The Truth On Empowerment

1. Empowerment has been criticized since it leaves no one in particular accountable. The goal of empowerment is to provide power to the individual. Each individual is trusted to make his or her own decisions regarding his or her life and work. In this way the individual is also provided with the opportunity to take responsibility for his or her own situation in life and work. Empowerment of course has many levels. Politically, it means that each group of individuals within a society is given the same power and rights as all others. All sectors of society are for example allowed to vote, voice their opinions and follow political channels for change without the need to fear unreasonable persecution or other repercussions. In work, empowerment means that all individuals are allowed to apply for jobs where the likelihood of being accepted for employment depends on nothing except their qualification level. In life, empowerment means that each individual has the same rights to do the same things in society, i.e. enter public places, make use of public transportation, and the like. In terms of accountability, I do not believe that the criticism leveled against empowerment is valid. Instead of only a single entity being accountable for the actions within the whole of society, every individual is now required to take his or her own responsibility for his or her own life and actions. Individual accountability means that responsibility for individual actions lies with the individual. Collective actions are accounted for by groups of people. In this way accountability cannot be required only of leaders or other empowered individuals. Empowerment has the advantage of placing accountability at the location of every person taking certain actions. Indeed, this results in a more responsible society where fewer crimes are committed. Individuals know that certain actions will lead to certain consequences, and this knowledge leads to the accountability necessary to ensure a stable society (Dewettinck, Singh, & Buyens, 2003). 2. â€Å"We practice empowerment because we don't expect our employees to leave their brains at the door.† In the current workplace situation, a business is held to function much better when individuals are given the opportunity to develop to their full potential. Workplace empowerment then means not only empowering individuals to enter any workplace for which they adequately qualify, but also that they function as intelligent beings within this situation. Employees are given the power to think critically about the tasks they are assigned, in order to do these tasks to the best of their ability (Dewettinck, Singh, & Buyens, 2003). Employees are therefore expected to think for themselves. This allows for much more creativity within the company. Leaders who empower their employees have the advantage of a large amount of creative energy to provide solutions to difficult problems. Sharing the power in this way therefore means that the collective company ultimately possesses greater collective power in the business world. Furthermore empowerment within a company means that individuals are recognized for their ability to think individually and creatively. A possible drawback of this approach is that all employees may not be ready to use their individual thinking skills in order to provide the company with creative energy. Indeed, empowering individuals who are not ready could mean disaster for such a company, as incorrect, unmonitored decisions and actions could be very detrimental. It is therefore probably a good idea to first monitor all decisions for which an individual is newly empowered (St. John's University, 1993). Basically, empowerment within a company can greatly enhance its decision-making and creative power. Such empowerment has to be handled with great care, however. Individuals need to be monitored for their readiness to take responsibility within the company. 3. Leadership Style(s)that are related to the statement â€Å"Empowerment has been criticized since it leaves no one in particular accountable†. There are mainly two leadership styles that may criticize empowerment for its apparent lack of particular accountability. These include the directing and coaching style of leadership. With all three of these, the ultimate responsibility lies directly with the leader, although the level of employee responsibility varies (Dewettinck, Singh, & Buyens, 2003). Directing leadership entails a high level of directing and low supportive behavior. All employee actions are directly supervised by the leader, and the leader also takes responsibility for all the decisions. Low supportive behavior then means that the leader determines the tasks necessary, and seldom listens to input from employees. Employees are expected to do what they are told without critically examining decisions. Accountability is then directly with the leader, as employees are in a state of receiving orders and carrying them out without question. In coaching leadership, there is a high level of both directive and supportive behavior. As in the directing style, the leader makes all decisions. However, this process contrasts with the first style, as employees are more actively included: decisions are explained, while the work is continually monitored. Feedback is also given on a continual basis, and employees are expected to learn from their work. All final decisions and responsibilities are with the leader, although employees are allowed to provide input (Chimaera Consulting Ltd, 1999). The argument against empowerment here is then that too many decision makers within a company could defeat the purpose of a company to act as a single entity. There would be no overall leadership paradigm, where a single entity could take the responsibility for any problems. Empowerment in this way would then undermine the collective purpose of the company to conduct their business in a single-minded and focused manner. 4. Leadership Style(s) that are related to the statement â€Å"WE practice empowerment since we don't expect our employees to leave their brains at the door†. Leadership styles that support the above statements include the delegating and supporting leadership styles. The paradigm behind these styles of leadership is, as mentioned above, to make full use of the inherent and creative brainpower of each employee for the benefit of the company. While the overall directive and responsibility for unity still lies with top management, leadership is seen to a great degree as a partnership rather than an unequal power relationship. The delegating style of leadership entails low directive as well as low supportive behavior. The leader provides each employee with tasks. The employee is then expected to carry these out individually, with responsibility, and with the minimum supervision. In this style, the ability of individuals to make critical decisions and carry out tasks unsupervised is recognized. Individuals are therefore empowered to make most decisions, because this leadership style recognizes their ability to do so. Low support means that monitoring is absent to a great degree, while employees are expected to implement their own thinking skills without necessarily first consulting the leader. Problems could arise when incorrect decisions are implemented. Nevertheless, the responsibility for such results then lie with the individual who made the decision, and not with the leader (Chimaera Consulting Ltd., 1999). The supporting leadership style entails low directive, but high supporting behavior. This means that employees are still empowered to make their own, self-reliant decisions, but that they are encouraged and given feedback while doing so. The risk of faulty decision making is lower, as supporting leaders take a more active role than delegating ones. Other behaviors included in this paradigm are collaborating and appreciating actions. Individuals are therefore empowered and recognized for their brain power, but also monitored and led more actively. 5. Situational Leadership and Empowerment. Situational leadership is seen as the new leadership style in order to optimize business practice and revenue. Not only employees, but also leaders, are empowered under this paradigm. Situational leadership means to incorporated whichever leadership style is most appropriate for particular situations. This is done by monitoring the development level of employees. Situational leaders recognized that not all employees may be ready at all times to receive full empowerment, and leadership styles are adjusted accordingly. It is furthermore recognized that development may cease or even regress, and once again leadership flexibility is of the highest importance (Chimaera Consulting Ltd., 1999). In terms of empowerment, situational leadership does not see this as the most important element of business. Although empowerment does play a powerful role, leaders recognize the changing nature of humanity, and adjust their leadership style accordingly. Employee development therefore plays a more important role than empowerment itself. Empowerment is only bestowed when employees are ready for it. Furthermore, the level of empowerment is carefully monitored in order to fit the development of the employee involved. If an employee is for example very developed in his or her assigned job situation, the delegation leadership style would be used. For employees just entering their profession on the other hand, a leadership style with a low empowerment level such as directive leadership would be used. Situational leadership therefore incorporates all of the leadership styles as it suits each particular situation. Flexibility rather than empowerment is the most important element in situational leadership. This requires continual monitoring of each employee situation within the company. Through situational leadership then, each employee is monitored for the maximum benefit of both employees and management.

Mother to Son and the Coora Flower: a Poetry Analysis

Mother to Son and The Coora Flower: A Poetry Analysis In poetry, more so than any other form of literature, understanding sound, meaning and theme are key to understanding the work itself. In the case of the poems â€Å"Mother to Son† by Langston Hughes and â€Å"The Coora Flower† by Gwendolyn Brooks these elements, when heavily focused upon, allow the reader to discover the message that these writers were attempting to convey.Thought both writers use these elements to their fullest to communicate their respective messages, the method and messages vary greatly. In the poem Mother to Son, Hughes tells the tale of a mother speaking to her son about life and the hardships that one must face to make it in the world. Hughes uses extended metaphor to establish this view. In the second line he writes â€Å"Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair†, which initiates the metaphor.He then proceeds to describe the stair of her life. With the lines, â€Å"It’s h ad tacks in it, and splinters, and boards torn up, and places with no carpet on the floor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he support the mothers claim that like has not been a crystal stair case by using the metaphor to make a direct comparison between imperfections in the staircase and the pitfalls in life. He continues on with the line â€Å"bare† symbolizing rock bottom, nothingness, the absence of value.Then poem then begins to rise in action to signify the continued climb and the need to continue on, which is seen in the following lines; â€Å"I’se been a-climbin’ on,/ and reachin’ landin’s,/ and turnin’ corners,/ and sometimes goin’ in the dark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the narrator states to the son once more that they still continue to climb and that life was easy for them. The language and the line structure chosen by Hughes help facilitate the message. He use very simple language but is able to invoke strong emotions from the reader.The language would p otentially lead the reader to believe that this is truly a simple woman who had to struggle everyday of her life to make it. If Hughes had used more formal language within the work I do believe the mood would have been lost. The use of â€Å"And† at the beginning of lines creates almost a stepping motion within the rhythm of the words. Lines four, five and six in conjunction with the use of â€Å"And† creates a feeling of stepping or maybe even falling down stairs. Each lines description gets progressively worse until there is nothing left, which signified having nothing left to lose.Then with lines ten, eleven and twelve the use of â€Å"And† creates the sense of climbing back up with the same speed at which you fell. Line twelve ends the climb in sound and creates a leveling off that coincides with the walk through the dark stated in the poem. This established a mood of cautiousness, feeling things are. I thought this was a perfect example of theme and sound c oming together to support meaning. I especially like the lines, â€Å"Don’t you set down on the steps. / ‘Cause you find it’s kinder hard. It shows that giving up isn’t an option; that quitting is the easy way out and that continuing to struggle on and fight is what’s really difficult. She asks no more of the son than she would ask of herself because she knows that it can be done, she was able to accomplish it herself. In Brooks’ poem The Coora Flower, she writes about escapism and reality. The poem starts off with the narrator telling the reader what she learned about and then we are snatched back into reality with the lines, â€Å"Now I am coming home. / This, at least, is Real, and what I know.The following stanzas construct the comparison between life in school which is the escape and the life outside which is reality; â€Å"It was restful, learning nothing necessary. / School is a tiny vacation. At least you can sleep†¦/ But now it’s Real Business. I am Coming Home. † And as we read on we discover that reality is harsh, cold, painful and unrelenting and that the other world is more optimistic, warm and liberated. â€Å"My mother will be screaming in an almost dirty dress. / The crack is gone. So a Man will be in the house. / I must watch myself. / I must not dare to sleep. These lines define reality within the poem. Brooks also relies heavily on nuances within the structure and language to establish the message. The stanzas that contain information about school are longer and articulate. The lines flow and are inviting. When the lines about reality are read they are short, cold and very deliberate; they give a sense of rigidity. The language is very direct and in some case demanding â€Å"I must†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . All stanzas about what’s â€Å"real† are two lines long while the ones that focus on school are four lines long. The statements toward school came off as being very cynica l to me. It was restful, learning nothing necessary†¦ At least you can sleep†, the use of â€Å"at least† in these lines and the line that follows are what created the cynicism for me. It seemed as if she didn’t respect what went on in school because it wasn’t the harshness of her everyday life. Capitalization is something that caught my attention. The word â€Å"Real† always has the first letter capitalized, which to me established a mood of seriousness within the statements that contained it. I feel this is true the second use of â€Å"Coming Home† and â€Å"Man† in line fourteen.The capitalization on these words was carefully chosen to continue facilitating the theme and meaning. There is one line in this poem that caught my attention and required me to reread repeatedly to get what she truly meant that line is â€Å"which is not free from grief†. At first I thought it was just in reference to the previous line â€Å"At least you can think of love or feeling your boy friend against you† but upon multiple readings I realized that this was in reference to the whole stanza. She’s hinting at the fact that even good things come with their element of heartache.I found that to be an interesting idea and it shows that the narrator may never be able to find peace, maybe she thrives on the hardship and anguish that comes with her life because that is all she knows. When the two works are placed side by side one would have a hard time make a connection between them. It is true that the differences between the works are great but elements exist in both; some minor, some major but all important. One could make the simple connection both individual were African- American doesn’t give them the respect they deserve.Also that connection would have to be made off historical references outside of the work because nothing in either work given you indication that they are African American. The conn ection that should be made is that the both wrote of adversity and hardship; that both used elements like structure, language, tone to convey their message but end the came out with very different view points. From a psychological perspective the reader can focus on the fact that in Hughes’ poem the adversity within it was deemed to be external to the one relationship shown.In the case of Brooks the adversity was internal to the shown relationship. In both situations the writers own their material, you get the sense that these works are true to life for both of them. But where Hughes’ work is empowering, Brooks’ work is saddening because you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel for her narrator you just she the cold, harsh reality that is life, which was her intention. Her story was never meant to be uplifting it was meant to depress and sadden. Even in her few moments of joy, the narrator still could be happy because she knew at any moment it cou ld all end.Both writers are successful at establishing a mood and theme throughout there works. I believe if these writers had an opportunity to sit down with either they would see elements of themselves in the other. In one case the young and still hopefully individual and in the other harden and scared individual that the young may become. But in the end these are my interpretations and it up to you to make your own. That’s the wonderful part about poetry it’s different for everyone who reads it.

Dehydration and Gc Lab Report

Introduction In an E1 reaction, where E stands for elimination and 1 stands for unimolecular. The breaking of the C-LV bond is completed before any reaction occurs between the base to lose a hydrogen and form the carbon-carbon double bond [1]. When the more substituted alkene is the dominant product, the reaction follows Zaitsev's rule. Zaitsev's rule states that the major product of a ? -elimination reaction is the most stable alkene [1]. Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration is the elimination of a molecule of water from adjacent carbon atoms.An alcohol can be converted to an alkene by dehydration, which is often brought on by heating the alcohol with either 85% phosphoric acid or concentrated sulfuric acid [1]. The objective of this experiment is to dehydrate 3-methyl-3-pentanol to obtain the product mixture of isomeric alkenes 3-methyl-2pentene and 2-ethyl-1-butene. Then use the gas chromatography to separate the product mixture and analyze the composition [2]. [pic] [pic] [pic] Figure1: Ta ble of Reagents Name |Molecular Weight |Density |Melting Point |Boiling Point | |2-methylcyclohexnol |114. 19 g/mol |0. 921 g/cm3 |-9. 5oC |165oC | |Phosphoric Acid |98 g/mol |1. 88 g/cm3 |42. 35oC |158oC | |Calcium Chloride |110. 98 g/mol |2. 15 g/cm3 |772oC |1,935oC |Fig: The chart shows the reagents used in the laboratory experiment and information regarding the solvents. Experimental The experiment started by gathering the supplies for distillation. In the vial, 2mL of 2-methylcyclohexanol and 1mL of phosphoric acid is added. The solvents are thoroughly mixed and a few boiling chips is added to help with the boil. The sand bath is set up with the thermometer and the sand will be heated up to 100oC and the vial containing the solvents will be placed on the sand and let to boil. The process should take about 30 minutes to start boiling.A beaker with a flask will be covered in ice and the water would be sucked out with the Pasteur pipette. When the distillation process is completed , the distillated liquid would be saved. CaCl2 would be added to the liquid to prevent evaporation and allows distillate to dry over drying agent. Then the little container will be weighed empty, and then the container with the liquid will be weight. Results ****** I can’t figure out how to insert our graph. When I copy it my computer says it is too big to paste in a word document. So I’m going to pretend the graph is in this spot, and put the results of the graph under here.Hopefully someone else in the group can use their computer to insert the graph or we can print it off and the graph will just have its own page. A gas chromatogram is a plot of a response against the retention time. Chemical substances as gases are retained on the liquid column (stationary phase) with a flow gas being the carrier (mobile phase) through the column. At the end of the column is some means of detection. The peak height or the peak area is used to quantitate the amount of substance. The number of peaks can also help determine whether or not one is dealing with a pure compound.Peak one has a retention time of . 29 seconds and a peak area of 999. 00. Peak two was found to have a retention time of . 37 seconds and a peak area of 5067. 00. The percent composition for peak one is 16. 46884% and the percent composition for peak two is 83. 53116%. The percent yield is given by the ratio of the experimental yield to the theoretical yield, which was found to be 52%. Discussion All possible products were observed. Under kinetic control, a significant yield of 3-methlycyclohexane is expected when 2-methylcyclohexane is dehydrated.The kinetic product is known as Hofman product. The mechanism of this dehydration involves the formation of a tertiary carbocation intermediate. The observed products do support E1 mechanism. E1 mechanism indicates an elimination, unimolecular  reaction, where rate = k [R-LG]. This implies that the rate determining step of the mechanism depends on the decomposition of a single molecular species. The pathway involves two critical steps, which are the loss of the leaving group to generate a  carbocation intermediate, then  the loss of a proton from the carbocation to form a pi-bond.In this experiment the slow step in this elimination is the loss of a water molecule (the leaving group) from the oxonium ion to form the carbocation intermediate. This unimolecular rate-determining step makes this an E1 mechanism. The percent composition of a compound is a relative measure of the mass of each different element present in the compound. It gives the composition of the sample that was injected into the gas chromatograph, which ultimately helps determine alkene stability. In an error analysis of this experiment, peak resolution is critical.In a good chromatographic separation, the components of the sample are completely separated from each other in the chromatogram. Unfortunately, an incomplete separation of the components in a sam ple gives poor peak resolution and there is an overlap between adjacent peaks in the chromatogram. When the peaks in a chromatogram are poorly resolved, it is necessary to adjust one or more of the separation parameters until baseline resolution is obtained. Reference [1] Brown, William Henry. Organic Chemistry. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. Page 149-157 2] Hill, Richard K. , and John Barbaro. Experiments in Organic Chemistry. Raleigh, NC: Contemporary Pub. of Raleigh, 2005. Print. Page E8-13 to E8-15 Questions (T8-9) 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When peaks in the gas chromatograms are poorly separated, it is best to change one or more separation parameters so the baseline resolution is obtained. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Benzene > o-xylene > p-xylene > toluene 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cyclohexyl methyl ether would have a shorter retention time because of the increase in temperature. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Retention will increase when the temperature column is decrease dB. When you increase the length of a column, the retention time would increase because of the longer distance traveled. C. Increasing flow rate of carrier gas will decrease the retention time 5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  105oC 6)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Little to no partitioning of components in the sample will occur and therefore giving poor to no separation. 7)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  29mm2, 210mm2, 136mm2 Mole %=(Area under individual Peaks)/(Total area under all the peaks) x 100% %=29mm/375mm x100%=7. 73% %=210mm/375mm x100%=56% %=136mm/375mm x100%=36. 27% Total area under peak= 29+210+136= 375mm

Marketing Communications & Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Marketing Communications & Branding - Essay Example As part of analyzing the success story of ALDI, the company’s target market will be identified followed by examining the type of marketing communication tools the company is using to promote the corporate brand. After discussing the key external factors that may have affected ALDI’s brand, ways on how these factors could alter the company’s decision to select the best marketing communication tools will be tackled in details. The target market of ALDI includes people of all gender who are the price conscious, decision-maker, and purchaser of grocery products. Regardless of sexual orientation, financial standing in life, or educational background, the target market of ALDI includes people of all ages. In order to promote the ALDI brand to its target consumers, ALDI is using a wide-range of personal and non-personal communication channels such as company website, social networking sites, and mobile advertising (Grill, 2008). With the use of the company website, ALDI regularly reminds the people that ALDI as a company is a brand that offers affordable consumer products. This particular marketing strategy is effective in terms of keeping price conscious individuals loyal to the brand ALDI. As a result of having a positive experience with regards to the company’s product prices and the quality of customer services, it is the customers who share their personal experiences with other people. With regards to the company logo, initial ‘A’ in ALDI’s logo reminds the people that they can easily purchase a wide-range of affordable products simply by visiting the company’s store sites (ALDI, 2010 a). (See Logo below) Establishing a strong brand is important in terms of making the ALDI’s target consumers feel more associated and stay loyal with the brand. In line with this, public news report could either help increase or decrease the reputation of a brand such that a good publicity could encourage more buyers to stay loyal with the brand

Financial accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial accounting - Essay Example Marks and Spencer’s well established business attracts a great deal of consumer base irrespective of demography. The primary business of the company comprises of selling general merchandise which mainly consists of womenswear. menswear and an expanding kids wear. The company, through its resilient and effective marketing tactics, has able to capture market share of around 11.0% by value and 11.2% by volume. Another source from where the company earns a great deal of its revenue is through selling food items. Marks and Spencer is the leading provider when it comes to selling fine quality food. The company sells everything from fresh meals to canned food items, highly acclaimed and praised range of wines to other groceries products. The company has improved its shelf availability and has adopted the strategy of renewing its food range. The proactive approach has resulted in an increase of 1.8% in sales revenue from food business. The financial year 2010 proved to be another prog ressive year for Marks and Spencer. During the current year, Marks and Spencer’s revenue increased by 5.2% during the current year to an impressive ?9.5 billion which has caused the operating profit to increase by 9.8%. The company, following its growth strategy, aspires transform its operation into multi channel business. The company has taken major steps in investing its direct sales business which enhanced the revenue by 27% during the current financial year. In addition, the company is actively following its strategy of refurbishing its stores and giving them a new and improved look. The refurbishment has resulted in an increased storage space and has created a fashionable shopping environment. The following table compares the financial results of Marks and Spencer, for the financial year 2010 with that of the year 2009. As quite evident from the above comparison, the financial outlook of the company has improved. The increase in group revenue primarily pertains to the in crease in like-for-like sales as well as the addition of new stores and outlets, both in and outside of England. Since Marks and Spencer do a significant number of its sales overseas, the company’s revenue is majorly increased due to the fluctuation in exchange rate. Although the recent credit crisis and global economic meltdown proved to be a hurdle, but the impact was offset by prudent risk management and apt allocation of capital investment. The gross profit to sales ratio for the year ended December 31, 2010 was 8.93% which has decreased by 0.67% during the current year. Despite the decrease in gross profit to sales ratio, the net profit of the company has increased by ?16.2 million. The increase in net profit is due to the fact that during the current year the company did not spend any exceptional cost which it incurred during the prior year on strategic restructure. In addition, the company took strong measures to control its finance cost during the current year and cur tailed it by ?52.3 million. An analysis of balance sheet of Marks and Spencer highlights the fact that during the current year the company’s non-current liabilities, in terms of borrowings from banks and other financial institutions, was comparatively less than the previous year. The fact that Marks and Spencer curtailed its borrowings highlight the fact that the company is focusing on gearing is business through raising capital by issuance of share capital, rather than acquiring capital from financers. The earnings per share (EPS) of

The importance of jazz in American culture Essay

The importance of jazz in American culture - Essay Example The origins of jazz may lie in the blues rhythms that developed in the period immediately following the American Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. The distinctive element of the blues is that through the performance of a solo artist, an attempt is made to translate emotions into music through humming, moaning, and soundless effects added to the actual words of the song (Halim, No Date). Jazz developed from the blues, but it differed from the blues in that it had a more cheerful, uplifting note within it. In the words of Stanley Crouch, jazz historian and critic, the love for the music felt by both white and black communities helped to make jazz â€Å"a futuristic social force in which one was finally judged purely on the basis of ones individual ability. Jazz predicted the civil rights movement more than any other art in America." (Hentoff, 2009). It was in essence a tool to reach out to people everywhere, irrespective of their color and therefore a tool that could function as a means to break down segregation and lead to the development of a non-segregated society. Lewine (1992) has described how jazz slowly became synonymous with popular culture. America emerged into the 20th century as a society where culture was necessarily associated with the high brow, more genteel sections of society. But jazz entered this cultural arena as a vital new element that was so distinctive that it appeared to be â€Å"the new product of a new age†, while culture appeared to be traditional, having developed over the centuries (Lewine, 1992:7). Yet, culture and jazz appeared to define each other, because the emergence of this new form of music which was (a) spontaneous (b) raucous and (c) participatory in that the audiences joined in vigorously, and its enormous popularity redefined the entire element of what constituted culture.

Social problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Social problems - Essay Example Families are affected by globalization, unemployment, downward mobility, changing economy, fashion and trend etc that are characteristics of a society. Thus the authors' comment that the society shapes the family means that today's families are controlled and influenced by the social system tremendously so that the family system is determined by the rules and characteristics of the society rather than the other way around. Though the role of the family has changed greatly over the years and there are many hurdles in the cohesive existence of family, nobody can deny the significant role that a family plays in the development of the individual and the society. The primary function of a family is the overall development of a human being and thereby assisting the society to achieve progress and growth. To exemplify this with my own family, it is the agency that has shaped the person I am today. It taught me the primary lessons of social life and individual growth and established a right basement for my entire progress. The same system helped me in my character formation and behavioral pattern that enables me to distinguish right from wrong and good from evil. In my view the coexistence of different individuals for a common cause is the most significant element of the family life. There is no family life when individuals are parted and seek their own interest.

The end of Lehman Brothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

The end of Lehman Brothers - Essay Example The business used to act as a brokerage firm by taking cotton as payment from its customers. In 1858, the firm opened its first branch in New York City due to the expansion of their operations and trade in the cotton market (â€Å"The Collapse of Lehman Brothers†). The company eventually decided to relocate its headquarters in New York in 1870, and it started its major activity by founding the New York Cotton Exchange. Lehman Brothers operations as an exchange firm in 1899 led to a partnership with Goldman Sachs and company. This was later followed by partnerships with other firms in the twentieth century including joining of the firm by family non-members. In 1969, after the death of Robert Lehman, the company started experiencing challenges in its management because there was no clear successor in the family. These wrangles continued until 1984 when the company was acquired by American Express, and continued with its banking and brokerage operations (â€Å"The Collapse of Lehman Brothers†). From this acquisition, the company acquired other firms over the years up to the year 2001 when it improved its operations and ventured into asset management business. In addition, various circumstances led to the discovery of the historic scandal in Lehman Brothers Inc. Lehman’s collapse was characterized by its involvement in the credit default swaps and sub-prime loan markets; moreover, the mortgage loans are given to American middle-income households at variable rates. In the sub-prime loans market, Lehman Brothers Company sold collateralized debt obligations (CDO’s) to its customers and took short positions, which eroded the value of those securities in the market. It used one of its subsidiaries Goldman Sachs to help other customers to short the mortgage bond market, and this precipitated to the collapse of the sub-prime markets. The company’s actions caused what

Religion of the Incas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Religion of the Incas - Essay Example This paper approves that the religion of the Incas greatly affected the day to day lives of the people and it also affected the treatment that women received from the community in general. The hierarchy of the Inca society was the emperor, the royal family, the upper aristocracy, the administrators, the nobilities, the artisans then the laborers who were the least in the Inca society. Sometimes the Incas sacrificed their animals or even people to their gods especially their sun god. On the other hand the Incas religion affected the people such that there were a lot of religious sacrifices which were made following certain events such as the death of an emperor or even an earthquake. Similarly the priests who were leading the religious ceremonies in Inca had to act like today’s nuns whereby they even lived in convents which were secluded from the rest of the people. This essay makes a conclusion that similarly the Inca religion was very advanced in comparison to the other religions of the civilizations during the time of the civilization. This is because during this period they had a very advanced form of worship whereby they worshipped a feline god and they also built many temples which were equipped with several underground chambers that were dedicated to the worship ceremonies. The Inca religion greatly affected the day to day lives of the people and it also affected the treatment that women received from the community in general in terms of their recreational activities, farming activities, architecture as well as the ruler ship of the spiritual leaders.

The cost an organization would pay to start and operate an on-site day Essay

The cost an organization would pay to start and operate an on-site day care center for it's employees - Essay Example $75.00 $180 Kindergarten $99.27 $57.52 $135 School Age $58.22 $38.00 $75 Weekly cost of childcare centers in Kirkland Average Minimum Maximum Infant $181.77 $139.59 $234.70 Toddler $141.63 $98.94 $215.83 Preschool $117.29 $92.04 $176.02 Kindergarten $100.02 $46.02 $150.00 School Age $68.38 $40.00 $84.21 Likewise, Hittle (2006) listed below the list that must be addressed in order to operate a Daycare Center: 1. Set Up Equipment Furnishings Supplies Pre-operational leasing payments Damage deposit Business accounts deposit Renovations Licensing requirements Start up loan Licenses & Permits 2. Staff Costs Health Insurance Employee absences; sick leave, vacation, professional days substitutes Taxes Payroll service (optional, but well worth the money) Accountant (to help set up your record keeping system) *Rule of Thumb: add 15% to base salaries 3. Operating Costs Rent Garbage removal Recycling removal Utility bills Maintenance & Repairs Insurance Supplies Equipment Food Phone Fire alarm system LaFratta (2006) presented the following table for costing or estimate of costs: Sources and Application of Funding Sources: New Debt: Loan $ 82,980 Equipment 20,000 Investment from (name) $ 5,000 Total $107,980 Applications: Retro fit of building $ 68,219 Equipment 15,000 Start Up costs 14,761 . 5,000 Total $107,980 Mcmillin (1996) cited the Susquehanna Child Care Center as one successful although still experiencing a lot of difficulties and challenges as a joint effort between community and university in setting up a daycare center to address needs of university staff, as well as others interested. Conclusion: The actual operating cost of a daycare center for an organization is very much dependent on a lot of things... Bringing together people who are willing to propagate support, change, and explore possibilities that make the on-site daycare center an on-going growth and discovery project. A successful one could as well be a recruitment tool and could generate positive publicity. Given the above, it is now easier to present costs that are of necessary consideration in starting up a day care center. Cost definitely is dependent on the available resources, location whether city or rural area, competition (if ever), facilities, services, special features, availability, among other variations that directly alter actual costs. Mcmillin (1996) cited the Susquehanna Child Care Center as one successful although still experiencing a lot of difficulties and challenges as a joint effort between community and university in setting up a daycare center to address needs of university staff, as well as others interested. The actual operating cost of a daycare center for an organization is very much dependent on a lot of things and this paper could only cite examples as varying actual costs are considered. With the listings above as a guide, a planner or provider may make and research his or her own location's actual costs in order to get the exact or near exact data. Outsourcing to other local providers maybe a good option for an organization considering that setting up is in its

PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PRELIMINARY BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE - Essay Example Granting of permission to the individuals to live with the individual of his/her choice without any discrimination of gender, age, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status etc projected immorality and debauchery in society. Only few thinkers belonging to the Devlin’s school of thought advocated the imposition and observing of moral laws; while a large majority of so-called enlightened theorists supported the idea of freedom to a horrible scale. The entire social establishment, because of the very possibility of the unwed mothers’ involvement in prostitution and other deviant behaviors on the one hand, and their children’s possible becoming the victim of torture, assaults, sexual abuse and starvation etc. The young girls also become victim of the abuse at the hands of stepfathers, uncles, teachers, neighbors and strangers. It is therefore, the law enforcing agencies must announce strict punishments and penalties on the individuals responsible for deflowering the girls. The moral values should also be introduced in the light of the sacred teachings manifestly elucidated in the Holy Scripture. Since the Scriptures belonging to all religions lay stress upon morality and ethical values, introducing of moral laws would be imperatively beneficial for the entire society. Berger, P., & Kellner, H. Marriage and the Construction of Reality: An Exercise in the Micro-sociology of Knowledge. In G. Handel, & G. G. Whitchurch (Eds), the Psychosocial Interior of the Family (4th ed., pp. 19-36). New York: Aldine De Gruyter. Web Web 26 May 2012 Cardock, C. & Gardner, J.R. Psychological intervention for parishes following accusations of child sexual abuse In S.J. Rossetti (Ed.). Slayer of the soul: Child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications. 1990 Print Costello, E. Jane, Keeler, Gordon P., and Angold, Adrian Poverty, Race/Ethnicity, and Psychiatric Disorder: A Study of Rural Children American Journal of

Just Business Report Essay Example for Free

Just Business Report Essay Reading the book â€Å"Just Business† by Alexander Hill, it was very interesting to go through the topic of Christian ethics for business. Looking at different scenarios that managers have to confront and it shows how nerve-wracking, heart wrenching and also guilt producing that it could be. The definition of ethics is the study of â€Å"should† and of doing the â€Å"right thing.† The three main characteristics that were presented and emphasized in the Bible: God is holy. God is just. God is love. Hill also talked about integrity, fairness and compassion that mirror holiness, justice and love. I loved how Hill supports his points by having Bible verses. For example he writes the â€Å"salt and light† of the world (Matthew 5:13-16) is the third force for good. I agree with many of the points Hill says such as â€Å"we cannot serve two masters at the same time† (Matthew 6:24) and it specifies that we cannot serve both God and money. They were also talking about justice procedural rights that focus on fair processes in decision-making. Substantive rights are what procedural rights seek to protect. Merit links the concepts of cause and effect. Contractual justice is limited to three duties; we must not violate a negative injunction by causing harm to others, we must respect procedural justice and we must fulfill our contractual promises (Hill 46). Love is a universal word and many would consider it to be â€Å"the centerpiece of Christian ethics† (Hill 53). Love includes empathy, mercy and self-sacrifice. Empathizing with others would include by celebrating with their triumphs and shouldering their pain. Mercy is quite hard to do because it takes action on their behalf and takes initiative in forgiving. In my experience, there are times when I do have trouble forgiving people, yet God gave me the strength to forgive the person. This will probably come up more often while taking care of business. He also shows visuals such as the tables and drawings that make it easier to get the gist of what he was talking about. Part Two – False Exits This addresses â€Å"Dual Morality†, â€Å"Law†, and â€Å"Agency† which they are known as false exits â€Å"because they deposit ultimate ethical authority in human instrumentalities – business culture, government and corporate government – rather than in God’s character† (Hill 67). Dual morality â€Å"rejects the notion that universal principles of right and wrong exist† (Hill 69). It also helps me have a visual when he shows examples of CEOs and what kind of decisions they have to make and what would be the ethical thing to do. Law is another false exits, when one presumes that if an action is legal, it is still morally acceptable as well. There are times when there are many people just follow the law and assume that the law is right and the ethical way. There are flaws in the system and Hill shows a diagram in page 98, figure 6.1 illustrates the tension. Acts that are both ethical and legal Ethics - Acts that are unethical but legal Law - Acts that are both illegal and unethical Agency is the third false exit that talks about the problems that arises when the values of the employee diverge from those of the employer. It was intriguing to learn about the legalistic purist, the accommodating purist. These few chapters opened my eyes to see what kind of false exits that people use in the business world. Now I am aware of what people could use as false exits. Part Three – Topics Honesty and Deception is more common in the business environment but it is quite difficult concepts to apply. Honesty â€Å"builds trust, establishes community and protects the dignity of the audience† (Hill 125), which allows partners to rely on each other and fosters community and respects each one’s dignity. He also talks about deception and how justice condemns deception and it could lead to disaster and consequences. No right to hear the truth, exaggeration, and ambiguity are more deceptions that people use in the business environment. The other topics that were discussed were: Concealment and disclosure; Employer-Employee Relations; Employee Rights; Discrimination and Affirmative Action; the Environment and Property. The topic that stood out to me was the Environment because I have learned about different ethical views such as the anthropocentric view and the biocentric view 1 and 2. Hill also explains what the Role of Business is that even â€Å"scripture makes it clear that our task is to responsibly steward God’s creation in the hear and now† (228) and there are times that one would have to make difficult decisions. These topics have given me a new perspective towards business. Overall, â€Å"Just Business,† by Alexander Hill, was an outstanding book to read especially when one is planning to go into the field of business. It was interesting to see how business runs with the combination of Christian ethics. I would highly recommend for other students to read this especially if they are looking into business. It was a great opportunity to read what it is like to be ethical in the business world, in comparison, to what it is like to be not ethical in the business world. References Hill, Alexander (2008). Just Business: Christian Ethics for the Marketplace. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Cross Culture Affects The Global Fast Foods

Cross Culture Affects The Global Fast Foods Michel Camdessus, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that: Globalization is simply the continuation of the trend toward greater international economic integration that has been under way for the last fifty years. The difference is that todays markets are larger, more complex, and more closely integrated than ever before. And now capital moves at a speed and in volumes that would have been inconceivable a few decades ago. (Walker, Walker, Schmitz, 2003, p.2). One could surely argue that, globalisation as defined by our contemporary experience, is a continuation of a historical evolution that has been underway for at least the past five hundred years, with European colonialisation and imperialism leading to a dynamic between parochial tribalism and global commerce that frames the modern state of affairs- a dialectical dynamic that Benjamin Barber (1996) fittingly calls Jihad vs. McWorld. As stated by Elmer (2003), Stepping out and fitting in around the world is what multinationals brand of companies are doing to conquer new markets and to be sustainable on the long run. The challenge of crossing the border to step out and fit in each and every culture worldwide (Elmer, 2003), and be both a global and a local company is the effort of Fast Food brands like KFC, McDonalds and Nandos. Downs (1993) stated that One of the greatest stumbling blocks to understanding other peoples within or without a particular culture is the tendency to judge others behavior by our own standards. As per Criag Storti (1989. P. 32-34): The more we retreat from the culture and the people the less we learn about them; the less we know about them the more uncomfortable we feel among them; the more uncomfortable we fell among them the more inclined we are to withdraw. Therefore to survive a multinational has to learn about the people of the country they are operating in. Hofstede (1991), Trompenaars (1993), Czinkota and Ronkainen (1993) all agreed that culture is based on languages, economy, religion, policies, social institutions, class, values, status, attitudes, manners, customs, material items, aesthetics and education, which subsequently influences managerial values. The ability of Hofstedes framework to capture more than the individualism-collectivism dimension of culture contributed to its popularity (Sivakuma and Nakata, 2001). According to Hofstede (1980), the uncertainty avoidance dimension deals with the national cultures ability to tolerate ambiguity. Individuals in these high uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to be rigid and dogmatic. They are threatened by unknown situations. Life is perceived to have many risks, and the resultant stress needs to be lessened. So the cultures may rely upon such mechanisms as rules, customs, laws, and religion in pursuit of security. 1.2 Problem Definition With the effect of globalization, it has been noted that many multinational fast food brands are establishing in the Mauritius. After nearly 30 years that KFC implemented itself in Mauritius, we now have an influx of different famous brands of fast foods. Another phenomenon leading to this increase of fast food on the market is the opening of retail outlets like Bagatelle and Cascavelle. Mauritius is known for its history of different ethnic groups and with a diversity of food culture, the question arising is how these companies are able to gain share of the market and how they have adapted themselves to the Mauritian culture. 1.3 The industry understudy This study will be conducted for the Fast Food industry with reference to the following multinational brands: KFC, McDonalds and Nandos. This will enable us to analyse how they are operating and how the importation of American and Portuguese food culture are adapting to our famous Mauritian cuisine:Bryani, Dal puri, Gateaux Piment, Mine Bouille and other typical Mauritian food. 1.4 Aim of research The aim of this research is to investigate how these multinationals are facing the cross cultural barriers and how they have been able to overcome them. 1.5 Objective of Research To identify cross cultural barriers existing in the Mauritian Market and the fast food sector. To analyse how cross culture barriers affects the Marketing strategies of Fast Food Companies To analyse the impact of cross culture on the brand equity of these Multinationals To analyse the impact of the anxiety and uncertainty avoidance theory faced by Fast Food Multinational on the Market. To evaluate how Mauritians has accepted these Multinationals in their culture. 1.6 Research Structure and hypotheses Companies who extend their business abroad have to face a challenge of cross-cultural communication. Bennis and Nanus (1985) refer to Erez (1992) and claim that communication is the only approach by which group members can cooperate with each other toward the goal of organization. In line with this a possible hypothesis is as follows: HYPOTHESIS 1 Ho: Cross cultural barriers have no impact on fast food multinational marketing strategies H1: cross cultural barriers have impact on fast food multinational marketing strategies Steenkamp et al. (2003) found that perceived brand globalness was positively related to perceived quality and prestige. Another hypothesis can be: HYPOTHESIS 2 H3: Cross cultural barriers have no impact on brand equity of fast food multinational marketing strategies H4: Cross cultural barriers have impact on brand equity of fast food multinational marketing strategies Hofstede (1991, p. 116) points out that uncertainty avoidance should not be confused with risk avoidance even more than reducing risk, uncertainty avoidance leads to a reduction of ambiguity. One of hypothesis will show this from the study HYPOTHESIS 3 H5: The anxiety and uncertainty avoidance theory have no impact on Fast foods Multinationals on the Market. H6: The anxiety and uncertainty avoidance theory have impact on Fast foods Multinationals on the Market. Levitt (1983, p. 87) argues that well-managed companies have moved from emphasis on customizing items to offering globally standardized products that are advanced, functional, reliable and low priced. The following hypothesis will try to this point. HYPOTHESIS 4 H7: Mauritian has adopted these Multinational Fast Foods. H8: Mauritian has not adopted these Multinational Fast Foods. 1.7 Structure of the Study The dissertation will comprise of different chapters as outlined below. Chapter 1: Introduction defines the background of the research and outlines the aim and research objectives. It also gives an overview of the structure of the study to be carried out. Chapter 2: Literature Review -presents a detailed account of relevant materials in relation to the subject matter including theories and principles relating to cross-cultural barriers, also in relation to the food and fast foods multinationals. It also emphasizes on Individualism versus collectivism and uncertainty avoidance in relation to Hofstedes cultural framework. Chapter 3: Situation Analysis It provides a brief of the Mauritian Fast food Multinationals and the problem they have encounter to be present on the Market Chapter 4: Methodology defines the basic methods used to carry out this study along with the procedures that are used to analyse and prepare the collected data. It also identifies the problems and limitations during the research. Chapter 5: Analysis Findings Presents an analysis of the data collected together with a discussion. Chapter 6: Recommendations Conclusion provides recommendations to provide a smoother adjustment for the Fast Food Multinationals in view with cross cultural issues. Chapter 2 Literature review Since the very beginning of human history, food has assembled peoples in the way that no any other things have been able to do. No matter whether it was the ancient agora or todays modern day supermarket or restaurant, the market of food has always played a central role in humans lives, communities, communication, and culture (Huddleston et al., 2009; DeJesus and Tian, 2004). Culture is often defined as a system of values as well as a determinant of consumer behavior. Members of a particular culture transform their experiences with their physical and social environments to an abstract level of belief about what is desirable and what is not (Lillis and Tian 2010). Such encoded beliefs, called values, act as a general guide for everyday behaviors, including those pertaining to buying and consumption. Cultural values differ among nations along Hofstedes four dimensions of national character (Emery and Tian, 2003; Hofstede, 1984; Tian, 2002). The growing amount of international business has increased the need to understand consumer behavior from a cross-cultural perspective (Mooij, 2004; Senguder, 2001; Sunderland and Denny, 2007; Tian 2002 a). With the globalisation of markets, marketing research has assumed a truly international character and this trend is likely to continue (Malhotra et al., 1994). Todays Consumers have greater knowledge of the value of various competing offerings. Effective communications may be the most important competitive advantage that firms have to meet diverse consumer needs on a global basis. According to Edmondson (2000), two-thirds of all industries either already operate globally or are in the process of doing so, McDonaldss earns over 62% of its income outside the U.S. For cross-cultural acceptance, Altering and adjusting the marketing mix determinants are essential and vital to suit local tastes, meet special needs and consumers non-identical requirements (Czinkota and Ronnenken, 1995). Growing internationalization of tastes and buying patterns has made the development of global and regional brands more feasible (Doyle, 1994). 2.1 Fast Food Industry and Food culture The fast food revolution essentially had its origins in the US in the mid 1950s and this style of catering has continued to grow there and to spread to most of the rest of the world in the decades since then (Jones et al, 2002, p.41). Schlosser (2001) has suggested that within the US the impact of this revolution has been seen to be particularly pervasive. He argues, for example, that during a relatively brief period of time the fast food industry has helped to transform not only the American diet but also our landscapes, economy, workforce and popular culture. More generally fast food can be seen as a powerful symbol of globalisation and of post-modern society and few countries of the world seem immune to its apparent attractions. McDonaldss, for example, claim to serve 45 million customers every day in 30,000 restaurants in 121 countries around the world (Jones et al, 2002, p.41). Fast food have been defined by Bender and Bender (1995) as a general term used for a limited menu of foods that lend themselves to production-line techniques; suppliers tend to specialize in products such as hamburgers, pizzas, chicken, or sandwiches. Fast food is one which gained acceptance of Indian palate after the multinational fast food players adapted the basic Indian food requirements with vegetarian meals and selected non-vegetarian options excluding beef and pork totally from their menu (Goyal, and Singh, 2007). Carmouche and Kelly (1995) suggested a list of factors that shape the food consumption behavior: social class, gender, age, culture, race, and religion (also considered a cultural factor). Food is one important factor that influences the choice to visit a particular place and affects tourists attitudes, decisions, and behavior (Henderson 2009; Hjalanger and Corigliano 2000). Ample evidence has been found that religion can influence consumer attitude and behavior in general and food purchasing decisions and eating habits in particular (Bonne and Verbeke 2008b). In many societies, religion plays one of the most influential roles in shaping food choices and consumption behavior: the types of food that can be consumed, who should prepare and cook the food at what times, and how and when to eat it. However, different religions have different rules and teachings about food consumption behavior. Followers of religions also differ in observance of these rules: some follow the rules strictly, while others behave with more flexibility, and few may not care at all. Hence, in order to investigate the relationship between food consumption behavior and religion, it is important to give ample consideration to this religious diversity both within and among the followers of each religion. (Maedeh Bon, Mazhar Hussain, 2010) All restaurants of KFC, an American fast-food chain, in France are Halal certified and KFC also serves such food in eight of its British restaurants on a trial basis (The Economist 2009). 2.2 Culture and Cross Culture 2.2.1 Definition of Culture According to Ferraro (1994), the only requirement for culture is to be human is that the people in the world belong to a culture. Marzheuser (1995) stated that culture consists primarily of the symbols and stories people use to communicate their history and values. For Hall (1976), culture is a word which stands for the sum of earned behavior, patterns, attitudes and material things. Culture has been defined as the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group from another (Hofstede, 1980). Beyond individual differences, human dispositions and behaviors are influenced by the norms, beliefs and values of their cultural environment (Triandis, 1989). Furthermore, cultural values shape not only ones behavior, but also ones perceptions of the self and of the social environment (Triandis, 1989). Much insight has been gained from the GLOBE research project (House et al., 2004), where culture was measured both as values of the respondents and in terms of their perceptions of how people deal with collective challenges within their culture. 2.2.2 Cross Culture Okazaki et al (2011) defined global consumer culture positioning as: a brand is associated with a widely understood and recognized set of symbols believed to constitute emerging global consumer cultures. As Simon and Dolan (1997) illustrate; McDonaldss has been very successful with package offers in the USA and in Germany, where a hamburger and fries offered together with a beverage. While Local consumer culture positioning is defined as a strategy that associates the brand with local cultural meanings, reflects the local cultures norms and identities, is portrayed as consumed by local people in the national culture, and/or is depicted as locally produced for local people (e.g., McDonaldss chicken teriyaki ads in Japan). In contrast, foreign consumer culture positioning positions the brand as symbolic of a specific foreign consumer culture (e.g. KFC slogan Finger-lickin good was translated as Eat your fingers off in China). Beyond individual differences, human dispositions and behaviors are influenced by the norms, beliefs and values of their cultural environment (Triandis, 1989). Furthermore, cultural values shape not only ones behavior, but also ones perceptions of the self and of the social environment (Triandis, 1989). Cultural differences have significant impact on our intercultural communication. They are the source of misunderstanding, misinterpretation, anxiety, and uncertainty, which ultimately result in miscommunication (Stephan and Stephan, (2002); Gudykunst (2002); Gudykunst and Lee, (2002). Generally, culture is conceptualised as a shared way of life collectively developed and shared by a group of people and transmitted from generation to generation (Tubbs and Moss, 1994). Culture embodies many complex elements such as beliefs, values, language, political systems, and tools which together give a group its code or characteristics (Griffin (2000); Tubbs and Moss (1994). This code is not impos ed by one individual or an external body. Rather, it is socially constructed (by members that make up the group) and historically transmitted (Philipsen, (1992) and Griffin (2000)). Intercultural communication is thus the exchange of information between well-defined groups of people with significantly different cultures (Barnett and Lee (2002). The process is quite complex in the sense that this exchange of information takes place in a context which is a fusion of significantly different systems. The process also requires conscious attempts by each party at reducing uncertainty about the future behaviour of the other party through an increase in understanding of the other group (Barnett and Lee (2002); Gudykunst, (2002)). For Gudykunst and Lee (2002) and Griffin, (2000) Cultural variability (the extent to which cultures differ) is key to any conceptualisation of intercultural communication. Various studies have examined cultural variability at the level of power distribution (or power distance), uncertainty avoidance, gender roles, face negotiation, individualism-collectivism, and others. Mazneski (1994) opines that cross-cultural awareness facilitates to perform a set task successfully. Berthon (1993) views culture as the results of the human actions and shows the link between the ideas of mental programming and the consequence of behaviour derived from this. Therefore, cross-verging across culture has different aspects such as attitude, communication, conflict and negotiation, performance and compensation, which explain the ethical issues and how to appraise them. Bond and Forgas (1984) concluded that different perceptions, attitudes and biases in different cultures ultimately mould the ethical monochromes across-culture, have a distinct presence ubiquitously. In that light, McFarlin and Sweeney (1998) observe that once you perceive and interpret the behaviour of another person, you often must communicate your feelings or reactions to what took place which is an extension of the ethical base to appraise performance and preference. Ambos and Schlegelmilch (2008) argu e that one culture may support certain type (or types) of organizations rather than other types, and culture differences will eventually influence on the performance of company. International marketers have long realized that products and services frequently must be adapted to the varying needs and preferences of consumers in different countries (Cateora and Graham 2002). As McDonaldss adapted its products in India and has made changes to its menu to cater to local tastes elsewhere in the world. In 1996 McDonaldss launches its first restaurants in India and to respect local custom the menu there did not include beef. Instead, there was a novel item the Maharaja Mac, made with mutton but served in the McDonaldss sesame-seed bun (Rugimbana and Nwankwo, (2003). The goal of marketing management is to create positive identity impressions in the local consumers minds, even if this entails some alteration to the companys global identity expressions. As reported in The Economist (2001), in the fast-food industry, menu offerings are influenced by the prevailing cultural values Maharaja Macs at McDonaldss India, Teriyaki McBurgers at McDonaldss Japan, and Kosher and non-Kosher restaurants in McDonaldss Israel and advertising, outdoor signage, and in-store ephemera need to be in the native language. Restaurant architecture frequently incorporates native motifs and global trade characters can take on a local flavor. A Starbucks in Shanghai has a Ming Dynasty faà §ade and the entrances of some Chinese KFC restaurants are guarded by full-size, fiberglass models of Colonel Sanders who, in his Asian reincarnation, looks a little portly like a Buddha. According to former CEO, Jack Greenberg, localization has contributed to McDonaldss worldwide success (Foreign Policy 2001), although some analysts warn that decentralization has become so pervasive that it threatens to undermine the main pillars of the brand service, quality and cleanliness (The Economist 2001). 2.3 Cross Culture Barriers Hofstede (1991), Trompenaars (1993), and Czinkota and Ronkainen (1993) all agreed that culture is based on languages, economy, religion, policies, social institutions, class, values, status, attitudes, manners, customs, material items, aesthetics and education, which subsequently influences managerial values. Witkowski and Wolfinbarger (2002) found that the relationship between the different components of service quality reliability, empathy, responsiveness, assurance, and tangibles and perceptions of overall service quality varied across both cultures and across service settings. 2.3.1 Language Language is the key to the heart of a culture, so related are language and culture that language holds the power to maintain national or cultural identity. Victor (1992) noted that there are at least 2, 796 languages spoken on planet earth. According to Rubin (1992), language is a set of characters or elements and rules for their use in relation to one another and as described by Nanda and Warms (1998) language does more than just reflect culture: it is the way in which an individual is introduce to the order of the physical and social environment. As the definition of Dawson (1967), language lies at the root of culture, and that culture and language are inseparable aspects of the same process. According to Edwards (1985), language is important in ethnic and nationalist sentiment because of its power and visible symbolism (reason why the Mauritian government as implemented Mauritian Creoles in schools). For Bolch (1996) language and culture are so firmly intertwined that optional cro ss-cultural international business cannot be attained without substantial foreign-language capabilities. Reasonable cultural awareness without foreign-language capabilities is common, especially among English speaking business people, but such a lack of skills set very definite limits on the efficacy of cross-cultural performance. Intercultural communication gained prominence after efforts by anthropologists and linguists like Hall and Lado to link language, culture, and communication (Kramsch, 2001). 2.3.2 Norms, Roles, Beliefs and Values Norms are culturally defined rules for determining acceptable and appropriate behaviour (Tubbs and Moss, 1994). They include those that govern social situations and conversational routines such as greetings, making requests, and expressing various emotions. Roles are also sources of cultural variability. Roles are sets of norms applicable to specific groups of people in society. As culture relates to norms, values and customs of people it generates behavioural differentiation. Culture as a set of norms, rules and customs, as a result people from different cultures have differences in their norms and customs. Culture is a pattern of spiritual, emotional, mental and physical realities, all of which interact in the life of society and individuals. It involves the way we think, dress and speak, the words we use, our beliefs, the food we eat, the style of our clothes and our homes, the relationship between relatives, our music and our art, and much more. Higher education levels expose ind ividuals to different cultural perspectives and make them less likely to follow local behavioral norms and more global as consumers (Keillor et al., 2001). Cultural syndromes are cognitive structures that help one organize and interpret the world by focusing attention on certain patterns or themes in the subjective elements of the environment, such as values, norms, beliefs, and assumptions (Triandis, 1994a) 2.3.3 Status Homer and Kahle (1988), the value attitude behavior hierarchy would support the contention that cultural values do correlate with attitudes. Orientation toward status is another cultural dimension identified as affecting human behavior and refers to how people are judged in society (Trompanaars Hampdon-Turner, 1997). Achievement is a cultural orientation where people are accorded status based on how well they perform their functions (e.g., subject matter expertise) and on what they have accomplished. Ascription is a cultural orientation where status is attributed based on who or what a person is (i.e., based on age, gender, or social connections). 2.4. High context-communication and low context communication. High context or Low context communication theory is one of the most important theories in cross-cultural research, which can be viewed as a culture based on the messages that people within the culture prefer to use (Richardson and Smith, 2007). It properly links management style and staff behaviour to discuss the issue of cross-cultural management in communication. According to Richardson and Smith (2007) refer to Hall (1976) and argue that cultures cannot be easily classified into High Context or Low Context, but to some extent, some cultures tend to be at the higher end while others are at the lower end of the continuum. In a high-context culture, people interdepend on each other. Information is widely shared through the word with potential meaning. In a low-context cutlure, people tend to be individualized, kind of alienated and fragmented, people do not involve with each other too much. High context communication tends to engage an indirect way to express while low context commun ication prefers direct information exchange (Kim, Pan and Park, 1998, Richardson and Smith, 2007). In a low-context culture, people coming from other culture can easily match these machinations, but in a high-context culture, these high-context machinations cannot be easily matched by people coming from low-context culture (Holden, 2002). The characteristic of high-context communication is economical, fast, efficient, and satisfying, however, programming is time-consumed (Kim, Pan and Park, 1998). Contrarily, low-context massages are more context-free than high-context communication, information about the character and background and values of the participants are less influencing on people to make deals, however, the reliance to make deal is upon the explicit communication. In high context cultures communication involves messages in which most of the information is already in the person, while very little is in the coded, explicit, transmitted part of the message While low context the mass of the information is vested i n explicit code (Hall Hall, 1990). Cultural dimensions such as uncertainty avoidance, high-low context, field dependence-independence, and analytic-holistic reasoning are all cultural dimensions that may impact the leaders search (Salas e t al., 2004). 2.5 Hofstede cultural dimension Framework The human relations theme contains cultural dimensions that address how members of cultures react, interact, and develop relationships with others. Specifically, this theme includes dimensions that describe the identification of in- versus out-groups and corresponding expectations (Hofstede, 1980), preferences for individualistic tendencies versus group consensus and corresponding behavioral consequences (Trompenaars Hampden-Turner, 1998), and the maintenance of the status quo (Schwartz, 1999). The power relations theme contains cultural dimensions that revolve around peoples beliefs, values, and subsequent behaviors resulting from perceptions of power. Cultural dimensions within this theme guide rules and regulations regarding peoples reaction to power as well as the perception, acceptance, and adherence of power being distributed unequally (Hofstede, 1980). Hofstedes classification was originally related to work values rather than consumer behavior and other micro phenomena; it mi ght be less relevant in more culture specific studies on more micro phenomena in consumer behaviors (Yau et al. 1999). However, his work appears to be heavily relied upon because of its extensiveness across cultures and its intuitive appeal. While the first four themes deal primarily with direct social interactions, the next several themes pertain to differences in cultures orientation to more inanimate objects (i.e., rules, times, nature). Dimensions, which pertain to a cultures orientation to rules, include those that describe the adherence to, application of, and comfort with rules for members of a certain culture. Specifically, this theme refers to attitudes and preferences for ambiguity, rules guiding actions, and the amount of rules that govern behaviour for a particular society (Hofstede, 1980). National cultures also have different preferences with regard to perception of time and how those perceptions guide behavior. The time orientation theme refers to dimensions that explain how time perceptions of members relate to rewards, how time is viewed, and whether or not members pay attention to time (Hofstede, 2001; Hall Hall, 1990). The following provides a brief outline of the six dimensions of national cultures (Hofstede, 2001; Hofstede et al., 2010). (1) Power distance refers to the extent to which a society accepts the fact that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally. It is shown as much by the behavioural values of superiors, who display their power and exercise it, as by the behavioural values of subordinates who wait for their superiors to show their status and power, and are uncomfortable if they do not personally experience it. (2) Uncertainty avoidance refers to the extent to which members of a society feel uncomfortable in ambiguous and uncertain situations and take actions to avoid them. The dimension of uncertainty avoidance measures the extent to which people in a society tend to feel threatened by uncertain, ambiguous or unde ¬Ã‚ ned situations. Where uncertainty avoidance is high, organizations promote stable careers, produce rules and procedures, etc. Nevertheless societies in which uncertainty avoidance is strong are also characterized by a higher level of anxiety and aggressiveness that creates, among other things, a strong inner urge to work hard (Hofstede, 1980a). (3) Individualism versus collectivism refers to the extent to which individuals are supposed to look after themselves or remain integrated into groups. Hofstede (2001) defines it as the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another. According to this definition, national culture is a set of collective beliefs and values that distinguish people of one nation from those of another. (4) Masculinity versus femininity refers to the distribution of emotional roles between the genders. It contrasts tough masculine with tender feminine societies. A society is masculine when the dominant values favour assertiveness, earning money, showing off possessions and caring little for others. Conversely, feminine societies favour nurturing roles, interdependence between people and caring for others (who are seen as worth caring for, because they are temporarily weak). The masculinity/femininity dimension has been so called because, on average, men tended to score high on one extreme and women on the other, across societies. (5) Long-term versus short-term orientation refers to the extent to which a culture programs its members to accept delayed satisfaction of their material, social and emotional needs. Long-term orientation is future-focused and has long-term goals whereas short-term orientations focus on respect for tradition and are oriented toward the past and the present. Long Term Orientation stands for the fostering of virtues oriented towards future rewards, in particular, perseverance and thrift. Its opposite pole, Short Term O

Urban photography

Urban photography Understanding the definition of Urban Photography and how other practitioners can influence my images through the art of composition For my personal investigation for the first project of A2, I have decided to choose a genre that excites me and one that can challenge my creative practices. Having chosen Architecture for my theme last year, I’m going to use the Photoshop skills and camera techniques I learnt and adapt them to the genre I’ve chosen this year. I first started the investigation into the genre of Street Photography. Street caught my eye whilst watching photography tutorial YouTube videos on the internet in the summer before the A2 academic year started. I’m obsessed with the idea of capturing a moment of everyday life, a picture that has a meaning and a story that’s ambiguous to everyone who’s viewing the image having their own conceptions. Taking pictures of ordinary people in ordinary places interacting with others and the environment around them, and creating an image that represents one person of society at one particular time, an image that makes you contemplate life around us is my main motive for my love of street photography. However at the start of the project after more research into famous street photographers and having carried out my own photo shoot on â€Å"the street†, I suddenly realised I don’t have the extremely high confidence needed to shoot on the street up close to strangers. It is a daunting and dangerous genre especially for a teenager. Urban Photography I felt was the answer to this dilemma photographing the urban landscape and not just portraits of strangers in the city. Photographing the environment we work and live in is fascinating to see what inner beauties underlie of everyday life we perhaps take for granted. According to Paul Halliday, (A photographic urban artist and film-maker) ‘Urban Photography is an interdisciplinary field of visual practice concerned with the evocation and representation of urban spaces and the lives of those living, working and moving through such spaces.’ – Available at: http://www.urbanphotofest.org/defining-urban-photogr aphy, Accessed 16th February 2015. This statement is how he describes urban photography and I agree with him how urban photographs show the spaces people live and work in. Composition is an art. In the terms that, without composition, techniques, tricks, rules, arrangements and learning how other artists that have their own ‘personal’ take on how they compose an image; the photographs we produce may not communicate the initial story/subject and or context we wanted to portray. For instance, we might take a picture thinking it looks like what we saw in our eyes but the way we took it (a quick snapshot, poor alignment) may change the whole dynamic and instead show no orderly patterns (something that our eyes are drawn to), no visual order (foreground, background†¦) and may place emphasis on the object or person who isn’t the main subject (which could create confusion in an image) that you primarily wanted to capture. I’m going to look at the two artists below who I have touched on briefly in my sketchbook however look more closely into how they compose their images, what I can learn and how their ‘take’ can im prove my images adopting practices that they are subconsciously used too. On Wikipedia’s article about composition, it backs up my point referring to how the viewers of the image may not view what we wanted them to look at (how it effects the communication). ‘The position of the viewer can strongly influence the aesthetics of an image, even if the subject is entirely imaginary and viewed within the minds eye. Not only does it influence the elements within the picture, but it also influences the viewers interpretation of the subject.’ – (Composition (Visual Arts), Accessed: 22/02/2015, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_(visual_arts)) Prior to this personal investigation into the genres street and urban, I hadn’t performed or produced any pictures of this type. It is therefore important for me to visually analyse the works of others to gain an understanding into how they compose their images. Placing emphasis on what they want as the main subje ct and how differences can impact upon the interpretation of the picture, all viewers may have. Analysis of bold composition, Urban Photographer: Nicholas Goodden One photographer I’ve researched in this project is called Nicholas Goodden. His work is magnificent to look at and his pictures truly demonstrate Paul’s definition of the genre. He photographs the big city ‘London’ and captures little sights where he lives and works. He says â€Å"Beauty is all around but people are too busy or don’t care enough to see it†. His work captures the beauties that are hidden to us in our everyday life usually including one subject in his pictures creating bold compositions. These bold compositions are usually created by simple shapes such as circles, rectangles, radial patterns, lines, curves and zigzags that attract the eye. Photographing these forms he sees around the city with his common use of bright colours and contrast gives the viewers of his images an insight into how he sees the city from the hustle and bustle to the lonely parts, they are a tribute to London as a whole. The portfolio which he has constructed show a variety of urban scenes in the East London area, below are two of my favourites and two that are inspiring to me in my personal project. The first image (left) rightly captioned tunnel vision, is a picture of people walking through an underground tunnel which is part of London’s tube network. It’s one of my favourites because it captures people rushing around which is what the tube network is known for (although it’s edited, in a way it’s also a true representation). It captures the true city/urban life with commuters trying to get to their destination in a hurry. Nicholas could have taken this image at a quick shutter speed around 200th/second freezing the movement of the people walking past him however this would have made a mediocre photograph. Instead he left it on quite a slow shutter speed creating this artistic motion blur. This isn’t the first time he’s done this and in fact he’s quite fond of this creative technique looking through his portfolio. In my sketchbook, there’s an image he’s taken that has light trails off a vehicle driving past Camden Lock and he uses the long exposure to capture this movement of light. The outcome is an unusual artistic effect that can change the mood and add much more interest to the image. He aligned the handrail in the centre of his viewfinder that in a way splits the image into two half’s which also give the image a symmetrical look. The reason why this looks good is because the image is not complicated to read improving the communication between the picture and the viewer. He’s changed the image into black and white which is straightaway eye catching with the leading lines strongly defined guiding us towards the centre of the image. The tonality appears to be a selenium type colour not just an ordinary black and white, this tone gives off a more modern black and white image (clean and crisp, digital) which is a complete different feel to a more traditional sepia look. Along the floor are nine strong dark lines, accompany this with the sharp details on the walls and the main subject (the handrail) which is also a strong leading line creates this clear three dimensional feel. There’s lots of negative space which is not unusual in Nicholas’ images. He uses this negative space as a composition element. In this image, the negative space is correctly balanced on each half of the image supporting the symmetrical look I mentioned in the last paragraph. This negative space Nicholas includes in his image although it often results in him going further away from a subject, it defines and emphasises the main subject drawing your eye towards it. The negative space is gives breathing space to the viewer allowing them to relax and take time to observe the image adding to a more engaging composition. The second image (right) is of three London phone boxes and a passer-by walking towards the left of the frame. The first subject I was drawn to was the telephone box in the middle of the image, most probably because it is in the centre of the image however a few seconds after I was drawn directly to the guy walking past. Nicholas waited for the right moment or as Henri-Cartier Bresson would say â€Å"the decisive moment†. This is when the person is looking at Nicholas or his camera showing a facial expression that could be describing his current mood. It’s as if to say â€Å"What’s he doing over there taking my picture?† The person is another part to the image; it could be that he/she is rushing to the shop or walking home from work. Either way, it creates a dialog (right term to use?) between the image and the viewer and adds more interest to the image instead of it being just three phone boxes. His body language could also suggest he/she was in a peacefu l rush – (doesn’t sound right? Help). This image is a demonstration to Nicholas’ bold compositions techniques. The telephone boxes are a visual repetition that attracts the eye to view different parts of the image for longer. Nicholas has increased the contrast in the telephone boxes making them look more vibrant adding to the aesthetic look rather than a flat, morbid look. This makes the image more relatable as it’s closer if not the stereotypical (not the word but there’s a word for it) colour that is often associated with London. This dark contrast in the phone boxes adds drama to the image along with all the shadows across the image being reduced as well as the slight vignette around the frame. All this adds to the drama in the picture Nicholas has produced. The image also has some negative space again drawing attention and drama which is another composition technique he uses as I discussed in the above paragraphs. Conclusion of Nicholas Goodden Nicholas has made himself renowned on the internet, social media and in photography magazines as a London urban and street photographer creating images of iconic London Buildings and captain the essence of the capital city. He gives a modern perspective on urban photography which is notable with his digital manipulation and his modern mirrorless camera (to be specific Olympus’ OM-D E-M1). Looking at his images makes me take a step back, and contemplate the environment, who and what the people in his images are doing and how life differs in different towns and cities. Even different areas of these places that can show a complete contrast to another area of the city, and it is interesting to witness this through an urban photograph. Simply because Nicholas’ urban photography captures the true feel of the environment of which he is in, sometimes he includes people in his image sometimes not. In the situation of the latter, the way he composes his frames with lots of negative space next to a main subject (which really stands out through an increase in contrast and/or placement) allows the mind to imagine this environment. This is a critical reason to why I have researched him and how I want his photography to influence mine. Analysis of communication through composition and use of geometry, Street Photographer: Henri-Cartier Bresson If there is one element of Henri’s photography I have learnt whilst researching him, reading articles about him on the internet, browsing through hundreds of his images (made available on Magnumphotos.com), watching documentaries and interviews, it’s the use of geometry in his photographs he uses to his advantage placing forms and shapes in a way that converges patterns around the image. This allows the subject he is taking to stand out of the background with patterns leading towards and away from the frame. When Charlie Rose (an American television talk show host) asked Henri â€Å"What makes a great composition† he simply answered â€Å"Geometry†. Henri’s intent in the composition of his images was to â€Å"communicate the intensity† of the subject. This meant the purpose of how he composed his images was to make sure to best highlight the subject of the photograph. Composition should guide the eye to focus on a particular subject by eliminating distractions. This is true as an image with a main subject should also have quite an amount of negative space which again can be created with the composition the photographer uses, using his eye, he has the power of exclusion including only what he wants to see in the photograph. â€Å"The photograph’s eye is perpetually evaluating. A photographer can bring coincidence of line simply by moving his head a fraction of a millimetre. He can modify perspectives by a slight bending of the knees. By placing the camera closer to or further from the subject, he draws a detail.† –Henri. This quote from Henri himself explains how he and any photographer can manipulate the final outcome of a photograph. Adjusting the frame ever so slightly can change the whole perspective adding more or less detail to the subject the photographer is looking at. In all of the interviews I have read online, Henri never talks about the composition techniques I use and the ones that are discussed in modern photography magazines such as the rule of thirds. He used the vertical lines across the image which the rule of thirds is associated with but he mostly used the strong diagonal line that goes from one corner to the other. Observing image after image, an overwhelming number of his images rely of this diagonal line. A range of subjects, people lying down, a line of chairs or dark shadows in the image. France. 1932. Marseille. The Allà ©e du Prado. USA. 1947. New York City. Manhattan. Downtown. He analyses the environment he is in before he takes an image. He notices the distinctive relationship of patterns and lines that the subject has in common with the background, establishing a strong figure to ground relationship. In these two images, the sense of geometry is astounding. In the first image is taken in France (above, left). The main subject appears to be a grown man looking slightly away from the camera with a quite concerning shocking emotion on his face. I can imagine Henri just seeing this image with his eyes, looking behind him finding a relationship and geometric patterns and then shooting quickly before he lost the emotion on the man’s face he wanted to capture. Coincidentally the man was stood still in the middle of the path where the trees formed a two strong beautiful leading lines gradually getting smaller in the distance, this added depth but not only depth, but mathematical geometry which is what makes his images. Henri wouldn’t have just seen this and took a picture. He would quickly try and place the man in the centre of his viewfinder by moving inches to the right so that he (the subject) is brought out of the background more with the converging trees behind him fitting perfectly, like putting a jigsaw together. Also by doing this, the subjects three dimensional form is obvious and a true representation of the persons height with the trees beside him acting as a comparable measure. The second image (above, right) captures what appears to be an upset child/young adult sat on the kerb of a side street in New York. Because he was quite some distance away from the subject, we cannot really see what emotion the person is feeling however with his head on his knees looking down, we as humans know it’s not exactly a feeling of enjoyment or fulfilment, more upset and distraught. It seems the person doesn’t know Henri was taking his photograph therefore it shows his real emotion but I also think Henri didn’t want him to know he was there because people act different when a camera is pointing at them, not only that but taking the picture far away like he has here shows him being a true observer of life around him. He would have seen the person sat on the kerb, analysed the scene with the huge buildings aside him and didn’t take a step closer but just took the picture before he was noticed. In this photograph, the geometry he uses is spectacular . They are three main leading lines for the viewer’s eyes to intercept guiding them towards the subject and centre of the image. Six horizontal lines formed from the buildings fill the negative space around the subject adding clarity to the image as it’s easier for the viewer to get a sense of what’s happening and not get lost in the image. The golden rule composition technique can also be adapted here (shown on the right) with the sharp long buildings leading towards the person sat on the kerb. Black and white photographs work perfectly with street photography giving a feeling that a moment has been frozen in time and gives out this memorable, nostalgic feel with minimal distractions. As I’ve researched, I feel colour is just another distraction when it comes to composition of a street photograph. Henri’s images are of course in black and white because it was in the period of black and white film, the early twentieth century. Both images I have chosen to analyse reinforce the emphasis Henri placed on geometry and how it hugely impacts upon the images he had taken. The horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines plays a role into how his images were perceived, making his subjects stand out as well as relate into the background and act as a guide for our eyes to read his images. Conclusion of Henri-Cartier Bresson’s photography Henri is patient, he waits for the ‘deceive moment’ to take the picture. In one documentary on YouTube named â€Å"Just plain love†, he says you have to be receptive as well as lucky to get the image you want after you’ve visually composed the image in your head. Henri was always ready, receptive, on the lookout whilst others around him were unobservant and distracted whilst the help of geometry plays an obvious role in framing the sights he sees. He seeks the physical rhythms in pictures going for form more than light and intuitively taking an image of what he sees. He gains a sensuous pleasure to have everything in the right place, establishing the relations of curves and lines that question his awareness†¦ his ability to observe an environment and produce an image that is composed with geometric patterns and clarity that is seen throughout his collection of images over his lifetime.

Touch: The Foundation of Infant Growth and Bonding Essay examples -- P

Touch: The Foundation of Infant Growth and Bonding A premature infant is defined by Whaley & Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children as "any infant born before completion of 37 weeks of gestation, regardless of birth weight." (Wong, p. 1999, p.392) Many premature infants are also considered high risk neonates because the major activities of life, including thermoregulation, respiration and digestion, cannot fully function at their time of birth. This poses a problem for both the health professionals and the parents of the infant. The health professionals must closely monitor this vulnerable infant and, in most situations, assist the infant in thermoregulation, respiration, and feeding while the cautious, nervous parents look on, concerned about their child’s progress. The parent or parents often feel removed from their child’s care as another adult cares for their child’s every need. Infant stimulation can be as subtle and slight as touch of the infant’s arm or as much as skin to skin contact th rough holding. Touch actively involves the parents in the their child’s care and has proven to be beneficial for improving the vulnerable, tiny infant’s condition. Parents, as well as medical professionals, should be encouraged to touch these vulnerable tiny infants as much as, if not more than, they would touch a full term infant. Despite their low birth weight, tiny size and vulnerable condition, these infants should be held, caressed and cuddled with as often as possible. The experience of birth for a mother of a premature infant varies drastically from the birth of a normal full term infant because of the lack of infant stimulation or even sight of her newly born child. Peggy, a mother of newly born premature infant states "... ...tion and interaction, medical professionals need to calm the parents and encourage interaction with their child. What better way is there for interaction than touch? References Manginello M.D., Frank P., & Foy DiGeronimo M.D., Theresa. (1991). Your Premature Baby New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Gorski M.D., Peter, & Huntington Ph.D., Lee & Lewkowicz Ph.D., David J. (1987). Handling Preterm Infants in Hospitals: Stimulating Controversy about Timing Stimulation. In Infant Stimulation For Whom, What Kind, When and How Much? (pp. 43-51) (no place of publication): Johnson & Johnson Baby Products. Co. Wong, Donna L. (1999). Whaley and Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children. St. Louis: Mosby, Inc. Ludington-Hoe Ph.D., Susan M., & Golant, Susan K. (1993). Kangaroo Care: The Best You Can Do to Help Your Preterm Infant. New York: Bantam Books, Inc.