create natural warning signs that more damage may be upcoming. The aftershocks suggest that the earthquake rupture had a maximum length of 1200—1300 km parallel to the Sunda trench and a width of over 100 km perpendicular to the earthquake source† (USGS). Many things can be taken into account, analyzed, and hopefully used in the future to reduce the number of casualties and losses as a result of an earthquake of such magnitude. The importance of this earthquake and its effects on the communities devastated by this earthquake are many. â€Å"According to the latest official reports (Ministry of Health) 166,320 people were killed, 127,774 are still missing and 655,000 people were displaced in Northern Sumatra. A total of 110 bridges were destroyed, 5 seaports and 2 airports sustained considerable damage, and 82% of all roads were severely damaged. The death toll is expected to rise† (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"There were many lessons already learned from this tragic event in Southeast Asia. Many more lessons will be learned in the near future as this tragedy unfolds and reveals the many failures to value and protect human life in this neglected region of the world. Indeed a bitter lesson was already learned that great earthquakes and destructive tsunamis do occur in this region† (Pararas-Carayannis). The communities of people living in this region that is highly susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis could learn important information about the somewhat safer areas to reside, or safety techniques to carry out and be aware of while in the midst of a natural disaster. â€Å"The magnitude of the tsunami disaster could have been mitigated with a proper disaster preparedness plan and a functioning early warning system† (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"However the strong shaking by the earthquake should have been nature’s warning for local residents that a tsunami was imminent and they could have run to higher ground to save their lives. A simple program of public education and awareness of the potential hazard could have saved many lives in the immediate area† (Pararas-Carayannis). It would be imagined after having at least four earthquakes of 9. 0 magnitude or greater in the region, that residents, public officials, and even tourists could easily find or allowed , much less given, information needed to promote awareness for the possible catastrophes and preventive methods for any type of damage that can be sustained and anticipated. For the more distant coastlines of India, Shri-Lanka, and other locations in the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, there was ample time to issue a warning –if only an early warning system existed for this region of the world and if there was a way of communicating the information to the coastal residents of threatened areas. No such warning system exists at the present time –the lack of disaster awareness or preparedness is appalling. A simple educational program on hazard awareness could have prevented the extensive losses of lives –particularly of children. One third of those that perished were children† (Pararas-Carayannis). The severity of damages resulting from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami is devastating, and what makes this natural disaster even more tragic is to know that some preventive measures could have been taken. There are adequate instruments and warning systems that have been developed and are currently being used currently in other locations around the world where devices sufficiently predict and send signal out for the warning of tsunamis. It is often because of insufficient funds or simple neglect for an organized plan of action to take in cases of emergencies as such. â€Å"India and Shri-Lanka are not members of the International Warning System in the Pacific and they have not shown interest in joining any regional early warning systems. An erroneous belief has persisted that tsunamis do not occur frequently enough to warrantee participation into a regional tsunami warning system. Local government authorities in the region did not even have a plan for disseminating warning information to threatened coastlines –even if a warning had been provided. There was not even a basic educational plan for disaster preparedness. It should be obvious that such a program is necessary to prevent similar tragedies in the future† (Pararas-Carayannis). â€Å"In Sri-Lanka alone, more than one million people are displaced and aid workers are under pressure to ensure they have clean water and sanitation to prevent an outbreak of disease† (BBC News). This earthquake is significantly important to the people affected in the surrounding communities, as well as the geologic setting of this disaster. â€Å"Five main reasons why this disaster was so deadly: 1) High population density on low-lying coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, 2) Short distance from tsunami source to populated low lying coasts, leaving little time for warning, 3) No tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean, 4)Poor and developing countries with vulnerable infrastructure and minimal disaster preparedness, 5) Little public awareness of tsunami hazard† (Marshall). It is impossible to be able to prevent natural disasters from occurring, but there are some measures that can be taken to help prevent the cause of some injuries and deaths. The measures that can be taken to prevent more harm than already caused may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of the disaster, yet the smallest preventive measures and knowledge to be aware of certain signals to promote safety awareness, such as knowing when to move to higher ground after initial shaking or some basic understanding of simple, but possibly life-saving medical treatments. It is apparent that Indonesia and surrounding countries are vulnerable to earthquakes with possible tsunamis that may cause mass destruction. Residents in Indonesia and surrounding countries should be informed and aware of the potential disaster zones they live in, in efforts to take some sort of preventive procedures such as building more secure homes on more stable location, to keep medical aid kits stocked and easily accessible, and emergency plans of action if disaster strikes and a family is separated for example. The damage resulting from the 2004 Sumatra, Indonesia Earthquake was remarkably widespread, causing extensive devastation to the land, buildings, and communities including hundreds of thousands deaths and injuries across thousands of kilometers It is also obvious that Indonesia and majority of the adjacent countries need to significantly work to create a disaster plan, educational programs to make people knowledgeable about nature’s hazards, and to adapt a system to detect and transmit information and messages for early warning signs. The great amount of destruction and loss of human life due to these kinds of natural hazards cannot be prevented, but the amount of devastation suffered would be substantially less if these precautions were taken advantage of and actually put into effect.