David Nouhian December 21, 1998 Essay Example For Students

David Nouhian December 21, 1998 Essay David NouhianDecember 21, 1998 EnglishIgnorance and Racism in Heart Of DarknessJoseph Conrad creates subjects of individual force, singular duty, and social equity in his book Heart of Darkness. His book has all the topics that make the book an experience story-riddle, colorful setting, escape, anticipation, a startling assault. Chinua Achebe finished up, Conrad, then again, is without a doubt one of the incredible beauticians of present day fiction and a decent narrator into the deal (Achebe 252). However, regardless of Conrads extraordinary narrating capacity, he has likewise been seen as a uninformed supremacist by a portion of his faultfinders. Achebe, Singh, and Sarvan, are three of his faultfinders who have various sentiments about Conrad being a supremacist. Perusers ordinarily are acceptable at identifying bigotry in a book or story. Achebe informs us concerning Conrads capacity to shroud bigot comments, But Conrad picked his subject well one which was ensured not to place him in struggle with mental inclination (Achebe, 253). By perusing Heart of Darkness for the second time I began to comprehend the shrouded prejudice in the book. I additionally found the bigot comments towards the locals. Prejudice is depicted in Conrads book, yet a peruser must realize that, thinking back to the eighteen hundreds society didnt comprehend bigotry towards Blacks. Conrads pundits would have never considered Conrad a supremacist, during his time, yet rather an extraordinary narrator who is thoughtful hearted to Blacks. Conrad continually alluded to the locals, in his book, as dark savages, niggers, beasts, and them, showing what we see as bigotry toward the African individuals. Conrad composed, Black figures walked around slowly the beaten nigger moaned some place (Conrad 28). They passed me with six inches, without a look, with the total, deathlike lack of concern of despondent savages (Conrad 19). Achebe, additionally, recognized Conrads visit utilization of ridiculing, Certainly Conrad had an issue with niggers. His in ordinate love of that word itself ought to bear some significance with psychoanalysts (Achebe 258).Conrad utilizations Marlow, the primary character in the book, as a storyteller so Conrad himself can recount to the story without saying it himself. Conrad utilized twofold talk all through his book, so he himself won't be the supremacist yet Marlow his fundamental character is. At the point when they showed up at the primary station, Marlow mentioned to us what he watched. They were kicking the bucket gradually it was clear. They were not foes, they were not lawbreakers, they were nothing natural now, only dark shadows of ailment and starvation lying confusedly in the greenish misery (Conrad 20). Marlow had sympat hy toward the locals, yet when he conversed with the stations accountant he changed his emotions towards the locals. Additionally I regarded the individual. Indeed. I regarded his collars, his tremendous sleeves, his brushed hair. His appearance was absolutely incredible disheartening of the land he kept up his appearance (Conrad 21). The clerk couldn't have cared less for the locals around him. Marlow celebrated the clerks capacity to be so spotless in such a nauseating spot. Marlow caused the peruser to accept that it was the locals shortcoming for living in such shocking conditions. He expressed the locals werent hoodlums however were being treated as though they were, and yet he regarded the accountant on his looks as opposed to loathing him for his sentiments and treatment towards the locals. Through Marlow, Conrad revealed to us how he felt about the locals, mediocre and destined people.Frances B. Singh, creator of The Colonialistic Bias of Heart of Darkness said The African l ocals, survivors of Belgian abuse, are depicted as shapes, shadows, and packages of intense points, to show the dehumanizing impact of colonialist rule on the governed (269-270). Another comparable episode of twofold talk showed up on the demise of Marlows mariners, a local. Marlow regarded the mariner, yet when the locals blood filled Marlows shoes, To come clean with you, I was grimness restless to change my shoes and socks (Conrad 47). How might somebody regard somebody yet feel nauseated towards him when a little blood stains him? Singh investigates this inquiry by expressing, The explanation obviously, is on the grounds that he (Marlow) never totally allows them (locals) human status: at the best they are a types of prevalent hyena (Singh 273). Conrad was bigot as well as oblivious. He would frequently portray the locals customs with oblivious and bigot remarks. They wailed and jumped and spun and made terrible countenances, yet what excited you was only the idea of their human kind like yours the idea of your remote connection with this wild and enthusiastic turmoil. Monstrous (Conrad 35). The ancient man was reviling us, petitioning us, inviting us who could tell? (Conrad 37). Conrads numbness of the conduct of African individuals makes a division in the general public wherein he lives in: us, the Europeans, and them, the Africans. Achebe states Conrads obliviousness towards the locals by expressing, Heart of Darkness venture the picture of Africa as the other world, a spot where keeps an eye on vaunted insight and age are at long last derided by triumphant savagery (252). Heart of Darkness was composed, intentionally or unwittingly, from a colonialistic perspective (Singh 278). Conrad didnt compose his book to show how supremacist he was nevertheless how bigot the individuals were around him subliminally. As you read the story you get the inclination that the locals showed up preferable people over the Europeans in Heart of Darkness. Conrads obliviousne ss prompted his supremacist remarks towards the locals. His obliviousness of a general public that he doesnt identify with his own constrained him to isolate the two universes. C. P. Sarvan wrote in his analysis Racism and the Heart of Darkness, Conrad sets up Africa as a foil to Europe, a position of invalidations in correlation with which Europes own condition of otherworldly elegance will be show. Africa is the other world, (281). Conrads was not a supremacist yet rather an oblivious who did what society anticipated that him should do; separate the great (Europeans) and the terrible (Africans). .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 , .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .postImageUrl , .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .focused content territory { min-stature: 80px; position: relative; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 , .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:hover , .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:visited , .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:active { border:0!important; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .clearfix:after { content: ; show: table; clear: both; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 { show: square; progress: foundation shading 250ms; webkit-change: foundation shading 250ms; width: 100%; obscurity: 1; change: haziness 250ms; webkit-progress: murkiness 250ms; foundation shading: #95A5A6; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:active , .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:hover { mistiness: 1; change: mistiness 250ms; webkit-progress: haziness 250ms; foundation shading: #2C3E50; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .focused content zone { width: 100%; position: relati ve; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .ctaText { outskirt base: 0 strong #fff; shading: #2980B9; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: intense; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; text-beautification: underline; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .postTitle { shading: #FFFFFF; text dimension: 16px; textual style weight: 600; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; width: 100%; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76 .ctaButton { foundation shading: #7F8C8D!important; shading: #2980B9; fringe: none; fringe sweep: 3px; box-shadow: none; text dimension: 14px; textual style weight: striking; line-tallness: 26px; moz-fringe span: 3px; text-adjust: focus; text-adornment: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-tallness: 80px; foundation: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/modules/intelly-related-posts/resources/pictures/basic arrow.png)no-rehash; position: outright; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:hover .ctaButton { foundation shading: #34495E!important; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf 057574257d76 .focused content { show: table; stature: 80px; cushioning left: 18px; top: 0; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76-content { show: table-cell; edge: 0; cushioning: 0; cushioning right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-adjust: center; width: 100%; } .ubea0d5823af96c044dbf057574257d76:after { content: ; show: square; clear: both; } READ: Bioethics, which is the investigation of significant worth decisions p EssayAchebe, Chinua An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of dimness. Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad third ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness third ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical, 1988. Sarvan, C. P. Bigotry and the Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad third ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton Critical 1988. Singh, Frances B. The Colonialistic Bias of Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness. By Joseph Conrad third ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York: Norton C ritical 1988.

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Ids Information Technology Essay

Qualities And Weaknesses Of Ids Information Technology Essay In spite of the fact that IDS is a valuable expansion to guarantee security, it excels on certain focuses, however there are still a few impediments with it. Table 5.1 synopses some the qualities and shortcomings of IDS. Qualities Shortcomings Observing client practices and framework occasion logs. Discovery however not counteraction. Testing the framework configrutions of hosts. Bogus positive discoveries. Setting up standard for the security condition of a framework, and following any progressions to that gauge. Bogus negative identifications. Ensuring against known dangers. Satirizing assaults. Perceiving examples of action that are anomalous. Can't naturally researching assaults without human mediation. Brought together administration. Postponements of mark update. Making aware of proper managers with fitting methods. Simpler to perform security checking capacities for non-security specialists. Table 5.1: Strengths and Weaknesses of IDS. Observing client practices and framework occasion logs One of the qualities of IDS is that it gives capacity to screen the framework occasion logs of each host, which make managers to know when any progressions on the hosts. They can likewise use this data gathered by IDS to investigate client practices, subsequently arranging the security methodology and strategies for their associations as needs be. Testing the framework configrutions of hosts IDS are likewise ready to test the security states for each host, when the framework is arranged less than impressive or a standard, it cautions to directors which host is set beneath a security level. Consequently, heads can make further arrangements for that have. Setting up benchmark for the security condition of a framework, and following any progressions to that pattern With IDS, directors can set up their own desire as a security standard. In view of that gauge, IDS continues following the distinctions and changes on the hosts, permitting chairmen to have all hosts in a similar security level they anticipate. Securing against known dangers The Signature identification methods make IDS to ensure frameworks and systems well against known dangers. It guarantees perceiving examples of framework occasions that contrast with the known dangers. Perceiving examples of action that are irregular When another assault doesn't exist in known danger marks, IDS has Anomaly identification strategies for it. This strategy is acceptable at contrasting framework exercises or system traffic against a standard to indentify strange practices, perceiving new assaults that Signature discovery methods miss. Brought together administration IDS gives a concentrated administration to overseers simpler to change logging instruments, perform programming overhaul, gathering alert data and refreshing security setting and so on. Numerous IDS items even have an exceptionally basic menu to have the arrangement of IDS set up, which causes chairmen a ton to screens a various of systems and hosts. Making aware of suitable directors with fitting methods Based on sweep and match guideline, IDS consistently send cautions to proper individuals by suitable methods. Managers can conclude who ought to get the cautions and characterize diverse enacts they need to be alarmed. These suitable importance of messages to fitting individuals can be increasingly powerful and productive to an association. Simpler to perform security observing capacities for non-security specialists Many IDS items currently as of now give essential data security strategies, in addition to simple setup, permitting non-security master to perform security checking capacities for their associations too. This is additionally a quality that makes IDS to a triumph. Despite what might be expected, there are a few shortcomings have been proposed as appeared in Table 5.1. Recognition yet not counteraction IDS focus on discovery technique but rather not avoidance, it is a latent movement. It is now and again past the point where it is possible to distinguish an interruption, particularly now a few assaults are moving exceptionally quick on the current rapid systems, when IDS sends a caution to directors, the genuine circumstance might be more terrible. Bogus positive location The recognition capacities of IDS can be characterized in four measures: True positive, False positive, True negative and False negative. Figure 5.3 shows the distinctions of them. Genuine positive shows that the genuine assaults are distinguished by IDS effectively; True negative demonstrates that IDS is recognized accurately that are not assaults; False positive demonstrates that IDS is distinguished inaccurately as evident assaults however that are not genuine assaults; False negative demonstrates that IDS is recognized mistakenly as not assaults however that are assaults. Figure 5.3: Measures of IDS IDS frequently create such a large number of bogus positives, because of the off base suspicions. One model is searching for the length of URLs. Normally, a URL is just around 500 bytes length, expecting that an IDS is arranged to trigger an alarm for forswearing of administration assault when the length of a URL is surpass 1000 bytes. Bogus positive could be happened from some intricate site pages that are normal to store a huge substance now. The IDS isn't committing error, the calculation is simply not great. So as to decrease False positives, directors need to tune the suppositions of how to distinguish assaults in an IDS, however which is tedious. Bogus negative discoveries False negatives are additionally a shortcoming of IDS, programmers currently can encode an assault document to be unsearchable by IDS. For instance, cgi-receptacle/attack.cgi is characterized as a mark in an IDS, yet the document is encoded to be cg%39-b%39n/a%39tt%39 by the programmers. While cg%39-b%39n/a%39tt%39 isn't characterized in the mark documents, the assault will go with no notification, at that point a False negative happens. Mocking assaults Hackers can use ridiculing assaults to daze the managers. For instance, programmers can utilize one of the IP in a system to make numerous False positive discoveries, overseers may then set the IDS to disregard neighborhood traffic for this IP, after then programmers start the genuine assaults. Can't naturally examining assaults without human mediation Even IDS can identify a large portion of the assaults in the hosts and systems, yet it despite everything need heads to explore and perform response. Programmers can use this shortcoming of IDS to play out an assault, for example, a programmer can make a huge of assaults to have A, since IDS can't dissect all the assaults consequently without anyone else, managers needs to invest energy to examine each caution from have A. Therefore, the programmer may have more opportunity to make a genuine assault to have B. Postponements of mark update IDS depend on its mark database to distinguish a known interruption, IDS items regularly refreshing the mark database by the IDS sellers. The potential issue is the postponement of mark update fix, IDS sellers frequently set aside a long effort to recognize another assault and finish an update fix. In any case, even IDS sellers give the most update signature when they can. It is as yet a timespan that the IDS can't distinguish another assault before refreshing the mark database.

How to Prepare for an Exam Two Months Away by Yourself

The most effective method to Prepare for an Exam Two Months Away without anyone else In the event that youre stepping through a normalized exam like the SAT or GRE (or others) and are intending to prepare without anyone else, you need months, not weeks or days to get ready for a test this way. Presently a few people will attempt to plan for a test like this by packing only a couple of moments early, however a decent grade isn't in their future! For your situation, youve allowed yourself two months, which is a respectable measure of time to get ready for a test like the one youre taking. Heres the investigation plan. Month 1 Preparation for the SAT Week 1 Ensure youve enrolled for your exam!Buy a test prep book for your particular test. Review the dos and donts of concentrating with test prep books. Audit the test essentials: substance, length, value, test dates, enlistment realities, testing systems, etc.Get a benchmark score. Take one of the full-length practice tests inside the book to perceive what score youd get on the off chance that you stepped through the examination today. Make note of that score. Map out your time with a period the board outline to see where test prep can fit in. Improve your timetable if important to oblige test prep. Week 2 Start coursework with your most fragile subject (#1) as exhibited by the benchmark score.Learn the segments of #1 completely: sorts of inquiries posed, measure of time required, aptitudes required, strategies for comprehending kinds of inquiries, information tested. Answer #1 practice questions, surveying answers after every one. Figure out where youre committing errors and right your techniques. Continue learning substance of this section.Take a training test on #1 to decide level of progress from standard score.Fine tune #1 by going over inquiries missed to figure out what level of information youre missing. Rehash data until you know it! Week 3 Proceed onward to next most fragile subject (#2). Become familiar with the segments of #2 completely: kinds of inquiries posed, measure of time required, abilities required, strategies for unraveling sorts of inquiries, etc.Answer #2 practice questions, looking into answers after every one. Figure out where youre committing errors and right your methods.Take a training test on #2 to decide level of progress from baselineFine tune #2 by going over inquiries missed to figure out what level of information youre missing. Audit that material. Week 4 Proceed onward to most grounded subject/s (#3). Get familiar with the segments of #3 completely (and 4 and 5 in the event that you have multiple areas on the test) (sorts of inquiries posed, measure of time required, abilities required, strategies for unraveling kinds of inquiries, etc.)Answer practice inquiries on #3 (4 and 5).Take a training test on #3 (4 and 5) to decide level of progress from baselineFine tune #3 (4 and 5) by going over inquiries missed to figure out what level of information youre missing. Audit that material. Month 2 Preparation for the SAT Week 1 Take a full-length practice test, recreating the testing condition however much as could be expected with time requirements, work area, constrained breaks, etc.Grade your training test and cross-check each off-base answer with the clarification for your off-base answer. Figure out what youve missed and what you have to do to improve. Go over the segments where you missed the most.â Week 2 Take another full-length practice test, recreating the testing condition once more. Once more, experience each missed issue, searching for shortcomings. Return to the book and check whether you can improve without anyone else. Still need extra assistance? Discover a guide who can meet with you for a last-minute session.â Week 3 Revisit most vulnerable area (#1) and work through the issues once more, retaining testing systems, exploring practice issues, and trimming down the time it takes you to work through the questions.Review with a coach if youre still not acing the content.â Week 4 Eat cerebrum food.Get a lot of sleepReview test tips to make your test-taking more efficient.Plan some pleasant nighttimes to help you relaxTwo days before the test, read testing techniques for the test, retain the testing bearings as imprinted in the book or online. Pack your testing supplies the night prior to: an affirmed mini-computer if youre permitted to have one, honed #2 pencils with a delicate eraser, enlistment ticket, personal ID, watch, tidbits or beverages for breaks.Relax. You did it! You read effectively for your test, and youre prepared. So take a full breath, alright?

Biotechnology Genetically Engineered Soybeans Essay

Biotechnology Genetically Engineered Soybeans - Essay Example This eases the requirement for same species to prompt the hereditary changes which can be transmitted in the ensuing descendants. The other explicit element of this innovation is probability of disregarding conceptive similarity inside the species with a quickened age of new offspring with the instigated phenotypic and genotypic characters. It is to be viewed as that hereditary designing empowers researchers to present the DNA parts of an outside life form into an arrangement through an altogether fake way, which could be normally loose and has all likelihood of being capricious, regardless of being interesting (Stacey et al., 2004). The soybean is viewed as a significant wellspring of protein in human and creature sustenance, and it is likewise a wellspring of vegetable oil. Soybean is likewise viewed as a monetarily significant vegetable, However, normally there are numerous varieties in the phenotype of the seed, and this is conspicuous in seed weight. The bean in soybean is one of a kind since it gathers significant levels of protein and oil, and an ordinary soybean seed has been accounted for to contain 40% of protein and 20% of oil by weight. Along these lines the penchant of a bigger size of seed and weight would guarantee that protein and oil per seed can be impressively expanded if the heaviness of the seed could be expanded using any and all means (Clemente and Cahoon, 2009). To begin with hereditary alteration of soybean was practiced to accomplish herbicide lenient soybeans since these prompted improved yields and diminished utilization of pesticides. In particular, the upsides of herbicide open minde d soybeans were improved weed control, noteworthy decrease of soil disintegration the yield fields, decrease in injury to the harvest, and diminished expense on fills. In this way, the aim of this hereditary change was to prompt improved yields. Generally, crop assortments that oppose sicknesses have been favored by cultivators due predominantly to their improved quality attributes. One such model is hereditarily designed soybeans that are open minded to nonselective herbicides, for example, glyphosphate. Foliar organization of herbicide glyphosphate can murder soy plants, and thus hereditarily designed glyphosphate lenient soybeans was a decision quickly since during developing season, glyphosphate may extensively decrease the yield (Qin and Lynne, 2007). This particular variety would permit the ranchers to utilize glyphosphate to control weeds yet not lose on the harvest yield. Explicit Alteration The particular adjustment includes presentation of a solitary quality in the business soybeans. This brought about significant level of glyphosphate resilience to the soybean plants. A solitary quality encoding the glyphosphate open minded 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase was presented in the soybean genome. This was gotten from Agrobacterium Sp. Strain CP4. 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase is known to be available in plants and microbes as a part of shikimate pathway to incorporate sweet-smelling amino acids. Glyphosphate resilience locus could be distinguished in the glyphosphate open minded locus in GTS 40-3-2, which had been concentrated to be a steady and basic predominant characteristic that can be moved across ages through

Leaves a lot to be desired Free Essays

string(61) can step in then I get in the stockroom and work with them. Charleston, South Carolina zone. Be that as it may, barring the entirety of its blames, my checks have never been late and I still can't seem to be laid off, which lay-offs are normal in the DoD world. V. We will compose a custom paper test on Leaves a ton to be wanted or on the other hand any comparative point just for you Request Now T. Malcolm †Leaves a great deal to be wanted I work for V. T. Malcolm, we are a Department of Defense contractual worker out of Charleston, SC. Our principle corporate office is in Chesapeake, VA, we additionally have workplaces in CA and FL. Our fundamental forte is interchanges. There is a Joke at Malcolm, â€Å"that for an innovation driven Communication Company our between organization correspondence is out of date, best case scenario. † My supposed ascent in the organization I have worked there for a long time and every one of the four years I have had â€Å"supply expert 2† as my official title. Titles don't mean much at Malcolm. In those four years I have held the places of; dispatching and getting agent, warehouseman, forklift administrator, forklift mentor, security official, instrument room representative, device room chief, stock authority, building upkeep, distribution center boss, creation director, government device pro. My pace of pay has expanded a sensational seventy three pennies from my beginning date. There are no rewards for non-administrative staff. On the off chance that my valuation is adequate and the moon is in the correct circle I have been fortunate enough to get a Cost Of Living Adjustment of a quarter for my yearly raise. Other than that we get no different upgrades in pay or impetuses for our work. It has been composed on various occasions in messages and said in gatherings to â€Å"be finished with your work and you will be remunerated with more work†. This has been disclosed that you have to accomplish you fill in as soon and on a par with conceivable and your â€Å"reward† for this difficult work will be more work. Which means on the off chance that they feel that you are not up to speed or quality on your organization there is a chance you could be furloughed. At V. T. Malcolm they don't terminate laborers, however they do leave of absence. The thought being behind this is in the event that you are terminated you can gather joblessness very quickly, which Malcolm needs to pay into, in any case in the event that you are furloughed there is a multi week holding up period (trusting that they get back to you to work) established by the joblessness office before you can start gathering joblessness. During this time Malcolm figures you can't go that long without a check, so they are trusting you will secure another Position so they don't need to pay any extra towards your joblessness check. These are Just a couple of manners by which they believe they inspire laborers to work. A fragment of the executives style Now when I originally began at Malcolm they would do a â€Å"all-hands† meeting around each six to multi week in which the head supervisor would fundamentally give us a â€Å"state of the company’ update and finish it with a flame broiled cheeseburger and franks lunch with a few sides and a beverage. About 18 months back we had a steak lunch with heated potatoes and all the dressings. Beginning seven days after the fact we had a gigantic cutback of around half of our working power. Since that point we had one lunch meeting in which we were, for absence of a superior term, told that we are doing k however things are turning upward. That was more than a half year back and things are not looking incredible. There is a huge agreement that is going to show dry as far as possible of the year on the off chance that we don't get substitution contract there will be a cutback in that division. In the office that I am at present in we have roughly six agreements right now grinding away. Anyway three of them are not enormous and don't keep going for in excess of a couple of months. One is in the first place stage and is dependent upon a great deal of things happening t the start and from what I comprehend we are battling to keep up to the cutoff times. One is going full bore and it is likewise battling to keep up. What's more, the last one is the one I am on, it is booked to end September 30th of this current year. As we sit right now it is notable that we won't have the option to finish it effectively before the finish of agreement. There is as of now sitting a likelihood that the agreement could be expanded on the off chance that we can show that we can accomplish the work and comply with the time constraints, yet now with the measure of work left to do and the measure of representatives at present doled out to the agreement it will be probably not going to occur. Singular Management Style I have given all of you this data to give you a thought of what it resembles where I work. Presently the board insightful, I will start with myself, and reveal to you how I work with my representatives. I am the prompt boss for four workers right now. I as of late had one move to an alternate undertaking and the other left the organization for a superior Job. I have a worker who is degreed yet is as of now working at a low end worker Job go for a meeting on Friday for a place that is inside her zone of study. So there is an unmistakable chance soon to have just three representatives which will make it intriguing n finishing this agreement effectively. I attempt to be a very people orientated administrator. I have an open entryway strategy with my representatives and support discourse stream the two different ways. I need to realize when something is working and when something isn't working. I inquire as to whether they need anything from me, if there is something I could do or get for them to make their Jobs simpler. On the off chance that the time is accessible for me and the laborers are at one point where I can step in then I get in the distribution center and work with them. You read Leaves a great deal to be wanted in classification Papers On Fridays I get doughnuts in the first part of the day, knowing which explicit ones representatives like and attempt to have them accessible. I do what I can do to have a decent working relationship with the representatives. I have had individual one on one gatherings with the workers to become acquainted with them better and disclose to them a little about myself. I attempted to discover what their feelings of dread at work are and what they feel about the work they are doing, what I can do to support them, and what spurs them. At the point when I get messages with respect to them or that worry them in any capacity I make it a point to either post the email or if nothing else go to the ones in question and let them know precisely information exchanged so there is finished open discourse. Presently if there is something negative happening guarding one of my workers from higher up the chain of command and I am made mindful of it, contingent upon the circumstance I may make the representative in any event incompletely mindful of what's going on (I would need to know whether the jobs were switched, and attempt to remember that). Gathering Management Style Unfortunately this sort of cooperation among chiefs and workers stops with me. My quick director presently can't seem to go to my distribution center and keep an eye on me and the creation rate since I took over from Just being a stockroom chief to both the stockroom supervisor and creation administrator which has been somewhat over an onto. At the point when I go to his office for help or direction I get short revile filled answers, when he is there, or get told how bustling he is and that he couldn’t conceivably do (whatever it is I ask of him) presently yet perhaps later in the week he may get an opportunity, he will hit me up. Which doesn’t happen I as a rule need to find the solution else wards or make it up myself. This is the reaction I get from the undertaking chief also (for him it is typically by email for he is difficult to situate face to face). I as of late sent an email to the undertaking director separating all the assignments we have until the finish of the agreement (September 30th) according to time it will take to destroy them worker hours and material required and contrasted that with the representatives I have available to me, their measure of worker hours left till the finish of the agreement and requested a particular number of more workers to have the option to finish this Job effectively by the end date. He at that point didn't address the email I sent him yet conveyed a division wide email asking what assets we have to finish the jobs needing to be done and gave a sooner shutting date. I at that point balanced my numbers and sent him back a mail requesting the alteration, Justifying the motivation behind why and joined the past email to the one that was conveyed for all to see with the expectations that some positive attitude happen to it. In a later email that I was creep on he quickly referenced that he is mentioning extra assistance in regions required however we have to endeavor to finish this agreement with what we have since that is the undertaking that we were initially given and at this late stage the â€Å"Calvary’ may not show up in time. Yet, toward the finish of each email he composes â€Å"motivate your kin to be finished with the work that they have and they will be remunerated with more work†. I compare that to advising somebody in imprisonment to each your slop (despite the fact that the mutts won't eat it) and we will give you more. From my point of view on an upward pattern this is the place the administration aptitudes end and dangers and terrorizing starts. At that point the division head consistently has an awful mentality and is in a rush to be heading off to some place. I have attempted to have discussions with this man and it generally finishes with him revealing to me we are chipping away at getting more agreements however right now he’s not by any means sure on the off chance that he will have a Job come tomorrow. That is the exact opposite thing you need to tell your representatives!! Next as a senior supervisor for the Charleston division’s level this man is increasingly worried about the style of the spot then how the spot is really running. We might not have working toilets (genuine story) however he was vexed that our garden administration was a day behind on cutting the grass. When the cooling was out in the structure other than the one he works in there was a multi day delay in getting it fixed because of cost? Be that as it may, when it went out in his structure and the part was going to take two days to get

The Land of Opportunities COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

The Land of Opportunities COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Any given week at SIPA is a special week. From government leaders to NGO managers and social entrepreneurs, our beloved building is bustling with fascinating talks and events lead by some of the most talented people out there. Ideas ran across the hallways, bringing students together to do research on projects going from extractive industries in Peru, to water and sanitation services in rural Ethiopia or micro-finance in Northeastern Brazil. The most amazing part of this reality is that the vast majority of these initiatives are student led. SIPA is a place where you can thrive and do what you have always wanted to. If you have good ideas, good teammates and commitment, the school has the structure to make it happen. Faculty members are available to provide guidance and advice on research projects; the different student associations are there to support all sorts of field trips and events; and the overall environment at the school is incredibly stimulating. Just this semester I have had the opportunity to take part on small discussion sessions with some of Latin America’s leading policy-makers including Sergio Fajardo, Antioquia’s current Governor; Alejandro Poiré, Mexico’s current Government Secretary; and Karen Poniachik, former Chilean Minister of Mining. And because the day can only have 24 hours I have had to miss events such as a talk with the President of the Republic of Liberia, the presentation of the World Bank 2013 World Development Report, and several film screenings, photo exhibits and workshops. With this exhilarating offer of events, something that you will be missing here is some extra time to fit more of these opportunities in your agenda. SIPA is a fast moving, intellectually challenging place with an international, public and cultural offer that will not let you down. There are also the endless concerts, exhibitions and bars in New York City; prepare yourself for some busy days in this wonderful island! So, for those of you who will be joining us in January, get some rest and be ready to take advantage of the amazing two years to come. Those of you currently preparing your application for fall 2013, hang in there, it will be worth it. Blog post submitted by Mariana Costa Checa.   Mariana is a second year student in the MPA in Development Practice program at SIPA.

Congrats, #Oklaed Edublog Awards Finalists!

posted on December 7, 2015 I am so proud of our #oklaed blogging crew and honored to be a part of it! Several of us have been nominated for this year’s Edublog Awards, and have made the cut to the finalists list, including yours truly. The Edublog Awards are a prestigious global contest established in 2004 to celebrate â€Å"the best of the web in education,† according to The Edublog Awards. The Edublog Awards is a community based incentive started in 2004 in response to community concerns relating to how schools, districts and educational institutions were blocking access of learner and teacher blog sites for educational purposes. The purpose of the Edublog awards is promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media. Sites must be nominated (self-nominations do not make the cut to become finalists) during a period of time in November. Then judges vet each entry in order to produce a short list of finalists. Anyone can then vote for their favorite entries until 10:59 p.m. CST December 16. Go vote! Now, if you’d like to see an #oklaed blogger win in the following categories, it’s time to vote! Just click the button below and select the entries from the drop down list in each category. You may vote in  as many categories as you’d like once per day. You can also return to the the finalists announcement for more information on how to vote  and how finalists were selected. Here is a list of our awesome #oklaed bloggers and they categories in which they are finalists. #oklaed bloggers to boost Best New Blog This Teacher Sings Mindy Dennison is a music teacher who has taken the #Oklaed blogosphere by storm this year. Best Ed Tech/Resource Sharing ELAOK Teachers Our #ELAOK fearless leader Josh Flores started this website to help secondary English teachers stay informed and collaborate with one another. Mrs. Waters’ English This is me! I started this blog three years ago to share my teaching journey and resources with my fellow English teachers. Best Teacher Blog Jenn Will Teach Jenn is an 11th grade AP English teacher whose goal is to advocate for education, which she often does with a side of well-placed sarcasm and wit. Mrs. Waters’ English Me again! It is my goal to encourage and support new English teachers, and share the wisdom of our veterans as we work to engage and educate our middle and high school students. Best Administrator Blog OK Education Truths Mid-Del Superintendent Rick Cobb commented on education realities and politics  anonymously for almost three years before revealing his identity in January of this year. View From The Edge Rob Miller, now Assistant Superintendent at Sand Springs, has fearlessly lead the charge of #oklaed  bloggers since 2013. Best Individual  Blog OK Education Truths He began as an anonymous blogger who spoke truth to those in power, and today continues to serve as a much-needed advocate for Oklahoma public education. If you’re a finalist, go grab your Edublog Awards Finalist category badge(s), and link it to the page where your fans can vote for you! Note:  If there are any #oklaed bloggers I have missed, please let me know, and I’ll vote for them, and add them to our list. Please share this post so we can support our #oklaed bloggers! Before you leave this page: Go vote! Michelle WatersI am a secondary English Language Arts teacher, a University of Oklahoma student working on my Master’s of Education in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with an concentration in English Education, and a NBPTS candidate. I am constantly seeking ways to amplify my students’ voices and choices.

Burmese Python Snake Facts

The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is the third-largest species of snake in the world. Although native to tropical southern Asia, the beautifully patterned, docile snakes are popular throughout the world as pets. Fast Facts: Burmese Python Scientific Name: Python bivittatusCommon Name: Burmese pythonBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: 12 feetWeight: 15-165 poundsDiet: CarnivoreLifespan: 20 yearsHabitat: Tropical rainforests of southern Asia; invasive in FloridaPopulation: Unknown; rare in the wildConservation Status: Vulnerable Description The wild form of the snake has black-bordered brown blotches on a lighter brown background. Captive-bred species come in other colors and patterns, including albino, green, labyrinth, and granite morphs. Albino Burmese Python. Stuart Dee / Getty Images Wild pythons average 3.7 m (12.2 ft), but specimens exceeding 4 m (13 ft) are not uncommon. Rarely, snakes attain lengths between 5 and 6 meters in length. Females are slightly larger than males, but much thicker and heavier. Recorded weights of mature females range from 14 to 75 kg (30 to 165 lb), while weights of males range from 7 to 15 kg (15 to 33 lb). Dwarf forms of the snake occur in some parts of its range and in captivity. Habitat and Distribution Burmese pythons live in tropical regions of southern Asia, always near a permanent source of water. While they are excellent climbers with prehensile tails, they may be found in grasslands and marshes as well as woodlands and jungles. The species is invasive in the southeastern United States. Burmese python range in Asia. Termininja   Diet Like other terrestrial snakes, burmese pythons are carnivores that feed mainly on mammals and birds. The snake is a constrictor that captures and kills prey by biting it and holding it with its rear-pointing teeth, wrapping its coils around prey, contracting its muscles, and suffocating the animal. Prey size depends on snake size. A young python may eat rodents, while a mature specimen can take livestock, adult deer, and alligators. Burmese pythons dont hunt humans, but they have caused some deaths. Burmese pythons adapt their physiology to prey availability. The snakes are opportunistic and will eat whenever prey is offered. Obesity is common in captive specimens. When fasting, the snake has a normal heart volume, reduced stomach volume and acidity, and reduced intestinal mass. Once prey is ingested, the ventricle of the snakes heart increases 40% in mass to aid digestion, its intestines gain mass, and its stomach enlarges and produces more acid. The Burmese python is an apex predator that doesnt face many threats by other animals. Hatchlings may be preyed upon by birds of prey and other carnivores. In Florida, Burmese pythons, depending on their size, may be preyed upon by alligators and crocodiles. Behavior Burmese pythons are primarily nocturnal. Younger, smaller snakes are equally comfortable in trees or on the ground, while larger, more massive snakes prefer the rainforest floor. Most of the snakes time is spent hidden in underbrush. The snakes can stay underwater up to 30 minutes and are excellent swimmers. In cold weather, the snake may brumate in a tree. Brumation is a period of motionlessness and low metabolism, but it isnt the same as true hibernation. Reproduction and Offspring Mating occurs in early spring. Females lay clutch of 12 to 36 eggs in March or April. They incubate the eggs until they hatch by wrapping around them and twitching their muscles to release heat. The female leaves the eggs once they hatch. A hatchling uses its egg tooth to break free of its shell and may remain with the egg until after molting before venturing out to hunt. Burmese pythons live about 20 years. There is evidence Burmese pythons, unlike most reptiles, can reproduce asexually via parthenogenesis. One captive female, isolated from males, produced viable eggs for five years. A genetic analysis confirmed the offspring were genetically identical to their mother. Conservation Status The IUCN lists the Burmese python as vulnerable within its range. All of the large pythons face challenges because they are killed to make leather, used in folk medicine, eaten as food, and captured for the pet trade. To a lesser extent, habitat destruction affects the snakes, too. While the Burmese python occupies a large range, its population has continued to decline. Invasive Species in Florida Meanwhile, the snakes population growth in Florida poses a significant threat to other wildlife. The Burmese python gained a foothold in the United States when Hurricane Andrew destroyed a python breeding facility in 1992. The escaped snakes spread into the Everglades. The release or escape of pet snakes has contributed to the problem. As of 2007, Burmese pythons were found in Mississippi and throughout much of Florida. Where the snakes are well-established, populations of foxes, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, white-tailed deer, panthers, coyotes, and birds are seriously depressed or have disappeared. Pythons compete with the American alligator and also prey upon it. Pets and livestock in affected regions are at risk, as well. Florida sponsors hunting contests; regulates the importation, breeding, and sale of reptiles; and works to raise public awareness of invasive species. However, Burmese pythons remain a problem in the southeastern United States. Sources Campden-Main SM.  A Field Guide to the Snakes of South Vietnam. Washington, District of Columbia. pp. 8-9, 1970.Mazzotti, F. J., Rochford, M., Vinci, J., Jeffery, B. M., Eckles, J. K., Dove, C., Sommers, K. P. Implications of the 2013 Python Challenge ® for Ecology and Management of Python molorus bivittatus (Burmese python) in Florida.  Southeastern Naturalist,  15(sp8), 63-74, 2016.Stuart, B.; Nguyen, T.Q.; Thy, N.; Grismer, L.; Chan-Ard, T.; Iskandar, D.; Golynsky, E. Lau, M.W.N. Python bivittatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2012: e.T193451A2237271. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2012-1.RLTS.T193451A2237271.enWalters, T. M., Mazzotti, F. J., Fitz, H. C. Habitat Selection by the Invasive Species Burmese Python in Southern Florida.  Journal of Herpetology,  50(1), 50-56, 2016.Van Mierop, LHS and S.M. Barnard. Observations on the reproduction of Python molurus bivittatus (Reptilia, Serpentes, Boidae). Journal of Herpetology. 10: 333–340, 1976. doi:10.23 07/1563071

The Effects Of Mexican Immigrant Families On The Mexican...

People demonstrate their culture through symbols, attitudes, behaviors, ideas, and values (Brown, Rogers Kapadia, 2008). Cultural factors are believed to be the largest contributor to long-term marriages in the Mexican culture such, as Familismo, Marianismo, Machismo, and Religion (Castillo Caver, 2009). A generally belief is that the highest levels of family cohesion and Familismo are presented in the most recently immigrated groups and that these levels neutralize as the families become more acculturated. Mexican immigrant families have a great emphasis on family reasonability, respect, and support. These desires are interrelated with family unity and connection (Hardway Fuligin, 2006). High patterns of Immigration are presented in the Gonzalez-Elizarraras Genogram (refer to Appendix A), in pursue for a better life for their family and educational opportunities for their children, and to avoid poverty and danger. Family cohesion is evident in the Elizarraras family due close pro ximity of residency, most immigrated to Anaheim, CA. Mexican culture is known for the unified nature of the family. The term â€Å"Familismo† refers to the emphasis on family rather than the individual. The emphasis is on family responsibility to care for one another, loyalty, interdependence, and cohesiveness (Sam Berry, 2010). Familismo has been identified as important among Latino populations. The roles of the parents in Mexican culture are generally well defined, with the father acting asShow MoreRelatedImmigration, The Land Of Opportunity For People1478 Words   |  6 PagesOver hundreds of years, immigration has shaped America into who she is today. July 4, 1776, was the day immigrants first stepped onto North American soil and claimed the land as theirs. 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Ruth Gomberg-Muà ±oz refers to Chuy, Alejandro, Leonardo, Luis, Manuel, Omar, Rene, Roberto, Lalo, and Albert the ten undocumented Mexicans as the â€Å"Lions†. This book shares the Lions many stories from, their daily struggle of living as an undocumented immigrant in America, toRead MoreSafety Or Opportunity? By Donald Trump1715 Words   |  7 Pagesmillions of Hispanic immigrants are faced with the agonizing question of do they leave America to go back to Mexico and safety or do they fight for the right to live in America, the home of opportunity? In fact there are more than 11.7 million Mexican immigrants in the United States (â€Å"Mexican Immigrants in the United States†, 2016) who are potentially faced with this question. With this prominent concer n, a plethora of news articles such as: â€Å"Stay Calm† Mexico Tells Immigrants Living in the US anRead MoreThe Mistreatment of Mexicans Essay1028 Words   |  5 PagesThe Mistreatment of Mexicans Americans take many things for granted. 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The Ancient History of Making Olive Oil

Olive oil is, essentially, a fruit juice made from olives. Olives were likely first domesticated in the Mediterranean basin some 6,000 years ago or so. It is thought that oil from the olive was one of several attributes that likely made the bitter fruit attractive enough to result in its domestication. However, the production of olive oil, that is to say, the deliberate pressing of oil out of olives  is currently documented no earlier than ~2500 BCE. Olive oil is a fruit juice made from olives.  First used as lamp fuel and in religious ceremonies in the Mediterranean about 2500 BCE.  First used in cooking at least as long ago as 5th-4th century BCE.  Three grades of olive oil are manufactured: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), ordinary virgin olive oil, and pomace-olive oil (OPO). EVOO is the highest quality and the one most often fraudulently labeled.   Olive oil was used anciently for a  variety of purposes, including lamp fuel, pharmaceutical ointment, and in rituals for anointing royalty, warriors, and other important people. The term messiah, used in many Mediterranean-based religions, means the anointed one, perhaps (but of course, not necessarily) referring to an olive oil-based ritual. Cooking with olive oil may not have been a purpose for the original domesticators, but that began at least as long ago as the 5th–4th century BCE. Making Olive Oil Making olive oil involved (and still does) several stages of crushing and rinsing to extract the oil. The olives were harvested by hand or by beating the fruit off the trees. The olives were then washed and crushed to remove the pits. The remaining pulp was placed into woven bags or baskets, and the baskets themselves were then pressed. Hot water was poured over the pressed bags to wash out any remaining oil, and the dregs of the pulp was washed away. The liquid from the pressed bags was drawn into a reservoir where the oil was left to settle and separate. Then the oil was drawn off, by skimming the oil off by hand or with the use of a ladle; by opening a stoppered hole at the bottom of the reservoir tank; or by allowing the water to drain off from a channel at the top of the reservoir. In cold weather, a bit of salt was added to speed the separation process. After the oil was separated, the oil was again allowed to settle in vats made for that purpose, and then separated again. Olive Press Machinery Roman olive presses in the city of Sufetula, Tunisia. CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images Artifacts found at archaeological sites associated with making oil include milling stones, decantation basins and storage vessels such as mass-produced amphorae with olive plant residues. Historical documentation in the form of frescoes and ancient papyri have also been found at sites throughout the Mediterranean Bronze Age, and production techniques and uses of olive oil are recorded in the classical manuscripts of Pliny the Elder and Vitruvius. Several olive press machines were devised by the Mediterranean Romans and Greeks to mechanize the pressing process, and are called variously trapetum, mola molearia, canallis et solea, torcular, prelum, and tudicula. These machines were all similar and used levers and counterweights to increase the pressure on the baskets, to extract as much oil as possible. Traditional presses can generate about 50 gallons (200 liters) of oil and 120 gal (450 li) of amurca from one ton of olives. Amurca: Olive Oil Byproducts The leftover water from the milling process is called amurca in Latin and amorge in Greek, and it is a watery, bitter-tasting, smelly, liquid residue. This liquid was collected from a central depression in the settling vats. Amurca, which had and has a bitter taste and an even worse smell, was discarded along with the dregs. Then and today, amurca is a serious pollutant, with a high mineral salt content, low pH and the presence of phenols. However, in the Roman period, it was said to have had several uses. When spread on surfaces, amurca forms a hard finish; when boiled it can be used to grease axles, belts, shoes, and hides. It is edible by animals and was used to treat malnutrition in livestock. It was prescribed to treat wounds, ulcers, dropsy, erysipelas, gout, and chilblains. According to some ancient texts, amurca was used in moderate amounts as a fertilizer or pesticide, repressing insects, weeds, and even voles. Amurca was also used to make plaster, particularly applied to the floors of granaries, where it hardened and kept out mud and the pest species. It was also used to seal olive jars, improve the burning of firewood and, added to laundry, could help protect clothing from moths. Industrialization The Romans are responsible for bringing about a significant increase in olive oil production beginning between 200 BCE and 200 CE. Olive oil production became semi-industrialized at sites such as Hendek Kale in Turkey, Byzacena in Tunisia and Tripolitania, in Libya, where 750 separate olive oil production sites have been identified. Estimates of oil production during the Roman era are that up to 30 million liters (8 million gallons) per year was produced in Tripolitania, and up to 10.5 million gal  (40 million li) in Byzacena. Plutarch reports that Caesar forced Tripolitanias inhabitants to pay a tribute of 250,000 gals (1 million li) in 46 BCE. Oileries are also reported from the first and second centuries AD in the Guadalquivir valley of Andalusia in Spain, where average annual yields were estimated at between 5 and 26 million gal (20 and 100 million li). Archaeological investigations at Monte Testaccio recovered evidence suggesting that Rome imported approximately 6.5 billion liters of olive oil over the period of 260 years. What Is EVOO? Olive oil production in 2018, in the Berber mountain village of Toujane, Tunisia. A blinded donkey is moving an edge mill to crush olives. Thierry Monasse/Getty Images There are three different grades of olive oil made and marketed, from the high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) to medium-quality ordinary virgin olive oil, to low-quality olive-pomace oil (OPO). EVOO is obtained by direct pressing or centrifugation of the olives. Its acidity can be no greater than 1 percent; if it is processed when the temperature of the olives is below 30 °C (86 °F) it is called cold-pressed.   Olive oils with between 1 and 3 percent acidity are known as ordinary virgin oils, but anything greater than 3 percent is refined, by accepted chemical solvents, and those oils can also be fairly marketed as ordinary.   Lower Quality Oils and Fraud Pomace is one of the main byproducts of the pressing process; it is a conglomeration of skin, pulp, pieces of kernels, and some oil left over when the first processing is completed, but the oil undergoes rapid deterioration due to the moisture content. Refined OPO is obtained by extracting the remaining oil using chemical solvents and a refining process, then it is improved with the addition of virgin oil to obtain OPO.   Many of the common manufacturers of olive oil practice the fraudulent mislabeling of olive oils. Since EVOO is the most expensive, it is the most often mislabeled. Mislabeling often concerns the geographic origin or oil variety of olive oil, but EVOO which has been adulterated by the addition of cheaper oils is not EVOO anymore, despite its being labeled as such. The most common adulterants in mislabeled virgin olive oils are refined olive oil, OPO, synthetic oil-glycerol products, seed oils (such as sunflower, soy, maize, and rapeseed), and nut oils (such as peanut or hazelnut). Scientists are working on methods of detection of the mislabeled olive oils, but such methods have not been made widely available.   Once someone tries a real extra virgin—an adult or a child, anybody with taste buds—theyll never go back to the fake kind. Its distinctive, complex, the freshest thing youve ever eaten. It makes you realize how rotten the other stuff is, literally rotten.  Tom Mueller Sources: Capurso, Antonio, Gaetano Crepaldi, and Cristiano Capurso. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): History and Chemical Composition. Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet in the Elderly Patient. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 11–21. Print.Foley, Brendan P., et al. Aspects of Ancient Greek Trade Re-Evaluated with Amphora DNA Evidence. Journal of Archaeological Science 39.2 (2012): 389–98. Print.Guimet, Francesca, Joan Ferrà ©, and Ricard Boquà ©. Rapid Detection of Olive–Pomace Oil Adulteration in Extra Virgin Olive Oils from the Protected Denomination of Origin â€Å"Siurana† Using Excitation–Emission Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Three-Way Methods of Analysis. Analytica Chimica Acta 544.1 (2005): 143–52. Print.Kapellakis, Iosif, Konstantinos Tsagarakis, and John Crowther. Olive Oil History, Production and by-Product Management. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology 7.1 (2008): 1–26. Print.Mueller, Tom. Extra Virgini ty: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print.Niaounakis, Michael. Olive-Mill Wastewater in Antiquity. Environmental Effects and Applications. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 30.4 (2011): 411–25. Print.Rojas-Sola, Josà © Ignacio, Miguel Castro-Garcà ­a, and Marà ­a del Pilar Carranza-Caà ±adas. Contribution of Historical Spanish Inventions to the Knowledge of Olive Oil Industrial Heritage. Journal of Cultural Heritage 13.3 (2012): 285–92. Print.Vossen, Paul. Olive Oil: History, Production, and Characteristics of the Worlds Classic Oils. Horticultural Science 42.5 (2007): 1093–100. Print.

Personal Narrative My First Rendezvous With Computer...

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE â€Å"The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing†. These words by Voltaire, describe my first rendezvous with Computer Science when I entered the computer lab in my 3rd grade at school. Simple commands making a turtle move on the screen in the LOGO programming environment amazed me. I thought about the different permutations that could create something new each time. Little did I know that this subject would transform into an in-depth interest and change the lives of people all over the world as daily life problems could be converted into a few lines of code through an underlying logic. Understanding this logic requires me to understand various technologies, their potentials and their drawbacks as ten to fifteen years down the line of my career I see myself as an entrepreneur. I believe that a Masters in Computer Science would hone my skills and help me to effectuate my dream. Maths, Physics and Computer Science were my favourite subjects in high school and this coupled interest kept me a step ahead of everyone else. The immense satisfaction that automating a problem yields, led me to opt for Computer Science as my major. I worked with innate tenacity and secured an All India Rank among top 1% that got me admitted to HBTI Kanpur, one of the oldest and prestigious colleges in India. The curriculum exposed me to several courses and I developed a fervent interest in Data Structures, Object Oriented Programming andShow MoreRelatedCase Studies67624 Words   |  271 PagesYour lecturer or tutor will determine the specific approach you take. The approach we are presenting to you is a moderately structured framework. We divide our discussion of a moderately structured case analysis method framework into four sections. First, we describe the importance of understanding the skills active learners can acquire through effective use of the case analysis method. In the second section, we provide you with a process-oriented framework. This framework can be of value in your efforts

Negotiation and Culture Case Study Free Essays

string(47) " these aspects in the context of negotiations\." Culture and Negotiations Why do Japanese negotiators behave in the manner they do? How does culture affect negotiating behavior and outcomes? MASTER THESIS Author’s name: Patrycja J. Krause Student’s number: 258891 Academic advisor: Soren O. Hilligsoe Faculty of English Aarhus School of Business May 2006 I would like to thank my Mom, Barbara, for her understanding, encouragement and eternal support, as well as my advisor, Soren O. We will write a custom essay sample on Negotiation and Culture: Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hilligsoe, for his academic help, advice and faith in me keeping my deadline! Patrycja J. Krause Aarhus, May 2006 In loving memory of my Dad, Wladyslaw, for showing me the world – this one is for you. 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 5. 4 5. 5 6. 7. 8. INTRODUCTION METHOD WHY JAPAN? DEFINITION OF CULTURE AND VALUES HOFSTEDE’S VALUE DIMENSIONS POWER DISTANCE UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE COLLECTIVISM VERSUS INDIVIDUALISM FEMININITY VERSUS MASCULINITY LONG-TERM VERSUS SHORT-TERM ORIENTATION CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HOFSTEDE EDWARD HALL CULTURAL DIMENSIONS 4 6 7 9 11 12 13 13 14 15 15 16 19 20 21 23 25 26 28 30 40 43 47 59 61 64 65 . 1 CONFUCIANISM 8. 2 IE 8. 3 THE WA-CONCEPT 8. 4 ISOLATION 8. 5 UNIQUENESS 8. 6 WESTERN INFLUENCE 9. 9. 1 10. 11. 12. 13. JAPANESE NEGOTIATOR THE NANIWABUSHI STRATEGY BRETT USUNIER CASE STUDIES CONCLUSION SUMMARY REFERENCES APPENDIX 3 1. Introduction This paper wants to provide a culture-based explanation, examination and analysis as to why Japanese negotiators behave in the manner they do in negotiation, as well as how culture affects nego tiations and their outcome. The paper is, due to the focus on cultural differences, solely dealing with international negotiations. This paper is focusing on the cultural aspect of the negotiation, which is only one piece of a larger puzzle, but it is a crucial and decisive piece. It is now widely accepted that culture indeed has an affect on negotiation and its outcome, which reflects a given culture and the underlying values and beliefs that are central and fundamental in a culture. The culture can be defined as being both behavior, a meaning system and a communication style, and there is a link between the dominant world view present in a given culture (Japan), and the negotiating style that appears to be characteristic of that culture. This paper is not to depict a stereotypical image of a Japanese negotiator, but merely to show that culture indeed does influence the behavior, negotiations and their outcome. It should also be kept in mind that (a) the negotiation is a universal process, and (b) there are a number of contextual factors that too have an impact on the cultures’ impact on the negotiation – e. . the nature of the other party (member of an in-group or an out-group), and the individual difference, although a member of a collectivistic culture tends to suppress his personality and individuality in order to maintain group harmony. This paper is to focus on a Japanese negotiator, who is dominated by his cultural values, and his interaction (in a negotiation) with a member of an out-group (foreigners and people that do not have a long term relationship with the Japanese negotiator), and a member of the in-group (fellow Japanese with established long-term relationships). Several studies and surveys (e. g. Brett and Usunier) have shown that culture does affect the negotiation process and the final agreement or outcome of the negotiations. Nevertheless, while there have been a number of studies that have explored the behavior of negotiators from different cultures, only very few have dealt with the underlying reasons – why people from a given culture behave the way they do. Additionally, most theorists and scholars have relied on the value dimensions index, depicting the differences between cultures, developed by Hofstede between 1968 and 1973. Hofstede’s research has undoubtedly helped people understand other cultures, but there is also a need to understand the underlying reasons why people from a given culture behave the way they do – the so-called mental frames that are shaping the behavior of Japanese negotiators. 4 Otherwise, negotiators tend to create their own interpretation of the behavior of the other party, which without the necessarily cultural knowledge may lead to prejudices and ultimately lack of trust (Gudykunst Kim, 2003: 125-160). For instance, trust in individualistic societies is based on the fact that a promise that will be implemented on a specific time or day, whereas trust in collectivistic societies is based on emotions and relationships as well as on sacrifice. The other party may thus think the Japanese negotiator do not want to reach an agreement within a week because they are difficult and want to sabotage the negotiation or untrustworthy, rather than the Japanese are relationship oriented rather than task oriented. They thus want to establish a relationship before they reach an agreement and need more time in order to reach an agreement because it is based on group consensus. The paper starts by giving a definition and an analysis of culture and values in general in order to delimit and define the cultural framework that is the fundament of this paper. The culture and values of Japan are then to be described and discussed in order to show which cultural factors and dimensions in Japan determine and influence the Japanese negotiator, as well as serving as a an introductory guide to Japanese culture and society – hopefully, the guide will present both useful and interesting knowledge to all those interested in cross-cultural negotiations and intercultural communication. Two frameworks are presented and used in order to gain deeper behavior knowledge of culture: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension and Hall’s Silent Language and Beyond Culture. Next, the paper discusses and analyzes Japanese negotiating styles and techniques 1 , and how they are influenced by the Japanese culture and cultural values. For this purpose, different aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication are to be discussed as well, and the paper is to analyze the meaning of these aspects in the context of negotiations. You read "Negotiation and Culture: Case Study" in category "Free Case study samples" Finally, the paper is to take a look at two real life cases involving Japanese negotiators in order to illustrate behavior patterns and negotiation styles and techniques of Japanese negotiators. The author of this paper would argue that in an increasingly interdependent world, the ability to negotiate successfully is an important skill, and understanding the mindset and the behavior of the Japanese negotiator is essential and fundamental for successful negotiations. 1 Mainly focusing on the male negotiator, being the dominant player during negotiations in Japan. 5 Being aware of the reasons why the Japanese negotiator behaves and communicates they way he does, one may be less surprised or shocked by Japanese behavior, and may be better at focusing on, and handling, the negotiation itself. Knowledge of culture and cultural values of the other party works as an uncertainty avoidance in negotiations, and helps building trust in stead of tarnishing it with prejudices, which ultimately leads to a dead lock or even break downs. 2. Method The research concerning this paper was mainly carried out in the form of a desktop study method – all the data were carefully collected mainly from secondary sources, such as, studies, surveys, as well as statistics and articles. The paper is culture-based, and the chosen data depict this approach – all the scholars referred quoted and referred to are specializing in culture, intercultural communication, as well negotiating. In order to give a general overview of the Japanese culture as well as to determine what type of values are predominant in Japan, the paper refers to and applies Hofstede’s five value dimensions index – masculinity/femininity, collectivism/individualism, uncertainty avoidance, long-term versus short-term orientation and power distance. Additionally, the paper is also to refer to Hall’s theory on the difference between high and low context and cultures, and the concept of Chronemics, in order to identify the Japanese culture and how these differences and concepts influence a negotiation. Also, several historical concepts (e. g. the ie-concept, geographical isolation, Western influence, etc. and Confucianism, which is one of the cultural dimensions that have influenced the Japanese worldview, are to be described and discussed in order to explain why the Japanese negotiator behaves in the manner he does, and how the historical events and Confucianism affect the culture and the behavior in Japan. Hofstede’s work has been criticized over the years for being incomplete, static and too narrow. The paper is thus to discuss the critical perspectives on Hofstede in order to show that the author has been aware of the possible disadvantages, when using Hofstede’s five value dimensions index. Additionally, Brett and Usunier are also discussed in the paper when dealing with the connection and interaction between culture and negotiation – how does culture affect negotiations. Both Brett and Usunier argue that in order to reach an agreement, the negotiators need to be aware of each other’s culture and cultural values, as well as understand the reasons for the way the other part behaves during negotiations. Finally, two real life case studies have been analyzed in order to depict the culture-based theory described and discussed in this paper. The reason for using case studies was to give a more holistic portrayal of a Japanese negotiator, while analyzing the contents by seeking patterns and themes in the data while referring them to the culture-based theory (e. g. culture and values and how they influence ones behavior and negotiating style) in this paper. Additionally, using case study is the best way to obtain data for analysis when one is not able to make actual field studies by observing Japanese negotiators in action. Both case studies depict the Japanese negotiators interacting and negotiating with members of an out-group, the Americans. This is due to the fact that the author of this paper would argue that when observing two different cultures one observes reactions that may not be present when both parties had the same cultural background, which would ultimately result in a smoother negotiation. Additionally, this paper deals with international negotiations and the importance of knowing and understanding the other party’s culture and cultural values. The case studies are thus used to highlight the focus of the paper – why Japanese negotiators behave in the manner they do in a negotiation, as well as how culture affects negotiations and their outcome. . Why Japan? The author of this paper has chosen to focus on Japan and the cultural values and behavior of a Japanese negotiator due to the following factor: Japan’s consumer market. In order to know how attractive Japan is as a business associate, and thus how important it is to know the Japanese culture and negation behavior in order to win the m arket and succeed in the country, a brief description of the Japanese consumer market will now be given – its size, its consumers and its products. Japan is a closely populated and highly urbanized country with one of the most powerful economies in the world, currently amongst the top three economies in the world, although still rebounding from the collapse of the country’s economy back in 1991. 7 According to the Statistical Handbook of Japan, consumption expenditures increased by approximately 0. 5 percent in real terms due to such factors as the indication of an economic recovery and improvement in consumer sentiment (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005 2 : 158). Statistical Handbook of Japan states: As of May 2005, the excellent performance of the corporate sector is continuing, and overall business is recovering gradually. Recovery of employment is lagging slightly. However, the unemployment rate, which was 5. 4 percent in 2002, recovered to 4. 4 percent in May 2005. As seen in this state of affairs, there is some improvement, although harshness still remains. The growth of consumer spending, which slowed between the end of 2004 and early 2005, is showing signs of a resurgence (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005: 33 3 ). Due to its geographical nature, Japan cannot supply all its needs for raw material for energy and fuel, metal products, and foods from indigenous resources, and is thus dependent on overseas supplies. In 1996 Japan had an overall deficit in food of about 30 % – in 2003 it was approximately 40 %. According to Statistical Handbook of Japan, the present food self-sufficiency rate of Japan is the lowest among major industrialized countries, so Japan has thus become the world’s largest food importing nation (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005: 69 4 ). This makes Japan an attractive market with its 127 million consumers, where women are a majority and retired people outnumber the youngest age strata, and are thus the most significant consumer group (Reischauer, 1995: 25). Additionally, the Japanese are well educated and households have a fairly disposable income, in which the majority of it is spent on food. According to the 2004 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, monthly consumption expenditure averaged ? 304,203per household with two or more family members excluding single-member households (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005: 158 5 ). Appendix 1 – Household 3 Appendix 2 – Economy 4 Appendix 3 – Agriculture 5 Appendix 1 – Household 8 Japan is the world’s largest net importer of agriculture and food products (in 2003 alone, the country has imported over 60 % of its food supplies), amounting to US$ 40 to 50 billion annually. Thus, the Japanese food market is powerful but demanding (Agri-Food C ountry Profile: Japan, 2003: 1 6 ). Needless to say, it is a relatively difficult task to target a foreign, and rather remote, market as it may require extra resources and special cultural knowledge. Therefore, it is valuable to study the values and the culture of Japan before entering the country’s market in order to promote and sell a product. 4. Definition of Culture and Values This chapter is to describe and define culture and values in general in order to delimit and define the cultural framework that is the fundament of this paper. At first glace, the human race behaves more or less alike – we smile, laugh and cry. We talk, gesticulate, and perform actions. Nevertheless, our behavior is influenced by our cultures – through the norms and rules existing in our society. Our cultures also affect our communication through the individual characteristics we learn when we are socialized into our culture. In short, our culture provides us with a system of knowledge that generally allows us to know how to communicate with other members of our culture and how to interpret their behavior. Culture can thus be defined as an underlying framework that guides an individual’s perceptions of observed events and personal interaction, and thus directly influences what people will do and what they can do. In short, knowing and using culture and its many dimensions is a must know negotiating with foreigners. Culture includes all learned behavior and values that are transmitted through shared experience to an individual in a society. According to Sir Edward Taylor, a classic definition of culture is as follows: â€Å"Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by (individuals as members) of society. † (Taylor, 1871: 1). Culture is thus everything that people have (objects), think (ideas, values, attitudes, beliefs), and do (behavior) as members of a particular society. Culture is made up of material objects, ideas, values and attitudes, and behavior patterns (Gudykunst Kim, 2003: 14-19, Yokochi Hall, 2001: 193). 6 Appendix 4 9 Additionally, according to Hall, a culture must have the following three characteristics: 1. It is learned; people over time transmit the culture of their group from one generation to another 2. It is interrelated; one part of a particular culture is deeply interconnected with another part – e. g. religion with marriage, or education and work with social status 3. It is shared; the basic concepts of a particular culture are accepted by most members of the group. In other words, culture develops through recurrent social relationships that form a pattern that is eventually adapted by members of the entire group, and transmitted to new members through the process of learning and interacting with ones environment and other members of ones culture (Hall, 1977: 16). The most fundamental aspect of our culture consists of values. Values are acquired in the family, during the first years of our lives, further developed and confirmed in school, and einforced in work organizations and in life within a national cultural environment. Values determine what we consider to be good and evil, beautiful and ugly, natural and unnatural, rational and irrational, normal and abnormal (Ghauri Usunier, 2003: 97-100, 137-138). Values too are a major influence and determination factor when it comes to behavior and communication during a negotiation. Values are defined by the particular culture, hence the importance of understanding the value concept and culture when negotiating with foreigners. One of the early U. S. esearches of values, Milton Rokeach, defines a value 7 as: â€Å"An enduring belief that one mode of conduct or end-state of existence is preferable to an opposing mode of conduct or end-state of existence†. According to Rokeach values are thus both guiding principles in life, and preferences for one mode of behavior over another. Values are depicted in the general norms of a culture (what is right and wrong), and they are depicted in what we want and what we consider important for ourselves. Values are also among the very first things children learn – implicitly – by observing the community, kyodotai in Japanese (e. . parents and people around them). 7 An attitude, on the other hand, refers to an organization of several beliefs around a specific object or situation. 10 According to the American development psych ologist, Daniel Yankelovich, most important traditional values will remain firm and constant over time, and are thus stable and enduring through generations (de Mooij, 2004: 22-26). It is thus essential to remember that the intercultural communication and negotiation are never far from cultural considerations (Roth, 1982: 6). This assumption was mistakenly conceived from the converging technology and the spread of the English language that was taking place globally (de Mooij, 2004: 1-18). One has to remember though that globalization is not an entirely new phenomenon. In fact, some would argue that it even dates back at least to the Marco Polo’s voyages in the 1300s, and the fundamental values of the many different cultures have not changed significantly since then. People still live in the local. We define ourselves by our differences. It’s called identity – self, family and nation† (de Mooij, 2004: 16). Human behavior is learned and growing up in a culture, a person is taught values, perceptions, wants and how to behave from the family and other institutions (Lasserre Schutte, 1995: 49-59). For instance, in today’s Japan, group harmony is still dominating the nation’s behavior, seniority by age is still respected, and promotion in most public and private organizations is based on the length of service, which is usually connected to the age of the individual. Reciprocity is emphasized in social relations in order to maintain a long-lasting relationship. Values and traditions do not easily change in a society. 5. Hofstede’s value dimensions This chapter is to describe and discuss the Dutch professor, Geert Hofstede’s, value dimension index, which is based on the first international survey taking place in IBM in more than 50 different countries from 1968 to 1973 (Hofstede, 2001: xv), mainly focusing on Japan in order to determine what type of culture is present in Japan. According to Hofstede, the way people perceive and interpret their world varies along five dimensions, and are as follows: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism/individualism, and masculinity/femininity. Finally, Hofstede added a fifth dimension called long-term orientation in life versus short-term orientation. Each of the countries in Hofstede’s study has been ranked according to their scores in each dimension. 11 According to Hofstede a dimension is: â€Å"†¦an aspect of a culture that can be measured relative to other cultures. Additionally, Hofstede defines culture as: â€Å"The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another† (Hofstede, 2001: 9). 5. 1 Power distance Power distance refers to the inequality among people, which the population of a country considers acceptable. There is inequality in all societies, and thus there will always be some people who have more power than ot her. In some cultures power is concentrated among a few people at the top, who make all the decisions, whereas people at the other end simply carry out these decisions. Such cultures are associated with high power distance levels. In other cultures, on the other hand, power is widely spread and relations among people are more equal. These are low power distance cultures. (Hofstede, 1991: 23) According to Hofstede’s value dimensions Japan scores 55 points – placing it in the middle of the index (Hofstede, 1991: 26). In countries which have a high power distance employees dislike to disagree with their superiors. Superiors are seen as paternalistic, and subordinates expect to be told what to do. There is also a large emotional distance between subordinates and their superiors (Hofstede, 1991: 28). When it comes to family and school, parents will teach children to be obedient and the children will treat their parents with respect, just as students will treat their teachers with respect. In high power distance societies inequalities among people are in general expected and desired (Hofstede, 1991: 37). In Japan this inequality is especially expressed in the oya-ko concept (literally meaning parentchild), which originally refers to a leader or a work group and its members. As work and home began to separate during the beginning of modern period of Japan oya and ko began to have a strictly kinship meaning – with no economic aspect – such as it had until the Tokugawa period where the ie (extended household) was more than just a family or a kinship unit – it was an economic organization in which each of its members (not always related to each other by blood or marriage) contributed towards it (Harumi, 1971: 38-39). 12 5. 2 Uncertainty avoidance Uncertainty avoidance describes the need or lack of need a society has towards written or unwritten rules and how it deals with structured or unstructured situations. At the organizational level, uncertainty avoidance is related to factors such as rituals, rules, and employment stability. People in less structured cultures face the future without experiencing unnecessarily stress. The uncertainty associated with future events does not result in risk avoidance behavior. On the other hand, in cultures where people experience stress in dealing with future events, high uncertainty avoidance cultures, various steps are taken to cope with the impact of uncertainty: e. g. long-time planning in order to minimize the anxiety associated with future events. Japan scores 92 points and is seen as a country with high uncertainty avoidance, where there are many regulations and a strong etiquette in order to avoid uncertainty (Hofstede, 1991: 113). 5. 3 Collectivism versus individualism According to several researchers within the field of culture, individualism versus collectivism is one of the basic pattern variants that determine human action. It is a pattern that is visible in every day life, as well as being present in the interaction between people. Individualism indicates the degree to which people of a particular culture learn to act as individuals rather than as members of a group. It is essential to remember that all people and cultures posses both individual and collective traits, but at the same time one of these traits is always more dominant or more visible than the other (Samovar Porter, 2004: 59). A typical collectivistic culture distinguishes between in-groups (relatives, clans, and organizations), and out-groups (the rest of ones network). Ones’ in-groups can be defined as ones’ extended family – like the one found in the Japanese society throughout the history; also known as ie. People from individualistic cultures are self-centered, and feel relatively little need for dependency on others. They seek the fulfillment of their own goals over the goals over the groups. Additionally, people from individualistic cultures are competitive, and show little loyalty to the organizations for which they work. 13 People from collectivistic cultures, on the other hand, have a group mentality (with e. g. joint decision making), where they suppress and subordinate their goals for the sake of the group. They are interdependent on each other and seek mutual accommodation in order to maintain group harmony. People in a collectivistic culture expect that their in-groups will take care of them and in return they owe the in-groups a great deal of loyalty and submission (Samovar Porter, 2004: 61). Children who grow up in collectivistic societies are expected to show lifelong loyalty to the group (Hofstede, 1991: 50-51). In short, individualism versus collectivism, deals with the degree to which one thinks in terms of I versus we – either ties between individuals are loose or people are part of cohesive ingroup throughout their lives (Samovar Porter, 2004: 61). Contrary to the stereotype, Japan actually ranks in the middle of this dimension, with 46 points – but is still defined as being a collectivistic culture (Hofstede, 1991: 67). An interesting theory stated by Kumon Shumpei, a Japanese anthropologist, characterizes Japanese as contextualists rather than collectivists, as is the case in both Hofstede and Hall’s studies. A contextualist retains a personal identity, which the collectivist probably loses, but this personal identity is virtually inseparable from the contextual identity. Thus, the individual changes, depending on the context he is in or the people he is with. One of the arguments Kumon makes to support the theory is that most Japanese belong to in-groups in order to reach a self-realization. But one could argue that even in these â€Å"self-realization in-groups† the members strive to maintain harmony and act for the benefit of the group, making them predominantly collectivistic (Hendry, 1998: 22-39). 5. 4 Femininity versus masculinity One of the main differentiations between masculine and feminine cultures is how gender roles are distributed in cultures. Thus masculine cultures create clearly distinct gender roles; men are supposed to be self-confident, tough and concerned with the material aspect of life, whereas women are expected to be modest, tender and dealing with the quality of life. Thus according to Hofstede Japan is a highly masculine culture (Gudykunst Kim, 2003: 77), whereas in masculine countries both people are taught to be ambitious and competitive. It should be mentioned though that females’ ambitions are sometimes directed towards the achievements of their brothers and later in life their husbands and sons. According to Hofstede’s index, Japan is one of the more masculine countries, scoring 95 – ranking as number one (Hofstede, 1991: 96). 14 5. 5 Long-term versus short-term orientation Michael Harris Bond originally found the fifth dimension in the answers of student samples from 23 countries in 1985 in Hong Kong, and later it was incorporated by Hofstede in his value dimensions index. The reason why this dimension was not found in the original IBM data was due to the fact that the IBM questionnaires were composed from the minds and values of Westerners – whereas the fifth dimension was composed from the minds and values of Easterners. The fifth dimension, nevertheless, is present across all 23 cultures taking part in the survey (Hofstede, 2001: 71-73). Long-term orientation, also known as Confucian Dynamism, is composed of the following values: being determinate or firm, prudent, arranging relationships by status as well valuing interpersonal relationships, as well as having a sense of shame, saving ones face, having a great deal of respect for tradition and reciprocation of greetings, favors and gifts. Japan ranks as number 4 on the Long-term Orientation Index Values, with 80 points (Hofstede, 2001: 351356). 6. Critical perspectives on Hofstede There has been a great deal of critique of Hofstede’s value dimensions when dealing with culture analyses, which this paper will shortly discuss – simply to show that the author of this paper is indeed aware of the advantages as well as disadvantages when using Hofstede’s value dimensions in order to analyze a specific culture. One of the most recent Danish critical analyses was performed by Susan Baca at the Aalborg University where it is being argued that Hofstede’s IBM-based rapport which is supposed to depict characteristic traits visible in cultures cannot be used simply due to the fact that IBMemployees from a specific culture cannot be representative for the culture in question as a whole (Baca, 1999: 11). One can argue that since Hofstede published his IBM-based rapport several other culture-analytics (e. . Triandis, Brislin and Bond) have made further analyses, which do not exactly contradict Hofstede’s value dimensions. These analyses both support Hofstede’s dimensions, as well as having reached the same conclusions. One can also add that since the amount of IBM-employees amounted to hundreds of thousands it is only logical to conclude that one did find enough traits, which can be viewed as characteristic for the cultures in question. 15 Another aspect of Hofstede’s survey-based value dimensions, which is being criticized is the fact that his model is static, and can ultimately not be used because surely the cultures in question studied by Hofstede must have changed over the time since he performed the survey from 1968 to 1973. This is one of the reasons why the paper is looking at the cultural and historical influence on Japanese behavior over time – in order to see if Hofstede’s value dimensions are still valid in the Japanese culture that this paper is dealing with. Susan Baca is also criticizing Hofstede for actually separating a given culture into several, isolated dimensions, strongly supported by Turner and Trompenaars. For instance, Hofstede is depicting the American culture as highly individualistic, but does not describe the interaction people have with each other among the different in-groups – and if one can categorize this interaction as being highly individualistic as well or not (Baca, 1999: 15). To this, the author of this paper can only say, using Hofstede’s own words that this paper’s main task is to study cultures, and not individuals. (Hofstede, 2001: 15). Additionally, in order to back up Hofstede’s theory, this paper is also to refer to Hall’s theory on Chronemics as well as a more general cultural analysis of the Japanese culture. 7. Edward Hall Another cultural framework used in this paper in order to gain deeper behavior knowledge of the Japanese culture, is Hall’s concept of Chronemics as well as his theory on low-context and high-context cultures. According to the American sociologist, Edward Hall, the world is divided into monochronic and polychronic culture, also known as the concept of Chronemics. It is a nonverbal behavior that speaks to how people use time to communicate. Lateness, for example, can communicate messages of power (waiting in the doctor’s office), attraction (arriving early for the first date), or identity (being â€Å"fashionably late†). Chronemics, like all other nonverbal behavior is culturally based. Different cultures have different rules governing the use and meaning of time. Hall’s distinction between monochronic and polychronic cultures highlight the different ends of the cultural spectrums of how culture’s view time. A culture’s conception of time can thus be examined from Hall’s monochronic and polychronic classifications. 16 Monochronic cultures see time as a measurable, quantifiable entity, which is linear. Thus, being punctual, scheduling, planning tasks to match time frames are valued behaviors. In the monochronic culture time becomes a concrete and segmented reality where only one thing can be done at a time without interruptions. Additionally, in negotiations, monochronic people’s main focus is on goals, tasks and results, rather than relationships. Polychronic cultures, on the other hand, tend to view time as nonlinear – almost as a general guideline, which has no substance or structure. There is thus a circular or cyclical quality to time. Punctuality and scheduling is done but rarely found in monochronic cultures. Additionally, people from polychronic cultures are able to do many things at one time, and do not mind interruptions. Because time is not linear or segmented, matching specific activities with specific time frames is not done. Times and activities are fluid. Finally, in negotiations, polychronic people’s main focus is on relationships and people. Japan belongs to the polychronic cultures. In a negotiation context, the Japanese want to get to know their business counterparts, and they feel that the best way to do so is by engaging in long conversations with them. This reflects the fact that the Japanese culture is long-term relationship oriented. Negotiators from polychronic cultures are thus relationship-focused. Monochronic and polychronic time orientations tend to produce two other significant cultural phenomena: the difference between high and low context cultures, which refers to the fact that when people communicate, they take for granted how much the listener knows about the subject under discussion. Negotiators from monochronic cultures are thus deal-focused. Although Edward T. Hall classified Japan as a polychronic culture, Gesteland argues that the Japanese business people expect strict punctuality in meetings and close adherence to schedule. Punctuality in Japan might be ruled by the high level of uncertainty avoidance and the maintenance of group harmony, which is essential for the Japanese culture. Hall also discusses and distinguishes between high-context and low-context cultures. He views meaning and context as being interconnected. The difference between high and low context cultures depends on how much meaning is found in the context versus in the code. 17 One can think of â€Å"code† as the message, and of â€Å"context† as setting or circumstance, including the people, in which the message appeared. In low-context communication, the listener knows very little and must be informed about every detail. In high-context communication, on the other hand, the listener is already ‘contexted’, and does not need to be given much background information. According to Hall, low-context cultures, such as the American culture, tend to place more meaning in the language code and very little meaning in the context. Communication tends thus to be specific, explicit, and analytical. In analyzing messages, low-context cultures tend to focus on â€Å"what was said† and give literal meaning to each word. Low-context cultures tend to use a direct verbal-expression style in which the situation context is not emphasized, important information is usually carried in explicit verbal messages, people tend to directly express their opinions and intend to persuade others to accept their viewpoints, and self-expression, verbal fluency, and eloquent speech are valued. In high-context cultures, on the other hand, such as the Japanese culture, meaning is embedded more in the context rather than the code. In this case, â€Å"what was said† cannot be understood by the words alone – one has to look at who said it, when they said it, where they said it, how they said it, the circumstances in which they said it, and to whom they said it. Each variable will thus help define the meaning of â€Å"what was said. † Hall states: People raised in high-context systems expect more from others than do the participants in lowcontext systems. When talking about something that they have on their minds, a high-context individual will expect his interlocutor to know what’s bothering him, so that he doesn’t have to be specific. The result is that he will talk around and around the point, in effect putting all the pieces in place except the crucial one (Hall: 1977, p. 98). This is also the case with the behavior of a Japanese negotiator – he expects the other party to know exactly what he wants to obtain from the negotiation, and what type of a deal he is looking for. 18 In short, the difference between high and low context cultures depends on how much meaning is found in the context versus in the code, or, in high-context exchanges, much of the â€Å"burden of meaning† appears to fall on the listener. In low context cultures, the burden appears to fall on the speaker to accurately and thoroughly convey the meaning in her spoken or written message. Conclusively, according to Hall, Japan and the Japanese negotiator belongs to the polychronic culture type. Thus, in a negotiation context, the Japanese want to get to know their business counterparts by engaging in long conversations with them. This again reflects the fact that the Japanese culture is long-term relationship oriented. Additionally, Japan is a high-context culture, where meaning is embedded more in the context rather than the code. Japanese negotiators expect thus more from the other party and when something is bothering them, they tend to express this indirectly (for instance by using silence) (Cohen, 1997: 159-160, Rowland, 1993: 68-69). Finally, although Edward T. Hall classified Japan as a polychronic culture, Gesteland argues that the Japanese business people expect strict punctuality in meetings and close adherence to schedule. Punctuality in Japan might be ruled by the high level of uncertainty avoidance and the maintenance of group harmony, which is essential for the Japanese culture (Hall, 1973, 1977, Gudykunst Kim, 2003: 69, 179-180). 8. Cultural Dimensions This chapter is to discuss and analyze which values and cultural dimensions that are present and dominant in Japan in order to understand the behavior of a Japanese negotiator: Confucianism Ie The WA-concept Isolation – geographical political Uniqueness Western influence 19 8. 1 Confucianism The cultural perspective has for some time provided the dominant paradigm in comparative studies management, organization and cross-cultural negotiations. Even before Hofstede’s survey on cultural values, international studies of organization generally regarded culture as the key explanatory factor for cross-cultural differences. One of the most important influences on Japanese everyday life, culture and behavior was, and still is, Confucianism, which entered Japan via Korea in the 5th Century. Japanese culture and behavior reflect the values of collectivism and harmony, and are highly inspired and influenced by Confucianism. Confucius (Kongzi, 551-479 BC) writing around the time of Socrates but a while before Jesus Christ, based his ideas on absolute respect for tradition, on a strict hierarchy of primary relationships between family-members, and then again between the people and their rulers. His philosophy was intended to guide people’s everyday life, to regulate social behavior, and it established a mode of thought and habit that has persisted and that blended well with other belief systems that were and still are present in Japan, such as Buddhism and Shinto. The central concepts of the Confucian ethic were summarized in the Three Cardinal Relationships: ruler guides subject, father guides son, and husband guides wife), five constant virtues (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity, and the doctrine of the mean (harmony). In this teaching, emphasis is on the obligation of the inferior to the superior. The assumption is that society needs a hierarchical order in which every individual has his or her own place, and the peace and harmony prevail if everyone follows the proper manner of conduct. These concepts are the fundament of the Japanese society to this very day. Also, the Confucian teachings emphasized uprightness, righteousness, loyalty, sincerity, reciprocity, and benevolence as personal virtues. The principle of filial piety was especially useful during the Tokugawa period when family was the social and economic unity of society. Occupation and property belonged to the family. Continuation of the family line was thus a primary concern because it was a necessity for keeping ones position and income. Individuals often sacrificed their happiness to ensure survival of the family. After Japan was centralized under the Meiji government in the 19th century, the concept of filial piety was expended to embrace the idea of loyalty to the emperor, who was regarded as the father of the nation. 20 The Confucian concepts of hierarchy in human society and respect for age were useful in the feudal society, also during the Tokugawa period, which was structured hierarchically. Its stability rested on individual’s dutiful fulfillment of obligations to their superiors and maintenance of proper conduct in daily life. The general rules of conduct were respect for seniors in social rank and age, and acknowledgement of the superiority of man over women. Additionally, Confucius laid down that Ren or benevolence was the supreme virtue the follower can attain. As a strictly natural and humanistic love, it was based upon spontaneous feelings cultivated through education. In order to attain Ren, you have to practice Li, which represents social norms. The latter can be interpreted as rituals, rites or proprieties and includes all moral codes and social institutions. As Li is a term for moral codes and social institutions, one could assume that the practice of Li is to enforce social conformity at the cost of the individual. However, an individual personality is not an entity cut off from the group. According to Confucius, in order to establish one self, one has to establish others. There is interdependence between the individual and the group that is essential in order to create harmony. The strong Japanese cultural preference for basing business transactions upon the quality of inter-personal relationships and for settling disputes through mediation rather than relying upon contracts and legal process can be seen to stem from this philosophy (McGreal: 1995). According to Confucius, all societies deal with survival, production, distribution, and consumption – yet they all develop different systems in order to survive and obtain their ultimate goals and aims. Things have changed in the Japanese society when it comes to material and technological development. As far as human relations and communication with foreigners are concerned, things have not changed. One can say that Japan has modernized, but it has not westernized just yet (Kodansha, 1994: 202-218, McGreal, 1995: 5-7, Cohen, 1997: 159-160, Gudykunst Kim, 2003: 80, 119, 217, Samovar Porter, 2004: 213-217). 8. 2 Ie Japan is a Shinto, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism inspired culture, Confucianism being the fundament, where everything and everyone is connected and relies on each other in order to exist. 21 The concept of ie, or extended household/kinship unit in traditional Japan, thus containing more than close family members all living under the same roof – and under the authority of one male, describes this way of thinking, or the Japanese values, the best. The main focus in ie is on in-group benefits, harmony and family – where interdependence and togetherness is essential (de Mooij, 2004: 100-1003, Harumi, 1971). Although the ie-concept does not formally exist in the original form 8 , as it did during the pre-modern or feudal Japan, one still finds it in the underlying values of the Japanese people. The ie-concept 9 became dominant and visible during the Edo or Tokugawa period (16001867), where a strict political regime was introduced by the Tokugawa family, who, besides retaining large estates, also took control of major cities, ports and mines in Japan. Under Tokugawa rule, Japan entered a period of national seclusion (sakoku), where the Japanese were forbidden to travel to or return from overseas or to trade abroad. Only the Dutch, Chinese and Koreans were allowed to remain and they were placed under strict supervision. Additionally, to ensure political security, the daimyo were required to make ceremonial visits to Edo every other year, and their wives and children were kept in permanent residence in Edo as virtual hostages of the government. The cost of this constant movement and the family ties in Edo made it difficult for the daimyo to remain anything but loyal. At the lower end of society, farmers were subject to a severe system of rules, which dictated their food, clothing and housing. Social mobility from one class to another was blocked – social standing was determined by birth. Additionally, women in the Japanese society were fully submitted men 10 . Women were submitted either their fathers, husbands or in the case of widows, their eldest son – with no legal rights. Ie means extended household – thus containing more than close family members all living under the same roof – and under the authority of one male. Ie was formally abolished in 1947 with the introduction of the New Constitution, which prescribed a more â€Å"Democratic† family system based on equal rights of husbands and wives. Inspired by Confucianism. 10 This submission was further supported by the Civil Code of 1898, which placed women in the family under the authority of men. 8 22 The patriarchal family structure, ie, was officially abandoned in 1947, but one can still sense its presence, in a revised form, in today’s Japanese society – both in the corporal system where the chief executive is the male, who has been working for the company longest tim e, and in family life where women take care of children and men provide for the well-being of the amily. Nevertheless, the rigid emphasis of these times on submitting unquestionably to rules of obedience and loyalty has lasted to the present day. Today the ie-concept is still visible in that Japanese businessmen do not entertain their business associates at home. There is both a practical and a social reason for not doing so. First of all, the typical Japanese home is small and a larger group of people simply cannot fit in. Second,† Home† for the Japanese is very private. It is generally only open to relatives, long-time friends, children’s friends and their own family – the so-called in-group. Additionally, salary has for many years been linked to the age of employees until they entered their forties to fifties age – a male worker had thus a lifetime-employment guarantee until they reached their fifties. However, this system does not operate in small-business sector. The seniority system is one of the special characteristics of Japanese employment practices. Since the 1990s, however, there has been a substantial increase in the number of companies, who are reconsidering this type of employment system, and progress is being made in introducing a new compensation system based on employee’s performance rather than their age and the amount of time they have worked for the company in question (Sugimoto, 1997: 80, Kodansha, 1994: 117-118, Hendry, 1998: 22-39). In short, ie puts an emphasis upon continuity, succession practices, and some of the socioreligious (e. . volunteer organizations such as environmental movement groups) functions that still occupy an important place in Japan today (Refsing, 1990, 11-25, Bando, 1980: 27-29, Hendry, 1998: 22-39, Harumi, 1971: 38-39, Sugimoto, 1997: 80, Kodansha, 1994: 117-118) 8. 3 The Wa-concept According to Wierzbicka, cultural values and behavior of a particular culture can be found in a core concept. For Japan this core concept is wa, which means harmony, unity or the desire to be one with those of your in-group. The wa-concept illustrates the concept, with several aspects (please see below), that although people have differences, it is the most convenient when people want the same thing at the deepest level. 23 This deep level of sharing underlies the desire for harmony at the interpersonal level, as well as a high level of consideration of others within ones group, and creates a unity among members of the in-group. In Japan, individuals are thus expected to act in ways that protect the unity or wa of the in-group (Wierzbicka, 1992). The several aspects, which the Wa-concept consists of, are described and discussed below: Enryo is an aspect that is encompassed in wa, illustrates the effort of avoiding explicit opinions, assessments, or other displays of personal feelings. It is thus a form of self-restraint that proscribes the brining of attention to oneself and ones personal desires in order to avoid having others think badly of one. Japan has been categorized as a high-context culture, and in a communicative context, the meaning is often implicit. The focus is thus on the listener and his or her ability to understand implicit messages. Sasshi refers thus to the ability to guess or intuit another person’s meaning without that person having to express it directly. Implicit communication is essential in a collective culture where maintaining harmony and avoiding conflicts is essential. Amae refers to a form of mutual dependency, or a relationship in which one person is in a protective stance toward another (Wierzbicka, 1992). The desire for amae motivates one to belong to a group and depend on another person. Amae emphasizes thus a protective relationship and a mutual dependency between the members of the in-group. Giri refers to a type of obligation felt toward others who have done something good for the person. According to Befu, it is a â€Å"moral imperative to perform ones duties toward members of ones group† (Befu, 1986: 162). It is also a long-term relationship and a sense that one will be forever in the other person’s debt. This sense of obligation is very typical in a culture that stresses the wa-concept as well as in collectivist cultures, where members of the in-group are closely tied to each other. Awase refers to the ability to always be able to adjust to the situation or the circumstances. The self is thus constantly changing and moving with the situation, whereas the group is constant and needs to be maintained. Thus, maintaining wa equals being flexible in situations, and not on consistently following ones principles. 24 Kenson involves discounting ones abilities and to avoid standing out in order to maintain the status quo of a relationship. Kenson is sometimes manifested in a verbal apology, and it demonstrates a desire not to disturb the nature of the relationship, and a desire to maintain group harmony. For instance, a speaker may begin his or her speech by apologizing to the audience for his or her low status or insufficient knowledge on the topic – this depicts humility. Kata refers to the constant and familiar way something is done. In Japan, there is a kata or form for almost everything – from the way one plays ball to the way one performs a tea ceremony. The Japanese thus value form over function and process over outcome – an important element to remember when involved in negotiations with the Japanese. This again refers to the uncertainty-avoidance that is present in the Japanese culture, which illustrates itself in the form of strict rules and regulation (Wierzbicka, 1992, Gudykunst Kim, 2003: 5354). 8. 4 Isolation Another dimension characterizing Japan is the historical separateness of Japan from the rest of the world 11 , and the strong belief in the uniqueness of the Japanese culture and society. Its distance from the Asian continent and from the rest of the world had a crucial influence over the formation of the Japanese society and culture. The isolation began during the Tokugawa period when the Tokugawa government was trying to create relative peace and security. Instead, the government was facing stagnation, corruption and isolation. Famines and poverty among the peasants and samurai weakened the system even further. Additionally, foreign ships (from Russia, Britain and the USA) started to examine Japan’s isolation with increasing insistence, and Japan realized that their defenses were outdated and ineffective. In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry of the US Navy arrived with his famous â€Å"black ships† to demand the opening of Japan to trade, followed y other countries. This resulted in a stream of antigovernment feeling among the Japanese due to the fact that it failed to defend Japan against foreigners and of neglecting the national reconstruction and modernization. 11 The first contact with the West occurred about 1542, when a Portuguese ship, blown off its course to China, landed in Japan. 25 After 200 years of total isolation from the outside world – due to the fear of Western and Christian invasion or superiority, Japan agreed to open the country to the outside world. Nevertheless, 200 years of isolation has resulted in a rather great amount of regulations, etc. (one may argue that this is a hidden form of protectionism) that are there in order to adopt an e. g. Western product to the needs and circumstances of the Japanese culture. This separateness, or isolation, has also caused the Japanese to be extremely aware of anything that comes from outside, and they thus strongly distinguish between foreign and native culture, as well as its products and innovations (Reischauer, 1995: 32, Kodansha, 1994: 32-37, 131-132, Wakaba, 1996: 4-12). 8. 5 Uniqueness The Japanese people have long believed that they are the children or descendants of gods, living in a divinely land. In the 18th century, the scholar, Motoori Norinaga, was responsible for resurrecting ancient myths about Japan and the Japanese. Before Norinaga’s time, Japanese scholar viewed China and its civilization as the most important in the world. Norinaga attacked this view, claiming that Japan was superior to any other country in the world. According to him, Japan was the country where the Sun Goddess was born, making it the epicenter of all other nations. With the appearance from the early 19th century of Russian, British, and other foreign ships in the waters of Japan, there was an intense debate on how to react, since the country had had a policy of isolation from the rest of the world for two hundred years. The military government thus attempted to promote hate and fear of foreigners by law 12 . In 1825, Expulsion Edict was implemented, prohibiting all barbarians and Westerners from entering Japan. If a foreign ship was seen, it was fired upon and driven off. If foreigners went ashore, they were captured and their ship destroyed. 2 Antiforeign attitudes in Japan have generally been limited to the official level. 26 The belief in superiority and uniqueness of all things Japanese have weakened but not entirely disappeared in the present-day Japan. Although this extraordinarily chauvinistic mentality was temporarily restrained after the defeat in WWII, the post-war â€Å"economic miracle† has reawakened the feelings once again. Nevertheless, the rigid, exclusive world view that has been present in pre-1945 Japan, no longer dominates the country. Ultra-nationalism has been discredited – at least in mainstream social, political, and intellectual life. The ideology that has its place is a set of rules by which society generally has learned to operate efficiently. The set of rules are learned from parent, the authority figures, the educational system and the mass media, and contain among other things social solidarity, or collectivistic behavior and thinking, hierarchical social structure, or power distance, role playing, or tatemae, reciprocal obligations, or group harmony. Although this set of rules is far weaker than the pre-war ultra-nationalistic ideology, it is still more rigid and omnipotent than those of e. g. Western societies. In Japan, the rights of the group are thus prioritized over those of the individual, and there are rules for most activities, creating a dependency on others and on group, which again reinforces an ideal of rules, group harmony and collectivism. The Japanese ideal portrays men and women behaving modestly, speaking prudently, and avoiding offending others and maintaining in-group harmony. For them, the deal of individualism is un-noble, risky and illogical. The Japanese desire people to be polite, courteous and indirect with each other. The Japanese are only frank on rare occasions, striving to put the best face, as well as save face, on themselves and situations (Cohen, 1997:146147, 184-186, 224). To express what one really thinks or feels in Japan is regarded as uncultivated and vulgar. The Japanese do not see themselves in first place as individuals, but as group-oriented members. The social group gives them approval, identity and companionship, status, and meaning as such with their lives. All the group members are interdependent. Matsumoto used a food model in order to describe human relations in Japan, calling it natto (fermented soybeans). Fermented soybeans sit in sticky glue of starch, and it is impossible to extract one without pulling out the others – they are all connected by the same glue. According to Matsumoto, the beans represent the closeness and interdependence present in the Japanese culture (March, 1996: 15-34, Kodansha, 1994: 32-37, 131-132, Wakaba, 1996: 4-12). 27 8. 6 Western Influence The Japanese culture has been greatly influenced by Western cultures throughout the years, such as the British, the Prussian (e. g. in 1889, Japan created Western-style constitution greatly influenced by Prussia), the Portuguese, and the American. The Western influence entered the shores of Japan through trade, Christianity (missionaries) and war (WWII and the American occupation), as well as through cultural and business exchanges (e. g. through travels and international business). During the mid-16th Century, the Europeans made their first appearance on the shores of Japan. The first Portuguese to be shipwrecked in 1543 found an appreciative Japanese reception for their skills in making firearms. The Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, arrived in 1549, and was followed by more missionaries who converted local lords to Christianity (several hundred thousand converts particularly in Nagasaki) – keen to profit from foreign trade and assistance with military supplies. Initially, the Japanese emperor saw the advantages of trading with Europeans and tolerated the arrival of Christianity as a counterbalance to Buddhism. However, this tolerance gradually turned into suspicion of a religion, which he saw as a threat to his rule. This suspicion resulted in rulings against Christianity and the crucifixion of 26 foreign priests and Japanese believers in 1597. The prohibition and the prosecution of Christianity continued under the Tokugawa government until it reached its peak in 1637 with the brutal suppression by the authorities of the Christianled Shimabara Rebellion. This put an end to the Christian Century although the religion continued to be practiced secretly until it was officially allowed at the end of the 19th Century. Additionally, in order to eliminate Christianity’s presence in Japan, it was required for every family to register a Buddhist temple, becoming a familiar scene in every community. Because of this religious policy, all Japanese today are Buddhist by default. The Western influence continued during the Meiji period (1868-1912) when the Japanese economy underwent a crash course in westernization and industrialization. An influx of Western experts was encouraged and Japanese students were sent abroad to acquire expertise in modern technologies. During the Meiji period, the process of modernization and industrialization took place in Japan, inspired by Western philosophers. An almost obsessive admiration and adaptation of Western ideas and culture had taken place during this period. 28 By the 1890s, the Japanese government leaders were concerned by the spread of liberal Western ideas and encouraged nationalism and traditional Japanese values. Japan was becoming more confident and an equal player to the Western powers, resulting in the abolition of foreign treaty rights and, in the years to come, in nationalism. This continued till Japan’s defeat in WWII, and the American occupation. The main aim of the occupation was to reform the Japanese government through demilitarization, the trial of war criminals and the removal of militarist and ultranationalists from the government. Additionally, a new constitution was introduced, which dismantled the political power of the emperor, forcing him to publicly reject any claim to divine origins. Once again, Japan was influenced, if not ruled, by Western powers. Finally, in the late 19th century, Western Europe became its model for modernization.