Special observances enhance mission readiness and unit cohesion Article

Special observances enhance mission readiness and unit cohesion - Article Example They form part of the continuous equal opportunity process of educating the relevant stakeholders. Special observances create an opportunity for the commander to promote human relations within the unit. They enhance unity within the unit, awareness, as well as, a deep understanding of the contributions that every member of the unit makes, and the unit’s accomplishments. It is the responsibility of the commander to ensure that the unit takes part in these observations. During the special observances, there is recognition of the unit’s accomplishment and achievements (Fort Jackson, 26). This boosts motivation amongst the unit members, who work towards maintaining their exceptional performance and accomplishing all that the unit has planned. It not only enhances the mission readiness, but also promotes the unit cohesion. The fact that all the members of the unit become aware of what they need to accomplish promotes the mission readiness. Additionally, after the recognition of the unit’s performance, the members continue working hard, which as well promotes the mission readiness. Being aware of what the commander expects from the unit, promotes cohesion within the unit since every member works towards achieving a common goal. Observances enhance cross-gender awareness and cross-cultural awareness. It enhances harmony amongst the members of the military, as well as, their families. All these promote cohesion within the unit. The military has members from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and, therefore, enhancing multi-cultural awareness promotes togetherness within the unit. The members of the unit work together as one team without focusing on the fact that they are from different cultural backgrounds. By bringing their families together, they recognize the fact that they share a lot in common what contributes to deepening their relationship. The members of the military not only work together while on their official duties, but as well help each other on the personal level i.e. helping each other tackle personal problems. This brings them together as one united family. Special observances are part of extensions of the training objectives. For example, by observing some tragedies that occurred in the past, the members of the military would be in a position to respond to such tragedies effectively in the future (Henderson 102). Members of the unit go through training to equip them with skills that are in line with the mission readiness. Special observations are as well part of educating the unit members about equal opportunities and other affirmative actions. This enhances cohesion and hard work within the team since it makes members recognize the fact that the unit embraces the equal opportunity affirmative actions, as well as, the fact that promotions within the unit are on merit. The focus of the observance is not only on the recognition, but also on encouraging interaction amongst the members of the unit. Interaction is critical in the unit as far as cohesion and mission readiness is concerned. For example, it is through the interaction that the members of the unit share experiences and ideas relating to not only their official duties, but also their personal lives. Interactions allow members to share their personal problems whereby all the unit members join hands to help their colleagues who are experiencing problems (Washington 59). This is one of the key ways through, which the observances promote cohesion within the unit. It is the responsibility of the commander to ensure that observances are successful and that the interaction within the unit is effective. Effective communication within the un

Northanger Abbey Characters Essay Example for Free

Northanger Abbey Characters Essay Second of which, it is also important to note that the social identity theory claims that every person enacts multiple identities that functions in every social context such as for instance, mother, professor, volunteer, that could be drivers of buying actions (p. 11). The behavioral decision theory that is under the umbrella of the social identity theory claims that choices of consumers are often made in accordance with their attribute values. Closely related to this is the attitude theory which emphasizes consumer expectancies and evaluations on a particular product belief (p. 11-12). The figure below presents consumer goals in terms of their buying preferences. It could be seen that the core reason that determines why such and such consumers buy certain products is primarily due to their life theme and values. In effect of these, their life themes and values deeply influenced how they are going to deal with their life projects, current concerns and consumption intentions. Finally, the benefits sought and the feature preferences are also considered as the end goal of the being and doing hierarchy. Figure 3:   A hierarchical model of consumer goals Source: Ratneshwar, Mick and Huffman (2000, p. 14) Life themes and values are the personal ideas of being and the highest goal in a persons framework. A terminal value is a belief that is considered as an end in itself such as freedom r wisdom. These types of values are like existential concerns that every customer has to deal with their daily lives which are rooted on their personal histories (p. 15). Themes and values in one’s life are the core conceptions of the self. These values are deeply embedded, interconnected and central in order to maintain integrity of the self-system. Corollary with this, these values are relatively stable and accessible as well and could be activated easily in almost any circumstance. As such it could be said that themes and values serve as a yardstick or standard guide to lower-order goals and actions (p. 17). Current concerns such as activities, tasks or quests are also vital in a consumers buying behavior. For instance, activities or life projects that a customer wants to engage into like gardening, being an animal rights advocate and the likes influences them to buy certain products that are in accordance to such goals (p.18). 2. 5 CSR and Purchasing Decisions The link between CSR and consumer purchasing decisions is something that has a direct relationship. It has been said by Varadarajan and Menon (1988) that it is very relevant for consumers to first be educated on a particular companys level of social responsibility before they could incorporate such on their pattern of behavior. This is important so that consumer purchasing decisions could be affected by the CSR programs that a company is employing. The notion of cause related marketing which is a way for companies to support non profit organizations by allotting a certain percentage of their sales to the former is one of the most effective way of doing the aforementioned (Mohr and Webb, 2001, p. 45). Albeit, it should be noted that although CSR has been highly exercised by most companies, the biggest inhibitor of the latters success is lack of consumer awareness on a particular companys CSR program. However even if this is the case, there is a growing evidence that a lot of consumers are desiring to know more about how companies conducts their businesses. The purchasing information that was given by Council on Economic Priorities in 1994 tells that consumer interest on CSR has been steadily growing (Mohr and Webb, 2001, p. 45). 2. 6 Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty Customer satisfaction is difficult to understand and it is define in different ways. Many researchers argued that there is a difference between the customer satisfaction, which is gained from tangible products and intangible services. The difference is because of the intangibility of the services and the failure to separate production and consumption. Therefore, customer satisfaction from services and goods may come from and influenced by different factors. Hence, should be considered separately and differently (Veloutsou, C. et al, 2005). Two issues should be considered when looking customer satisfaction in services whether it is conceptualized or transaction specific or cumulative (Hoest, V. and Knie-Andersen, M. , 2004). Customer satisfaction has been perceived as not the sole determining factor for a loyal customer base (Griffin and Herres, 2002, p. 2). During the 1980s and the 1990s, the notion of customer satisfaction which is weighed in terms of providing quality customer service and excellence has been perceived as providing good financial results and repeat purchase. A study conducted by Forum Corporation (Stum and Thiry, 1991, p. 34) claimed that 40% of the customers who participated in the study claimed to be satisfied with a particular product found it easy to shift brands without any hesitation. As such, it has been perceived by Griffin and Herres (2002; p.4-5) that the true measurement that should be used in repeated business is Customer Loyalty. Customer loyalty focuses more on consumer behaviour than attitude. When a particular client is loyal to a brand, such a person is more particular in conducting purchase behaviour that is relatively more non random. A client who is loyal to a brand has developed a particular justified belief on which and what to buy from whom. More importantly, the notion of loyalty implies a purchase that occurs for a particular duration, which does not occur less than twice. Also, it could be significantly noted that the decision to purchase could be made by one or two or more individuals. As such, it could be the case that the decision making to buy a particular product could be a compromise, hence explaining one of the key reasons for ones loyalty for a particular unit. There are two important factors that are closely associated with brand loyalty and these are customer retention and total share of customer. The former describes the duration in which a particular company has the business of a client. The rate of customer share on the other hand is equivalent to the percentage of a customers budget that is spent with the firm. For instance, a company is said to have 100% share of a customers budget if the latter spends his or her entire budget with a particular firm. As such it could be said that customer retention and percentage of customers budget is very important; however, there might be instances wherein a customer is prevented by certain laws to purchase just from one vendor such as government accounts. Gustafsson and Johnson (2000; p.50) presented a model which would effectively measure customer satisfaction. Satisfaction in terms of the model is perceived as customers overall evaluation of the purchase and consumption experience with a product, service or provider†. The model presented by Gustafsson and Johnson (2000) appears to be different from transaction-specific portrayals of customer satisfaction that normally leads to repurchase. The model focuses on the importance of Customer Lens or the perspective of a customer on a particular brand, most especially how it benefits them. The lens of the customer will allow the organization to take a view of their product as it appears on the market place and not really how their organization perceives it (Gustafsson and Johnson, 2000, p. 5). It has been argued by Gustafsson and Johnson   (2000) that customers decisions to repurchase a particular product are deeply influenced by their overall purchase and consumption from a particular company or brand. In addition, customer satisfaction could pave the way for an enhanced reputation and an increase of brand equity for a particular organization. Such in turn could further attract customers that could have further increase the market share of a particular brand. 2. 7 The Body Shop International, PLC Values The Body Shop International PLC has five corporate values: Against Animal Testing, Support Community Trade, Activate Self Esteem, and Protecting our Planet (The Body Shop International plc a, 2007). 2. 7. 1 Against Animal Testing The company strongly advocated for the banning of the test of cosmetics on animals. In addition, the company prides itself due to its strict compliance of the internationally recognized Humane Cosmetics Standards (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). As such it has been implementing a so-called fixed cut-off date to all of their ingredients. Such means, that the company does not and will never test their cosmetics on animals, hence calling it an immovable fixed date (The Body Shop International plc c, 2007). More importantly, the company has also assured that their products could also be suitable for vegetarians. This means that the company does not use any ingredient that is perceived to cause harm to animals (The Body Shop International plc c, 2007). In effect of this, the Body Shop has been awarded on 2006 as the Best Cruelty-free Cosmetics by the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals). (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). The advocate of Body Shop to ban animal testing is stretched even by the company supporting researches that could bring about alternatives against animal testing. In 2004, the Body Shop Foundation has awarded the Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing at John Hopkins University ? 20 000 in order to support the universitys research in finding other ways to test cosmetics   (The Body Shop International plc b, 2007). 2. 7. 2 Support Community Trade Body Shops support for community trade focuses on the use of natural ingredients and handcrafted products from skilled people and was brought for a reasonable prize for more than 20 years on over 24 countries and 31 suppliers (The Body Shop International plc e, 2007). In another perspective, community fair trade provides workers in marginalized countries to earn a reliable wage that could help them build their futures (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). More importantly, the community trade that Body Shop made from the aforementioned also provides the company the assurance that it has been purchasing ingredients in which they know where came from (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). As such, it could be said that the company has been spreading not only its monetary assets but also its intellectual investments as well fairly among countries most especially to the ones which needed it most (The Body Shop International plc d, 2007). 2. 7. 3 Activate Self Esteem Body shop also deeply upholds basic feminist values. Their motto: Know your mind, love your body; communicates the individuality of all women and the disregard to false promises, hype, and jargons of cosmetics and a fixed standard of beauty (The Body Shop International plc f, 2007). More importantly, the body shop emphasizes the importance of self awareness, self-confidence, self-growth and self-acceptance. As such it deems self respect while focusing on diversity, acceptance and empowerment (The Body Shop International plc g, 2007). 2. 7. 4 Protecting our Planet Protecting the planet is the last among the five core values of Body Shop. This value is deeply connected on the advocate of the company in using natural ingredients. Body Shop believed that through the use of natural ingredients and through helping on the ban against cosmetic test on animals, they are helping to protect the environment (The Body Shop International plc h, 2007). Furthermore, Body Shop also supports the use of renewable sources through the use of Forest Stewardship Council certified wood products. I

Traditional Dance as the Way to Understand the Culture Essay -- Cultur

â€Å"Dance has no language†- it is often said at the concerts and festivals. Indeed, in order to understand the beauty of the dance and what dancers want to express you do not need to know particular language, so Kazakhs, Russians, Koreans, Germans, Chinese etc. will perceive dance performance in the same way. Traditional dance involves not only dance performance, but traditional national music, costumes and attributes as well. So, through the traditional folk dances people can get acquainted with one or another’s culture. However, according to Bridget Rose Nolan (2008, 8) the nature of the traditional dances are very complex, and the question about to what extent such dances are traditional is arguable. She states that â€Å"dance is arguably one of the hardest forms of cultural expression to pass from one person to another unchanged, let alone from one generation to another through hundreds of years†. As Brennan (1999, 15)said â€Å"dance is, by its nature, ephemeral†. Brennan points that traditional dance itself underwent the process of evolution. Nevertheless, culture is learnt, so it can be changed and it changes slightly from one generation to another, and traditional dance as a part of culture changes as well. This will not be the eradication of culture. Therefore modern traditional dances can be regarded as part of culture and they can be considered as the way to understand particular culture. This paper is focused on this way, to be precisely, how traditional dances affect the understanding of culture. Firstly, the research problem will be described. Then essay will proceed to the description of the practical part, particularly, of the fieldwork, methods and expectations of the participant observation. Furthermore, there will be an an... ...ered that choreography students do not identify with any culture, including their own one, during the dance performance. So, the expectations about the changes in the behavior by the influence of the folk costumes and attributes were met, though the expectations about the feelings of the other cultures were not met. Therefore, folk dances can present culture of the particular folk, but the performances of the folk dances not always involve the understanding of the culture. Bibliography Brennan, H. The Story of Irish Dance. Ireland: Mount Eagle Publications, 1999. Haviland, William A., Harald E.L. Prins, Bunny McBride, and Dana Walrath. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. Nolan, B.R. "Tradition, Modernity, and Authenticity in Riverdance." American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Boston, 2008. 1-17. Traditional Dance as the Way to Understand the Culture Essay -- Cultur â€Å"Dance has no language†- it is often said at the concerts and festivals. Indeed, in order to understand the beauty of the dance and what dancers want to express you do not need to know particular language, so Kazakhs, Russians, Koreans, Germans, Chinese etc. will perceive dance performance in the same way. Traditional dance involves not only dance performance, but traditional national music, costumes and attributes as well. So, through the traditional folk dances people can get acquainted with one or another’s culture. However, according to Bridget Rose Nolan (2008, 8) the nature of the traditional dances are very complex, and the question about to what extent such dances are traditional is arguable. She states that â€Å"dance is arguably one of the hardest forms of cultural expression to pass from one person to another unchanged, let alone from one generation to another through hundreds of years†. As Brennan (1999, 15)said â€Å"dance is, by its nature, ephemeral†. Brennan points that traditional dance itself underwent the process of evolution. Nevertheless, culture is learnt, so it can be changed and it changes slightly from one generation to another, and traditional dance as a part of culture changes as well. This will not be the eradication of culture. Therefore modern traditional dances can be regarded as part of culture and they can be considered as the way to understand particular culture. This paper is focused on this way, to be precisely, how traditional dances affect the understanding of culture. Firstly, the research problem will be described. Then essay will proceed to the description of the practical part, particularly, of the fieldwork, methods and expectations of the participant observation. Furthermore, there will be an an... ...ered that choreography students do not identify with any culture, including their own one, during the dance performance. So, the expectations about the changes in the behavior by the influence of the folk costumes and attributes were met, though the expectations about the feelings of the other cultures were not met. Therefore, folk dances can present culture of the particular folk, but the performances of the folk dances not always involve the understanding of the culture. Bibliography Brennan, H. The Story of Irish Dance. Ireland: Mount Eagle Publications, 1999. Haviland, William A., Harald E.L. Prins, Bunny McBride, and Dana Walrath. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. Nolan, B.R. "Tradition, Modernity, and Authenticity in Riverdance." American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Boston, 2008. 1-17.

African American Culture Essay

African American culture in the United States includes the various cultural traditions of African ethnic groups. It is both part of and distinct from American culture. The U. S. Census Bureau defines African Americans as â€Å"people having origins in any of the Black race groups of Africa. â€Å"[1] African American culture is indigenous to the descendants in the U. S. of survivors of the Middle Passage. It is rooted in Africa and is an amalgam of chiefly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana. African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of African Americans’ desire to practice their own traditions, as well as the persistence of racial segregation in America. Consequently African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct culture apart from it. History From the earliest days of slavery, slave owners sought to exercise control over their slaves by attempting to strip them of their African culture. The physical isolation and societal marginalization of African slaves and, later, of their free progeny, however, actually facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans in the New World generally, and in the U. S. in particular. Slave owners deliberately tried to repress political organization in order to deal with the many slave rebellions that took place in the southern United States, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dutch Guyanas. African cultures,slavery,slave rebellions,and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. Oral tradition Slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African Americans because they believed it might lead to revolts or escape plans. Hence, African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, morals, and other cultural information among the people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many African and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African American folktales include trickster tales of Br’er Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry. The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate the complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Characteristics of the African American oral tradition present themselves in a number of forms. African American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of the subject is carried through the speaker’s tone, volume, and movement, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. Often song, dance, verse and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Techniques such as call-and-response are used to bring the audience into the presentation. In direct contrast to recent tradition in other American and Western cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. Spoken word is another example of how the African American oral tradition influences modern American popular culture. Spoken word artists employ the same techniques as African American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980’s and beyond has been seen as an extension of oral culture. Harlem Renaissance [pic] Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Main article: Harlem Renaissance The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the United Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Nation of Islam, a notable Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. African American cultural movement The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement. The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African American or â€Å"Black Arts Movement. † The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (Young, Gifted and Black) and The Impressions (Keep On Pushin’), as well as the poetry, fine arts and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later became known as Haki Madhubuti; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka; and Sonia Sanchez. Other influential writers were Ed Bullins, Dudley Randall, Mari Evans, June Jordan, Larry Neal and Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Another major aspect of the African American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic, a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Negritude among the artistic and literary circles in the U. S. , Caribbean and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that â€Å"black is beautiful. † During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in, and an embrace of, elements of African culture within African American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles, such as the afro, and African clothing, such as the dashiki, gained popularity. More importantly, the African American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music [pic] Men playing the djembe, a traditional West African drum adopted into African American and American culture. The bags and the clothing of the man on the right are printed with traditional kente cloth patterns. African American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in the Western, Sahelean, and Sub-Saharan regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African American music is evident in some common elements: call and response, syncopation, percussion, improvisation, swung notes, blue notes, the use of falsetto, melisma, and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals. Many African Americans sing Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing in addition to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the â€Å"Negro National Anthem† by the NAACP in 1919. African American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, The Star-Spangled Banner at events hosted by African American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 1800s, as the result of the blackface minstrel show, African American music entered mainstream American society. By the early twentieth century, several musical forms with origins in the African American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime, jazz, blues, and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African American Broadway shows, films such as King Vidor’s Hallelujah!, and operas such as George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Rock and roll, doo wop, soul, and R&B developed in the mid 20th century. These genres became very popular in white audiences and were influences for other genres such as surf. The dozens, an urban African American tradition of using rhyming slang to put down your enemies (or friends) developed through the smart-ass street jive of the early Seventies into a new form of music. In the South Bronx, the half speaking, half singing rhythmic street talk of ‘rapping’ grew into the hugely successful cultural force known as Hip Hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement. However, it is still important to many African Americans. The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing and go go. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups. Dance [pic] The Cakewalk was the first African American dance to gain widespread popularity in the United States. [pic] African American dance, like other aspects of African American culture, finds its earliest roots in the dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up African slaves in the Americas as well as influences from European sources in the United States. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both every day life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down, ring shouts, and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In the 1800s, African American dance began to appear in minstrel shows. These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African American dance to become popular with White dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and the Jitterbug. During the Harlem Renaissance, all African American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African American dancers. African American dance forms such as tap, a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading White choreographers who often hired African American dancers. Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre. Art [pic] Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859-1937 From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the twentieth century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 1800s, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee’s Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African American quilts with a geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art. After the American Civil War, museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice. To increase the visibility of their work, many African American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that more whites began to pay attention to African American art in America. [pic] Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. During the 1920s, artists such as Raymond Barthe, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and photographer James Van Der Zee became well known for their work. During the Great Depression, new opportunities arose for these and other African American artists under the WPA. In later years, other programs and institutions, such as the New York City-based Harmon Foundation, helped to foster African American artistic talent. Augusta Savage, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and others exhibited in museums and juried art shows, and built reputations and followings for themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few widely accepted African American artists. Despite this, The Highwaymen, a loose association of 27 African American artists from Ft. Pierce, Florida, created idyllic, quickly realized images of the Florida landscape and peddled some 50,000 of them from the trunks of their cars. They sold their art directly to the public rather than through galleries and art agents, thus receiving the name â€Å"The Highwaymen†. Rediscovered in the mid-1990s, today they are recognized as an important part of American folk history. Their artwork is widely collected by enthusiasts and original pieces can easily fetch thousands of dollars in auctions and sales. The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was another period of resurgent interest in African American art. During this period, several African-American artists gained national prominence, among them Lou Stovall, Ed Love, Charles White, and Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson and a group of African-American artists formed the Afrocentric collective AFRICOBRA, which remains in existence today. The sculptor Martin Puryear, whose work has been acclaimed for years, is being honored with a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting November 2007. Notable contemporary African American artists include David Hammons, Eugene J. Martin, Charles Tolliver, and Kara Walker. Literature [pic] Langston Hughes, a notable African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature has its roots in the oral traditions of African slaves in America. The slaves used stories and fables in much the same way as they used music. These stories influenced the earliest African American writers and poets in the 18thcentury such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. These authors reached early high points by telling slave narratives. During the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance, numerous authors and poets, such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington, grappled with how to respond to discrimination in America. Authors during the Civil Rights era, such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation, oppression and other aspects of African American life. This tradition continues today with authors who have been accepted as an integral part of American literature, with works such as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Beloved by Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, and series by Octavia Butler and Walter Mosley that have achieved both best-selling and/or award-winning status. Museums The African American Museum Movement emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to preserve the heritage of the African American experience and to ensure its proper interpretation in American history. Museums devoted to African American history are found in many African American neighborhoods. Institutions such as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland were created by African Americans to teach and investigate cultural history that, until recent decades was primarily preserved trough oral traditions. Language Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti,and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language closely associated with the speech of but not exclusive to African Americans. While AAVE is academically considered a legitimate dialect because of its logical structure, some of both Caucasians and African Americans consider it slang or the result of a poor command of Standard American English. Inner city African American children who are isolated by speaking only AAVE have more difficulty with standardized testing and, after school, moving to the mainstream world for work. It is common for many speakers of AAVE to code switch between AAVE and Standard American English depending on the setting. Fashion and aesthetics [pic]. A man weaving kente cloth in Ghana. Attire The cultural explosion of the 1960s saw the incorporation of surviving cultural dress with elements from modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. Kente cloth is the best known African textile. These festive woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and academic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Another common aspect of fashion in African American culture involves the appropriate dress for worship in the Black church. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African American women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, â€Å"†¦every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head†¦ â€Å", has led to the tradition of wearing elaborate Sunday hats, sometimes known as â€Å"crowns. † Hair Hair styling in African American culture is greatly varied. African American hair is typically composed of tightly coiled curls. The predominant styles for women involve the straightening of the hair through the application of heat or chemical processes. These treatments form the base for the most commonly socially acceptable hairstyles in the United States. Alternatively, the predominant and most socially acceptable practice for men is to leave one’s hair natural. Often, as men age and begin to lose their hair, the hair is either closely cropped, or the head is shaved completely free of hair. However, since the 1960s, natural hairstyles, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks, have been growing in popularity. Although the association with radical political movements and their vast difference from mainstream Western hairstyles, the styles have not yet attained widespread social acceptance. Maintaining facial hair is more prevalent among African American men than in other male populations in the U. S. In fact, the soul patch is so named because African American men, particularly jazz musicians, popularized the style. The preference for facial hair among African American men is due partly to personal taste, but because they are more prone than other ethnic groups to develop a condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly referred to as razor bumps, many prefer not to shave. Body image The European aesthetic and attendant mainstream concepts of beauty are often at odds with the African body form. Because of this, African American women often find themselves under pressure to conform to European standards of beauty. Still, there are individuals and groups who are working towards raising the standing of the African aesthetic among African Americans and internationally as well. This includes efforts toward promoting as models those with clearly defined African features; the mainstreaming of natural hairstyles; and, in women, fuller, more voluptuous body types. Religion While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. Christianity [pic] A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred tocollectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church. African American churches taught that all people were equal in God’s eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to one’s master taught in white churches as hypocritical. Instead the African American church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized African American denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. An African American church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly African American churches exist as members of predominantly white denominations. African American churches have served to provide African American people with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society. Because of this, African American pastors became the bridge between the African American and European American communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Like many Christians, African American Christians sometimes participate in or attend a Christmas play. Black Nativity by Langston Hughes is a re-telling of the classic Nativity story with gospel music. Productions can be found a African American theaters and churches all over the country. Islam [pic] A member of the Nation of Islam selling merchandise on a city street corner. Despite the popular assumption that the Nation represents all or most African American Muslims, less than 2% are members. Generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa due to its peaceful introduction via the lucrative trans-Saharan trade between prominent tribes in the southern Sahara and the Berbers to the North. In his attesting to this fact the West African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop explained: â€Å"The primary reason for the success of Islam in Black Africa†¦ consequently stems from the fact that it was propagated peacefully at first by solitary Arabo-Berber travelers to certain Black kings and notables, who then spread it about them to those under their jurisdiction† Many first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. Slaves were either forcibly converted to Christianity as was the case in the Catholic lands or were besieged with gross inconviences to their religious practice such as in the case of the Protestant American mainland. In the decades after slavery and particularly during the depression era, Islam reemerged in the form of highly visible and sometimes controversial heterodox movements in the African American community. The first of these of note was the Moorish Science Temple of America, founded by Noble Drew Ali. Ali had a profound influence on Wallace Fard, who later founded the Black nationalist Nation of Islam in 1930. Elijah Muhammad became head of the organization in 1934. Much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1964, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows that 30% of Sunni Mosque attendees are African Americans. African American orthodox Muslims are often the victims of stereotypes, most notably the assumption that an African American Muslim is a member of the Nation of Islam. They are often viewed by the uneducated African-American community in general as less authentic than Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia while credibility is less of an issue with immigrant Muslims and Muslim world in general. Other religions. Aside from Christianity and Islam, there are also African Americans who follow Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of other religions. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a collection of African American Jewish religious organizations. Among their varied teachings, they often include that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Hebrews (sometimes with the paradoxical claim that the Jewish people are not). There is a small but growing number of African Americans who participate in African traditional religions, such as Vodou and Santeria or Ifa and diasporic traditions like Rastafarianism. Many of them are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean and South America, where these are practiced. Because of religious practices, such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer common among American religions and are often legally prohibited, these groups may be viewed negatively and are sometimes the victims of harassment. Life events For most African Americans, the observance of life events follows the pattern of mainstream American culture. There are some traditions which are unique to African Americans. Some African Americans have created new rites of passage that are linked to African traditions. Pre-teen and teenage boys and girls take classes to prepare them for adulthood. They are typically taught spirituality, responsibility, and leadership. Most of these programs are modeled after traditional African ceremonies, with the focus largely on embracing African ideologies rather than specific rituals. To this day, some African American couples choose to â€Å"jump the broom† as a part of their wedding ceremony. Although the practice, which can be traced back to Ghana, fell out of favor in the African American community after the end of slavery, it has experienced a slight resurgence in recent years as some couples seek to reaffirm their African heritage. Funeral traditions tend to vary based on a number of factors, including religion and location, but there are a number of commonalities. Probably the most important part of death and dying in the African American culture is the gathering of family and friends. Either in the last days before death or shortly after death, typically any friends and family members that can be reached are notified. This gathering helps to provide spiritual and emotional support, as well as assistance in making decisions and accomplishing everyday tasks. The spirituality of death is very important in African American culture. A member of the clergy or members of the religious community, or both, are typically present with the family through the entire process. Death is often viewed as transitory rather than final. Many services are called homegoings, instead of funerals, based on the belief that the person is going home to the afterlife. The entire end of life process is generally treated as a celebration of life rather than a mourning of loss. This is most notably demonstrated in the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition where upbeat music, dancing, and food encourage those gathered to be happy and celebrate the homegoing of a beloved friend. Cuisine [pic] A traditional soul food dinner consisting of fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African influences. African American foods reflect creative responses to racial and economic oppression and poverty. Under slavery, African Americans were not allowed to eat better cuts of meat, and after emancipation many often were too poor to afford them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South (but also common to African Americans nationwide), makes cre.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens

You ever wish there was a step-by-step guide to life? Something that can help you improve your self-image, build friendships, and most importantly achieve your goals? In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, it guides you to live up to your potential by inspiring and motivating you with positive strategies. In addition, this book is filled with quotes and stories about real people in real scenarios, making this relatable to any age group facing difficult situations. â€Å"Look at this as an opportunity to grow† (Covey 57). I have always been a huge procrastinator.I would put off my schoolwork until the last minute and then cram it all the night before. And to top that off I was also a Yes-man so I would worry about my friends’ work rather than my own. Definitely not a good combination. You can obviously notice the lack of performance I showed, especially in my grades. I went from being a straight â€Å"A† student, to a â€Å"B and C† average. I didn†™t pay much attention to it though because everyone else had the same problem as well. I was surrounded by procrastinators, leading me to think that what I was doing was acceptable.It was not until I started to read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens that I noticed my bad habit. I didn’t even consider it a habit until I read a part in the book and realized that it sounded so familiar. Like if they had used my own personal experience and wrote it down word by word. I never really put any thought to how a simple thing can cause such an effect to me, and not just in my school life, but also my personal life. It was that moment when I promised myself to change. Change into a better me because I am capable of better. I am capable of being a Prioritizer, instead of a Procrastinator.I am capable of living a healthy and balanced life. I am capable of achieving my lifetime goals and continuously live up to my full potential. But how can I make a change? Where do I even begin? Wh en my teacher introduced me to this book, I had finally found the solution to my problems. Because unlike any other book, this book feels like it speaks directly to me. Like if it was my very own personal mentor, but even better because it’s in the comfort of my own hands. It not only pointed out my flaws, but also suggested various forms of how I can make a change. I am habit† (Covey 1). Little by little, I was slowly improving my way of life. I highly recommend everyone to read this book, even if you feel that you’re perfectly fine. Just read it and if you can relate to any of the stories used in the book, then you know that you have to fix something in your life. Take it as a blessing. â€Å"These problems are real, and you can’t turn off real life. So I won’t. Instead, I’ll give you a set of tools to help you deal with real life. What are they? The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens† (Covey 5).

Overview of the Worlds Offset Time Zones

Overview of the World's Offset Time Zones While most of the world is familiar with time zones that differ in increments of an hour, there are many places in the world that use offset time zones. These time zones are offset by a half-hour or even fifteen minutes off of the standard twenty four time zones of the world. The twenty four time zones of the world are based on fifteen degree increments of longitude. This is so because the earth takes twenty four hours to rotate and there are 360 degrees of longitude, so 360 divided by 24 equals 15. Thus, in one hour the sun moves across fifteen degrees of longitude. The offset time zones of the world were designed to better coordinate noon as the point in the day when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. India, the worlds second most populous country utilizes an offset time zone. India is a half-hour ahead of Pakistan to the west and a half-hour behind Bangladesh to the east. Iran is a half-hour ahead of its western neighbor Iraq while Afghanistan, just east of Iran, is an hour ahead of Iran but is a half-hour behind neighboring countries such as Turkmenistan and Pakistan. Australias Northern Territory and South Australia are offset in the Australian Central Standard Time zone. These central portions of the country are offset by being a half-hour behind the east (Australian Eastern Standard Time) coast but an hour and a half ahead of the state of Western Australia (Australian Western Standard Time). In Canada, much of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador are in the Newfoundland Standard Time (NST) zone, which is a half-hour ahead of Atlantic Standard Time (AST). The island of Newfoundland and southeastern Labrador are in NST while the remainder of Labrador along with neighboring provinces New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia lie in AST. Venezuelas offset time zone was established by President Hugo Chavez in late 2007. Venezuelas offset time zone makes it a half hour earlier than Guyana to the east and a half hour later than Colombia to the west. One of the most unusual time zone offsets is Nepal, which is fifteen minutes behind neighboring Bangladesh, which is on a standard time zone. Nearby Myanmar (Burma), is a half-hour ahead of Bangladesh but an hour ahead of offset India. The Australian territory of the Cocos Islands shares the time zone of Myanmar. The islands of Marquesas in French Polynesia are also offset and are a half-hour ahead of the rest of French Polynesia. Use the Elsewhere on the Web links associated with this article to explore more about offset time zones, including maps.

The similarities and differences between NSPE code of ethics and other engineering codes

The similarities and differences between NSPE code of ethics and other engineering codes This report examines the similarities and differences between NSPE code of ethics and other engineering codes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The similarities and differences between NSPE code of ethics and other engineering codes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Similarities between NSPE code of ethics and ASME Both of them are similar in construction of Fundamental principles that precede the canons. There is no explicit reference provided on attitudes towards security or poverty in both codes (Catalano 6). Both codes require engineers to ensure health, welfare and safety of the public as provided by the first principle. Differences between NSPE code of ethics and ASME NSPE ASME Engineers are required to give credit to whom it is due. There is no strict requirement of giving credit to anyone. Similarities between NSPE code of ethics and AiChE Engineers should use their skills to ensure health, welfare and safety of the public as provided by the first principle. Engineers are supposed to uphold the dignity, integrity and honor of the profession. Differences between NSPE code of ethics and AiChE NSPE AiChE Engineers are not obliged to protect their environments as they perform their duties. There is no requirement of serving with impartiality or fidelity as stated in the code. The main emphasis is on serving the public. The goal is to enhance the welfare of the public. Engineers are required to protect their environments as they perform their duties. Engineers to serve both their employer and clients with impartiality or fidelity in addition to serving the public. The goal is to enhance prestige and competence of the profession. Similarities between NSPE code of ethics and IEEE Both codes require the decisions made by engineers to be consistent with the public welfare, health and safety.Advertising Looking for essay on ethics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your firs t paper with 15% OFF Learn More Differences between NSPE code of ethics and IEE NSPE IEEE It mentions privacy and confidentiality in the profession. Engineers focus on the public and there is no mentioning of environment. It does not mention privacy and confidentiality in the profession. Engineers report any factor likely to endanger the public or environment. Similarities between NSPE code of ethics and INCOSE Both codes state that the interest of the public in terms of health and welfare should be upheld by engineers (â€Å"Code of Ethics for Engineers† par. 1). Both codes require acceptance of one’s responsibility for action and consequences of the results obtained. Differences between NSPE code of ethics and INCOSE NSPE INCOSE It requires enhancement of the welfare of the public without mentioning environment. The goal is to enhance health and welfare of the public. Apart from protecting the public welfare, it also requires protection o f the environment. The goal is to ensure that prudent system engineering measures are implemented. Similarities between NSPE code of ethics and ASCE Engineers should enhance the health, welfare and safety of the public as provided by the first principle of NSPE code. There is no explicit reference has been provided on attitudes towards security or poverty (Catalano 6). Differences between NSPE code of ethics and ASCE NSPE ASCE Does not mention environment in the code Mentions environment in its code Similarities between NSPE code of ethics and ACM Both codes require full acceptance of the assigned responsibility by engineers. Members are supposed to articulate social responsibility of their organization in both codes. Both codes emphasize on the welfare and health of the public.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The similarities and differences between NSPE code of ethics and other engineering codes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Differences between NSPE code of ethics and ACM NSPE ACM There is no requirement for engineers to create an opportunity for other users to learn about computing systems. It requires engineers to create an opportunity for other users to learn about computing systems (Bowyer 8). I never knew that both IEEE and ACM code of ethics had require all members to give credit to whom it is due. There are many instances in which a conflict of interest can lead to violation of this item No. 1.6, found in the ACM Code of ethics. For example, any kind of plagiarism is a violation of the intellectual property rights which is stated in the ACM code. It can lead to payment of damages to a maximum of $150,000 (â€Å"Plagiarism Policy† par. 9). Therefore, good knowledge and practice of these codes is very important for all members. Bowyer, Kevin 2009, Ethics and Computing. PDF file. 09 Oct. 2012.eecs.wsu.edu/~holder/courses/cse4317/lectures/chapter_3.pdf. Catal ano, George 2008, Introducing Ethics in Bioengineering. PDF file. 09 Oct. 2012. http://search.asee.org/search/fetch;jsessionid=2am468rs54dqy?url=file%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%2FE%3A%2Fsearch%2Fconference%2F17%2FAC%25202008Full765.pdfindex=conference_papersspace=129746797203605791716676178type=application%2Fpdfcharset=. Code of Ethics for Engineers 2011. Web. O9 Oct. 2012. nspe.org/resources/pdfs/Ethics/CodeofEthics/Code-2007-July.pdf. Plagiarism Policy 2010. Web. acm.org/publications/policies/plagiarism_policy.

14 Free Apps That Will Make You Incredibly Productive

14 Free Apps That Will Make You Incredibly Productive Doug Aamoth, writing for FastCompany, has done the hard work of sorting through the dozens of apps that promise to make your life easier to uncover the ones that actually can  make your life easier! Here’s our roundup of the top 14 apps to have at your fingertips to maximize productivity and minimize chaos! Emails and CommunicationsBoomerangThis easy-to-integrate app is essentially a snooze button for your email. You can dismiss an email from your inbox and set a time for it to return later, write a draft response at 1 am and schedule it to send right as you walk into the office, or set reminders to reply at a more reasonable hour. The free version gives you 10 email interactions a month.Burner  and MailDropThis one is so neat- it generates disposable phone numbers (or email accounts) that you can use whenever you need to make a number publicly available (without leaving your own precious digits visible for mass consumption. MailDrop is a no-frills temporary email address that disappears after 24 inactive hours; it’s great for Craigslist or promotional blasts.CordChances are if you have the Apple iOS, you’ve accidentally mashed that little microphone button and sent an audio snippet from the inside of your pocket. Cord helps you do that on purpose and with a group- you can send 12-second voice messages back and forth with ease.Group MeCreate and disband on-the-go private chat rooms when you need to chat with a group of people at once (and then make them stop flooding your text inbox with emoji conversations).VoxerThis converts your phone into a walkie-talkie without the strenuous button pushing or limited 30-foot radius for maintaining a connection. You can also leave voice messages in case they miss your rendezvous.Scheduling and MeetingsMeekanThis group scheduling app identifies available meeting times with just a list of participant emails, accommodates multiple time zones, and coordinates with existing calendars.PreziMany of my stud ents used Prezi instead of Powerpoint this summer- it made me feel old. Retain your youth and relevancy by learning how to use this cloud-based presentation tool! It lets you stream to remote attendees and post public presentations.ToolsCCleanerFor six months I had a defunct wireless client pop up whenever I booted up my Mac asking permission to run itself; I couldn’t seem to figure out where to uninstall it! CCleaner to the rescue! It will speed up your computer by deleting the flotsam and jetsam left behind in upgrades, file transfers, and browsing.CanvasI am a sucker for an easily customizable form app. From invoices to other frequently used workplace templates, Canvas lets you make and share them easily.PostfityIf your business or your personal brand relies heavily on social media (which†¦ it should), an app like Postfity may help you manage the myriad channels of posts and content you want to space out evenly. It has a scheduling tool and a linking functionality so you can share the same thing everywhere, or diversify your media presence.(PSA: don’t have Twitter and Instagram post verbatim to your Facebook. Schedule slightly different content for each feed. Your family, friends, and colleagues will appreciate it).OnavoMaybe you’re constantly going back and forth with how much data you think you’ll use versus how much you actually use. Onavo can help! It will not only help track usage, but will also compress files accordingly to save your data mileage for the cat gifs that really count.SyncSpaceWho doesn’t love a virtual whiteboard? It never gets old! It has everything but the marker fumes, lets you and your team collaborate on a shared visual document, then emails the changes around later.BreatherImagine AirBnb and ZipCar had a baby that let you hold meetings in it. Breather identifies available workspaces around cities like New York, San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, and Ottowa; your phone will unlock your insta-off ice for a half hour at a time so you can meet with clients, charge your phone, or just put your feet up before dashing off to the next appointment.BRB scheduling a Breather to present my latest Prezi- everybody check their Voxer messages!

Chinese History, Mao Zedong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinese History, Mao Zedong - Essay Example As a result, Mao urged for the overthrow of the leaders that were against the party ideals through violent means. In the 1960’s, Mao as a leader of CPC observed that the leadership of in China was against revolutionary theory and hence likely to support the ideas of those opposed to communism. The period also saw the weakening of Mao political powers due to the failure of the â€Å"Great Leap Forward†. There was also increased economic crisis because of poor policies adopted by the regime. Mao began to reassert his authority by putting into leadership those of his views to attack existing party leadership. Such people included Jiang Qing Mao wife and Lin Biao the defense minister. The period saw the advent of Cultural Revolution in august 1966. The major effect was closure of schools and urging youth to take into task the party leadership for their support of non-communist values and lack of revolutionary spirit. The movement turned violent after a short period. The stu dents were in the forefront in the violence. They had formed the Red Guards that was responsible for harassing the aged and intellect in the Chinese society. This paper focuses on the role of violence in Chinese revolution in advancing political power and control of political dissent. Chinese revolution was characterized majorly by violence. The violence played a significant role to the achievement of the goals of the revolution. The violence mainly focused on countering anti revolutionary ideas and consolidation of powers. First, the violence helped in countering ideologies that were seen as going against the revolutionary ideas. In the initial phase of the revolution, violence was used to stem out those leaders that were seen leaning to capitalist ideas. The leaders were seen as a threat to Mao ideology of having a communist society. One of the targeted leaders was

Cross Cultural Health Perspectives Personal Statement

Cross Cultural Health Perspectives - Personal Statement Example Q1- Even "objectively measured clinical outcomes" may be erroneous when there is a lack of cross-cultural understanding. Apart from attitudinal differences between the patient and the care provider leading to miscommunication, there could be 'real' differences like some conditions/immunities being more prevalent among some groups, and even differing responses to medication. Q 4 - Even a "conscientious" care-provider cannot eliminate all prejudice or false assumptions about other groups of people, as many of these may be deeply rooted-in his/her subconscious. Being aware of this enables me to question my assumptions, accept that I am prone to error, and retain a degree of flexibility to correct myself when the evidence points out that I may have culturally stereotyped a patient at any time. Q 5- When noting medical history where a communication barrier exists, yes or no answers are least useful (response a). It is possible that when the questions are asked, some important aspect may be ignored. My mistake in this question happened due to inattention. I gave the response for the 'most useful', instead for 'least useful'. The lesson for my in this is that I should be paying more attention, in general, when I do a task-whether reading something or listening to a patient. Lesson taken! Q 6 - The least useful technique when tackling a patient's beliefs about treatment is to tell the patient that his/her belief is false, even if this is done in a gentle manner (resp b), because beliefs could be deeply entrenched. I was unable to identify this, while doing the quiz. Q 13- Japanese men, after migration to the US, retain a lower susceptibility to coronary heart disease than the general population (resp b)-a fact which I now know. Facts like these, based on research studies, can be accessed by more study and reading. Q15 - Immigrants who go to traditional healers do not keep away from Western medicine (resp b-false) Q 17- A smile could express worry or dis-satisfaction in some cultures. (resp a) It is useful to know this, a fact which seems strange at first, but so necessary for a care provider to know so that diagnosis is correctly done. All the other responses (16 in number, as earlier mentioned) were correct. In order to maintain cultural competence-both to avoid the deficiencies as revealed in my quiz answers, as well as to strengthen my correct perceptions-I have to keep working at developing more empathy, enhance listening skills, retain openness of mind, and improve my information base by keeping myself updated about various research studies regarding health indicators of different cultural groups. Works Cited Hunt, Linda Beyond Cultural Competence in The Park Ridge Centre for Health, Faith and Ethics, , retrieved 30th Nov, 2008 The Provider's Guide to Quality and Culture , retrieved 30th

A critical response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A critical response paper - Essay Example Mr. Swift felt deeply for the poor people of Ireland and did not like to see them in the professionally poor conditions that they had come to be in. He wished they would learn better ways to live their lives and this was the main focus of this proposal. Mr. Swift chose a satire to get his point across which according to the age must have been quite a shock to the people. The writer gave a proposal and then supported it by giving a long list of arguments. As we read through the first impression is of disgust, but on and on we realize a write up which hits on the kingdom which is very irresponsible of its poor populations’ fate. A look into Mr. Swift’s life and we see a shining light. Mr. Swift lived in Ireland, which â€Å"was a poor country and was deliberately kept poor by England. It was overpopulated and desperately poor, heavily taxed, with no say in its own affairs. English absentee landlords owned most of the Irish land and crippled its infrastructure deliberately so that there would be no threat from the country† (Cody). Seeing the predicament Mr. Swift was angry and frustrated. His anger at the ‘owners’ of Ireland is evident when he says, â€Å"the remaining hundred thousand may at a year old be offered in sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom, always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table. A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends; and when the family dines alone, the fore or hind quarter will make a reasonable dish, and seasoned with a little pepper or salt will be very good boiled on the fourth day, especially in winter† (Swift). The writer seemed to make very irrational statements. The very essence of the ‘modesty’ of the article is the irrationality of the prolific use of the positive outcomes of a single event that will cause the poor to prosper. Mr. Swift succeeded

Pls see the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pls see the attachment - Essay Example Steve should have set up an agenda for his day and should have had a system to organize his paperwork. Before the meeting, Steve received a call on a rush job, which he had turned over to one of his production supervisors, Lucy Adams, and put out of his mind. He tried to reach her and discovered she was out of town and difficult to reach. He asked his secretary to leave her a message to call him. He should have told his secretary to ask Lucy about the job in case he was not in the office when she called. The rest of his day was one interruption after another—an appointment not listed, a priority job his boss had asked for that wasn’t done, being late for another meeting, missing calls from Lucy—and at 4:30, he decided to go home, wondering how he could ever get caught up. It is obvious Steve Arnold is a disaster waiting to happen. He is balancing on a tight rope, and any minute he’s apt to crash. He has several employees apparently capable of handling projects, but Steve has never created a preliminary schedule that would include early morning meetings with his staff to plan not only each day but also the time lines needed to complete projects by a reasonable deadline. It would also appear that his secretary, Ruth, either has not been given the option of helping Steve organize his own scheduled priorities and putting his papers in order or she is not dependable and probably should be replaced. Steve does not look ahead to determine how to prioritize his time. He also does not look at the overall picture to see how production schedules should interact. He needs to educate himself on these matters. Steve does not appear to have much personal interaction with any of his staff nor does he schedule his time properly. He will improve greatly as a leader if he sets a preliminary schedule for his day with connections to future projects and the reminders he needs to follow up. Once he does this, he will

Opinion- vs. Research-Based Resources Assignment

Opinion- vs. Research-Based Resources - Assignment Example The purpose of the scholarly articles is to publish the results of research mostly to professionals. The results of the study are organized in groups and discussed under a title. For instance the results published by Draper et al (2008) shows how the shift from managing illness to the promotion of health has taken place. It reports how the initiatives responsible for health and wellness have fared, the purposes for building of capacities regarding to health and wellness, range of activities targeted for the improvement of health and wellness, engagement of the enrollee as well as the investment payoff. The journal also explains the source of data as well as the implications. The purpose non-scholar articles are to report the trends in industries, practical advice as well as the news in the industry mostly to the audience who are mostly non-professionals. In this case, Schoen (2003) reports the trends in the health industry in different countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and the United states and provide the news from those states in regard to health. It is now possible to conclude that both articles are valuable in terms of the subject area they cover. The subject which in this case is health is examined well enough through research which makes the articles valuable. However, the value of scholarly articles can be said to be more valuable due to their wide usage of literature review and the provision of references unlike non-scholarly articles which are rarely referenced. The value of the two articles and their credibility is significant since each of the articles have got its audience. They are therefore written for a purpose and to a specific target who are interested in the specific article. Another similarity is that they both fill the need for the country or rather language of the country. They both communicate in the language that would be effective to the

Pls see the attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pls see the attachment - Essay Example Steve should have set up an agenda for his day and should have had a system to organize his paperwork. Before the meeting, Steve received a call on a rush job, which he had turned over to one of his production supervisors, Lucy Adams, and put out of his mind. He tried to reach her and discovered she was out of town and difficult to reach. He asked his secretary to leave her a message to call him. He should have told his secretary to ask Lucy about the job in case he was not in the office when she called. The rest of his day was one interruption after another—an appointment not listed, a priority job his boss had asked for that wasn’t done, being late for another meeting, missing calls from Lucy—and at 4:30, he decided to go home, wondering how he could ever get caught up. It is obvious Steve Arnold is a disaster waiting to happen. He is balancing on a tight rope, and any minute he’s apt to crash. He has several employees apparently capable of handling projects, but Steve has never created a preliminary schedule that would include early morning meetings with his staff to plan not only each day but also the time lines needed to complete projects by a reasonable deadline. It would also appear that his secretary, Ruth, either has not been given the option of helping Steve organize his own scheduled priorities and putting his papers in order or she is not dependable and probably should be replaced. Steve does not look ahead to determine how to prioritize his time. He also does not look at the overall picture to see how production schedules should interact. He needs to educate himself on these matters. Steve does not appear to have much personal interaction with any of his staff nor does he schedule his time properly. He will improve greatly as a leader if he sets a preliminary schedule for his day with connections to future projects and the reminders he needs to follow up. Once he does this, he will

The Black Box Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Black Box - Essay Example The symbols she uses indirectly communicate the major theme of the work, in addition to the seemingly innocuous dialogue of the seemingly innocuous lottery happening in the town. One of the more potent symbols Jackson uses throughout her story is the black box, and, more generally, just the color black. Black, as it is traditionally interpreted, stands for death, decay, ignorance, and decline. The black box, of course, holds the lottery slips. While a similar ballot box would receive slips from voters in an election, this box only gives out slips, showing the lack of individual choice and freedom in this ritual. The blackness of the box gives off an ominous foreshadowing of events, and is itself a symbolic description of how the townspeople have sacrifice their individual wills to the social decree., as Jackson writes, â€Å"The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained†. The keen reader recognizes that the box’s decay indicates not only the physical corrosion of the box but of the social and moral corrosion of what it represents: the lottery. As the process accelerates during the course of â€Å"The Lottery†, Jackson writes that the townspeople stay as far away from the box as possible. Once again, this description is clearly relating to physical distance; but it may also refer to the concept of responsibility, and the moral qualms people have about participating in the lottery. The townspeople avoid the black box as if it were some kind of evil spirit, and because of this endow the box with such great power. Jackson writes, â€Å"The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What otherwise would be just some old dilapidated box is, as a result of the social order and status quo, is an

Othello and Race Essay Example for Free

Othello and Race Essay In Shakespeare’s literary creation â€Å"Othello,† the protagonist, Othello, is a high ranking black soldier in a community of white people. Though he had gained his high marks by sheer perseverance and dedication, as it is in the old times, there are the people’s doubts. He was, after all, still a black man. Shakespeare, through this tragedy had shown the stereotypes of our modern times; that being white presents superiority or a sense of control over people of a different race, specifically those of a darker color. Shakespeare, however, did not mean to degrade or discriminate but rather, he seemed to point out the common mistakes of people that ultimately caused racism. Othello’s race and basically his skin color had played a major factor in the story’s main theme, progress and twists. The story mainly revolve on the struggle of a black man and how he found his happiness, but was cut short by other people’s jealousy and deceit. In his fight for love, the fact that he was black was used against him. It was presented to the woman’s father in a sense that generalizes black people as untrustworthy. It was also the main reason Iago used to point out that his wife Desdemona betrayed him for the love of another man, a man who happens to be of pure white ancestry.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Sexual Harassment Unwelcome lewd gestures, demands for sexual favors and other verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature. A verbal badgering is in oral structure and incorporates uncomfortable and hostile teasing, clowning, addressing, joking or making suggestive comments or sounds, or verbal repartee. Though a sneer with foul suggestion, sexual movement or yearning meant by hand sign, lips licking or nourishment consuming and industrious being a tease are classified as non-verbal badgering. Covering the divider with pin-up, schedules, drawings, photos of bare and sparsely clad ladies or other sex-based materials and composing sex-based letter are viewed as visual provocation. Sexual presentation likewise falls under this manifestation of inappropriate behavior. Mental badgering damages an individuals mental prosperity and incorporates abusively consistent proposition for dates, rehashed undesirable physical closeness or social welcomes. Physical badgering incorporates tacky activity, for example , touching of a personal body part, tapping, squeezing, stroking, looking over against the body, embracing, kissing, petting and rape. All types of inappropriate behavior will be conduct that inspire sexual consideration There are a few sorts of lewd behavior one of it are sexual compulsion It is known as quid star qul inappropriate behavior in the United States. Sexual Coercion is a kind of provocation which has direct results in some result to the victimized persons occupation. It is occupation separation. Sexual pressure is under a state of occupation, where a straightforwardly or verifiably offer in keeping work or getting an advancement is made by a manager to a worker in return for sexual favors. Such individual regularly has the control over advancement or raise of the representative. In sexual intimidation, advancement and ideal occupation advantages will take after if a worker takes the focal point and agreed to sex. Actually, if the worker rejects, the employment advantages are denied. Next sorts of lewd behavior is sexual disturbance which confront by a large portion of the representative. It is otherwise called threatening environment inappropriate behavior. Then again, the irritating con duct makes a hostile work space which influences the exploited persons capacity to keep working. Lewd behavior is an unbiased offense, from a certain perspective: Men can sexually annoy ladies, and ladies can sexually irritate men. Notwithstanding, insights demonstrate that the mind larger part of inappropriate behavior claims and charges are brought by ladies asserting that they were sexually pestered by men. Individuals of the same sex can likewise sexually badger one another the length of the badgering is in view of sex as opposed to sexual introduction, which is not an ensured trademark under Title VII. Case in point, if a mans collaborators always assault him with sexually express photographs of ladies, and this makes him uncomfortable, he may have an inappropriate behavior claim. In the event that, in any case, a mans colleagues tease and disparage him in light of the fact that he is gay, that may not be unlawful badgering under government law as it is right now deciphered. In any case, such lead may be unlawful under laws instituted by specific states, or even urban areas . There several reason why is sexual harassment is happening. One of the reason is the attire of the individual that is tempting the opposite sex to approach them by wearing clothes that can see their flesh from the outside or wearing sharp colors under garment such as wearing a white color shirt and under garment is bright color for example, pink, red and so on. A manager suggests to a worker that the representative must lay down with him to keep an occupation. Business representative makes disparaging remarks about female clients to his collaborators. An office supervisor in a law office is made uncomfortable by legal counselors who frequently tell sexually express jokes. A clerk at a store squeezes and pets a collaborator without wanting to. A secretarys associates put down her and allude to her by sexist or belittling terms. A few workers post sexually express jokes on an office intranet announcement board. A worker sends messages to associates that contain sexually unequivocal dia lect and jokes. The harasser can be the victimized persons manager, chief, or colleague. A head honcho may even be at risk for provocation by a non-worker, (for example, a merchant or client), contingent upon the circumstances. There is stand out law in presence that verges on managing the issue of lewd behavior in Malaysia Penal Code, segment 509. The Penal Code, segment 509 gives that : Whoever, meaning to affront the humility of any ladies, articulates any words, makes any sound or signal or display any article, expecting that such word or sound should be listened, or such motion or item might be seen by such lady, should be rebuffed with detainment for a term which may reach out to 5 years or with fine, or with both. There are various steps that Human Resources (HR) can take to diminish the danger of lewd behavior happening in working environment. In spite of the fact that will be unable to make the greater part of the strides recorded beneath, Human resources ought to take the greatest number of them as they can. Receive a reasonable lewd behavior approach. In worker handbook, HR ought to have a strategy committed to lewd behavior. That arrangement ought to: characterize inappropriate behavior state in no questionable terms that you wont endure inappropriate behavior state that HR will teach or fire any wrongdoers set out an agreeable strategy for recording inappropriate behavior dissentions state that HR will examine completely any protest that any individuals get, and state that HR wont endure countering against any individual who gripes about lewd behavior. Train representatives. Once year behavior preparing sessions for representatives. These sessions ought to show representatives what inappropriate behavior is, clarify that workers have a privilege to a working environment free of inappropriate behavior, survey their protestation methodology, and urge representatives to utilize it. Train bosses and directors. In any event once a year, behavior preparing sessions for chiefs and administrators that are independent from the worker sessions. The sessions ought to instruct the supervisors and managers about lewd behavior and disclose how to manage grumblings. To take in more about managing representative grumblings, see Nolos article Guidelines for Handling Discrimination and Harassment Complaints. To urge exploited people to report inappropriate behavior, there ought to be sufficient measure to guarantee greatest privacy to minimize shame to the victimized person particularly at the time of reporting and in the process of examination conc erning the protestation. For a situation where the casualty of lewd behavior has endured a misfortune, for example, a downgrade or a disavowal of an advancement, it is fitting to restore such individual to his or her legitimate position at work. The victimized person ought to likewise be adjusted for any financial misfortune emerging out of a dissent of livelihood related profits which were legitimately because of him or her. Where the objection is discovered to be unjustified and unjustifiable, fitting cure ought to be conceded to the denounced individual if there has been any misfortune endured by such individual. Sexual harassment in the working environment exhibits a continuous and developing danger working in a organization. Today, the time is ideal for organizations to start to deal with their danger around there all the more carefully. Counteracting inappropriate behavior in the work environment obliges an impressive speculation of time and staff. At last, then again, these expenses will be balanced by huge investment funds in lawful charges and human services costs. Organizations will likewise profit from expanded laborer gainfulness. From a simply business point of view, an organization just stands to pick up on the off chance that it takes a serious, hard-line position on inappropriate behavior. Not just is it the correct thing to do, it is the brilliant thing to do. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Introduction Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was established in 1975 and since this time sexual harassment has been one of its major issues that arise in the workplace on a day to day basis. Sexual harassment can be defined as â€Å"unwanted sexual attention that would be offensive to a reasonable person and that negatively affects the work or school environment† (Brandenburg 1997, p.1). The key word in this definition is â€Å"unwanted.† The EEOC has used its influence under the Sex Discrimination Act to support claims of sexual harassment at employment tribunals. It has also initiated investigation on organizations that had an excessive number of sexual harassment complaints. The guidelines by the EEOC about sexual harassment are defined as unwelcome advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature in the working environment. (Bohlander Snell pg112) There are two types of sexual harassment quid pro quo harassment and hostile environment, in which the EEOC recognizes that, will elaborate on. We will also investigate the liability that is held by employers if sexual harassment is not recognized and how employers can prevent from being liable. We will also discuss how failure to adopt a pro-active and aggressive stance on this issue can result in costly lawsuits, and also be a loss of employee morale, decline in productivity, and an erosion of a companys public image. Review of Literature â€Å"A Legal and Psychological Framework† focuses on variety of points concerning sexual harassment. First of all, in the order for companies to act wisely they need to understand the whole issue of sexual harassment. They should consider the disturbing statistics behind an often hidden problem, the legal grounds available to victims, the current trends in the law, and the ways that companies can protect themselves. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is an act that should be studied and acknowledged by all companies. It has made it â€Å"illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national origin and sex†. (Bladley Fishkin, 1998, p. 207). This gave birth to Title VII of the Act, which states that when a complaint is made, employers are obligated to investigate and take necessary corrective measures. In 1986, the Supreme Court held that employers can reduce the danger of being held liable for sexual harassment by establishing procedures calculated to encourage victims of harassment to come forward. Since then, almost 75 percent of companies with more than one hundred employees have adopted anti-sexual harassment policies. Most of those policies look very much like the Sample Antiharassment Policy reproduced in Barbara Lindemann and David Kadues Sexual Harassment in Employment Law, which first appeared in 1992. (Rosen, 1998, p. 25-35) If you are in management, now is the time to refine your sexual harassment policy so that it is in the spirit of your organizations values rather than written to the letter of the law, writes Rita Risser in a report in 1996 by Fair Measures Management Law Consulting Group. Your policy should go beyond [what the law forbids]. If you set your standards too low, one mistake by one supervisor could make you the next landmark case. Also, the EEOC accepts claims for conduct that clearly is not illegal. Since its costly to respond to such claims, its in an organizations best interest to minimize them. (Rosen, 1998, p. 25-35) Sexual harassment is embodied in two different forms and companies should be aware of them. The first type is Quid pro quo is a Latin term, which means this for that. It occurs when an individuals submission to or rejection of sexual advances or conduct of a sexual nature is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual or the individuals submission to such conduct is made a term or condition of employment. It is sufficient to show a threat of economic loss to prove quid pro quo sexual harassment. A single sexual advance may constitute harassment if it is linked to the granting or denial of employment benefits. Courts have held employers strictly liable for quid pro quo sexual harassment initiated by supervisory employees. A subordinate who submits and then changes his or her mind can still bring quid pro quo harassment charges against the alleged perpetrator. For example, a supervisor promotes a female employee only after she agrees to an after-work-date, the c onduct is clearly illegal (Bohlander Snell, 2007, p 112). Hostile Environment is the second form of sexual harassment. This occurs when unwelcome sexual conduct unreasonably interferes with an individuals job performance or creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment even though the harassment may not result in tangible or economic job consequences, that is, the person may not lose pay or a get a promotion. Employers, supervisors, coworkers, customers, or clients can create a hostile work environment. A hostile work environment might include, repeated requests for sexual favors, demeaning sexual inquiries and vulgarities, offensive language, other verbal or physical conduct of sexual or degrading nature, sexually offensive, explicit or sexist signs, cartoons, calendars, literature or photographs displayed in plain view, and offensive and vulgar graffiti. SEXUAL HARASSMENT INTERVENTIONS Sexual harassment has an effect on people of all races, ages, and regardless of sex. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sexual harassment and still today many organizations have failed to successfully implement adequate policies and procedures to address sexual harassment issues. According to the U. S. Equal Employment Commission, their agency received an increased number of filed grievances from 10,532 in 1993 to over 15,000 in 1998 (Ganzel 1998). U. S. Supreme Court rulings on cases such as Faragher vs. City of Boca Raton and Burlington Industries vs. Ellerth attempts to decrease the number of sexual harassment grievances filed with the EEOC and the court rulings are requiring employees to work in conjunction with their employer to resolve sexual harassment issues with the EEOC. This requirement places the responsibility on the employer to employ guidelines for preventing sexual harassment and it also places responsibility on the employee to follow the guidelines s et forth by the employer. In turn, the rulings are serving as a motivator to employers so that their action will be in compliance with federal laws. COMPANY POLICY It is important for companies to maintain effective compliance with the rulings of the Supreme Court. It is a requirement of all federally-funded organizations, as well as, schools to establish sexual harassment policies in writing, distributing the policies to employees, and to enforce the policies (Barrier 1998). Effective organizational policies on sexual harassment mush clearly identify (Ganzel 1998): 1)The behaviors constituting the harassment along with the companys intolerance of these behaviors 2)Channels employees must follow to report sexual harassment complaints to their supervisors or designated company representative 3)Strategies the company will follow in investigating and resolving a complaint to include confidentiality practices 4)Warnings that violation of the policy will result in punishments that could include dismissal Assurance that retaliation will not be allowed Good sexual harassment policies echo partnership among company executives, supervisors and employees, and among administrators, teachers and students. Sexual harassment is a demonstration of deeply held beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and cultural norms (Brandenburg 1997). It shows the abuse of power, a gender-power discrepancy, and sometimes power-related vengeance. Marjorie Fink, a national sexual harassment prevention trainer, attributes climate as a major element to guide prevention efforts (â€Å"Trainer: Stop Bullying† 1999). The climate in business and schools is unique. In some organizational climates, verbal teasing, dirty jokes, and sexual pictures may be the central behavior that mirrors sexual harassment; in other instances, improper touching, stalking, or shoving may be the behavior that reflects sexual harassment. As all members of a work organization or school become involved in establishing policy, these related issues can be more effectively addressed and behaviors pursued. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES Companies and schools are finding internal grievances to be an effective tool to handle sexual harassment claims. Internal grievance procedures may save time, minimize emotional and financial expense, and be more sensitive to all involved parties (Brandenburg 1997, p. 53). In order to be effective, grievance procedures must include clearly defined informal and formal steps for employees to follow when submitting claims. Informal claims should specify how the harassed party should proceed with seeking advice or counsel about a proper response to the offending behavior. Also, informal claims should explain the process of mediation, negotiation, and problem solving that may be used to resolve the issue. In formal claim procedures, grievances are required to be submitted via writing and must present all related facts to the incident who, what, where, when, the scope of the incident, and the names of the individuals involved in the claim. Employees should submit sexual harassment claims immediately after the incident. It is also important for organizations and schools to specify the procedures that are required of employees or students to follow. Grievance procedures should also identify the party or parties to whom grievances must be submitted. According to the grievance officer model, all complaints are processed through a designated supervisor or officer; in the grievance board or committee model, grievances are submitted to a group (Brandenburg 1997). An advantage of the grievance officer model is that it includes one entry point for complaint submission. An advantage of this model is that is may require the harassed employee to deal with someone with whom he or she may feel uncomfortable with discussion the issue. The grievance board or committee model places the problem in the hands of many and has the disadvantage of requiring greater communication and coordination between committee members and the harassed employee which in turn makes the issue more difficult to remain confidential. SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING All employees (supervisors down to line workers, administrators to custodial staff) must have clear and acquired knowledge of the companys policy and grievance procedures. In order to prevent or decrease sexual harassment allegations, it is imperative for organizations and schools to provide access to training for all employees and document their sexual harassment training participation and completion of the training program. It is important that the employees are made aware that although Supreme Courts rulings held companies liable for harassment by supervisors even when management was unaware of the incidents in which a harassed employee did not follow the companys reporting procedures or did not participate in company-sponsored sexual harassment prevention training (â€Å"Protecting Employees† 1988). Effective training should include training on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits sexual harassment, identify the required actions that may be categorized as sexual harassment, and describe the companys policy and its grievance procedures. Therefore, training provided should serve as a tool to enhance awareness of sexual harassment and present strategies for intervention. Effective training programs provide: 1)Good teaching and learning practices if training is descriptive, intensive, relevant, and positive 2)Involvement of all members of a company or school 3)Interactive problem-based learning experiences 4)Present information from a positive viewpoint, encourage healthy behavior rather than forbidding poor behavior 5)Teach intervention skills (Berkowitz, 1998) Help learners to recognize sexual harassment by providing them with appropriate and relevant definitions and examples of sexual harassment Help learners to interpret which behaviors indicate harassment Encourage participants to share their experiences and their tolerance for certain behaviors as a means of demonstrate their common ground Encourage participants to feel responsible for dealing with the problem Teach intervention skills and provide opportunities to practice them. Use role play scenarios to assist participants find comfortable and appropriate ways to express their discomfort with anothers behavior Assist participants to be free of retaliation. Explore participants fears about retaliation and provide examples of how interventions will be supported. Department of Defense 1995 Sexual Harassment Study In 1994, the DoD implemented 3 types of surveys regarding sexual harassment. The first survey (Form A) was a replica of a 1988 DoD. Disadvantages of the1988 survey was it did not provide opportunities for those responding to the survey to report certain types of behavior related to sexual harassment, the survey limited reporting of sexual harassment claims to occurrences at work, and it did not include items that measured various areas of importance such as how much training was being provided; how effective was the training; what were the opinions of the responders regarding the complaint process. Therefore, two surveys were compiled in which Form A provided comparative data and Form B permitted collection of important information that broadened the DoDs knowledge of sexual harassment in the active-duty member services in 1995. The main purpose of conducting the Form A survey was to compare sexual harassment incident rates between 1988 and 1995. Form B (the second survey), provided an expanded list of potential harassment behaviors of those survey participants, provided respondents to report sexual harassment experiences that took place outside normal duty hours and on/off a military installation, and the measures of service members perceptions of the complaint process and training. For research purposes, the third survey (Form C) was conducted with a small sample of active-duty members. The results from this survey were not calculated. Over 90,000 active-duty military personnel received one of the three surveys between February 15, 1995 and September 18, 1995. Approximately 30,000 members received Form A, 13,600 actually completed the survey resulting in a response rate of 46 percent. Form B was mailed to about 50,000 members with a completion number of 28,300 resulting in a 58 percent response rate. Form C was mailed to approximately 9,500 members and 5,300 surveys were completed with a 56 percent response rate. Major Finding 1: How much sexual harassment is occurring? How do 1995 results compare to those obtained in 1988? (Form A) Major Finding 2: Form B consisted of 25 items. Once the data was collected, it was analyzed and reported into five broad categories. This survey doubled the possible categories of reporting and broadened the circumstances under which harassment could be reported (off-duty hours, off-based). This survey concluded that 78 percent of women and 38 percent of men indicated that they had experienced one or more of the behaviors listed in the survey within the previous 12 months. Major Finding 3: Did service members consider the experiences they reported to be sexual harassment? Many of the service members did not consider the experiences they reported to be sexual harassment. Although 78 percent of the women and 38 percent of men checked one or more items, only 52 percent of women and 9 percent of men indicated that they considered experiences they checked on the survey to be sexual harassment. Major Finding 4: Comparison of surveys and results Based on the information collected from the three surveys, evidence shows that sexual harassment within active-duty military services has declined. Between 1988 and 1995, the percentage of women reporting incidents declined 9 percent while the percentage of men declined 3 percent. Method In our method we decided to have several different people complete an anonymous questionnaire that held a position at United Parcel Service. The questionnaires were handed during the employees lunch break and returned to us at the end of the work day. A large amount of sexual harassment is not reported due to embarrassment or being fearful of termination. Date of Birth Employer Name Have you ever sued anyone before for any reason? Yes No If Yes, Who have you sued? If Yes, Why were you suing them? What is your job title? When did you start working for your employer? Are you still employed there? Yes No If not, were you fired? Yes No If you were fired, when were you fired? What has happened that makes you believe you have experienced sexual harassment? What has been said to you? What is the job title of the person in relation to you that has said or done these things? Have you been touched physically in any part of your body, either with or without your consent? Yes No If you consented to being touched, or involved sexually, did you feel this was important to your job to do so? Yes No Have you reported this behavior to anyone at all? Yes No If so, to whom? Have you reported this behavior to anyone in management? Yes No If so, to whom? When? Was the report verbally or in writing? Verbal Written What was managements response? When did the acts that you believe were harassment take place? Have you had any emotional or psychological consequences from the sexual harassment in the workplace? Yes No Have you shared these experiences with a support group, a doctor, a minister, a spouse, or any other person? Yes No If so, with whom did you share? Have you had any physical illness or results from the sexual harassment? For example, breaking out in hives; insomnia (inability to sleep); nausea or vomiting; pregnancy resulting; headaches (migraine), anxiety attacks, shingles. Yes No If Yes, Why were you suing them? RESULTS Equal Employment Opportunity Data Posted Pursuant to the No Fear Act Equal Employment Opportunity Data Posted Pursuant to Title III of the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act), Pub. L. 107-174 *Unable to reconstruct data from FY 2002 through FY 2003 CONCLUSION We have determined that sexual Harassment is definitely not about sex, instead it is about power. This type of harassment is disrespectful and has no justification for the actions that are presented. Companies need to understand the sexual harassment and its severity that can be caused. All companies should have guidelines into place in order to protect themselves. One of the best tools is training on this behavior in order to prevent the action before it takes place. Companies can begin by describing the forms of sexual harassment, which are quid pro quo and hostile environment. Quid pro quo harassment occurs when â€Å"submission to or rejection of sexual conduct is used as a basis for employment decisions and hostile environment can occur when unwelcome sexual conduct â€Å"has the purpose or effect of reasonably interfering with job performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.† Although, these two forms have different definitions the ir base point still remains the same â€Å"unwanted behavior.† Intervention is one of the major sources that companies can use in order to save themselves time as well as money on lawsuits. In addition, it can save the employee of any embarrassment they may feel. Sexual harassment continues to go till this day, but we must intervene the first time that it occurs. Allowing this type of behavior to continue is the mistake that is made so often. REFERENCES Berkowitz, A. D. How We Can Prevent Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault. Educators Guide to Controlling Sexual Harassment 6, no. 1 (October 1998). Bohlander Snell. Sexual Harassment. Nations Business 86, no. 12 (December 1998): Bradley, David Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Civil Rights In America. New York: M.E. Sharpe, Inc., p. 207. Brandenburg, J. B. Confronting Sexual Harassment. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1997. Ganzel, R. What Sexual-Harassment Training Really Prevents. Training 35, no. 10 (October 1998). â€Å"Protecting Employees-and Your Business. Nations Business 86, no. 12 (December 1998). Roberts, Barry S. Mann, Richard A. (2000, June 19). Sexual Harassment In The Workplace: A Primer. Retrieved July 2, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.uakron.edu/lawrev/robert1.html Trainer: Stop Bullying and Teasing in K-6 to Prevent Sexual Harassment Now, Later. Educators Guide to Controlling Sexual Harassment: Monthly Bulletin 6, no. 4 (January 1999):