21st century literacy Essay

What is 21st century literacy? 21st century literacy is demanding a literate person that has a wide range of abilities. These abilities must be multiple and forceful. â€Å" The active, successful participants in this 21st century global society must be able to develop proficiency and fluency with the tools of technology; build intentional cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought; design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes; manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information; create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts; attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments† (NCTE). This all depends on understanding the difference in media that can make up our high-tech reality and producing the skills to use them forcefully. Literacy then and now has changed a lot. History provides multiple examples of societies trying to make a connection to go into their communication infrastructures two centuries ago. Using the technologies in the past, people pursued methods by which they might be able to communicate faster, easier, and better. To this day we still look for better communication methods, only now we have countless choices, along with new gears and tactics with greater knowledge of effective communication. â€Å"Digital and visual literacies are the next wave of communication specialization. Most people will have technologies at their fingertips not only to communicate but to create, to manipulate, to design, to self-actualize†(digital dots). Kids are learning this with technology even when they don’t realize it. The lack of education is a problem and the situation is impaired in the field of education. . A common situation today is a classroom filled with digitally well-educated students being led by linear-thinking. There has been a mutual void in professional development for faculty this needs training to increase the necessary computer skills to mix technology into the curriculum effectively. Children now a day learn everything about technology and use technology every minute of the day. We have to change the way technology is used to teach learning across all departments. This change will slowly come however, without vision combined with practical, familiar goals and motivations that inspire people to grip a new digital and visual literacy skill independently and collectively. Future literacy is a thought experiment about the demise of literacy and the upcoming of other skills, capacities or tools that will effectively and advantageously displace reading and writing. Literacy is a capability we privilege above all others. It is a universal good. It is widely viewed as a prerequisite for success and personal development. By contrast, illiteracy is understood to be an impairment. 21st century is changing everything forever. Work cited â€Å"The NCTE Definition of 21st Century Literacies. † NCTE Comprehensive News. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. â€Å"Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE. edu. † Connecting the Digital Dots: Literacy of the 21st Century (EDUCAUSE Quarterly) | EDUCAUSE. edu. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Sept. 2013.

Product Life Cycle Theory Essay

One of the hypotheses that were existed in the world about the trading of goods and service is called the H-O; the theory said that the international trading would only happen inside countries that have different resources; Labor rich country will trade with capital rich country. However, the theory is not really working on the international trade, 60% of the trading volume in the world only happens with the developed country which rich of the same input which is capital. Therefore, because the H-O theory is not effective then it appears a new theory called the product life cycle. This product life cycle does not only explain about why the international trading dominated by the trading between the developed countries, but also explains about the background of emergence the multinational corporation. Transformation from H-O theory to PLC theory Improvement of a theory is on the improvement of the assumption. H-O theory is still a comparative statistical international trade which almost all variable is considered as exogenous or fixed (the changing is specified outside the model). It made there is a tendency that discussing international trade is just talked around assumption. In reality a lot of variable in H-O theory had changed in endogenous model, so it cannot be generally applied. It can only represent trading between labor-rich country and capital-rich country which only 40% of international trading volume. Further this theory weakness gives the opportunity of emergence of new international trade that can also represent another 60% of international trade in developed country, which is PLC theory. The new theory uses dynamic variable as driving motives of international trade and also can explains about the background of emergence the multinational corporation. Dynamic Characteristic of PLC Theory PLC theory is constructed from testable hypothesis about what will happen if all of relevant curve (in previous theory is considered as a constant or fixed) changes from time to time. This changing affects trade, and hereafter trade affects welfare. The changing conditions are supply and demand of trading commodity because the dependent variable of them (knowledge variable) does also change, received from R&D (Research and Development). Moreover technology does not fix any longer because of innovation and invention in R&D. Factor endowment does also change. One labor can produce more than one unit of a product. In PLC theory, comparative advantage of a country is not permanent. The occurred changing of using input for production process of a new product after that product is mature in the market and standardized at the production process will shift the cost advantage from one country to another country. For example is United State lost their comparative advantage in car manufacture because another country can produce it easier and low cost production with none R&D cost. Assumptions Comparison between H-O theory and PLC Theory H-O Theory PLC Theory Supply and Demand Condition Fixed, Ceteris Paribus Always Changing Knowledge Variable Given Investment Variable Determinants Quantity and Quality of Production Factor and Technology Fixed Changing in Time Market Competition Perfect Market Monopoly, RSG, Oligopoly Freight in Not Calculated Calculated Trade Condition Free Trade Tariff may be charged PLC Theory Derivation PLC Theory Definition PLC explains that product experiences three stages: introduction, maturity, and decline. In PLC theory, decline stage of a product can be delayed with international trade and developing national industry into multinational industry. PLC theory as a dynamic trading theory can explain these three areas: a) Reality of pattern and direction of international trade which is domination of developed country with rich of capital. b) Emergence of Multinational Corporation. How they (Oligopolies Corporation) get the market domination, face the competition, maintain and raise their market domination, increase their economic scale into a big business and further how they can reach the market power as global company. c) Expansion oligopolies global company to LDCs. PLC theory emphasizes at: a) Driving motives of innovation and invention which is emerged of market threat and promise. b) Punctual time to do innovation and invention. c) Communication to solve passiveness to the product and technology uncertainty problems. d) Utilizing economic of scale. e) Market domination strategy. Characteristic of commodity variety within developed country are: a) High price because of high R&D cost, so it has a tendency to be a luxury product in the introduction. b) Consumed by high income consumer c) Used economical labor, which can be changed with capital. Assumption Other assumptions used by PLC theory are: a) Corporations within developed country have not significant difference accessing to get and saturate knowledge, but the probability to use it is not same. b) The market has these characteristic: high income consumer, high labor cost, and relatively abundant capital. c) There are threat and promise at the market to enforce doing innovation and invention to maintain the profit. d) There is a promise to get a lot of profit in the introduction of monopoly product. e) There is an effective communication need between producer and consumer in the development of new product stage. To get that choosing production location is considered of closeness with market location. f) There are economies of scale with learning by doing behavior, and external economies because of closeness between market and production location. The Logic The logic here is straight forward — there are four stages in a product’s life cycle: Phase 1: New product stage The product is produced and consumed only in the producer country. Firms produce in the producer country because that is where demand is located, and these firms wish to stay close to the market to detect consumer response to the product. The characteristics of the product and the production process are in a state of change during this stage as firms seek to familiarize themselves with the product and the market. No international trade takes place. Phase 2: Maturing product stage In this stage, some general standards for the product and its characteristics begin to emerge, and mass production techniques start to be adopted. With more standardization in the production process, economies of scale start to be realized. In addition, foreign demand for the product grows, but it is associated particularly with other developed countries, since the product is catering to high-income demands. This rise in foreign demand (assisted by economies of scale) leads to a trade pattern whereby the producer exports the product to other high-income countries. Phase 3: Standardized product stage By this time in the product’s life cycle, the characteristics of the product itself and of the production process are well known; the product is familiar to consumers and the production process to producers. Vernon hypothesized that production may shift to the developing countries. Labor costs again play an important role, and the developed countries are busy introducing other products. Thus, the trade pattern is that the producer country (a developed country) and other developed countries may import the product from the developing countries. Phase 4: Dynamic comparative advantage The country source of exports shifts throughout the life cycle of the product. Early on, the innovating country exports the good but then it is displaced by other developed countries – which in turn are ultimately displaced by the developing countries. A casual glance at product history yields this kind of pattern in a general way. For example, electronic products such as television receivers were for many years a prominent export of the United States, but Europe and especially Japan emerged as competitors, causing the U.S. share of the market to diminish dramatically. It because R&D cost of Europe and Japan is less than R&D cost did by United States

Coca-cola Enterprises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coca-cola Enterprises - Essay Example In this regard, the aim of the paper is to present a critical analysis of Coca-Cola Enterprises’ code of business conduct in terms of incorporating the three key components which exemplify the organisation’s values and adherence to business ethics. Critical Analysis of the Code Following a search for the organisation’s code of conduct, one oriented towards the stakeholders of the company was found: the Ethics and Compliance Office (Coca-Cola Enterprises, Code of Business Conduct, 2012). It was revealed that the Ethics and Compliance Office was tasked with the mission of designing an appropriate working environment that adheres to ethical standards. As such, it was disclosed that the â€Å"Code, serves as the foundation of the ethics and compliance program at CCE† (Coca-Cola Enterprises, Code of Business Conduct, 2012: Paragraph 2). ... by and follow the â€Å"RIGHT Way model of ethical values; (where the acronym RIGHT means maintaining) Respect, Integrity, Good judgement, Honesty and Trust† (CCE, CBC, 2012: p i) and forms an intergral value foundation of the organization’s way of doing business and conducting behavior with those they interact with. Similarly, another welcome message was produced by CCE’s Chief Compliance and Risk Officer and Vice President, Janice Placente, reiterating the mission of her office. The inclusion of these messages is relevant and consistent with content that is crucial in a code of conduct to affirm support from the top officers of the organisation’s hierarchy. This approach is also consistent with Erwin’s (2011) study, which indicated that integrating such items as part of the code implies it is of high quality, and so was effective in enforcing the guidelines contained therein. There is a table of contents which highlights the major points that are presented, as well as relevant supporting information. The entire code contains twenty-one pages from the introduction to the references. The major areas include: guidelines for personnel in interacting with colleagues; promotion of safety and health standards; preventing substance abuse; working with customers and suppliers; interacting with competitors; avoiding conflicts of interest; protecting company assets; maintaining accurate records; ensuring that the organization abides by laws on anti-corruption; ensuring that insider dealing is strictly avoided; preserving and conserving the environment; as well as actively collaborating with government agencies, as required (CCE, CBC, 2012: p. iii). The contents are indicative of the CCE’s commitment to provide guidelines to all stakeholders: from management to

Second Language Acquisition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Second Language Acquisition - Assignment Example   The RANGE programs are used for the analysis of word frequencies at each vocabulary level. Among the useful functions that the program will be used for include the determination of vocabulary size, creation of wordlists, and the measurement of vocabulary load. Based on the usability and applicability of the RANGE program, it is suitable for teachers to use the output to determine vocabulary load and influence the preparation of suitable text for classwork. Additionally, based on BNC, 90% is text and 10% is spoken text as Nation (2006) puts it. The standard measures of the BNC include 14000 words whereas 16 wordlists are created. The 16word lists are set of 1000-word lists generated for 16 levels. Under each word list of 1000, the consecutive wordlist adds up to the next. Thus, at the first wordlist, 1000 words are considered while at the 5th wordlist, 5000 words are considered. In this analysis, range analysis will be taken into consideration to show how comprehensively appropria te the text is in the teaching of L2.   The nation is referenced arguing that any text should be 98% comprehendible by students given 8000 to 9000-word families. With reference to Laufer’s (2010) argument, on the other hand, indicates that a 95% coverage in written text should be treated as the standard comprehension level. Based on the two arguments from Laufer and Nation, the current Range Analysis will consider the 95% coverage recommendation by Laufer to ensure that the current text can be understood up to 95% by the students.  

Puig's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Is Seducing the Reader Essay

Puig's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Is Seducing the Reader - Essay Example The descriptions of the movies are interrupted with men clarifying their attitudes and relationships. Though it may seem boring from the very beginning, the reader suddenly understands, that he has been led away by the author - as soon as he is involved into the next narration, Puig makes a theatrical gesture: it is high time for the prisoners to have a sleep, and thus the only thing left for us is to wait for the next part of the story. But the main line of seduction lies in the urge to discuss the questions of sex, homosexuality, which are directly related to the issues of morality. By describing the two men having sexual relations, Puig deconstructs the superiority of everything feminine in the world. As Valentine says, 'when it comes to our relationship.... We could make any damn thing out of it we want; our relationship isn't pressured since outside of this cell we may have our oppressors, yes, but not inside. Here no one oppresses the other' (p. 202), which shows the main deconstruction of the male behavior by Puig. In this way the author as if seduces us to think, that probably there is nothing immoral in homosexual relations between the two men, and that probably such relations have the right to exist, but here the question of morality comes into the conflict.

Marketing Strategy for a New Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Strategy for a New Product - Essay Example The structure P&G adopted changed from a â€Å"Global Matrix† to a hybrid organizational structure. Roald Jean Degenalso termed it as â€Å"Front-Back Hybrid Matrix organization† structure. The structure focusses on two key areas in its operations; namely the customer markets designed on the front end and the end products designed on the back end. Therefore, it can combine both customer focus and responsiveness.P&G has four major divisions with each having a sub-division. These include Europe consisting of Middle East/Africa, Western Europe and Central Europe. North America has the United States/Puerto Rico and Canada. Latin America has Asia/Australia. Lastly, Greater China, with its headquarters at Singapore, has Northeast Asia, Australia and India/ASEAN.The organization functions from an additional matrix across two parallel organizations. Key areas of focus here include finance and accounting, information technology, customer business developments, product supply, ex ternal relations, consumer and market knowledge, research and development, legal and human resources. There are unit managers charged with two responsibilities. These include looking afterWashing clothes and maintaining good hygiene is undertaken by most people. Majority of people in the 21st century are spending much of their time in the laundry. This means that most people are valuing laundry services. With the current advancements in technology, there is a growing demand for sophisticated laundry products by the consumers.

Regional integration for and against articles Essay

Regional integration for and against articles - Essay Example China is one such country that is doing great job in the context of regional integration. It has acted as a strong initiator of regional integration policies and development. China is struggling hard to establish cooperation within South East Asian countries by promoting their economic interests. Behind the attempts at enhancing economic development in Asian countries underlies a strong goal of a making Asia a peaceful and economically developed continent (Clarke, 2011). There are many benefits of establishing regional integration of China with other South East Asian countries. The most important benefit of regional integration is allowing those countries that have been disadvantaged from economic aspects due to some reasons a chance to make themselves economically sound. As economic regional integration implies removing barriers in trade and other economic aspects to allow free trade among nations, regional integration is a beneficial phase for the countries to become developed econ omically (Nicolas, 2007). In addition to the advantages of regional integration described above, there are other benefits as well. It helps to strengthen the integration of trade within a specific region. Besides, it provides enormous chance for private investors to start a business over there. It also allows the countries involved in regional integration to develop economically stable public sector organizations and institutions. Thus it promotes a peaceful environment within different countries based on mutual trust and cooperation with each other (Storey, 2011). Among the great benefits of regional integration lies economic development of many sectors in those countries that are involved in the process of regional integration. Firstly, it enables the tourism industry of one country to flourish by removing the borders between two countries and encouraging free trade among them. The decrease in cross-trade barrier gives tourists an opportunity to visit other countries without carin g for the hindrances regarding travel. Despite travelling and hospitality benefits, regional integration calls for a significant decrease in inflation rate by making cheaper products. Not only are the products become cheaper, they become diversified as well. It also allows the faster delivery of products and services in the integrated regions (Clarke, 2011). Due to these reasons, China has expanded the trade and economic development between ASEAN countries by making trade agreements between South East Asian countries. It has contributed a lot in making China and the other ASEAN countries to enjoy great benefits of regional integration. It is probably due to this fact that China has become a geographical region promoting diverse talent and skills. Hence, regional integration is the key to economic success of a country (Storey, 2011). China Regional Integration- Disadvantages China is a significant promoter of establishing mutually satisfying agreements of business or economic nature between nations. It has been a region that allows for the integration of political or economic nature between South East Asian regions. Regional integration can be defined as a process where mutual agreements are made to satisfy some great purpose that would be beneficial for the both regions. There are many benefits of regional integration for instance, economic development, integration of various industries and business at international level. In addition to the

Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Structures - Essay Example The bridge was built to a scale of 1 to 40 with total clearance span of 500mm, utilizing craft sticks and PVA glue. After building of the bridge, it was tested to eliminate fatigue failure via application of the mid span within a laboratory setting. Moreover, the collapse is the position at which the underlying structure cannot support further escalation of load or a deflection beyond 30mm. The prevailing truss bridge passes the failure test. Moreover, the greatest load of 3.5kN was the second load applied to any bridge test, which excessively exceeds the needed load of 98N by the corresponding factor of 36. The prevailing weight ratio of 11.7 was compared satisfactorily with the existing supplementary bridges tested to enable successful design. Nevertheless, the graph of the load against deflection was not ideal thus depicting defects within the construction as depicted by the failure of the bridge. Advanced bridge possess relatively greater links amidst the prevailing craft sticks by utilizing sturdier clamps thus will improved the bridge by offering greater quality links amidst the underlying middle trusses and the corresponding bottom beams to avert it from slipping out. Bridges are observable accomplishments of engineering presently. Originally, the bridges composed of relatively simpler structures purely made from easily reachable natural resources. The natural resources entail timber, stone and dirt, which were operational though they had shorter life span thus resulting to weak structural bridges. Conversely, modern designs for trusses possess greater spaces to be spanned. A truss design is normally favorable to numerous engineers in modern world, since they are affordable and have high structural integrity. Comprehending structural behavior of any bridge is a significant aspect of engineering. This is because it aids in comprehension of the concepts of load transfer via the structure by tension and compression and corresponding equilibrium

Effect of Exercise Training During Lactation Essay Example for Free

Effect of Exercise Training During Lactation Essay The article chose review is â€Å"Effect of exercise training on loss of bone mineral density during lactation†. The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise slows bone loss from four to twenty postpartum. The problem was that during lactation women move breast milk. After finishing breast feeding bone mass usually returns to pre pregnancy but not in all and this is the problem. The participants were healthy ,nonsmoking , sedentary ,exclusively breast feeding women with a body mass index of twenty to thirty kg. m.women were not allowed to join if they had cesarean delivery or if the exercise more than two days a week three months before. There were twenty participants all together. They all were cleared by a physician before participating. The instruments and test used for this experiment was for the body composition and bone density they used a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. For the assessment of cardio respiratory fitness and strength a sub maximal graded treadmill test was used. For the assessment of dietary intake by twenty four hour recall over the telephone using the nutrition data system for research software. For exercise intervention women were randomly assigned to either an EG or a CG. For the statistical analysis data were analyzed with JMP software. The testing procedures were with the body composition a whole- body was given three times a week and a step phantom were given one day a week .With the assessment cardio respiratory fitness and strength did sub maximal graded treadmill test were used. Exercise intervention used a complete sixteen week home based exercise program. The results were The EG lost a lot less LS BMD than CG. They were no great differences in total body and hip BMD. Both groups loss fat mass but, EG lost less lean body mass. Maximal strength increased by 34% to 221% for EG in the CG changed from -5.7% to 12%. â€Å"These results suggest that resistance and aerobic exercise may slow bone loss during lactation. In these experiments I felt like some of the strengths were that this was a good experiment to do. That it would help a lot of women because a lot of women have babies during the time that they are trying to build up bone density. I also like how in depth the experiment went. Strength was that they gave them specific training program that they can do from home. Which I feel is extremely important especially to new born moms. This article is important to me because I myself want to be a mom some day and bone density is important to me .My grandmother has osteoporosis so increasing my bone density is very important to me. I think I can use this in my future profession by informing my pregnant patients and mothers that are already breast feeding about this and showing them ways to improve bone density. Work Cited Lovelady,C.a,Bopp,M.J,Colleran,H.J,Mackie,H.k.Wideman,L(2009). Effect of Exercise Training on Loss of Bone Mineral Density during Lactation.Medicine Science in Sports Exercise,41(10),1902-1907. http://journals.lww.com/acsm msse/Fulltext/2009/10000/Effect_of_Exercise_Training_on_Loss_of_Bone.10.aspx

Two Views on Domesticity Essay Example for Free

Two Views on Domesticity Essay In Joan Williams book â€Å"Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflict and What to Do About It†, she defines domesticity as â€Å"a gender system comprising most centrally of both the particular organization of market work and family work that arose around 1780, and the gender norms that justify, sustain, and reproduce that organization. † (1) Throughout the book, Williams seeks to redefine the very meaning of domesticity and how it affects both men and women. The author of the article â€Å"Gender, Status, and Feeling†, seeks to explain how men and women navigate their emotional minefields and why it affects their respective statuses in society. While Williams and the author of â€Å"Gender, Status, and Feeling† differ on the reasons why women are seen as being on a lower pedestal than men, they both agree that women do a good job of dealing the hand they are dealt, for the most part. It is obvious that Williams sympathy lies toward the female half of the population. In the introduction, Williams cites several statistics that shows the reader how women are victimized by the â€Å"ideal worker† norm. The author defines an ideal worker as someone who works forty hours a week year round. (2) She goes on to explain how this norm excludes most â€Å"mothers of childbearing age. †(2) One statistic cited states that â€Å" two-thirds (Williams emphasis) [of mothers] are not ideal workers even in the minimal sense of working full time full year. † (2) Another statistic cited states that 93 percent of mothers are excluded from jobs that require â€Å"extensive overtime. † (2) With sobering statistics like these, Williams tries to show that against towering odds, mothers of childbearing age arent able to compete in the market workplace with men. Williams unequivocally states that she wants to â€Å"democratize access to domesticity. † (174) She then goes on to state that â€Å"a restructuring of market work will give to working class women and women of color greater access to the parental care that remains a widespread social ideal. † (174) This is an interesting idea because earlier in the book, Williams ripped apart a womans book because the author made certain life and career choices that didnt seem palatable to Williams for some reason. Deborah Fallows, a successful linguist in her own right, went down to part time hours, then quit altogether, when her son was born. She wrote a book called A Mothers Work, which described the journey that she took from successful career woman to stay-at-home mom. For some reason, Williams doesnt believe Fallows would happily give up her career for her son and husband, a high powered White House aide. Williams states: â€Å"Thus Fallows presents (authors emphasis) her decision to stay home as a choice she made to improve her own emotional state She quit both to avoid negative feelings and to experience positive ones, as leaving gave her more time â€Å"to partake of the pleasures of [Tommys] company. † (19) Williams sees Fallows choice to stay home as a prime example of how domesticity saturates even the upper levels of society. Williams goes so far as to attack Fallows view on child care. On page 32, Williams wonders why Fallows would be against day care in general when her own experience was positive: â€Å"It is hard to see why the low quality of child care for the poor explains Fallows decision to stay home. † It seems as if Williams is having a really hard time trying to figure out why an upper class woman like Fallows would give up everything she was working for in order to stay home with her child. If staying at home with the kids is okay for poor and working class women, why isnt it okay for a woman like Fallows? On the surface, Williams seems to be fighting for women all across the economic spectrum. However, underneath lies a subtle streak of the same sort of classist attitudes that Williams pins on some feminists later on in her book. With Williams raging against the machine of domesticity, one would think that the author would lash out at the male half of the population. Surprisingly, she doesnt do this. Williams feels that men are also the victims of domesticitys ideas of the ideal worker as well as domesticitys view in other areas of society. For example, on page 3, Williams explains how women generally lose out when it comes to financial support after divorce: â€Å"Mothers marry, marginalize, and then divorce in a system that typically defines womens and childrens postdivorce entitlements in terms of their basic â€Å"needs†, while mens entitlements reflect the assumption (derived from domesticity) that they â€Å"own† their ideal-worker wage. † In this case, Williams chooses not to point the finger at an easy target (men). Instead, she blames a system that allows men to keep the vast majority of their earnings while â€Å"40 percent of divorced mothers live in poverty. † (3) Williams even blames domesticity for the lack of parenting prowess on the part of some men. Again, Williams cites some statistics that shows how domesticity changed attitudes on parenting: â€Å"One study estimated that an average American father spends twelve minutes a day in solo child care. Another reported that mothers spend about three times as much time as fathers in face-to-face interaction with their children. † (3) The author then gives a short history lesson on how exactly did domesticity changed the face of parenting for both men and women: child rearing was considered too important to be left to women, and child-rearing manuals addressed fathers. Men were actively involved, in part because market work and family work were not yet geographically separated, so that fathers generally worked closer to home than most do today In a society that viewed women as the â€Å"weaker vessel,† it made no sense to delegate childrens health, well-being, and eternal souls to the exclusive sphere of women. (3) It seems as if Williams is yearning for a simpler time when fathers could take off work for a few moments and read a story to his children. This isnt a perfect scenario. After all, women were seen as inferior second class citizens who werent capable of molding the minds of her children. What Williams is actually wishing for is a time where the ideas of domesticity didnt interfere with the way that fathers tended to their children. While Joan Williams is sounding a battle cry, the author of the article â€Å"Gender, Status, and Feeling† is blowing a whistle. In the article, the author attempts to explain not only how men and women handle their emotions, but how women use their emotions to navigate a society that still sees them as second class citizens. One thing that Williams and the author article would agree on is that the female half of the population is usually seen as an afterthought in our society. This point would be where the two authors viewpoints diverge. First, the author of the article argues that women use their emotions as a means to an end. In a society that doesnt value a lot of their contributions, some women have found other ways to survive: lacking other resources, women make a resource out of feeling and offer it to men as a gift in return for the more material resources they lack. For example, in 1980 only 6 percent of women but 50 percent of men earned over $15,000 a year. (GSF 163) From this passage, one can see that the author feels that women readily adapted to the hand they were dealt. The author doesnt even seem to think this is a bad thing. They see this manipulation of their emotional palette more as a means of survival. The author even theorizes as to why women are believed to have been born with what Williams calls an â€Å"ethic of care†: As for many others of lower status, it has been in the womans interest to be the better actor. As the psychologists would say, the techniques of deep acting have unusually high â€Å"secondary† gains. Yet these skills have long been mislabeled â€Å"natural†, a part of womens â€Å"being† rather than something of her own making. (GSF 167) Williams would disagree with part of this authors statement. While the author of the article and Williams both believe that the place of women in society is based on societal beliefs, Williams states in her book that the ideas that domesticity has planted is the sole reason for this. For example, on page 182, William says that â€Å" women need to be selfless only because they live in a system that marginalizes caregivers. † In other words, women have no choice but to be selfless caregivers. In her book, Williams does everything she can to fight the societal belief that all women are born with an ethic of care. The author of â€Å"Gender, Status, and Feeling†, however, not only thinks that women are born with this innate need to nurture, but that it comes in handy when women become mothers: â€Å" more women at all class levels do unpaid labor of a highly interpersonal sort. They nurture, manage and befriend children. More â€Å"adaptive† and â€Å"cooperative†, they address themselves better to the needs of those who are not yet able to adapt and cooperate much themselves. †(GSF 170) The author of the article uses the example of male and female flight attendants to illustrate how society views men and women in a position of authority. The author reported that when a female flight attendant makes a request of a passenger, the passengers would usually argue with them. When a male flight attendant was called over to help, the request was usually granted with no problem. Williams claims that most people arent able to help this phenomenon: â€Å"Thirty years of second-wave feminism have seen many accomplishments, but dislodging the ideology of domesticity is not one of them. Most people, feminists or not, believe some version of domesticitys descriptions of men and women. † (193) Williams and the author of â€Å"Gender, Status, and Feeling† would disagree about a lot of things. Williams is a head strong feminist whose goal is to change the core beliefs of society. The author of the article believes that women have used their emotional palettes to adapt to their marginalized role in society and doesnt say whether this survival tactic should be a thing of the past. One thing that is evident in both Williams book and the article is the belief that women throughout history have been resilient in working the hand they are dealt and will continue this tradition as long as society pushes their half to the outermost margins. Works Cited Williams, Joan. Unbending Gender: Why Family and Work Conflict and What to Do About It. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000 â€Å"Gender, Status, and Feeling† (article)

The Local Economic Impact From Mega Events Tourism Essay

The Local Economic Impact From Mega Events Tourism Essay In this section, the researcher will present the reason for the selection of this topic. An introduction about mega sporting events, the research questions, its aims and objectives, the literature review, theoretical rationale, methodology, its limitations and followed by a short summary will be written in this proposal. As the researcher in writing is much more familiar with the Singapore economy, the research would be based on the local market, which would be the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix. Roche (2000) describes mega-sporting events as large-scale cultural (including commercial and sporting) events which have a dramatic character, mass popular appeal and international significance. They are typically organised by variable combination of national governmental and international non-governmental organisations. This describes that such events should attract viewers and media representatives from all over the world and that the host city or nation should experience alterations to the regular cycle of events. The hosting of sport events in particular has showed a number of potential benefits. Potential benefits such as investments, advertising, tax generation, revenue generation, enhanced community image, job creation, positive spiritual earnings, health and fitness, promotion of sport, creating local amusement, creation of new infrastructure, improvement community pride, urban redevelopment, increased tourist flow, according to Daniels and Norman (2003), and Kim et al. (1998). Research Question This research explains how mega-events like Singapore Formula One Grand Prix affects the local economic impact and the strategies adopted. The research is classified under the following question where in this report; the researchers effort will be concentrated on giving insights on this research question. How do managers use strategic analysis tools on a mega-event such as F1? Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is to discuss the impact of strategic analysis tools used on mega-events, on how events such as Formula One is marketed to the beneficial of Singapores local economy. Thus, the researcher will be aiming to attain the following objectives: To identify the different strategic analysis tools used for economic impacts. To develop an understanding on how these strategic analysis tools are placed on to mega-events. To discover the influences from strategic analysis tools on mega-events such as Formula One. To examine the effectiveness of the strategic analysis tools impact on Formula One. Literature Review Mega-events such as Formula One have the ability to attract large numbers of visitors and their expenditure, which is often sought after by local tourism agencies because of their actual potential to contributing to tourism marketing and development. An important fundamental that government bodies put forward to hosting a mega-sports event is the perceived economic benefits that the event creates (Porter, 1999). It is usually claim that mega-events, such as the Formula One Grand Prix, give an incentive to business resulting in economic benefits generated which are greater than the costs, including public funding, from hosting the event. Sports entrepreneurs or government bodies typically engage consulting agencies to outline an economic impact report (Johnson and Sack, 1996). Regardless of the mega-sports event, such reports from consulting agencies normally claim a huge positive economical impact. However, there are a lot of criticisms in the academic literature on the effectiveness of these economic impact analyses. Matheson (2002; 2006) points out that many (event-sponsored) studies overstate the economic impact on local communities and Porter (1999) states that the envisioned benefits of public spending never occur. This explains that the future prospects of hosting such mega-events are worse off for developing countries and the opportunity cost of providing up-to-date facilities are greater and the need of modern infrastructure required poses a major further investment. 4.1 Impact of Events Mega events can help re-prioritise urban agendas, create post event usage debates, often stimulate urban redevelopment, and are instruments of boosterish ideologies promoting economic growth (Hiller, 2003, p. 449). Thus, these offer an extensive range of potential positive and negative impacts for host destinations and are both short- and long-term. Even though now there is significant competition between destinations, there is still significant gaps between the experience of mega-events in developing and advanced societies, between economic and non-economic outcomes. Mega-events should be part of a long-term developing and marketing plan. The hosting of mega-event can play a critical role in marketing or branding a host destination and be part of a long-term development or positioning strategy. It is important for the marketing opportunity sought from hosting a mega-event to be seen as part of a longer term strategic marketing plan for the destination as opposed to a one-off marketing event (Jago, Dwyer, Lipman, Vorster, 2010, p.231). If a host destination has a development plan in place, the hosting of a mega-event can perform as a catalyst to bringing forward future development opportunities. In this case, this often brings in merit in creating an on-going suite of events that utilises the infrastructure built for the mega-event and enhance the reputation and profile of the host destination over time. In order to formulate a plan for both short- and long-term event outcomes, the organizing committee must consider various event leveraging strategies to be adopted. (OBrien and Chalip, 2007). The leveraging perception is implicated with planning ahead of the event so that a host city can improve and maximize positive impacts such as increased business, tourism and social aspects and benefits Chalip (2004, p. 245) explains that a strategic management process must be formed and implemented in order to properly leverage the opportunities from hosting an event. Strategic analysis tools such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis and Value Chain analysis are appropriate for the evaluation of event leveraging or marketing strategies. The following section will examine what the natures of the said four analysis tools entails and how it is applied to a strategic management process for the organization to host mega-events. 4.2 SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is whereby an approach to analyze the aspects of the external environment, in order to identify and establish the most attractive or suitable course of action in terms of strategic decisions to be used. In the sport context, Shank (2009) found that the strengths and weaknesses are manageable elements within the establishment (in this case a host city) that may influence the objectives of the strategic management process. In this case, conducting a SWOT analysis is deemed helpful for host destinations as it can provide event organizers to recognize how the strengths of their country or city can be matched with opportunities that exist in the environment, and useful insights to leverage the benefits of the event. A brief example of a SWOT analysis on Singapore Formula One Grand Prix can be seen in Figure 1. C:UsersNoWaKiDesktopSWOT table.png Figure1 4.3 PEST Analysis PEST analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations (Roumboutsos, Chiara, 2010). It understands the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological of the business environment and event managers can use PEST to scan the environment and adjust their plans to minimize threats and capitalize on opportunities. In the context of Singapores Formula One, brief examples of PEST analysis can be seen as: Political Seen as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the public and private sectors. Economic A stable and growing economy, translating to high consumer confidence and increase in spending Social Lack of racing events in Singapore, thus the idea of Formula One will be well received by the society. Technology Singapore ranked 2nd place of World Class IT Infrastructure by the World Economic Forum in 2011. 4.4 Porters Five Forces Analysis Porters (1980) five forces framework models the five most significant competitive rivalry forces in an industry in order to determine that industrys profitability. This serves as a proxy for the magnetism of the industry for potential entrants and determines the industries profitability. The five forces are: rivalry between competitors in the industry, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of consumers, barriers to entry and threat of substitutes. Thus, in the case of Singapore Formula One, examples can be seen in Figure 2. C:UsersNoWaKiDesktopUntitled.png Figure 2 4.5 Value Chain Analysis Value Chain analysis defines each activity that takes place in a business organization and relates them to an analysis of the competitiveness in the environment.  It is based on the principal that firms (or events) exist to create value for their customers and helps to identify new business opportunities. The value chain analysis includes a couple of significant theoretical distinctions, one being between primary and support activities (Porter, 1985). Primary activities create value for the customer, whereas support activities support primary activities and indirectly affect customer value. Competitive advantage involves signification and interpretation on the activity cost behavior drivers and differentiation generated by those activities. Product differentiation in turn effects what customers are willing to pay for the firms products, thus depending on the activity cost drivers leading to the end product. A simplified table used on Formula One can be seen in Figure 3. C:UsersBenjamin PhoonDesktopUntitled.png Figure 3 Theoretical Rationale Leveraging mega-events such as the Formula One can offer incentives and benefits to a host destination, relating to cultural insights, development of collaborations and improved organizational networks (Kellet et al., 2008). In order to successfully leverage the event, strategic analysis tools such as SWOT, PEST, Porters Five Forces and Value Chain Analysis associated with hosting the event can provide valuable knowledge to host destinations. Analysis of weaknesses in the operating environment, such as economic stability and political support (Shank, 2009) can also offer valuable insights for event managers and tourism providers to plan on how the host destination can reap the benefits from the sport event (OBrien and Chalip, 2007). However, mega-events can lead to an entryway to under-utilized infrastructure and debts. Jones (2001) argues that the justifications in the use of public funds are based on the economic benefits that are often overstated. The case of Montreal 1976, where they experienced a tremendous debt after hosting an event, which cost the country and its residents over CAD$2 billion in capital and interest cost (Whitson and Horne, 2006). Therefore, the selection of Strategic Choice Theory and Stakeholder Theory would be appropriate for this rationale. Stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984) focuses the organizations efforts on developing a firm that has to deal with a multitude constituent groups other than customers and shareholders. Stakeholders groups represented are both legitimate and powerful, thus this approach seeks to widen the vision of a marketing manager, of his/her duties, rather than just being profit and customer oriented (Mitchell et al., 1997). Stakeholders are distinguished into two categories primary and secondary. Managing both primary and secondary stakeholder relationships is critical and essential for the marketing organization in achieving marketing objectives. Strategic analysis theory contends that marketing managers plays an exceptional role in a marketing firms success or failure in the market, with other factors such as product development and market repositioning efforts (Child, 1972). Strategic decisions made by managers are often made with careful considerations for the marketing firm as the primary driver, where they are able to adopt a specific type of strategy that fits their main marketing competencies. Strategic choices geared to the accomplishment of achievable strategic objectives are more likely to be effective through an open managerial decision- making process (Harrison and Pelletier, 1998). With the inter-relationship between stakeholder and strategic choice theory, stakeholders (e.g., customers, media, and shareholders) will have an influence and affect on marketing managers strategic decision making on the nature of the situation (Jawahar and Mclaughlin, 2001). A clear role of stakeholders is that they can provide necessary and vital information and if well captured by marketing firms, would lead to better organizational performance in decision making (Mori, 2010). A simple model of the process of decision making can be seen in Figure 4. C:UsersBenjamin PhoonDesktopUntitled.png Figure 4 Managers would use strategic analysis tools to measure the strengths and opportunities from stakeholders to hosting a mega-event, in this case, Formula One in Singapore and make strategic choices within constraints. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of what can be classed as a major sporting event of international recognition and its implications from the perspectives of government officials, private businesses and local residents. Furthermore, sports events research has lacked exploratory findings to qualitatively examine how it impacts on the local economy. Hence, the following research will utilize a qualitative approach to begin developing an understanding of how mega-events such as Formula One would impact on the local economy using strategic analysis tools. This research will offer a basis for future qualitative research and provide relevant information to future researchers studying strategic analysis tools to evaluate and identify data relevant to strategy formulation mainly on mega-events. Research Methods The researcher will undertake a case-study and secondary data approach. This study will only be analyzed by a qualitative approach and thus, the researcher will conduct a case study based on qualitative findings. Qualitative research focuses on the gathering of more richer and in-depth data from other smaller samples (Kent, 1999). Case Study According to Yin (1984), case study research method is defined as an empirical inquiry that explores a contemporary phenomenon and the real-life context in which it occurred; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly palpable; and in which several sources of evidence are used. The approach of a qualitative case study is to research and assists examination of an occurrence within its context and to compare using a wide range of data sources for research validity (M. Dooley, 2002). This will ensure that the focus is not explored through a single view, but a variety of views which allows for various facets of the event to be exposed and understood (Baxter Jack, 2008). Secondary Data Secondary sources will be mainly used to collect and utilized to gather qualitative data related with this research. This is especially helpful as the researcher lives in Singapore and could not acquire data of market situations from other countries holding mega-events such as Formula One. In this case, different research reports, books, electronic journals and web portals will be accessed to gather information from these sources to conduct the study of the available secondary data. Data Analysis Firstly, after collating data from secondary sources and case studies, the researcher will read and transcribed all collected data to get a general sense as a whole and ideas presented. It is crucial to take into consideration the value of the data before analysing as it may not be significant to the research. Next, the researcher will identify areas to be covered and what is to be achieved based on the aims and objectives of the research by focusing on the analysis. In this case, the researcher can focus on the analysis by comparing the data collected from various case studies and secondary sources in a qualitative perspective, in which theoretical statements and causal relationships are clearly developed from and grounded in the phenomena studied (Cumberbatch, 2004). Thus, this leads to the use of Grounded Theory where it provides a mix of flexibility and structure with unambiguous guidelines, where the researcher will adopt the usage of coding. Coding is a method of constant comparison which led to the founding of Grounded Theory on the conceptualisation of data (Jones, Keifilik and Zanko, 2005). There are three steps of coding in analysing data collected. Opening coding is about understanding and to have a constant comparison of data collected that would be fractured into conceptual codes. In this case regarding to case study methodology, the researcher may categorise factors of economic impacts from mega-events into codes such as social, environmental, strengths, benefits, etc. The next step after data has been fractured, axial coding would be used. It is the process of exploring new relationships among the data and to discover any connections between them (Warburton, 2012). The final step would be selective coding, whereby it involves picking of certain codes to construct and integrate them with the listed categories in the axial coding model as part of the approach to developing a grounded theory (Strauss and Cobin, 1998). Limitations One of the main limitations is that an independent empirical process research is not being employed due to restrictions of organizations being reluctant to provide accurate data as some sports that host mega-events are naturally secretive. F1 is heavily technologically driven; therefore the release of information is seen as a pejorative to the sport. Reliance can only be placed upon the accuracy of data provided from external sources such as case studies and mainly secondary data. However, this issue will be minimized through the approach of identifying as many different reports as possible and cross-referencing them. Timeline The Gantt chart in the appendix section will be showing the estimated time needed for each process up till the submission of the dissertation itself. Conclusion In conclusion, the researcher will use a qualitative research methodology to have a better understanding and insight of the local economic impact of mega-events, using Formula One as the key event to the research. With the study on strategic analysis tools, the researcher will be able to find out how marketing managers analyse the economic situation and make strategic decisions on for the success of leveraging mega-events. It is also vital that the researcher have an open mind without any biasness in order to obtain accurate data for the development of grounded theory while conducting this qualitative research. Nevertheless, information acquired for the research will hopefully formalize a grounded theory and to be used as guidance for future researchers and academics studying economic impact from mega-events using analytic tools, to have a better insight and build on in the future for improvement. Appendices C:UsersNoWaKiDesktopUntitled.png Planned Timeline/Gantt Chart of Dissertation

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Essay -- sarcasm irony satire

A Modest Proposal A Modest Proposal is everything that a satirical story should be. It includes sarcasm and irony as Jonathan Swift takes us through a roller coaster ride to show us how the poor are treated miserably. The narrator begins by leading us down a path. He seems sincere and thinks it is a pity how everywhere you walk in the streets of Dublin you see the poor begging people for hand outs. He is seeking a solution to help the commonwealth. He appears to be a logical, educated person who makes it clear that he has been studying this subject for years. He then tells us that he has a solution to help the babies whose parents cannot afford them. We think his idea will be charitable and will actually help the poor as well as the nation. The narrator then does something that I think set the tone for the rest of the story. He referred to a baby just born as being dropped from its dam. Animals are dropped from dams, not humans. Therefore poor people in this story are nothing more than animals. We are told how the children are a burden and how instead of requiring food and clothing the rest of their lives, they will contribute to the feeding and clothing of many people. Any intelligent person would assume he intends to put them in factories or farms to work and not be on the streets begging for food. We are also told that his plan will prevent voluntary abortions and women murdering their bastard babies. The narrator shows the reader he is serious by producing calculations that appear to be well thought-out and then showing us, through examples, That these children have no future. Up to this point the narrator appears to be intelligent. He is from the upper cla... ...eir right mind would want to be eaten? Yet he tells us that the parents would have been in favor of it. The narrator commented on how he has no other motive than the public good for his country but his country does not include everybody. Only the rich and those who can take care and support themselves. I think that Jonathan Swift tried to show how terrible the poor were treated. Everyone was to busy to help them. He compared them to animals and referred to them as creatures. I think he did this to show where their society was heading. The rich simply did not care about what happened to the poor and they were literally eating them out of house and home. Jonathan Swift wrote this satirical essay so the people would at least acknowledge that they had a problem. It is to be hoped that enough people read his essay and tried to make a difference.

The Future is Here Essay -- essays papers

The Future is Here Abstract The school is one of the few institutions that has suffered the least changes over the centuries, but technology is gradually changing that. Teachers and students alike can take advantage of new methods and aids introduced in the classroom. The use of technology can make learning more challenging and motivating, by increasing the number of ways a teacher has to reach his/her students. Students have new tools to help them learn, and in the process bond with their teachers. Technology however is not without its detriments. When applied improperly, it can have negative consequences. Students may start to depend on it too much, and in the process lose creativity and focus. It can also lead to a lack of interaction with their peers, which hurts their social skills. The advantages far supersede the negatives, and the key is to find a balance between the old and the new. Technology is one of the biggest contradictory issues of our times. Some believe it helps people’s busy lives, and some believe it is causing problems among people, such as laziness and lack of culture. But when it comes to technology in education, the situation becomes even more complicated. Internet, software, computers, media in general and television are some of today’s privileges that are used in education. Some people believe that students are becoming so dependent on technology that their learning process is becoming jeopardized. But technology, if well used, can improve students’ learning skills. After performing many researches, it becomes clear that there are more advantages than disadvantages of adding technology in education. According to Young (2003), education is the way we make sure to build technology into the exper... ...ools available is not only helpful, but smart as well. Reference List: Bellis, M. (2003). The history of computers. Retrieved November 5, 2003 from http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm Famous scots. (2003, September 26). Retrieved November 5, 2003 from http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/famscots.html Hamilton, K. (2000). Presenting to different types of learner. Retrieved Novemver 5, 2003 from http://webhome.idirect.com/~kehamilt/spklearn.html Hopkinson, N. (2003). For media-savvy tots, TV and DVD compete with ABCs. The Washington Post. A01. Retrieved October 29, 2003. Johnson, D., Liu, L., & Maddux, C. (2000). Integration of technology into the classroom. New York: The Haworth Press. Means, B., Padilla, C., & Penuel, W. (2001). The connected school: Technology and learning in high school. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Explore Shakespeare’s presentation Essay

When exploring the parental relationships in Hamlet, the focus will inevitability lead back to the character of Hamlet. His connection, in one way or another, to the other characters allows one to observe Hamlet’s behaviour and motives. The relationships between Polonius and his children, Leartes and Ophelia, are recognized, but Hamlet’s filial relationships carry more weight in terms of importance. The character of Hamlet is a key figure who plays a central role amongst the three parental relationships he is a part of. These relationships give rise to issues of obedience and parental responsibilities. Denmark being a Christian country, expects its countrymen to follow the guidelines of the religion. One of the Ten Commandments states that one must ‘honour thy mother and father’. Hamlet becomes increasingly rude towards his mother because of her recent marriage to his uncle Claudius, and openly states that she is her ‘husband’s brother’s wife’ (14;4;3). According to the laws at the time, as stated in The Book of Common Prayer, to marry one’s brother in law was forbidden. The audience echo Hamlet’s moral outrage but he comes to passionately loathe his mother, disgusted at her ‘incestuous’ desires. Hamlet’s disgust erupts at the fact that his mother re-married ‘but two months’ after his father’s death. As a loyal and loving son to his father, Hamlet is devastatingly crushed that his mother could so quickly and easily replace the man in both their lives he loves and respects with an undying awe. This leads Hamlet to regard his mother as a ‘pernicious woman’ showing that he believes her to be joyful of her husband’s death. His language amplifies a sense of assonance, sounding the hiss of a snake. A snake is considered to be a dangerous, life-threatening creature associated with agility and evil. The cold blooded reptile might be an image Hamlet associates with his mother, who he feels swiftly and cunningly conspired to murder his beloved father with a malevolent nature, rendering her incapable of any kind of remorse. Hamlet arrives to a point of such hatred that he cannot bear even to have any relation to his mother. For him ‘would it were not so, you are my mother’ (15;4;3) showing that he destroys the filial bond of mother and son. The monosyllabic words of his language here, give his speech pace, which could suggest Hamlet’s thoughts to be controlled by overwhelming emotion, making them irrational. However, the pause in mid-sentence reduces this pace and give his speech confidence, showing that he clearly has no value for his mother. The audience soon fail to continue to sympathise with Hamlet, as his continual lack of respect builds up to a point at which Gertrude fears for her life at the hands of her own son and terrified, questions whether ‘Thou wilt not murder me? ‘ (20;4;3). By now Hamlet’s behaviour has become intensely violent, so violent that Gertrude chooses to use the word ‘murder’ instead of ‘kill’. This suggests Hamlet has a clod blooded and sadistic nature, undoubtedly dishonouring his mother and failing to obey the duties of his religion. This sin projects Hamlet’s character into committing further sins. He pities and sympathises with the ‘o poor ghost’ of his father. His language reflects a deep and profound sorrow for which he must ‘hold’ his ‘heart’, causing his feelings to be repressed. As a result Hamlet believes that he ‘was born to set it right’ suggesting his eagerness for revenge. It shows that Hamlet believes it is his filial duty, which he intends to complete with utmost loyalty. Hamlet idolises his father finding no wrong whatsoever in him despite Denmark having died with ‘all my imperfections on my head’. The ghost is a representation of Denmark’s uncompleted life in the sense that he died without confessing his sins. This suggests that the ghost is suffering a great deal of pain and stress, which Hamlet indubitably suffers from too. The fact that his father died this way generates more sympathy from Hamlet and therefore adds to his craving for retribution. His sinful vengeance accumulates allowing his violence to be expelled through the murdering of Polonius, yet another sin. One parental duty is to watch over your child, protecting them from harm. Voyeuristically, Polonius watches Hamlet, in an effort to be whiteness to any inappropriate behaviour, so that he can protect his daughter from Hamlet. However, Hamlet sights ‘a rat’ who he kills without any consideration. Hamlet displays an immense amount of disrespect to Polonius, who is a potential father in law to him. He relates a possible father figure to an animal, drastically decreasing his status, furthermore, paralleling him to an animal detested by many because of its vermin infected reputation. Perhaps Polonius could be infected with the disease of evil, due to the aiding of Claudius’ conniving scheme to remove Hamlet from the country. With that in mind, as a justification for murdering Polonius, Hamlet refers to himself as a ‘scourge and minister’ (177;3;4) implying that he has carried out the Lord’s work. Now Hamlet believes his father to be ‘God like’ suggesting he believes himself to be the son of God, giving himself a religious pedestal upon which his actions can be justified. The impact of the atrocity committed is exceeded only by the colossal immorality of Hamlet’s character, resultant of his unethical relation to the holiest religious figure, revealing a disturbing amount of arrogance on his part. His rash behaviour means that his consideration for whom the ‘rat’ may be comes after he has killed him. It is only then that he questions, ‘is it the King? ‘. The fact that he does not ask exactly who it is, combined with the fact that it is Claudius who he asks of first, strongly shows his avid yearning for his uncle’s death. This then allows the audience to see Hamlet’s unshaken dedication to his father. Polonius’ covert presence gives a tangible sensation of claustrophobia. This reflects the suffocation Hamlet suffers from due to the many combined parental figures that exist in his past and present. Shakespeare would stage the play with the use of many soldiers to intensify the claustrophobia. Despite its added cost, it helped to create a sense of unease amongst the audience who then could relate to the way Hamlet felt trapped ‘for I must hold my tongue’. The audience observe the way his feelings have become ineffable. This does ‘break’ Hamlet’s heart causing him an immense amount of anguish, which is added to by his mounting frustration from his inaction towards his much greatly repulsed uncle. Hamlet is irate with himself for crying so many tears of mourning without any action, contrasted with The Player who ‘would drown the stage with tears’ in his situation. This suggests Hamlet feels inadequate which angers him. He chooses to relate The Player’s tears to drowning, which is to be consumed. As his own feelings are ineffable and so repressed, one can assume Hamlet relates The Player to his potential display of mourning. It can be said then that his grief has come to consume him. Yet for a consuming amount of grief, Hamlet remains ‘Like John-a-dreams’ increasing his fury. This suggests he regards his aspirations to be empty and without accomplishment. Although, at one stage he ‘Draws his sword’, and very nearly completes his vendetta, but decides against it, not wanting to ‘do this same villain send to heaven’, due to Claudius confessing his sins at this point. Understandably, to a certain degree, Hamlet desires the worst for Claudius. Yet to continually delay, and then finally reach a point at which he can satisfy his frustration as well as his aspiration, and then not, questions the depth of his feelings. Sigmund Freud is the father of psychoanalysis and invented the concept of the Oedipal complex. Based on the Greek mythological story of Oedipus, the complex explores the possible deep seeded sexual desires sons may have for their mother, resulting in jealousy and hatred towards their father. Despite his superficial eagerness for revenge, Hamlet remains inactive with regard to fulfilling it. This eagerness could in fact be a veil for his jealousy towards Denmark, his father. It could be said that in killing Denmark, Claudius satisfies Hamlet’s desires with regard to the Oedipal complex, therefore rendering Hamlet incapable of killing him, explaining his inaction. Hamlet’s sexual desires for his mother can also be interpreted from the immense jealousy he has for his uncle. Hamlet craves his uncle’s death for murdering his father and taking his crown, but surreptitiously for sleeping with his mother. Furthermore Hamlet displays a great sense of misogyny in appearing to loathe his mother. He believes she is subject to ‘frailty’ implying that she is weak for giving in to her sexual desires for Claudius. The irony, however, is that Hamlet’s frustration is rooted in the inability he suffers from, to admit his own incestuous weakness. So much so is his frustration that the ghost of Denmark must remind him to ‘leave her to heaven’ (86;5;1) and being that more than once, this indicates an intense abhorrence for his mother. With this in mind, it is therefore debateable as to who Hamlet is more enraged with – Gertrude or Claudius? In a natural order, children are obedient and loving towards their parents. Hamlet however detests his mother and dishonours her while at the same time, sinfully desires her sexually. This reflects the disorder of the whole play, much of which is related to the disorder in parental relationships. Hamlet calls Claudius his ‘Uncle Father’ which is sarcastic yet uncertain and leaves Hamlet confused. His sarcasm is disrespectful and dishonourable towards Claudius as he is acting as Hamlet’s father. Hamlet tells Claudius to find the corpse of Polonius ‘i’th’other place yourself’ referring to hell and therefore literally tells Claudius to go to hell. In retrospect, Shakespeare does not represent one single parental relationship to be happy and without disorder. It is Hamlet’s poignant sorrow that gives rise to the sinful disrespect he aggressively displays towards his mother. His sorrow comes from the untimely loss of his ‘so excellent a King’ father. The next best father figure, being his uncle, not only murdered his father, but also marries his mother. This deserts Hamlet, who is tragically left torn between whether to kill or thank Claudius. It could be said that Hamlet’s only reason to kill Claudius is for his crown and wife.

Organizational Counseling Essay

Counseling is the service offered to the individual who is under going a problem and needs professional help to overcome it. The problem keeps him disturbed high strung and under tension and unless solved his development is hampered or stunted. Counseling therefore is a more specialized service requiring training in personality development and handling exceptional groups of individuals. Meaning of counseling Complex processes such as counseling are always difficult to define. In dictionary terms the word Counseling has a variety of meanings. It often implies the giving of advice or the recommendation of a particular course of action, presupposing that the one who is advising or recommending does so from a basis of superior knowledge and greater wisdom. The term also carries certain connotations which are derived from the legal use of the word ‘counsel’. In recent years, however, the word â€Å"counseling† has acquired a specific meaning as a technical term to describe a particular kind of therapeutic interaction between people. Many authors and institutions have defined counseling as follows: The steering committee of the Standing Committee for the Advancement of Counseling (UK) in 1969 offered the following definition. â€Å"Counseling is a process through which one person helps another by purposeful conversation in an understanding atmosphere. It seeks to establish a helping relationship in which the one counseled can express his/her thoughts and feelings in such a way as to clarify his/her situation, come to terms with some new experience, see his/her difficulty more objectively, and to face the problem with less anxiety and tension. Its basic purpose is to assist individuals to make their decision from among the choices available to them.† Three components which are essential if the meeting of two persons, one of whom has a problem, is to be termed â€Å"counseling† are the process, the objectives, the relationship. According to Brammer & Shostrom, â€Å"Counseling is defined as a way of relating  and responding to another person so that he/she is helped to explore his thoughts, feelings and behavior to reach a clear self-understanding. Also, the person is helped to find and use his/her strengths to be able to cope more effectively with making appropriate decisions, or taking appropriate action.† According to Makinde (1983) â€Å"Counseling is as an integrative process between a client, who is vulnerable and who needs assistance, and a counselor who is trained and educated to give this assistance. The goal of the interaction is to help the client learn to deal more effectively with him/herself and the reality of his environment.† According to Willey & Andrew, Counseling involves two individuals one seeking help and other a professionally trained person helped solved problems to orient and direct him to words a goals. Employee Counseling Counseling has been practiced in one form to other since the evolution of mankind. In every field which requires dealing with people, counseling is essential. Counseling is dyadic relationship between two persons; a manager who is offering help (counselor) and an employee whom such help is given (counselee). It may be formal or informal. Formal counseling is a planned and systematic way of offering help to subordinates by expert counselors. Informal counseling is concerned with day to day relationship between the manager and his subordinates where help is readily offered without any formal plan. Every manager has a responsibility to counsel his subordinates. When individual managers are unable to deal with specific problems, the counseling services of a professional body is required. An organization can either offer the services of a full-time in-house counselor or refer the employee to a community counseling service. Counseling occasionally is necessary for employees due to job and personal problems that subject them to excessive stress. Counseling is discussion of a problem that usually has emotional content with an employee in order to help the employee cope with  it better. Counseling seeks to improve employee’s mental health. People feel comfortable about themselves and about other people and able to meet the demands of life when they are good in mental health. The counseling need not be limited to work-related issues. Marital problems, problems with children, financial difficulties or general psychiatric problems may not be directly related to the job, however, we recognize that individuals cannot completely separate their life away from the job from their life on the job. Therefore personal problems do affect a worker’s job performance. So counseling is also necessary for personal problems along with work- related issues. Performance counseling involves helping an employee understand his own performance, find where he stands in relation to others and identify ways to improve his skills and performance. It focuses, essentially, â€Å"on the analysis of performance of the job and identification of training needs for further improvement†. An increasingly popular form of counseling involves employees who are about ready to retire. Pre-retirement counseling prepares individuals to deal with the realities of leisure, as well as ou tlining details about social security benefits and company pension provisions. Employee Counseling at Workplace It is required of every manager to help his subordinate in the free exploration of his strengths, abilities, competence, interests and other related positive features. It requires participation from both the parties in the performance review and goal-setting process. Thus, performance counseling has become an important feature not only in performance review but also in the implementation of the appraisal system in the organization. It is natural that subordinates need guidance, coaching or help of an experienced person. This role may be played by the immediate superior or the personnel manager. The managers or superiors who have to play the role of ‘counselor’ can play it successfully if they develop the skill for counseling. Such a skill would be useful in understanding subordinates, assisting them in their efforts to grow and develop, and in improving their interpersonal relations both at work and in the society at large. Counseling is a two-way process in which a coun selor provides help to the workers by  way of advice and guidance. There are many occasions in work situations when a worker feels the need for guidance and counseling. The term â€Å"counseling† refers to the help given by a superior to his subordinate in improving the latter’s performance. It is in effect a process of helping subordinates to achieve better adjustment with his work environment, to behave as a psychologically mature individual, and help in achieving a better understanding of others so that his dealings with them can be effective and purposeful. Distinction between Organizational Counseling Interventions & Organizational Development Organizational Development (OD) and Organizational Counseling Interventions (OCI) are two natural extensions of systems thinking within the larger discipline of Psychology. Given the fact that OD and OCI technologies have a common origin within Psychology as a discipline, and the development of the systems perspective in particular, it is necessary to identify the core distinctions between these two approaches to serving the organization: Both OCI and OD interventions are designed to improve overall organizational health and effectiveness, which in turn improve the working conditions of individual employees. Some of the typical areas of focus and expertise where OD and OCI differ are listed below, and these may be used as decision-making criteria. Organizational Development Organizational Counseling Leadership development Personality dysfunction (substance abuse, psychiatric symptoms, etc.) Departmental (re)organization Stress/Change Management Poor Morale Grief reaction to loss or death Group retreats Critical Incident Stress Management Skills development and technology usage Employee/patient safety issues Team – building Communication breakdown within teams Workplace climate Entrenched interpersonal conflict Promoting improved/increased organizational performance Promoting organizational wellness Who Can Counsel People who are in a position to counsel in the work place could be co-workers who would function as peer counselors, supervisors and managers who would counsel their own staff and staff members like the human resources manager and the training manager who could counsel any staff member because of the uniqueness of their positions. In addition, directors or senior managers are well placed to counsel members of the management staff. Counseling deals with personal, social, vocational, empowerment, and educational concerns. Counselors work only in areas in which they have expertise. These areas may include intra- and interpersonal concerns related to school or college adjustment, mental health, aging, marriage or family issues, employment, and rehabilitation. Counseling Quick Reference Keep this quick reference to use whenever counseling individuals, employees or team members. Counselors must demonstrate these qualities to counsel effectively: a) Respect for subordinates. b) Self and cultural awareness. c) Credibility. d) Empathy. Counselors must possess these counseling skills: 1. Active listening. 2. Responding. 3. Questioning. Effective counselors avoid common counseling mistakes. Counselors should avoid: 1. Personal bias. 2. Rash judgments. 3. Stereotyping. 4. Losing emotional control. 5. Inflexible counseling methods. 6. Improper follow-up. When to Counsel There are many situations in the workplace when counseling might be called for: Some of these problems arise outside the work place. They can be personal problems such as sexual behavior that might pose a high risk for HIV/AIDS, or addiction to drugs or alcohol. They may be related to family issues: money problems, sickness and death in the family causing grief or trauma. They may also be issues related specifically to the work place, such as matters like career development, discipline, performance, relating to customers or clients, promotion, redeployment, transfers, redundancies, retirement, etc. There might be problems individuals have in relating to others in the work place, either as individuals or as part of a team. Other problems may lie in relating to customers, to bosses or to those in authority in general. Bosses might also have problems in relating to their juniors. Need of Counseling Counseling is an integral part of an over-all program of guidance. â€Å"Counseling is a specific process of assistance extended by an expert in an individual situation to a needy person†. This means the counseling situation arises when a needy person is face to face with and expert who makes available his assistance to the needy individual to fulfill his needs. There is an urgent need of introducing and strengthening the counseling service to meet the various needs of the individuals or employees. 1. To help in the total development of the organization: Along with the intellectual development proper motivation and clarification of goals and ideas to pupils in conformity with their basic potentialities and social tendencies are important total development of the individual nauseates that individual differences among them are expected, accepted, understood and planned for and all types of experiences in an institution are to be so organized as to contribute to the total development of the organization. 2. To develop readiness for choice and changes to face new challenges. 3. To minimize the mismatching between achievement and expectation and help in the  efficient use of manpower. 4. To motivate the youth for self-employment. 5. To help fresher establish proper identity 6. To identify and motivate the counselee 7. To help the counselee in their period of turmoil and confusion. 8. To help in checking wastage and stagnation. 9. To identity and help individuals in need of special help. 10. To minimize the incidence of indiscipline. Bargadon has mentioned the following situations where counseling in required: 1. When a pupil requires not only reliable information but also an interesting introspection of those in formations which can solve his personal difficulties. 2. When a pupil needs intelligent listener who has more experience than the pupil to whom he can recite his difficulties and through which can seek suggestions for his working plan. 3. When the counselor has to assess those facilities which can help in resolving the pupil problems but the pupil doesn’t enjoy such an access to those facilities. 4. When the pupil has some problem but he is unaware of that problem and his development, he is to be made aware of that problem. 5. When the pupil is aware of the problem and difficulties created by the problem but he feels difficult to define it and to understand it that is, when the pupil is familiar with the presence of the problem and its nature but he is unable to face the problem due to this tempor ary tension and distraction. 6. When the pupil suffer the main maladjustment problem or some handicapped with is temporary and which needs careful long due diagnosis by an expert. Characteristics of Effective Counseling 1. Purpose: Clearly define the purpose of the counseling. 2. Flexibility: Fit the counseling style to the character of each subordinate and to the relationship desired. 3. Respect: View subordinates as unique, complex individuals, each with a distinct set of values, beliefs, and attitudes. 4. Communication: Establish open, two-way communication with subordinates using spoken language, nonverbal actions, gestures, and body language. Effective counselors listen more than they speak. 5. Support: Encourage subordinates through actions while guiding them through their  problems. Problems in Employee Counseling A manager has to deal with various types of problems in dealing with his subordinates, employees and particularly problem employees. Basically no employee is a problem employee, except hereditary and inborn perversions, criminal tendencies, addictions, and nervous and psychological breakdowns. Once an employee turns to be a problem employee, the employer has mainly two options viz., repair and recover, or replace. For the purpose of repairing and recovering and rehabilitating, employee counseling has an important role to play. Problems are generally associated with the causes like: 1. Inferiority and Low Self-Esteem Inferiority feeling of an employee may play great havoc in individual life and work. Though a mild form of inferiority in certain persons may help them to work hard and overcome the inferiority. But very often, inferiority complex may lead a person to utter disappointment and depression leading to withdrawal perversion, absenteeism and even psychosomatic and psychotic problems. Inferiority is a feeling of inadequacy in comparison with others, or a feeling of being inferior to others. When the inferiority feelings in a person become overwhelming and persisting, it may develop into a state which Adler called â€Å"inferiority complex†. Recently thinkers started believing that inferiority can be overcome with the help of self-esteem, and effective counseling helps in gaining self-esteem. Self-esteem is closely linked with self-image, self-worth and self-concept. Self-concept and self-image are the terms which represent the picture which we have of ourselves. Self-image and self-c oncept may include a list of character traits, physical features, attitudes, feelings, strengths, weaknesses etc. Self-esteem refers to the evaluation which an individual makes of his worth, competence, value and significance. When a person loses self-esteem, he develops inferiority in him, which grows into an inferiority complex. Such people do not feel worth of themselves. Hence, the basic task of a counselor is to improve self-esteem in such counselees. 2. Injustice or Ill-treatment Very often injustice or ill-treatment makes considerable impact in their minds resulting in behavioral problems, inferiority and low self-esteem. Depriving an employee of adequate wages, leave, or any perks, giving him an arrogant treatment, depriving a legitimate promotion, promoting somebody overlooking the legitimate candidate; may such incidents take place in organizations very often which may result in inferiority feeling or feeling of low self-esteem and low morale affecting the efficiency of the aggrieved employee. As far as possible such incidents must be avoided. Once such a situation arises and an employee is aggrieved, it is better to rectify it. However, if the aggrieved employee is counseled and rectification is promised at a later date, he or she can be brought back to the proper track. 3. Premarital Anxieties and Sexual Perversions Premarital anxieties are common in many young employees. Once the marriage is arranged and the person is engaged, his anxiety increases. Two people of different family backgrounds, different cultures, different environments, etc., are bound to have anxieties before they come together. If one happens to wait unmarried after a particular age too, one’s anxiety is bound to increase. Similarly, there are possibilities for sexual perversions in not only young employees but even in married employees. There are people with broken relationships who are tempted to be subject to sexual perversions and resulting guilty conscious. In all such cases the concerned employee needs counseling before a total breakdown and collapse of personality. Such people can be spiritually motivated, educated, kept under the close contact of an influence group, and so on. 4. Alcoholism Alcoholism is, perhaps, the largest threat to the human element of organization. In fact, alcoholism is a serious social, moral and health problem. It ruins careers, disrupts families, affects productivity and efficiency, destroys bodies, and leads to untold human misery. Many traffic accidents are caused by alcohol abuse. There are many causes which lead to alcoholism. Prominent among them are: (i) Hereditary drinking; (ii) Executive culture; (iii) Executive stresses; (iv) Physiological reasons; (v) Broken family set up; (vi) Environmental influence; (vii) Low job  satisfaction and morale; (viii) Tasks involving strenuous physical exertion; (ix) Perpetuating influences ; (x) Feelings of depression and stagnation; and (xi) Feeling of isolation and loneliness. A counselor’s job is not easy as far as an alcoholic is concerned. One or a few counseling sessions may not yield any considerable effect. However, a sincere effort on the part of an executive counselor may help an alco holic employee, at least in the long-run. Some medical intervention may also be helpful along with counseling. 5. The problem of Addictions Another important employee problem which deserves counseling is addictions. Addiction is a very dangerous problem which torments the social and work environment of today. Drug addiction has gone beyond proportions among youngsters now-a-days. Not only drug addiction, many people are addicted to alcohol, pornographic materials, television, sexual immorality, smoking, compulsive spending, overeating, gambling, and so on. There are some people who are addicted to earning money and amassing wealth by hook or by crook. There are workaholics who have addiction to work, due to which there are many broken families in the urban society. Addiction is any habit, practice, behavior or even thinking which is habitually or compulsively attached to a person, which exerts more and more control and power over him. There can be many causes for addiction; some of which are: (i) Inadequate parental care; (ii) Broken family atmosphere; (iii) Bad company; (iv) Peer or other social influence; (v) Feeling o f emptiness in life; depression or stresses; (vi) Low self-esteem and deception; & (vii) Psychological problems. Both drug addiction and alcohol abuse involve behavior change, physical deterioration, family stresses, financial problems, career destruction, increasing psychological disintegration, lawlessness and so on. Addiction affects both the victim and his family. Even the psychologists and counselors may exhaust and drain themselves out by constant pressure of dealing with addicts. Hence, it is not an easy task for executives to deal with such cases. However, very tactful approach on the part of the executives and managers may make a considerable effect in helping them if they act in time. â€Å"A stitch in time saves nine†. 6. Mental Conflict in Union Rivalries In recent times, there are many employees who lose their confidence, mental peace, job satisfaction and productivity due to union rivalries. Many right thinking and unattached employees become the victims of such rivalries. Some militant trade union leaders and their henchmen even manhandle assault and ill-treat such employees. Their legitimate promotions and claims are blocked by such trade unionists. Sometimes even management becomes helpless in doing justice to such employees due to the obstructions and resistances created by such union leaders. In such situations victims are bound to be disappointed, disgruntled and aggrieved resulting in depression and stress. Executive counselors and human resources executives have great role to play in rebuilding the personality and career through counseling and timely intervention. They can be recovered, and revitalized through counseling and timely guidance. They can then be exposed and developed through training followed by redeployment and a change in placement. 7. Breakdown in Interpersonal Relationships Breakdown in interpersonal relationships is another important problem which creates low morale and depression in work-life which deserves timely intervention and counseling. There are many stress situations in one’s work life. Organizational causes of stress are occupational demands, role conflict, role ambiguity (stress from uncertainly), stresses from overload and under load, responsibility for others, stresses from evaluation, poor working conditions, unwanted changes, and such other factors lead to personal stresses. Interpersonal stresses make more impact in work life. Strains and breakdowns in interpersonal relationships have direct relationship with individual stresses. When cordial relationships exist in the work place, impact of other stresses may get effectively tackled. But when stresses from strained interpersonal relationship in the work environment increase, the individual’s effectiveness, balance and productivity can get affected. In all such occasions, c ounseling and guidance would become necessary to help the individual to control his problem emotions and sustain himself to be effective in the group. 8. Low Job Satisfaction and Morale Another important cause which affects the human behavior in organization is low job satisfaction backed by low morale. Low job satisfaction leads to low morale and vice-versa. Morale and job satisfaction are closely tied to the basic concepts of attitudes and motivation. Wages have been found to be the basic determinant of job satisfaction. However, once the monetary needs are considerably met by the wages, other aspects like self-actualization, fulfillment, working conditions, security of employment, prestige, agreeability of the job, group cohesiveness, expertise, etc., also determine the job satisfaction. Some researchers have thrown light on the positive relationship between occupational level and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has a considerable relation with the promotion possibility. Superior-subordinate relationship and cooperative and affectionate attitude and approach of the superior may also influence the job satisfaction level of the subordinates, though much empirica l work has not been done in this area. Low job satisfaction and low morale must be tackled at the root. Immediate supervisor or superior may first come to know about the problem in his subordinate and initiate timely and sincere counseling efforts. At times, assistance of professional counselors can be sought. Every manager must make up his mind to nip in the bud all such problems which adversely affect job satisfaction and morale with the help of skillful counseling. 9. Breakdown in Family Life Every individual, rich or poor, has to face many family problems, some of which can seriously affect the peace of mind, happiness, achievement motivation and efficiency. Those who have broken family lives and serious family problems may possibly become unsuccessful in their work life too. Very often problem which affect the family life can convert a good employee into a problem employee. Studies have already proved that some alcoholics and drug addicts are the products of broken families. In fact, breakdown in family life very often affects the work life. Hence, if such employees are provided with ways to release their tension, their efficiency can be improved. Counseling is of great importance in such cases once such employees can be brought to proper track with the help of counseling, their personality, behavior and performance can be improved with the help of exposure in training, T-group formation, etc., so that better sense of  cohesion and commitment to organization can be en sured. Solving the Problems of Employee Counseling The problems of employee counseling can be solved in various ways. The following could be simple check list to follow – 1. Deal with dignity: An individual has to be dealt with dignity. An individual is more a victim of circumstances. This should be communicated clearly to assuage feelings of the individual. 2. Give time: Give individuals time and avoid shock impact. This gives the employee time to think of alternatives in a job loss situation. Importantly, the employee might try and improve productivity. 3. Build courage and confidence: Highlight strengths of the individual and build personal confidence level. Irrespective of personal circumstances, retaining confidence and mental balance, is critical. 4. Offer help: Offer personal and corporate help. More important than offering help is to listen patiently and offer whatever help is possible. 5. Involve family, where possible: A job affects the family and hence, where the employee is receptive, involve the family in counseli ng. 6. Give positive references: Give good and positive references to employees terminated to improve their chances of sourcing an alternate employment. 7. Allow use of facilities: As far as possible, allow a usage of corporate facilities, especially where there is no direct cash outflow. Typical facilities would include transport, sports, club, library, canteen etc. 8. Offer subsidy: In large companies, employees are eligible for a variety of benefits including transport, housing and furniture. Where possible, continue to offer these facilities at a subsidized price, for a short period of three to six months. 9. Communicate: Most importantly, involve the employee and listen empathetically. Keep in touch with the employee at some frequency to sustain courage to face the crisis and instill a ray of hope to come out of the crisis successfully. Aims of Counselling Counselling and guidance aims to: enable citizens to manage and plan their learning and work pathways in accordance with their life goals, assist educational and training institutions to have well motivated pupils, students and trainees who take  responsibility for their own learning and set their own goals for achievement assist enterprises and organisations to have well motivated, employable and adaptable staff, capable of accessing and benefiting from learning opportunities both within and outside the workplace provide policymakers with an important means to achieve a wide range of public policy goals support local, regional, and national economies through workforce development and adaptation to changing economic demands and social circumstances assist in the development of societies, in which citizens actively contribute to their social and democratic development Importance of counselling aims within labour market: Within the labour market, guidance and counselling can: Improve the accuracy and accessibility of the information available to individuals about short- and long-term job opportunities. In turn this can improve individual decision making about jobs and about job training opportunities. achieve a better match between skills, interests and qualifications on the one hand and available job opportunities on the other help to improve the allocation of labour across regions, industries and occupations in the face of labour supply and demand fluctuations resulting from technological and structural change Significance of Counseling 1. Decision marking construct: The psychological problems of adolescents can be seen as decision making problems. 2. Conflict: These decisions making problems almost always involve some conflict, either because of factor emotional ambiguities or both. 3. Assertions: Behavior is a result at the assumptions, beliefs, and attitudes that one his about himself, others and the world in which her lives. 4. Disconfirmations: The effects of behavior following decisions are feed back to the individual perceived and they confirm or disconfirm ascertain to varying degrees. 5. Tension: When assertions are disconfirmed, tensions result. 6. Redundancy: Tensions inhibit the ability of an individual to reexamine his assertions and attempt to confirm them and thus they cause redundant behavior. Reception and Integration Counseling Points Reception and integration counseling should begin immediately upon arrival so new team members can quickly become integrated into the organization. Counselor must counsel new team members when they arrive at organization. This reception and integration counseling serves two purposes: First, it identifies and helps fix any problems or concerns that new members may have, especially any issues resulting from the new duty assignment. Second, it lets them know the organizational standards and how they fit into the team. It clarifies job titles and sends the message that the chain of command cares. Chain of command familiarization. Organizational standards. Security and safety issues. Noncommissioned officer (NCO) support channel (who is in it and how it is used). On- and off-duty conduct. Personnel/personal affairs/initial and special issues. Organizational history, structure, and mission. Human resource practices within the organization Off limits and danger areas. Functions and locations of support activities. On- and off-post recreational, educational, cultural, and historical opportunities. Environmental orientations both internal and external. Other areas the individual should be aware of as determined by the counselor. Approaches/Types of Employee Counseling In attempting to help an employee who has a problem, a variety of counseling  approaches are used. All of these counseling approaches, however, depend on active listening. Sometimes the mere furnishing of information or advice may be the solution to what at first appeared to be a knotty problem. More frequently, however, the problem cannot be solved easily because of frustrations or conflicts that are accompanied by strong feelings such as fear, confusion, or hostility. A manager, therefore, needs to learn to use whatever approach appears to be suitable at the time. Flexibility is a key component of the employee counseling process. There are three types/approaches to counseling which are given as follows – 1. Directive 2. Non-directive 3. Participative 1. Directive Counseling: It is full counseling. It is the process of listening to an employee’s problem, deciding with the employee what should be done and telling and motivating the employee to do it. This type of counseling mostly does the function of advice, reassurance and communication. It may also perform other functions of counseling. Advantages and disadvantages of Directive counseling Exhibit 1: Advantages and disadvantages of Directive counseling Advantages: Quickest method. Good for people who need clear, concise direction. Allows counselors to actively use their experience. Disadvantages: Doesn’t encourage subordinates to be part of the solution. Tends to treat symptoms, not problems. Tends to discourage subordinates from talking freely. Solution is the counselor’s, not the subordinate’s. 2. Non-directive Counseling: In non-directive counseling, the employee is permitted to have maximum freedom in determining the course of the interview. It is the process of skillfully listening and encouraging a counselee to explain troublesome problems, understand them and determine  appropriate solutions. Fundamentally, the approach is to listen, with understanding and without criticism or appraisal, to the problem as it is described by the employee. The employee is encouraged, through the manager’s attitude and reaction to what is said or not said, to express feelings without fear of shame, embarrassment, or reprisal. The free expression that is encouraged in the non-directive approach tends to reduce tensions and frustrations. The employee who has had an opportunity to release pent-up feelings is usually in a better position to view the problem more objectively and with a problem-solving attitude. Advantages and disadvantages of Non-directive counseling Exhibit 2: Advantages and disadvantages of Non-directive counseling Advantages: Encourages maturity. Encourages open communication. Develops personal responsibility. Disadvantages: More time-consuming Requires greatest counselor skill. 3. Participative Counseling: Both directive and non-directive methods suffer from limitations. While the former is often not accepted by independent employees, the latter needs professionals to operate and hence is costly. Hence, the counseling used in most situations is in between these two. This middle path is known as participative counseling. Participative is a counselor-counselee relationship that establishes a cooperative exchange of ideas to help solve an employee’s problems. It is neither wholly counselor-centered nor wholly counselee-centered. Counselor and counselee mutually apply their different knowledge, perceptions, skills, perspectives and values to problem into the problems and find solutions. Advantages and disadvantages of participative counseling Exhibit 3: Advantages and disadvantages of participative counseling Advantages: Moderately quick. Encourages maturity. Encourages open communication. Allows counselors to actively use their experience. Disadvantages: May take too much time for some situations. Methods of Employee Counseling Effectiveness of counseling largely depends on the methods and techniques as well as the skills used by the counselor. Methods and techniques of counseling change from person to person and from situation to situation. Normally employee counseling involves the following methods: 1. Desensitization: Once an individual is shocked in a particular situation, he gives himself no chance for the situation to recur. This method can be used to overcome avoidance reactions, so as to improve the emotional weak spots. If an employee is once shocked by the behavior, approach or action of his superior, he would continue to avoid that superior. It is difficult for such superiors to be effective counselors, unless such superiors prove otherwise through their behavior or action on the contrary. Similarly, once an employee is shocked by a particular situation, he can be brought back to that situation only if he will be convinced through desensitization that the shock will not to take place further. Counselor can make use of desensitization in such situations. 2. Catharsis: Discharge of emotional tensions can be called catharsis. Emotional tensions can be discharged by talking them out or by relieving of the painful experience which engendered them. It is an important technique as a means of reducing the tensions associated with anxiety, fear, hostility, or guilt. Catharsis helps to gain insight into the ways an emotional trauma has been affecting the behavior. 3. Insight: With the help of insight one may find that he has devalued himself unnecessarily, or his aspirations were unrealistic, or that his childish interpretation of an event was inaccurate. Then he can overcome his weakness. 4. Developing the new patterns: Developing new patterns becomes very often necessary when other methods to deal with weak spots remain ineffective. In order to develop new, more satisfying emotional reactions, the individual needs to expose himself to situations where he can experience positive feelings. The manager who deals with such individuals may motivate or instigate them to put themselves into such situations, so that their self-confidence may increase. Every counselor must concentrate his full attention on two aspects viz., using of assessment tools, and utilizing counseling methods, choice of which differs from person to person, situation to situation, and from case to case. The Counseling Process Effective counselors use the four stages of counseling process which are given as follows – A. Identify the need for counseling. B. Prepare for counseling. C. Conduct counseling. D. Follow up. A. Identify the Need for Counseling Quite often organizational policies, such as counseling associated with an evaluation or counseling required by the command, focus a counseling session. However, one may conduct developmental counseling whenever the need arises for focused, two-way communication aimed at subordinate development. Developing subordinates consists of observing the subordinate’s performance, comparing it to the standard, and then providing feedback to the subordinate in the form of counseling. B. Prepare For Counseling Successful counseling requires preparation. To prepare for counseling, do the following: 1. Select a suitable place. 2. Schedule the time. 3. Notify the subordinate well in advance. 4. Organize information. 5. Outline the counseling session components. 6. Plan your counseling strategy. 7. Establish the right atmosphere. 1. Select a Suitable Place: Schedule counseling in an environment that minimizes interruptions and is free from distracting sights and sounds. 2. Schedule the Time: When possible, counsel a subordinate during the duty day. Counseling after duty hours may be rushed or perceived as unfavorable. The length of time required for counseling depends on the complexity of the issue. Generally a counseling session should last less than an hour. If one need more time, schedule a second session. Additionally, select a time free from competition with other activities and consider what has been planned after the counseling session. Important events can distract a subordinate from concentrating on the counseling. 3. Notify the Subordinate Well in Advance: For a counseling session to be a subordinate-centered, two-person effort, the subordinate must have time to prepare for it. The subordinate should know why, where, and when the counseling will take place. Counseling following a specific event should happen as close to the event as possible. However, for performance or professional development counseling, subordinates may need a week or more to prepare or review specific products, such as support forms or counseling records. 4. Organize Information: Solid preparation is essential to effective counseling. Review all pertinent information. This includes the purpose of the counseling, facts and observations about the subordinate, identification of possible problems, main points of discussion, and the development of a plan of action. Focus on specific and objective behaviors that the subordinate must maintain or improve as well as a plan of action with clear, obtainable goals. 5. Outline the Components of the Counseling Session: Using the information obtained, determine what to discuss during the counseling session. Note what prompted the counseling, what one aims to achieve, and what one’s role as a  counselor is. Identifying possible comments or questions to help counselor to keep the counseling session subordinate-centered and to help the subordinate progress through its stages. Although counselor never knows what a subordinate will say or do during counseling, a written outline helps organize the session and enhances the chance of positive results. 6. Plan Counseling Strategy: As many approaches to counseling exist as there are leaders. The directive, nondirective, and combined approaches to counseling were addressed earlier. Use a strategy that suits your subordinates and the situation. 7. Establish the Right Atmosphere: The right atmosphere promotes two-way communication between a counselor and subordinate. To establish a relaxed atmosphere, you may offer the subordinate a seat or a cup of coffee. Counselor may want to sit in a chair facing the subordinate since a desk can act as a barrier. Some situations make an informal atmosphere inappropriate. For example, during counseling to correct substandard performance, as a counselor you may direct the subordinate to remain standing while you remain seated behind a desk. This formal atmosphere, normally used to give specific guidance, reinforces the leader’s rank, position in the chain of command, and authority. C. Conduct the Counseling Session Be flexible when conducting a counseling session. Often counseling for a specific incident occurs spontaneously as counselors encounter subordinates in their daily activities. Such counseling can occur in any suitable places wherever subordinates feel ease. Good counselors take advantage of naturally occurring events to provide subordinates with feedback. Even when counselor haven’t prepared for formal counseling, s/he should address the four basic components of a counseling session. The purpose is to guide effective counseling rather than mandate a series of rigid steps. Counseling sessions consist of: 1. Opening the session. 2. Discussing the issues. 3. Developing the plan of action. 4. Recording and closing the session. Ideally, a counseling session results in a subordinate’s commitment to a plan of action. Assessment of the plan of action (discussed below) becomes the starting point for follow-up counseling. 1. Open the Session: In the session opening, state the purpose of the session and establish a subordinate centered setting. Establish the preferred setting early in the session by inviting the subordinate to speak. The best way to open a counseling session is to clearly state its purpose. For example, an appropriate purpose statement might be: â€Å"The purpose of this counseling is to discuss your duty performance over the past month and to create a plan to enhance performance and attain performance goals.† If applicable, start the counseling session by reviewing the status of the previous plan of action. 2. Discussing the issues: The counselor and the subordinate should attempt to develop a mutual understanding of the issues. Counselor can best develop this by letting the subordinate do most of the talking. Use active listening; respond, and question without dominating the conversation. Aim to help the subordinate better understand the subject of the counseling, for example, duty performance, a problem situation and its impact, or potential areas for growth. Both counselor and subordinate should provide examples or cite specific observations to reduce the perception that either is unnecessarily biased or judgmental. However, when the issue is substandard performance, counselor should make clear how the performance didn’t meet the standard. The conversation, which should be two-way, then addresses what the subordinate needs to do to meet the standard. It’s important that he defines the issue as substandard performance and don’t allow the subordinate to define the issue as an unreasonable standard-unless he considers the standard negotiable or are willing to alter the conditions under which the subordinate must meet the standard. 3. Develop a Plan of Action: A plan of action identifies a method for achieving a desired result. It specifies what the subordinate must do to reach the goals set during the counseling session. The plan of action must  be specific: it should show the subordinate how to modify or maintain his behavior. It should avoid vague intentions such as â€Å"Next month I want you to improve your production skills.† The plan must use concrete and direct terms. A specific and achievable plan of action sets the stage for successful development. 4. Record and Close the Session: Although requirements to record counseling sessions vary, a counselor always benefits by documenting the main points of a counseling session. Documentation serves as a reference to the agreed upon plan of action and the subordinate’s accomplishments, improvements, personal preferences, or problems. A complete record of counseling aids in making recommendations for professional development, schools, promotions, and evaluation reports. To close the session, summarize its key points and ask if the subordinate understands the plan of action. Invite the subordinate to review the plan of action and what’s expected by counselor. With the subordinate, establish any follow-up measures necessary to support the successful implementation of the plan of action. These may include providing the subordinate with resources and time, periodically assessing the plan, and following through on referrals. Schedule any future meetings, at least tentatively, before dismissing the subordinate. D. Follow Up Counselor’s Responsibilities: The counseling process doesn’t end with the counseling session. It continues through implementation of the plan of action and evaluation of results. After counseling, counselor must support subordinates as they implement their plans of action. Support may include teaching, coaching, or providing time and resources. Counselor must observe and assess this process and possibly modify the plan to meet its goals. Appropriate measures after counseling include follow-up counseling, making referrals, informing the chain of command, and taking corrective measures. Assess the Plan of Action: The purpose of counseling is to develop subordinates who are better able to achieve personal, professional, and  organizational goals. During the assessment, review the plan of action with the subordinate to determine if the desired results were achieved. The counselor and the subordinate should determine the date for this assessment during the initial counseling session. The assessment of the plan of action provides useful information for future follow-up counseling sessions. Conclusion The ability to counsel is an important skill for managers and caring co-workers. Organizations that have people trained in counseling will be better able to handle their people issues than those that do not. Staffs who are feeling anxious, stressed, or unhappy will not be able to perform very well on the job despite their background and experience. If they have had an opportunity to talk through their problems with a trained counselor, they will be able to be much more productive. This will save the organization time and money. References 1. Blum, M. L., and Balinsky, B. Counseling and psychology. Egnlewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1954. 2. Bordin, E. S. Psychological counseling. New York: Appleton, 1955. 3. Maier, N. R. R. Principle of human relations. New York: Wiley, 1952. Ch. 12 & 13. 4. Counseling-techniques-in-an-organization, Available at: