Luxury Sectoral Analysis

Luxury Sectoral Analysis Introduction This paper will present a detailed sectoral analysis, which focuses on the luxury wine industry in the US. Russian River Ranches Chardonnay is the luxury wine brand that will be analyzed. The brand is manufactured and distributed by Sonoma-Cutrer in the US.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Luxury Sectoral Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Russian River Ranches is a luxury brand because it is made of high quality grapes and advanced brewing technologies (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). As a premium product, Russian River Ranches is sold in luxury restaurants and hotels in the US. In addition, it was the second most expensive among the top 20 luxury wine brands in the US in 2013 (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). Porter’s five forces model will be used to analyze the competitiveness of Russian River Ranches in its industry. Other elements of the brand that will be analyzed include price aesthetics, product, communi cations, and branding. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Suppliers’ Bargaining Power The luxury wine industry has several suppliers, which include manufacturers of packaging materials, producers of labeling materials, producers of grapes, and shipping companies. The suppliers have a high bargaining power due to the following reasons. First, there are more wine producers than suppliers of key inputs such packaging materials. In the last five years, vineyard acreage reduced significantly as famers used their land to produce more profitable crops such as almonds. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that there are no substitutes for grapes in luxury wine production (Demeter Group 2013).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The demand for grapes has significantly increased as producers of high-end wine increase their production capacities. The resulting shorta ge of grapes has significantly increased farmers’ bargaining power. Second, differentiation of inputs is a key determinant of the quality of luxury wine. Producers of high-end wine must consistently use the best grapes and packaging materials to attract customers (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). Third, most suppliers in the industry have low switching costs since there are many buyers for their products. For example, suppliers of packaging materials also sell to manufacturers in the soft drinks industry. Thus, they give priority to buyers who are able to offer high prices and to make bulk purchases. The high bargaining power of the suppliers means that they can easily increase their prices, thereby reducing the competitiveness of Russian River Ranches and other brands. Buyers’ Bargaining Power The buyers (consumers of wine) have a high bargaining power due to the following reasons. First, brand loyalty is very low since customers are interested in trying new products (Brun Caste lli 2013, pp. 823-847). This limits the ability of producers of luxury wine to retain their customers. Second, nearly all manufacturers of wine are focusing on product differentiation. This increases the number of products that are available in the market, thereby increasing buyers’ bargaining power. Third, buyers of luxury wine have low switching costs. Thus, they can easily change brands in order to satisfy their needs. The high power of consumers of luxury wine means that producers have to focus on product differentiation and aggressive marketing to retain their customers.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Luxury Sectoral Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The producers of luxury wine have a moderate bargaining power. One of the factors that improve their bargaining power is ability to make bulk purchases. This enables producers to negotiate for favorable prices for their supplies. The threat of back ward integration is also high since companies such as Sonoma-Cutrer produce grapes on their own (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). The main factor that reduces the bargaining power of wine producers is the mismatch between the demand and supply of their inputs (Demeter Group 2013). Specifically, undersupply limits manufacturers’ ability to bargain since the available inputs have to be rationed through high prices. Threat of Substitutes The main substitutes of luxury wine include soft drinks, beer, and spirits. Luxury wine also competes with the regular wine brands. The threat of substitutes is low due to the following reasons. To begin with, luxury wine performs better than other alcoholic drinks in terms of quality. Specifically, the people who drink alcohol prefer wine because of its superior taste. Consumption of luxury wine is also associated with high social status in the society (Brun Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). Apart from taste, wine has several health benefits that cannot be enj oyed through consumption of other alcoholic beverages. Specifically, moderate consumption of wine helps in prevention of heart diseases, stroke, anxiety, and lose of memory in old age (Brun Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). These benefits make wine the best option among consumers of alcohol.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, excessive consumption of wine can have negative health effects. Moreover, some religions prohibit consumption of alcohol. These factors reduce the competitiveness of luxury wine as customers opt for soft drinks. Generally, luxury wine is more expensive than other alcoholic beverages and soft drinks (Brun Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). However, the high price does not have negative effects on the demand for luxury wine, especially, in the affluent market segment where customers are not price sensitive. Since Russian River Ranches has a superior quality, it is likely to overcome the low threat of substitutes in the market. Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants is low because of the following factors. First, the cost of entering the luxury wine industry is prohibitive. New companies that intend to establish production plants require significantly high financial capital, which is not easily available. Second, the incumbents have high economies of scale (Demeter Group 2013). In the last decade, major producers of luxury wine focused on consolidation through mergers and acquisitions. This has enabled them to achieve â€Å"economies of scale in production and distribution† (Chevalier Mazzalovo 2012, p. 56). As a result, they have high production capacities and cost advantages that make them more competitive than new entrants. Third, the incumbents have control over the distribution channels. In the last five years, distributors of luxury wine such as wholesalers, specialty restaurants, and retailers embarked on consolidation to strengthen their market power (Demeter Group 2013). The incumbents in the wine industry have long-term distribution contracts with the available distributors. This means that new entrants will have to incur high costs to access the distribution system. Finally, access to inputs such grapes is difficult, since the incumbents have long-term supply contracts with famers. The low threat of new entrants is a growth oppor tunity to Russian River Ranches as demand continues to rise. Threat of Competitive Rivalry High competition in the US luxury wine market is explained by the following factors. First, the industry is highly concentrated. In 2013, the top 4 largest producers of luxury win accounted for 70% of the market share (Demeter Group 2013). This means that only 30% of the market is left for the remaining producers. Second, the industry is characterized by high fixed costs. Specifically, the cost of labor and warehousing is on the rise, thereby reducing the profits of producers of luxury wine. Third, there is overcapacity in the industry. This is explained by the fact that liberalization of the US wine industry has resulted into an increase in importation of luxury wine from countries such as China, Italy, and France (Demeter Group 2013). Wine products from countries such as China are sold at low prices since their producers have production cost advantages. Although the industry is characterized by high competition, it is still experiencing strong growth. In the last three years, the market for luxury wine in the US grew at an average annual rate of 12% (Demeter Group 2013). This strong growth is expected to continue in the next four years as economic growth improves. The implication of the high competitive rivalry is that Russian River Ranches must be able to satisfy customers’ needs in order to maintain its competitiveness. Specifically, the marketing mix strategy that is used to market it must be aligned to customers’ needs. Success of Russian River Ranches The factors that account for the success of Russian River Ranches in the luxury wine market include the following. First, the brand is successful because of its unrivaled quality. Since its inception, Sonoma-Cutrer acknowledged the fact that high quality is one of the major factors that determine the success of luxury wine brands. Consequently, the company strategically chose to produce its own grapes. This enables it to improve the quality of Russian River Ranches by selecting the best grapes to manufacture it (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). Moreover, the company focuses on incremental product innovation to improve the quality of its wine. As a result, it has been able to produce several flavors that meet the expectations of its customers. As a premium brand that is known for high quality, Russian River Ranches is able to achieve high sales despite being one of the most expensive brands in the market (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). Second, Russian River Ranches is successful because of its strong brand image. It has been rated as the most popular luxury wine brand in the US for over ten consecutive years (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). The brand personality of Russian River Ranches reflects the attributes that customers in the luxury wine market look for. These include authenticity, premium quality, good reputation, and excusive brand history (Brun, Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). These attributes have enabled R ussian River Ranches to command a high brand loyalty in a market where customers are constantly shifting to new products. High brand loyalty enables the brand to overcome competition from other luxury brands and substitute products. Third, Russian River Ranches owes its success to the multi-level distribution channel that is being used to distribute it in the US. As the most popular luxury brand, all high-end restaurants and hotels strive to serve Russian River Ranches to maintain their competitiveness (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). The wholesalers also have the incentive to distribute the brand because its premium price enables them to earn a decent profit margin. This enables Russian River Ranches to overcome competition by denying its competitors access to third-party distribution channels. In addition, Sonoma-Cutrer has its own retail and online stores that it uses to distribute the brand. This enables its sales team to offer excellent customer service, which in turn improves brand loyal ty and sales. Finally, Russian River Ranches is successful in the luxury market because of the marketing strategies that have been adopted by its producer. The brand’s premium positioning strategy has been reinforced through innovative marketing communications initiatives. The brand is marketed through digital platforms such as the social media, the internet, and smartphones that allow its marketers to convey personalized messages to a niche market segment rather than the mass market (Sonoma-Cutrer 2014). This enables customers to identify with the brand and to recommend it to their colleagues, thereby increasing its sales and brand credibility (Reyneke, Pitt Berthon 2011, pp. 21-35). In addition, Russian River Ranches is marketed based on value rather than price. Although most companies are trying to gain market share by reducing the prices of their wine, Sonoma-Cutrer has focused on marketing the benefits that are provided by its brand. As a result, Russian River Ranches h as been able to overcome brand dilution in the market. Key Elements of a Luxury Brand Price Pricing has a significant influence on the way customers perceive luxury brands. Consciously or sub-consciously, customers often develop a psychological luxury image based on the price range that is used to market a brand (Chevalier Mazzalovo 2012, p. 78). Most consumers of luxury brands believe that price has a positive correlation with value. This explains the high price of Russian River Ranches in the luxury wine industry. Specifically, the high price is meant to protect its brand image from being compromised. Undoubtedly, consumers of luxury brands are interested in obtaining high value for their money (Brun Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). They will not pay more for a product that has no superior functionality. As a result, the high price of Russian River Ranches is justified by its premium quality and good reputation. Apart from compensating producers for the high product quality, pricing in the luxury wine industry is used to ensure exclusivity. This perspective is based on the fact that consumers of luxury products focus on maintaining their self-esteem by purchasing products that others cannot afford. Since Russian River Ranches targets affluent customers, its high price serves as a mechanism for excluding the mass market from consuming it. Product A luxury brand must have a high quality (Brun Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). This requirement is justified by the fact that a luxury brand must achieve superior performance at the product level and experiential level. This explains Sonoma-Cutrer’s focus on product innovation to maintain the high quality of Russian River Ranches. At the product level, the brand satisfies functional and utilitarian attributes of wine in terms of taste, packaging, alcohol content, and acidity. As a luxury brand, Russian River Ranches also performs at the experiential level by creating an emotional appeal to customers. The emotional appeal distinguishes the brand from the regular brands of wine. The high quality of Russian River Ranches has to be maintained because its consumption signifies high status. The affluent customers consume the brand partly to express their status in the society (Brun Castelli 2013, pp. 823-847). For instance, the brand is often bought as a special gift for loved ones or during special occasions such as weddings as a way of expressing appreciation. Communications Luxury brand communications must be dynamic and versatile in order to attract the attention of the market without hurting brand image (Reyneke, Pitt Berthon 2011, pp. 21-35). Adopting a dynamic marketing communications strategy is justified by the fact that a luxury brand must retain its pedigree status while keeping up with contemporary trends and newness. In a nutshell, the brand must adjust to emerging tastes and preferences without compromising its original attributes that make it unique. This enables the luxury brand t o remain desirable and inspirational. Russian River Ranches has been able to maintain its brand relevance because its adverts focus on conveying emotional and sensual messages. This creates a distinction between the brand and its competitors that target the mass market. In addition, the adverts focus on creating an aura that is genuinely exceptional to the brand image. In the digital marketing platform, Russian River Ranches is advertised using long-form commercials to attract customers’ attention. The main strength of this strategy is that it improves brand awareness and motivates customers to take action by purchasing the wine. Branding In the luxury market, brand presence focuses on creating memorable shopping experiences. A luxury brand has to be retailed in a high-end store that reflects its superior attributes. Every customer touch-point has to enhance the brand experience to strengthen the aura of luxury (Chevalier Mazzalovo 2012, p. 98). In this regard, the marketers of Russian River Ranches utilize great aesthetics and craftsmanship to improve the ambiance of the stores where the wine is sold. Public relations also â€Å"plays an important role in branding luxury brands† (Chevalier Mazzalovo 2012, p. 102). The use of public relations is justified by the fact that it enables marketers to influence public opinion favorably in order to strengthen brand image. In addition, it helps in enhancing the credibility of luxury brands, especially, if the brands are reviewed by renowned public figures. As a result, the marketers of Russian River Ranches use celebrity endorsements to influence public opinion about the brand. Specifically, the public associates the brand with the superior qualities of the celebrities that endorse it. This strategy has significantly improved customers’ confidence in Russian River Ranches, thereby making it the luxury brand of choice in the US. Conclusion The main threats to the competitiveness of Russian River Ranches are the high bargaining power of suppliers, high bargaining power of consumers of wine, and high competition in the luxury wine industry. The suppliers have a high bargaining power because of the shortage of key inputs such as grapes and the large number of producers of wine. The consumers of wine have a high bargaining power because of their low switching costs and access to a variety of brands. Competition is high in the market because of the high concentration of the industry and increased importation of luxury wine. The opportunities that are available to Russian River Ranches include the strong growth of the luxury wine market, as well as, the low threat of substitutes and new entrants. The factors that account for Russian River Ranches’ success include its high quality, strong brand image, and access to established distribution networks. In order to overcome competition in future, the quality of the brand should be improved consistently through product innovatio n. References Brun, A Castelli, C 2013, ‘The nature of luxury: a consumer perspective’, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, vol. 41. no. 11, pp. 823-847. Chevalier, M Mazzalovo, G 2012, Luxury brand management, McGraw-Hill, New York. Demeter Group 2013, State of the wine industry. Web. Reyneke, M, Pitt, L Berthon, P 2011, ‘Luxury wine brand visibility in social media: an exploratory study’, International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 23. no. 1, pp. 21-35. Sonoma-Cutrer 2014, Our craft. Web.

Vibration White Finger Treatment and Prevention Options

Vibration White Finger Treatment and Prevention Options Vibration white finger,  or Raynauds disease, is also called hand-arm vibration syndrome and is a  repetitive stress injury  caused by exposure of the hands to vibrating equipment. Its a neurological injury and may be associated with pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands, a loss of sensitivity, and a decrease in grip strength. Fingers may become white and swollen when cold and then red and painful when rewarmed. If you have been diagnosed with vibration white finger or fear you might develop it, it is time to look at treatments and prevention. Vibration white finger is a cumulative disorder with no cure after you have developed it. However, the same measures you can take to prevent the disorder can help reduce the frequency and duration of white finger episodes. Other symptomatic treatments can ease your suffering as well. Cause of Vibration White Finger Tools that cause the vibration syndrome include jackhammers, angle grinders, chain saws, power lawn mowers, and like equipment, though vibrating electronic game controllers can also contribute. Episodes of vascular spasms that cause the white finger are usually triggered by exposure to cold or by contact with cold surfaces. Wet and damp conditions can also exacerbate the condition. Controlling the triggering cause can go a long way to reducing symptoms. Prevention If you use vibrating equipment on a regular basis, you are at risk for developing vibration white finger. Preventive measures can ward off this syndrome. Use sound ergonomic equipment that reduces vibration transference to the hands.Use vibration-absorbing gloves or pads. Gel padding is better than foam padding for protecting  your hands against vibration.Hold equipment loosely.Work in short durations with frequent breaks. Take at least one 10-minute break every hour.Keep your hands warm to keep blood flowing.Avoid smoking or taking drugs or substances that inhibit blood flow. Maintain a Healthy Body You need to stay healthy and fit. Maintain a healthy weight. Strong bodies are more resilient against the stressors that cause vibration white finger. Maintain good cardiovascular health. Good blood flow to the hands is crucial. Treatment Although vibration white finger has no known cure, some practices can alleviate the symptoms. Stop using vibrating equipment. The more you vibrate the affected area, the worse it will get.Stop smoking and the use of tobacco products. Tobacco makes the disorder worse.Caffeine and amphetamines can trigger bouts of vibration white finger. Remove these from your diet.Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs and supplements may trigger bouts as well if they restrict blood flow. Discuss possible drug interactions with your health care provider.Stay warm and avoid cold triggers.Exercise your hands and body to improve circulation.Keep your whole body warm outdoors in cold temperatures, to keep circulation moving to your extremities. Hand warmers and battery-warmed gloves may be useful.When a bout  of vibration syndrome occurs, warm the hands as fast as possible.Medication: Some medications do provide some effectiveness in treating vibration white finger. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 16

Assignment - Essay Example According to the law, a drug dealer means a person who ships, transports, or imports or acquires purchases, possess, manufactures or introduces drug substances in that state. According to the law of Iowa, a person becomes a dealer if he or she introduces seven plus grams of a dutiable constituent except marijuana, but comprising a chargeable means, especially a blend of cannabis sativa and other taxable affluences. It also applies when a person gets into possession of forty-two and half or more of refined cannabis sativa, or of a matter consisting of or comprising cannabis sativa. A person in possession of one or more unprocessed marijuana plants becomes subject to the drug-stamp Act. Ten and above prescription components of a taxable matter that is not sold by mass (Department of Iowa Revenue Web). The following rates of tax are imposed on the dealership of marijuana. On every gram of processed marijuana, five dollars is taxed. On every metric gram of any dutiable substance, sold by mass, other than cannabis sativa, two hundred and fifty dollars fee is imposed. Seven hundred and fifty dollars is charged for every unprocessed marijuana plant. Four hundred dollars fee is imposed on every ten-dosage units that are not sold by weight or portions thereof. Tax payment is required upon possession of drugs. Any person dealing with drugs and fits in any of the above categories is required to buy drug tax stamps and affix the stamps on the drugs. To avoid self-incrimination, a person is not required by the law to divulge any personal information. However, there are some penalties imposed on dealers of marijuana. The director assesses tax, interests, and appropriate penalties based on information available. However, the following information is confidential stamp sales and inquiries, assessments, bank levy, and payments. Garnishment and lien can only be exposed to the public if the papers are forwarded to the

History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History - Assignment Example â€Å"In two years, through murder, mutilation, or suicide, half of the two hundred fifty thousand Indians on Haiti were dead.† Zinn goes on to explain, â€Å"a report of the year 1650 shows none of the original Arawaks or their descendants left on the island.† 3. One major difference in worldview between European and Native American cultures is the idea of property rights. Europe’s aristocracy thrived on land ownership, and in a culture where land meant power, ideas on dissolving property rights were scarce. The Native Americans, mostly, believed in living in harmony with the land. Humans were only part of the larger picture. So to destroy a forest to build a city isn’t just egocentric, its sacrilegious. When Europeans attempted to buy Native American lands in some instances, some Native Americans couldn’t understand the idea of owning the land. 4. While differences certainly existed in the slavery systems in Africa and the Americas, Americans bein g much crueler to our slaves and Africans viewing slaves more as indentured servants, I think the similarities are too outstanding to ignore. Slavery anywhere should be intolerable to humanity everywhere. I think Dr. Akurang-Parry summarized this sentiment best in his article Ending the Slave Blame: â€Å"The viewpoint that â€Å"Africans† enslaved â€Å"Africans† is obfuscating if not troubling. The deployment of â€Å"African† in African history tends to coalesce into obscurantist constructions of identities that allow scholars, for instance, to subtly call into question the humanity of â€Å"all† Africans. Whenever Asante rulers sold non-Asantes into slavery, they did not construct it in terms of Africans selling fellow Africans. They saw the victims for what they were, for instance, as Akuapems, without categorizing them as fellow Africans. Equally, when Christian Scandinavians and Russians sold war captives to the Islamic people of the Abbasid Empir e, they didn’t think that they were placing fellow Europeans into slavery. This lazy categorizing homogenizes Africans and has become a part of the methodology of African history; not surprisingly, the Western media’s cottage industry on Africa has tapped into it to frame Africans in inchoate generalities allowing the media to describe local crisis in one African state as â€Å"African† problem.† (source: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=180999) 5. English people migrated to North America to escape religious persecution, for the possibility of achieving power or wealth in the new colonies, and to make money on early expeditions to North America. 6. England wanted to establish colonies in North America to expand its cultural influence, for the possibility of gold or natural resources, and to out muscle the French and Spanish who were colonizing the area at the time. 7. An indentured servant was a worker, typically a young per son from Europe, who agreed to work a certain number of years for a master if that master would pay for their voyage to America. These workers were crucial to our developing economy, as low wage workers were scarce and slaves were expensive. 8. One similarity between all the colonies is

Crystal palace Essay Example for Free

Crystal palace Essay Also, what Swift shows is that it is reason itself and man’s ingeniousness that prevent him from reducing life to a few moral principles. Paradoxes and countercurrent tendencies pervade the human mind, as it moves from good to evil. The Houyhnhnms would not be able to construct the complex society specific to humans. They have no books, no systems of thoughts or philosophies. Their enlightened and perfect state depends thus on minimal reasoning and on a few righteous principles. The human society, by contrast, builds intricate systems that often contradict other systems and philosophies. It is not only vice that is proper of human nature but also curiosity and a perpetual thirst for knowledge. The Biblical myth of the first man’s corruption through knowledge stands true in Gulliver’s narrative. The other societies that Gulliver meets in his travels point to the human tendency towards discovery but also manipulation. Man hunts the truth but also manipulates and interprets reality according to his own inner impulses. The Yahoos’ condition as the servants of the Houyhnhnms is also very significant. They seem to represent humanity in its basest form, without the polish of civilization. The Houyhnhnm that houses Gulliver during his stay in their country remarks that this mixture of reason and vice makes the human race more dangerous and more powerful than mere brutality: â€Å"But when a creature pretending to reason could be capable of such enormities, he dreaded lest the corruption of that faculty might be worse than brutality itself† (Swift 183). The Houyhnhnms cannot attain the technological and scientific progress mastered by man because they do not manipulate truth and they do not know the meaning of power and corruption. By contrast, the dwarfish people of Lilliput manage to subdue Gulliver, despite the fact that he is a giant among them. The human society can progress but it cannot advance significantly in morality. The Houyhnhnms’ society is perfect because it is based on an economy of just ideas and principles. They cannot understand crime as a concept and think it absurd because of its lack of utility: â€Å"He was wholly at a loss to know what could be the use or necessity of practicing those vices† (Swift 195). The utopian world cannot belong to man because he is inevitably driven by feelings and passions that often do not conform to the common moral standards. Moreover, the Houyhnhnms world is one where absolute truth dominates and there is no falsehood: â€Å"†¦They have no word in their language to express lying or falsehood† (Swift 187). This is also unattainable in the human society since man will always be biased because of his subjectivity. Overall, Swift shows that a utopian society is impossible for man on account of the inherent faults and particularities of the human spirit. Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground reveals a similar conception of the utopian society. According to the underground man, the human society will always construct ideal and fantastical worlds to escape from reality. The paradox is that man seems to be equally infatuated with both happiness and sufferance. The â€Å"crystal palace† represents the unattainable ideal that lives in the lofty regions of the human imagination. As a utopian representation, the palace is made of crystal precisely because it contains all the answers and no questions: â€Å"Then †¦ new economic relations will be established, all ready-made and worked out with mathematical exactitude, so that every possible question will vanish in the twinkling of an eye, simply because every possible answer to it will be provided. Then the ‘Palace of Crystal’ will be built† (Dostoevsky 69). This mathematical and transparent construction is a symbol for perfection and self-sufficiency. The palace does not harbor any doubts: â€Å"What would be the good of a ‘palace of crystal’ if there could be any doubt about it? †(Dostoevsky 77) However, the human world is not even satisfied with its own ideals. The underground man believes resents that this ideal edifice cannot be mocked and derided: †You believe in a palace of crystal that can never be destroyed a palace at which one will not be able to put out ones tongue or make a long nose on the sly† (Dostoevsky 77). The palace is therefore the object of man’s desires for but also the object of his mockery. Dostoevsky puts forth the idea that the human world can never fit into the crystal palace with all its desires and aspirations although it can neither renounce this dream completely. As Swift had pointed out, man is torn between opposite principles, between sufferance and happiness and is unable to reduce his feelings to a few linear and uniform desires. Moreover, the ideal can be inconsistent with reality but man will persevere in his desires merely because it has an actuality for him: â€Å"But what does it matter to me that it is inconsistent? That makes no difference since it exists in my desires, or rather exists as long as my desires exist. † (Dostoevsky 78) Another issue that Dostoevsky emphasizes is that man will always pursue his ideals no matter how inadequate they are precisely because he is a complex being, entirely different from the animals. Dostoevsky gives as an example the basic necessity for shelter and compares a hen-house with the crystal palace: â€Å"You see, if it were not a palace, but a hen-house, I might creep into it to avoid getting wet, and yet I would not call the hen-house a palace out of gratitude to it for keeping me dry† (Dostoevsky 78). Man is not satisfied with mere principles of utility and economy. This idea is also identifiable in the representation of the utopian world of the Houyhnhnms, as already mentioned. The perfect world of the horses is content with a few basic and absolute principles that also serve the ideal of economy. Both Swift and Dostoevsky show that man could not live in a utopian world. While Swift shows that man the utopian world could never be created by man because of the inherent vices that corrupt human nature, Dostoevsky points out that man would actually be dissatisfied if he inhabited an ideal society. The two authors reveal the essential aspects of the human nature and the human society, pointing out that man could not live in a utopian state although this will always be his ideal. Works Cited: Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Notes from the Underground. New York: Macmillan, 1918. Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels. New York: Penguin, 1981.

Westward Expansion Essay -- essays research papers

Book Review – Westward Expansion 1807 - 1880 THESIS: After the War of 1812 much of America's attention turned to exploration and settlement of its territory to the West, which had been greatly enlarged by the Louisiana Purchase. SUMMARY: Families of pioneers swept westward and founded new communities throughout what is now the Midwest, and between 1816 and 1821, six new states were admitted to the Union. The land boom was fed by encouragement from the federal government and the actions of land speculators, who bought up large tracts of land in order to sell it in parcels to farmers at exorbitant prices. These farmers did not mind high prices and high interest on loans due to the growing success of American agricultural products. Most western farmers became cash croppers who sometimes neglected subsistence farming in order to focus on marketable commodities. Soon the farmers' dependence on distant markets caught up with them, however, as the state bank system that had sprung up to support speculation collapsed, dragging agricultural prices and land values down with it. Many western settlers suffered greatly during the Panic of 1819, but most survived and continued the conquest of the West. A major aspect of the conquest of the West was the removal of the Indians who dwelled there. Under the leadership of President Andrew Jackson, the Indians who remained East of the Mississippi were cruelly and violently driven from their homes and concentrated in reservations in what is ...

Financial strain Essay

I agree with the need of practicing consistency in the physician’s clinics. Evidence-based practice is a very useful tool and is something that is highly recommended to be integrated into the daily clinical practice like in the high quality care of diabetes. Diabetes at present ranks seventh as a primary reason of death in the first world countries and in the United States, for example, costs approximately more than $132 billion annually in healthcare and is still expected to rise yearly to as much as $192 billion in 2020 (Molinaro, 2008). This financial strain in the healthcare system could have been one of the triggers why the American Diabetes Association launched the Diabetes Physicians Recognition Program (DPRP) as a tool in effectively addressing this disease. The management of diabetes is important in the children population as well since it affects not only their health and safety but also their emotional and intellectual growth (Meyers, 2005). Like any other program that is put in place, the challenge always lies in sustaining them after they are implemented. Although the new process of diabetes check for every office visit demands longer time for both the patients and mid level providers, parties involved should be constantly reminded that this preventative program would ultimately benefit everyone by the early detection of diabetes and resultantly, its proactive treatment and prevention. The physician of the practice should be reminded that a lot of effort and resources were expended in getting the DPRP accreditation and implementing its various elements and processes are vital in making the program effective and achieve its desired end. Early intervention of the practice physician to ensure compliance of mid level providers is required to continuously sustain the program. This would set the example for patients to also do their part in ensuring that they also comply with requirements. References Biotech Week (11/Mar/2009). Bone Research: Research from the University of Ferrara. Bone Research Area. Profitt, W. (2000). Masters of esthetic dentistry: The soft tissue paradigm in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Journal of Esthetic Dentistry, 12, 86. Meyers, Laurie. (2005). Safe at school: Treating Diabetes in the Classroom. Diabetes Forecast, 5, 44. Molinaro, R. J. (2008). Targeting HbA1c: standardization and clinical laboratory measurement. Medical Laboratory Observer, 40 (1), p. 10.

Cultural Issues of Human Resource Management

International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 45 Carrying Cultural Baggage: the contribution of socio-cultural anthropology to cross-cultural coaching Barbara St Claire-Ostwald, CINCRA International Coaching & Training Consultancy, UK Email Contact: [email  protected] com Abstract This study examines the cultural awareness of professionals working in organisations.Given the multicultural nature of today’s workforce, it is becoming increasingly important for companies and coaches alike to take into account how cross-cultural differences may affect daily working practices. The study draws on a review of current research into cultural dimensions and looks at the complex relationship between personality and culture – our ‘cultural baggage’. In order to explore the opinions and cultural awareness of participants, a questionnaire was developed.The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify themes and orientatio ns to cross-cultural issues in terms not only of communality but also of paradoxes. The results highlighted a high level of recognition of cultural dilemmas and a perceived need and willingness to address and reconcile them. However, the diversity of opinions about the potential benefits of specific methods of addressing cultural dilemmas suggested considerable uncertainly about dealing with cross cultural issues.Key Words: Cross-cultural, cultural baggage, cultural dimensions, coaching, mentoring, socio-cultural anthropology Introduction The aim of this paper is to report on the results of a study designed to explore the emerging discipline of cross-cultural coaching (Rosinski 2003) and to establish the levels of awareness about, and attitudes to cross-cultural issues; the patterns and/or relationships between awareness, attitudes and cultural dimensions among businesses and business consultants, coaches, mentors and coaching/mentoring organisations.I began this study from the pers pective that while there has been some research into mentoring and coaching, there appeared to be little that focussed specifically on cross-cultural influences. In my review of the available literature, it became increasingly clear that the integration of a cultural perspective into coaching was very much at the ‘pioneering’ stage. The main aims of this study were to try and establish levels of awareness bout, and attitudes to cross-cultural issues; and to study the patterns and/or relationships between awareness, attitudes and the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and HampdenTurner among businesses and business consultants, and coaching organisations. Cross-cultural coaching addresses the way in which cultural differences affect the daily lives of people, and raises awareness of cultural differences and the effect they can have on the process of managing others and doing business in general.In today’s global economy organisations underst and that to sustain successful and resilient businesses and to keep their competitive edge, they must develop employees who understand their global business, and employ people with global skills. Rosinski (2003) and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997) have developed pioneering work in cross-cultural competencies and coaching methods. At a fundamental level, their International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 46 work has been based on the works of socio-cultural anthropologists Hofstede (1980) and Schwartz (1994).Their contribution in overcoming cultural miscommunication, tension and conflict, including the perils of stereotyping and ‘mono-culturalism’, has helped to formulate and explore the hypothesis of this study. Cultural baggage: a by-product of cultural systems Socio-anthropological thinking is based on the premise that all humans are born with the same basic physical characteristics, but depending on where they g row up, each individual is exposed to different climates, foods, languages, religious beliefs etc.Therefore, ‘are we really self-made or did our parents, teachers, families and friends have a hand in it? ’ (Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner, 1997, p. 54). Thus, one could argue that the socioanthropological perspective on culture takes a holistic view, describing culture as a pattern of learned and shared behaviours of people and/or groups consisting of belief systems and languages; and of social relationships be they personal, organisational, or institutional. (Hall, 1963; Hall and Hall, 1987; Hofstede, 1980; Kondo, 1990; Levi-Strauss, 1966; Schwartz, 1994).Therefore, at a fundamental level, it could be argued that culture is a representation of a complete way of life of a people who share the same attitudes, values and practices. Csikszentmihalyi (1997, p. 7) makes the distinction of ‘identity’ by using snowflakes as a metaphor: â€Å"They look identical as they fall, but taking a closer look, we soon discover that they are not identical†. Hence, he argues, rather than seeing identity as a single unitary self, perhaps cultural identity should be viewed as being multi-faceted, i. e. cknowledging that people have a number of selves or identities depending on context and setting. For example, the biggest barrier individuals and/or employees encounter is not necessarily that they come from different parts of the world, or that they speak a different language or even occupy a different physical space, it is the baggage they carry in their own cultural suitcases which needs to be explored. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner maintain that what people expect depends on where they come from, and the meanings they give to what they have or are experiencing.They argue that â€Å"expectations occur on many different levels, from concrete, explicit level to implicit and subconscious ones† (1997, p. 21). Furthermore, they describe culture a s consisting of various layers: †¦The outer layers are the products and artefacts that symbolise the deeper, more basic values and assumptions about life. The different layers are not independent from one another, but are complementary [†¦]. The shared meanings that are the core of the culture are man-made; are incorporated into people within a culture yet transcend the people in culture. (1997, p. 7) Cross-cultural dilemmas Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner argue that â€Å"Every culture distinguishes itself from others by the specific solutions it chooses to certain problems which reveal themselves as dilemmas† (p. 8); to this end, they have incorporated best management theories into their own analysis of the task of managing across cultures. These theories were realized by using a participant questionnaire profiler, which was based on their Seven Dimensions of Culture model and by incorporating Trompenaars and Woolliams framework for managing change across cultures. Similarly, Rosinski points out the dangers of our assumptions and beliefs systems when working with coachees from varying origins and backgrounds. He argues that by providing a framework for integrating coaching and cultural perspectives, i. e. examining numerous International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 47 cultural orientations, styles and approaches to coaching, the development of a cross-cultural mindset will be facilitated.For example, he writes: Our identity could be viewed as this personal and dynamic synthesis of multiple cultures. Our behaviour will typically vary depending on the group we happen to be associated with [. †¦]. The fact that our behaviours depend in part on the particular cultural context further justifies the need for coaches to integrate the cultural perspective into their practice. In some cases the obstacle to someone’s progress may be cultural rather than psychological, thus calling for a di fferent coaching dialogue. p. 1) Furthermore, he maintains that cultural awareness is more than just realizing another culture is different from our own; it is also about learning to value that other culture. He argues that culture is behind our behaviour, and often without our realization. It can influence how close we stand, how loud we speak, how we deal with conflict and as a result, by failing to understand how culture impacts our needs and preferences, culture can often lead us to misinterpret behaviour.Methodology As the research was exploratory, I focussed the design on two main aspects: the initial review of literature which drew on a broad array of coaching and socio-anthropological theories and studies, and the less extensive, but nevertheless in-depth cross-cultural coaching work of Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997), and Rosinski (2003). In turn, this provided the basis for the primary research, which took the form of a questionnaire which was sent to a small expert survey sample to identify cross-cultural themes and patterns.To ensure that survey participants had some recognizable expertise on the subject under investigation, I adopted the model in (Fig. 1) below. On the one hand, I was attempting to quantify levels of awareness of cross-cultural issues, as well as to explore the accompanying opinions, beliefs and assumptions, and how they relate to the dimensions of culture. I was also trying to make sure that the survey respondents would have an interest in this particular area of study. Fig. Survey Sample and Questionnaire Model Corporate/Business Consultants Awareness Opinions Coaching Organisations The survey sample was not only limited in size, but also in terms of the geographical make-up of the participants, who were mostly from the U. K. with the rest from continental Europe. By International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 48 extension it would be difficult to generalise from the resul ts, however, this was not the intention of the study.While gender could also be a factor which might influence attitudes and responses, the exploratory nature of the study precluded it from being a controlled variable at this point, although this issue could form the basis for further research. The purpose of the initial questionnaire was to elicit the opinions of the survey participants in order to identify themes and orientations to cross-cultural issues, in terms of communality as well as potential paradoxes.It was also intended to see how these opinions and orientations fitted with responses to questions about the various cultural dimensions identified and developed by Hofstede and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner. The questionnaire was therefore divided into two parts. The first section addressed the opinions about attitudes, values and behaviours pertaining to culture in general, cultural dilemmas and, to crosscultural coaching and training specifically.I also decided to use a n umber of similar questions to check for inconsistencies in responses, which might indicate either a paradox in terms of opinions, possibly a conflict between a ‘norm’ and a given individual’s personal view, or could reflect a lack of appreciation for, or indeed indifference to, a given issue. The second section of the questionnaire was constructed on the basis of Hofstede’s and Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s cultural dimensions, and sought to elicit culture-specific values, beliefs and assumptions which could influence cross-cultural interaction within a professional environment.Results, discussions and recommendations In analyzing the responses to the questionnaire, it was evident that there was a high level of recognition of the importance of cross-cultural issues, and the need to address and reconcile them. However it was very difficult to define or quantify levels of cultural awareness, which was to some extent unsurprising given the complexit y of the issues involved. But as I outlined in the methodology, a major objective was also to explore the quality of awareness and understanding of cultural dilemmas and dimensions.In this respect, the first section of the questionnaire (on attitudes to culture and potential cross-cultural training solutions) was very instructive in terms of perceptions about the relationship between culture and personality. In my opinion, the most notable contrast was that there was considerably greater agreement that culture shapes the personality and a lot more uncertainty about how the individual shapes culture. This impression was further reinforced by the general agreement that managers from different cultures do not necessarily find it easy to adapt their behaviour to fit the different needs of another culture.From a coaching perspective, it suggests some attention needs to be paid to how an individual perceives and relates to his/her culture. For example, there is a clear difference between seeing culture as providing a framework for social interaction, which is constantly evolving, and on the other hand perceiving culture as providing a set of social constraints. In either case, there may be some elements of our culture, which at an individual level are considered to be important in our everyday lives, while there are others which may be difficult to accept, which could be sources of tension with other members of our culture.Given that such perceptions may be operating partly at a subconscious level, this may not be easy to establish. But they appear to me to be a significant element in the process of gaining a better understanding of our cultural baggage, i. e. in how we synthesize the myriad of cultural groupings to which we are exposed on a daily basis. There was greater diversity of opinion about the benefits of specific cross-cultural training solutions, and when, where and how they might be applied.The initial conclusion that can be drawn is this shows that the process of integrating the cross-cultural domain into both business and coaching practice is still at an early stage of development. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 49 As far as improving the general awareness and understanding of the benefits of cross-cultural training, three sets of responses in the first section seem to me to define some of the issues that need to be addressed.Firstly the fact that half of the respondents believed that cultural issues within organisations are dealt with only if they relate to behavioural issues is indicative of a certain level of resistance to dealing with these issues, which may be due to an appreciation of the complexity of such issues. On the other hand, if cultural issues in some organisations are only addressed when there is a behavioural conflict, then this will tend to cast them in a negative light.Hence it does lead to the conclusion that some organisations are not sufficientl y aware that ignoring and playing down cultural differences, as well as evaluating them negatively, is a major contributor to miscommunication, misunderstanding and conflict. Secondly, while coaches largely agreed that business managers recognise that diversity training should now include cross-cultural training for employees sent on global assignments, the business organisation responses were much divided.This leads me to conclude that some businesses are either unaware, or possibly not persuaded of the benefits of this specific approach. Nevertheless this set of responses, and the fact that none of the respondents disagreed that incorporating the dilemmas deriving from the differences in cultural dimensions help organisations to integrate their cultural orientations suggests that the key area of uncertainty among businesses and coaches is the method and/or models of integrating cultural dilemmas.The point that this suggests to me is, that before any attempt is made to develop the skills necessary to negotiate the differences between cultures, a greater awareness of how we negotiate difference in our own culture is required. This is to say we need to be more consciously and self-critically aware of the assumptions that underlie our habitual responses and modes of interaction, in other words our cultural baggage. In principal this is already the main focus of traditional coaching and mentoring.But I believe considerably more research needs to be conducted into how these methods and skills can be developed to take account of and integrate cross-cultural issues and dilemmas. From national to cross-cultural perspectives Cross-cultural research has largely focused on national differences because it is much easier to establish a person’s nationality, than to identify him/her as belonging to another type of cultural grouping, be that regional, professional, political, economic or social.The most frequently cited reason is that a given individual will be a mem ber of numerous forms of socalled sub-cultures or higher level cultures (e. g. European), which in effect rules them out as unique independent variables. But I believe that without exercising some control for the effect of these ‘other’ cultural variables, it is difficult to be sure that attributing a given behaviour, belief, value or attitude expressed by an individual to national cultural influences is theoretically or empirically valid.For example, even at a national level, there has to be particular care to acknowledge the difference between ethnically diverse nations such as Canada or Malaysia; ethnically and/or religiously divided nations such as Belgium or the former Yugoslavia, or relatively homogeneous nations such as Japan or Korea, let alone very complex national cultures such as China or India. In essence, this does nothing more than acknowledge that socio-cultural anthropology is the study of the dilemmas and problems of differences and similarities not onl y between, but also within societies.In the specific context of this study, one of the most interesting aspects of the responses to the second section of the questionnaire on cultural dimensions was the differences in opinions both within and between coaches and business organisations. My original intention in including a section on cultural dimensions was to explore the relationship between these responses and those on the first section of the questionnaire. But the differences of opinions between the two sets of respondents on ‘universalism vs. particularism’ and ‘individualism vs. ommunitarianism’ (Fig. 6) suggested to me that I had to consider whether these opinions in some way reflected values that were influenced by the differing needs and requirements of the corporate and coaching environments. I cannot conclude whether this was the key influence International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 50 on thes e responses. However I do think this emphasizes that it is tenuous to assume that the responses to such value dimensions questionnaires can be ascribed largely to national culture.I also believe that the way that corporate and professional culture influences our habits and values requires a great deal more in-depth research. For example, it might be interesting to establish whether there are differences in the responses to a cultural dimensions questionnaire between professional groups, e. g. doctors, police officers, computer programmers, sports professionals, etc. , and how these compare to national differences. However, it also has to be acknowledged that the difficulty of drawing any definite conclusions about key influences is clearly a limitation to the use of questionnaires in general.This does suggest it would have been preferable to be able to expand and explore the data that was generated by the questionnaires via follow-up interviews. But, as discussed in the methodology, this would have required a lot more time and resources than were available to me in this study. Nevertheless analyzing the results in relation to the problem of ignoring and playing down the importance of cultural differences also suggested that the questionnaire design needed refinement.Specifically, I was unable to deduce or make any assumptions about what level of importance each respondent attached to each of the dimensions. A system of ranking the various value dimensions is not a new concept or methodology, in that it is very similar to the two ‘basic bipolar’ dimensions of ‘openness to change vs. conservation’ and ‘selfenhancement vs. self transcendence’ that are incorporated as higher dimensions in the Schwartz Value Inventory (Fig. 4).But more importantly I think that more research into developing a system of ranking the value dimensions would not only help to identify those value dimensions, which may be ignored, downplayed or even n egatively evaluated, but also provide a potentially very useful tool for integrating the cross-cultural dimension into traditional coaching and mentoring practices. Conclusion From this specific perspective, a focus on quantifying how national cultures differ along the various value dimensions that have been identified does run some risk of contributing to the formation of cultural stereotypes, which have little or no predictive value.This is why greater emphasis needs to be placed on understanding our own ‘cultural baggage’ from a coaching perspective, particularly on the dynamic processes of the way in which our own culture has, and is evolving. The building blocks of improving cultural awareness and developing cross-cultural skills therefore have much in common with the key skills associated with building rapport as a coach or mentor. For the coach or business organisation, it is therefore about understanding the processes involved with the different ways in which we negotiate social interaction, and the elements of the various models of culture.These range from the apparently simple distinction between the visible and invisible level of values (Fig. 1) to the complexity of Schwartz’s ‘Theoretical model of relations among motivational value types and two basic bipolar value dimensions’ (Fig. 4). It is about raising our awareness of what is subconscious and invisible up to a conscious and visible level; and from there we can develop the skills necessary to negotiate ways of interacting with others whose values, attitudes and habits, or indeed in contexts are unfamiliar to us.I believe that if this is to be achieved, coaching and cross-cultural research needs to transcend the limitations of a focus on national culture. It needs to acknowledge that cultural identity should be viewed as being multi-faceted, and that people have a number of selves or identities depending on context and setting. The work of Schwartz, Hofstede and Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner has provided very valuable insight into the cultural dimensions, which help to identify the way in which values differ between national cultures.However, they would also be the first to acknowledge that International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 51 national cultures are in a constant state of change, and this in turn dictates the need to evolve their questionnaires, re-analyze the accompanying databases of results, and amend and redefine their models accordingly. But perhaps the key aspect for further research is to develop methods that place a greater emphasis on the processes though which culture changes.In other words how human actions and practices change, and new meanings evolve in response to changes to social contexts. By this I mean for example: the impact of increased migration (whether voluntary, or in response to political or economic factors), or the proliferation of new forms of communicati on like the internet, not only on working environments, but on the myriad ways in which we organize our social lives. The point being that this should help to move research and practice from a focus on more abstract concepts such as values, to the ways in which culture is produced and negotiated.Consequently, as Rosinski (2003, p. xviii) said, ‘intercultural professionals will be better equipped to fulfil their commitment to extend people’s worldviews, bridge cultural gaps, and enable successful work across cultures’. References Clutterbuck, D. (1985), Everyone needs a Mentor, Fostering talent at work (3rd Ed), Trowbridge: The Cromwell Press Clutterbuck, D. (2003), ‘The Problem with research in mentoring’ The Coaching and Mentoring Network Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997), Living Well, The Psychology of Everyday Life, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson Flaherty, J. 1999), Coaching – Evoking Excellence in Others, Burlington MA: Elsevier Foucault, M. (1 980) Power/Knowledge: Selected Interviews and Other Writings 1972-1977, Ed. Colin Gordon, New York: Pantheon Books Gray, J. (2000), Two Faces of Liberalism, London: Polity Press Hall, E. T. (1963), The Silent Language, Greenwich Connecticut: Fawcett Publications Inc. Hall, E. T. (1976), Beyond Culture, Garden City NY: Anchor Press Hall, E. T. (1984), The Dance of Life – The Other Dimension of Time, Garden City NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday Hall, E. T. & Hall, M. R. 1987), Hidden Differences – Doing business with the Japanese, Garden City NU: Anchor Press/Doubleday Hall, E. T. & Hall, M. R. (1990), Understanding Cultural Differences, Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press Hofstede, G. H. (1980), Culture’s Consequences – International Differences in Work-Related Values, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications Hofstede, G. H. (1991), Cultures and Organizations – Software of the Mind, London: McGraw-Hill U. K. , (1997) New York, McGraw-Hill U. S. A. , Third Millenniu m Edition, and (2004) New York: McGraw-Hill U. S. A. Hofstede, G.H. (1998), Masculinity and Femininity – The Taboo Dimension of National Cultures, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Hofstede, G. H. & McCrae, R. R. (2004), ‘Personality and Culture Revisited: Linking Traits and Dimensions of Culture’, Cross-Cultural Research, Vol. 38, No. 1, p. 52-88 Hussey, J. & Hussey, R. (1997), Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students, London: Macmillan Press Ltd. Jarvis, J. (2004), Coaching and Buying Coaching Services – a CIPD guide, London: CIPD Enterprises Ltd Kerlinger, F. N. 1979,) Behavioural Research: A Conceptual Approach, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Kondo, D. (1990), Crafting Selves: Power, Gender and Discourses of Identity in a Japanese Workplace, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 9, 11-24 International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring Vol. 5. No. 2 August, 2007 Page 52 Kram, K. E. (198 8), Mentoring at Work – Developmental Relationships in Organizational Life, Lanham: University Press of America Kuhn, T. S. (1962), The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago: University of Chicago Press Levi-Strauss, C. 1966), The Savage Mind, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson Megginson, D. & Clutterbuck, D. (1995), Mentoring in Action – a practical guide for managers, London: Kogan Page Ltd. Nietzsche, F. quotes, QuotationsPage (2005) http://www. quotationspage. com/quotes/Friedrich_Nietzsche/ Oxford Dictionary of English (2003), Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Editors), Oxford: Oxford University Press Peterson, D. & Hicks, M. D. (1996), Leader as coach: Strategies for coaching and developing others, Minneapolis, MN: Personnel Decisions International Potter, J. Wetherell, M. (1995), ‘Discourse analysis’, in Smith, J. , Harre, R. , van Langenhove, R. , (Eds), Rethinking Methods in Psychology, London: Sage Robson C. (1992), Real World Research: A Resource for Social Scientists and Practitionerresearchers, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Rosinski, P. (2003), Coaching Across Cultures, London: Nicholas Brealey Schwartz, S. H. (1994), Beyond Individualism/Collectivism – New Dimensions of Values. in Individualism and Collectivism: Theory Application and Methods, U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C.Kagitciabasi, S. C. Choi and G. Yoon (Eds) Newbury Park CA: Sage. Tao Te Ching quotes, ThinkExist quotations (2005), http://en. thinkexist. com/quotes/Tao_Te_Ching The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th Ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin The Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Sociology (1991), 4th edition, Guilford, Connecticut: The Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc. Trompenaars, F. & Hampden-Turner, C. (1997), Riding the Waves of Culture, London: Nicholas Brealey (2nd Ed) Trompenaars, F. & Hampden-Turner, C. 1993), The Seven Cultures of Capitalism, London: Piatkus Trompenaars, F. & Woolliams, P. (2003), Journal of Change Manage ment Vol. 3, 4, p. 361375: Henry Stewart Publication Watson, T. J. (2001), In Search of Management – Culture, chaos and control in managerial work, London: Thomson Learning Whitworth, L. , Kimsey-House, H. , Sandahl, P. (1998), Co-Active Coaching, Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing Zachary, L. J. (2000), The Mentor’s Guide – Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Zeus, P. & Skiffington, S. 2002), The Coaching at Work Toolkit – A Complete Guide to Techniques and Practices, Australia: McGraw-Hill Barbara StClaire-Ostwald is an international coach and freelance consultant who specialises in cross-cultural awareness and developing successful and effective communication skills for global managers and teams. Barbara grew up in the United Kingdom as a Polish/British dual national. Prior to setting up her coaching practice CINCRA, she lived and worked in the UK, Continental Europe and North Africa for over 30 years; working for multinationals in the private, public and not for profit sectors.Barbara is a member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and until recently, Chair of the EMCC European Conference Committee. She is also a member of the British Psychological Society, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, British Sociological Association and the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR). She is tri-lingual (Polish, English, French) and she is able to converse in Dutch, German, Czech and Slovak.

History of the Second Amendment

History of the Second Amendment After going virtually unchallenged for more than 100 years, the right of Americans to own guns has developed as one of today’s hottest political issues. The central question remains: does the Second Amendment apply to individual citizens? Gun Rights Before the Constitution Though still British subjects, colonial Americans considered the right to bear arms as necessary for fulfilling their natural right to defend themselves and their property. In the midst of the American Revolution, the rights that would later be expressed in the Second Amendment were being explicitly included in early state constitutions. The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, for example, stated that â€Å"the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the state.† 1791: The Second Amendment Is Ratified The ink had hardly dried on the ratification papers before a political movement was undertaken to amend the Constitution to declare gun ownership as a specific right. A select committee assembled to review amendments proposed by James Madison authored the language that would become the Second Amendment to the Constitution: â€Å"A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.† Prior to ratification, Madison had hinted at the need for the amendment. Writing in Federalist No. 46, he contrasted the proposed American federal government to European kingdoms, which he criticized as being â€Å"afraid to trust the people with arms.† Madison went on to assure Americans that they would never need to fear their government as they had the British Crown, because the Constitution would ensure them â€Å"the advantage of being armed.†Ã‚   1822: Bliss v. Commonwealth Brings 'Individual Right' Into Question The Second Amendment’s intent for individual Americans first came into question in 1822  in Bliss v. Commonwealth. The court case arose in Kentucky after a man was indicted for carrying a sword concealed in a cane. He was convicted and fined $100. Bliss appealed the conviction, citing a provision in the commonwealth’s constitution that stated, â€Å"The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the state, shall not be questioned.† In a majority vote with just one judge dissenting, the court overturned the conviction against Bliss and ruled the law unconstitutional and void. 1856: Dred Scott v. Sandford Upholds Individual Right The Second Amendment as an individual right was affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in its Dred Scott v. Sandford  decision in 1856. The nation’s highest court opined on the intent of the Second Amendment for the first time with the rights of slaves in question, writing that affording slaves the full rights of American citizenship would include the right â€Å"to keep and carry arms wherever they went.† 1871: NRA Is Founded The National Rifle Association was founded by a pair of Union soldiers in 1871, not as a political lobby but in  an effort to promote the shooting of rifles. The organization would grow to become the face of Americas pro-gun lobby in the 20th century. 1934: National Firearms Act Brings About First Major Gun Control The first major effort to eliminate private ownership of firearms came with the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). A direct response to the rise of gangster violence in general and the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in particular, the NFA sought to circumvent the Second Amendment by controlling firearms through a tax excise- $200 for each gun sale. The NFA targeted fully automatic weapons, short-barreled shotguns and rifles, pen and cane guns, and other firearms defined as â€Å"gangster weapons.† 1938: Federal Firearms Act Requires Licensure ofDealers The Federal Firearms Act of 1938 required that  anyone selling or shipping firearms must be licensed through the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Federal Firearms License  (FFL) stipulated that guns could not be sold to persons convicted of certain crimes. It required that sellers log the names and addresses of anyone to whom they sold guns. 1968: Gun Control Act Ushers in New Regulations Thirty years after America’s first sweeping reform of gun laws, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy helped usher in new federal legislation with wide-ranging implications. The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibited mail-order sales of rifles and shotguns. It increased license requirements for sellers and broadened the list of persons prohibited from owning a firearm to include convicted felons, drug users, and the mentally incompetent. 1994: TheBrady Act and Assault Weapons Ban Two federal laws passed by a Democrat-controlled Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 became the hallmark of gun control efforts in  the later 20th century. The first, the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act, required a five-day waiting period and background check for the sale of handguns. It also mandated creation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The Brady Act had been spurred by the shooting of press secretary James Brady during John Hinckley Jr.s attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. Brady survived but was left partially paralyzed as a result of his wounds. In 1998, the Department of Justice reported that the presale background checks had blocked an estimated 69,000 illegal handgun sales during 1997, the first year the Brady Act was fully enforced.   The second law, the Assault Weapons Ban- officially titled the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act- banned a number of rifles defined as â€Å"assault weapons,† including many semiautomatic and  military-style rifles, such as the AK-47 and SKS. 2004: The Assault Weapons Ban Sunsets A Republican-controlled Congress refused to pass the reauthorization of the Assault Weapons Ban in 2004, allowing it to expire. Gun control supporters criticized President George W. Bush for not actively pressuring Congress to renew the ban, while gun rights advocates criticized him for indicating that he would sign a reauthorization if Congress passed it. 2008: D.C. v. HellerIs a Major Setback for Gun Control Gun rights proponents were thrilled in 2008 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment extends gun ownership rights to individuals. The decision affirmed an earlier decision by a lower appeals court and struck down handgun bans in Washington D.C. as unconstitutional. The Court ruled that the District of Columbia’s total ban on handguns in the home was unconstitutional because the ban was contrary to the Second Amendment’s purpose of self-defense- an intent of the amendment never before acknowledged by the Court. The case was lauded as the first Supreme Court case to affirm the right of an individual to keep and bear arms in accordance with the Second Amendment. The ruling applied only to federal enclaves, however, such as the District of Columbia. Justices did not weigh in on the Second Amendment’s application to the states. Writing in the Courts majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that the â€Å"people† protected by the Second Amendment are the same â€Å"people† protected by the First and Fourth Amendments. â€Å"The Constitution was written to be understood by the voters; its words and phrases were used in their normal and ordinary as distinguished from technical meaning.†Ã‚   2010: Gun Owners Win Another Victory in McDonald v. Chicago Gun rights supporters won their second major Supreme Court victory in 2010 when the high court affirmed an individuals right to own guns in McDonald v. Chicago. The ruling was an inevitable follow-up to D.C. v. Heller and  marked the first time that the Supreme Court ruled that the provisions of the Second Amendment extend to the states. The ruling overturned an earlier decision by a lower court in a legal challenge to Chicago’s ordinance banning the possession of handguns by its citizens. 2013: Obama's Proposals Fail Federally but Gain State Traction After the shooting of 20 first-graders in Newtown, Connecticut, and 12 people in an Aurora, Colorado, moviehouse, President Barack Obama proposed stricter gun-control laws. His plan required background checks for all gun sales, called for the reinstatement and strengthening of the assault weapons ban, limited ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, and included other measures. While these proposals did not succeed at the national level, a number of individual states began to tighten their laws accordingly. 2017: Proposed Gun Control Law Stall The Background Check Completion Act was introduced on Oct. 5, 2017, less than a week after the deadly Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas. The Background Check Completion Act would close a current loophole in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act that allows gun sales to proceed if a background check is not completed after 72 hours, even if the gun buyer is not legally allowed to purchase a gun. The bill has stalled in Congress. 2018: Parkland School Shooting Sparks a National Student Movement and State Legislation On Feb. 14, a school shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people and injured 17 others. This was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. Student survivors created the activist group Never Again MSD and organized momentous nationwide protests and walkouts by students. As of July 2018, just five months after the Florida shooting, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence counts 55 new gun-control laws passing in 26 states.  Notably, this has included laws passed in Republican-held state legislatures.

5 Words That End in the Excrescent -st

5 Words That End in the Excrescent -st 5 Words That End in the Excrescent â€Å"-st† 5 Words That End in the Excrescent â€Å"-st† By Mark Nichol Somewhere along the way, a very small group of English words, through dialectical divergence, acquired spelling and punctuation variants in the form of an odd appendage: the letters -st. Three of these terms are acceptable (but declining in use) in British English but deemed nonstandard in American English, while two others, strangely, have prevailed over earlier forms. The phonological term for this type of change is excrescence, which although it simply means â€Å"outgrowth† is a word with unpleasant associations that should help writers (and speakers) of American English to remember to think twice before using one of the following three words: 1. Amidst: The preposition amid, meaning â€Å"among† or â€Å"during,† or â€Å"with the accompaniment of,† is often written (but rarely said as) amidst, even in American English, but it is considered colloquial and unsuitable for formal writing. 2. Amongst: The excrescent form of the preposition among, in some senses synonymous with amid(st), is perhaps even more frequently employed in informal American English writing (and speaking). However, amongst, like amidst, should be avoided in formal writing. 3. Whilst: Alone among these three words, the conjunction whilst is rarely used in American English, perhaps because it sounds especially affected; many users of British English also favor while. Its relative unpopularity, however, is counterintuitive in that it is relatively easy to pronounce, while amidst and amongst involve some mandibular gymnastics. Though they have the same ending as amidst, amongst, and whilst, these words ending in the excrescent -st are standard: 4. Against: Anomalously, though against followed a path similar to those of the three words listed above, forming from the alteration of again to againes and then to againest before settling into its current form, the nonstandard variant prevailed. Again, as a preposition, has been relegated to dialect used for comic effect; indeed, in this context, it is often spelled agin to emphasize the drawled pronunciation, as in â€Å"I ain’t sayin’ nothin’ agin ya† (translation: â€Å"I’m not saying anything against you†). 5. Midst: This variant of the noun middle (from the Middle English term middest, an alteration of middes, which in turn is short for amiddes, meaning â€Å"amid†) is correct, though its survival is curious, considering that middle is easier to pronounce. The truncated form mid is acceptable only as a prefix in a hyphenated (mid-Atlantic) or closed (midafternoon) compound. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)Hyper and HypoComma After Introductory Phrases

The Institution of Family in Transition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Institution of Family in Transition - Essay Example Quite simply stated, these writers portray suffering as a strengthening force, colonialism as a rationale for rebellion and the re-identification, even redefinition, of the nation and gender as an irrelevant determinant of capabilities and limitation as they proceed from a premise of gender equity. But how do we read such texts Current literary theory depersonalizes the literature. The critical theories of Bakhtin, Foucault, Kristeva, and Derrida manipulate the parameters for reading and analyzing these works. Even though their theories are critically important and will be used to shed light on the narratives, the study aims to expand its theoretical framework beyond them. The reason is that much is lost in narrowing the possibilities for conversation to gender, sex and the body. For this reason and in an attempt to move from minimalistic readings to the radical readings required to free such texts from theory which marginalizes the meaning it attempts to elucidate, the study will turn to Baktin, Focault and Said's concept of contrapuntal reading. This is a valid approach to textual interpretation and reading since it challenges the static quality of the politics of identity. In Culture and Imperialism (1993) Said expands on ideas he had initiated in his earlier seminal work, Orientalism (1978). Said argues that rather than engaging in literary criticism that divides and separates along the lines of identities - race, class, gender, and sexuality - those identities should be recognized but not polarized. Said views these identities as special but part of overlapping and interconnected experiences. Rather than reading texts separately and isolating them according to its special history of identity, Said suggests that texts be read from a comparative, or contrapuntal, perspective. we must be able to think through and interpret together experiences that are discrepant, each with its particular agenda and pace of development, its own internal formations, its internal coherence and system of external relationships, all of them coexisting and interacting with others (Said 32). Said emphasizes the importance of recognizing the interdependence of various histories on each other, such as slavery, Islamic fundamentalism, and the caste system, as well as the interaction of contemporary societies with each other, such as the United States, South Africa, Egypt, Lebanon and India. Thus, in the act of reading, the reader must place the text in both its historical and current situation and place the texts in conversation with each other for the purpose of a deeper understanding of oneself and others. In other words, contrapuntal reading requires a perspective beyond one's own national borders, or landscape, into a universal perspective, where a collective memory represents the whole rather than the fragmented. In formulating a strategy for reading postcolonial texts, the study adheres to Baktin, Focault and Said's concept of contrapuntal reading. But before such an approach can be formulated, it is necessary to