Saturday, December 28, 2019

Article Review I Am On The Couch - 1426 Words

~Unapologize~ Clarke sat on the couch in her mother’s house staring blindly at the half finished sketch in front of her. She couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t even think properly, the scene outside her home replaying in her mind over and over on repeat. Lexa had told her she loved her, and then she apologized and ran away. She reminded herself as the terrified expression of her girlfriend flashed through her mind. Why did she apologize? Did she get nervous? Or what if she just got caught up in the moment and didn’t mean it? Maybe she’s just been humoring me with our relationship, maybe she wants to break up with me and is just too nice to break up with me like that†¦ What if she’s already found someone else and is just looking for a way to†¦show more content†¦Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered who was calling on her at this time of night but her brain was preoccupied with a jumble of thoughts that kept switching from Mufasa to her own father to Lexa and back to Mufasa so fast she couldn’t think straight. And the fact she wasn’t thinking rushed back to her all at once when she pulled the door and came face-to-face with her clearly nervous girlfriend who looked close to panicking just standing there. And I look like a total mess right now. ~Unapologize~ Lexa stood in next to the front door and froze. All of her previous insecurities flooding back into her system as she stood trembling in front of the massive door. Come on Woods†¦ You can do this†¦ You’re just talking to your girlfriend†¦ Who you told not three hours ago that you love her and then fled the scene†¦ Yeah†¦ Piece of cake†¦ Lexa pressed the doorbell and it took every ounce of courage she had stored in her body not to bolt from the steps and back into the safety of her car. She ran what she wanted to say over again in her head, she would apologize for apologizing earlier and tell her that she could ignore what she said and did to whatever degree necessary for their relationship to move forward as it had been previously. However every word she had planned to say fledShow MoreRelatedChildhood Obesity and Its Effect1260 Words   |  6 Pagesstatus (Wang, F. and Veugelers, P. J., 2008). Some have said obesity may even have a negative effe ct on cognitive development, as well. There have been studies performed to research the effects of obesity on children and adolescents, which I am going to review. First, let me discuss some statistics that have been measured by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within the past 30 years, the incidence of obesity among children has doubled and the incidence among adolescents hasRead MoreFunctional Imaging Of The Lungs Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging5299 Words   |  22 PagesFunctional imaging of the lungs using magnetic resonance imaging of inert fluorinated gases by Marcus John Couch A thesis presented to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biotechnology August, 2015  © Marcus John Couch 2015 Abstract Fluorine-19 (19F) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lungs using inhaled inert fluorinatedRead MoreSocial Disconnection And Alienation : A Disconnected World1410 Words   |  6 Pagesneed accessible at the tap of a screen or a swipe to the left. Essentially, technology has taken the â€Å"hard work† of talking to someone in person, of physically reading a book and of using our minds to do some mental math and replaced it with a device. I have noticed that technology, ironically, disconnects us from living in the present moment. Even though we try our hardest to communicate what we mean over text, there is still a possibility of miscommunication or misinterpretation of what was writtenRead MoreMy Life With My High School Essay1926 Words   |  8 PagesHonestly I love college rather than my high school. My high school can rot in hell for all I care. They always left us loads of homework, six packets plus reading a day, for six classes. As if we did not have a life, and we went home to be couch potatoes. Some of us had a job, others like myself were in a sport or club, so when we got home either it was 10 PM or 11 PM. Monday through Friday we call them all nighters because we wouldn t go to sleep until 3 AM just to get done with half of the homeworkRead MoreHumor in Gestalt Psychotherapy: Two Article Reviews2723 Words   |  11 PagesTWO JOURNAL ARTICLES - CRITIQUE The two journal articles which I critique have in common the construct of humor (spelled in both international journals as humour). I will examine humor in the first article as a construct. It is utilized as a tool, as a component of therapy but I will examine the very basic underlying nature of humor as a construct and as a phenomenon that can be appropriately and adequately utilized in a gestalt modality (particularly tied to existing gestalt therapy tools). InRead More The Psychology of Sigmund Freud Essay2210 Words   |  9 Pagesknown to get his patients to sacrifice themselves for his new ideas about psychoanalysis and cared little about their life afterwards or if the treatment was in fact effective (Moore, 1994). One man who was a patient of Freud’s stated â€Å"I am in the same state as when I first came to Freud, and Freud is no more† (Moore, 1994). To contrast the criticisms of psychoanalysis as a whole, therapy has been widely used for many years as a way to alleviate stress in people who have had a negative past. FreudRead MoreRacial Stereotypes And Young Children3153 Words   |  13 Pages Racial Stereotypes and Young Children Nishat Hamid University of California, Irvine Do Racial Stereotypes Exist in Children at a Young Age Aboud’s (1988) review of 20 years of research in this field concluded that children as young as 3–4 years of age demonstrate ethnic and racial awareness, with finer discriminative and conceptual skills developing thereafter. While segregation was put to a halt several years ago, there are still major debates on whether discrimination stillRead MoreSymbolic Interactionism George Simmel Jacqueline Low10230 Words   |  41 PagesNew Brunswick Mead no doubt had a manifest influence on Blumer’s thinking, and Blumer’s acknowledgment of his indebtedness to Mead is a central feature of Blumer’s writing. While I do not presume to question the importance Blumer assigns to the role played by Mead in the development of Blumerian symbolic interactionism, I argue that the perspective also owes much to the insights of Georg Simmel. In particular, a Simmelian flavor is evident in how Blumer addresses the core sociological issues of theRead MoreWe Googled You - Hbr Case Stydy5679 Words   |  23 Pageslanguorously down the stairs. She went to the kitchen, poured herself a cup of tea, strolled into the living room, and nestled in her favorite chair by the ï ¬ re. Fred handed her the paper and directed her attention to the front page. There she found an article about how an insurer had rejected a woman’s claim for disability because of chronic back pain, based on information the company had obtained from her psychologist’s notes. Martha shook her head. â€Å"It gets worse every day,† she shuddered as sheRead MoreTroubled Youth Today3128 Words   |  13 Pageslonger can they wear the dunce hat in class when misbehaving. Though this is a good thing, it has become much harder for parents to control and maintain their children. In â€Å"Children Should Be Seen Not Heard† by Gill Valentine, a single mother states, â€Å"I think children are allowed to get away with more because we’re so frightened of Social Services†¦they know there’s nothing you can do to stop it.† Without consequence children’s behaviors are going much farther down the â€Å"wrong† road then parents know

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison Essay - 2164 Words

Racism is prevalent throughout history. There has always been one group of people who believed they were better than other groups. Racism for a long time seemed to be a taboo. The topic could not be discussed because if it was, it meant people were trying to rebel against the status quo. Protest literature emerged from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s to 1930’s. Protest literature is used to address real socio-political issues and express objections against them. In his novel, The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison exposes the racism in society by focusing on the culture, in regards to the expected assimilation of African Americans and how the time period largely influenced the mistreatment of the African American population. He also uses symbols to show how African Americans were viewed in society. The third key principle of race, ethnicity and post-colonial analysis centers on a group’s culture being erased in order to adapt to the â€Å"new† dominant culture (Hall 269-271). The group being affected may try to hold on to established traditions, but may face a divide in their ranks. The older generations are more likely to cling on to established cultural traditions, but the new generations will try to adapt to the new one society presents to them. Ellison gives examples of the divide in the African American community. â€Å"He was brought up along with the members of a country quartet to sing what the officials called â€Å"their primitive spirituals† when we assembled in the chapel onShow MoreRelatedInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1366 Words   |  6 Pagesfighter left standing, amidst unbridled carnage. The titular narrator of Ralph Ellison s novel Invisible Man, is no stranger to those experiences. In the beginning, he is forced to fight several other black boxers for the amusement of many heckling, white spectators. Through the imaginative use of objects, symbols, allusions, and the actions, thoughts, and purposes of the spectators, pugilists and risquà © entertainment, Ellison seeks to express a powerful image of American race relations and womenRead MoreInvisible, Invisible Man, By Ralph Ellison1994 Words   |  8 PagesInvisible Race and Gender in Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the unnamed narrator shows us through the use motifs and symbols how racism and sexism negatively affect the social class and individual identity of the oppressed people. Throughout the novel, the African American narrator tells us the story of his journey to find success in life which is sabotaged by the white-dominated society in which he lives in. Along his journey, we are also shown how the patriarchyRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1246 Words   |  5 Pagesauthor of Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, was born March 1st, 1914, and died April 16, 1994. He was born in Oklahoma City and named after Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous journalist and poet. When Ellison was 3, his father died of a work-related accident, leaving his mother to care for him and his younger brother. As a young boy, he always wanted to major in music, and he went to Tuskegee University to become a composer and performer of music. The summer before his senior year in college, Ellison went toRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison909 Words   |  4 PagesInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a novel which embodies the universal theme of self-discovery, of the search to figure out who one truly is in life which we all are embarked upon. Throughout the text, the narrator is constantly wondering about who he really is, and evaluating the different identities which he assumes for himself. He progresses from being a hopeful student with a bright future to being just another poor black laborer in New Your City to being a fairly well off spokesperson for aRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1277 Words   |  6 PagesInvisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, is a story about a young African American man whose color renders him invisible. The theme of racism as a hurdle to individual identity is present throughout the story in a variety of examples. From the beginning of the novel the theme of identity is evident as the narrator states, â€Å"All my life I had been looki ng for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what I was† (Ellison, p. 1254). In the midst of living in a racist American society the speakersRead MoreThe Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison3051 Words   |  13 Pagesportrayed through the narrator’s, the invisible man, journey through life. The problems with society are foreshadowed by the racism and the symbols of the color white presented in the paint plant. â€Å"The Invisible Man† by Ralph Ellison depicts the African Americans struggle to be viewed as an equal member of society through the narrators struggles through life to discover his individuality or place in society while the white man or the community conspires to â€Å"keep the black man down†. The story follows theRead MoreThe Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison977 Words   |  4 PagesBook Review: Invisible Man Invisible Man is an American Literature novel published by Ralph Ellison in 1952. The novel traces the experiences of a young college black man growing up in Harlem, New York. Attempting to succeed in a predominantly white society, the narrator encounters shocks and disillusionments from being expelled from college to hiding in an underground hole to protect himself from the people above. He lives a repressed life as an â€Å"Invisible Man† for he believes that society ignoresRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1032 Words   |  5 Pageslike modern society some people leads, and others will follow. Subjects will conditionally generate their own ideas and realize these ideas rather than just be assigned tasks that question their beliefs. The author Ralph Ellison illustrates it best. Ellison’s realistic fiction Invisible Man perpetuates the manifestation of manipulation over the minorities in this society. As the narrator embraces every identity he has been given, h e starts to become more independent, and a leader in his community. Read MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1481 Words   |  6 PagesInvisible Man is a novel by Ralph Ellison, published in 1952. It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues facing African-Americans in the early twentieth century. This includes black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the reformist racial policies of Booker T. Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity. The grandson of slaves, Ralph Ellison was born in 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. HisRead MoreThe Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison917 Words   |  4 PagesRalph Ellison’s Invisible Man is a story about a young African American man who struggles to break free from the black stereotype that white society has forced upon him. As Ellison’s views on the detrimental effects of stereotyping minorities become apparent throughout his nov el, some readers would argue that his depictions of female characters seem to be slightly hypocritical—but in actuality, the narrator’s encounters with the female characters ultimately help him accept his invisibility, develop

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Psychology and Globalization Complex Relationship

Question: Discuss about the Psychology and Globalization for Complex Relationship. Answer: Introduction: The world has become a global village over the years. With the introduction of globalization in every aspect of life, the world has become small. Life has changed drastically across continents. Economies have taken a large leap towards growth. Globalization refers to the process of communication and integration among the citizens, organizations, governments of different countries, driven by trade and investment and supported by information technology. Globalization has impacts on economy, culture, environment, political systems, economic development and well-being of societies throughout the world (Knight, 2015). For thousands of years, people have indulged in travelling across the countries and continents for the need of buying and selling products, which is the base for todays international trade and globalization. As nations developed, organizations formed and they have invested in companies in other countries. The trend has grown multiple times after the First World War (1906). C ountries entered into agreements for international trade and other economic policies for the benefit of the global economy (Collier Venables, 2012). Today, economies have developed a lot due to this wave of globalization. In regards to this, we will discuss the effects of globalization on a multinational company, Costco (Retail Supermarket). Costco and globalization: Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American warehouse club, which provides merchandise of various products of various brands at substantially cheaper prices. It is designed to assist the small-to-medium sized businesses for reducing cost of purchasing. Individuals can also buy from Costco provided they have membership. It is a membership-only multinational retail supermarket. Currently, Costco is the largest membership-only warehouse club in US, and second-largest in the world, after Walmart. It is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington. As of Nov 20, 2016, Costco operates 723 branches all over the world, including 8 in Australia. In 2015, it has sold approximately $1.3 billion worth of merchandise in Australia (Minahan, Huddleston Bianchi, 2012). Costco Wholesale Australia Pty Ltd is the Australian section of the Costco USA. It is headquartered in Lidcombe, New South Wales and has employee strength of 2355 approximately. Costco operates in retail industries of supermarkets and grocery stores, fuel and consumer goods in Australia. According to The Australian, approximately 150,000 Australians have taken Costco membership since the opening of its first local store in 2009 in Melbournes Docklands (Minahan, Huddleston Bianchi, 2012). Costco first began its operation in Seattle, Washington in 1983. It merged with The Price Company in October 1993 and formed Price/Costco, Inc., and brought about the membership-only concept in their business. Price Enterprises changed its name to Costco Corporations in 1997. In 1999, Costco Companies Inc. changed its name to Costco Wholesale Corporation, listed as COST in NASDAQ. It has started to spread its operations in the international market since early 2000s. Now it has branches in USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Spain (Minahan, Huddleston Bianchi, 2012). Costco is one example of globalization of retail industry. It started as an American corporation, but overtime it followed the globalization process to become a multinational retail warehouse giant. In the new century, integration and interdependency of international economies started, to achieve more prosperity within obligatory rules by the government, imposed to avoid the problems that arise in an open market. This promoted semi-global markets and led the way for globalization of markets. Studies on cross-border integration and other factors show todays globalization level is only 10 to 15 percent (Grinin, 2012). Aspects of globalization: There are two aspects of globalization the globalization of markets and the globalization of production. Globalization of market refers to the assimilation of distinct and diverse national markets into one international market. The organizations with chain outlets represent this type of globalization, for example, Cocacola, Starbucks, KFC, MacDonalds, Walmart and many more. Costco also falls under this category. On the other hand, globalization of production refers to the acquisition of factors of production from places around the world to gain the benefit of the cost differences and quality of the factors. Companies do this to lower their cost of production and supply quality products in the domestic and international markets. Volkswagen, Boeing and many computer hardware companies fall under this category (Herrera, 2012). In the past few decades, there have been significant developments in the economic policies and technologies, which led to a increase in international trade and investments. Migration also increased leading to economic development of nations. For instance, international trade volume has risen by 20 times since 1950, and, in two years, from 1997 to 1999, the flow of foreign investment got almost doubled, from $468 billion to $827 billion. Thomas Friedman represented this wave of globalization as farther, faster, cheaper and deeper (Herrera, 2012). Globalization also led to liberalization of economies. Post Second World War, especially in the past two decades, nations have started to adopt trade liberalization policies. That led to increasing production capacity and new scope for trade and investments across the globe. Governments entered into agreements to reduce the commercial barriers and promoting trade and investment in foreign countries (Grinin, 2012). Hence, to take the chances for new opportunities in the foreign markets, organizations started to invest, build factories, produce and make marketing arrangements to capture the international customer base (Marsella, 2012). Costco has applied this logic in its operations. It studied the foreign markets and took the opportunity to expand in the international markets with different product merchandise. To understand the impact of globalization on the business operations of Costco, let us first have a glance on its business strategies. It sells bulk products at a lower price. The small to medium sized businesses and large families are the target customers. Costco does not carry multiple brands, apart from their home brand, Kirkland Signature label. This allows Costco to buy from a single vendor, thus lowering the price and marketing cost even more. A general Costco store carries approximately 3,700 distinct product varieties compared to a Walmart supercenter with approximately 1,40,000 varieties (Mora, 2016). It also does not store packing bags to lower its operating costs. Customers need to carry their own bags for shopping. Lighting costs are reduced on the sunny days to make maximum use of the sunlight during the daytime (Lukic, 2016). Costco uses shipping pallets to display products on the floor, rather than stacking them on the individual shelves (Minahan, Huddleston Bianchi, 2012). Effects of globalization: Australia adopted globalization in the 1980s. The economy was declining and unemployment rate was high prior to globalization. It has allowed foreign companies and investors to invest here freely, open up businesses, which led to efficient economy, competitive markets, improved quality of output, creation of jobs and thus, higher employment rate, innovation in technology and improvement in the living standards (Patel, 2017). We will discuss the effects of globalization in regards to the business operations of Costco. There has been increase in foreign investments in the country. Agreements with other nations led to opening of the economy for FDI s and trade relations (Martinez-Fernandez et al., 2012). Exports and imports both have increased significantly. For instance, Costco is a US-based corporation. While expanding its business, it has captured the economic scope of Australia and opened its first branch in Docklands, Melbourne in 2009 (Courtemanche Carden, 2014). Rate of employment increased in the economy. Since there has been a rise in the opening up of businesses, naturally more jobs were created in all the sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, service, mining (Jaumotte, Lall Papageorgiou, 2013). For example, with 8 branches in Australia, Costco has generated employment of approximately 2355 persons country-wide till date (Price, 2016). As a result of this growth in employment, living standards have improved, people have more money in their hands and liquidity has increased in the market. Hence, Costco has found it feasible to expand its stores in 8 locations in the country. People are now willing to spend money to maintain their living standards, which led to increased level of sales in the retail sector. Costco is a retail supermarket, selling multiple varieties of product in bulk and at a lower price. The supply vendors of Costco have experienced a surge in their manufacturing of the products and they sustain in the manufacturing industry by supplying to Costco only. Costco has followed the policy of diversification of investments in all their business strategy. They operate as a retail supermarket for all types of consumer goods including fuel. Since it is a multinational company, it can easily shelf a particular brand of a particular product from a different country. Exports and imports have become easier after emergence of globalization (Price, 2016). Problems: Studies on Costco have thrown some insights on its aspects. They face a few problems. Following are the major problem Faced: Variable membership cost Costco membership price is $60. People buy membership at $60, some never use it for inconvenience to shop, and some spend unnecessary more money to make worth of the $60. Individuals do not become interested to buy the membership due to the constraint of buying large. Since their price margin is very low, they must make part of their profit from the memberships. However, the price should be different for individuals and small families; and small-to-medium sized businesses and large families (Yang et al., 2016). Costco fuel is cheaper than its rivals. Even if its 15 cents less, people are lured by the small savings (Hinterhuber Liozu, 2014). They are willing to drive long way to save this little amount, because there are not many fuel stations of Costco. Costco sells in bulk. That is good for small-to-medium sized businesses and large families but not for small entities. Most of the time, people avoid going there due to the constraint of buying in bulk (Samuel, Shah Sahay, 2012). Costco is unbeatable for some non-perishable goods like pet food, toiletries, but not for some other things like food items. Buying in bulk ultimately leads to wastage of money and the product as well (Samuel, Shah Sahay, 2012). Recomendations: Costco has a wide range of problems. Following are a few recommendations that may help solve such problems. Costco must categorize the target customers and charge accordingly in order to make more people interested to buy the membership. Costco should open up more fuel stations and advertise their lower prices. Costco should introduce an option for buying little less, so that the customer base increases. Costco should put more emphasis on advertising its lower prices. Since, it is a competitive market, it is important to make customers aware about the offers and price discounts of the stores. To thrive in the industry and make profit, not only prices should be lower, but that has to be properly advertised also. Costco should opt for a viable operating strategy where there would be less wastage of resources (Samuel, Shah Sahay, 2012). Conclusion: Globalization has shaped the diverse Australian economy into an emerging and blooming one. It has impacts on all aspects of a business. In this highly competitive market, a company must take the global aspect of markets into consideration. The effect varies from one industry to the other. The dealings between countries also vary, so does the impacts on the businesses. There are other factors also which have impacts on the international and domestic business such as, culture, legal factors, immigration, terrorism, technological advancements, and infrastructural developments and so on. All of these together has led to an efficient and competitive economy. Organizations are improving their way of business and marketing which ultimately helps to achieve economic growth, and benefits the consumers most. In the discussion above, the effects of globalization on the company, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Australia, have been emphasized. Costco, a multibillion-dollar multinational wholesale w arehouse club, has taken the wholesale retail business to a new level. Knowledge of the Australian market and innovation of business strategies and marketing plans have helped them grow outside of the USA. This is a major effect of the globalization and the resultant trade agreements between the nations. References: Collier, P., Venables, A. J. (2012). Journal of Globalization and Development.Journal of Globalization and Development: Vol,3(1), 3. Courtemanche, C., Carden, A. (2014). Competing with Costco and Sam's Club: Warehouse club entry and grocery prices.Southern Economic Journal,80(3), 565-585. Ghemawat, P. (2012). Developing global leaders.McKinsey Quarterly,3, 100-109. Grinin, L. E. (2012). New foundations of international System ?R why do states lose their sovereignty in the Age of globalization?.Journal of Globalization Studies,3(1). Herrera, S. (2012). Globalization: Current constraints and promising perspectives.Journal of Curriculum Instruction,6(1). Hinterhuber, A., Liozu, S. M. (2014). Is innovation in pricing your next source of competitive advantage?.Business Horizons,57(3), 413-423. Jaumotte, F., Lall, S., Papageorgiou, C. (2013). Rising income inequality: technology, or trade and financial globalization?.IMF Economic Review,61(2), 271-309. Knight, J. (2015). Updated definition of internationalization.International higher education, (33). Lukic, R. (2016). Analysis Of Energy Costs In Retail Trade.Management Research and Practice,8(4), 5. Marsella, A. (2012). Psychology and globalization: Understanding a complex relationship.Journal of Social Issues,68(3), 454-472. Martinez?Fernandez, C., Audirac, I., Fol, S., Cunningham?Sabot, E. (2012). Shrinking cities: Urban challenges of globalization.International Journal of Urban and Regional Research,36(2), 213-225. Minahan, S. M., Huddleston, P., Bianchi, C. (2012). Costco and the Aussie Shopper: a case study of the market entry of an international retailer.The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research,22(5), 507-527. Mora, P. (2016). Introduction: Issues, Objectives, and Method. InWine Positioning(pp. 1-14). Springer International Publishing. Patel, D. V. (2017). An Overview of Retailing Industry in the WorldA Study.PARIPEX-Indian Journal of Research,5(10). Price, R. (2016). Controlling routine front line service workers: an Australian retail supermarket case.Work, employment and society,30(6), 915-931. Samuel, M. V., Shah, M., Sahay, B. S. (2012). An insight into agri-food supply chains: a review.International Journal of Value Chain Management,6(2), 115-143. Yang, E., Burger, J., Peters, M., Cruz, B., Steinberg, H. (2016, January). Customer Service Management Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions In Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Norway, And The USA. InAllied Academies International Conference. Academy of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict. Proceedings(Vol. 21, No. 1, p. 62). Jordan Whitney Enterprises, Inc.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Negotiation

Question: Discuss about the Interpersonal Communication and Conflict Negotiation. Answer: Introduction Interpersonal communication possesses a direct influence on the organizational culture. Interpersonal communications play an important role in the business environment of an organization. According to Knapp et al. (2014), the confusion and misunderstandings can be considered as significant factors that can damage the business environment and an ultimate failure of the company within the industry. This particular discourse will discuss the essential factors that affect interpersonal communication. This study will also reveal the consequences of the cultural misunderstandings in the business environment. Employees of the business organization work together for sharing a special kind of bonding in order to deliver their best job performances. The maintenance of proper and adequate interpersonal communications helps the associated stakeholders to reduce and avoid any cultural misunderstandings as it can damage the positivity of the workplace and the business environment. On the other han d, interpersonal communication possesses enough capabilities for making a healthy interpersonal relationship and creating positive ambiance. Discussion As opined by Wood (2015), the concept of culture and interpersonal communication is closely associated with the sensitivity to the cultural differences. The economic condition of a company depends on the basic ability to communicate in an efficient and effective manner across various cultures. However, there is a huge contradiction regarding the influence of technology has made the interpersonal communication easier than the traditional mode of trading. Even the use of internet has made the process of intercultural communication easy as the multinational corporations can collect relevant news related to the business across the world. The perception of self in the interpersonal communication plays a pivotal responsibility for communicating with the rest of the world. The perception of self in interpersonal communication examines and identifies the core relationship in between the fundamental concepts of the communication and the self-identity. It helps to learn about the traits of an adaptive and self-aware communicator. Biocca and Levy (2013) have mentioned that the perception of self in interpersonal communication provides the facts on self-esteem. With the proper interpersonal communication, an individual can explore various paths of improving own communication skill and style in order to deal with other individuals from different cultural background within the workplace. There are different types of perceptions regarding the self in interpersonal communication and this perception possesses several stages. An individual should find out the ultimate consequences of the self-satisfying prophecies in the entire communication process. An individual can consist own thoughts and feelings regarding own strengths and weakness. Madianou and Miller (2013) have referred that from the social comparison, own evaluation and interpretation, others images concerning the particular individual and the actual cultural teaching process help to develop the perception of self in interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication suggests the process with which the people exchange relevant information and feelings through verbal and non-verbal messages. Interpersonal communication of an individual involves not only the transmitting process of the messages; however, it also includes the facial expressions, tone of the voice, body languages and gestures. According to Berger (2014), the elements of the interpersonal communication suggest the communicators, messages, context and feedback. The implication of the interpersonal communication includes the process of collecting and providing relevant information. On the other hand, the culture and interpersonal communication influence the behavior and the attitudes of the individuals. With the proper employment of the interpersonal communication, an individual is capable of forming important contacts and to maintain appropriate relationships with the making sense of the world and its notion of experiences. Interpersonal communication also helps to express the personal requirements and there is constant growing of the sense of understanding the requirements of the other associated employees within the organization. Berger (2014) has suggested that interpersonal communication can be considered as irreversible, inescapable and complicated, however, it is necessary for the psychological, relational, environmental, cultural and situational context. In this essay, there will be a discussion on the cultural context, which engages all of the learned rules and behaviors that may affect the process of interaction or communication. It is noteworthy to mention here that the cultural aspects differ from one country to another. Interpersonal communication helps to earn the process of dealing with the individuals from different cultural background (Fussell and Kreuz 2014). Listening can be understood as the most fundamental component of the interpersonal communication skills. The skill of active listening can be improved and acquired with the practices. There are contradictions related to the active listening process as it is difficult to master and will and it takes patience and time for development. Concentration is the key component of active listening as it involves every sense and notion in order to provide a full attention to the message of the speaker. The listener should be conscious during the decision-making process and there should be capability of the listener for understanding the actual messages of the speaker. Active listening always promotes the non-judgmental and neutral decision. Hewes (2013) has determined that active listening considers the short periods and the patience pauses of the silence during the communication. Active listening always provides scope and opportunities to explore the feelings and thoughts of the message provide rs. It has been assessed that the procedure of active listening does not focus solely on the speaker and its messages; however, it reveals both the verbal and non-verbal signs of the listening. The non-verbal signs of active listening can be determined by smile, posture, eye contact, and distraction and mirroring. Hearing and listening cannot be considered as same thing and in order to be a good and patient listener, an individual should possess much more than letting in the audible stimuli. Often people fail to consider the impish link in between the necessity of the interpersonal communication for making a strong and stable bond with others. On the other hand, Monaghan et al. (2012) have mentioned that listening suggests a learned communication skill. It is often difficult to understand the characteristics of a good listener, however, it can be understood when another person is not listening to the former person. As opined by Hynes (2012), listening is a transactional and dynamic process of receiving the message and responds to the recalling or the other messages from the sender. In the interpersonal communication, an individual usually makes sense of the received messages of another communicator. Listening has been determined as dynamic only because it plays a pivotal role in the interperso nal communication. On the other hand, listening has been concerned as transactional as both the receiver and sender of the message are active agents in the entire process. Some of the critics have criticized the process of listening as a two-way street as it merely reveals the fact that listening is necessary, however, it is insufficient for maintaining the relationships in between the sender and the receiver of the messages. The major four components of the listening process consist of receiving, responding, recalling and rating. Verbal, nonverbal, emotional and conversational messages are significant for mitigating the consequences of the cultural understandings in the business environment of an origination. It has been evidenced that every individual employs a vast range of the paralinguistic mechanisms and nonverbal messages for expressing own emotion. All of the non-verbal and emotional messages can be concerned the facial gestures, facial expressions, tone of the voice and postures. In todays competitive business world, the business experts utilize not only the verbal communication, however, concentrates on the non-verbal and emotional messages as it can be determined to interact with the other persons in proper manner. However, there are still contradictions regarding the implication of nonverbal messages as it often fails to reveal the intense emotional state of an individual. As opined by Tzonis et al. (2012), during the crucial decisionmaking a session, it is next to impossible to communicate with th e emotional or non-verbal messages. On the other hand, the non-verbal communication shows the intentional signals of the emotional condition and reveals the limited value of communication with the help of emotions in this rational world. The interpersonal communication involves much more than the exact meaning of the words than the conveyed messages or the information. A nonverbal message suggests implicit messages, which are expressed through the non-verbal behaviors of an individual. On the other hand, a non-verbal message conveys the fundamental relationship in between two people and provides feedback to the other person. Emotional communication regulates the fundamental glow of the communication process by signaling to other individuals. Manning (2014) has referred that the non-verbal communication is an integral and complex part of the entire communication styles and skills. In most o the cases, the people are unaware of their own non-verbal behavior and fails to understand its necessity in the interpersonal commu nication for reducing any issues related to the cultural misunderstandings in the business environment. Burnside-Lawry (2012) has suggested that the verbal communication has been proved as an effective interpersonal communication instead of the implication of the non-verbal or the emotional communication process. However, the effective use of non-verbal communication can be learned from the experts as it can develop the communication styles and skills of the individual. The conversational messages involve greeting, phatic communication, such as small talk, establishment of relevant connection for opening channels for further interaction. Conversational messages can be denoted with the sets of conversation, relatively informal type of social interaction. The consequences of the cultural misunderstandings have a large impact on the individuals and the business operations of an origination. It is essential for the management and higher authority of the company to overcome any kind of issues related to the cultural misunderstanding with employing potential communication skills. In order to mitigate the cultural differences, the management should learn at first the process of dealing with people from various cultural backgrounds. The different cultural background can be determined by completely different mannerisms, gestures, and customs. Cultural misunderstandings also possess the language barriers and the tone of the voice (Weger et al. 2014). For instances, the nations like Germany and America, a business associate interacts in aggressive or assertive tone in order to share their ideas or suggestions. On the other hand, In Japan and China, a person speaks in a soft and passive manner for communication. During the marketing campaign or launching a new product, there may be some problems regarding the cultural misunderstanding because of different cultures. Some cultures possess a strong sense and notion of nationalism for conducting business in other countries in this era of globalization. On the other hand, there are effective recommendations for mitigating issues that evolved from cultural misunderstandings (Wolvin 2013). Technology enables every individual to stay connected with the other and it reduces the cultural misunderstandings in an efficient manner. The video conferencing and the international phone calls help to solve the cultural misunderstandings and the conflicts. From various researches, it has been revealed that to maintain a potential communication with the individuals from different cultures is challenging. The cultures provide individuals with different ways of thinking, hearing, seeing and interpreting the entire world. In this era of globalization, diverse cultures influence collides and mix together. Considering the basic degree of today's business world, the knowledge and skills of culture and mentality require essential skills to deal business functions. Intercultural contact enhances the potentiality of an individual and helps an organization to continue its business in the international market (Hung and Lin 2013). Conclusion This particular study clearly discusses several factors in detailed manner that are responsible for the interpersonal communications. It also outlines the ultimate consequences of the cultural misunderstandings in the business environments. This essay concentrates on the culture and several aspects of the interpersonal communication. At the end of the study, it can be understood that in order to avoid any kind of conflict, it is the best policy for avoiding any political discussion and negative discussion on the cultural aspects. In this study, there is also mention of type of barriers of interpersonal communication, which may influence the performance of an employee and ultimately of the entire business activities of an organization. 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