Cross Cultural (Intercultural) Management Skills Essay

Cross Cultural (Intercultural) Management Skills - Essay Example Knowledge management is the systematic application of knowledge to improve companies’ performance through facilitating inter-organizational informational sharing and experience. Breiden, Mohr and Mirza (2005 p.15) say that cultural knowledge management competency can therefore help solve management problem. Some of the tasks which are included here are interactive translation, developing participative competence, cross cultural networking, creation of collaborative atmosphere and finally developing of a participative competence. For instance, when French speaking expatriate working for the United Nations is send to South America there he/she will find totally different cultures in terms of language and the kind of food people eat. It calls for ability and readiness to learn and appreciate that other cultures are also important.Building positive relationships with others is a very important skill. It is advisable to develop relationships with locals and colleagues through relat ional skills development as opposed to being solely task oriented. One should be an all rounded person who is not self centered with possession of social orientation and social adroitness with superb skills in solving disputes, cooperating with friends and affiliates, unlike majoring in work competition and performance excluding the social life. For example, when one is from a Western nation and goes to work in India, it is advisable to participate in some of their services so that they can feel that you are part of them.

The Childhood section of Dubliners Essay Example for Free

The Childhood section of Dubliners Essay From your reading of the two stories in the Childhood section of Dubliners how is the encounter between different generations portrayed and what do you think is its role? The stories An Encounter and Sisters contain objective viewpoints about the older generation, and are told from the perspective of a young boy. There is the implication in both stories that the older generation is associated with religion which plays a paralysing role in the society of Dublin. The role of the encounter between the different age groups demonstrates the conflict of belief that occurs between young children growing up, forming their own opinions and beliefs, and their elders, who are trying to impress attitudes and traditions on them that seem unnatural to them. There is a suggestion that its role is also representative of the turmoil which Catholic Ireland found itself in during this period. The young boy, from whose perspective we see the elder generation, does not appear to hold the respect he ought to for his elders. In Sisters, the child feels bored by Old Cotter due to his endless talk about the distillery. The presence of Old Cotter and also that of the strange man in An Encounter are seen as equally undesirable by the narrator, and both are referred to in derogatory terms: Old Cotter as a tiresome old fool, and the nameless man by Mahony as a queer old josser. The children feel that they have no need for these men in their lives and it is significant that the word josser is slang meaning priest, exemplifying the disregard the boys feel towards a religion that has been imposed upon them. In addition to these two characters, in An Encounter Father Butler is a primary reason for the desire the boys feel for escape from the rebuke during the sober hours. Father Butler clearly has close connection with religion and their dislike of him once more is representative of the hostility the boys feel towards Catholicism and its effect on Dublin. The character of Father Flynn possesses a didactic role over the young boy, and we are told he taught [him] a great deal. Whether this teaching was desired by or imposed upon the narrator is not made clear but it is apparent that the priest instilled a certain amount of trepidation and awe, as well as admiration, in the boy, due to the adjectives used to describe his appearance, ancient, truculent, grey and massive, with black cavernous nostrils. The priests description is symbolic of the way in which the narrator feels about religion; one of the main roles that the encounter with the elder generation plays. The colours described are dark and intimidating, the atmosphere in his room was smoke-filled and one of lethargy, just as religion would have seemed harsh, restrictive and uninspiring. The man in An Encounter, also representing religion does not give a good impression of this central aspect of Irish society, he is perverted and contradictory in his words, he seemed to have forgotten his recent liberalismhe would whip a boy he would love that. One role of this encounter is to demonstrate the confusion that the boy feels about religion, before his eyes he sees contradiction in a religious figure, perverted and unnerving contradiction at that, which can only serve to add yet more doubt to his wavering faith. In both scenarios the narrator feels relieved when he escapes his elders whom he finds unnerving, indeed the epiphany in Sisters is the moment where he realises that he feels a sensation of freedomby his death. In the same way in An Encounter the boy seizes the first available moment to escape from the strange man, I stood up abruptlysaying that I was obliged to go. There is an urgency to get away from these mysterious characters although this is not apparent to the boy in the context of Father Flynn until he is involuntarily released by his death. Strangely, in the two stories the child feels an affinity to the elder generation and thus there is a sense of guilt due to the relief he experiences when they are absent. In Sisters the boy definitely admires the priest and despite feeling entrapped and paralysed by the religious implications attached to his role in society, there is also a certain empathy he feels towards him. The duties of the priesthood were too much for [Father Flynn] and smothered him, just as the requirements the boy must conform to in terms of religion are too demanding on his confused and inquisitive mind. In An Encounter the sense of empathy appears at the epiphany of the story, where the narrator realises that, like the man, he had always despised [Mahony] a little. This sudden, unexpected revelation that has been brought about by the unsettling words of the man demonstrates that the role of the older generation in this scenario has been to help the boy be true to himself and admit his own beliefs, which may inadvertently help him to accept his true religious feelings. The language and sentence structure used in Sisters helps to emphasise the generation gap perceived by the reader, words such as endless which imply the length of Old Cotters life as well as his boring talk, the threatening words that indicate the unapproachable appearance of Father Flynn due to his age and social significance, blackened, solemn and copious. Where the narrator describes how Father Flynn impressed his knowledge upon him, he lists the topics that he was taught, which shows not only the amount of subjects the two covered, but also symbolises the sheer length and content of the priests long life. The encounters used by Joyce in these two stories play conflicting roles, and contradiction is evident even within the same story; the boy describes a sense of anxiety to escape from his elders, yet expresses guilt at these feelings. He feels trapped by religion, yet sympathises with a priest about the constraints it makes on society, surprising as such a figure should be the embodiment of the restriction he finds it hard to abide by. The distance expressed both in terms of age and in opinion shows how the boy feels controlled by a generation he cannot relate to. This conveys a sense of paralysis affecting the younger generation of Ireland, a generation controlled by its elders and their religion, a religion which controls rather than directs its pupils. The encounters that make up such an important part of the two stories serve to demonstrate the alienation the children of Ireland feel towards their elders and their social situation: there simply is not the same strength of feeling towards religion in their lives, an empowering force on their lives and in Dublin.

Parental Punishment And Accountability For Child Misbehavior Young People Essay

Parental Punishment And Accountability For Child Misbehavior Young People Essay Introduction The concept of parental liability laws in other words, taking a harsher stance toward parents for a juveniles crime has created its share of controversy. On the other hands, advocates claimed that parents did have the proper influence over children, and should be responsible if parents dont know where their children are, or what they are doing, they are accountable for the childrens illegal acts (Tyler et al, 2000). However, those who point out that child doesnt learn to be held accountable if they commit crimes and even the strictest parenting dont prevent a teenager from doing something stupid or reckless. Others point out that by punishing parents for what children do, the root cause of the crime isnt uncovered (Tyler et al, 2000).These arguments simply dont hold water. Parental accountability is very important when it comes to raising a child. Certainly teenagers (and adolescents) will get into mischief. But if parents are unwilling to take responsibility for learning what thei r children are up to (or where their children are), they need to be punished if their children misbehave, or even if they break the law. Parental Influence on Children Though parental liability laws are creating a great deal of controversy, there is little doubt that parents exert a huge influence on children and their behaviour. One research proves that alcoholics were likely to have parents who were alcoholics, while domestic abusers were likely abused themselves as children. Academic and research literature contains a wealth of information tying parental influence to childrens behaviour. In the area of peer influence, for example, Chen et al (2007) note that, in a study among California and Wisconsin high school students, it was found that parental influence on peer affiliation still is significant even as parental involvement in adolescents lives diminishes. But it isnt only growing teens that respond to parental influences. Infants, even very young infants, respond to parental stress and react to it (Molfese et al, 2010). In fact, it has been revealed that parental stress and/or reaction can actually have an impact on vocabulary and cognitive development (Molfese et al, 2010). On the other side weve seen literature extolling the positive benefits of tools such as parental training on the success of children. For example, Sheely-Moore and Bratton (2010) discussed how a family-oriented, strengths-based approach toward working with lower-income African American families helped raise childrens grades while lowering school discipline problems. The authors in this study pointed to the need of positive parental involvement on childrens academic achievement and socio-economic development, though pointed out that parental involvement can be difficult for those who live in poverty (Sheely-Moore and Bratton, 2010). Furthermore, it has been proven that parental influence also has an influence on driving among their teenage offspring (Crawford-Faucker, 2009). According to the National Young Driver Survey (involving 5,665 students in grades 9 through 11) parenting styles had a definite impact on choices the young drivers made (Crawford-Faucker, 2009). The authoritative parenting style combining emotional support with clear rules and monitoring had a definite (and positive) influence on driving-related behaviours and other attitudes among adolescents (Crawford-Faucker, 2009). These teens had a lower crash risk, experienced fewer crashes as passengers and were twice as likely to wear seat belts as a driver (or passenger) then were teens with uninvolved parents (Crawford-Faucker, 2009). Furthermore, this group reported less alcohol use (Crawford-Faucker, 2009). But harsh verbal and physical discipline isnt necessary the way to go, either. McKee et al (2007) studied harsh verbal and physical discipline and child problem behaviours in a sample of 2,582 parents and their fifth and sixth grade children. The findings indicated that the harsh discipline was associated with child behaviour problems, with one dimension of positive parenting parental warmth helping to buffer children from the more detrimental influences of the harsher physical discipline (McKee et al, 2007). In this section that parents have a huge influence on their kids, whether those kids are tiny, helpless infants or defiant teenagers. Children tend to mimic their parents, for better or for worse. Some years ago, the organization Partnership for a Drug-Free America aired a series of advertisements showing a father breaking into his sons room, drug paraphernalia in his hands. Where did you get this? the father thunders. Where did you get this and how do you know about it?I know about it by watching you! the son cries out. I watched you do it! The point of the commercial, of course, is that children will take their cues from their parents. If parents act in a responsible manner and own up to a mistake or problem situation, children will take that same cue. If, however, parents are carelessness and put the blame on other people for their own mistakes, children will do the same things. Discussion The issue we need to address here, however, is that this is not necessarily a black or white scenario. Tyler et al (2000) point out that the parental liability laws, in which parents are charged with the crime committed by their offspring, could end up penalizing the poor. In a poor family, both parents might be working leaving their children to their own devices, simply because they cant afford child care. Furthermore, if a child is delinquent, poor people (at least, in theory) may not be able to afford counselling to find out the problem. Few people want their children to be delinquent (especially lower-income people). But then again, even among poor families, we find out that not all children are delinquent. What is the difference between the well-behaved children of poorer families and those who act out? One word: Parenting. Even if there isnt a male role model in the house, many times, the matriarch of the family takes a strict stance among her offspring, raising Cain if the offspring get into trouble. Furthermore, there are resources for parents of lower income families to find help for their children if there are issues. Though going through governmental red tape can be a hassle to find a counsellor, a community agency or even religious organization official can be of great help in an area such as this. The point here is that there is really no excuse for the parent not to get help if the child acts out.What about if the childs mother is little more than a child herself? If this is a situation of a teenage mother who doesnt know how to parent, the situation changes a little, but not a whole lot. The teen mother still needs to be penalized, and then needs to be mandated to attend parenting classes. Failure to do so is the teen moms choice and if the teen mom doesnt attend classes, this tells the law enforcement officials that her defiance could be passed on to her children. Poverty isnt a good thing and it makes things very difficult, especially as it pertains to the parent-child relationship. But to use that excuse not to charge parents for a childs conduct is passing on responsibility. Such a situation may serve as a wake-up call for not only the child, but the parent who is involved with the childs upbringing. Conclusion Parenting is not an easy job and there is nothing more frustrating than hearing from the school or from the police that ones child is in trouble. Furthermore, there are those who point to the fact that trying to manage an unruly team is tough, and its not the parents responsibility if the teen gets into trouble.But this isnt true. Weve shown, through the literature, that parents have influence on their teenagers, even if their teenagers dont seem to be listening to them. Parents who keep lecturing to their kids about the evils of drugs and alcohol abuse are likely to have kids who grow up disdaining both of those substances. However, if kids see their parents freely addicted in alcohol (or drugs), the kids will ask themselves why not? and go ahead do the same thing. Parental liability laws arent meant to be malicious, nor are they meant to beat up on parents. What they are trying to do is to help parents teach their kids some responsibility. Even parents in poverty stricken families have a choice as to how they raise their kids. If they make the wrong choice, and the kids break laws as a result, the parents need to be held responsible.

Drug Addiction: A Brain Disease? :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Drug Addiction: A Brain Disease? When people hear the words drug addict, these words have negative connotations and stigmas attached to them. People visualize a person who does not care about anything, including family, work, or commitments, except for obtaining money to buy drugs to get high. However, there are many people who are drug addicts that maintain a normal, functioning life. Before we can examine why these people are addicted to drugs, one must first define the word addict. George F. Koob defines addiction as a compulsion to take a drug without control over the intake and a chronic relapse disorder (1). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association defined "substance dependence" as a syndrome basically equivalent to addiction, and the diagnostic criteria used to describe the symptoms of substance dependence to a large extent define compulsion and loss of control of drug intake (1). Considering drug addiction as a disorder implies that there are some biological factors as well as social factors. There are many biological factors that are involved with the addicted brain. "The addicted brain is distinctly different from the nonaddicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues." (2) In the brain, there are many changes that take place when drugs enter a person's blood stream. The pathway in the brain that the drugs take is first to the ventral tegmentum to the nucleus accumbens, and the drugs also go to the limbic system and the orbitofrontal cortex, which is called the mesolimbic reward system. The activation of this reward system seems to be the common element in what hooks drug users on drugs (2). Drugs seem to cause surges in dopamine neurotransmitters and other pleasure brain messengers. However, the brain quickly adapts and these circuits desensitize, which allows for withdrawal symptoms to occur (3). Drug addiction works on some of the same neurobiological mechanisms that aid in learning and memories (3). "This new view of dopamine as an aid to learning rather than a pleasure mediator may help explain why many addictive drugs, which unleash massive surges of the neurotransmitter in the brain, can drive continued use without producing pleasure-as when cocaine addicts continue to take hits long after the euphoric effects of the drug have worn off or when smokers smoke after cigarettes become distasteful." (4) Since memory and pleasure zones are intertwined in the brain, many researchers have been using psychological approaches to stop drug use.

Othello Plot Points Essay

Othello’s Ensign, hates him cause he’s black, wants Cassio’s job, believes he would be better Cassio- Innocent Party, gets a job as Othello’s Lieutenant, gets into a fight and his stripped of rank, but goes to Desdemonia to try and win back Othello’s favour Roderigo- Loves Desdemonia, is persuaded by Iago to attempt to kill Cassio, is murdered by Iago to remain silent (d) Emilia- Married to Iago, gives iago the handkerchief that convinces Othello that Desdemonia and Cassio had a relationship (d) Plot Othello marries Desdemonia in secret. However Roderigo goes to her father and blows their cover. Othello is forced to defend himself from accusations of witchcraft. News of a Turkish invasion of Cyprus reaches Venice, and Othello, with Cassio his new Lieutenant, and Iago, his ensign, are deployed to Cyprus to defend against the Turkish fleet. Desdemonia is allowed to accompany Othello, and Emilia, Iago’s wife, accompanies her as her attendant. Th e enemy fleet is destroyed by a storm. Othello calls for a celebration, during which Iago gets Cassio drunk, who causes a fight. Othello strips him of his rank, and blames him for the disturbance caused by Iago. However, Iago tells Cassio to go to Desdemonia, and convince her to try to plead his case. Whilst Cassio does this, Iago goes to Othello and hints that Cassio and Desdemonia are having an affair. For the rest of the film, â€Å"Honest Iago† controls the actions of the characters, turning Othello against his wife and Roderigo against Cassio so that, at the end of the play, Roderigo attempts to murder Cassio, while Othello smothers his wife after accusing her of betraying him and having an affair with Cassio. Roderigo fails, and after he is identified as Cassio’s attacker Iago murders him, claiming to have been overcome with rage, but really silencing to cover his involvement. Othello then murders his wife, however Emilia walks in calls for help. As the truth comes out, Othello realises his wife was innocent. Iago murders his wife after she reveals what he has done. He is then captured and brought before Othello, who stabs him but does not murder him, saying he would prefer Iago live in pain for the rest of his life than die. Othello then kills himself out of guilt at what he has done. Iago is hauled off to be tortured, and Cassio is made Governer of Cyrpus. The end.

Free Essays on The White Negro

For many who may still not know, rap music continues to outsell other genres of American music. Since Americans of African descent comprise of about 12% percent of the nation's population, this means that the vast majority of documented rap music buyers are whites teenagers. Although white rapper Eminen has struck platinum with his sophomore album "The Marshall Mathers LP", and artists like Kid Rock and the group Limp Bizkit pepper their rock music with rap, the genre itself is still heavily influenced by the "Black" and Latino youth . For idealists, white kids buying rap music represents a level of racial understanding and acceptance unknown to their parents. However for realists, this phenomenon is nothing more than the re-emergence of the White Negro. True cross-racial engagement necessitates meaningful interaction and buying a CD or dressing "hip-hop" is not a substitute. Norman Mailer coined the term "White Negro" in his 1957 essay of the same name when he stated, "So there was a new breed of adventurers...who drifted out at night looking for action with a black man's code to fit their facts. The hipster has absorbed the existentialist synapses of the Negro, and for all practical purposes could be considered a White Negro." Critics of the day aptly pointed out that hipsters adhered to an idea of "black" which itself was based on racial stereotypes. Ned Polsky wrote, "Even in the world of the hipster, the Negro remains essentially what Ralph Ellison called him-an invisible man. The White Negro accepts the real Negro not as a human being in his totality but as the bringer of a highly specified and restricted 'cultural dowry, ' to use Mailer's phrase. In doing so he creates an inverted form of the nigger in his place." In effect the White Negro can only enjoy African-American culture (and exploit it financially) as long as the African-American is deemed by society as different, strange or exotic. The co-opting of A... Free Essays on The White Negro Free Essays on The White Negro For many who may still not know, rap music continues to outsell other genres of American music. Since Americans of African descent comprise of about 12% percent of the nation's population, this means that the vast majority of documented rap music buyers are whites teenagers. Although white rapper Eminen has struck platinum with his sophomore album "The Marshall Mathers LP", and artists like Kid Rock and the group Limp Bizkit pepper their rock music with rap, the genre itself is still heavily influenced by the "Black" and Latino youth . For idealists, white kids buying rap music represents a level of racial understanding and acceptance unknown to their parents. However for realists, this phenomenon is nothing more than the re-emergence of the White Negro. True cross-racial engagement necessitates meaningful interaction and buying a CD or dressing "hip-hop" is not a substitute. Norman Mailer coined the term "White Negro" in his 1957 essay of the same name when he stated, "So there was a new breed of adventurers...who drifted out at night looking for action with a black man's code to fit their facts. The hipster has absorbed the existentialist synapses of the Negro, and for all practical purposes could be considered a White Negro." Critics of the day aptly pointed out that hipsters adhered to an idea of "black" which itself was based on racial stereotypes. Ned Polsky wrote, "Even in the world of the hipster, the Negro remains essentially what Ralph Ellison called him-an invisible man. The White Negro accepts the real Negro not as a human being in his totality but as the bringer of a highly specified and restricted 'cultural dowry, ' to use Mailer's phrase. In doing so he creates an inverted form of the nigger in his place." In effect the White Negro can only enjoy African-American culture (and exploit it financially) as long as the African-American is deemed by society as different, strange or exotic. The co-opting of A...