Hypothetical Research Proposal Social Psychology Essay

Understanding media in today’s world is more than intellectual exercise, it is essential survival skill in a world that has been absolutely changed by mass communication. Hundreds of studies have shown that viewing violence in the media can influence destructive behavior. This paper will review research involving the relationship between the media and violence. Since, women’s issue to violence embodies many areas of social life and is very much rampant and relevant in our society today; violence to women will be used for the representation for this paper. After taken into account, the finding will show that the rising of media and the violence among women in the society has strong significant effect. Introduction In 2003, Allan Menzies stabbed his best friend, drank his blood and ate part of his skull. Utterly this murder was different from the many horrible murders that are committed. Menzies claimed that the character, Akasha, from the vampire film Queen of the Damned had told him to kill his friend as a way of gaining immortality. Menzies was possessed with the film and had viewed it over 100 times before â€Å"acting on the orders† of the vampire queen (Robertson 2003). The case of Menzies certainly demonstrates the intimate relationship between media and violence. However, violence news is often selective and distorted, giving an inaccurate picture of violence in society. This observation has led Warr (2000:482) to argue that â€Å"violence rests on highly uncertain information about risk† In fact, Fields and Jerin (1999) carried out a comparative analysis of violence coverage in newspapers in fourteen different countries. In the US, they found evidence of misinterpretation, overrepresentation of violent, heavy reliance on â€Å"official† sources, false image of police effectiveness, uniform crime coverage, lack of educational value, racial prejudice and/or stereotyping, and little coverage of corrections. This is a significant finding as the majority of citizens only have symbolic rather than experiential knowledge about violence. Consequently, when the media are the primary knowledge distributors about violence, distortions such as these are readily available to construct public perceptions. And because the consequences of violence can be severe, these perceptions can lead to an increased concern about violence victimization. This â€Å"resonance† hypothesis argues that the media â€Å"cultivate† a threatening view of the world, which compounds preexisting violence (Bagdikian, 2000). Literature Review This literature review will introduce the theoretical perspectives that will guide this study in understanding the construction of a gendered crime â€Å"reality†. The key concepts of social constructioinism and feminist criminology will be explained and will be illustrated in relation to fear of crime. The connection between the media and fear of crime will be explain with an emphasis on the distortion of knowledge, audience effects, and media content and claims. Further, the effects of political economy on discursive transformations in the presentations of crimes will be address. Impact of the Media The media has the potential for far greater impact than interpersonal communication, if only because of the larger audience and the professional nature of the messages. The impact might be seen in audience pleasure or buying behavior or it might be seen in an unintentional effect such as young child’s imitating the violent behavior seen in a favorite T. V. show or video game (Rodman, 2006). This impact becomes the part of the feedback sent to the source, perhaps as news reports about studies into effects of media. Social Theory, Media, and Violence The relationship between violence and the media is complex. For example, Barak, (1994) finds that although the press does not present a consistently biased impression of media and violence through their process of selection, he discovers little evidence to suggest that this is very influential on public perceptions of, and opinions about, these phenomena. On the other hand, Sheley (1995) argues that the media responds to and stimulates violence and are probably the single greatest influence on public attitudes about the topic. However, both social constructionists and radical feminist criminologists see the mass media as particularly relevant when studying violence, as the meaning and significance attached to a violent event during its commission can be transformed entirely once it is communicated into society. As Stanko (1992:14) notes: The full social and personal consequences of violence can never be deduced from the simple enumeration of risks. Like other human experiences they necessarily involve representation, communication and attribution of significance and it is for this reason that the understanding of the character and uses of mass media may be able not simply to help explain the distribution of expressed fears but also to illuminate their nature and implications. The significance of this violence as it relates to culture needs to be taken into consideration in order to understand the transformations commonly found in media narratives over time. In addition, a â€Å"lack of sensitivity to media-generated reality-constructing processes has serious real-world implications† (Surette, 1998:271). Heavy violence coverage in the media can not only increase public fear, it can also direct much public discourse on the violent issue which leads to stereotypical views of violence, shapes certain violent as social problems, and limits violence control options (Barak, 1998:44). Working within the social constructionist paradigm, I argue that effect of violence is a social process rather than a social fact: reactions to violence are subjective and dynamic. Not only are these reactions based on the actions of certain social groups who have the power to set forth their own interests over others, and who employ â€Å"experts† to offer professional credibility to support their claims, but they are also based on dominant cultural ideologies. In turn, the media disseminates these â€Å"truth† claims as they see fit, creating a â€Å"conceptual reality† for public consumption. I consider this constructed reality and its relation to violence exploding: Who are constructed as deviant â€Å"outsiders? † What claims and claims-makers are central to the discourse? What preferred rules does the media maintain? Who is given the most voice to speak authoritatively? In the hierarchy of violence, what is the â€Å"master of offence? † Do the violent messages discuss possible solutions to violence? Are the violent messages sensationalistic? Are random violence reported the most often? Research Question and Aim of this Research This proposal will examine how the media constructs fear of crime for women, and explains why. It will employ both content and textual analyses to evaluate media representations of crime and their role in facilitating images of fear and safety. Moreover, I will utilize feminist criminology and social constructionism to allow an evaluation of claims-making activities and gendered crime myths. Ultimately, the aim of this research is to examine how the media are constructed as sites of fear for women. To accomplish this, I would like to answer the following questions: 1. Do crime messages signify fear of crime? 2. How do the media define fear and reveal its meaning to audience members? Is this â€Å"reality† contested over time, and if so, why? Hypotheses: The meaning associated with women’s danger and safety in news narratives are socially constructed through claims, sources, content and culture, making the â€Å"social reality of crime† a human accomplishment. Method Design I will analyze an issue of a three popular women’s magazines as my primary data for violent messages since it embodies many areas of social life, making it culturally significant. Moreover, magazines give a less fragmented picture of the total violence phenomenon than say newspapers, and their documentary style gives a more elaborate perspective than the information oriented style of newspapers. The analysis will be done through content analysis. Data Collection Procedure Magazines represented a variety of violence narratives as â€Å"newsworthy. † That is, these magazines found violence to be interesting or exciting enough to attract and inform consumers, and therefore violence narratives were considered important elements when producing the news. Among the violent messages such as; sexual brutality received almost one-half (50%) of the coverage. This included; rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment/discrimination. The reporters often evinced the personal accounts of those who were victims. This added an emotional dimension to the narratives; bringing to the reader an â€Å"eyewitness† account, rather than an â€Å"objective† report of the facts. Child abuse, which included physical and emotional abuse, followed closely in frequency (25 %), while domestic violence (8%) and murder (7%) remained minor but persistent narratives. Magazines reporters also wrote about criminal justice issues such as the death penalty and victimology (3. 5%). Violent such as burglary (3. 0%), juvenile delinquency (2. 0%), and illicit drug use (1. 5%) were infrequently in the news stories, and other crimes, such as fraud and kidnapping, were not mentioned in all three magazines. News, Sources, and the Production of Meaning Various sources of knowledge about violent, law and violence justice were represented in the news making process to create meaning. There were five types of sources used by reporters to construct violence narratives. First, government sources were cited in 60 percent of the violence articles. Representatives of the violence justice system, such as police, lawyers, judges, and correctional officials, were used as sources in nearly one-third (33%) of all violence articles. Less frequently, other government agencies, such as social workers and child welfare/ protection services were offered as knowledge sources by reporters (5%). As well, politicians, or elected officials, were occasionally used to supply knowledge (2%). Gender and Violence Narratives Media violence depictions were consistently gendered and women’s fear of violence was constantly constructed and reconstructed. â€Å"Intimate danger† was portrayed in 62. 6 % of the violence messages; â€Å"stranger danger† was highlighted in only 23. 2 percent of the news stories and 14. 2 percent of the narratives did not mention danger in all. In all time frames, intimate danger was more commonly constructed than was stranger danger. Intimate danger was present in over half of all articles. Overwhelmingly, familiar dangers were most newsworthy. Sex was ultimately connected to danger in the media discourses with over half (60%) of all violence messages signifying it. Over different time frames, sexual danger was present in 62. 5 % of all articles. A discourse of sexual inequality in an issue of the three different popular women’s magazines also contributed to the gendered nature of violence. One-fourth, (25%) of all crime articles connected sexual inequality to violence. This suggests that women’s fear of violence was linked to their subordinate status, and can best be understood in the context of broader social inequalities. In sum, the media instructed women to be most fearful people they knew in their own home, to fear violence of sexual nature and foremost, and to fear for themselves, but also for others. Violence and Media Coverage The crime reports in an issue of the three popular women’s magazines consistently supplied readers with the resources needed to understand and comprehend violence, particularly on a social and environmental level. By explaining the source and foundations for violence, journalists did not leave readers asking â€Å"why. † And by demonstrating how to cope with violence, audience members were given solutions that could ultimately be used to exert some control over their own lives. As a result, the news narratives presented violence as both avoidable and manageable. Further, violence accounts were presented in a manner that kept the audience informed about violent and violence justice issues without relying on dramatic flair. In sum, violence and violent justice was framed, in form and content, around an ideology of violence against women, this constructed a gendered nature of fear. This required sourcing the news in a specific manner in order to produce journalists` preferred meaning. For the most part, a central objective for journalists was to inform the audience about the broader social forces that influenced violence as it related to women: the violent event was a means to educate the reader about the foundation of crime and its prevention. Data Analysis and Expected Results In the production of news, news coverage was shaped according to the journalists` particular conceptions of violence. Extensive and various sources merged to define violent danger, establishing a version of the social reality of violent that differed considerably from other mediums of knowledge. For example, a sense of societal responsibility to end violence against women often guided the newsmaking process, unlike the majority of mainstream newspaper and television violent reports that individualized the predator criminal (Surette, 2004). The violence accounts in an issue of the three popular women’s magazines had a definite feminist agenda: to acknowledge the obstacles and inequality inherent within law and violence justice practices, and to support social and legal resolutions that eliminated male violence against women. By providing violence coverage from an experiential standpoint, and exposing myths commonly associated with women’s violence, journalists helped to reconstruct alternative violence news. In sum, two distinct patterns of news reporting will be observed throughout this research. Both patterns communicated violence and violence justice according to the journalists` â€Å"sense† of the issues: their preferred meanings, constructed through particular discursive arrangements, helped to construct different versions of the â€Å"reality† of violent risk. The dominant reporting style of the news in an issue of three popular women’s magazines promoted a feminist critique of women’s fear of violence based on women’s own experiences that downplayed indicators of fear and encouraged an informed understanding of the violence phenomenon. Rather than constructing random men as the source of danger, the â€Å"true† offenders will be reported to be sexism, ineffective laws, and a violence justice system that supported male violence against women. However, a minor and subordinate pattern of news reporting emerged that â€Å"mystified† the issue of violence and prohibited the consideration of contexts or alternatives. These constructions in the news coverage eventually reflected information and interpretations that supported official sources, changing the underlying ideology of social reform to self-responsibilization for violence. Conclusion In summary, by pursuing these research directions a greater understanding of the complex issues surrounding violence in the media will be advanced. Further knowledge about readers, news workers and policy makers will explicate the effects of gender, news production processes, and political influence on media images. Such multifaceted analyses serve to extend the understanding of media violence as a social construct. References Bagdikian, B. (2000). The media monopoly, 6th ed. Boston: Beacon Press. Barak, G. (1998). Newsmaking criminology: Reflections on the media, intellectuals, and crime. Justice Quarterly 5: 565-87. Barak, G. (1994). Media, process, and the social construction of crime. New York: Garlan

Building stone conservation

The construction industry and its activities have an important role to play in socioeconomic development and quality of life. Construction activity accounts for more than 50% of the national outlays. Building Construction costs registered an increase in rates year after year at scales much faster than inflation. It is seen that in view of the increase in cost for basic input materials like steel, cement brick timber and other materials as well as the cost of construction labour, buildings cost increase at around 20% to 30% annually even when inflation is in single digit.Even though income levels of people are by and large brought in line with the levels of inflation through inflation indexed rise in salaries, year after year, housing is moving beyond the reach of the majority of the people. The reducing housing size for various categories in consecutive years in respect of the plinth areas, nature of specifications even with increased income levels would indicate the rapid increase i n cost of construction.The urban population growth has increased to more than 30%, and has made the need for adequate housing for low income people a very important concern for the government. However, the rush to respond to these needs seems to result in a low quality housing that does not adequately match the needs of these people. In countries where construction contributed 3-5% to GDP, an implication for development policy was that unless the construction industry grew faster than the economy as a whole it might constrain national development (Han and Ofori, 2001).The construction industry is a main contributor to the national economy, therefore the more developed the industry is the more the contribution to the economy. Similarly, a developing economy leads to more construction projects and purchasing ower means affordable projects. The interlink relation between the construction industry and the economy makes it clear that development can not occur without the other, although a growing construction industry does not necessarily mean a developing industry nor economy.In fact, the increase in construction prices could cause an artificial indication of the contribution of the construction industry to the GDP and economy. Furthermore the increase in construction costs always occurs faster than the increase in the GDP/capita. Approximate costs generally include mechanical and electrical installations, but exclude furniture, loose or special quipment, and external works. They also exclude fees for professional services and permission fees. The costs shown are appropriate to local specifications and standards.This should be borne in mind when attempting comparisons with similarly described building types in other countries. One of the main barriers to sustainability and sustainable construction will be affordability. The construction industry in developing countries cannot afford to make any dramatic changes but has to start improving the existing technology an d local resources it has. In less than two decades, the construction costs have increased by a considerable rate. This is in respect of the normal types of housing construction.Still higher levels of costs are registered for using better finishes and amenities. The current situation of un- affordability, necessitates the need for using economical solutions and appropriate designs and construction materials which can bring down the cost of construction within the affordability levels of the people, as identified in the Agenda 21 for sustainable construction in Developing Countries which concerns with construction economic efficiency through national and international housing policies that ensure adequate, affordable and sustainable housing.Authors such as Adebayo (2000), McIntosh (2000) and Aboutorabi (2000) has addressed out that the sustainability development of the built environment is significantly linked to affordability, and affordability will remain a key barrier to sustainabi lity. CONCLUSION The development of the construction industry should lead to affordable construction activities and materials, which is one of the main issues of sustainability in the developing countries. It seems that the development of the construction industry to achieve efficiency, quality, affordability and then sustainability is strongly tied to the economy.

Scaling stages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scaling stages - Essay Example More frequently, this transport transpires by making use of diffusion. The transferable property, of a scalant component towards a surface mainly relies upon the System’s physical properties and those of its constituents. Transfer is equally dependent upon the concentration gradient flanked by the bulk fluid and the relative interface between fluid and surface. For the crystallisation scaling process, it is the diffusion of ions to the outside surface and for particulate scaling, it is in actuality the diffusion of colloids or particulate matter to the surface. It is not very frequent that all the materials transported across the surface actually bind. The combined forces affecting on the particles, as they draw nearer to the surface, play a very significant role. The properties of the particles such as: elasticity, density, state and surface, and the surface nature such as: the roughness and type of material play important roles in the sticking process of various particles to the surface. In between the process of the steady growth of the deposit upon the surface, there is always a contest between deposition and removal. Usually, the attached solid particles are transported away from the surface. The removal is dependent, relative to the fluid’s cut-off forces and also the level of persistence of the deposit. The deposition starts happening, as soon as the process of ageing occurs. Throughout this stage, there might be the conversion of crystal or chemical structure, whichever may increase or decrease the force of the deposition with

How to Lead Effective Meetings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How to Lead Effective Meetings - Essay Example As the discussion highlights  agenda is a list of items that need to be discussed by the participants in order to achieve the objectives of a meeting. Being a form of early warning system, agenda helps the participants of a meeting to be prepared on how to deal with the various topics that will be covered in the meeting. To achieve the goals of the meetings, it is fundamental for the participants to be well prepared before a meeting. Thus, the main role of agenda is to provide the participants with the information in order ensure they are prepared. An agenda works as a time table that is followed by the participants during a meeting.According to the paper findings  an agenda is structured into three major items. The first one is common items that include apologies for absence, minutes of last meeting and matters arising. The second part is specific items that include accounts, special reports and appointments. Thirdly, an agenda has concluding items that includes any other busine ss (AOB) and the date of next meeting. For a meeting to be successful in meeting its aims, all the three items of the agenda must be covered.  Prior to a meeting, Peytons General Supplies department managers ensures adequate preparation. Meeting preparation takes four major steps. First, the managers identify the reasons of holding the meeting. In this way, they ensure that the meetings have clear goals. Secondly, the managers identify who should attend the meeting.

A Critical Review of Competing on capabilities (George Stalk, Philip Essay

A Critical Review of Competing on capabilities (George Stalk, Philip Evans, Lawrence E. Shulman 1992) - Essay Example Considering these aspects, the essay intends to present a review of the article ‘Competing on capabilities’ by ‘George Stalk’, ‘Philip Evans’, & ‘Lawrence E. The essay critically considers the major strengths and weaknesses of the article and further attempts to compare with the theories propounded by other scholars. The article ‘Competing on capabilities’ by ‘George Stalk’, ‘Philip Evans’ & ‘Lawrence E. Shulman’ specifically describes about the role and importance of business competitiveness on strategic decision making capabilities of companies. Throughout the article, multiple references of Wall Mart have been illustrated in order to establish a suitable alignment of this retail giant with the article’s theme (Shin, 2001; Stalk & et. al., 1992). According to the authors, a business process can only be categorized as capacity-based depending on the types of business strategies espoused by it. The facts mentioned within this article also appeared to have a specific amount of focus on the customer-satisfaction attainment factors. According to the authors, higher level of customer satisfaction can be achieved through the provision of superior quality of services and the price affordability of products offered by the companies (Article Myr iad, 2014; Sorescu & et. al., 2011). Throughout the article, specific emphasis has been laid upon the effective mechanism of replenishing the store inventory on a regular basis as a strategic plan towards establishing strong brand positioning within the minds of the customers (Bressler, 2009; Chadwick & et. al., 2007). Notwithstanding, appropriate implementation of business strategies has always been a debatable factor for the multiple reviewers as well as retail giants. This eventually proves the credibility of this article as being appropriately debatable against the wider perception of the effects business strategy

Health Promotion in Hillfields Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Promotion in Hillfields - Assignment Example Impact assessment can be a very suitable and feasible method of evaluation of lifestyle and health outcomes as a result of social policy and planning interventions. It is defined as a method through which identification of the consequences of a social health intervention, current or proposed can be accomplished (Mindell and Joffe, 2003). Most of such interventions are designed as a project or a programme guided by policies. The process of impact assessment determines its viability, acceptability, and sustainability (Lock and McKee, 2005). In this assignment, the profiling of Hillfields has been presented. Hiilfields is a suburban area of Coventry in England, located north of the Coventry City Centre. Since postwar times, this area has undergone several changes. The development of health was a concern as the town started developing beyond its limits. Since 1849, the health of this area was the responsibility of the Local Board of Health. Since this locality was building postwar, this was one of the localities for new houses and villas, which led to considerable expansion of the geographical limits of this area. It is to be noted that from the beginning there was a tradition of high standard of living in the locality of Hillfields in comparison to the slums of Coventry. The motor industry started to flourish, and as of now, there were 20 motor industries in the locality, and since 1930s, Singer became the largest manufacturer with operations at 5 locations. World War II saw deterioration, and housing was the area that was hot in a big way. Town and Country Planning act 1944, declared the locality to be an area of comprehensive development since more than half of the houses were unfit to be used. The 1960s saw redevelopment of the area with proper planning of housing and development (Hillfields Health Development Project). Although tower blocks had been made, now there is a programme to modernise and change the existing older houses. Although residents had been provided with a budget for improving environment and housing, the area of need is still under development. The grants are now only restricted to those who need them most. This in itself is a point of need, and there are still deficits in housing and environment, which need to be worked on. Housing is a broader consequence of lifestyle that needs to be evaluated prospectively, retrospectively and concurrently, and it has impact on life style and health outcomes. Thus there is a need for concrete social policy and planning interventions since problems with housing given its growing population in Hillfields may affect the health of the population (Kemm, 2001). The industry around Hillfields decides is economy, but current data states that Hillfields has a slightly higher rate of employment deprivation that the city average. Even now, this area was considered to be one of the red light areas. Law enforcement keeps a constant watch over this issue, and now the scope of sex working has constricted considerably. The health of Hillfields is guided by Hillfields Health Action Group. They meet on a monthly basis in the community venues with the aim of providing supports for all health initiatives that the local projects can deliver. On closer examination, people in Hillfields die 8 years younger than the other affluent localities.

Drinking age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Drinking age - Essay Example It is stated in the act, along with other enforcements that the states should legislate or enforce the minimum legal drinking age to be twenty one years old. It is also stated under the Federal Aid Highway Act, that the state that fails to mandate or enforce the twenty one years old law of drinking age, is at risk of losing ten percent of the federal funding for highway appointments. There have been several controversies related to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. The law was effective in 1984, when President Reagan signed this law for implementation, many people are convinced that the most influential supporter for the act was Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) (Stefan, K, pp.25). Even if it is true or not, there is one thing very apparent that was the act was imposed as a law due to extraordinary support from the groups of special interests among which MADD was one of them. From a very long time, drinking has been considered as a government lack of control issue. Du ring the year 1919, a prohibition was effective which imposed a ban on everyone from drinking alcohol regardless of age group. It was considered as a criminal offense to manufacture, possess, sell or drink alcoholic beverages. The prohibition was lifted by the year 1933, and once again the consumption and possession alcoholic drink was legal. It was official prompted to many states, cities and municipalities that they control drinking by creating legislation. Through several studies, it is suggested that the brain of a youngster is not completely developed until the age of twenty one that is the reason why the brain of youngster is affected differently as compared to the effects on an adult. After several discussions it was settled that the age of twenty one was ideal for legal drinking age and an act was passed, it was required by the states to increase the age of legal drinking to twenty one otherwise their percentage of funding for highways will be reduced by ten percent. The tim e duration provided for implementation was two years. Some of the states enforced the law, some states did not but at present all the states have implemented the law. There are additional exceptions available in the Federal law, if youngsters want to pursue employment in a place where there is dealing of alcoholic beverages. An eighteen year old is eligible to work in a restaurant, bar and serve alcohol at a liquor store, the possession of alcohol in such case is legal, but they are not allowed to consume it. In some states the prohibition are more specifically defined as compared to others, whereas some municipalities have no legislation defined in this regard related to the legal age of drinking. To date there has been a lot of confusion raised with regards to what is allowed and what is not, as the implementation varied from state to state, but it is better to be precautious by being safe and not consuming or possessing alcohol beverages under the age of twenty one. United States of America has implemented highest age of legal drinking as compared to all other countries. Russia, Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Australia and England all these countries have the legal drinking age eighteen. Portugal, Greece, Germany, Italy and few other countries have allowed the young citizen to consume beer at a young age of sixteen, whereas some of the countries have no defined

Globalization and the Future of German Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Globalization and the Future of German - Article Example The article on globalization and the future of the German language too offers an accurate analysis. It analyzes the impacts the German language encounters in the face of English being the global language. The authors of the article view the increasing use of the English language as a risk to the use of the German language (Gardt and Huppauf, 2004). The article looks at the national and global position of their language in comparison to the standing of the English language. The analysis gives the various uses of the German language across the fields of science and their uses in other nations. It also aids in expounding on how it fairs against other foreign languages on the global scene. The authors view the growing pressure of English as a threat to the German language. The article discusses the risks of the German language losing out in the globalization process. The article suggests that these will hinder the countries efforts of growth (Gardt and Huppauf, 2004). This article descri bes the country’s past glory as the motivation that should drive the current generations. It additionally suggests ways and means that the German authorities can use in improving their impact on the globalization process. The effects of the country lagging behind in this process come as a result of the inability of the regime to market themselves appropriately. This is seen as being the reason the other countries in Europe are growing so rapidly and becoming such great influences in the globalization process (Gardt and Huppauf, 2004). The authors view English as an official language that people all over the globe use.  TThe article on globalization and the future of the German language too offers an accurate analysis. It analyzes the impacts the German language encounters in the face of English being the global language. The authors of the article view the increasing use of the English language as a risk to the use of the German language (Gardt and Huppauf, 2004). The artic le looks at at the national and global position of their language in comparison to the standing of the English language. The analysis gives the various uses of the German language across the fields of science and their uses in other nations. It also aids in expounding on how it fairs against other foreign languages on the global scene. The authors view the growing pressure of English as a threat to the German language. The article discusses the risks of the German language losing out in the globalization process. The article suggests that these will hinder the countries efforts of growth (Gardt and Huppauf, 2004). This article describes the country’s past glory as the motivation that should drive the current generations. It additionally suggests ways and means that the German authorities can use in improving their impact on the globalization process. The effects of the country lagging behind in this process come as a result of the inability of the regime to market themselves appropriately. This is seen as being the reason the other countries in Europe are growing so rapidly and becoming such great influences in the globalization process (Gardt and Huppauf, 2004). The authors view English as an official language that people all over the globe use.   Conversely, the article, globalization, and free trade offer highly accurate information from the World Bank on the impacts and effects of globalization. It gives a detail of the evolution of the globalization process to its current state (Goldstein, 2007). The details on the escalation and development of this globalization process are also seen in the book. The book gives examples on several case studies done in various countries ranging from Bolivia, Russia, the United States, and China.  

Cultural Differences Study Of Brazil, China, And Nigeria Essay

Cultural Differences Study Of Brazil, China, And Nigeria - Essay Example This can be a big challenge given the presence of numerous languages from Chinese Mandarin to Brazilian Portuguese, the best way to deal with this is to have an all inclusive mode of communication that can be understood across the board and makes sure all the stakeholders understand what is expected of them.Considering the opportunities and the challenges that have been outlined earlier in this report it is important for the company to adapt to the cultural needs of these countries. These three countries each have their own way of doing business and the best approach should not be a general approach. In China and Nigeria, there exist traditional values that maintain the hierarchal system and all these factors have to be considered when coming up with a management system that fits all these different cultures. At the main office, the workers have a lot of freedom and freely interact with their superiors. The opportunities are an indication that the company should expand to these areas to take advantage of these factors, however, the challenges should also be considered and ways to tackle them clearly established. This is because they may prevent the growth of the business in these markets if they are not properly dealt with at the beginning. This process should be taken as a learning process and should be done carefully so that all the expected results are achieved. There should be different approaches to cater for these three different cultures because people in these countries react differently to information.

The Gap Inc Essay Example for Free

The Gap Inc Essay Doris and Don Fisher is the founder of GAP INC. The first GAP store that opened by Doris and Don Fisher is in year 1969.The first store was opened at San Francisco, USA. The reason of why Don Fisher opened a GAP store was simple because Don Fisher could not find a pair of jeans that fit him. Don Fisher was a third-generation of San Franciscan. His great-grandfather, Samuel Fisher, arrived in San Francisco from New York in the1860s which is a decade after the discovery of gold transformed California. Don was born to Sydney and Aileen Fisher on 3 September 1928. His father was a cabinetmaker. He learn the way to do business from his father cabinetmaker business. Path to Gap  Don Fisher face both succeeded and failed as an entrepreneur between1950 to 1960. In the mid-1960, Don Fisher working with his father branched out to start his own business. His own company is doing refurbished old hotels. He bought the Capitol Park Hotel in Sacramento. After buying the hotel, he leased space to Levi’s salesman to opened a showroom. On one day, Don Fisher go the Levi’s store and could not get a size suite him which is 34 waist and 31 length. This situation led to Don Fisher opened the first Gap store on Ocean Avenue. The Gap was inspired by the idea of â€Å"The Generation Gap†. Don Fisher had 2 important quotes which are â€Å"change or fail† and â€Å"never say no when you can say yes†. The Gap, INC. is a leading international specialty retailer with five brands which are GAP, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Piperlime. There are also Outlets stores available like Gap outlet, Gap Generation and Banana Republic Factory Stores. The Gap, INC. world headquarters is at San Francisco Bay Area. The Product Design departments are at New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London. There are over 3,200 stores worldwide. There are more than 3,100 Company-operated stores across United States, United Kingdom, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Japan and Italy. In the year 1987 , the first Gap store outside the United States opened in the UK. About 200 franchise stores located across Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The Gap, INC. growing globally, and just last year, the Gap INC. opened their first store in China, Australia and Italy. The Gap, INC. Expanded their products through online shopping services which were offered to customers worldwide. Today, over 80 countries customers can easily buy Gap INC products. The Gap is a retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies. Recognition In year 2009 , The Gap, Inc. was awarded by Womens Wear Daily. The Gap Inc. was ranked in the top Ideal employers chosen by undergraduates who were interested in the fashion, retail and apparel sector. Besides that, The Gap, INC. also awarded by Time Magazines 25 Responsibility Pioneers. The Gap, Inc. ranked No. 23, alongside mostly individuals and just three other companies who are changing the world. Time Magazine described our commitment to doing what’s right: At Gap, responsibility is in style†. In the Newsweeks Green Rankings list, an environmental ranking of Americas 500 largest corporations, the Gap Inc. was ranked 38 overall and 3rd in the retail industry, wastewater treatment at denim laundry and steps to promote sustainable agriculture for cotton. In year 2010, Gap Inc. ranked seventh among specialty retailers in the list of Worlds Most Admired Companies. The Gap Inc. was chosen as one of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies in recognition of the Gap INC commitment to ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility for the fourth straight year. Product produced by the company GAP Gap is an iconic retail brand, it offers an inventive American style. Customers can express their individual sense of style with clean, classic clothing and accessories by Gap. Gap which had their first store 40 years ago, continues to build its brand presence around the world. Gap was founded in year 1969. The brand Includes Gap, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity and Gapbody. Besides that, Gap outlet is the leading retailer in the outlet attracting customers with unexpected, versatile, trend-right looks at an unbelievable affordable value.The gap outlet was founded in year 1995. Banana Republic Banana Republic is accessible luxury that brings modern, soulful, effortless and versatile style for men and women around the world. Banana Republic designs, luxurious fabrications at approachable prices. The Banana Republic products include apparel, handbags, jewellery, fragrance and eyewear. Banana Republic was founded in year 1978. Besides that, Banana Republic Factory Store was also available since year 1997. Banana Republic Factory Store is for exclusive designs and great fashion at outstandingly high prices. Old Navy Old Navy design fashion and value to the whole family. From newborns through adults, Old Navy offer on-trend, modern clothing and accessories, as well as updated basics. The unique, dynamic stores provide an exceptional shopping experience for shopping lovers. Old Navy will ensures that the customers find a great, quality products at good value. Old Navy was founded in year 1994 and was named after a bar in Paris. In 1997, Old Navy became the first retailer to reach one billion in their annual sales less than four years of operation. Piperlime Piperlime is online fashion boutique targeted on all online shopers. Piperlime inspires their customers with a fresh and unique mix of products, brands and prices. Exclusive contributions from guest editors keep our customers in fashion and in the know. Piperlime was launched in year 2006. Athleta Athleta designed the ultimate performance apparel and gear for every active woman. For women athletes, they road-test, court-test and water-test everything themselves to ensure that each item they offer feature the perfect balance, performance and style. Athleta was founded in year 1998, but Gap INC. acquired Athleta in year 2008. Target customer Gap INC came out with different range of clothes and accessories to suit every customer. Gap have range from adult to kids. Banana Republic targeted customers which looks for luxury clothes and accessories. Old Navy put their target on family from young to old. Piperlime targeted their customers who always bought goods online. Athleta targeted on females who love sport activities. In conclusion, Gap INC came out with different range and types of clothing and accessories to suit all different customers. Gap INC is targeting everyone either professional or low income customers. Penetrating into foreign markets The Gap INC was successful in United States market for a period of time. Gap INC started growing into foreign markets. The Gap INC have competitors like Calvin Klein INC, Benetton Group so Gap INC has to expand to other region. The Gap INC first international store was in London. After that, the Gap stores soon sprang up throughout the United Kingdom, Canada, and France. Modes of entry The Gap INC have both franchises and company operative stores. The region which have about 200 franchise stores are in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Besides that, the Gap INC have about 3100 stores across United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, China, Ireland, Japan and Italy. Global Consumer Preferences The Gap success is provide merchandise that suite to customers fashion taste. The time consume to reach every purchases is slow, so I cannot respond to new or changing fashion trends or consumers acceptance of my products. Our global specialty retail business fluctuates according to changes in consumer preferences ,dictated in part by fashion and season. Due to the time consume to reach my customers, our fashion trends will be slower and customers will go to my competitors and this situation will affect my company sales. The out dated fashion have to mark down and sold. For example The Gap INC United States Selling the 2012 spring fashion but in Singapore, there are still selling winter fashion. Globalised Production My products are manufactured by independent third parties. As result of out sourcing, my product are directly affected by the increases of cost. For example the cotton price increase will directly affect my company gross profit. If the current manufacturer charges my company with high price, I will get a new manufacturer. When I go for new manufacturer, there will be delays in production and added costs as a result of giving training to new vendors in making my products, quality control standards, and environmental, labour, health, and safety standards. The delay on production will affect the sales and net income of company. Due to globalised production, the finish goods need to transport from manufacturer to retailer of different nations. There are possible of delay in the shipment and delivery time. The factors that causes delay are availability of transport, work stoppages, port strikes, infrastructure congestion. If the goods are requested goods, I need to arrange for faster tran sport such as by air. The time of transporting goods from air is faster but the cost of transport are high. Technological Innovations Apparel and fashion industry has experience a rapid change in technological changes over the years. The fast changes has lead to a more sophisticated, with a significant apparel and fashion items present in the present time. Due to comfort and aesthetic value and being friendly to environment, the new fashion use the latest development of many different technologies. The utilisation of new software and technology for faster production and marketing, the software and technology helps the employees done their jobs easier and error free. The technology changes as the apparel and fashion demand and quality change. The Gap also concern about the changes in technology will affect the environment. For example a new invented machine can produce more apparels and environment friendly. Management Across Culture The Gap have different design of clothing according to festive or seasons. In Chinese New Year, Gap will come out with red colour as the theme colour and for 2012 there will be dragon on the design. During Christmas ther will be Chrismas themes apparel coming out. General Business Environment A business firm is an open system where a company gets resources from the environment and supplies goods or services or both to the environment. There are internal and external forces in business environment. External forces may be related to national level, regional level or international level. Under the environment forces, there are opportunities or threats to business community. All business organization tries to grasp the available opportunities and face the threats that emerge from the business environment. External environment cannot change by business organization. Company can only change the internal environment to grasp the external opportunities and face the external environmental threats. A business want to survived and to get success in the industry, the company have to analyze business environment by managers so that we could persue effective business strategy. Political Apparel and fashion industry also affected the by globalization trend which due to the construction of import international facilities and establishment. Every country have their own trade regulation and policies , because of the regulations and policies, company’s operations may be impaired. Some country control the entrance of foreign company and affected the operations of the company. Some country implement high tax to the company as a control. This situation will affect The Gap on expanding to foreign market.

Effects Of Circumcision

Effects Of Circumcision More often people here about circumcision as a religious rite among Jews and Muslims and less likely this procedure is discussed from a medical point of view. There is no consensus about its feasibility and even doctors can not determine whether this procedure needed or not. According to statistics, about 1/7 of the world male are circumcised and, in most cases it is for religious reasons. In Europe, male circumcision is not very popular, unlike the U.S., where more than 50% of boys are circumcised, mostly for reasons of hygiene (Rosen, 2010). There are vivid reasons for this procedure the same as effects which should be thought out thoroughly. The tradition of circumcision appeared in a primitive society, when the transition of boys into the group of adult men was accompanied by a rite of initiation. During the initiation, young men were not just receiving the traditions and intimate knowledge of the tribe, but also subjected to physical tests, among which the circumcision was perhaps not the most painful. European and American part of the population is very ambivalent about this process. For example, in the early 60s in Western countries there was the so-called the boom of circumcision. Through the process of cutting off the foreskin were going almost all male adult and newborn babies. However, in the 70ies-80ies the boom finished and there was a time to sum up the results (it should be noted that according to statistics, nowadays about 80% of American men are circumcised) (Joseph, 2010). In the modern world circumcision is made in some peoples of Australia, Oceania, and Africa. The most widespread, circumcision is in the religious rites of Judaism and Islam. So in some religions, circumcision is an obligatory ritual; for example Muslims circumcise children when they are 8-13 years old, while Jews do it already on the 8th day after the birth (Anwar, 2010). Circumcision is a minor surgery aimed to remove the foreskin of the penis. The result of the complete removal of the foreskin is an open glans penis; as a result of partial removal of the foreskin, an opening of glans penis is achieved (Castellsague, 2002). The question of circumcision is very discussible and has a lot of proponents and opponents. Doctors have sounded positive and negative effects of circumcision. Discussing the positive effects, the most vivid are: the reduce of probability of occurrence the reproductive system malignant tumors; increased duration of coitus due to the absence of the foreskin, the glans penis becomes less sensitive during the frictions that contributes to delay of ejaculation (though this point may not always be considered as positive); improvement in the appearance of the penis. It is also proved that there is a connection between inflammation in the area of ​​the foreskin and urinary tract infection. Thus, while examining of 100 children with urinary tract infection in age from 5 days to 8 months, it was noticed that 95% of them were boys and all of them were not circumcised (Ginsberg CM, 1982). The survey of U.S. military showed that the incidence of urinary tract infections is 10-20 times higher in men who havent been circumcised (Wiswell TE, 1987). One more positive medical effect of circumcision is that penile cancer is found only in men who previously did not have circumcision. Mortality in cases of penile cancer in the U.S. is 25% (Castellsague, 2002). Circumcision significantly reduces the likelihood of developing penile cancer in men. Also the connection between circumcision and sexually transmitted diseases is also acknowledged (Rosen, 2010). These diseases, which typically include the integrity of the epithelium, or ulcers (genetalny herpes, syphilis, AIDS) are more common in men who were not circumcised (Waldeck, 2003). In addition, Australian researchers have found out that circumcised men are much less likely to get AIDS and other infectious diseases of the reproductive system. Scientists have discovered that immunodeficiency virus penetrates the foreskin much easier than other tissues of the male organism (Ferris, 2010). Also, a group of U.S. researchers, working in India under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Reynolds, made this conclusion, surveying more than 2 thousand men. The report of the Surgeon General is published in the medical journal Lancet (DArcy, 2011). The article says that the risk of getting the deadly virus for circumcised men is six times less than for those who did not pass this procedure. However, scientists announce that from other sexually transmitted infections, circumcision does not protect. The reason may lie in specific cells of the foreskin, which are very susceptible to HIV (DArcy, 2011).   Dr. Reynolds says that circumcision can be a serious tool in the fight against AIDS especially in developing countries, where condoms are not equally shared (DArcy, 2011). Previously, scientists believed that circumcised men were less susceptible to AIDS due to the special patterns of sexual behavior their upbringing did not permit to have casual sexual acts. However, it is clear now that the reason is just physiological and has nothing to do with ethics or religion (Brooks, 2010). The effects of circumcision have not only positive points, but negative also. One of the main effects is a severe pain. Previously, infants were circumcised without anesthesia, which in turn led to a painful shock, but nowadays local anesthesia is used almost always during such procedures. One more strong negative effect is unnecessary intervention in human anatomy. There is nothing superfluous in humans; in fact the foreskin performs the same role for the glans penis as the eyelid to the eye. It protects the glans penis. The opponents of circumcision believe that it is far from inconsistency to ethical standards. Since the infant can not decide himself whether he needs circumcision or not, human rights advocates say that decisions made by parents, are inhuman. Like most surgeries, the procedure of circumcision has a number of postoperative complications, the most common of which are the following: hematoma (bleeding in the tissue, or a bruise) and wound infection. To eliminate these negative effects, in most cases is possible through the most thorough dressing and postoperative area care. There are also possible such negative effects as contagious infection, the formation of excessive scar tissue, mechanical damage to the urethra during surgery, various strains of penis, swelling and inflammation of the urethra. Never the less such problems happen rather rare. A more serious consequence, requiring repeated surgical intervention is painful erections that are also considered as possible medical effects of circumcision. It is important to mention that the presence of the foreskin makes the surface of the glans penis moist corresponding humidity of womans vagina and that physiological. Penis after circumcision does not have such natural advantages, and circumcised men often have to use special lubricants during sex. Medical practice shows that children whose foreskin was cut are affected by infectious disease of the penis during the first years of life five times more often then children who were not circumcised. This is explained by the fact that smegma contains lysozyme, which reduces the risk of urinary tract infection. The infant is not asked whether he wants to have such surgery or not. Adults decide everything for him. However, any surgery is a trauma, the psychological consequences of which can persist for life. Americans, carefully, even reverently care about their mental health, combined into society under the slogan of opponents of circumcision: Circumcision mutilation and violence against childs personality. At the same time, the surgeons quite successfully develop techniques that allow pulling the skin of penis to form a new foreskin. Many people believe that circumcised foreskin impoverishes sexual feelings, and this view has the right for existence. Foreskin moves during the frictions, making the experience richer be the most natural way, without using any appliances from the store of intimate accessories. There is no doubt that circumcision is sometimes a necessary therapeutic measure during frequent inflammatory diseases of the foreskin, phimosis and paraphimosis. However, as a preventive operation, it is hardly justified, although not so long ago people practiced across-tonsillectomy as a preventive measure of angina, and cutting the appendix to avoid possible appendicitis. Heres what a well-known pediatrician, Dr. Hugh Jolly says: There is no doubt that the best thing you can do with the foreskin of your infant son, is to leave it, you just need to give it time to separate itself from the glans, and it will easily pull back. It happens at the age of 4. It is best to try to move the foreskin during bathing. However, if the glans is exposed difficultly, do not hurry, there is no need If you try to pull the foreskin before it happens naturally, you can damage skin and cause bleeding. The scar occurs at the place of injury. In cases where the foreskin is fused with the glans, circumcision can not be longer avoided (Morris, 2010). Until the natural separation of the foreskin, it protects the glans from infection. In infancy the cleansing of the glans penis in boys, as well as the clitoris in girls occurs itself, naturally. The irony is that it is after the cutoff there is an urgent need for careful care of the glans penis. Deepening and skin folds in the bridle and the corolla are ideal for bacterial growth. The glans penis which is not circumcised has a smooth, slippery and wet surface. After the cutoff, it becomes matte and dry. The modern mentality often equates dryness and purity that is why from this point of view the untouched by the circumcision glans seen as dirty. That is a fallacy. Young people in the United States regularly go to the doctor for circumcision. Their decision, they often motivate by partners insistence, which is usually due to three factors: hygiene, aesthetics and traditions. The woman is afraid of dirt that can accumulate under a fold of skin, wrinkling her unpleasant appearance of the foreskin and, finally, she wants her partner looked like the rest men in her family. The essence of the problem is that the excision of the foreskin causes severe pain. In most cases, operations are done without anesthesia, as it is commonly believed that in the first week of childs life it is risky. It looks awful when a small, helpless creature is tied to a special table for cutting. The child lies on it; crucified and abandoned by all He reacts with horror at the bright light of surgical lights, ringing metal tools, masks of doctors, shining knives and the terrible physical pain. None knows how long his continues continue. The psychological effects of such procedure are not studied yet, so none can tell how it affects a child. Journalist Philip Baffle wrote in The New York Times: Newborns experience pain. There is no need to explain it to parents; its not a mystery to many pediatricians. Unfortunately among doctors, who are operating babies without anesthetic or with minimal use, opposite opinion is dominated† (Gilliam, 2010). Philip Baffle states that according to one of scientific researched, 77% of all infants who had surgery because of serious defects of the cardiovascular system in 1954-1983, were given only local anesthesia, and very rare with the interrupted supply of nitrous oxide (Gilliam, 2010). Meanwhile, really effective painkillers, which are suitable for children, have already passed into the category of available. Such a rare use of analgesics while operating newborn proves that medical practice is sometimes based on incomplete knowledge and false beliefs and that criticism contributes the truth. The situation is changing. In most U.S. medical institutions doctors use painkillers during major surgery. However, some anesthesiologists stubbornly adhere to old beliefs and there are still surgical units where little children are operated without anesthesia in the case of simple operations, such as circumcision. Considerations which make the routine practice of circumcision doubtful include pain and risk associated with small surgical interventions. Circumcision is a surgical procedure, and the pain that is brought to the baby is also real. Pain is manifested in grimace, cry, heart palpitations and lack of saturation blood with oxygen (Kaufman, 2001). Studies indicate that circumcision in the neonatal period is a stress, which causes behavioral and psychological pain reactions (Malnory, 2003). American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recognizes that there is a significant painful reaction during neonatal circumcision and recommends the use of analgesics (Gatrad, 2002).   One of researchers believes that the most important argument against circumcision is a permanent violation of anatomy, histology and functions of the penis, which are fraught with potential complications (Atikeler, 2001). The same study reports about complications including bleeding, stenosis, incomplete circumcision, penile edema, damage of the glands, adhesion, hypospadias and damage of urethra (Atikeler, 2001). The overall incidence of complications of circumcision according to the medical literature is 1.6% (El-Bhnasawy, 2002). Adhesion of the penis is the most preventable and non-binding complications of circumcision. Among all the complications, an adhesion is observed in 71% of cases (Kebaabetswe, 2003). After neonatal circumcision, the majority of adhesions resolve sponatanno (Kebaabetswe, 2003). Another risk associated with circumcision, is the lack or excess of skin that can cause problems such as recurrent phimosis (Gatrad, 2002). Phimosis happens in approximately 2.9% of cases (Blalock, 2003). In the UK, the circumcision is not practiced routinely, as the procedure has limited medical benefits. As a result, circumcision is a medical event, which is paid by insurance only in case of medical necessity (Shah, 1999). Summarizing everything that was written above, it is worth repeating that circumcision is a surgically removal of the foreskin. It is dome more due to cultural traditions, than medical prescriptions. Circumcision is a kind of intervention in the very intimate area associated with family and religious traditions. Typically, the feasibility of circumcision causes active debates. Modern parents, before deciding to cut off their son, must carefully think about pros and cons of this procedure and related to this operation danger. Circumcision causes medical and psychological effects on children and they are worth consideration while taking decision.

The Debate on Whether Assisted Suicide is Ethical or Immoral Essay

The Debate on Whether Assisted Suicide is Ethical or Immoral Assisted Suicide, also known as mercy killing, occurs when a physician provides the means (drugs or other agents) by which a person can take his or her own life. This assistance is one of the most debated issues today in society followed by abortion. Physicians are frequently faced with the question of whether or not assisted suicide is ethical or immoral. Although assisted suicide is currently illegal in almost all states in America, it is still often committed. Is assisted suicide ethical? Studies have found that the majority of Americans support assisted suicide. One must weigh both sides of the argument before they can decide. On July 26, 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld decisions in New York and Washington State that criminalized assisted suicide. These decisions overturned rulings in the 2nd and 9th Circuit Courts of Appeal, which struck down state statutes banning physician-assisted suicide. Those courts had found that the statutes, which prohibited doctors from prescribing lethal medication to competent, terminally ill adults, violated the 14th Amendment. In striking the appellate decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court found that there was no constitutional "right to die," but left it to individual states to enact legislation permitting or prohibiting physician-assisted suicide. As of April 1999, physician-assisted suicide is illegal in the majority of states. Over thirty states have enacted statutes prohibiting assisted suicide, and of those that do not have statutes, a number of them arguably prohibit it through common law. Currently, Oregon is the only state that has legalized assisted suicide. The Oregon statute, which came into e... ... a crime with the risk of the loss of license or even imprisonment. The only sure way that people will stop suffering and be allowed to die peacefully because of their own decision is if assisted suicide becomes legal in the United States. Bibliography: The New England Journal of Medicine -- February 1, 1996 -- Vol. 334, No. 5 Attitudes of Michigan Physicians and the Public toward Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide and Voluntary Euthanasia By Jerald G. Bachman, Kirsten H. Alcser, David J. Doukas, Richard L. Lichtenstein, Amy D. Corning, Howard Brody Annals of Internal Medicine--21 March 2000 Volume 132 Number 6 Palliative Treatments of Last Resort: Choosing the Least Harmful Alternative Timothy E. Quill, MD; Barbara Coombs Lee, FNP, JD; Sally Nunn, RN, for the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics Assisted Suicide Consensus Panel

Free Raisin in the Sun Essays: A Happy Ending :: Raisin Sun essays

A Happy Ending for A Raisin in the Sun    A Raisin in the Sun is about a black family stuggling through family and economic hardships. The story ended as the head of the family Walter took control, became a family man, and rejected an offer from a white businessman to stay out of a white neighborhood and to stay with all blacks. This offer disgusted the Younger family and hurt their black pride. I would like in my own words to continue this story as I see it fit to occur. Three changes I would make would be is Walter is forced to take action against segregation, the grandmother passing away, and how the blacks finally became accepted and began to enjoy and be proud of where they live.    As the Younger family moves themselves into a white suburban neighborghood the whites in the community are upset that they have come to be with them. Their direct neighbors who have a son that is Travis's age no longer lets her son play with Travis and he become hurt and confused. Walter has to explain that many people that are white beleive that they are better then those who are black. Travis who is stay in dismay and is confused waits at home while Walter goes over to the neighbors house to talk to them about what has happened. Walter is, in good reason, very angry and annoyed by the racist whites. He goes over and at first tries his best to stay calm over the situation. The white father then says, "Listen, if I ever see your son with mine, I will througth that little black spoiled brat back into your yard." Walter becomes enraged and hits the man directly in the face as hard as he can. This brings an upraw amongst the Youngers and the entire community. Thus bringing the whites, even those who weren't before, totally against the Younger family. After the eventual calming down of the community and the lowering of racial tensions of the blacks against the whites, grandma Ruth who paid her own $10,000 for the house they live in dies in her sleep, but in the hapiness of knowing her family can get along by themselves. Free Raisin in the Sun Essays: A Happy Ending :: Raisin Sun essays A Happy Ending for A Raisin in the Sun    A Raisin in the Sun is about a black family stuggling through family and economic hardships. The story ended as the head of the family Walter took control, became a family man, and rejected an offer from a white businessman to stay out of a white neighborhood and to stay with all blacks. This offer disgusted the Younger family and hurt their black pride. I would like in my own words to continue this story as I see it fit to occur. Three changes I would make would be is Walter is forced to take action against segregation, the grandmother passing away, and how the blacks finally became accepted and began to enjoy and be proud of where they live.    As the Younger family moves themselves into a white suburban neighborghood the whites in the community are upset that they have come to be with them. Their direct neighbors who have a son that is Travis's age no longer lets her son play with Travis and he become hurt and confused. Walter has to explain that many people that are white beleive that they are better then those who are black. Travis who is stay in dismay and is confused waits at home while Walter goes over to the neighbors house to talk to them about what has happened. Walter is, in good reason, very angry and annoyed by the racist whites. He goes over and at first tries his best to stay calm over the situation. The white father then says, "Listen, if I ever see your son with mine, I will througth that little black spoiled brat back into your yard." Walter becomes enraged and hits the man directly in the face as hard as he can. This brings an upraw amongst the Youngers and the entire community. Thus bringing the whites, even those who weren't before, totally against the Younger family. After the eventual calming down of the community and the lowering of racial tensions of the blacks against the whites, grandma Ruth who paid her own $10,000 for the house they live in dies in her sleep, but in the hapiness of knowing her family can get along by themselves.

Free Essays on Whartons Ethan Frome: Unselfish and Stupid Ethan :: Ethan Frome Essays

Unselfish and Stupid Ethan Frome Ethan Frome was an unselfish man, he looked out for the interests of others and acted to serve them rather than himself. Though this attitude is normally considered a wonderful characteristic it proved to be Ethan Frome's undoing. All of Ethan's troubles were a direct result of his unselfishness and strict moral standards. The life that Ethan lived, the plot of the story, could have been drastically changed, and most likely changed for the better had Ethan considered the effects of his actions and decisions upon himself. Ethan was an intelligent man, he had high dreams for himself as an engineer, and he wanted to have a life away from the ceaseless drudgery of life in Starksville. When his mother died leaving Zeena without a place to go, Ethan, being the kind man he was, offered to marry her because he felt obligated to do so. This decision however shut out his hopes for a better life. In order for Ethan to get an education he must have money. In order for Ethan to get money he must sell the farm. And with a new wife to take care of he could not possibly manage it. Ethan's decision to marry Zeena had fettered his social mobility and had brought about the backlash of Zeena's discontent. Ethan further brought on the wrath of Zeena when he chose to get involved with Mattie. Ethan cared a great deal for Mattie and didn't' want Zeena to take her from him. Because Mattie was not well suited to be a maid and frequently made mistakes Ethan would help her with her chores. Ethan also comforted her and tried to hide her shortcomings from Zeena. However his efforts to help Mattie ended up hurting him. Zeena was most definitely aware of Ethan's fondness of Mattie; she insinuated this when she locked Ethan and Mattie out of the house. Besides helping Mattie with her chores Ethan stood up for her and stood up for her in front of Zeena. When the cat broke the pickle dish when Zeena was away at seeing a doctor Ethan went out of his way to try to cover it up. He concocted a plan to buy some glue and put the dish back together so that Zeena wouldn't notice. When that plan failed and Zeena found the broken dish, Ethan was willing to take the blame instead of Mattie.

Human ecology Essay

As it is evident that the earth is in the verge of being overwhelmed by pollution and destruction and the only way to alleviate this is for humanity to â€Å"go green† or be more earth friendly. If I were given the money to do so, I would practice â€Å"go green† living. For starters, the car I would purchase would be a Honda Civic Hybrid. Hybrid cars are the alternative to cars that consume fossil fuels – main contributors to global warming and pollution. With the Honda Civic Hybrid, one does not have to give up style and luxury in order to give way to be more earth-friendly as the fuel it uses is hybrid or a combination of natural gas, gasoline electric hybrid and natural gasoline. On the other hand, I want to build a house in a dune as this does not need cooling, hence, there would be no need for air conditioning. It should also be facing south, towards the sun in order to utilize the sun and its heat. The house must also have a cistern that will capture rainwater which will be used for flushing toilets and watering the lawns. Furthermore, it must be built with pine or from wood coming from sustainable forests – trees that grow quick. Since the house is facing south and utilizing the sun’s heat, it is good to add solar panels on a recycled rubber roof to provide heating through coils in the floor. The sun’s solar power can also be used to power the appliances inside. It is still possible to splurge on appliances; although in order to save electricity, the appliances inside the house must be energy efficient especially the air conditioner, water heater, furnace and refrigerator. For entertainment, cable television will do and a CD player for some music.

Rational vs. Non-Rational Propaganda Essay

There are two kinds of propaganda – rational propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with the enlightened self-interest of those who make it and those to whom it is addressed, and non-rational propaganda that is not consonant with anybody’s enlightened self-interest, but is dictated by, and appeals to, passion. Were the actions of individuals are concerned there are motives more exhalted than enlightened self-interest, but where collective action has to be taken in the fields of politics and economics. Enlightened self-interest is probably the highest of effective motives. If politicians and their component always acted to promote their own or their country’s long-range self-interest, this world would be an earthly paradise. As it is, they often act against their own interests, merely to gratify their least credible passions; the world, in consequence, is a place of misery. Propaganda in favor of action that is consonant with enlightened self-interest appeals to reason by means of logical arguments based upon the best available evidence fully and honestly set forth. Propaganda in favor of action dictated by the impulses that are below self-interest offers false, distorted or incomplete evidence, which avoids logical argument and seeks to influence its victims by the mere repetition of catchwords. In regard to propaganda and the early advocates of universal literacy and a free press visualize only two possibilities: that propaganda might be true, or it might be false. They did not forsee what in fact has happened. In Brave New World non-stop distractions of the most fascinating nature (the feelies, orgy-porgy, centrifugal bumblepuppy) are deliberately used as instruments of policy, for the purpose of preventing people from paying too much attention to the realities of the social and political situations. The other world of religion is different from the other world of entertainment; but they resemble one another in being most decidedly â€Å"not of this world† A society, most of whose members spend a great part of their time, not on the spot, not here and now and in the calculable future, but somewhere else, in the irrelevant other worlds of sport and soap operas. In their propaganda today’s dictators rely for the most part on repetition, supression and rationalization – the repetition of catchwords which they wish to be accepted as true, the supression of facts which they wish to be ignored, the arousal and rationalization of passions which may be used in the interests of the Party or the State. As the art and science of manipulation come to be better understood, the dictators of the future will doubtless learn to combine these techniques with the non-stop distractions which, in the West, are now threatening to drown in a sea of irrelevance the rational propaganda essential to the maintenance of individual liberty and the survival of democratic institutions.

Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups

80 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW By now, most executives have accepted that emotional intelligence is as critical as IQ to an individual's effectiveness. But much of the important work in organizations is done in teams. New research uncovers what emotional intelligence at the group level looks like-and how to achieve it Building the Emotioncil Intelligence of Groups W by Vanessa Urch Druskat and Steven B. Wolff HEN MANAGERS EIRST STARTED HEARING ABOUT the concept of emotional intelligence in the 1990s, scales fell from their eyes. The basic message, that effectiveness in organizations is at least as much about EQ as IQ, resonated deeply; it was something that people knew in their guts but that had never before been so well articulated. Most important, the idea held the potential for positive change. Instead of being stuck with the hand they'd been dealt, people could take steps to enhance their emotional intelligence and make themselves more effective in their work and personal lives. Indeed, the concept of emotional intelligence had real impact. The only problem is that so far emotional intelligence has been viewed only as an individual competency, when the reality is that most work in organizations is done by teams. And if managers have one pressing need today, it's to find ways to make teams work better. MARCH 2001 81 Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups It is with real excitement, therefore, that we share these findingsfromour research: individual emotional intelligence has a group analog, and it is just as critical to groups' effectiveness. Teams can develop greater emotional intelligence and, in so doing, boost their overall performance. Why Should Teams Build Their Emotional Intelligence? No one would dispute the importance of making teams work more effectively. But most research about how to do so has focused on identifying the task processes that distinguish the most successftil teams-that is, specifying the need for cooperation, participation, commitment to goals, and so forth. The assumption seems to be that, once identified, these processes can simply be imitated by other teams, with similar effect. It's not true. By analogy, think of it this way: a piano student can be taught to play Minuet in G, but he won't become a modem-day Bach without knowing music theory and being able to play with heart. Similarly, the real source of a great team's success lies in the fundamental conditions that allow effective task processes to emerge-and that cause members to engage in them wholeheartedly. Our research tells us that three conditions are essential to a group's effectiveness: trust among members, a sense of group identity, and a sense of group efficacy. When these conditions are absent, going through the motions of cooperating and participating is still possible. But the team will not be as effective as it could be, because members will choose to hold back rather than fully engage. To be most effective, the team needs to create emotionally intelligent norms -the attitudes and behaviors that eventually become habits-that support behaviors for building trust, group identity, and group efficacy. The outcome is complete engagement in tasks. {For more on how emotional intelligence infiuences these conditions, see the sidebar â€Å"A Model of Team Effectiveness. ) at more levels. To understand the differences, let's first look at the concept of individual emotional intelligence as defined by Daniel Goleman. In his definitive book Emotional Intelligence, Goleman explains the chief characteristics of someone with high El; he or she is aware of emotions and able to regulate them-and this awareness and regulation are directed both inward, to one's self, and outward, to others. â€Å"Personal competence,† in Goleman's words, comes from being aware of and regulating one's own emotions. Social competence†is awareness and regulation of others' emotions. A group, however, must attend to yet another level of awareness and regulation. It must be mindful of the emotions of its members, its own group emotions or moods, and the emotions of other groups and individuals outside its boundaries. In this article, we'll explore how emotional incompetence at any of these levels can cause dysfunction. We'll also show how establishing specific group norms that create awareness and regulation of emotion at these three levels can lead to better outcomes. First, we'll focus on the individual level-how emotionally intelligent groups work with their individual members' emotions. Next, we'll focus on the group level. Andfinally,we'll look at the cross-boimdary level. Working with Individuals' Emotions /(†¢// Kasper, head ofher company's customer service department, is naturally tapped tojoin a new cross-functional team focused on enhancing the customer experience: she has extensive experience in and a real passion for customer service. But her teammatesfind she brings little more than a bad attitude to the table. At an early brainstorming session, Jill sits silent, arms crossed, rolling her eyes. Whenever the team starts to get energized about an idea, she launches into a detailed account of how a similar idea went nowhere in the past. The group is confused: this is the customer service star they've been hearing about? Little do they realize shefeels insulted by the very formation of the team. To her, it implies she hasn't done her job well enough. Three Levels of Emotional Interaction Make no mistake: a team with emotionally intelligent members does not necessarily make for an emotionally intelligent group. A team, like any social group, takes on its own character. So creating an upward, self-reinforcing spiral of trust, group identity, and group efficacy requires more than a few members who exhibit emotionally intelligent behavior. It requires a team atmosphere in which the norms build emotional capacity (the ability to respond constructively in emotionally uncomfortable situations) and influence emotions in constructive ways. Team emotional intelligence is more complicated than individual emotional intelligence because teams interact 82 When a member is not on the same emotional wavelength as the rest, a team needs to be emotionally intelligent vis-ci-vis that individual. In part, that simply means being aware of the problem. Having a norm that encourages interpersonal understanding might facilitate an awareness that Jill is acting out of defensiveness. And picking up on this defensiveness is necessary if the team Vanessa Urch Druskat is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Steven B. Wolff is an assistant professor of management at the School of Management at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Building the Emotional Intelligence of Croups A Model of Team Effectiveness better decisions, more creative solutions, higher productivity study after study has shown that teams are more creative and productive when they can achieve high levels of participation, cooperation, and collaboration among members. But interactive behaviors (ike these aren't easy to legislate. Our work shows that tbree basic conditions need to be present before such behaviors can occur: mutual trust among members, a sense of group identity (a feeling among members that they belong to a unique and worthwhile group), and a sense of group efficacy (the beliefthat the team can perform well and that group members are more effective working together than apart). At the heart of these three conditions are emotions. Trust, a sense of identity, and a feeling of efficacy arise in environments where emotion is well handled, so groups stand to benefit by building their emotional intelligence. Group emotional intelligence isn't a question of dealing with a necessary evil-catching emotions as they bubble up and promptly suppressing them. Far from it. It's about bringing emotions deliberately to the surface and understanding how they affect the team's work. It's also about behaving in ways that build relationships both inside and outside the team and that strengthen tbe team's ability to face challenges. Emotional intelligence means exploring, embracing, and ultimately relying on emotion in work that is, at the end ofthe day, deeply human. articipation, cooperation, collaboration trust, identity, efficacy group emotional intelligence wants to make her imderstand its desire to amplify her good work, not negate it. Some teams seem to be able to do this naturally. At Hewlett-Packard, for instance, we learned of a team that was attempting to cross-train its members. The idea was that if each member could pinch-hit on everyone else's job, the team could deploy efforts to whatever task required the most attention. But one member seemed very uncomfortable with learning new skills and tasks; accustomed to being a top producer in his own job, he hated not knowing how to do a job perfectly. Luckily, his teammates recognized his discomfort, and rather than being annoyed, they redoubled their efforts to support him. This team benefited from a group norm it had established over time emphasizing interpersonal understanding. The norm had grown out of the group's realization that working to accurately hear and understand one another's feelings and concerns improved member morale and a willingness to cooperate. Many teams build high emotional intelligence by taking pains to consider matters from an individual member's perspective. Think of a situation where a team of four must reach a decision; three favor one direction and the fourth favors another. In the interest of expedience, many teams in this situation would move directly to a maMARCH 2001 jority vote. But a more emotionally intelligent group would pausefirstto hear out the objection. It would also ask if everyone were completely behind the decision, even if there appeared to be consensus. Such groups would ask, â€Å"Are there any perspectives we haven't heard yet or thought through completely? † Perspective taking is a team behavior that teamwork experts discuss often – but not in terms of its emotional consequence. Many teams are trained to use perspectivetaking techniques to make decisions or solve problems (a common tool is affinity diagramming). But these techniques may or may not improve a group's emotional intelligence. The problem is that many of these techniques consciously attempt to remove emotion from the process by collecting and combining perspectives in a mechanical way. A more effective approach to perspective taking is to ensure that team members see one another making the effort to grapple with perspectives; that way, the team has a better chance of creating the kind of trust that leads to greater participation among members. An executive team at the Hay Group, a consulting firm, engages in the kind of deep perspective taking we're describing. The team has done role-playing exercises in which members adopt others'opinions and styles of interaction. It has also used a â€Å"storyboarding† technique, in 83 Building ttie Emotional Intelligence of Croups which each member creates a small poster representing his or her ideas. As team members will attest, these methods and others have helped the group build trust and increase participation. Regulating Individuals'Emotions Interpersonal understanding and perspective taking are two ways that groups can become more aware of their members' perspectives and feelings. But just as important as awareness is the ability to regulate those emotions-to have a positive impact on how they are expressed and even on how individual team members feel. We're not talking about imposing groupthink or some other form of manipulation here-clearly, the goal must be to balance the team's cohesion with members' individuality. We're simply acknowledging that people take their emotional cues from those around them. Something that seems upsetting initially can seem not so bad – o r ten times worse depending on whether one's colleagues are inclined to smooth feathers or fan flames. The most constructive way of regulating team members'emotions is hy establishing norms in the group for both confrontation and caring. in a meeting where one team member arrived angry because the time and place of the meeting was very inconvenient for him. When another member announced the sacrifice the man had made to be there, and thanked him, the man's attitude turned around 180 degrees. In general, a caring orientation includes displaying positive regard, appreciation, and respect for group members through behaviors such as support, validation, and compassion. Interpersonal understanding, perspective taking, confrontation, caring-these norms build trust and a sense of group identity among members. And all of them can be established in teams where they don't arise naturally. You may ask, But is it really worth all the effort? Does it make sense to spend managerial time fostering new norms to accommodate a few prickly personalities? Of course it does. Teams are at the very foundation of an organization, and they won't work effectively without mutual trust and a common commitment to goals. Working with Group Emotions Chris couldn't believe it, but he was requesting a reassignment The team he was on was doing good work, staying on budget, and hitting all its deadlines – though not always eleIt may seem illogical to suggest that an emotionally gantly. Its leader, Stan Evans, just got a promotion. So why intelligent group must engage in confrontation, but it's was being on the team such a downer? At the last major stanot. Inevitably, a team member will indulge in behavior tus meeting, they should have been serving champagne -so that crosses the line, and the team must feel comfortable much had been achieved. Instead, everyone was thoroughly calling the foul. In one manufacturing team we studied, dispirited over a setback they hadn't foreseen, which turned a member told us about the day she selfishly decided to out later to be no big deal. It seemed no matter what hapextend her break. Before long, one of her teammates pened, the group griped. The team even saw Stan's promostormed into the break room, saying, â€Å"What are you dotion in a negative light: â€Å"Oh, so I guess management wants ing in here? Get back out on the floor-your team needs to keep a closer eye on us† and â€Å"I hear Stan's new boss you! The woman had overstepped tbe bounds, and doesn't back this project. † Chris she got called on it. There were had a friend on another team no hard feelings, because the woman knew the group valued Inevitably, a team member will who was happy to put in a good word for him. The work was inher contributions. indulge in behavior that crosses herently less interesting â₠¬â€œ but hey, Some teams also find that a at least they were having fun. little bumor helps when pointing out errant behavior. Teasing Some teams suffer because someone who is habitually late they aren't aware of emotions comfortable calling the foul. or meetings, for instance, can at the group level. Chris's team, make that person aware of how for instance, isn't aware of all it has achieved, and it doesn't acknowledge that it has fallen important timeliness is to the group. Done right, coninto a malaise. !n our study of effective teams, we've frontation can be seen in a positive light; it's a way for found tbat having norms for group self-awareness-of the group to say, â€Å"We want you in-we need your conemotional states, strengths and weaknesses, modes of intribution. And it's especially important when a team teraction, and task processes-is a critical part of group must work together on a long-term assignment. Without emotional intelligence tbat facilitates group efficacy. con frontation, disruptive behavior can fester and erode Teams gain it both through self-evaluation and by solicita sense of trust in a team. ing feedback from others. Establishing norms that reinforce caring behavior is often not very difficult and usually a matter of concenSelf-evaluation can take tbe form of a formal event trating on little things. When an individual is upset, for or a constant activity. At Sberwin Williams, a group of example, it may make all the difference to have group managers was starting a new initiative that would require members acknowledge that person's feelings. We saw this higher levels of teamwork. Group members hired a con- the line, and the team mustfeel 84 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Building the Emotional Intelligence of Croups sultant, but before the consultant arrived, they met to assess their strengths and weaknesses as a team. They found that merely articulating the issues was an important step toward building their capabilities. A far less formal method of raising group emotional awareness is through the kind of activity we saw at the Veterans Health Administration's Center for Leadership and Development. Managers there have developed a norm in which they are encouraged to speak up when they feel the group is not being productive. For example, if there's a post-lunch lull and people on the team are low on energy, someone might say, â€Å"Don't we look like a bunch of sad sacks? With attention called to it, the group makes an effort to refocus. Emotionally competent teams don't wear blinders; they have the emotional capacity to face potentially difficult information and actively seek opinions on their task processes, progress, and performance from the outside. For some teams, feedback may come directly from customers. Others look to colleagues within the company, to suppliers, or to professional peers. A group of designers we studied routinely posts its work in progress on walls throughout the building, with invitations to comment and critique. Similarly, many advertising agencies see annual industry competitions as a valuable source of feedback on their creative teams' work. Croups are most creative when their members collaborate unreservedly. People stop holding back when there is mutual trust, rooted in emotionally intelligent interactions. Regulating Group Emotions Many teams make conscious efforts to build team spirit. Team-building outings, whether purely social or Outward Bound-style physical challenges, are popular methods for building this sense of collective enthusiasm. What's going on here is that teams and their leaders recognize they can improve a team's overall attitude-that is, they are regulating group-level emotion. And while the focus of a team-building exercise is often not directly related to a group's actual work, the benefits are highly relevant: teams come away with higher emotional capacity and thus a greater ability to respond to emotional challenges. The most effective teams we have studied go far beyond the occasional â€Å"ropes and rocks† off-site. They have established norms that strengthen their ability to respond MARCH 2001 ffectively to the kind of emotional challenges a group confronts on a daily basis. The norms they favor accomplish three main things: they create resources for working with emotions, foster an affirmative environment, and encourage proactive problem solving. Teams need resources that all members can draw on to deal with group emotions. One important resource is a common vocabulary. To use an example, a group member at the Veterans Health Administration picked up on another member's bad mood and told him that he was just â€Å"cranky† today. The â€Å"cranky† term stuck and became the group's gentle way of letting someone know that their negativity was having a bad effect on the group. Other resources may include helpful ways to vent frustrations. One executive team leader we interviewed described his team's practice of making time for a â€Å"wailing wall† – a few minutes of whining and moaning about some setback. Releasing and acknowledging those negative emotions, 85 Building the Emotional Intelligence of Croups the leader says, allows the group to refocus its attention on the parts of the situation it can control and channel its energy in a positive direction. But sometimes, venting takes more than words. We've seen more than one intense workplace outfitted with toys – like soft projectile shooters-that have been used in games of cube warfare. Perhaps the most obvious way to build emotional capacity through regulating team-level emotion is simply to create an affirmative environment. Everyone values a team that, when faced with a challenge, responds with a can-do attitude. Again, it's a question of having the right group norms-in this case, favoring optimism, and positive images and interpretations over negative ones. This doesn't always come naturally to a team, as one executive we interviewed at the Hay Group knows. When external conditions create a cycle of negativity among group members, he takes it upon himself to change the atmosphere of the group. He consciously resists the temptation to join the complaining and blaming and instead tries to reverse the cycle with a positive, constructive note. One of the most powerful norms we have seen for building a group's ability to respond to emotionally challenging situations is an emphasis on proactive problem solving. We saw a lot of this going on in a manufacturing team we observed at AMP Corporation. Much of what this team needed to hit its targets was out of its strict control. But rather than sit back and point fingers, the team worked hard to get what it needed from others, and in some cases, took matters into its own hands. In one instance, an alignment problem in a key machine was creating faulty products. The team studied the problem and approached the engineering group with its own suggested design for a part tbat might correct the problem. The device worked, and the number of defective products decreased significantly. Building Norms for Three Levels of Group Emotional Intelligence Group emotional intelligence is about the small acts that make a big difference. It is not about a team member working all night to meet a deadline; it is about saying thank you for doir)g so. It is not about in-depth discussion of ideas; it is about asking a quiet member for his thoughts. It is not about harmony, lack of tension, and all members liking each other; it is about acknowledging when harmony is false, tension is unexpressed, and treating others witb respect. The following sidebar outlines some of the small things tbat groups can do to establisb tbe norms that build group emotional intelligence. take them down a notch. And what was with that name, anyway? Some kind ofinsidejoke, Jim guessed. Too bad nobody else got it The last kind of emotional intelligence any high-performing team should have relates to cross-boundary relationships, just as individuals should be mindful of their own emotions and others', groups should look both inward and outward emotionally. In the case of the Bugs, This kind of problem solving is valuable for many reathe team is acting like a clique – creating close emotional sons. It obviously serves the company by removing one ties within but ignoring the feelings, needs, and conmore obstacle to profitability. But, to the point of our cerns of important individuals and teams in the broader work, it also shows a team in control of its own emotions. organization. It refused to feel powerless and was eager to take charge. Some teams have developed norms that are particularly helpful in making them aware of the broader organizational context. One practice is to have various team members act as liaisons to important constituencies. Many Jim sighed. The â€Å"Bugs† team was at it agair. Didn't they see teams are already made up of members drawn from different parts of an organization, so a cross-boundary perthat while they were high-fiving one another over their impressive productivity, the rest of the organization was paying spective comes naturally. Others need to work a little harder. One team we studied reahzed it would be imfor it? This time, in their self-managed wisdom, they'd deportant to understand the perspective of its labor union. ided to make a three months'supply of one component. No Consequently, a team member from HR went to some changeover meant no machine downtime and a record low lengths to discover the right channels for having a union cost per unit But now the group downstream was swamped with inventory it didn't need and worried about shortages of member appointed to the group. A cross-boundary perspective is especially important in situations where a something else. Jim braced himself for his visit to the floor. eam's work will have significant impact on others in The Bugs didn't take criticism well; they seemed to think they were flawless and that everyone else was just trying to the organization – for example, where a team is asked to Working with Emotions Outside the Group 86 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups Individual Interpersonal Understanding 1. Take time away from group tasks to get to know one another. 2. Have a â€Å"check in† at the beginning of the meeting – that is, ask how everyone is doing. 3. Assume that undesirable behavior takes place for a reason. Find out what that reason is. Ask questions and listen. Avoid negative attributions. 4. Tell your teammates what you're thinking and how you're feeling. Perspective Taking 1. Ask whether everyone agrees with a decision. 2. Ask quiet members what they think. 3. Question decisions that come too quickly. 4. Appoint a devil's advocate. Group Team Self-Evaluation 1. Schedule time to examine team effectiveness. 2. Create measurable task and process objectives and then measure them. 3. Acknowledge and discuss group moods. 4. Communicateyour sense of what is transpiring in the team. 5. Allow members to call a â€Å"process check. (For instance, a team member might say, â€Å"Process check: is this the most effective use of our time right now? â€Å") Seeking Feedback 1. Askyour†customers†howyou are doing. 2. Post your work and invite comments. 3. Benchmark your processes. Cross-Boundary Organizational Understanding 1. Find out the concerns and needs of others in the organizati on. 2. Consider who can influence the team's ability to accomplish its goals. 3. Discuss the culture and politics inthe organization. 4. Ask whether proposed team actions are congruent with the organization's culture and politics. Norms That Create Awareness of Emotions Norms That Help Regulate Emotions† Confrortting 1. Set ground rules and use them to point out errant behavior. 2. Call members on errant behavior. 3. Create playful devices for pointing out such behavior. These often emerge from the group spontaneously. Reinforce them. Caring 1. Support members: volunteer to help them if they need it, be flexible, and provide emotional support. 2. Validate members' contributions. Let members know they are valued. 3. Protect members from attack. 4. Respect individuality and differences in perspectives. Listen. 3. Never be derogatory or demeaning. Creating Resources for Working with Emotion 1. Make time to discuss difficult issues, and address the emotions that surround them. 2. Find creative, shorthand ways to acknowledge and express the emotion in the group. 3. Create fun ways to acknowledge and relieve stress and tension. 4. Express acceptance of members' emotions. Creating an Affirmative Environment 1. Reinforce that the team can meet a challenge. Be optimistic. For example, say things like, â€Å"We can get through this† or†Nothing will stop us† 2. Focus on what you can control. 3. Remind members of the group's important and positive mission. 4. Remind the group how it solved a similar problem before. 5. Focus on problem solving, not blaming. Solving Problems Proactively 1. Anticipate problems and address them before they happen. 2. Take the initiative to understand and get what you need to be effective. 3. Do ityourself if others aren't responding. Rely on yourself, not others. Building External Relationships 1. Create opportunities for networking and interaction. 2. Ask about the needs of other teams. 3. Provide support for other teams. 4. Invite others to team meetings if they might have a stake in what you are doing. MARCH 2001 87 Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups design an intranet to serve everyone's needs. We've seen gaining the confidence of outsiders, adopting an ambasmany situations in which a team is so enamored of its so- sadorial role instead of an isolationist one. lution that it is caught completely by surprise when othA manufacturing team we saw at KoSa displayed very ers in the company don't share its enthusiasm. high social skills in working with its maintenance team. It recognized that, when problems occurred in the plant, Some of the most emotionally intelligent teams we the maintenance team often had many activities on its have seen are so attuned to their broader organizational plate. All things being equal, what would make the maincontext that it affects how they frame and communicate tenance team consider this particular manufacturing their own needs and accomplishments. A team at the group a high priority? Knowing a good relationship chemical-processing company KoSa, for example, felt it would be a factor, the manufacturing team worked hard needed a new piece of manufacturing equipment, but seto build good ties with the maintenance people. At one nior management wasn't so sure the purchase was a pripoint, for instance, the manufacturing team showed its ority. Aware that the decision makers were still on the appreciation by nominating the maintenance team for fence, the team decided to emphasize the employee safety â€Å"Team of the Quarter† recognition-and then doing all benefits of the new machine-just one aspect of its desirthe letter writing and behind-the-scenes praising that ability to them, but an issue of paramount importance to management. At a plant safety meeting attended by high- would ultimately help the maintenance team win. In turn, the manufacturing team's good relationship with level managers, they made the case that the equipment maintenance helped it become one of the highest prothey were seeking would greatly reduce the risk of injury ducers in the plant. to workers. A few weeks later they got it. Sometimes, a team must be particularly aware of the needs and feelings of another group witbiin the organizaA Model for Group Emotional tion. We worked with an information technology comIntelligence pany where the hardware engineers worked separately from the software engineers to achieve the same goalWe've been discussing the need for teams to learn to faster processing and fewer crashes. Each could achieve channel emotion effectively at the three levels of human only so much independently. When finally a hardware interaction important to them: team to individual memteam leader went out of bis way to build relationships ber, team to itself, and team to outside entities. Together, with the software people, the two teams began to coopthe norms we've been exploring help groups work with erate – and together, they achieved 20% to 40% higher per- emotions productively and intelligently. Often, groups formance than had been targeted. with emotionally intelligent members have norms like these in place, but it's unlikely any group would unconThis kind of positive outcome can be facilitated by sciously come up with all the norms we have outhned. norms that encourage a group to recognize the feelIn other words, this is a model for group emotional intelings and needs of other groups. We saw effective norms ligence that any work team for interteam awareness at a could benefit from by applying division of AMP, where each it deliberately. Nee seen many situations manufacturing team is responsible for a step in the manufacWhat would the ultimate in which a team is so enamored emotionally intelligent team turing process and they need one another to complete the look like? Closest to the ideal of its solution that it is caught product on time. Team leaders are some of the teams we've there meet in the morning to completely by surprise when seen at IDEO, the celebrated understand the needs, resources, industrial design firm. IDEO's and schedules of each team. If others in the company don't creative teams are responsible one team is ahead and another for the look and feel of products share its enthusiasm. is behind, they reallocate relike Apple's first mouse, the sources. Members of the faster Crest toothpaste tube, and the team help the team that's behind and do so in a friendly Palm V personal digital assistant. Thefirmroutinely wins way that empathizes with their situation and builds the competitions for the form and function of its designs and relationship. even has a business that teaches creative problem-solving techniques to other companies. Most of the examples we've been citing show teams that are not only aware of but also able to influence outThe nature of IDEO's work calls for high group emosiders' needs and perspectives. This ability to regulate tional intelligence. Under pressure of client deadlines and emotion at the cross-boundary level is a group's version of budget estimates, the company must deliver innovative, the â€Å"social skills† so critical to individual emotional intel- aesthetic solutions that balance human needs with engiligence. It involves developing external relationships and neering realities. It's a deep philosophical belief at IDEO 88 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW Building ttie Emotional Intelligence of Croups that great design is best accomplished through the crerelationships with those individuals and groups. On disative friction of diverse teams and not the solitary pursuit play at IDEO is a curious model: a toy truck with plastic of brilliant individuals, so it's imperative that the teams at pieces on springs that pop out of the bed of the truck IDEO click. In our study of those teams, we found group when a button is pressed. It turns out the model comnorms supporting emotional intelligence at all three levmemorates an incident that taught a variety of lessons. ls ofour model. The story centers on a design team that had been working for three weeks on a very complex plastic enclosure First, the teams at IDEO are very aware of individual for a product. Unfortunately, on team members' emotions, and the Thursday before a Monday they are adept at regulating A team can have everything client deadline, when an engithem. F or example, an IDEO deneer was taking it to be painted, signer became very frustrated going for it-the brightest and it slipped from his pickup bed because someone from marketand exploded on ing was insisting a logo be apmost qualified people, access to 70 mph. The team the road at was willing plied to the designer's product, to work through the weekend to which he felt would ruin it visuresources, a clear mission – but rebuild the part but couldn't finally. At a meeting about the prodish it without the help of the still fail because it lacks group uct, the team's project leader outside fabricator it had used picked up on the fact that someemotional intelligence. on the original. Because they thing was wrong. The designer had taken the time to build a was sitting off by himself, and things â€Å"didn't look right. The project leader looked into the situation and then initiated a negotiation that led to a mutual solution. IDEO team members also confront one another when they break norms. This is common during brainstorming sessions, where the rule is that people must defer judgment and avoid shooting down ideas. If someone breaks that norm, the team comes down on him in a playful yet forceful way {imagine being pelted by foam toys). Or if someone is out of line, the norm is to stand up and call her on it immediately. If a client is in the room, the confrontation is subtler- perhaps a kick under the chair. Teams at IDEO also demonstrate strengths in groupfocused emotional intelligence. To ensure they have a high level of self-awareness, teams constantly seek feedback from both inside and outside the organization. Most important, they work very closely with customers. If a design is not meeting customer expectations, the team finds out quickly and takes steps to modify it. Regulating group emotion at IDEO often means providing outlets for stress. This is a company that believes in playing and having fun. Several hundred finger blasters (a toy that shoots soft projectiles) have been placed around the building for employees to pick up and start shooting when they're frustrated. Indeed, the design firm's culture welcomes the expression of emotions, so it's not uncommon for someone – whether happy or angryto stand up and yell. IDEO has even created fun office projects that people can work on ifthey need a break. For example, they might have a project to design the company holiday card or to design the â€Å"tourist stop† displays seen by visitors. Finally, IDEO teams also have norms to ensure they are aware of the needs and concerns of people outside their boundaries and that they use that awareness to develop tWARCH 2 0 0 1 good relationship with the fabricator, its people were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. The lighthearted display was a way for teammates to show the engineer that all was forgiven-and a reminder to the rest of the organization of how a team in crisis can get by with a little help from its friends. Where Do Norms Come From? Not every company is as dependent on teams and their emotional intelligence as IDEO. But now more than ever, we see companies depending on teams for decisions and tasks that, in another time, would have been the work of individuals. And unfortunately, we also see them discovering that a team can have everything going for it-the brightest and most qualified people, access to resources, a clear mission-but still fail because it lacks group emotional intelligence. Norms that build trust, group identity, and group efficacy are the key to making teams click. They allow an otherwise highly skilled and resourced team to fulfill its potential, and they can help a team faced with substantial challenges achieve surprising victories. So how do norms as powerful as the ones we've described in this article come about? In our research, we saw them being introduced from any of five basic directions: by formal team leaders, by informal team leaders, by courageous followers, through training, or ft-om the larger organizational culture. (For more on how to establish the norms described in this article, see the sidebar†Building Norms for Three Levels of Group Emotional Intelligence. â€Å") At the Hay Group, for example, it was the deliberate action of a team leader that helped one group see the importance of emotions to the group's overall effectiveness. Because this particular group was composed of managers 89 Building ttie Emotional Intelligence of Groups from many different cultures, its leader knew he couldn't assume all the members possessed a high level of interpersonal understanding. To establish that norm, he introduced novelties like having a meeting without a tahle, using smaller groups, and conducting an inventory of team members'various learning styles. Interventions like these can probably be done only by a formal team leader. The ways informal leaders or other team members enhance emotional intelligence are typically more subtle, though often just as powerful. Anyone might advance the cause, for example, by speaking up if the group appears to be ignoring an important perspective or feeling-or simply by doing his or her part to create an affirmative environment. Training courses can also go a long way toward increasing emotional awareness and showing people how to regulate emotions. We know of many companies that now focus on emotional issues in leadership development courses, negotiation and communication workshops, and employee-assistance programs like those for stress management. These training programs can sensitize team members to the importance of establishing emotionally intelligent norms. Finally, perhaps more than anything, a team can be influenced by a broader organizational culture that recognizes and celebrates employee emotion. This is clearly the case at IDEO and, we believe, at many of the companies creating the greatest value in the new economy. Unfortu- nately, it's the most difficult piece ofthe puzzle to put in place at companies that don't already have it. For organizations with long histories of employees checking their emotions at the door, change will occur, if at all, one team at a time. Becoming Intelligent About Emotion The research presented in this article arosefromone simple imperative: in an era of teamwork, it's essential to figure out what makes teams work. Our research shows that, just like individuals, the most effective teams are emotionally intelligent ones-and that any team can attain emotional intelligence. In this article, we've attempted to lay out a model for positive change, containing the most important t3'pes of norms a group can create to enhance its emotional intelligence. Teams, like all groups, operate according to such norms. By working to establish norms for emotional awareness and regulation at all levels of interaction, teams can build the solid foundation of trust, group identity, and group efficacy they need for true cooperation and collaboration-and high performance overall. 9 Reprint R0103E To order reprints, see the last page of Executive Summaries. To further explore the topic of this article, go to www. hbr. org/explore. (A^^l^ j-iywi 1 â€Å"I'm in a rut They throw the ball, I bring it back. They throw it again, I bring it back again. What's the point of it ail? † 90 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW