Kants Ethics vs Utilitarianism Essay

The two ‘core’ ethical theories covered in class that I started to assess are the categorical imperative and utilitarianism, both of which offer an approach to decision making in the context of social and interpersonal relationships. In this with in depth understanding of both that Kantian ethics is much easily appreciated than the ethics of utilitarianism as Kantian ethics apply to everyone yet both ethical approaches lead to faults. Utilitarianism is the moral theory that brings upon the greatest happiness. This theory illustrates that right actions as said to be right as they endorse happiness to someone or a group of people whereas wrong as they uphold unhappiness. Kantian ethics on the other hand puts a persons benefit before the greater good, that is people never should be used as means only but means to an end. Both Kant’s ethics and Utilitarianism greatly analogize between each other as Kant is deontological which means that someone ought to do things because they are right, as it is duty and that in itself makes it right. On the other hand Utilitarianism is based on consequence as someone should act to bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism does not care if the greatest good/benefit is brought with someone’s manipulation, lies or coercion. Kant’s ethical would disagree with this completely as If someone lies then it becomes universal law that everyone would have the right to do the same thing. Ethical implication arise from Kant’s ethics even if this in my opinion is a more logical means that a person should consider in ethical decision making. Suppose for example you would lose your friends for telling the truth in a given situation, Kant’s ethics says you shouldn’t lie what so ever because it is you duty not to do so would bring unhappiness and here utilitarianism would differ completely. Another situation where Kant’s ethics would coincide with itself is for example if a woman was trying to hide from a guy that was trying to kill her and you decided to help that woman by letting her stay in your house, few hours later the guy trying to kill that woman come knocking on your door asking about her whereabouts. Here with Kant’s ethics you can’t lie as it is your duty not to and it is also your duty to protect that woman you made a promise to earlier, in this situation one action must be chosen and this shows a major fault in Kant’s ethics. Utilitarianism has its benefits but requires much more effort to do than Kant’s ethics. There are two classical types of utilitarianism, which are act and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism is right only if the result of good is just as much or more than any other available substitute. Rule utilitarianism states that an act is right if the rule itself acceptance would lead to a greater utility for society that any other substitute then that act is right. The strength of utilitarianism comes in the fact of it offering a system that is absolute, giving us a potential solution to every situation faced. The second strength is that is seems to grasp the sense of morality even though the actions are come with deceitful like lying means it is for the greater good, uplifting the suffering in this world. Utilitarianism has its objections and can be problematic as different people have different thought on what happiness is and what pleasure is. One of the problems that arise from Utilitarianism is the no rest objection, for example if I wanted to sleep or go to the movies at those moments I could be trying to help poor people or saving the environment to promote more utility. Having my salary should mostly go into helping others as this brings upon the greatest good but as you see this theory does not make sense to why I shouldn’t make myself happy. Trying to help all the time with no rest becomes too demanding and this theory fails understand different obligations making utilitarianism a false doctrine to many.

Conceptualizing a Business Essay

Strategic planning for the purpose of developing a business is vital. In my opinion, a strong vision, mission, and values make up the foundation that is required to build a successful business. This paper will introduce the business selected in week two and will explain the importance of the selected business’s vision, mission, and values as they correspond in determining a strategic direction. The created vision for this organization will clearly demonstrate the future plans for the business. The guiding principles or values for the selected business considering the topics of culture, social responsibility, and ethics will be defined. Next, an analytical overview of how the vision, mission, and values guide the organization’s strategic direction will be discussed. Finally, an evaluation of how the organization addresses customer needs and critiques how the business achieves competitive advantage will be performed. When selecting a business these planning processes are important and will help define what direction the business is going in for success. The first objective in strategically planning a business is to have a vision. As stated by BusinessDictionary. om, a Vision Statement is: â€Å"An aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serves as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action. † The vision for the company is to be like Wal-Mart, a one-stop shop. I envision the hair salon to become a unisex salon, spa, and barber shop. The vision is for a person to come in and get his or her hair, nails and skin care, while having the option to purchase professional hair and beauty products at a fair and reasonable price. The vision is to incorporate a boutique where not only can people get pampered but can also buy a nice outfit to complete their look. The motto is, â€Å"We keep you neat from your head to your feet,† and therefore incorporating a boutique will confirm the motto of the business. The vision is to incorporate services that will stand out only in said selected salon and to provide professional caregivers and products to make customers feel as if they are on top of the world relaxing in a cloud of comfort ability. The business selected is a professional hair salon. When considering starting a business, one should ask themselves, â€Å"What is the mission for my business? † The mission of a company is the unique purpose that sets it apart from other companies of its type and identifies the scope of its operations (Pearce, & Robinson, 2009). The mission for the selected hair salon is to supply products and services to customers with exceptional customer service. To create a pleasurable environment with high-level professionals, for desired hair and body care results. Our Motto is, â€Å"We keep you neat from your head to your feet. The chosen business strives to use high quality products with passion and courtesy to all clients. The name for the hair salon will be, â€Å"The Malveaux Hair Experience. † The Malveaux Hair Experience needs guiding principles or values considering the topics of culture, social responsibility, and ethics. It is the responsibility of the salon owner to ensure that all personnel are adequately trained, licensed, and understands each service offered (Fulbright, 2004). It is the salon owner responsibility to be aware of the liabilities of the salon, licensed personnel, clean environment, and clean equipment. The social responsibility of a salon is pondering hair trend, marketing, and clients. The salon should be run with individual morals and values as well as the values of the business. In a salon setting, the professionals must have respect for one another. There has to be a strong trust factor with each other personal items and salon products. The salon has personnel has to consist of a group of team players. Although stylist has their own style of artistry, they must all be on the same professional level. Each employee of the salon must portray positive attitudes and leadership skills. Customers will be greeted with a friendly smile and treated fair and with respect. It is the responsibility of the salon’s team members to create an environment that treats people the way he or she expects to be treated and not subject the business to anything short of this type of behavior. The vision, mission, and values guide the organizations strategic direction. The vision, mission, and values of the company help to forecast the business’s success. As long as the business is following the strategic plan by which the foundation and integrity of the company is built, customers will continue to come and receive services. People will spread the word of good service he or she received while visiting The Malveaux Hair Experience. Good values will help the business grow in areas the business could not imagine. If the employees and manager of the business follow the strategic plan of the company, the company will be successful and profitable. The vision, mission, and values will help all employees involved and will allow the team to be on the same accord. This is a perfect example of how to keep team communication consistent and giving excellent customer service to clients. When employees work toward one common goal, the organization is channeled in the right direction. The mission helps to generate possible and desired opportunities. The organization needs to evaluate how the organization addresses customer needs and critique how he or she achieves competitive advantage. The salon has to evaluate the services and products provided to the customers. Evaluate whether or not the needs are met in accordance to the ethics of the business. The business has to evaluate whether or not it is providing services that other salons are not offering. The business has to evaluate the competition it has and make sure its business providing the best customer service. The business can evaluate repeat customers and if the needs are being met. If a customer tells his or her family and friends about the services or services The Malveaux Hair Experience is providing, the word of mouth referrals will be a good evaluation of how the business is doing. This will also provide a way to analyze whether or not the company is meeting the needs of the customers and meeting or exceeding the competitive advantage. This paper explained the importance of a business’s vision, mission, values, and has determined the strategic direction. When a strategic plan is in place, this helps the business determine what needs to be the main focus. Planning helps the business show leadership and direction. The business has to have some direction to achieve goals set for the business. Working with a team of people who focus on the same goal will allow much success for businesses. Strategic management is the set of decision and actions that result in the formulation and implementation of plans designed to achieve a company’s objectives (Pearce, & Robinson, 2009).

Managerial Accounting Notes

Accounting chapter 7 managerial accounting Exercises Lambert Fabrication, Inc. , uses activity-based costing data for internal decisions. The company has the following four activity cost pools: Activity Cost PoolAnnual Activity Producing units5,000 machine-hours Processing orders1,000 orders Customer support200 customers OtherNot applicable The â€Å"Other† activity cost pool consists of the costs of idle capacity and organization-sustaining costs. The company traces the costs of direct materials and direct labor to jobs (i. . , orders). Overhead costs—both manufacturing and non-manufacturing—are allocated to jobs using the activity-based costing system. These overhead costs are listed below: Indirect factory wages$100,000 Other manufacturing overheadS200,000 Selling and administrative expense$400,000 To develop the company's activity-based costing system, employees were asked how they distributed their time and resources across the four activity cost pools. The results of those interviews appear below: Results of Interviews of EmployeesDistribution of Resource Consumption Across Activities Producing Processing Customer UnitsOrdersSupportOtherTotals Indirect factory wages40%30%10%20%100% Other manufacturing overhead30%10%0%60%100% Selling and administrative expense0%25%40%35%100% a. Using the results of the interviews, carry out the first-stage allocation of costs to the activity cost pools. Producing Processing Customer UnitsOrdersSupportOtherTotals Indirect factory wages $ S S $ SOther manufacturing overhead Selling and administrative expense.. Total overhead cost $$ $___ ___ $ $__ ____ Chapter 7 b. Using the results of the first-stage allocation, compute the activity rates for each of the activity cost pools. (Activity rates are not computed for the â€Å"Other† activity cost pool because these costs will not be allocated to products or customers. ) Computation of Activity RatesActivity Cost Pools Total CostTotal ActivityActivity Rate Producing units $ machine-hours $ per machine-hour Processing orders $ orders $ per order Customer support $ customers $per customer c. Data concerning one of the company's products are listed below: Product W562 Selling price$100 Annual sales (units)1,000 Direct materials per unit$24 Direct labor per unit$6 Machine-hours per unit1. 5 Orders processed80 Using the activity rates you derived in part (b) above and the above data, compute the total amount of over ¬head cost that would be allocated to product W562.Overhead Cost of Product W562 Activity Cost PoolsActivity RateActivityABC Cost Producing units$per machine-hourmachine-hours$ Processing orders$per orderorders Customer support$per customerNot applicable Total $__________ d. Using the data developed above for product W562, complete the following report. Product Margin—Product W562 Sales$ Costs: Direct materials$ Direct labor Producing units Processing orders ________ Product margin $_______________

Public Cloud a Source of Danger to Businesses Essay

Public Cloud a Source of Danger to Businesses - Essay Example Actually, the cloud services are offered by a third party. So the secret data and information of an organization are stored on the servers of that third party. In this scenario, organizations believe that the public cloud is a source of danger to businesses. This paper discusses the arguments of other researchers to prove this claim. Introduction Cloud computing is a most modern information technology trend that a lot of business organizations are adopting due to its environmental aspects, money savings, mobility, scalability and energy effectiveness. Basically, the cloud computing allows organizations or individuals to access all their tools, applications and files from anyplace on the earth, as a result releasing them from the limitations of the desktop and allowing widespread group partnership (Modavi, 2010; Miller, 2009). It is now very common to use the public cloud for carrying out business tasks. A public cloud is basically a cloud computing model used by the service providers to offer their resources, similar to storage and applications to the wide-ranging public over the internet. The majority of public cloud services are free of charge or presented on a pay per usage based model. In this scenario, the fundamental advantages of making use of a public cloud service are simple and low-cost set-up for the reason that application, hardware and bandwidth costs are covered by the service provider. In addition, the public cloud offers the scalability to meet users’ requirements. In fact, public cloud does not waste resources because we pay for what we use. Moreover, the idea of public cloud appeared to make a distinction between the standard model and private cloud that is a proprietary communication data center or network that makes use of cloud computing systems, like that Virtualization. In this scenario, a private cloud is managed and organized by the business it serves. On the other hand, a 3rd model known as the hybrid cloud, is managed by both i nternal and external providers (TechTarget, 2009; Tchifilionova, 2011; Rittinghouse & Ransome, 2009). This paper discusses the possible impacts of the public cloud on the businesses and how a public cloud can be a source of danger to businesses. This paper will discuss different aspects of the public cloud and possible security issues associated with public cloud. Public Cloud: An Overview Public clouds are managed and controlled by a 3rd party organization, as well as the implementations from different clients are possibly combined together with the cloud servers, storage devices and networks. In view of the fact that the public clouds are not managed and controlled by a host organization itself thus they could be wonderful technique to decrease client risks, burden, responsibilities and cost by means of an efficient however conditional development of business structure. On the other hand, if a cloud service provider manages a cloud keeping security, performance and data storage lo cations in mind, the maintenance of additional applications executing in the cloud can be easy to follow for both cloud architects and cloud users. Undoubtedly, public cloud services present a potential to upgrade and move down according to certain conditions, and transfer varying infrastructure risks and dangers from the corporate to the cloud source, if even just temporarily (Sun

Should the concept of Race be removed from all legal documents in the Personal Statement

Should the concept of Race be removed from all legal documents in the United States - Personal Statement Example They face victimization by insurance agencies through the red-lining. Such racism in the education sectors is where they are forced to ride at the back of the school bus. Application forms in colleges have a clause on race. The stereotyping facing the Arabs and people of Middle East descent has seen them face victimization since the September 11th attacks in 2001. They undergo inhumane scrutiny and receive treatment as suspects. Since Arabs launched the attacks, any other person of that race receives consideration as a potential threat. They do not receive adequate audience to prove their innocence. In the present day, the discrimination against them is tantamount especially after the al-Qaeda threat. Racism against the Asian-American population has hindered their career development. Though superior in sciences and math, they do not get jobs in managerial positions but only get hired for technical expertise. They do not get selection in decision making

STAR WARS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

STAR WARS - Assignment Example Therefore, they drill into the earth’s crust and pump in water. The principle of contraction and expansion works best here. When cold water comes in contact with the hot rocks, fractures develop on the rocks thus giving room for water to horizontally move towards the already drilled second hole. Steam escapes through this second hole to reach the earth’s surface. Depending on what has been set up, the steam can be used in turning turbines or steam engines (World Nuclear Association, 2013). Permanent disposal of war nuclear waste is increasingly becoming a problem because it takes a very long time for the waste isotopes to decay into safe levels. Even though waste management specialists’ advice users to bury such wastes deep below the ground; it is easy for particles to move thus causing ethical concern. War has a huge impact on the natural environment since it causes massive pollution to water sources, soil and air. For instance the Iraqi war of 2003 led to massive death among people blue plastic barriers that had a high level of uranium oxide got lost but dumped in the river to for barriers (Cardona, 2004). Residents unknowingly used the containers to store water and other food stuffs. Since then, there has been an increased death due to leukemia. Another example is the Gulf war of 1991 where Iraq and Kuwait differed over oil fields. In response to it, Iraq dumped close to two million tons of crude oil in the Persian Gulf. This had a huge effect on marine life. People living by the shows died due to brain cancer and kidney failures. For some reasons, nuclear energy is good. However, it has long negative impacts on the environment. This is evident through the major wars the world has experienced. The Hiroshima bombing in Japan still has effects to the city occupants. The effects of radiation have led to gene mutation and infertility in some

The Debate Concerning The Transition From Modernity To Post Modernity Essay

The Debate Concerning The Transition From Modernity To Post Modernity Poses Major Problems For The Classic Literature On The Sociology Of Deviance - Essay Example We encourage ourselves of our own normalcy by reproving and scheming those who oppose. Deviance is an observable detail to be found in power: Frontrunners are the excellent one and the regular; Losers are the under par, the extreme, and the malevolence (and they frequently recognize the "marker"). Post Modern Deviance is not described as a substance of the cost or significance of particular activities, or the conduct itself. Deviance is a tag (method) used to preserve the power, control, and situation of an overriding group (Journal Information for Teaching Sociology, Pg 16, 2002). Post Modern Deviance used to be in an agreed order. Deviance infringes some group suppositions about actuality (social order). It infringes prospect. The description of deviance defines the warning and permits for repression and management of the warning. The description of deviance preserves, looks after, and classifies group interests and in doing so continues a sense of normalcy. Deviance is a result of Social relations. According to According to The University of Chicago Press (2004), "Deviance" is a comprehensive expression used by sociologists of both modern and contemporary world to submit to behaviour that differs, in some method, from a social standard. In this reverence, it is apparent that the perception of deviance refers to some structure of "rule- breaching" behaviour. In relative to deviance, consequently, the thought narrates to all figures of rule-breaking (whether this occupies such things as murder, stealing or inflammable - the infringement of recognized social regulations - or such things as wearing unsuitable clothing for a given social circumstances, failing to construct homework at school or being rude to a parent, teacher and so forth - comparatively the infringement of comparatively comfortable social rules) (Heckert, A., and D. Heckert, Pg 210, 2004). As should be evident, in post modern deviance, criminal behaviour is a shape of deviance (one that is defined as the breaking of lawful rules) and, whilst we will be directed upon this vicinity of deviance, it requirements to be kept in mind that it is only one feature - even though a very noteworthy one - in relative to the thought of deviant behaviour in any culture. As a universal regulation, as a result, we can say that there is a peculiarity between crime and deviance in terms of modern and postmodern literature. All crime is, by description, deviant behaviour,

SLP Time Warp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SLP Time Warp - Essay Example Strategic position After analysis of the market performance of the products, recommendations for price changes amongst the three products seems the most viable course of action to be taken. In this line, since the market reflected little wavering on the X5 product, its price needs to be kept constant until a well cut out market trend is observable. The market performance of the X6 reflects a steady performance and market dominance in its category. In this view, an increasing in its market price will be a wise step in maximizing its profits. The market performance of the X7, on the other hand, is not as impressive. In a bid to compete favorably with other market brands, it is in order to price it more competitively. In this regard, I would recommend a price reduction as the most workable strategy (Beverland, Napoli, & Farrelly, 2010). A detailed explanation of the decisions is only able to be explained via an in-depth analysis, at the individual level, of the three new products offere d by the company, the X5, the X6, and the X7. Product X5 The X5 has had three years run in the market and so far exhibits the lowest cost in pricing amongst the three products offered by the business. This reflects a case of plasticity on the side of the product. This translates in minimal interests in the products performance and hence the customers interest. This focuses the strategy not on an increment of the current market price but rather on the exposure and rebranding of the product so at to make it more profitable. While the current market price of $ 250 seems a reasonably fair market price, it is uncompetitive, not due to in affordability, but the reason may lie on its branding or on other factors that control consumer choices (Bivainiene, 2010). Product X6 Since its market debut 2 years back, the market performance of the product X6 has been relatively impressive. The case of the product can be described as being flat metal. Its smooth market performance is not attributable to its price but rather on the overall usefulness and performance as judged by the customers. The relative stability in the market has made the products price be quoted as $420, a figure that can be raised, albeit by a minimal margin, in a bid to maximize the profits attainable via the use of the product. The risks involved in having a large increase in price are that some customers may be willing to compromise on quality if only to have a cheaper, more affordable product irrespective of its performance. As such, any price increment needs to be done discreetly and with enough consideration to the customer if its continued good performance is to be sustained (Slotegraaf & Pauwels, 2008). Product X7 Given that the product is relatively new in the market; its market reviews may not be concrete enough from which to draw conclusive findings. The case for this product can thus be described as colored, in contrast to the plastic case of X5, and the metal case associated with X6. The relat ive immobility of this product in the market is attributable by hesitant customers who opt for better established products of the same caliber. The un-ease that results is not so much a factor of the price but rather based on the anticipated performance of the product in the market in comparison to the other already established products. The initial price, quoted at an approximate $200 serves as an entry price

Critical Design Issues in the Contemporary World Essay

Critical Design Issues in the Contemporary World - Essay Example Research has demarcated means to market products not merely as solutions to actual problems but as panaceas to human desire. Consumers are â€Å"convinced† through sizable marketing efforts to acquire certain products to enhance their lifestyles. In this scenario the designer must produce objects that seem aesthetically either appealing or appalling to grab the consumer’s attention. (Dorst and Dijkhuis 1995) Functionality in design is fast receding. In comparison various designers from the past balanced both form and functionality. Architecture, film making, literature, performing arts all reflected an intertwined state of balance between form and functionality that was often hard to decipher. Form has been encouraged in recent years in preference to functionality. A designer ought to be truly independent of commercial influences to exploit their true creative potential. The dominance of the commercial influence on design has rendered design incapable of displaying more subtle tones of thought and reflection. Most products today are designed with a consideration to use and throw away as desired. This in turn encourages the commercial design of products that are more or less disposable. It is debateable is consumer’s demands push such behaviour or if business tendencies to spur consumption spur such tendencies. However what is apparent is that design has been tainted largely with commercial influences that have modified its original precepts. Another competing influence on design strategies is economics. Economical design strategies have shot to the fore front following the eighties and the nineties when advances in manufacturing strategies meant that designs could be optimised further to save material and machine costs. (Simon 1996) Large scale manufacturing operations encourage designers to optimise both the use of material as well as to optimise the manufacturing techniques in use. Such a strategy ensures that the produced design is provi ding desired functionality at low costs to the manufacturer. This aids the business operation to maximise profitability by reducing base costs while keeping profit margins higher. Economic considerations have clearly impacted the length and breadth of the design industry whether the automobile industry is considered or whether fashion design is considered. The base contention is nearly always the same to cut base costs through the optimised use of materials and processes. Often designers produce designs that are then optimised by engineers or other manufacturing experts to remove what could be considered essential design features such as curves, tricky surfaces and the like. This ensures that the design is simplified for manufacturing. (Faste 2001) Similarly clothing designs are modified too such as using different pigments for achieving dimmer or otherwise different colours etc. Overall, economics serve as a major influence on design methods and the affected design domain includes all forms and manners of designs. Large influences on design in the contemporary world stems from globalisation of cultures, societies, ideas and ultimately design influences. The fusion of various cultural influences has produced individuals that are well aware of local values and traditions just as they are well aware of design influences in another part of the world. For example, Japanese designs were known the world over for their subtle and precise character. The

Rome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rome - Essay Example Plagues and floods took their toll. More crucially, the aqueducts which had formed the backbone of the efficient and complex water supply system that served most of Rome fell into disrepair after barbarian raids, leading to the population shrinking towards the river Tiber and around the Campus Martius, and falling to less than 50,000 people. Into this situation the popes of Rome stepped in, creating a serviceable network of churches and ecclesiastical institutions in order to govern the city. The city was thus introduced to Christianity and soon laid claims to being the most important Christian spiritual center. But the Church was not alone in wanting to govern Rome. By 552CE, Rome came to be occupied by the Byzantine empire, and thus began a conflict of interest between the church and the Byzantine regime that was to last for the next few centuries. Under the Byzantine rule, trade, commerce and administration deteriorated, and Rome became a shadow of its former self. The Byzantine emperor Constans II visited Rome in 663 CE, only to strip the city of all its metal from buildings and statues in order to make armaments. The Byzantine city of Constantinople soon emerged to usurp all the commercial successes of Rome, and its former influence in trade in Europe and Asia. With the decimation of the aristocratic class of Rome, a huge market of luxurious goods eventually disappeared taking away prosperity from the common people of Rome, many of whom had found jobs in the trade or manufacture of luxury items. A lot of the famous Roman skills in artisanship also disappeared due this lack of market. More and more people began leaving Rome. Trade in Rome also suffered due to insecure road and maritime travel at the mercy of Germanic and barbarian tribes in what was left of the mighty Roman empire. After Pope Gregory I took over in the 6th century and began to exert more influence than the Byzantine imperial exarchs, the populace of Rome got divided into the clergy, nobility, soldiers, and the lowest class, thus introducing a sphere of Christian influence in socio-political scenario in Rome. But the Church and its members that wanted to govern Rome along with the Byzantian empire were more interested in self-aggrandizement than in the benefit of the city itself, having become too used to the luxurious ways of the erstwhile Roman elite. Even before the fall of Rome, the popes had concentrated their energies in developing their own domain at the eastern edge of the city far away from other Roman habitations, called the Lateran. It is to Lateran that the church limited most of its activities in Rome largely ignoring the disrepair to which the city gradually fell. The pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Peter, where the saint's holy remains were supposed to have been interred, became a sort of commercial activity around which a suburb developed after a fashion, but even the visiting pilgrims who came to pay their homage failed to make any difference to the state of Rome and its gradual decline. Even after the suzerainty of Rome to the Byzantine empire was formally over in the 800CE with the crowning of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III, the papacy was not able to consolidate its hold over the city, and the Arabs sacked

Teenage Suicide in the Middle East Essay Example for Free

Teenage Suicide in the Middle East Essay Generally-speaking, from the data available, the teen suicide rate in the Middle East is tremendously low – lower in this region than anywhere in the entire world. Part of this, however, may be due to underreporting. Few nations in the Middle East have actually submitted data to WHO as far as suicide rates are concerned, and those that have are characterized by incredibly low rates. Egypt’s last report to WHO was in 1987: a 0.0 youth suicide rate (15 to 24 year olds), statistically-speaking, with only 3 total suicides (1 male, 2 females). Iran’s last report to WHO came in 1991: a 0.3 youth suicide rate with only 34 total deaths (25 males, 9 females). Jordan reported to WHO in 1979: a 0.0 youth suicide rate, zero total suicides for those between 15 and 24 years old for that entire year. Kuwait’s report is the most recent, as it came to WHO in 2001: a 0.6 youth suicide rate, with 2 total deaths (both males). It’s so intriguing compared to the rest of the globe. If the data that has been submitted is accurate and holds true across the region, it actually wouldn’t be that surprising. The Middle East is one of those difficult-to- decipher regions as far as East or West is concerned. As far as its leaders are concerned, it seems to prefer neither, or at least somewhere in between. Going back to Durkheim, this would be considered a moderate region. Its social integration and regulation are both moderate. Again, as Durkheim said, this would mean low suicide rates; the theory seems to be fit. However, what about the center the Middle East is becoming for radicalism in recent years? It has become a base for religious fundamentalism, led by terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and Hamas. These groups use violence to get their points across and it is beginning to catch the eyes’ of the region’s young people. The terrorists know that teenagers are easiest to recruit – they don’t fully have their lives planned out and many of them become attracted to doing something for a greater cause. These teenagers have grown up learning about violence and how it can be glorified. They have been taught by radicals that being part of a suicide bombing is a noble deed that will gain them everlasting life and the adorned title of ‘martyr.’ The textbooks that children currently use in Afghanistan are filled with violence. The books are â€Å"lavishly illustrated with bombs, landmines, guns, and soldiers and filled with [†¦] jihad and other milita nt Islamic teachings† (Sluzki 3). How ironic it is that these books were given to Afghan schools from the United States, in an attempt to increase children’s interest in waging war against the Soviet Union. Now children read these books and become interested in fighting the United States after hearing the repeated call, often propaganda, from nearby terrorist groups. This is just one example of how â€Å"seeds of violence† as Sluzki put it are being instilled in children’s minds (Sluzki 3). For more instances of violence being portrayed to youth, one need not look further than Palestine. Journalist Kenneth Timmerman wrote a disturbing article about the Palestinian Authority under Yasser Arafat. It was producing music videos, meant to appeal to children and teens, that encouraged the young to become martyrs and kill Israelis. The videos were made out of popular music and aired continuously on television. In one video in particular, a young boy is shown on his way to commit a suicide bombing. He says his goodbyes and sings, â€Å"Mother, do not cry for me.† That very line has appeared in at least three actual suicide notes between May 2001 and December 2002 – those who wrote the notes were between the ages of 14 and 17. This makes it clear that the videos were having an effect on teens. The worst part about the videos is that they glorify the act, make it seem painless, and in every way make it positive, an achievement, a holy and honorable act for the Palestinian people. (Timmerman 35) Another article sheds further light on violence and children in Palestine. According to Eyad Serraj, a psychologist in Gaza, many older children and teenagers view martyrdom in a positive light. Serraj says â€Å"that a poll conducted in the summer of 2003 showed that 36% of 12-year-old boys questioned in Gaza said they believed sacrificing themselves for the Palestinian cause was the best thing they could do with their lives† (Blanche 24). Serraj is not surprised by the find: In their minds, the only model of power and glory is the martyr. Palestinian society glorifies the martyr. They are elevated to the level of saints. In the hopeless and inhuman environment in which they live there is the promise that they will have a better life in heaven †¦ There’s a very big pool of potential martyrs. They’re queuing up, and that happens because hope is diminishing. (Blanche 24) To be fair, not all Middle Easterners are in favor of this trend – using children and teenagers as suicide bombers. Even in Palestine, where the act is being most promoted, it is hearing stern criticism from some. An article elaborates on an incident in March 2004 in which a teen, who was about to commit a suicide bombing, was caught before the act. It has stirred a lot of concern and emotion in Palestine. The 16-year old surrendered at an Israeli checkpoint and was held briefly by Israeli forces. A day later, his mother Tamam Abdo issued a statement: â€Å"No one the age of my son should be used to commit such acts [†¦] Maybe if he was 20, perhaps I could understand. At that age, they know what they are doing.† She said he was nothing more than a misguided teenager. Following the incident, several other Palestinians were interviewed and voiced their anger about the young being used as suicide bombers. Mohammed Zeidal, a college student, said that â€Å"to use someone his age is very, very wrong.† Bassem Eid, head of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, went on the record saying, â€Å"It is really shameful for the Palestinian reputation [†¦] to misuse our children and push them to their death.† This is not to say that all are opposed to such acts – as mentioned earlier, there is support for youth suicide bombings in Palestine –, but it should also be clear that there is some resistance to them as well. (â€Å"Teenagers in Suicide Bombings†) This information about terrorism and suicide bombings is not at all meant to overshadow the earlier data, but it is certainly pertinent in a discussion about teen suicide in the Middle East. Again, it must be reiterated that teen suicide rates are indeed among the lowest in the Middle East of any region in the world – at least according to the data that is available (it is scare for the region). The region serves as a living testament to Durkheim’s theory; it fully supports his belief that more moderately structured societies will have lower suicide rates. Teenage Suicide in East Asia Japan It is not uncommon for Americans to think of Japan as a whole different world. After all, it is on the other side of the globe. The similarities though are striking, thanks to the impact of the Western world. After much resistance, Japan finally opened its nation up for trade with the West in the 1850’s, falling to pressure from the United States. Ever since, Japan has adapted to Western life in many forms. It has seen that for it to compete on the global scale it has little choice but to make changes to its traditional way of life. In the 20th century, Japan blossomed with technological advances and finally put itself on the map. It took up competition with the United States and countries in Europe. This history may not seem relevant, but it is important to understanding the development of teenage suicide in Japan. Ever since being exposed to the West, Japan has felt extreme pressures from the outside world. These pressures have forced its people to fight in an ongoing struggle to be competitive. However, they have also done harm to its people. Japanese teenagers especially grow up being reminded of this need to be the best that they can. Sometimes it can be too much to bare. So why not suicide? Everything can end in one instant. The teen suicide rate in Japan has fluctuated considerably over the course of the last 35 years. According to WHO, the Japanese suicide rate in 1970 for 15 to 19 year olds was 7.8 per 100,000. By 1991, WHO reports that the suicide rate for the very same age group had been cut in half to just 3.8. A 1994 study by Zinn, et al, also alluded to a dropping rate, stating that â€Å"suicide is no longer an honorable act† in Japan (7-11). It adds that â€Å"teenagers (10-19 year olds) made up just over 2% of suicides† in Japan in 1992. However, the most recent reports point to Japan’s suicide rate being on the rise, and that includes teenagers. A BBC News article published in 1999 discounts Zinn’s earlier statement, explaining Japan’s increase in suicides in the mid-to-late 1990’s as a result of its â€Å"deeply ingrained culture that regards suicide as an honourable way to atone for failure and express remorse† (â€Å"World: Asia-Pacific Japan on suicide alert†). The article mentions that from 1997 to 1998 â€Å"junior high school student suicides increased by 40 to 102. At high schools, 220 students took their own lives in 1998, an increase of 51.† Japan’s most recent report to WHO in the year 2000 further supports an increase. The youth suicide rate was reported to have jumped to 11.5, higher than the United States rate of 10.2 for that year. While the most recent data encompasses 19-24 year olds in addition to those 15-19, the increase has been consistent with the rise in other industrialized nations. One particular article of interest, as to explicate possible motives for teen suicide, is â€Å"Bullied to Death in Japan† by Lauren Freedman. The article takes a look at the pressures of teenage boys growing up in Japan in the early to mid 1990’s (recent statistics make it probable that these pressures still hold true today). Bullying is the central focus, something that has become a huge problem in the nation, strikingly similar to what bullying has become in the United States. â€Å"Bullying is an old and widespread problem in Japan,† Freedman writes. Katsuyuki Ogawa, a psychologist in Tokyo, went so far as to say just about everyone will undergo the experience of being bullied. According to Freedman, and many Japanese experts who she refers to in her article, society is to blame. Professor Yaichi Wakai put it very bluntly: â€Å"Japan is a competitive society, and bullying is one distorted phenomenon of that severe competition.† (Freedman 25) Taking this into account and looking again at the history explained earlier, hearing that bullying occurs in Japan is not much of a surprise. The fact that it results in suicide isn’t that shocking either when everything is taken into consideration. So Japan, in fact, isn’t a whole different world. Many Japanese parents are forced to bury their teenagers just as in the United States. Although on the other side of the globe, Japanese instances of teen suicide actually mirror that of America in the ways discussed. China Hong Kong China is immensely different than nearby Japan. It isn’t considered a Western nation. Instead, it is deeply rooted in a tradition and history of its own, which of course has included thinkers like Confucius. It strives for excellence and works together as a people. It has continued along these lines into the new millennium and is widely known for its communist government. In such a place, where the individual isn’t strived for, but rather the collective whole, some may initially think suicide does not exist. But this thinking would be absurd. It is absolutely true that, based on the data available, teenage suicide doesn’t occur in rates as high in China as it does in Western nations, but teenage suicide in China does occur. One of the problems to investigating it is simple: it has not been well documented. The fact that it doesn’t appear to be a widespread problem may attribute to the lack of documentation. It seems that teen suicide in China is sporadic and the cases almost very isolated from each other. In China’s 1999 report to WHO, the nation reported a low 6.9 youth suicide rate – 5.4 for males and 8.6 for females. This comprised 1,541 total deaths in that year, 626 males and 915 females. This is the first occurrence of the female rate being higher, possibly suggesting that the high male rate may be associated with Western nations. The reason for the high female rate in China has not been explained, but it could be due to the fact that males are seen so much more important in Chinese socie ty. The â€Å"one-child† rule in China forces parents to give up their daughters, as they usually want sons. Perhaps, and it is only a theory, many of these girls grow up contemplating suicide and ultimately commit the act. If there was more data available, better sense could be made of these figures. In an article about Chinese suicide ideation, the lack of information is mentioned. â€Å"We could find only one study specifically assessing suicide ideation in a community sample of Chinese young people,† it said. That study, conducted in 1996 by men named Zhang and Jin, compared suicidal thoughts between college students in the United States and China. It found that the idea of suicide between cultures differed in many ways, with religiosity ending up the only definitive reason that both cultures would take suicide into consideration. (Stewart 227-240) This leads to the Hong Kong study, which was published in the article mentioned above. Interesting about Hong Kong is that it has been much more wrapped in Western culture than nearby China. After all, it had been ruled by the British for over a century. Once it began adopting Western ideals, teenage suicide occurred more frequently in Hong Kong. Again, the highest rates of suicide have long been associated with the Western way of life. However, as the study points out, it didn’t experience teen suicides rates quite as high as elsewhere. A probable reason for this is that it held onto at least some of its Asian roots, heavily based on Chinese culture. This makes Hong Kong quite a unique and interesting place when we look at suicide among teenagers. Here is a place that is being tugged by both Western culture and its traditional Eastern culture at the same time. Both influences have remained prevalent, at least to some extent. Even more interesting then – what if we took a look at teenagers in Hong Kong who were born in China, and had emigrated? This is precisely what the â€Å"Suicide Ideation† study addressed. The study took a look at 996 Chinese adolescents living in Hong Kong: 500 male and 496 female. They were asked to complete a survey in school and then conclusions were drawn. A significant difference from the majority of suicides in Western nations was uncovered. It was found that those who were considering suicide were doing so not because of reasons like peer pressure or the media. Instead, and overwhelmingly, the Chinese teenagers said they were doing it because of pressure from their parents. This remained consistent between both males and females too. (Stewart 227-240) Although there are many differences between Japan and China, similar to the former, China strives for excellence among its people. A major difference is Japan does it for the good of the individual where in China i t occurs for the good of society as a whole. Nevertheless, this work ethic, deeply rooted in East Asian tradition, is once again creating pressures. But instead of blaming specific, isolated individuals (as in bullying) for their suicidal thoughts, these Chinese students are pointing to the closest collective item they know and constantly come into contact with – their parents. Their parents, mother and father, are pressuring them to do the best they can for society. They hear it over and over from them. They are not attributing the suicidal thoughts to peers or pressures to be â€Å"cool† for instance, but instead to their elders who they are told to follow in every respect. The difference in their state of mind is significant. (Stewart 227-240) Still, as proven by this study, the thoughts do exist, even among Chinese teenagers – that thought of putting an end to one’s life. Perhaps because they have that support group, that collective society, and are not being singled out by others, is why their actual rates of suicide are low. The thoughts exist among Chinese teens, but it seems fewer actually go t hrough with the action.

Rizals life and works Essay Example for Free

Rizals life and works Essay Dr. Josà © Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda (June 19, 1861- December 30, 1896) He was an award winning poet, and brilliant critic of the Spanish historical accounts of the societies in his native pre-colonial Philippines. Full of intelligence and humility, Rizal gained the respect and admiration of prominent men from around the world. Yet, more importantly, Rizal’s love for his nation and his fellow men led him to spark a revolution that uplifted the welfare of so many. An outstanding academic, he originally planned on studying land surveying, but when his mother began to go blind, he decided to study medicine. Unable to continue his education at Manila’s University of Santo Tomas due to discrimination because he was a native, Rizal traveled to Spain to study at the Universidad Central de Madrid. Before the age of 25, Rizal had traveled to Paris to earn a second doctorate, and then to Germany, where he completed his eye specialization and was inducted as a member of the Berlin Ethnological and Anthropological Societies. A master in 22 languages, Rizal used his intellectual and writing talents to write about the Spanish Colonial elite and the atrocities committed towards the natives by the Friars in the name of the Church. He translated and published his writings in many languages. However, this meant Rizal faced strong public opposition from elites in many countries who wanted to protect their interests in colonialism. Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892 and formed a civic movement called â€Å"La Liga Filipina.† His goal was to unite Filipinos for protection from violence and injustice and to fight for change through peaceful and legal means. Rizal was declared an enemy of the state and his organization was disbanded by the Spanish governor. â€Å"†¦our liberty will (not) be secured at the sword’s point†¦we must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it. And when a people reaches that height God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards and liberty will shine out like the first dawn† – Josà © Rizal Even when the infamous General Baleriano Weyler (who developed harsh tactics and cruel concentration camps for the natives in Cuba a few years earlier) was transferred to the Philippines to suppress the native organizing, Josà © Rizal continued speaking out and leading tenants against the injustices oppressing them, including ever-increasing rents, evictions, and the farm destruction ordered by the General. Recognized years later by Ghandi as a forefunner in the cause of freedom, Rizal never once  backed down from his beliefs that his people needed proper representation, strong education, better protection and a better government. Yet, his undaunted courage and determination to improve the welfare of Filipinos was feared by his enemies. They quickly deported him as a rebel. Where many would give up or become discouraged, Rizal used those four years of exile to build a school, a hospital and water dam and supply system that were considered engineering marvels. His sincerity and friendliness won the trust and confidence of everyone, even his prison guards. Shortly after his return, the Philippines began a full-blown revolution. In order to disassociate with the violent uprising, which he felt would not be enough to change the minds of the wealthy Filipinos, Rizal volunteered to go serve victims of yellow fever in Cuba. He was arrested en route to Cuba and sent to prison. A prime example of his character is seen in his return voyage. The guards refused to chain him or touch him because he was known for his honesty. Rizal never took advantage of opportunities to escape. Upon his return, Josà © Rizal was charged with sedition, conspiracy and rebellion and sentenced to death. Without a chance to challenge the charges, Rizal was executed by a firing squad, and buried secretly and without a casket in unholy ground. A monument now stands in the place where he was killed. The inscription reads, â€Å"I want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions, death does not matter if one dies for those one loves – for his country and for others dear to him.† His life and death was a catalyst that sparked the revolution against Spain and six years later would change the long-held view of the U.S. government that the Filipinos were too barbaric to govern themselves. The U.S. passed a bill in support of a Democratic government in the Philippines after hearing one of his poems read in congress. â€Å"I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land. You who have it to see, welcome it and forget not those who have fallen during the night!† – Josà © Rizal

The Rise And Fall Of Carleton Fiorina Commerce Essay

The Rise And Fall Of Carleton Fiorina Commerce Essay This essay examines the case study The rise and fall of Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina, during her employment as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with Hewlett-Packard (HP) (Robbins et al. 2008). Well-known for her charisma, high profile and aggressiveness in business, Carlys previous employers at Lucent Technologies paid tribute her imaginative leadership style, her enthusiasm, and her ability to introduce and lead change. (Robbins et al.). The value of individual personality tests as an indicator for business success will be examined. This essay also looks at Carlys personality, and how it may have impacted on her ability to perform her job. It will be argued that personality testing has limited value as an indicator of business success. Other factors considered include gender, organisational culture and charismatic leaders. Burton et al. (2009), describes personality as the enduring blueprint for an individuals motivation and behaviour expressed in different circumstance, including the individuals thoughts and feelings. According to Burton et al., personality can change however, adult personality show significant reliability over time. Carly personality was well known and was considered as a great asset at the time of her employment at HP. Carly was portrayed as charismatic, visionary, and unconventional and as having the resolve necessary to undertake the job (Robins et al. 2008). Carly did not appear to place a high value on traditional goals, but rather she was interested in business improvement. Carly was described has having the ability to analyse business problems and to come up with what she considered to be best business solutions (Robins et al.). Hoffman (2001) in his book Ace the Corporate Personality Test talks about the testing boom which has taken place in employment situations. Hoffman states that while some personality change is possible in adulthood, it is likely that any change would be an adjustment of personality, rather than a major change. Hoffman outlines that we might change our attitudes, behavioural tendencies, and goals in life, but not our core personality. There is no evidence that there was a change in Carlys personality, rather it appears to have been consistent throughout her employment with HP. Carly was well known for her high business profile, prior to her joining HP. She had established her business credentials at Lucent Technologies, where she was recognised for her ability to implement change and for her far-sighted leadership (Robbins et al. 2008). Carly was noted for being a change agent, visionary leader and as being high in energy. These aspects of Carlys personality, for which she was initiall y employed, were key requirements needed to ensure the business improvement at HP. Robbins et al., (2008) identifies the need for organisations to change if the organisation is to survive and adapt. This requires a change in the organisational culture, which Robbins et al., describes as the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of, and within an organisation. It is the collection of values and norms that are shared by the people and groups within an organisation and that manage the way they interact with each other and with others outside the organisation. In a Business Week article titled HPs Carly Fiorina: The Boss (1999), Carlys was reported as identifying the need for an urgent innovative approach to be introduced at HB. Carly was reported as being a forward thinker, quoted as saying we have to make sure it represents the next century rather than the last one. The article highlights the organisational culture in place the HP Way at the time of Carlys employment as CEO, and discusses the need to change the culture which had crept in over recent years. Schein (2004) recognises that there can be difficulties with succession, especially when conservatives are replaced with radicals in the hierarchy of an organisation. Schein identifies the necessity to identify and promote the organisational culture, even though much culture is hard to recognise and interpret, as it is often entrenched in everyday practices. It appears that this may have been the case with Carlys attempts to change the organisational culture and practices at HP. Carly clearly had great expectations regarding what she planned to achieve at HP (Business Week, 1999). Carly displayed an internal locus of control (Wood et al, 2010), a belief in her capability to control her own destiny. Carly was intrinsically motivated, that is, she was stimulated to preform by her internal drive rather that for external rewards (Burton et al. 2009). Carlys believed that she could master the difficulties and make a difference at HP. This is reflected in her ability to initiate the purcha se of Compaq, despite opposition from Walter Hewlett. There is no evidence to suggest that Carlys personality did change, to become too big, rather the fit between Carly and HP may have contributed to the problem. Brown (1995) states that to achieve successful change programs on a large scale, requires effective, assertive leaders, and that the successful management of organisational culture requires the backing of those in the most senior positions. Brown also suggests that the organisational culture can be the origin of problems which hold the organisation back from growth and development. There is an expectation of predictable relationships between an individuals personality and their predisposition to behave in a certain way (Wood et al. 2010). Gender considerations were explored to determine if a double standard or gender bias was evident. It was determined in this case that Carlys appointment as CEO at HP was seen as proof that gender was no longer an issue in the business world (Cotter et al. 2001). According to the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission (1995), (as cited in Cotter et al.), the glass ceiling refers to obstructions which exist to hinder the progression of women and minorities to achieve higher levels within the workplace. Robbins et al. (2008) identifies that women may make better leaders than men. Although the differences are not great, differences include women can make better listeners, superior mentors, are better goal setters, produce high quality work, and foster better communication. While gender bias and the glass ceiling may exist in the business world, there is not evidence in this case to suggest that Carlys was the victim of a double standard. She had an aggressive and forthright business approach f rom the outset. Robbins et al., remarks that as a CEO, when things are going well the CEO receives the credit and praise, but when things are not going well the blame falls on the CEO regardless of factors outside the control or responsibility. Carly was described as charismatic. Cambridge Dictionary (2011) describes charisma as a special power which some people have naturally which makes them able to influence other people and attract their attention and admiration. Weber (as cited in Robins et al. 2008) describes chiasmatic leadership as one of the best models of authority and influence. Robert House (as cited in Robins et al.) details the charismatic leadership theory as leaders with vision and who are willing to take personal risks to accomplish their vision, they are responsive to subrogates requirements and to environmental demands, and they demonstrate behaviours that are out to the ordinary. Unfortunately, some charismatic leaders can become carried away and a dark side is revealed. In these cases the best interests of the organisation are not fully represented (Robbins et al.). The margin separating personal interests and those of the organisation can become blurred. Robins et al., describes the worst case scenario being when ego-driven charismatic leader put their own interests ahead of the organisation, or when they use the organisational resources for their own personal benefit or gain (Robbins et al.). It is clear that Carly became impressed with herself and her importance, placing her portrait next to those of the HP founders and failing to heed the warning issued by HB board members to change her style (Robbins et al.). Prior to joining HP, Carly undertook a 900 question personality test. Personality testing is used to predict performance in the workplace (Hoffman 2000). It was recognised that Carly had charismatic qualities including the vigour, enthusiasm, forward thinking vision, drive and aggressiveness, all considered necessary for the position of CEO (Robbins et al. 2008). One universally applied personality measurement is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which consists of a 100 question tests that seeks to categorise participants into four categories: a) extroverted or introverted; b) sensing or intuitive; C) thinking or feeling; and d) judging or perceiving (Robbins et al.). The results of the questionnaire are classified into 16 personality types. If this test had been applied in the case of Carly, her personality type would most likely be INT. Characteristics of an INT might include being organised, determined, having a sense of purpose, motivation and drive, forward thinkers, analy tical, decisive, and logical and as having an innate sense for business (Robbins et al.). The MBTI results, do not however, correlate with actual job performance (Robbins et al.). A personality testing model, which as the benefit of research, is the Five Factor Model of Personality, also known as the big five (Robbins et al. 2008). Using this model, personality can be reduced to five broad categories of personality traits. Traits are the emotional, cognitive and behavioural tendencies that constitute underlying personality dimensions (Burton et al. 2009, p. 433). The five personality traits of the big five model are: 1) Extraversion. This trait includes characteristics such as being socially adapt, talkative, assertive and as having an abundance of emotional fluency. 2) Agreeableness. This comprises of personality attributes such as being trustworthy, selflessness, kindness, and affection. 3) Conscientiousness. Common characteristics within this dimension include a high measure of impulse control, goal directed behaviours and are high in thoughtfulness. Individuals who rate high in conscientiousness have the propensity to be both organised and attentive of details. 4) Emotional stability. Individuals with positive emotional stability have a predisposition to cope with stress, are generally calm, self- confident and secure. 5) Openness to experience. Within this trait characteristic are imagination and insight, and individuals with a wide diversity of interests, would be found (Robbins et al. 2008). Hoffman (2001) states the five factor model dominates the area of personalty testing and suggests that the most probable scales tested are extraversion and conscientiousness. There are three methods of measuring personality, self report, observer-rating surveys and projective measures (Robbins et al. 2008). According to Robbins, et al., self report questionnaires are the most widespread method of measuring personality. A concerning aspect of the self report survey method is that it is possible to alter the results to create a better outcome (Robbins, et al.). Burton et al. (2009) outline various problems with personality testing including that they can be subjective, and that a persons results may change in response to the persons emotional state and other situational variables. Burton et al., also identify that it is possible to deliberately alter the outcome, and that personality testing does not correlate to consistency across all situations. These finding suggest that personality testing has little real value in predicting individual business success. This essay reviewed the value of individual personality tests as an employment indicator for business success. Knowing an individuals personality characteristics can provide valuable insight into how that individual may act, or interact in business circumstances. Limits of personality testing include that the personality testing can be subjective, a persons results may change in response to the persons emotional state and other situational variables. It is possible to deliberately alter the test outcome, and personality testing does not correlate to consistency across all situations. Prior to joining HP, Carly undertook a 900 question personality test. It was recognised that Carly had charismatic qualities including the vigour, enthusiasm, forward thinking vision, drive and aggressiveness, all considered necessary for the position of CEO. There is evidence to suggest that there may have been problems with the organisational culture. There is however no evidence to suggest that Carlys was the victim of a double standard, or of gender bias. Carly was considered a charismatic leader and unfortunately in some instances charismatic leadership can lose sight of the best interests of the organisation, then the obligations and responsibilities become confused or blurred. This was the case with Carly during her employment with HP. Personality testing was undertaken prior to Carlys employment which provided a snap shot at that time. Personality in itself does not provide a long term prediction. It is concluded that individual personality testing has limited value as an indicator of business success.

Gym Observation Essay -- Descriptive Writing Examples

Personal space, body language, and overall interaction between the participants in the gym was something that I hadn't paid enough attention to in the past, from the distance I could see that their interests. The intimate couples that I noticed in the gym seemed again sought to have created a private space for them by erecting invisible barriers through their private body language directed only at each other, resulting in considerable more space between these couples and other groups of people in the gym. It was a clear and present body language of please do not bother us attitude left a sense of diffused power that would be involved power relationships that operate without covert commands and requests. The dynamics of the couple was something that was very obvious, in that I was able to note the dominant and the submissive person. The person who had a tendency to meet the needs and the one who had the ability to be demanding. Gender roles, specifically within the intimate couple, were clearly observed and noted, the couple gave a snap shot by their behavior into how they functioned as a couple. When the female in the intimate relationship left for the restroom the guy in situation-spent time, cleaning and wiping down the equipment before she returned. He spent time making sure that the machine that she would be returning too was in adequate and working condition before her arrival. His role as the protector to her was clearly established in that his role was such that, to make sure she was fine overall. It is a strange sensation to watch two people who are clearly attracted to each other dance away at, the new T. I song as they work out together. I was left with the question of how they worked together ... ...hat the athletic groups tended to say together. What my eyes had missed so far is that this is a community that is very closely connected within the larger campus. These are people who share a bond that is clear and so very obvious, part of it, is that they play a sport but they all seem to share the same interest. When watching them it is too see people who are clearly involved in each other's lives, more like siblings that are very connected and concerned with each other. The eye contact I noticed was very intense and deep, to each other they wanted to see and make sure that the person being listened too knew that they were important and cared for. I only saw such looks when looking at other couples, or when I realized that Jim and I had caged ourselves in the corner to be alone at snack time.

Black Panther Party Essay -- American History

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were two African-American men growing up in the ghetto of California where they saw and experienced racism and police brutality. There voices were not heard when it came to their communities. It took three young children to die by car crashes, and a peaceful candlelight vigil that turned into a fight between a neighborhood and the police (in which the police covered up their badges so that no one could report them to the police department) for them to want to make a change to free themselves from control and oppression. It was because of this that 25 year old Huey Newton and 30 year old Bobby Seale founded The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense in October 1966, in Oakland, California. The party was inspired by revolutionaries such as Mao Tse-tung and Malcolm X. Malcolm had represented a militant revolutionary, with the dignity and self-respect to stand up and fight to win equality for all oppressed minorities. Influenced by the teachings of Mao's Red Book the organization became more of a Marxist-Communist group that favored violent revolution, if necessary, to bring about changes in society. Equipped with rifles and the knowledge from many law books the Black Panther Party fed the hungry, protected the weak from racist police, and presented a Ten Point Platform and Program of Black political and social activism. The platform is stated as follows: 1.) We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our Black Community. 2.) We want full employment of our people. 3.) We want an end to the robbery by the CAPITALIST of our Black community. 4.) We want decent housing, fit for shelter of human beings. 5.) We want education for our people that exposes the tr ue nature of this decadent Ameri... ...hoice c.) Huey Newton's arrest unites the two feuding races of revolutionaries V.) Panthers and the police a.) hostility b.) quote from Panther Paper causes alarm within the government c.) government campaign against the Panthers VI.) The end a.) More FBI infiltration b.) Illegal and unethical methods of infiltration c.) Death of Panthers d.) Struggle to keep party afloat e.) End of party Bibliography Andrews, Lori Black Power, White Blood. New York: Pantheon Books. 1996. Carmichael, Stokely, Hamilton Charles V. Black Power the Politics of Liberation in America. New York: Random House. 1967 Freed, Donald. Agony in New Haven. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1973 Meier, August, Rudwick, Elliott. Black Protest In the Sixties. Chicago: Quadrangle Books. 1970 Shakur, Assata, Assata An Autobiography. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books. 1987

Essay --

K-pop, also known as Korean Pop Music, is a musical genre containing electronic, hip hop, pop, rock and R&B music originating from South Korea. K-pop started in the early 1990s and grew from a musical genre into a subculture among teenagers and adults throughout East and Southeast Asia in the late 2000s. In 1957, American music started influencing Korean Music which led to many comparing the two genres together. Ever since Korean artist Psy has taken the world by storm with his single "Gangnam Style", K-pop is becoming more globally recognized. Many people are new to the genre K-pop and try to compare it to American pop music. Although there are some similarities, there are major differences between the two. K-pop is often critique for misusing English words in its lyrics and having meaningless song titles. Many k-pop songs have simple and repetitive lyrics that make little to no grammatical sense. K-pop also throws in a lot of English phrases into their songs and sometimes it is misused causing parts of the song to not make sense. My interviewee, Tina, played a few k-pop songs that had English phrases in it that didn’t make much sense. One of the songs was â€Å"Mama† by Exo. There was a phrase in the song that went â€Å"Careless, careless. Shoot anonymous, anonymous. Heartless, mindless. No one. Who care about me?† and I had no idea what this meant. When I first listened to it, I thought it was silly and random but the next day after the interview, I found myself singing the lyrics to the song. Tina was telling me this is the power of k-pop. Even though the lyrics and English phrases don’t make sense, the beat is catchy enough to make you sing along to it. â€Å"Another song I didn’t like when I first listened to was Bar Bar Bar by Crayon Po... .... The song â€Å"Swagger Jagger† is about somebody who steals somebody else’s style. I found the lyrics kind of full of herself and very self-centered because she think people are stealing her style and declaring hate on them. While Crayon Pop’s song was about inspiring people to have fun. The lyrics to â€Å"Swagger Jagger† were somewhat sending a message to all her haters who stole her unique style I don’t think this song sends a good message because it’s essentially telling people it’s alright to hate. There was no real choreography during the entire concert. She just walked back and forth around the stage. There were times when she would start jumping to get the crowd hyped up and shook people’s hand but there was no real dancing throughout the concert. I was not into the performances as much as I was with Crayon Pop. The music was good but it wasn’t as fun and enjoyable.

A Hero of Our Time: a Short Analysis of Human Complacency with Suffering and Pain

Jeremiah Morales Morales 1 IB World Literature Ms. Gibbs December 21, 2011 A Hero of Our Time: Human Complacency with Suffering and Pain Throughout A Hero of Our Time, Mikhail Lermontov speculates greatly the validity of human friendships. Through his protagonist, Grigory Alexandrovich Pechorin, Lermontov reveals friendship to be a parasitic sort of relationship, one member of the unit of friendship always exploiting the other to some degree. Pechorin himself is the manifestation of this idea throughout the course of the novel, interacting with other people only to achieve his own means and never when it would be unbeneficial to him. Pechorin inflicts emotional trauma of some degree upon all the people he meets; as a result of Pechorin’s presence, suffering is introduced into the lives of those around him. Also, despite Pechorin’s malign intentions & the suffering he brings to those near him, these people about him continue to lionize and honor him, neglecting to sever their ties with him even when the relationship they shared became unhealthy. The most profound example of vampirism in the novel, however, lies within the relationship shared between Pechorin and Bela, a young Circassian princess whom he would kidnap and later abandon. Through the recurring notions of suffering, Lermontov reveals the penchant of the human heart for the infliction and reception of pain, however inadvertent it may be. As Lermontov reveals through Bela and her submissiveness to her captivity, people silently allow others to inflict pain upon them, offering no true struggle against their oppressors. In the Caucasus, Pechorin crosses paths with Azamat, a young Circassian prince with a particular interest in Karagyoz, the horse of an old acquaintance of Pechorin’s, Kazbich. Pechorin comes to fancy Azamat’s sister, the lovely Bela, whom had danced before him during a wedding party. Pechorin proposes a bargain to Azamat; if he could kidnap Bela and bring her to Pechorin’s dwelling, Pechorin would procure Kazbich’s famed horse for him. Both parties fulfill their ends of the deal, and Bela soon was within the walls Morales 2 of Pechorin’s home. Once in Pechorin’s home, Bela hides â€Å"behind [her] door† (20). Bela is deeply frightened and emotionally wounded by her kidnapping, fearful of those who abducted her. She no longer sings or dances as she did before; she only â€Å"sits in a corner, wrapped in a shawl† (21), holding herself in a sort of fetal position. â€Å"She isn’t talking† (21) and â€Å"isn’t looking up† (21), refusing to actively observe her surroundings or absorb the reality of what was happening about her, for she is â€Å"as frightened as a wild chamois† (21), â€Å"shuddering† (21) when spoken to, her senses of stability and communication greatly distorted by the mental suffering she had undergone as she was abducted from her home. She â€Å"pines† (21), â€Å"her head hanging down to her chest† (21), reveling in her misery and distancing herself from her surroundings. Bela is miserable, longing desperately for the familiarity of her former home, and expressed her unhappiness without abandon. She would not, however, act on her emotions, silently allowing herself to remain in captivity. She would sit in silence, not offering a word of protest and not making any attempts to escape. Pechorin would try to elicit responses from her, entering the room that had been set aside for her and attempting to assuage her defensiveness by assuring her he meant no harm. Bela â€Å"nods her head in a sign of agreement† (22) as he demands she be more cheerful, obediently capitulating to his will and â€Å"smiling affectionately† (22), offering a fabricated smile to please him. Pechorin takes her hand and advances towards her, attempting to kiss her, and despite her â€Å"trembling† (22), she does not offer any substantial resistence, saying â€Å"’I am your captive, your slave. Of course you can force me’† (22). Despite the great emotional trauma that Pechorin inflicted on her by kidnapping her, Bela makes no true endeavor to escape or defy him; she instead submissively and obediently offers herself to him, allowing him to do as he pleased without regard to the suffering it brought her. Bela’s willingness to remain in captivity and tolerate her suffering reveals that, even in relationships today, women will be able to romanticize pain and abuse when they are afflicted by these things through an oppressive or vampiric relationship. Through Pechorin’s indifference to Bela’s suffering, Lermontov reveals to us the ultimate selfishness that men are capable of and their ability to wholly ignore the suffering of others for the sake of achieving their own means. Pechorin had a talent for manipulating women, feeding off their infatuation until he became unpleased with the relationship. Bela, however, â€Å"pines† (21) for her old life and does not succumb to his various charms initially, and so Pechorin makes a sport of winning her affection. Pechorin had noticed that, after giving her many gifts, Bela began to grow less emotionally resistant and more familiar with him, and Pechorin had begun to tell Maxim Maximych, his partner in travel, that he would without doubt win Bela’s affection. He speaks of her as if she was game, saying that she was â€Å"’not a woman’† (22), separating her from the classifications of human beings, as if she were rather an animal to be hunted. He says to Maxim that on his â€Å"’honest word, she will be [his]† (22), and when Maxim shakes his head in doubt, Pechorin proposes to â€Å"’bet on it’† (22) and that â€Å"’in a week’s time’† (22) she would give in. Pechorin made her out to be as an animal to be coaxed out of its protective shell so that it might be captured; rather than pitying Bela and taking note of her intense suffering and sadness, he made a game of the situation, and even offered to gamble with Maxim as to what the outcome of the game would be. Hitler does eventually warm her heart, winning her love short deep into a pathetic list of procedures carefully executed through plans engineered to manipulate Bela and distract her from her suffering. Pechorin himself, however, would become distracted himself, immersing himself in his love for the hunt. He â€Å"loved hunting with a passion† (30). As he came to enjoy hunting more and more, he was seen less and less at home, and Bela was left alone, â€Å"the poor pale thing so sad† (31). She would often â€Å"cry† (31), brought to deep despair by the notion that â€Å"he does not love [her]† (31). However, if Bela continued to â€Å"pine† (31), Pechorin â€Å"would grow tired of it† (31) and leave her. Pechorin was not interested in her feelings or how awfully they were damaged as a result of his indifference; he cared only that she acted in the manner that he pleased. If she would not do that, the relationship would no longer be something worthy of his investment. Out of Pechorin’s sight, however, Bela would continue to wollow in her anguish, â€Å"falling down on [her] bed and covering her face with her hands† (31) as she wept in despair. Despite the emotional suffering that Bela had been Morales 4 subject to, Pechorin would offer no comforting, as what mattered to him was his own pleasure. Through Bela’s death and Pechorin’s ability to easily cope, Lermontov reveals the ultimate complacency humans find in their suffering. Kazbich attempts to steal Bela away from Pechorin and Maxim, binding her and riding away with her on his horse. Pechorin and Maxim chase him fervently, and in an attempt to stop Kazbich and save Bela’s life, a horrible irony occurs – the bullet with which Maxim intended to target Kazbich and save Bela actually proves to have pierced through Bela herself. Bela grows fatally ill after taking this shot, and she now suffers physical trauma in addition to her emotional instability. She suffers from â€Å"delirium† (39), and often â€Å"lies motionless and pale† (39). It was barely possible to see her breathing† (39), and she is â€Å"dying† (39). She begins â€Å"lamenting† (39) all the sadnesses of her past, moved to utter and complete despair by the intense physical pain and the knowledge that her life was now virtually over. Bela now suffers in both physically and emotionally shattering ways, and yet does not curse Pechorin or Maxim for t he great physical and emotional traumas they had brought her. Pechorin expresses very mild forms of concern, but ultimately would easily be able to allow her passing, Maxim â€Å"never once [having] noticed a tear on his lashes† (39). Bela would be kidnapped and murdered by two men whom she had never known, and would not express any operative resentment; in the same respect, Pechorin’s actions would ultimately lead to Bela’s death, and yet he would offer no signs of remorse. Through the theme of suffering, and the passive ending of Bela and Pechorin’s relationship, Lermontov reveals the ultimate tolerance for the infliction and reception of pain that humans have allowed to form within their natures. (Word Count: 1,491)

Nancy Scheper-Hughes and the Question of Ethical Fieldwork

In 1974, Nancy Scheper-Hughes traveled to a village in rural Ireland which she later nicknamed â€Å"Ballybran† (Scheper-Hughes 2000-128)). Her findings there led her to publish Saints, Scholars and Schizophrenics: Mental Illness in Rural Ireland in 1979, in which she attempted to explain the social causes of Ireland’s surprisingly high rates of schizophrenia (Scheper-Hughes 2000:128). Saints was met with a backlash of criticism from both the anthropological community and the villagers who had served as her informants. The criticism eventually led to Scheper-Hughes being expelled indefinitely from the village in which she had worked (Scheper-Hughes 2000:118) and raised serious questions about the ethics of anthropological inquiry. In this essay I will argue that Nancy Scheper-Hughes’ fieldwork in Ireland was fundamentally unethical on the grounds that she morally wronged her participants through her fictionalized representation of them, and that she did not seek their informed consent. That being said, she was also committed to structural analysis, which is distinctly lacking in twenty-first century anthropological inquiry. Nancy-Scheper Hughes has often been criticized for morally wronging her informants in a variety of ways, including breach of privacy, deception and misrepresentation (Schrag 2009:140). These attacks did not come until much later, however, and the initial complaints against her work were centered around her conclusions, which were perceived to be based on faulty methodology including drawing conclusions without sufficient data to support them, and misreading her informants’ reactions to her book (Messenger 1982:14). The villagers themselves were upset that she had misrepresented them, remarking that she had violated local codes of hospitality (Scheper-Hughes 1982:13), portrayed nothing but the â€Å"negative† aspects of Irish rural life (Scheper-Hughes 2000:119) and formed their individual identities into fictional characters in her efforts to conceal them (Scheper-Hughes 1982:13). Though perhaps well-intentioned, Scheper-Hughes’ attempt to conceal the identities of her informants resulted in forming them into scattered, fictional characters, according to the villagers themselves (Scheper-Hughes 1982:13). In this the villagers are justified, as she hid reality by burying it within archetypal representations which led to a misrepresentation of her informants. It turns reality into a caricature, calling into question the validity of her portrayals and therefore the basis of her entire analysis. Moreover, it is unfair to the informants themselves because it gives credit for words spoken by real people to fictional characters. At best, Scheper-Hughes’ attempt to protect the individual privacy of her informants backfired and warped their identities into something false and grounded in the misrepresentation of reality; therefore, criticism from the villagers regarding her â€Å"scattering† of their identities are indeed warranted. Clearly, Scheper-Hughes wronged her informants by fragmenting their words and contributions, and by giving credit to false identities when it was actually due to real ones. One informant actually remarked that â€Å"[she] just didn’t give us credit† (Scheper-Hughes 2000:119). And yet despite her efforts to conceal the identities of her informants by disguising them as fictional characters, they were still able to identify themselves and each other (Schrag 2009:150). Since the primary purpose of identity concealment is to keep an informants’ secrets intact by hiding them from community members, the fact that the villagers in Ballybran were able to re-construct each others’ identities in her published work shows that she did not properly protect confidential information, and therefore did not put the interests of her participants first. The anthropologist has a moral duty to protect the secrets of her informants once divulged, especially when publishing them, no matter when and where the research was carried out. As Schrag asserts, this is simply the best way to treat them as humans and not repositories of knowledge (2009:145). Scheper-Hughes clearly attempted to do this by subjecting her informants to anonymity; if she had not, the villagers would not have been angry about their fragmented identities and scattered words. It is clear, however, that she failed in this attempt, as the villagers were still able to recognize the pieces of themselves in her ethnography (Scheper-Hughes 2000:150). It is not necessarily unethical to publish community and individual secrets; indeed without them good ethnographic work would not be possible, especially when investigating such hypothetical situations as illegal activities as a result of oppression and structural inequalities. However, it is important to obtain and disclose such secrets under clear ethical guidelines. Informed consent is and was at the time of Scheper-Hughes’ fieldwork an important aspect of ethical research. Scheper-Hughes was criticized by Irish anthropologists for not obtaining the full and informed consent of her participants before conducting her research, and this criticism is warranted (Callahan 311:1979). It is clear from the villagers’ reactions when she returned to Ballybran some years later that this is in fact true. Scheper-Hughes herself remarked that many felt betrayed by her book, and that they initially had no idea what she would publish (Scheper-Hughes 2000:148). Schrag argues that part of informed consent should be to communicate honestly the research objectives of the ethnographer, which Scheper-Hughes did not do (2009:138). If she had done this to the fullest extent possible, the villagers would not have been shocked and hurt by her conclusions. Proper informed consent should incorporate an agreement between the researcher and their participants which makes clear that whatever is disclosed to the ethnographer is fair game for publication. That being said, obtaining such consent can be a point of contention in anthropology, since it means that not only does the participant have to consent to a full disclosure of their personal information, but the ethnographer has to also consent to the possibility that not all desired information will be available for analysis and publication. This consensual agreement must be part of any ethical fieldwork, and it is clear that Scheper-Hughes did not adhere to it. Since informed consent was already an established convention when she conducted her research–as evidenced by Eileen Kane’s criticism of her lack of it (Messenger1982:14)–even a relativist critique in this case would be fully warranted and justified. It is true that obtaining proper informed consent from informants means that not all information will be available to the ethnographer; however, this does not necessarily mean that good ethnographic work cannot be accomplished. If the goal of the ethnographer is to locate structural violence and subsequent inequalities–which I will argue later that it should be–than these would in theory be apparent without needing to obtain or divulge personal secrets to a large degree. Moreover, sincere attempts could be made to not reveal the identity of the informants who do confess intimate details without resorting to scattering and dismantling them. Whole identities could be kept secret by not publishing revealing facts about an individual which are not strictly necessary to the collection or presentation of data. Multivocality is certainly important, but if direct quotes, elaborate descriptions and background information are kept to a minimum it would serve the double purpose of concealing identity without fictionalizing it; therefore, the failure of Scheper-Hughes to keep identities in tact while also preserving the integrity of information provided within the strictest confidence serves as a lesson to all anthropologists as to the necessity of full and proper informed consent. Keeping multivocality to a necessary minimum would also allow the ethnographer to do a more â€Å"objective† structural analysis, which is distinctly lacking in postmodern ethnography. Though it is important to protect the privacy of the individual on their terms through informed consent, it is also important to conduct quality analyses of structural inequalities with the objective of promoting the common good. One thing that can be said about the work of Scheper-Hughes is that she was committed to pinpointing the social causes of schizophrenia in rural Ireland, which ultimately pointed fingers not at the villagers themselves but at the economic and social hardships that prompted them to act out a certain amount of psychological violence on their children (Scheper-Hughes 2000:123). Schrag criticizes Scheper-Hughes for committing what he calls â€Å"inflicted insight†; that is, forcing the villagers to realize painful truths about themselves that they did not ask for or anticipate (2009:151). I argue that this is not necessarily a breach of morals, and depends largely on the time and place in which the research is being conducted. If the inflicted insight is coming from a psychiatrist and is being offered to an individual under the strictest codes of patient confidentiality, then to break that code would be a severe breach of morality. Schrag is right claim that inflicted insight in a psychiatric environment is entirely different from that in a social context (2009:153). The former deals strictly with an individual, whereas the latter deals with truths about structural violence which are embedded within society at large and are not necessarily apparent from the inside. In such cases, I argue that it is the moral obligation of the ethnographer to point out the causes of structural violence, and simply doing so could prompt action within the community itself to correct inequalities or systematic oppression. No action can be taken against a problem unless the cause is clear and this is sometimes hard to realize when one is immersed within one’s own cultural framework. The anthropologist, as a human–and therefore moral being–has a duty to seek out social reproductions of violence and form opinions about them. One cannot be too relativistic in one’s work, and if the anthropologist takes a stand on one side or other it has the potential to call others to action as well. This is one thing that Nancy Scheper-Hughes did well, as exemplified by the fact that when she returned to Ballybran years after her initial research was carried out, one villager admitted that the young mothers had been more inclined to show tenderness to their children since the publication of the book, almost as if to spite her conclusions (Scheper-Hughes 2000:136). Clearly some action had been taken to reverse what Scheper-Hughes had concluded was one of the primary causes for schizophrenia; that of parental disinterest in their children (2000:131). Whether or not her conclusions were correct, she made them in the spirit of the collective good, and they prompted some internal change from the villagers themselves. This is more than any postmodern ethnography has managed to do, and therefore the final lesson that anthropologists can take away from the case of Nancy Scheper-Hughes is that an ethnography can be a powerful tool for change; however it must be researched and written in an ethical way, one which adequately addresses and takes a stand on structural violence. In conclusion, I have argued that Nancy Scheper-Hughes’ fieldwork in rural Ireland was fundamentally unethical because she portrayed her informants as fictionalized caricatures and did not seek their full informed consent, which morally wronged her participants. That being said, she did pursue an analysis of structural violence which prompted some small action in her host community after her book was published, a noble end which anthropologists have lost sight of in the postmodern era. Though her fieldwork led to her eventual expulsion from Ballybran and continues to undergo scrutiny by the anthropological community, it is nevertheless an important case study in the necessity of strict ethical standards when working in the field. Its situation within a lost doctrine of structuralism also makes it important for future anthropologists to examine as an example not of art for art’s sake, but as a voice for the common good.

The Impact of Divorce on Children

The impact of divorce on children Angela Smith PSYC 210 James Varland Liberty University The impact of divorce on children The days of complete families that include mom, dad, the household pet, and several children hardly exist. These families have now been replaced with an increasing number of single parent households due to the increasing divorce rate since the 1970’s. (Price & McKenry, 1988) What kind of impact does divorce play on children under the age of 18 years old today. As we journey into this research, we will see many things that effect children not only emotionally, but spiritually, physically, and mentally.Each of these problems can carry over to adulthood. What we may not realize is that divorce could affect everything up into adulthood of a child. Emotional scars could be left for life. The children are the ones that are left to suffer the most due to divorce. There is so much research on this topic. That alone shows that children are suffering in so many ways due to divorced parents. Divorce is a very stressful experience for any child, regardless of their age. Over half of American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage.Among the millions of children who have seen their parents divorce, did you know that one in ten children will also go through three or more parental marriages? (The Abolition of Marriage, Gallagher) The death of a parent is less devastating on a child than a divorce. There are several areas and stages of pain that is dealt with within a child at the beginning of a divorce. They feel very vulnerable, they feel powerless over the situation, and they have feelings of anger and of course several feeling of guilt. Parents’ sensitivity to their child’s needs has to be a priority in the adjustment of the divorce.Then you need to consider the child’s age also. A preschooler’s reaction and an adolescent’s reaction will be very different from each other. Preschoolerâ₠¬â„¢s tend to be emotionally needy. They have fears related to abandonment, and may display acting-out behaviors. They are likely to become distressed during visit exchanges. (http://cpancf. com/articles_files/efffectsdivorceonchildren. asp) Children from ages 6 to 8 will likely fantasize about their parents but yet are less likely to blame themselves for the divorce.Then children ages 9 to 12 will have a better understanding of their parents divorce and the situation but yet may take the sides with one of the parents. Although adolescents understand and comprehend the divorce of their parents, they are faced with the divorce experience and also their own identities. Adolescents seem to mature more quickly after a divorce. They will take on more responsibilities at home; they learn to appreciate things like an allowance a lot more, and they also learn to gain insight into relationships with others.But on the other hand, they could be drawn into taking on the role of the parent and n ot be able to develop relationships with their own peers. According to research, there are many different approaches that you could take when talking to your children about the divorce. There are definitely ways of saying things at their level and ways to try and make it easier on that individual child. One thing that you have to remember is that there is no best age for a child for divorcing parents. One main thing that you have got to be sure and tell your child is that it isn’t their fault.Children seem to think, especially the younger ones that if I act better or get better grades in school, maybe mommy and daddy won’t be mad at me and leave me. Letting that child know that it isn’t their fault is very crucial for the child. It is very important to let that child know that both parents will still be a part of their lives. When talking to your child about the divorce, you need to keep your emotions under control. If the child sees that you are upset, that wil l also make them upset and the whole situation can be more complicated. Never, never speak negatively about your spouse in front of the child.Your child will need to know a reason but not all of the details. Negativity can cause your child to resent your spouse or you. Children are use to a routine. They will need to know what all will be changing in their life. The children need security. Put your differences aside and get along for the child’s sake. Always listen to your child or children and encourage your child or children to express their feelings. Children have problems finding words to express how they feel. Take the time to help your child understand what they are feeling. And allow the child to be honest.Reassure them that no matter what they have to say or how they are feeling, that neither of these are wrong. That it is okay for them to express themselves. While knowing what to say to a child when talking about divorce there are also things that should not be said when talking to them. Never try to buy your child’s love. Buying the child stuff will only make them feel good temporarily. That feeling will wear off. A child would rather have their parent’s undivided attention in opportunities and joys in life. Nothing can take the place of the love of a parent.The most important thing that I think that a couple should think of first is not to give up on your marriage. There are many alternatives to giving up and letting it end in divorce. (http://www. marriage-success-secrets. com/talking-to-your-child-about-divorce. html ) Statistics are done for very valuable purposes. As I bring some of these statistics to light for you, I think that you will be rather amazed. Children of divorce are at a greater risk to experience injury, asthma, headaches and speech defects than children whose parents have remained married.Children living with both biological parents are 20 to 35 percent more physically healthy than children from broken homes. (Journal of Marriage and Family) Teenagers in single-parent families and in blended families are three times likely to need psychological help within a year. A study of children six years after a parental breakup revealed that even after all that time, these children tended to be lonely, unhappy, anxious and insecure. (Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) These statistics are surely frightful. And people and politics wonder why our American culture is so messed up.Families today doesn’t seem to believe in morals and they especially do not see the importance of what marriage is all about. God gave us a mate to be with forever. The instructions that God has given us in the Bible are very clear about marriage and divorce. In 1 Corinthians 7:10-14 says, â€Å"I command the married-not I, but the Lord- a wife is not to leave her husband. But if she does leave she must remain unmarried or reconciled to her husband- and a husband is not to leave this wife. But I (not the Lord) say to the rest: if any brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not leave her.Also if any woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not leave her husband. For the unbelieving husband is set apart for God by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is set apart for God by the husband. Otherwise, your children will be corrupt, but now they are set apart for God. (Christian Standard Bible) Another passage that Jesus talks about in the Bible about marriage and divorce and makes Himself very clear about it is in Matthew 19:5 & 9,†(5)For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 9) And I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery. † (Christian Standard Bible) This passage sums it all up on divorce. If you are considering divorce and do live by the Bible , I think that there are several things that you need to see and think about according to God’s standard before you actually divorce. This should be considered only in light of the most basic principles of scripture. Is the motive for the divorce Godly? Has the spouse sought advice of wise counselors? Is the divorce a last resort action to be taken?If humans today still lived by God’s standards, the divorce rate and all the problems that follow divorce would not be the way they were. There are so many people that divorce affects and to be greedy and only think of ones own self is inhuman. Even is you have failed with your marriage, there are ways that you can succeed with your divorce. Divorce and all the complications that come along with it can have a significant impact on the well being and development of both children and adolescents. The consequences of divorce can and will impact almost all areas of a child’s life.That not only includes the parent and chil d relationship but also the child’s behavior, emotions, coping skills, and psychological development. No wonder that there is a high demand for mental health professionals and other child specialists. As we have looked at statistics and some ways for the parents to deal with the divorce for the children’s sake, let’s put ourselves in the children’s shoes. What do you think is actually going through their mind? What questions do you think that they are thinking about and wanting to ask?According to the University of Missouri, these are some questions and thoughts that are probably going through a child’s mind during their parents divorce. I need both of you to stay involved in my life. I need letters, phone calls, and lots of questions asked to me. Please don’t fight and work hard to get along with each other. Try to agree on matters that relate to me. When you fight about me, I think that I have done something wrong. Please don’t ask me to send messages back and forth between the two of you. Please remember that I depend on both of you to raise me and to be a part of my life.I need both of you to teach me what is important and to help me when I have problems. Take a minute to imagine just what all goes on in a child’s mind when divorce happens. It is truly a sad situation. Now let’s turn the tables and take a look at some of the positive effects of divorce and children. Now that sounds crazy, right. That is what I thought also until I read some research done on this particular topic. Being a child of divorced parents and looking back, I can actually see some of the benefits that have been seen in the research.Of course no child wants to see their parents gets divorced but if you think about it no child wants to see their parent’s constantly fighting either. If there is any kind of abuse in the relationship, you could actually be hurting your children more by staying together. Children who ha ve gone through divorce with their parents could reap the benefits of spending one on one time with each parent. Despite the difficulties of divorce, the one on one time is a great bonding opportunity for parents and children to experience. (http://www. helium. om/items/1355536-what-are-positive-effects-divorce-children) Just think about it for a minute. The quality time that each parent is able to spend with their child or children is actually increased after a divorce.The total focus of the parent on the child is much more valued now. Children can grow healthy in many types of divorce situations if the three key following conditions are met: first, the basic needs for the children must be met, such as love and physical care, understanding, discipline and safety; second, the children need a sense of belonging or being able to say, his is my family where I am important and a special person; and finally, they also need role models of both sexes in their lives to help them determine t heir proper male and female roles. (http://www. jesuschristismygod. com/index2b. html) Some female children come out of divorce growing into exceptionally good young women. It seems that girls and women strive on more responsibilities and challenges. They connect with their mothers and have deep ties with them. Child psychologist agree that keeping the strength of extended family intact is one of the best ways to provide a good structure for children to deal with divorce.In addition, when both parents have the full support of family and friends that were connected to the kids during the marriage that provides resources to turn to when things get difficult as the adults try to figure out how life as a divorced couple should work with kids. (http://www. articlesbase. com/divorce-articles/the-positive-effects-of-divorce-on-children-2745699. html) It is very important that the parents celebrate certain days, such as birthdays, and holidays, together with their children.This can and will show their children that there are values to be taken and at the same time show the role of a true mother and father relationship. As I sit here and think over all the research and statistics that I have read about and then think about my own situation as a child of divorce, I can identify with several of the characteristics that have been studied. First thing that comes to my mind was how my mom and dad handle the situation of divorce, They would talk bad about the other one in front of me and it seemed as if they were trying to win sides with me when actually all I wanted was both of their love.There was always arguing and fighting in front of me and my brothers which also caused me to grow up with a lot of hostility in me. Everything I did for years was prone to fighting and anger. I remember being took from my house to where my dad would stay for certain weekends and holidays and I all wanted was everyone together, As I look back on it now, I truly wonder if my parents had of m ade different and better choices due to their divorce and the sake of the children, would anything in my life been any different with my attitude or my outlook on things and especially family.I can remember blaming myself for several of the things that was wrong between my parents and also being a mediator between them. My grades in school did go down and I acted out to get the action I was lacking from having both of my parents there when I needed them. I guess that one good thing that did come out of my parents’ divorce was that I had a huge sense of survival and determination due to this divorce of my parents. I can also see where girls seem to make a strong tie with their mothers and become very strong women.I truly think that it has helped make me what I am today. I do not believe that I could of survived some of the abuse I have been through with drug addiction and recovery if I had not set my standards of survival at such a young age. There are so many ways that we can be coached and taught about what to do in this situation. It is a very sad case for a couple to have to come to this point in their lives today. Marriage is not seen as it should be. People take it for granted about having a lifelong mate and companion.We should all go back to the basis of the Bible but with the devil and the secular world taking over today, we as Christians have to stand up and play a huge role in our kids live. I have made a promise to myself that I will not repeat the cycle of my parents. Life is too precious and your children will be grown and gone before you know it. We endure enough pain in this world today and I refuse to allow anymore to be put into my children’s life due to me.This study has just made me a little more determined about living my marriage a a Christian example to my children and working through all the problems that marriage my bring in my direction. The statistics are growing but our God is even bigger.References Christian Standard B ible http://cpancf. com/articles_files/efffectsdivorceonchildren. asp) http://www. articlesbase. com/divorce-articles/the-positive-effects-of-divorce-on-children-2745699. html http://www. helium. com/items/1355536-what-are-positive-effects-divorce-children