Thursday, October 31, 2019

To be Determined Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

To be Determined - Essay Example The kradin is the soul-name, which gives the person his/her spiritual identity whereas the cultural or physiological identity is known as Abusuakuw and Abatumm (Afuraka Afuraitkait). The belief surrounding the kradin however is more common in other cultures such as the Akan than amongst the Swahili. The Swahili group is one of Africa’s largest. It is derived from the Bantu group but was later heavily influenced by the Arab culture and language, and the Islamic religion. It actually comprises of a number of sub-ethnic groups of which there are many. The Swahili speaking region of East Africa comprises of the following countries in which Swahilis can be found in significant numbers: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. In addition, the region â€Å"also extends into southern Somalia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and parts of northern Mozambique and the Comoros Islands† (African Studies Center). The language (Ki-Swahili), a Bantu language, is spoken by the Swahili people but also functions as a widely used lingua franca. Thus, â€Å"it embraces diverse life styles, economic and aesthetic practices, religions and ideologies† (ibid) although our focus is on the ethnic Swahili group. The population numbers for the main five Swahili countries are given below based on figures provided by the Population Reference Bureau for mid-2008 and rounded to the nearest 100,000, Amongst these wider populations, the ethnic Swahilis live alongside other ethnic groups such as the Maasai, Mijikenda, and Turkana. Most et hnic Swahilis are Muslims. In the video ‘Rites of Passage’ by Mary Ann Watson and Suki Montgomery, Athnam Lali Omar describes the traditional naming ceremony in Swahili culture based on indications at Gede, a ruined village occupied between the twelth and seventeeth centuries. After birth, the baby was protected and kept in

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Olympics Document Based Question Essay Example for Free

Olympics Document Based Question Essay DBQ Essay (Modern Day Olympics 1896 – 2002) War, Nationalism, and money paid by various corporations/countries all shaped the modern day Olympics. War played a major role in shaping the modern day Olympic Games. In document one, Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic movement, states that the Olympics would serve as a reduction of war because of the worldwide competition between various countries. Coubertin wrote this document to attempt to convince the Athletic Society of France to revive the Olympic Games. In document 3, the autobiography of Arnold Lunn talks about how the Nazis used certain competition to prove to the world that a dictatorship (or Nazism) is better than democracy. The only thing that mattered to the Nazi’s was to win. The Nazi’s had pictured the Olympics as a war where it was the Nazi’s against the world. Document 5 reveals that if Japan wouldn’t have hosted the Olympic Games after the Second World War, they would’ve never gotten what they needed to rise as a world trade power. Ryotaro Azuma wrote this document to recognize the fact that the Olympics had evolved into an event that would ultimately save a country. Nationalism also played a major role in shaping the modern day Olympic Games. Document 2 recognizes the fact that men were too proud to let women represent their country in the Olympics. Document 4 represents nationalism because it shows how proud America would be if they beat the Soviets in any sort of competition during the Olympics. Bob Matthias wrote this document to show us the determination and pride the U.S had to defeat the soviets, and how the Olympics evolved into a competition between just the U.S and the Soviets.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

How Sunderland Prepared for the Air Raids

How Sunderland Prepared for the Air Raids Chapter 1 Preparing for Invasion: A case study of how Sunderland prepared for the air raids. Helen Jones highlights that In the 1930s experts and the public believed that in a future war, enemy aircraft would drop bombs that would devastate civilian populations.[1] Thus suggesting that the fear of aerial bombardment was not only on the mind of experts but the public as well, thus indicating they feared they could be killed from the destruction the bombs could cause. In 1939, Adolf Hitlers Luftwaffe took to the skies to terrorise the UK with the threat of dropping bombs. Hitler wanted to attack the United Kingdom in the dark of the night to ensure that the Luftwaffe attacks were not visible, thus creating a surprise attack on the civilians. The North-East of England was a prime target for Hitler as Sunderland in particular produced 25% of Britains shipping tonnage during the war thus highlighting the significance the North-East played in support the national war effort.[2] Also, Sunderland had long been hailed as the largest shipbuilding town in the world thus highlighting th e significant role Wearside played during the outbreak of Second World War. [3] Britain in particular on a national scale wanted to ensure that there was a defensive strategy in place to protect its nation from European attacks to prevent such an incident occurring like that of The Great War and the Zeppelin attacks, Calder indicates that Britain during the First World War had been raided by zeppelins, major damage had been caused across the country and many people did not have protection due to shelters not being prepared for the invasion.[4] As Travis L. Crosby indicates [i]n 1924, the Committee of Imperial Defence (CID) created a sub-committee to review civil defence policy alluding to the fact that the Government wanted a re-assessment and development of the current policy in order to strengthen the civil defence in case of the outbreak of another war.[5] Britains approach to providing air raid protection was very low key, not until the late 1930s the Air Raid Protection (ARP) committee as Joseph S. Meisel asserts embraced a wide range of measures to protect both the civilian population and the infrastructure.[6] A National Service booklet which was distributed to local governments nationwide indicated that there is a need for both men and women to join their local Air Raid Precaution service.[7] To entice people to join the war effort the people of Sunderland and in other areas were offered free training and if personnel had to relocate due to war demands then people were able to transfer from one local authority to another. Wearside needed protection from the German air threat so devised plans to train and ensure they had enough Air Raid Wardens (ARW) for the inhabitants of Sunderland and surrounding areas. The ARP wanted to have 5 to 6 wardens for every 400-500 inhabitants who have a thorough knowledge of their area. The Sunderland Borough Council ARP Committee highlight that one major responsibility of an ARW is to keep in touch and lease with inhabitants within their sector. [8] In 1937, British experts estimated that there was going to be a new war enemy, indicating that Hitler was goin g to try and recreate the carnage caused during the First World War by attacking Britain again by air. [9] In order to ensure that every inhabitant of Sunderland had a chance to contribute towards the war effort and protection of their locality numerous jobs were made available for them such as Rescue and Demolition Parties, First Aid Parties, Ambulance Drivers and Attendants just to name a few. [10] Allowing the people of Sunderland to be involved with the war effort ensured somewhat that public morale was on a high, thus highlighting that the residents of Sunderland had a sense of purpose. Due to the ever growing threat of bombings being immanent the ARP had to quickly mobilize ensuring that there was enough shelters and protection in place for the civilians of Britain. By September 28th 1939, there was 3,329 men and 740 women were involved with the Sunderland ARP highlighting that the people of Wearside wanted to volunteer and help with the protection of their community when they come under the attack of the German air raids.[11] However, initial recruitment to local ARPs was difficult, many people thought that it was a waste of money and training was not worthwhile which caused upset amongst the locals.[12] In 1932, only 500 people had volunteered to be members of the ARP. It was not until 1937 where there was a dramatic increase in locals joining the Wearside ARP, one may suggest that it was the ever growing media coverage of the political rise of Hitler and his plans to invade Poland which caused a spark in recruitment to the ARP. Considering that the Sunderland ARP had 740 women by 1939, highlights that women were a key asset in the ARP program in Sunderland, thus indicating that even though women in the 1930s faced criticism and prejudice the women of Sunderland were able to get involved and play a key role in the Wearside war effort. [13] It is reported that men felt that women should not be involved with the A.R.P as they felt they lacked ability to tackle fires.[14] Thus suggesting that the women of S underland proved to their male counterparts that they could be successfully involved with the local A.R.P programme. The County Borough of Sunderland Council clearly indicated that they had to ensure that ARP provisions were in place in order to gain trust from the Wearside community. On the 20th of October 1938, the council ensured that school rooms across the borough would be used to conduct ARP meetings and to consult to the locals who had any issues or questions.[15] A key issue which was discussed was the locations of the communal air raid shelters. With many people in Sunderland being situated in the working class sphere, not all had the available funds to purchase and design suitable shelters. Craig Armstrong indicates that local Police and fire service were to locate premises that could be converted into use shelters, the council needed to find areas which had a large surface area so they could protect plenty of its residents, this situation was the same for the emergency services in Sunderland.[16] Roker Park, was one location used to protect civilians from the air attacks, being able to h ouse around 1,000 people, thus the council committee made the building of this shelter priority as it was one of the largest to construct. [17] The people of Sunderland were gaining a trust in their local council. They were seeing signs that provisions were being taken from such an early stage during the Second World War. With many of the inhabitants of Sunderland having somewhere to go in the event of an air raid, indicates that the local authorities wanted to ensure that the people of Sunderland were safe. One may suggest that the inhabitants of Sunderland had a new found confidence within their local authority as they were protecting and showing care towards their community. Again as Armstrong suggests the local authority was duty-bound to offer free shelter to those who could not provide it for themselves, due to the introduction of the Civil Defence Act of 1939, all local communities had to ensure that there was enough free shelters for those unable to afford protection.[18] The government wanted to ensure that Britain was protected and offered support to all local authorities who required it, thus being able to pay nin e-tenths of the costs which would alleviate the pressure for local councils to locate funding and provide adequate protection.[19] For those within Sunderland who had a disposable income there was an option to build your own bomb shelter that would only cost  £5, which is not a bad investment for their safety. Average wages during 1930s were around 75.s (shillings a week) which is equivalent to around 300.s a month, which equates to  £36 a month.[20] One may suggest that the poorer population within the community may have struggled to save 14% of the monthly household income to purchase air raid protection. The local authority built public shelters so people had protection if they could not afford it. Local authorities ensured that there was plenty of information given to their communities. The Sunderland ARP issued a step by step guide on how to build the best air raid shelter, which was approved by the Home Office.[21] This guide highlighted the best materials and locations to build a shelter. Inhabitants of Sunderland had a lot to consider with the preparations they need to do for the war, with having to ensure they had ample protection from the bombs, ensuring that homes were blacked-out to limit targeting from the German Luftwaffe, rationing and food shortages, thus resulting in people facing a lot of pressure from local authorities to ensure that the community as a whole can cope during, what would be known as the Second World War. Helen Jones suggests, most people did not go to public shelters, or even ones in their own homes some took cover in a cupboard or under their stairs thus highlighting that civilians found shelter where ever they could when they heard the sound of the air raid sirens.[22] Women, in particular were urged by the media to ensure that places such as cupboards and under the stairs had supplies and provisions in case they could not make it to their outdoor or public shelter. The County Borough of Sunderland Council conducted meetings throughout 1939 ensuring that final provisions were in place to ensure that Wearside was sufficiently protected in the event of an air raid. From a meeting conducted in February 1939, the Sunderland Council discussed the provision of steel shelters which was top of the meeting agenda, thus highlighting that the local government wanted to ensure that most people in Wearside had access to shelters which were reinforced with steel which would offer added protection.[23] Every meeting which was conducted the council were continually opening and closing cases regarding air raid protection. Many of the meetings ensured that emergency supplies were discussed and constant records were recorded to ensure that the local council could keep track of supplies. The air raid wardens in Wearside had access to 2,000 whistles which were growing in supply as the council wanted to ensure that they had enough in case any got damaged during air a ttacks. [24] Also 2,300 first aid kits were supplied by the government to ensure that public shelters had access to medical supplies if they were needed. As well as first aid parties and ambulance drivers they were also supplied with first aid kits to ensure that they could provide emergency first aid if required during and after the destructive air attacks.[25] Whilst preparing for the possible German air invasion, there was an ever growing supply of equipment needed to support the ARP, such as blankets, whistles, first aid kits and clothing. With limited storage space available, due to the local government utilising large storage spaces converting them into public air raid shelters. To resolve the storage problem, the County Borough of Sunderland suggested that local primary and secondary schools in and around the Wearside area should be used to secure equipment in connection with the ARP.[26] Schools were not just institutions used for additional storage of ARP equipment, they were a priority for the Sunderland Council for building air raid shelters. The aim of the local authorities was to ensure that teachers and children had protection in case the air raids occurred during school hours. A total of  £300 was spent on air raid shelters in schools which could house around 50 school children; schools of particular interest were St Anthonys Girls Catholic school and St Marys Grammar school which educated a majority of the children in Wearside.[27] These plans were discussed in August which made it a committee priority as they soon suspected that the air raids would start shortly, it was not until 1st of September 1939 when children throughout England would be evacuated. Final preparations were taking place in Sunderland during August where 300 air raid warning sirens were erected and carrying blackout exercises during the weekend which would result in practice drills which would simulate actual conditions which the people would face during an actual air raid.[28] Wearside Women during World War Two Women played a pivotal role in aiding the preparations for German air raids. Due to the importance of the shipyards and their role in supplying materials for the war effort the people of Sunderland lived under the constant threat of being under attack of German bombing. [29] With the majority of men being conscripted to join the war, women were expected to replace the jobs which men had vacated. As Penny Summerfield indicates the great bulk of wartime domestic work was thrown back to the private sphere of a womans own resources, thus suggesting working women had to fit their domestic duties in with that of their working life.[30] The Wearside shipyards became an area which women were employed [i]n order to keep the yards running at maximum capacity, women were called in to help. As discussed earlier in the chapter, the shipyards were vital to the war effort, so in order to meet the needs of war, women were the only people on the home front who continue production. Working civilians in Sunderland had to prepare for the hardships of war and that of the shipyards being under threat and targeted by German bombers. Morale was not at a high when women went to work, they were slower to recover from the shock of the news than men thus highlighting that the constant media reporting of possible German invasion affected the work ethic of female workers. [31] In the wake of these attacks, attempts were made by those in authority to revive the morale of those living under the constant threat of death. In order to increase morale the people of Sunderland welcomed a visit from King George VI where he visited munitions factories and the shipyards which were a key assets towards the war effort. The Sunderland Echo and Shipping Gazette reported that the King showed gratitude towards the hard work and loyalty of the people of Sunderland highlighting that the royal visit attempted to restore morale, by praising the people of Sunderland and ensuring that their har d work was recognised.[32] Women of Sunderland were encouraged by the local media to ensure that their homes were well equipped in case of an air raid. The Chronicle reported that Home Office advice is to continue and intensify our air raid precautions and it is therefore up to every single woman to making some corner of their home into refuge.[33] This suggests that women had a key role in ensuring that every home within Wearside was protected. Women were encouraged to have a refuge room in their home to use in the event of an emergency. The Chronicle listed resources which could be used to protect the home collect thick curtains, blankets, carpets and thick sheets in order to cover windows and doors to stop any light being visible during the blackouts.[34] Items such as matches and candles were essential in case electricity or gas supply fails. Women were advised to get together the listed items such as scissors, old newspapers, candles and matches in a box or drawer in the refuge room so that they have ever ything they need in the event of an emergency.[35] With women being the forefront of the household during the lead up to the Second World War, they faced disruption to their lives due to state intervention which introduced measures such as rationing. With naval fleets being used in the preparations for the war, the state limited the amount of food imports into the country. Wearside women had were urged to ensure that their homes were equipped in emergency situations, had to work in shipyards on top if having to worry about feeding themselves and family on basic rations. Food such as eggs, bacon, butter and meat were in very short supply, which were replaced by dried or tinned substitutes such as dried egg powder, corned beef and even whale. [36] Kennils highlights that the local government would try all they could to give people good food, but due to shortages substitutes had to be found, in this instance whale meat was provided. With rations, the people of Sunderland had to cope with having basic food supply in their kitchen cupboar ds, one may suggest that morale was effected due to this. With the reduction of luxury foods and not gaining the correct nutrients in a balanced diet would cause people to get restless. It was not just food that was rationed. Coal rich areas such as Sunderland, even had one of its major exports on ration. Coal was needed for fuel during the war effort, so people within Sunderland were limited to what they could use to fuel their homes. To conclude, this chapter has outlined the state preparation and measures put in place in order to protect the country from the German air raids. The County Borough of Sunderland Council ensured that they recruited heavily to the ARP which would aid in the protection of Wearside civilians. This chapter has explored the different shelters and locations of public shelters which were made available for citizens of Sunderland. Finally, this chapter has explored the significant role that women played during the preparations leading to the outbreak of the Second World War. Women had to ensure that their homes were a safe refuge for their family, whilst having to work in shipyards which were vacated due to men being conscripted to war. This chapter has set the scene of how Sunderland prepared for the war. Chapter two will discuss the impact that the bombings had on the area of Sunderland and how morale was affected. [1] Helen Jones, British Civilians in the Front Line: Air Raids, Productivity and Wartime Culture 1939-1945 (Manchester: University Press, 2006), p.58. [2] Winifred Haley, Evacuated from Sunderland Shipyards to Coxhoe, County Durham, (BBC WW2 Peoples War Archive), http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/36/a3781136.shtml. [Date Accessed: 03/11/16] [3] Gillian Cookson, Sunderland: Building a City (London: Philimore, 2010), p. 147. [4] Angus Calder, The Peoples War: Britain 1939-1945 (London: Trinity Press, 1969), p.21. [5] Travis Crosby, The Impact of Civilian Evacuation in the Second World War (London: Croom Helm, 1986), p.13. [6] Joseph S. Meisel,Air Raid Shelter Policy and its Critics in Britain before the Second World War, Twentieth Century British History, vol. 5 issue 03, 1994, pp. 300-319, p.300. [7] Tyne and Wear Archive Service: DX967/7, National Service Booklet, 1939, p.13. [8] ibid [9] Calder, The Peoples War, p.21. [10] TWAS, DX967/7, p.13. [11] TWAS, 209/111, Air Raid Precautions Council Minutes, 28th September 1938. [12] Jones, British Civilians in the Frontline, p.60-61. [13] Ibid, p.61. [14] Harold L. Smith, Britain in the Second World War: A Social History (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1996), p.64-65. [15] TWAS, 209/106, County Borough of Sunderland ARP Precautions. [16] Craig Armstrong, Tyneside in the Second World War (West Sussex: Phillimore Co Ltd, 2007), p.42. [17] TWAS, 209/106, County Borough of Sunderland ARP Precautions [18] Armstrong, Tyneside in the Second World War, p.42. [19] Jones, British Civilians in the Frontline, p.60. [20] Margaret H. Schoenfeld and Anice L. Whitney, Wartime Methods of Dealing with Labour in Great Britain and the Dominions, Law and Contemporary Problems, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer, 1942), p. 530. [21] TWAS, DX 967/7, Your Home as An Air Raid Shelter, Ministry of Home Security, Home Office London,1939. [22] Jones, British Civilians, p.158. [23] TWAS, 209/111, Air Raid Precautions. [24] TWAS, 209/111, Air Raid Precautions Council Minutes, 28th July 1939. [25] Ibid. [26] Ibid. [27] TWAS, 209/111, Air Raid Precautions Council Minutes, 17th August 1939. [28] Ibid. [29] Sunderlands Shipyards during WW2, BBC Legacies. [30] Penny Summerfield, Women Workers in The Second World War: Production and Patriarchy in Conflict (London: Routledge, 1989), p.186. [31] Dorothy Sheridan, (ed), Wartime Women: A Mass- Observation Anthology (London: Heinemann, 1990), p.112. [32] Royal Visit to Wearside, Sunderland Echo and Shipping Gazette, 22 February 1939. [33] Women Collect These, News Chronicle, 28August 1939. [34] Ibid. [35] Ibid. [36] K. Kennils, A War Baby: In Sunderland, (BBC WW2 Peoples War Archive), http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/49/a2038349.shtml. [Date Accessed: 03/11/16]

Friday, October 25, 2019

The History and Theory of Magical Realism Essay -- Literature Essays L

The History and Theory of Magical Realism      Ã‚  Ã‚   Fantasy, Magical, Supernatural, Sublime, and Realism are all several genres of literature that may be familiar to many people. However, there may be one that is not as well-known as these: Magical Realism. Although Magical Realism is mostly common in the Latin American countries, one may wonder where and how Magical Realism got its start. On the other hand, one may simply wonder what some of the characteristics of Magical Realism are. By looking at the history and theory of Magical Realism as well as some of its characteristics and influences, these questions will be answered. Interestingly, the term "Magical Realism" was first used in 1925 by a German art critic, Franz Roh. In his essay, "Magic Realism: Post-Expressionism," Roh used the term "Magical Realism" to actually characterize a style of painting instead of a style of literature (15). However, there are still at least two different viewpoints as to where and when Magical Realism truly had its start. In Angel Flores' essay, "Magical Realism in Spanish America," he claims that Magical Realism had its basis in the works of Franz Kafka. Furthermore, Flores thinks that the year 1935 was the year that Magical Realism had its beginning in Latin America because this was the year that Jorge Luis Borges' work, A Universal History of Infamy, appeared in Buenos Aires. After the appearance of Borges' works, several other writers began to follow his style, giving Magical Realism its rise in popularity in the years of 1940 to 1950 (Flores 113). In his essay "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature" Luis Leal disagrees with Flores' viewpoint. Leal does not think that Magical Realism had its growth during the 1940 to 195... ...Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 125-141. Flores, Angel. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Fiction." Magical Realism. Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 109-116. "Garcia Marquez - Biography." 14 Jan. 2001 <http://www.themodernword.com/gabo/gabo_biography.html.>. Leal, Luis. "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature." Magical Realism. Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 119-123. "Magical Realism." 8 Jan. 2001 <http://www.iskl.edu.my/~Breen_O'Reilly/Chronicle2/page2.html>. Roh, Franz. "Magic Realism: Post-Expressionism." Magical Realism. Theory, History, Community. Ed. Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. Durham, N.C.: Duke UP, 1995: 15-30.   

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Self-esteem and gender

The purpose of this finding is to understand the relations between gender and self- esteem using the method of convenience sample survey Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. This survey included 6 male and 21 female college students, total n=27 to predict self-esteem levels of each gender. In this study, the PV= gender, the OD= self- report and demographic, the CV= self-esteem, and another OD= score on survey.Researchers will use data collected to analyze self-esteem levels in both male and female college students. In relation to past studies, the hypothesis for this research s that male college students have higher self-esteem than female college students. However, survey results showed no relations between scores in self-esteem and gender. We cannot predict self-esteem levels based on gender because it is not the main factor. One implication for this study is to have larger representative sample to obtain stronger validity and rule out sampling bias.Keywords: self-esteem, gender role , Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, predictor variable (PV), operational definition (OD), criterion variable (CV) Introduction Past researches have shown that self-esteem plays an important role in etermining the academic achievement and health levels of both genders. Researchers predicted that there is a relation between gender role and self-esteem. Therefore, many studies have been done to predict the possible outcome of the above hypothesis.When we try to find out if gender really does play an important role in one's academic achievement and levels of health, we can try to develop new ways to improve these conditions for both genders. Self-esteem creates huge impacts in each individual living standards and performance, for learning to compare self-esteem level in both genders will help researchers to acquire knowledge about ach gender behavior. Researchers could then apply alternative ways to analyze these behaviors and conduct further psychological studies which will benefit th e learning of people's behaviors in general.In The Relationship between Gender Type of Sport, Body Dissatisfaction Self- esteem and Disordered Eating behaviors in Division I Athletes (Milligan & Pritchard, 2006), it is shown that women with eating disorders behaviors have body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem where as men with disorders eating behaviors only have body dissatisfaction. This shows gender is a factor that proves women do not have strong coping skills as men.Next, the article Linking self-differentiation and mental health in lower grade college students with different genders: Moderating role ot selt-esteem (Yao & explores the association between the selt- differentiation and mental health in both genders, and the results indicate that male students have higher levels of self-esteem than female students. Female students are at higher risk to not seek help for their mental health problems. However, one source disconfirmed these researchers' earlier hypothesis.From th e Gender differences in domain- specific self-esteem: A meta-analysis (Gentile et, al. 2009) hich examines gender differences in ten specific- domain of self-esteem across one hundred and fifteen studies, there was no relationship in gender differences in academic, social acceptance, family and affect self-esteem. These results rejected our current hypothesis in terms that gender is not a factor in determining individual's self-esteem levels which cause better achievement in academic and in health. To conclude, gender role has no relationship with self-esteem.Discussion Our group research finding hypothesis was not supported because we predicted that there is a relation between gender role and self-esteem. After we calculated our onvenience survey Coppersmith Self-esteem Inventory results taken from twenty seven students, both male and females college students at the age of eighteen to thirty five, here are our results: gender, OD = self-report and demographic, CV= self-esteem, OD = CSEI score on survey. Our r value is . 054, df is 25. The critical value for r at a significance level of . 05 (middle column, two-tailed on page 411) is . 3809.Our r value of . 054 is less than the above r value of . 3809. Our r value is not significant and is very close to zero. This means that there was no relation between our variables, for our results were not significant. Therefore, we found no relation between gender and self-esteem; we cannot predict participants' self-esteem based on their gender roles. The only source that would support our result finding was the last article in Gender differences in domain- specific self-esteem: A meta- analysis (Gentile et, al. 2009), which we thought it would disconfirm with our earlier hypothesis.As a result, our prediction was incorrect, for this article supported our current finding. This article indicates gender is not valid predictor variable that can be used to manipulate/calculate the criterion variable, which in this case is a tudent's self-esteem level. Therefore, gender differences have no impacts on students' academic, social acceptance, family relationship and affect self-esteem. Since we had a small sample of participants, it was hard to generalize our finding because there was not much to analyze and we also thought this factor affected our results.Besides, participants' agreement with the CSEI questionnaires did not guarantee their truthful emotions at the time they were taking the inventory because they had a handful of surveys to complete. The likelihood for participants to have responsive bias in this survey is high. For future studies, we would definitely try to get larger and equal number of participants whom would actually be a representative sample that represent both gender populations. This will help us to obtain stronger validity for the study and rule out sampling bias.In sum, we feel that understanding self-esteem levels in each individual is very important because it will help us to de velop better ways to improve our conditions and adopt new ways to cope with our obstacles. As we learn how self-esteem affects our behaviors, we will have more awareness and perception of our own selves and between both genders. It is significant to note that self-esteem has no relationship with gender because this will help people to eliminate stereotypical views tor botn genders in determining their success in academic, mental health, and physical satisfaction.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A study to determine how managers and leaders can motivate a multicultural staff

Cox and Beale (1997 cited Harvey and Allard 2005) define diversity as a group of people in a social system that has different group ties. On the other hand, Thomas (1999 cited Harvey and Allard 2005:p3) defines diversity including not only differences but also similarities, indicating that diversity is â€Å"individuals who are different in some ways and similar in others†.As it was mentioned before, diversity in a workforce includes employees with a variety of backgrounds in terms of race, gender, education, sexual orientation among others. This study will be focused on the understanding of a cultural diverse workforce with the aim of examining its influences on management styles.For this, it is necessary to point out some important definitions and topics that are relevant to management style in an international and heterogeneous business environment to motivate employees. Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hall & Hall are three of the most important and significant contributors in wh at culture and workplace differences regard (Mullins, 2005).General Overview and History of the TopicThe term managing diversity is nowadays becoming more important to organisations, not only because they are interested in diverse groups or they are up to date with the Equal Opportunities legislation and policies, but because they are facing important challenges related to the management and development within a diverse workforce in order to survive in today’s global marketplace (Edwards, 1991 cited Henderson 1994).Ten years ago, the majority of organisations did not think about diversity in the workplace with the intention of having benefit from it. Today, a vast percentage of organisations take advantage of diversity initiatives to enhance organisational performance and most important, they are committed to it (Berrios, 2003 cited Liberman, 2003).According to Mor Barak (2005), managing diversity is basically to bring together employees from different backgrounds. However, t his definition does not take into account the influence that it might have on management behaviours.According to Harvey and Allard (2005), diversity can affect people’s interactions in the workplace since it requires changes not only in the way people interact within each other, but also changes in the functionality of the organization, hence in the business’ performance.Rationale For The StudyManaging diversity is a reality that all Multinationals and International companies are facing. Most organisations nowadays are adapting programmes to manage a culturally diverse workforce in order to fulfil their objectives and gain place in the global competitive marketplace, making the most of its employees potential.Globalisation is one of the reasons workers are moving across borders, increasing the heterogeneity of organisations and development of cross-cultural interaction in order to enhance alliances that go beyond differences such as race, gender, and others (Harris et al, 2004).Not going much further, the European Union is the most important phenomenon of cultural diversity that has happened in the last 20 years. With 25 different countries as members where all of them has different cultures, the EU has faced the challenges that globalisation has brought in order to reach common objectives such as encouraging innovation and business investment through Union identity and national diversity (European Union, 2006).In the early 21st century, organisations have been through important changes related to this trend of globalisation where not only factors such as international competitive pressure and business activities have taken place, but also the diversity of human capital from all around the world where cross-cultural interaction has been in expansion (Mullins, 2005).Therefore, it is important that these companies identify their strategies when managing cultural differences in order to have the right opportunities to gain competitive advantage (Sch neider and Barsoux, 2003).Nevertheless, there are also some risks than can bring difference of cultures in the workplace or business activities; consequently, it is vital that organisations understand that different cultures execute procedures differently (Pooley, 2005; Adler, 1983 cited Miroshnik, 2002).Furthermore, and being more specific, the management of these ethnically diverse workforce has been on the spot of many authors. As Tayeb (1996; p180-181) says â€Å"the first step in the management of a diverse workforce is to recognise and value such diversity†, then he argues that â€Å"once the diversity is recognised, the next step is to ensure that it is effectively utilised and handled†.In this case, utilising those differences contributes to an effective management, thus to bring opportunities for organisational learning and innovation creating competitive advantage in the global marketplace (Schneider and Bardoux, 2003; Mor Barak, 2005).To gain this, managers must have the needed skills to manage a multicultural workforce, this includes, having the ability to recognise and accept cultural differences between their workers as well as coordination, cooperation and communications (Lane et al, 1997; Ravlin et al cited Earley and Singh, 2000).Significance and the Importance of the StudyManaging culturally diverse workforce is nowadays a challenge for international managers. On one hand, diversity represents both differences and similarities that exists on individuals and which make them be unique from one to another (Buelens et al, 2002); and on the other hand Parekh (2000) defines culture as â€Å"a system of beliefs and practices in terms of which a group of human beings understand, regulate and structure their individual and collective lives†.Thus, cultural diversity is a variety of cultural differences that requires awareness, understanding and acceptance of those differences by managers, making the most of them in order to gain po sitive outcomes (Scarborough, 2001; Littrell, 2002; Harris et al, 2004; Smith and Peterson, 2005).Cultural differences might have some influences in the way managers manage and motivate their culturally diverse team, and those ways or styles that are carried out in one culture are difficult to be implemented in another due to the difference of traditions, ways of doing things and values of that culture (Hofstede cited Evans et al cited Jackson, 1995).Therefore, further investigation is recommended to be developed to minimise cultural shock in management which could affect business performance. However, this study has been done to offer an up-to-date source of information about multicultural workforce and its influences on management style to motivate employees, which is going to be executed through secondary research.Hence, factors such as cultural diversity and management style should be analyzed in-depth in order to comprehend what may constrain managers of any multinational organ isation to adjust strategies to maintain the business addressed to its objectives.In this case, there have been other studies more related to the influence or impact of organisational and national culture on management styles and although managing diversity is a topic that has been researched for various authors, it can be said that managing and motivating a culturally diverse workforce is a relative new approach.Therefore, the purpose is to do academic research by studying the related existing literature reviews to analyse and understand the influence of a multicultural workforce in the management styles.Finally, a secondary aim of this research is to encourage people to take similar investigation so as to offer useful up-to-date sources that can help both organisations and researchers to acknowledge what is happening in international business and what forces are influencing the changes within organisations. A study to determine how managers and leaders can motivate a multicultural staff Cox and Beale (1997 cited Harvey and Allard 2005) define diversity as a group of people in a social system that has different group ties. On the other hand, Thomas (1999 cited Harvey and Allard 2005:p3) defines diversity including not only differences but also similarities, indicating that diversity is â€Å"individuals who are different in some ways and similar in others†.As it was mentioned before, diversity in a workforce includes employees with a variety of backgrounds in terms of race, gender, education, sexual orientation among others.This study will be focused on the understanding of a cultural diverse workforce with the aim of examining its influences on management styles.   For this, it is necessary to point out some important definitions and topics that are relevant to management style in an international and heterogeneous business environment to motivate employees.Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hall & Hall are three of the most important and significant contributors in what culture and workplace differences regard (Mullins, 2005).a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   General Overview and History of the TopicThe term managing diversity is nowadays becoming more important to organisations, not only because they are interested in diverse groups or they are up to date with the Equal Opportunities legislation and policies, but because they are facing important challenges related to the management and development within a diverse workforce in order to survive in today’s global marketplace (Edwards, 1991 cited Henderson 1994).Ten years ago, the majority of organisations did not think about diversity in the workplace with the intention of having benefit from it. Today, a vast percentage of organisations take advantage of diversity initiatives to enhance organisational performance and most important, they are committed to it (Berrios, 2003 cited Liberman, 2003).According to Mor Barak (2005), managing diversity is basically to bring together employees from differe nt backgrounds. However, this definition does not take into account the influence that it might have on management behaviours.According to Harvey and Allard (2005), diversity can affect people’s interactions in the workplace since it requires changes not only in the way people interact within each other, but also changes in the functionality of the organization, hence in the business’ performance.b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rationale For The StudyManaging diversity is a reality that all Multinationals and International companies are facing. Most organisations nowadays are adapting programmes to manage a culturally diverse workforce in order to fulfil their objectives and gain place in the global competitive marketplace, making the most of its employees potential.Globalisation is one of the reasons workers are moving across borders, increasing the heterogeneity of organisations and development of cross-cultural interaction in order to enhance alliances that go beyond differe nces such as race, gender, and others (Harris et al, 2004).Not going much further, the European Union is the most important phenomenon of cultural diversity that has happened in the last 20 years. With 25 different countries as members where all of them has different cultures, the EU has faced the challenges that globalisation has brought in order to reach common objectives such as encouraging innovation and business investment through Union identity and national diversity (European Union, 2006).In the early 21st century, organisations have been through important changes related to this trend of globalisation where not only factors such as international competitive pressure and business activities have taken place, but also the diversity of human capital from all around the world where cross-cultural interaction has been in expansion (Mullins, 2005).Therefore, it is important that these companies identify their strategies when managing cultural differences in order to have the right opportunities to gain competitive advantage (Schneider and Barsoux, 2003).Nevertheless, there are also some risks than can bring difference of cultures in the workplace or business activities; consequently, it is vital that organisations understand that different cultures execute procedures differently (Pooley, 2005; Adler, 1983 cited Miroshnik, 2002).Furthermore, and being more specific, the management of these ethnically diverse workforce has been on the spot of many authors. As Tayeb (1996; p180-181) says â€Å"the first step in the management of a diverse workforce is to recognise and value such diversity†, then he argues that â€Å"once the diversity is recognised, the next step is to ensure that it is effectively utilised and handled†.In this case, utilising those differences contributes to an effective management, thus to bring opportunities for organisational learning and innovation creating competitive advantage in the global marketplace (Schneider and Bardou x, 2003; Mor Barak, 2005).To gain this, managers must have the needed skills to manage a multicultural workforce, this includes, having the ability to recognise and accept cultural differences between their workers as well as coordination, cooperation and communications (Lane et al, 1997; Ravlin et al cited Earley and Singh, 2000).c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Significance and the Importance of the StudyManaging culturally diverse workforce is nowadays a challenge for international managers. On one hand, diversity represents both differences and similarities that exists on individuals and which make them be unique from one to another (Buelens et al, 2002); and on the other hand Parekh (2000) defines culture as â€Å"a system of beliefs and practices in terms of which a group of human beings understand, regulate and structure their individual and collective lives†.Thus, cultural diversity is a variety of cultural differences that requires awareness, understanding and acceptance of th ose differences by managers, making the most of them in order to gain positive outcomes (Scarborough, 2001; Littrell, 2002; Harris et al, 2004; Smith and Peterson, 2005).Cultural differences might have some influences in the way managers manage and motivate their culturally diverse team, and those ways or styles that are carried out in one culture are difficult to be implemented in another due to the difference of traditions, ways of doing things and values of that culture (Hofstede cited Evans et al cited Jackson, 1995).Therefore, further investigation is recommended to be developed to minimise cultural shock in management which could affect business performance. However, this study has been done to offer an up-to-date source of information about multicultural workforce and its influences on management style to motivate employees, which is going to be executed through secondary research.Hence, factors such as cultural diversity and management style should be analyzed in-depth in or der to comprehend what may constrain managers of any multinational organisation to adjust strategies to maintain the business addressed to its objectives.