Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) remains a pivotal figure in American culture nearly thirty-five years after his death.   In his twenties and thirties, he was one of jazz’s foremost innovators, elevating the instrumental solo to a new and important role and helping invent the jazz style of singing.   Later in life, he became a widely popular entertainer rather than an innovator, a sort of â€Å"living legend† who preserved the music of yesteryear and projected a friendly, comical, widely imitated persona by which he is still remembered. Louis Armstrong was born in a poor section of New Orleans on 4 August 1901 but was unaware of his actual birthdate throughout his life.   He always claimed to be born on 4 July 1900, and this was accepted as fact until researchers found a birth certificate long after Armstrong’s death (Wikipedia). Fatherless and virtually motherless (his mother was a part-time prostitute who left him in his older sister’s care), he received little schooling and worked a series of menial jobs from an early age, including delivering coal and working for a family of Jewish junk merchants.   Despite a harsh, impoverished childhood in one of New Orleans’ most crime-ridden neighborhoods, he developed the optimistic personality that many Americans recognize. His musical training began at New Orleans’ Colored Waifs Home, where Armstrong was sent in early 1913 for firing a pistol in the air during a New Year’s Eve celebration.   During his 17 months at the home, he received instruction on the cornet and later recalled, â€Å"The place was more like a health center or a boarding school than a boys’ jail,† though the home was known for its harsh, militaristic discipline (Bergreen 73). After his release, he joined the city’s fertile musical community by performing in local jazz bands under Fate Marable (who taught him his strong professional ethic) and Kid Ory, as well as on riverboats. After meeting Joseph â€Å"King† Oliver and joining his pioneering jazz band, Armstrong became an exceptionally skilled instrumentalist and traveled to Chicago with Oliver, where he began recording in 1922 and went on his own within a few years. After leaving King Oliver’s band, Armstrong’s career flourished.   Biographer Laurence Bergreen writes, †It was as though Louis had taken [jazz] out of its infancy and given it a powerful breath of new life and independence† (Bergreen 200).   He formed a series of bands, most notably the Hot Five, with whom he had numerous hits (the first being â€Å"Muskrat Ramble† in 1926) and displayed his improvisational and interpretive skills.   Though he began as a trumpeter, he began singing as well during this period, using his unconventional, gravelly voice to develop scat singing, which other jazz artists adopted. He attained especially high standing among other jazz musicians for his virtuosity and ability to translate jazz (formerly the music of New Orleans’ street parades and dives) to records.   Bergreen notes that Armstrong â€Å"was the first important jazz musician to anticipate that his legacy would be actual recordings, not half-forgotten memories† (Bergreen 219), showing a shrewd side of his personality because early jazz artists (like its supposed creator, Buddy Bolden) were never able to reach a wider audience simply through live performance. After World War II, Armstrong was no longer a cutting-edge innovator, since jazz had by now evolved away from its New Orleans roots and transformed into swing and bebop.   However, says Bergreen, Armstrong â€Å"carved himself a unique niche in the music world . . . as a newly minted traditionalist† (Bergreen 433).   He began performing not only the New Orleans â€Å"hot† jazz he helped create but also pop, blues, Tin Pan Alley, and show tunes, winning him great popularity with the public but critical scorn. According to music critic Gary Giddins, â€Å"he was excoriated for playing pop tunes, fronting a swing band, appearing with media starts, sticking to a standardized repertory, engaging in vaudeville routines . . . mugging, entertaining† (Giddins 4).   However, this second phase of his career is as important as the first, since he never lost stature among his peers, produced some vital work (especially his collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald), and won an even wider following late in life. Armstrong was largely apolitical but strongly supported the civil rights movement, having experienced the effects of segregation his entire life.   He harshly criticized Dwight Eisenhower’s perceived inaction during the 1957 Little Rock school integration crisis, called Arkansas’ segregationist governor Orval Faubus â€Å"ignorant,† and snubbed the federal government by refusing to participate in a government-sponsored tour of the Soviet Union in 1958 (Wikipedia).   His warm, effusive, laid-back personality and friendliness toward people regardless of race led some to incorrectly dub him an â€Å"Uncle Tom,† though he generally refused to make race a personal issue. Armstrong essentially left two legacies – as innovator and entertainer.   Before reaching middle age, Armstrong’s accomplishments included his helping define jazz in its earliest years, as well as making the solo an important element of modern music.   In addition, he helped define jazz vocals and popularize scat singing, long a key element of jazz. After age forty, his second legacy was his familiarity to the American public and abroad, and he cared little about how some critics dismissed him for joining the cultural mainstream.   According to Giddins, Armstrong played almost any kind of material because he knew â€Å"that no song could diminish him and that he could lift most songs beyond their earthy calling† (Giddins 4).   According to Bergreen, â€Å"He was not just America’s greatest musical performer, he was also a character of epic proportions† (Bergreen 1).   More than thirty years after his death, Louis Armstrong remains one of the most recognizable Americans, hailed as both a creator and performer more than thirty years after his death. REFERENCES Anonymous.   †Louis Armstrong.†Ã‚   Wikipedia.   4 November 2005.   . Bergreen, Laurence.   Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life.   New York: Broadway Books, 1997. Giddins, Gary.   Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong.   New York: Da Capo Press, 1988.      

Case Study Report Essay

INTRODUCTION The entrepreneur in the case study was Alison Barnard. She is very interested in fashion and used the skills she learned while attending Babson’s business school to start her own retail store, which is focusing perfect-fitting pair of jeans on women. Barnard started her stores, 26 years old, which is located in Boston’s newest neighborhood, the North End, with more than 30 brands of jeans in order to accommodate many body look of her customers. When Barnard isn’t at her flagship store helping women find their perfect fit, she’s down the street at Twilight, her newest store, opened in March 2006 and specializes in both formal and casual dresses. THE PROBLEMS IN BUSINESS AND THEIR CAUSES The analysis of scalability of that business guided to the discussion of challenges and limitations. The first challenge that Alison faces is the maintenance of the store. The limitations that she faces was lack of appropriate employees, opportunity for growth and lack of timing to upgrade her managing skills. It will make her business progress to be slow and loss of customers by unable to find the right jeans. Alison has made a mistake by signing the lease prior to have the profit without analyze the outcome. In my opinion, Alison loosed her trust with the fact that she actually can earn the money to invest in her business. What she worried about was, someone else will steal her ideas if she wastes a lot of time by thinking the outcome and took the risk. The implications on growth lie within finding personnel that fit Alison’s requirements and finding a management strategy that would make the business more scalable. In my opinion, the right marketing strategy and making the store more independent are key success factors for â€Å"In.jean.ious†. POSSIBLE SOLUTION By making a good business strategy can help her to find a good financial, highly experience workers and strategic location which can help her to open her business extensively. Besides that, Alison should focus on how to make her store more or less independent from her. She needs to be focusing on her  management strategy, her financing and the opportunity for growth. In my opinion, the type of her business she has needs an everyday conservation and doing actions without thinking. RECOMMENDATION In my opinion, Alison should be more aware on her business whereby applying the ‘red hat’ in Edward de Bono’s theories. This will help her to prevent her shops item from being stolen by thief. Besides that, Alison needs to be balance in her information gathering, decision making and lifestyle from the theories of Myers Briggs. By balancing four psychological preferences, she will be able to make a good decision, gather more information before starting her business, and catch up with the latest trends for her clothing.

Do Chinese Firms need to adopt the Anglo-American Model and Can they Essay

Do Chinese Firms need to adopt the Anglo-American Model and Can they adopt it - Essay Example With these elements in place, it becomes easier to state that the Anglo-American model would be successful and implemented rather flawlessly. However, Chinese state-owned firms complicate the process of adopting the Anglo-American model due to Communist influence in Board representation and the manifesto of Communist ideology that is directly opposite to the liberal business and social policies that are entrenched in the Anglo-American model. Government influence in business strategy development, alongside Communist influence at the highest levels of governance, complicate the process of adopting the Western governance model. All situations considered, there is ample research support that the Anglo-American model would be relevant in the privately-owned enterprises in China. The question as to whether it should be adopted is addressed based on the structure of the capital market in China, its securities market, and the nature of the relationship between firms in the country and the r ole of stakeholders as decision-makers in a variety of Chinese industries. Do Chinese firms need to adopt the Anglo-American Model and can they adopt it? Introduction The Anglo-American model of corporate governance is founded on several principles and ideologies. ... The second principle is protectionism, as a primary goal, of corporate constituencies, made up of shareholders, creditors and employees. The Anglo-American corporate governance model establishes the ethical expectations and legally-binding regulations to protect the rights of ownership. This is accomplished with legislation enacted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and other Congressional legalities that ensure the development of Standing Committees, such as in areas of auditing or compensation and nomination committees. The Chinese corporate governance model, both in state-owned and privately-owned institutions, is not completely dissimilar to the Anglo-American model, whereby legal expectations for duty of care over protecting the shareholder and other institutional investors are the primary goals of corporate leadership. This essay describes the comparative aspects of the Chinese versus the Anglo-American system of corporate governance, offering support for the ability of Chinese firms to adopt many of the principles associated with Anglo-American governance. There is ample evidence that Chinese firms can adopt the Anglo-American model due to a variety of national reforms that give more autonomy and control to businesses in the country. The Anglo-American Model The Anglo-American Model of corporate governance was adopted under the principles and ideologies of a capitalistic and free market economy. This type of system is a holistic economic system whereby methods of production, industry and trade maintain control by private business ownership where profitability for the corporation are primary objectives (Durlauf and Blume 2008). The free market economy is one where demand and supply are segregated from governmental control and authority, whereby

The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 Essay

The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 - Essay Example The result was a collection of ideas based on the Scottish Youth Justice system, particularly the Scottish Reporter System. The Scottish Reporter System, introduced in the 1960s as part of the Children's Hearing System, is a system where those involved with youth who have offended or are at risk of offending make a referral requiring any services deemed necessary to put the child on the right track be provided. Those making referrals include police, schools, parents and social workers. Referrals are made to the Reporter, who then investigates the case and decides where it should go. "The Reporter must decide whether referrals should be discharged with no further action, whether they should be referred to a local authority social work department or whether the case should be referred to a children's hearing (Arthur 2004)." This is essentially what the U.K.'s referral order is, with just a few minor differences. The referral order was introduced in October 1999 as part of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. The order's primary aim is to keep first-time young offenders out of the court system and prevent them from re-offending. The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 was a response to the White Paper, No More Excuses address that the Secretary of State presented to Parliament in 1997. The White Paper addressed specifically the issue of youth crime. "Today's young offenders can too easily become tomorrow's hardened criminals," Home Secretary Jack Straw said in a preface to the White Paper. "As a society we do ourselves no favours by failing to break the link between juvenile crime and disorder and the serial burglar of the future (Home Office 1997)." According to Straw, the general belief was that young offenders would "grow out of" their offending ways on their own. He said research showed otherwise and insisted something be done that could give young offenders that nudge in the right direction. Thus, the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 introduced the referral order, a proactive approach to addressing juvenile crime. The office of the Reporter in Scotland would be akin to the Court of the Magistrate in England, in that they are the ones who refer a child to the family-conference style meetings - Scotland's Children's Hearing and England's Youth Offender Panel (YOP). However, while the Reporter has other options, "Part III of the Powers of Criminal Courts (sentencing) Act 2000 provides that the referral order is to become the standards sentence imposed by the youth courts, or other magistrates court (Arthur 2004)." The referral order is a sentence given by the court referring 10- to 17-year-olds, who have pleaded guilty to a first offence, to a youth offending panel. In Scotland, the age of an offender referred to a Children's Hearing is eight to 16. The order requires the offender and his parents or carer to meet with the youth offender panel and map out a course of action for the youth to help him get on the right track. The court sets the length of time a referral should last, or the compliance period. The compliance period begins once the offender and chair of the panel have signed the contract. By law, the compliance period can be no shorter than three months and no longer than a year. In cases where the offender was previously convicted of a crime, the

Marketing Communication Tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing Communication Tools - Essay Example Marketers and researchers in the field of marketing communication has observed that marketing communication has stayed in the core functional area of businesses and proved to be as vital asset for the organization as its financial resources are (Khosla, 2010). Schultz et al. (2004) identified the importance of marketing communication and the need to diversify use of marketing communication tools and stated that: â€Å"An approach concerns the integration of a wide range of activities and functions that influence and impact upon dynamic information flows between an organization and its stakeholders.   Because in reality consumers integrate all messages received from an organization. Thus, even if the organization has transmitted uncoordinated messages to the same consumer, that consumer will aggregate and integrate those messages according to some pattern. Unfortunately, in some cases, the criteria chosen by the consumer to make such integration can harm the organization and associ ated brand value. Hence the company must be able to manage the process according to its own interests and strategic purposes† (Schultz et al., 2004). Considering the importance of marketing communication tools and the diversified use of these tools, highlighted by Schultz, it can be asserted that the modern business environment might bring a number of challenges to the business. Due to the increased competition in the market place and the requirement of extensive marketing research to promote brands and services, organizations are compelled to adopt an alternative approach which focuses on using multiple sources of marketing and promotion and ensures healthy... The report stresses that marketers and researchers evaluate the benefits a business might achieve by selecting a communication medium. For this purpose, extensive market research is required which helps the market researchers to determine consumers’ preferences and their accessibility to different communication mediums. Once the medium is decided, the researcher then move on to weigh the benefits that an organization perceive it would achieve by selecting the said medium. This reportmakes a conclusion that the criteria to select an efficient marketing communication tool is to carry out a need analysis. The outcome of the need analysis would communicate to the marketers of a business about the expectations and perceptions of the consumers in the market place. Moreover, the organization can also select marketing communication tools on the basis of its targeting strategy. Suppose, if an organization is targeting youth for its energy drink offerings, it would select social network medium to interact with the target market and influence their behavior. While basing their decisions on the target markets and its dynamics for selecting marketing communication tools, organizations must asses its ability to be creative in the marketing campaign and be distinctive in creating compelling marketing pitch. The author of the paper talks that As the business environment and marketing challenges are new with every passing day, it becomes essential for organizations to integrate marketing communication in the core organization functions. Businesses would ensure that that each and every activity of the organization is carried out in a manner, that it markets the organizational values, norms, culture, products and services to the target audience.

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Marketing - Essay Example The corporate strategy plays a significant role at building a bridge between the company’s inner policies and the undertakings it has with the various stakeholders, who could be from the external marketing settings. (Korzeniowski, 2001) In the world of today, external marketing environment has gained a lot of essence due to the fact that it brings into picture the real role of the channel members, middle line managers and wholesalers as well as other personnel who do their bit towards completing different activities and tasks, coming directly under the auspices of the organization’s hold. (Applbaum, 2004) What is therefore necessary in such a situation is to be open to all forms of criticisms which could be raised by the various stakeholders and parties hailing from the external marketing environment and the related regimes. This will present the said organization with a host of options when it devises a plan to counter the problems which it is facing at the hands of the external marketing environment and the different players present within the very same environmental settings. Problems stumbled upon by the business at one region or at a local franchise would mean that the company should be ready to bear losses of an unimaginable cost. More than that, the company will lose its self-won respect and dignity around which shareholders and owners, etc are revolving around. The big companies that are internationally marketed cannot compete with everyone. They have to set their own competitors in the particular field and then go about competing with each other. Negative diplomacy and marketing should in no way create upheaval and turbulence for the people to raise fingers upon. Rather the company should find out and select certain businesses, which will help it in its smooth running (of business). (Wells, 1998) There can be a number of factors, which can bring about

Mind maps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mind maps - Essay Example Most often the map involves images, words, and lines and elements are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts and they are organized into groupings, branches, or areas. As a twenty first century educator, mind- mapping is an important (if not essential) technique to help oneself in imparting quality education to students. Educators often wish that they could more organized and less occupied with petty problems. Some may feel dejected when forced to think on our feet. No educator can help their student learn better when they are often overwhelmed with tons of information. This results in failure to create meaning in the vast field of knowledge and aid students so they can internalize and understand better. Psychological synchronization of an educator with his student is essential to build up trust and confidence. Incorporating the Hierarchy of Needs helps a teacher to provide moral, emotional and academic help to students who might need them. Similarly the Systems Theory Framework and Myer - Brigg's Theory assist in personality identification, assessment and development respectively. The Holland's Theory of Career Choices aid in student counseling with respect to personality types, aptitudes and personal preferences. The complexities and chaos

Comparison And Contrast Of The Importance Of Religion And Secularism Essay

Comparison And Contrast Of The Importance Of Religion And Secularism - Essay Example In the prince Machiavelli does not direct reference to religion or secularism because his view is the well being of the community and security. He does not give so much emphasis on morality in political actions. For him moral acts were just part of instrumental in achieving political expedience. So for him the social and political consequences f acts interested him more than th moral intent of any action. For Machiavelli in human nature all actions are bound to be either good or evil. Machiavelli feels that the violation of personal morality is not justified. But quickly points out the fact that the violations of the standards of personal morality can excused in ceases of public interest. The honors are thrown upon statesmen according to Machiavelli to know when to act in the interest of the common good. Machiavelli himself was a Christian though he had attacks on the church which was nearly directed at the clerics. These attacks can never be considered as anti religious but rather o n the scandalous live of popes and their political activities. His critic on religion was mostly on Christianity since it helped the some minority to achieve political expediency and the socially undesirable ends. This led him to call for the return an original creed. He promoted the idea of social pragmatics in religion than encourage secularism. According to Machiavelli Glory is rendered to acts that are cherished and remembered by mankind. In his view finding religion involves the founding of religion, establishing commonwealths, creating literature and through process of commanding armies as well. . John Locke’s views on religion tend to align to those of Machiavelli. In the simple respect that lock views religion as an individual decision and not one imposed by the common wealth or state. According to Lock religion should only be addressed in private sphere. This has to an impression that john lock in actual sense trivializes religion not seeing not seeing the importance of having it in the public. Especially when celebrating religious activities publicly. In the treatise of government makes a categorical attack on religion labeling those who disagree with him as not being part of the body of Christ (23). Lock further notes that the authority of the church merely comes from the priests and in his view does not come from God. He further notes that orthodoxy in religious belief and adherence comes from individual belief.   According to lock churches should not be involved in worldly maters and therefore it has no impact on what people do (32). Lock view on religion is that individual should find their own path and does not understand which path is the right to follow. This is in respect to the fact people follow different paths. He actually trivializes the Christian traditions by claiming that Christ mention that he is the way is not right. Since some people do not see that as right (36).Jons hn lock’s attack on Christian traditions include an attack on baptism and the holy communion. He mentions how the two traditions are in respect to individual discretion for example how others are allowed to take the Holy Communion while others are not allowed. Lock also mentions the different baptism to justify himself on individual discretion on the practices    lock presents himself as secular holding no traditional religious beliefs or practices. Quite different to Machiavelli who despite his philosophy does not parapet religious beliefs. He himself was raised and died as a Christian. This is quite different john lock who is secular in his views and perspectives. The

Sherlock Holmes stories Essay Example for Free

Sherlock Holmes stories Essay Can the continued popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories be explained by the similarity to modern television detectives? Discuss this statement with reference to The Speckled Band. The Sherlock Holmes saga has a huge inspirational impact on todays television detective stories. The reason why the Sherlock Holmes mysteries are so successful is because they contain many qualities of a classic mystery genre. It is a fair presumption if one was to say that the stories always follow a certain pattern and that in normal circumstances it is expected of the reader to lose interest, but Sherlock managed to obtain his popularity even to present day. A clear sign of how cleverly crafted Arthur Conan Doyle made these crime stories. Sherlock Holmes is a crime detective who has the ability to solve the hardest of criminal equations with the minimalist of facts, using his somewhat superb observational skills and his incredible method of scientific deduction. There is no mystery, my dear madam, said he, smiling. The left arm of your jacket is spattered with mud in no less than seven places. The marks are perfectly fresh. There is no vehicle save a dog-cart which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the left-hand side of the driver. Quoted from The Speckled Band. Holmes is a realistic and believable character, bringing the novels to life. Holmes always inspires a sense of confidence in other characters and indeed the reader as he shares a certainty of his attitude towards the mystery and the way he doesnt suffer fools gladly, always using his own initiative. This makes the reader feel as if Holmes is very confident about himself, thus making the reader confident and ultimately it makes them read on, a perfect example of Arthur Conan Doyles ability to captivate his readers. Always accompanying Holmes was his loyal companion and entrusted sidekick Dr Watson. With his old fashioned values and his consistent reliability, Watson is the perfect partner for Holmes. Watson shows a sense of amazement towards Holmess abilities and although he explains his deductions and predictions, Watson still could not do it himself. In terms of solving the crime, Watson seems rather useless. And as most of the time it seems as if Watson does not know whats going on inside Sherlocks mind, this adds suspense to the story. Arthur Conan Doyle has cleverly used Watson as a tool Holmes explains his methods and deductions to Watson and therefore to the reader. Watson is also the narrator of the story. Holmes appears in four novels and fifty-seven short stories. Arthur Conan Doyle got tired of writing about Holmes and so he killed him off in 1893 by having him fall to his death over the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. The stories had stop in production over one hundred years ago but still to this day they are very successful. Sherlock Holmes was modeled on and originated from Dr Joseph Bell, a surgeon in Edinburgh who had an extraordinary ability to deduce the backgrounds and occupations of his patients from minute details of their appearance. An excellent example of how the Sherlock Holmes saga has influenced modern crime story structures is Inspector Morse, a recently finished epic of mystery/crime television programs. Spanning 14 years, the ever-popular series shared a certain similarity to Holmes. Written by Colin Dexter and starring John Thaw (Left) as Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as his trusted side kick Lewis (Right), Inspector Morse captivated viewers of all ages and class, again, very similar to Holmes. Morse and Lewis appear in thirty-three episodes and the stories are also available in other formats, such as paperback novels, paperback omnibuss and audio books as are the Holmes stories. Here is a description of the Speckled Band, one of the many successful Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, and Deadly Slumber one of the thirty-three stories written by Colin Dexter, purposely to give a clear contrast of the similarities,: Deadly Slumber When Dr. Brewster is found dead in his car in his locked garage, everyone but Chief Inspector Morse writes the doctors death off as a suicide. A comment by the doctors wife troubles Morse, and he thinks the good doctors death anything but suicide. The chief inspectors suspicions are quickly confirmed by the autopsy it was murder. His investigation of the family soon uncovers a grudge against the family after a botched surgery on the daughter of Michael Steppings, a millionaire businessman who became a semi-reclusive following his daughter Avrils surgery that left her in a vegetative state. Steppings vowed to avenge his daughters condition on all parties involved in the surgery after losing a civil suit against the doctor and his clinic. Steppings goes so far as to send threatening letters to the doctor, but not the two other people on the surgical team the day of the operation. This oversight puzzles Morse. Steppings becomes Morses prime suspect and just as quickly is cleared by Morse and Sgt. Lewis. Then Morse is pointed in one direction by the family and another by his former prime suspect in Daniel Boyles extremely well crafted script. The last twenty minutes of Deadly Slumber is a roller coaster ride as the evidence leads Morse to one suspect after another. The adventure of the Speckled Band The speckled band leaves Helen Stoners twin sister in a state of occult horror just before her marriage. Now its Helens marriage and the same whistling sounds that her sister had heard in the nights preceding her death have come back to Stoke Moran. Her estranged stepfather seems to be the only culprit as the only other inhabitants of the old English stately home are the wild baboon and leopard. Holmes and Watson are quickly on the case, and come to the strange conclusion that it was a rare and highly venomous snake that was to blame for the mysterious deaths. As you can see both stories share the same basic structure, with the build up of suspense and the analysis of the deduction. Though perhaps one might say that the endings of the Holmes stories were somewhat more imaginative and dramatic in comparison to Morses more down to earth, realistic conclusions. To conclude, the continued popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories, in my opinion, can be explained by the similarity to modern television detectives, as the modern television detectives are too similar to Holmes to dismiss as being created from a different origin. Taking into account the Sherlock Holmes stories were created over one hundred years ago it is fair to presume that modern day crime/mystery authors get there inspirations from the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle.

Ethics in Negotiation. Annual review of psychology Essay Example for Free

Ethics in Negotiation. Annual review of psychology Essay Ethics in Negotiation Introduction            Some believe that success at any negotiation table is determined by the skillful use of deception. The critical difference between those who succeed in negotiating and those who are not successful lies on the ability to mislead and not to be deceived. However, negotiators have an ethical duty to make sure that the deal is fair for both sides. This articles summarizes the ethical guidelines and insights for a successful negotiation strategies such as ethical adversarial. According to Paul (2011), ethical negotiation enhances positive working relations which in turn returns brings trust and easy sharing of information and the motive to seek a mutual solution thus facilitating positive interactions. References Bazerman, M. H., Curhan, J. R., Moore, D. A., Valley, K. L. (2000). Negotiation.  Annual review of psychology,  51(1), 279-314. Source document

The History Of Absenteeism Management Essay

The History Of Absenteeism Management Essay When employees intentionally make absence from work it is known as absenteeism. In todays working organisations everybody misses a day of work now and then. But when an employee misses too many days of work it can be a big problem for the organisation and this can cause serious problems when all other employees have to cover for the missing worker or in worse cases the work simply doesnt get done, which can cause low productivity or non availability of requested services, leading to bad impression on companys position and name. People often tend to have different perspectives or attach different meanings when viewing the topic of employee absenteeism. Absenteeism occurs when the employees of a company do not turn up to work due to any scheduled time off, any illness, any injury, or any other reason. If we look back the history, there is only a small written history of absenteeism in business literature, apparently because until the 20th century businesses had a clear rule, No work: no pay. Then labour unions forced the companies into agreements to allow employees to take time off from work for illness or vacations and the practice of offering paid sick days become widespread. These practices still vary among companies and union contracts and normally there is an average of four to ten sick days per year is standard. Companies have realized that human absence management policies are cost effective; even many companies were unwilling to off paid leave to their employees. In fact, there is an estimate in the current studies regarding absenteeism that those company who have effective employee absence strategies can reduce their overall payroll costs by atleast 10 percent. ABSENTEEISM COSTING THE BUSINESSES Most recent studies on absenteeism have claimed that missing employees cost companies millions of pounds in lost revenue each year. We know that absenteeism can be quite costly. It has been estimated that in the United States alone, absence causes a loss of 400 million workdays per years. Based on this estimates, several researchers have attached a dollar value to this of between $26 and $46 billion per year (Steers and Rhodes, 1978; Goodman and Atkin, 1984a). In Canada, this figure probably approaches $8 to $10 billion. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI, 1999) has carried out a survey and used its membership base to survey both private and public sector employers. This survey showed that the average number of working days lost per employee in the UK in 1998 was 8.5 days, which represented 3.7% of all working time available. Another important correlation showed that absence was positively associated with the size of the organisation, that is absence rates were higher in large organisations than in small organisations. In calculating time lost as a percentage of actual working time available, the survey was based on a 228 days working year. This figure is derived from taking out of 365 days, 104 days for weekends or rest-days, 8 public holidays and 25 days annual leave. For many organisations the figures of 228 would be reasonably proximate, but for others, a revised base would need to be used, for example within the education service. Table 1.1 Absence rates for manual and non-manual employees 1998 (1997 figures in brackets) Average Best performing quartile Employees Days lost % of working Days lost % of working time time Manual 9.4 (10.8) 4.1 (4.7) 5.5 2.4 Non-manual 7.6 (6.8) 3.3 (3.3) 3 1.4 All 8.5 (8.4) 3.7 (3.0) 4.1 1.8 Source: CBI, Focus on Absence, 1999. The other most recent survey on the common causes of absenteeism by BBC has revealed that within the UK 93% of workers cite cods and flu as their common reason for being away from their work. Recently BBC has reported that absenteeism is costing  £10.2bn a year and that is mainly through employees minor illness, stress and family responsibilities. A survey of more than 530 firms for the Confederation of British Industry estimated that 200m days were lost through sickness absence last year, an average of 8.5 days per worker. According to an annual survey report of CIPD in 2009, it is stated that the annual cost of absence, is highest in the following sectors of different organisations within UK: Average  £ per employee/year Public Sector  £784 Manufacturing and production employers  £754 Non-profit organisations  £698 Private services organisations  £666 However, the conclusions showed that there are only 41% of employers who are monitoring the cost of employee absence, a figure which has remained persistently low over the past few years.   Another company Hewitt Associates  which is based in  Lincolnshire,  Illinois  is a global  human resources  (HR)  outsourcing   and  consulting  firm which delivers a wide range of integrated services to help companies manage their total HR and employee costs and improve their workforces has confirmed that absenteeism is costing the organisations in UK more than  £1000 per employee almost every year. INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS International comparison of absence rates is equally useful and informative. The title sick man of Europe was once given to Britain because of apparently poor industrial relations record. This title can be given to any other country now as absence rates in the UK are among the lowest of any EU member country. Table 1 illustrates this point: Country Short-term Absenteeism rate Long-term Absenteeism rate Denmark UK Austria Sweden Ireland Norway Netherlands France Germany Belgium Italy Portugal 3.5 3.6 4.1 4.4 4.5 5.0 5.5 5.6 5.6 5.8 6.9 8.0 9.1 5.5 12.7 3.0 10.4 13.3 11.1 6.5 6.6 5.5 11.2 Source: Adapted from CBI, Focus on Absence, 1989 THE MOST COMMON CAUSES OF ABSENCE There are two different classes of employees, manual and non-manual and the most common main causes of sickness absence for both of these classes have been identified as: Manual Non-Manual Minor illness (cold, flu, stomach upsets headaches) Minor illness (cold, flu, stomach upsets headaches) Back pain Stress Musculo-skeletal injuries Musculo-skeletal injuries Home/family responsibilities Back pain Stress Home/family responsibilities Recurring medical conditions Recurring medical conditions Injuries/accidents not related to work Other absences not related to ill-health The latest studies and surveys have revealed that an increase in stress related absence is continuing in number of employers these days. For both manual and non-manual workers, employers perceived that minor illness is the major cause of absence from the workplace. THEORIES RELEVANT TO ABSENTEEISM Over the past many years, there have been many studies and surveys conducted to discover what motivate people. The most recognised theories are Taylor (1856-1917), Mayo (1880-1949), Maslow (1908-1970), McGregor (1906-1964) and Herzberg (1923-2000). Because motivation is very much important not only at work but almost in all part of life too, there are so many new theories which are constantly being developed. MOTIVATION THEORY The word motivation is used to describe certain sorts of behaviour. The purpose of motivation theories is to predict behaviours. Motivation is not the behaviour itself, and it is not performance. Motivation concerns action and the internal and external forces which influence a persons choice of action (Mitchell 1987). Motivation encourages people happily to put more effort into doing something. Well-motivated employees will always feel fulfilled and happy in their respective workplace. Furthermore, the employees are to be expected to be more productive and generate work of a higher quality with lower rate of absenteeism. EXAMPLE A recent case study shows that Siemens, a well known company worldwide, believes that well motivated employees can add extra power into work in order to accomplish the necessary outcomes because they believe that their work is extraordinary. The motivated workforce is more confident to take pride in what they do and off course there is low rate of absenteeism because employees are happier to go to work. HERZBERGS TWO FACTOR THEORY Herzberg used the critical incidental method and his original study was chosen because of the growing importance in the business world and his study was consisted of interviews with 203 accountants and engineers  from different industries in the Pittsburgh area of America. The responses to these interviews were generally consistent and revealed that there were two different sets of factors affecting motivation and work. This led to the Two Factor Theory of motivation and job satisfaction. On the basis of his survey, Herzberg reported that employees tended to describe satisfying experiences in terms of factors that were intrinsic to the content of the job itself. These factors were called motivators and included such variables as: Achievement Recognition The work itself Responsibility Advancement and growth According to Herzberg theory these motivators who also can be known as satisfiers were associated with  long-term  positive effects in job performance while the hygiene factors (dissatisfiers) consistently produced only  short-term changes in job attitudes and performance, which quickly fell back to its previous level. In summary,  satisfiers describe a persons relationship with that she or he  does, many related to the tasks being performed.  On the other hand dissatisfiers have to do with a persons  relationship to the context or environment  in which she or he performs the job.  Ã‚  The satisfiers or motivators relate to what a person does while the dissatisfiers relate to the situation in which the person does what he or she does. So in summary according to Herzberg if the basic needs of an employee are being met at an organisation, the employee will always be willing to come to work and will be happy doing his job. Herzberg argued that extra compensation only work in the short term and other hygiene factors only avoid dissatisfaction and that satisfaction comes from intrinsic motivators. EXAMPLE Royal Bank of Scotland has implemented Herzberg Two Factor Theory and its working successfully at the bank. RBS has put the following few factors from Herzberg theory: The good work by employees  gets recognition The employees at RBS have a combined logic of success when the whole business does well They get extra responsibility and progress through regular performance reviews RBS rewards their employee when they do well in their work RBS also introduced flexible working for its all employees and these are adapted to suit the local needs of each RBS centre. Through its right to work flexibly theory RBS is continuously motivating its employee as if they are unable to come to the work on time due to an appointment, they always can come late and can cover their work through job sharing, home working or variable working hours. ATTRIBUTION THEORY Attribution theory suggests that we observe a persons behaviour and then try to establish whether internal or external forces caused it. If it is judged to be internal, it is seen as being under the persons control; if it is judged to be external, it is seen as a result of the situation. Attribution is said to be subjected to a number of considerations, because we judge actions in a context. For example, we judge how distinctive behaviour is and whether behaviour is unusual for a particular person. Attribution theory is very much relevant to absenteeism as for example the employee is absent from work and the circumstances are that his or her attendance record is exemplary, then the behaviour could be considered unusual and an external cause (that is, that the behaviour is outside the control of the individual) will be attributed. If the absenteeism fits in with the general pattern of behaviour, then an internal attribution will be attached (that is, it will be seen as being under the persons control). EQUITY THEORY The Adams Equity Theory is a simple theory which differentiates an employees inputs and the outputs. According to the theory, the judgment to this fair sense of balance serves to make sure that a strong and useful connection is achieved with the worker, with the overall result being satisfied and motivated workers. This theory states that optimistic outcomes and high levels of enthusiasm are likely only when employees recognize their behaviour to be fair. The thought behind Adams Equity Theory is to hit a strong balance here, with outputs on one side of the level and inputs on the other both weighing in a way that seems reasonably equal. If the balance is in favour of the employer then few employees may work to bring balance between inputs and outputs on their own, by asking for more reward or recognition. Others will be demotivated, and still others will look for substitute employment.   DOUGLAS MCGREGOR THEORY X THEORY Y According to Douglas McGregor there are two different views of human beings. He described under his Theory X, that workers come to work to do the work and raise no questions and receive their pay. While in his Theory Y he believed that workers are dedicated and want responsibility. McGregor strongly recommend that employers should treat all the workers as Theory Y because they will be more efficient. EXAMPLE Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in UK has implemented McGregors Theory Y, as NDA wants its employees to be self-directed in their work and are always ready to accept high levels of responsibilities. NDA claims that with the help of this theory their employees absenteeism level is very low as everyone loves their work and they are more responsible to be at work on regular basis. ABSENTEEISM MEASUREMENT To measure worker absenteeism the most obvious way is to record how many days have employees not come in to work. The companies should have some sort of clock-in or accountability set-up making this step relatively simple. Once the numbers are available, surely it would be interesting to know how many of those workers were genuinely ill. Measuring absenteeism can serve as many as four purposes for organisations, which includes the following: Administering payroll and benefits programs Planning human resource requirements for production scheduling identifying absenteeism problems measuring and controlling personnel costs (Gandz and Mikalachki, 1979) Actual assessment and analyzing is a key aspect of managing absence effectively. Organisations must assess if they have complications with absenteeism, its extent and find out the best way to handle it. In the latest Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) absence survey, there were only a less than half of employers who monitor the cost of absence of their employee,  and there were just under  half of organisations who have set a target for reducing absenteeism and the only 38% of organisations benchmark themselves against other employers.   To analyse particular arrangement of absenteeism and underlying the basis, employers should acquire and use data, for example, the management approach of an appropriate manager or an increase in workloads. This can also provide the evidence of how absenteeism impacts on the bottom line and why it value investing in an effective absenteeism management programme. MEASURE TIME LOST To evaluate absenteeism there are a number of different measures that can be used, each of which can gives information about the different aspects of absenteeism. Some of the factors are described as under: LOST TIME RATE Lost time rate measure  articulate the percentage of the total time available which has been lost due to absence: Total absence (hours or days) in the period  x 100   Possible total (hours or days) in the period   For instance, if the total absence of the employees in the period is 155 person-hours and the total time available is 1,950 person-hours, the lost time rate will be:   155 x 100 = 7.95%   1,950   This can also be calculated separately for the individual departments of different groups of employees to uncover particular absence problems within an organisation. FREQUENCY RATE The frequency rate method shows an average number of absences per employee, which is expressed as a percentage. This does not give any indication of the length or duration of each absence period, nor any indication of employees who take more than one spell of absence and it is calculated as under:   No of spells of absence in the period  x 100   No of employees   For example, if an organisation employed on average 110 workers in one month, and during this time there were a total of 24 spells of absence, the frequency rate will be:   24  x 100 = 21.82%   110   To find out the individual frequency rate, we have to count the number of workers who take at least one interval of absence in the period, rather than to total number of intervals of absence. BRADFORD FACTOR This method expresses the persistent short-term absence for individuals, by measuring the number of spells of absence, and is therefore a useful measure of the disruption caused by this type of absence. It is calculated using the formula:   S x S x D S = number of spells of absence in 52 weeks taken by an individual   D = number of days of absence in 52 weeks taken by that individual   For example:   10 one-day absences: 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000   1 ten-day absence: 1 x 1 x 10 = 10   5 two-day absences: 5 x 5 x 10 = 250   2 five-day absences: 2 x 2 x 10 = 40   The trigger points will differ between organisations. The underlying causes will need to be identified for all unauthorised absence. ABSENTEEISM CONTROL POLICIES The companies should have clear policies in place which support their business objectives and culture and this is the first step to managing absenteeism efficiently. Under the current legislation employers are required to provide their staff with knowledge on any terms and conditions relating to inadequacy for work due to the sickness or injury, including any arrangement for sick pay. Effective absenteeism policies must spell out clearly employees rights and responsibilities when taking time off from work due to sickness or any other reason. These policies should include: A clear idea of what absence is, how it can be defined and how it might be measured. An indication of the scope and scale of absence in the UK and elsewhere by sector, region and industry type An account of the likely causes of absence and how they relate to individuals, jobs, organisations and wider factors. Consideration of the legal environment within which absence must be managed. Examination of the equal opportunities implications of absence management, which particular regard to the Employment Relations Act 1999. Discussion of the ways in which work might be made more flexible to suit the needs of both the employer and the employee. Consideration of how a strategy for managing absence might be developed. Examination of the range of tactics that an employer might employ for the management of absence. HOW TO MANAGE ABSENTEEISM Before we discuss how to manage absenteeism we look the types of absenteeism. There are many other reasons why people take time off from work. These can be categorised as under: Non permitted absence or continuous lateness Long-term sickness absence Short-term sickness absence (uncertificated, self-certificated, or covered by a doctors fit note which replaced the sick note from April 2010) Other authorised absences:  for example,  annual leave; maternity, paternity, adoption, or parental leave; time off for public or trade union duties, or to care for dependents; compassionate leave; educational leave. Other than these above categories of absenteeism there are two main types of absenteeism, know as short term absenteeism and long term absenteeism. We discuss in detail how to manage these two main types of absenteeism: MANAGING SHORT-TERM ABSENCE Temporary absence is also known as absence interventions. The most effective interventions in managing short term absence include the followings: A proactive absence management policy Return-to-work interviews Disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence levels Involving trained line managers in absence management Providing sickness absence information to line managers Restricting sick pay Involving occupational health professionals The most common method which is currently being adopted by many organisations is return-to-work interviews which can help identify short-term absence problems at an early stage. These return-to-work interviews provide an opportunity to managers to start a dialogue with staff over underlying issues, which might be causing the absence.   Tim Holden, the Managing Director of  FLUID, draws on more than 10 years experience as an award-winning recruiter and trainer. FLUID works with organisations to enhance their attractiveness to both current and future employees. Holden suggests that: The use of disciplinary procedures for unacceptable absence may be used to make it clear to employees that unjustified absence will not be tolerated and that absence policies will be enforced.   According to CIPDs recent survey it has been revealed that, only 12% of organisations use attendance incentives or bonuses as a tool of absence management according to our latest absence survey. MANAGING LONG-TERM ABSENCE The current studies and researches on long term absence have shown that absence of  eight days or more justify about one third  of total time lost through absence and absence of four weeks or more accounts for more than 15%. Consequently it is very vital that organisations have an approved strategy in place to help their employees to get back to work after a continuous period of sickness or injury-related absence. The knowledge of potential disability discrimination claims is also critical these days.   LINE MANAGERS ROLE To control and reduce the causes of absenteeism, line managers have a substantial role to play, either directly or indirectly. How managers behave is very important because it has a significant effect on employee health and comfort. Many recent researches show that line managers are the type of employees most likely to be reported as bullies within organisations. Management style within an organisation is also one of the top causes of stress at work.  Ã‚  The role and responsibilities of the line manager in the management of absence should be clearly defined. However, these days the role of line managers is paramount. It is the line managers responsibility to manager his or her department or unit. Therefore it is his/her responsibility to see that these resources are used as effectively as possible. This means that levels of attendance should be good and absence kept to a minimum. The line managers should follow the companys approach to management style, organisation and allocation of work, as this will be a vital part of any strategy to control absence. In addition it is his/her responsibility to follow the company absence polices and procedures to staff. In any organisations the managers need good communications skills to encourage employees so that they can feel free to discuss any problems they may have at an early stage so that they can be given support or advice by the managers before matters escalate. According to all the recent studies and surveys it is stated that despite of all the importance of line manager/supervisor involvement, there are only 50% organisations are training their line managers to get the skills needed to do this effectively. The organisations should train their line managers to get the following skills to handle the absenteeism properly and they should have a good knowledge of: Their companys absence policies and procedures What is their role in the absence management programme How to act upon any advice given by the doctor to the employee. All the related legal and disciplinary aspects of absence including potential disability discrimination issues   How to maintain absence record-keeping and understanding facts and figures on absence The role of occupational health services The proactive measures to support staff health and wellbeing Operation (where applicable) of trigger points Development of return-to-work interview skills Development of counselling skills. In addition, the line manager will be one of the main influences on an individuals view of the company attitude to absence. It is therefore important that the actions and words of line manager support the companys position. It a difference attitude is being taken on the management of absence, whether more strictly or leniently, it will cause problems for the individual manager and for the organisation. Line managers must be able to rely on the support of senior management for decision they take in line with the companys policy, their responsibilities are as under: To effectively organize and allocate work; To use an appropriate management style; To ensure that all staff are adequately trained for their role; To communicate the absence policy and procedures to all subordinates; To apply policy and procedures in a consistent and fair manner; To deal with requests for prior approved absence; To keep accurate and up-to-date records of absences; To investigate reasons for unexplained absences; To carry out return to work interviews; To instigate disciplinary procedures, when required; To provide adequate feedback to senior management; To ensure adequate personal development and training to be able to meet these responsibilities effectively. To support staff health and wellbeing by taking proactive measures for occupational health involvement To be a part of the absence management programme By restricting sick pay To changes work patterns or environment To induct rehabilitation programme There are also four typical components in the recovery of absence and return-to-work process, which are discussed as under: An up-to-date contact with sick employees   The line manager should ensure that a regular contact is maintained using both sensitive and non-intrusive approaches with the employee. This approach must be agreed with the member of staff and management and, also where appropriate, with the union or employee representative. Workplace controls or adjustments   There can be some obstacles which may cause delay, interruption or difficulties to an employees return to work. A risk appraisal can analyse measures or adjustments to assist workers return and stay in work. For example: Allowing a steady or step-by-step return-to-work, for example,  promoting an employee from part-time job to full-time job over a period of weeks To change work arrangement or management style to reduce work pressure and to give the worker more control Modifying the employees working hours, for example allowing flexible working hours to accommodate his/her family demands Co-coordinating the employees mobility. The use of professional advice and treatment   These days there are many occupational health professionals in every country, they can be consulted because they can play a major role to evaluate the reason for absenteeism, and also can carry out employees health assessments, and can assist the managers in preparation for a return to work. Return-to-work planning The management should have a return to work plan agreed by the employee and the line manager, and any other staff which is likely to be affected and this plan needs to include: The goals of the plan, alternative working hours, or a alternative job role The time period of the plan Information about the new working arrangements The reviews that will need to be made to make sure the plan is put into practice The dates when the plan will be reviewed This can be helpful if the management appoint someone who can coordinate the return-to-work process. This also can include the colleagues of the absent worker who can inform him/her of the progress, so that everyone appreciate the situation, as well as easing the alterations back to work and maintaining working relationships. TACTICS FOR CONTROLLING ABSENTEEISM There are many tools that can be used as a part of a structured plan of absenteeism. We discuss some of the tools to control absenteeism. In practice, these tools will be used in isolation but more probably several will be used in combination. PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING: All reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that the employed staff is likely to be good attenders. One of the best indicators of likely future attendance rates is past attendance rates as many employers believe that pre-employment screening is a vital tool in absence management. There are number of simple steps that an employer can take to reduce the risk of employing a poor attender: Ask for information about absence on the application. For example, How many days absence have you had over the last two years? Ask about absence on reference requests. Ensure that those invited for interview are made fully aware of the expectations of the job. This would include duties, hours of work, work environment, standards of performance and conduct. Avoid the temptation to oversell the job at interview as this will result in disappointment and disillusioned employees and they will be more likely to be absent. Use pre-employment medical examinations to identify any potential problems. Note that disablement is not a reason not to employ an applicant, and employers must take great care to observe the terms o

Foreshadowing in Shirley Jacksons The Lottery Essay -- Shirley Jackso

Foreshadowing in Shirley Jackson's The Lottery      Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Lottery," a short story written by Shirley Jackson, is a tale about a disturbing social practice.   The setting takes place in a small village consisting of about three hundred denizens.   On June twenty-seventh of every year, the members of this traditional community hold a village-wide lottery in which everyone is expected to participate.   Throughout the story, the reader gets an odd feeling regarding the residents and their annual practice.   Not until the end does he or she gets to know what the lottery is about.   Thus, from the beginning of the story until almost the end, there is an overwhelming sense that something terrible is about to happen due to the Jackson's effective use of foreshadowing through the depiction of characters and setting.   Effective foreshadowing builds anticipation for the climax and ultimately the main theme of the story - the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and cruelty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first hint that insinuates the abnormality of this lottery is seen in the second paragraph of the story.   The narrator describes the day as very lovely, but strikes a contrast between the pleasant atmosphere of the town and the activity of the people that are gathering in the square.   "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, a... ...le contradicts the pleasant ambience of the town.   When the foreshadowing job reaches its goal, it leads to the climatic point of the story.   Through this climax, the reader sees the cruelty of the residents and how they undervalue life for this particular ritual. Works Cited: Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 5th ed. Ed. Laurence Perrine. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Publishers 1998. Magill, Frank N. "Shirley Jackson." Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Salem Press, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1981. 1668-1674. Nebeker, Helen C. 'The Lottery': Symbolic Tour de Force." American Literature 46 March 1974.

Roman Holiday :: essays research papers

Review: Roman Holiday Roman Holiday is a famous and important film for many reasons, probably most for introducing the world to the incomparable Audrey, here in her first major starring role, and one which won her an Academy Award. With lots chemistry, inspired direction by William Wyler, and impressive locale work, shot completely on location in Rome, this ranks as one of the best romantic comedies ever made. It's a modern-day twist on a fairy tale, where the princess wishes to be a normal young girl, rather than the other way around. Hepburn plays Princess Ann, much beloved royalty whose every move is followed by the country, and every day is completed scheduled with monotonous formalities and appearances, which have begun to grow tedious for a young woman looking to have some excitement in her life. She wants to have some fun and spontaneity in her life, so one night while she is visiting Rome, Ann makes her escape from her handlers and heads to the streets of the city, where a handsome new reporter, Joe Bradley (Peck) stumbles upon her. There appears to be no place for her to go, so Joe takes her to his apartment for the evening, but the next day he discovers he may be onto the scoop of a lifetime when he realizes that the woman in his bed is none other than the most beloved figures in the world. His plan is to entertain her while she is in town, without letting her know he is really j ust trying to get the inside info on the woman for his article, and she also hides her identity in hopes of being seen as the average girl in the free world. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this rather old fashioned romance is how funny it actually is, while still maintaining a sense of subtlety throughout. This is not a story driven plot, but rather, a collection of charming and amusing moments that, when added up for the duration, becomes something quite substantial. The character development involved is flawless, as we grow to like, and in some senses love, the main players, thanks in large part to the terrific Academy Award winning screenplay by Dalton Trumbo here credited as Ian McLellan Hunter due to a blacklisting that forced him to write under a pseudonym. Even with the quality writing, none of this could have worked if overplayed by the director or if stars were cast who weren't as likeable, and on all fronts,

Problem-Oriented Policing Essay

According to Dictionary.com, â€Å"policing is to regulate, control, or keep in order with or as if with a law enforcement agency.† The art of policing has changed significantly for many different reasons but mainly to accommodate the times. Crime rates have gone up substantially when compared to 50 years ago. Much of the reason why this may be is the easy accessibility to gory movies, the glamorization of criminal activity, and the poverty that exists here in America. It is important as well as essential to devise strategies to counter the criminal activity with a solid plan for future stability of our communities. According to Gene Stephens’s article, Policing the Future, â€Å"When public policing was formally instituted in London in 1829, the emphasis was on preventing crime: the public and officers themselves regarded successful policing as the absence of crime, (2005).† Although this concept was some time ago, it seems far fetched because nowadays when you consider crime in our communities, it is considered sensible to have a mere reduction of crime, rather than the absence. This is true in all aspects of life, whether you are traveling or walking alone in the park at night, the most reasonable person often considers the threat of potentially being a victim of a crime. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the past policing issues and the way ahead in effective policing strategies. In addition, this paper will discuss factors that affect the increase of criminal activity, i.e. immigration and poverty. Lastly, this paper will discuss new strategy outcomes for the road ahead. Policing Issues In the past, policing strategies did not have to work so diligently against technology. During the 1940s and 1950s, the information infrastructure paled in comparison to the current day super highway we negotiate today. However, the 40s and 50s was a time where organized crime  spiked in activities such as extortion, racketeering, illegal distribution of alcohol and weapons, and other criminal activity. It is speculated that many attributes that facilitated this climb was because of the influx of immigration and the popular crime comics. The United States was and is considered a melting pot for people trying to migrate from other countries. The War Brides Act of 1945 and the Displaced Person Act of 1948 and in1950 initiated large populations of immigrants which allowed several hundred thousand immigrants from Europe, Canada and Mexico to enter the US. With little to no work for such a flooding of people, many were forced to turn to criminal activity to survive. According to the Bureau of Justice statistics (2002), â€Å"Not only does immigration contribute to the poverty that breeds crime, but many aliens have criminal careers: 29% of the inmates are aliens.† Crime comics were popular comics books produced during the earlier 40s and 50s that depicted organized outlaws and plots of gangster activity which may have possibly developed a compulsion for acts of disorder. The American Medical Association, together with five other public-health organizations, issued a joint statement on the risk of exposure to media violence (Joint Statement, 2000). It is probable that crime will continue simply due to the need for blood shed and violence on the movie screen. The effect of continued feeding of this â€Å"growing monster† by the media is not likely to decrease anytime soon. New Strategy Outcomes There have been many discussions that suggest that the future of policing criminal activity and disorder is a â€Å"fight† that can not be completely won; instead it is something that can only be reduced. There are several initiatives currently being utilized to mitigate and subsequently eradicate violence within communities. Problem–Oriented policing (POP) concepts are used as a â€Å"different approach to the complexity of the policing role.† (Walker & Katz, 2005). In an article, Professor Goldstein stated that â€Å"Problem-oriented policing places a high value on new responses that are preventive in nature, that are not dependent on the use of the criminal justice system, and that engage other public agencies, the community and the private sector when their involvement has the potential for significantly contributing to the reduction of the problem.† (Goldstein, 2001) The  key elements of POP that the police officer must focus on are: Evaluation of the problem Importance of solid analysis Developing responses Tapping in to other resources (Goldstein, 2006) This step by step process is designed as a means to deliberately and efficiently approach this concept. In the evaluation phase, the problem or the criminal activity is considered. The intent should not merely be a quick fix but identifying and dealing the source of the problem. Solid analysis is the consolidation of facts and circumstances that contribute to issues. The base problem must be completely understood during this function. Next, consider all developed and suggested responses should follow from what is learned during analysis. Lastly, the process of tapping into resources through surveying of neighborhoods and their residents, or soliciting assistance from community members and other government agencies. This will allow information sharing to take place and generate community responsibility and oversight. (Australian Institute of Criminology, 2004) Summary/Conclusion Policing strategies are used for many different means of control, discipline, and order in what is typically viewed as chaos. Policing needs of the past have changed along with the times. The reasons for policing can range from crowd control to war. Determining the underlying problems are a solid methodology in determining which policing strategies should be used. But some fundamental approaches through the utilization of POP will produce long term affects and prevent disorder by analysis and intervention strategies. The purpose of this paper was to discuss the past and present policing issues and the way ahead in effective policing strategies. In addition, this paper discussed factors that affect the increase of criminal activity, i.e. immigration and poverty. Lastly, this paper will discuss new strategy outcomes for the road ahead. Reference Australian Institute of Criminology, 2004. Retrieved on April 2007, from http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/crm/crm017.pdf Bureau of Justice and Statistics, 2002. Retrieved on April 27, 2007, from http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs Goldstein, Herman, (2006) Center for Problem-Oriented Policing. Retrieved on April 27, 2007, from http://www.popcenter.org/about-whatisPOP.htm Goldstein, Herman, (Draft).(2000) Excellence in Problem-Oriented Policing: The 2000 Herman Goldstein Award Winners Joint Statement, Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children, by America Medical Association, 2000 Policing, (2004). Dictionary.com. Retrieved March 14, 2004 from http://www.dictionary.reference.com Stephens, Gene, (2005) Policing the Future. Retrieved on April 27, 2007, from http://www.policefuturists.org/pdf/M-A2005Futurist_Stephens.pdf Walker, Samuel & Katz, Charles M. (5th Ed). (2005) The Police in America: An introduction McGraw-Hill

The requirement for employers to allow maternity leave under United Kingdom law is a disadvantage to women in the workplace.

Introduction Women in the workplace have historically struggled to be on an equal footing with men both in terms of pay and positions that they could achieve. In the U.K, where women are the majority population (51%) (ONS 2011), efforts to ease workplace discrimination and to provide equal opportunities have become central issues for political policy debates. Maternity laws exist to improve the health of newborn babies and the mother and at the same time minimize the inconvenience of working mothers while they are at such an important stage of their lives. The 2010 Equality act has provided the legal framework to end workplace discrimination and specifically addresses maternity discrimination. The Marmot review in 2010 that assessed the social determinants of health in the U.K has underscored well paid maternity and paternity leave as important for child and maternal health (Ward 2011). While government policy provides for maternity leave and benefits, availing these benefits have often disadvant aged women at the workplace. This paper will address issues surrounding maternity leave and its implications for women in the workplace. Maternity Benefits Late stages of pregnancy and postnatal care are important periods in the life of a woman and maintaining a healthy mind and body during these stages is critical for the baby’s health. Maternity leave and the maternity benefits are clearly social policies that help working women strike a balance between work and their parental role. Current policy permits women to take up to a year off from work to take care of their newly born. The regulations also permit women to return to their same jobs if they chose to within 26 weeks (The Telegraph 2014). The policy also permits women to request their employees for flexible working hours once they return to work. However, one of the stipulations is that women should take maternal leave in one block and are not allowed to break and manage their leave. These provisions are certainly essential from a social policy point of view as the Marmot review points to strong positive association between paid maternal leave and improved child health ou tcome (Ward 2001). The benefits of such policies lies in the health improvement and the potential savings on the NHS child healthcare costs (Ward 2011). While the benefits of maternal leave cannot be disputed, the current debate surrounds the continuing discrimination of women at the workplace and how maternal leave and benefits could actually contribute to preferential treatment of men over women in the labor market. Economic recession has also contributed to the increased discrimination against pregnant women. As a recent report from the U.K charity ‘Working Families’ has pointed out, there are growing number of complaints from women about pregnancy discrimination across the UK labor market (Working Families 2009). Evidence from recent surveys in the U.K of women who availed maternity leave has only confirmed the alleged discrimination against pregnant women. One survey commissioned by Slater & Gordon, one of the leading law firms in the U.K, for instance, reveals that ‘women are suffering in silence’. This survey pointed out that women are made redundant while on maternity leave and that one in seven wome n lost their jobs after availing of the leave. Among the survey participants, 40% indicated that their jobs were changed and almost half of them revealed that they were either demoted or that their working hours were cut (McVeigh 2013). As Samantha mangwana, an employment lawyer says many big organizations are part of this prevailing discrimination against pregnant women and frequently engage in out of court settlements. â€Å"I see the same major companies again and again and again, writing out these cheques – accompanied, of course, with a confidentiality clause†(McVeigh 2013). A more recent survey conducted by OnePoll on 1000 women who availed of maternity leave revealed that 30% of the women who rejoined felt that they did not fit in with their work environment anymore and that more than 40% felt that they had lack of support and only 3% of them sought legal assistance over maternity discrimination (McVeigh 2013). These surveys clearly point to the existing trend of maternity discrimination in the workplace. An early qualitative study by the ‘Equal Opportunities Commission’ reported that women on maternity leave were subjected to discrimination in various ways. Some women involved in this study reported that their employees withheld salary increases and bonuses simply because they were on maternity leave. Similarly, several women reported that their employers used the maternity leave period to create changes to their job including demoting them upon return. For instance one of the women in the study said, â€Å"I went from being a regional m anager to a store manager and had to take a ?5,000 pay cut. While I was on maternity leave they advertised â€Å"my† job and gave it to a man just as they had joked they would† (Davis et.al 2005). Evidence from these reports and surveys clearly project a worrisome picture of maternity discrimination and how availing authorized maternity leave could actually be a stumbling block for women in terms of their career prospects, promotions, pay increases and more seriously, how it could actually engender the risk of losing one’s job. A more exact picture of the prevailing scenario is the fact that since 2007 there have been more than 9000 pregnancy discrimination cases against employees across the UK. Speaking of the trend, Maria Miller, the minister for ‘Women and Equalities’, said, â€Å"It’s unacceptable that women suffer from discrimination when they become pregnant and yet many are saying that they are treated unfairly at work because of itâ⠂¬  (DCMS, 2013). A new national research at the cost of ?1m has been commissioned to assess and to address the systemic problems that have resulted in the plight for women. It is expected that the findings from this research and further policy reforms would contribute to improving the situation for pregnant working women (DCMS 2013). However, already there is some good development from the legal policy perspective that would ease the situation for women. New Parental Leave (More Choice) Given the existing problems and the resultant gender bias in the labor market it is clear that providing maternity leave and benefits as social welfare scheme , though absolutely essential from the health perspective of the newborn and the mother, has only added to the woes of women in the job market. A new and potentially improved social care policy is the proposed ‘shared parental leave’ policy which is slated to come into effect from April 2015. Under this scheme newborn baby care could be easily shared between the father and the mother. This new policy permits fathers to take paternal leave just as mothers could up to 50 weeks and also permits them to take the leave in a discontinued pattern so that mothers and fathers can alternate in caring for the newborn baby while at the same time balance their work and family. This provides an opportunity for women who want to return to work a little early not to be overly concerned or stressed out about the baby care as the fa ther could equally share the care of the newborn. Conclusion Maternity leave and maternity benefits are indispensable provisions from a pure social care perspective. These policies are in place to provide support to working women and to improve the health standards of the child and the mother. However, employers who are under pressures of poor economy are often discriminatory against pregnant women as the cost of maternity payments and the long leave of absence from work are considered to be unnecessary and avoidable costs to the company. This has resulted in women availing maternal leave to be left redundant and replaced by others. Those who return back to work are also forced to compromise their work status and compensation resulting in poor career prospects for the woman. Though maternity benefits are government policies and legal recourse is an option against maternity discrimination, barely a small percentage of affected women take that route to justice. The government has however instigated more research and has also come up with a novel and well balanced solution to the problem with the introduction of the draft for the ‘shared parental leave’. This new provision is certainly a positive step in not only balancing the gender divide but also in avoiding discrimination against women at the workplace as it provides more options for the parents to balance their time between work and baby care. References Davis S, Neathey F, Regan J & Willison R; 2005. Pregnancy discrimination at work: A qualitative study, Pregnant & Productive. Working Paper Series no 23. Pub by The Institute for Employment Studies. [Online] Available at [Accessed March 25th 2014] DCMS; 2013. ?1 million to help tackle pregnancy discrimination at the workplace, [online] Available [Accessed March 25th 2014] McVeigh T; 2013. One in seven women are made redundant after maternity leave, [online] Available at [Accessed March 25th 2014] ONS; 2011. 2011 Census: Population Estimates for the United Kingdom, [Online] Available at [Accessed March 25th 2014] The Telegraph; 2014. New Parental leave: What’s on offer for mums and dads[Online] Available at [Accessed March 25th 2014] Ward R; 2011. Health and equality impacts of well-paid parental leave, Pub by WHEC and MA. [Online] Available at [Accessed March 25th 2014] Working Families; 2009. Report of Working families helpline and Alliance against pregnancy discrimination in the workplace. Pregnant women and new mums at risk of redundancy. [Online] Available at http://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PRENANCY-DISCRIMINATION-2.pdf > [Accessed March 25th 2014]

On September 11th 2001 the world was forever changed Essay

On September 11th 2001 the world was forever changed. The horrific events, which occurred at the World Trade Centers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington and on Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, have forever altered the way Americans view their safety. Every household in the U.S. tuned in to the news on TV, radio, or Internet to see how the world was being twisted in front of their eyes. These events dramatically proved that the United States, the greatest nation in the world, was no longer safe from outside threats. . The stock market crash of 1929, which led to the depression, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the terrorist attacks of September 11th were all unexpected events that no one could have predicted but had such dramatic effects that they can never be forgotten. All three events seem to be categorized together for a few simple reasons. To the average American citizen these horrendous events were unforeseen, but noted historians would beg to differ. They believe in such instances as Pearl Harbor, The stock market crash of 1929, and September 11th, that the government and many political figures were forewarned. If they had taken their admonitions more seriously and acted upon them, historians believe that they could have at least made the consequent effects minimal. There were several proceedings that should have elicited American retaliation. It is said that Bin laden himself declared war on America in 1996. In the early 90’s, The World Trade Center was car bombed, and Osama Bin Laden was the primary suspect for this assault. Even after that incident no one saw Bin laden as a serious threat and didn’t think his dangerous ways could jeopardize our countries well being as a whole. After the attack of September 11th it seems the unification of the American people became so strong it’s virtually indissoluble. Our previously fragile society became a link so strong we believe it can’t be touched by the outside perils of the world. The rise in Nationalism came about in a wave of red white and blue colors. It seemed every face in America was painted with the stars and stripes of our grand old flag. Our countries banner was now the latest fashion; closets were overflowing with the celebrated colors of our patriotic nation. Every news station put American flags on their lapels, and waving red, white and blue graphics were put on most channels. Many well-known Hollywood figures and successful businesses put together charities benefiting the victims and families affected by September 11. September 11 mended our nations pride and restored our dignity. Such a strong sense of nationalism can easily be compared to that of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, when East and West Germany celebrated their reunion as one, after being isolated for so long. Subsequent to September 11, the United States faced many abrupt transformations as far as pastimes, lifestyles, and entertainment goes. There were a few noticeable differences from the changes following WWII, to those of September 11th. For example, Baseball, the great American pastime was brought to a standstill after September 11, where as Roosevelt motivated people to go to baseball games, and had baseball play a part in the healing of the country. Another difference from 9-11 was that after Pearl Harbor, and the crash of 1929, there were severe cut backs and limitations on how much of certain commodities, such as gasoline and sugar, the average American could use. The difference now is that we are currently at war with the oil capitals of the world. The gas prices are booming and don’t appear to be coming down any time soon; however, this does not stop the typical egotistic American from buying a brand new fuel consuming SUV. Racism is another topic that has been significantly affected by September 11th .In WWII we knew who the enemy was, it was strictly the Japanese and Germans, however, now it’s a â€Å"pin the tail on the donkey†1 mentality. After Pearl Harbor many Japanese men were put into internment camps to be interrogated for information and kept there, that did not happen after 9-11 however, many Arabs were questioned and racial profiling became a major issue. There was also a great deal of hate crimes aimed at the Arab race and people who had the visual characteristics of the middle-eastern inhabitants. The U.S. was unsure of which persons were solely responsible for the crimes, therefore no individual has the right to go pointing their fingers at any particular group, But the stereotyping and profiling still persists. . Exactly one year after Pearl Harbor the stock market had climbed up to almost where it was before (within 10%) now we are suffering a recession because of 9-11. Another fact is that before Pearl Harbor, the country was just coming out the depression and wasn’t even fully out. The war effort boosted production. 9-11 happened right when the US was at its prime in the economy and the attack destroyed industry and commercial enterprises. Also the government suspended a monopoly trial against GE so that it would not hurt the war effort. After 9-11 the government focused on companies such as Enron and WorldCom. Noticeably there are numerous features of September 11th that could be considered. However, It would be virtually impossible to cover all the aspects and phases of such an important date. September 11th, 2001 was a horribly significant date in not only American history but in world history as well. It brought back horrific memories of such instances as The Bombing of Pearl harbor and can even be compared to the hardships and struggles of The Stock Market Crash of 1929. As a result, the American people came together as one in a battle we like to call the â€Å"war on terrorism† 2. It is obvious this war may be infinite but it is worth the struggle, just knowing, in the future we may perhaps avoid such devastating events. As James Baldwin once wrote â€Å"A country is only as strong as the people who make it up and the country turns into what the people want it to become†¦we made the world we’re living in and we have to make it over.† 3 I think we should all recollect on the events step by step of September 11th, and take into mind, the advice that Baldwin has given us. Someday our country can completely overcome all of its vulnerability and end any chances of a date like this form reoccurring. Bibliography: www.time.com/archives/911 www.encarta.com/911 www.bostonherald.com/911/media www.bostonherald.com/911/race www.american-history.com/history/september11.mgi www.alternet.org/story.html ENDNOTES: 1. Lauren mills, a noted historian currently attending B.H.S. September 15th 2002. 2. George W. Bush Jr., AlterNet: One Year Later: Unintended Consequences of 9/11 and the war on terrorism. War against Iraq pg 3 3. James Baldwin, AlterNet: Before and After Septemeber11 True courage pg. 5

CCOT Analysis Essay

The Indian Ocean was a significant division of water that was bounded primarily by the Indian Subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, and eastern Africa. Many changes occurred over time in the area, especially from 500 BCE and 1400 CE. The interaction of Buddhism and Confucianism altered, increased wealth came to new towns and ports, and population increased due to advancements in technology. Though there were many changes, many things stayed constant in the region. The Indian Ocean region continued to keep many economic/religious factors the same, such that Islamic world continued to spread and exotic goods remained as the basis of trade. Buddhism and Confucianism were the main religious views in the Indian Ocean region. They both flourished initially keeping a stable ratio, but Buddhism began to diminish during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty based their civil service exams on Confucianism, which as a result led to more focus on Confucianism and later to the downfall of Buddhism. Interactions between developing trade routes led to city popularity, wealth and success. Such cities include, Cairo, Quilon, and Melaka, which became major factors in Afro-Eurasian trade. Technology in the region also led to many different changes in the Indian Ocean region. The three-field crop rotation rapidly changed the rise of cities. Since they were now able to grow dissimilar crops in the same area, more food and trade products came about. As urbanization increased, simultaneously, rural areas increased system also played a big role. As cities grew, they began to prosper. Agriculture boomed and therefore more opportunities for merchants were available as trade was excellent in the area. Many significant transitions and alterations occurred in the Indian Ocean region, which encouraged, primarily, economics, religion, and city success. Coming from the changes that occurred, many things also did remain the same in the Indian Ocean region. Islam continued to spread throughout the division. Trade relations have existed between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent, which linked the Indian Subcontinent to the Islamic world. On top of Islam’s prosperous spreading, Indian trade was still and is still based on exotic goods. A good example of this could be how gold, slaves, silk, and spices were traded at around 150 CE, as well as 700-1000 CE. These constants were significant for the foundation of the regions trade, and the rise of a new religion. The Indian Ocean region had many changes and continuities that all occurred over time. Some changes were made including the rise of cities and trade, and the fall of Buddhism. The continuities include the constant spread of the Islamic world, and the same basis of trade; exotic goods. These factors all shaped the region building a stronger base of advancement demographically, culturally, and economically.

African American culture

African American Culture The African American culture is one of the more diverse cultures out there. Many of these people practice different beliefs. African Americans live in all parts of the world and just like other cultures African Americans have people that live in what is considered poverty some that are considered middle class and some considered upper class. African Americans come with a lot of interesting thing like the language they speak which is called Ebonics and all the different stereotypes with black American some being negative and some positive. There are three main religions practiced in the black American culture. The first is the most common and that is Christianity, Which is known as the black church. Christianity started back in the slavery days. Many slaves that were brought over were stripped of the African belief system and denied free religious practice; this forced them to become Christians. However slaves managed to hold onto some practices by putting them into Christian worship in secret meetings that were held. These practices include dancing, shouts and African rhythms and enthusiastic singing. Another religion practice in the black culture is Islam. Islam was founded in Detroit Michigan in the 1930’s by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad. Many blacks converted to Islam because they believed that Christianity was what the white slave owners used to control the minds of blacks. Today Islam in the black community is made up of black Americans that come from various backgrounds. The last most common religious practice is Judaism. There are a little over 150,000 African Americans that practice Judaism today. Some of these are members to mainstream Jewish groups like the reform, conservative, or orthodox branches of Judaism. Others belong to non-mainstream Jewish groups like black Hebrew Israelites. The socioeconomic status in black American is a lot different from other status in the American culture, somewhat to the lower end. The median of income in the African American families is just over 34,218, the lowest of any racial group. One out of every five black families lives in poverty. Black men in America hold the highest rate for unemployment, nearly doubling for Caucasian men. Black men that are employed have the second highest median earnings of any other minority group. Single black women with children median income is 29,958. Nearly one out of every three black households is headed by a single woman, highest in female-headed households. Forty percent of the black single mothers are considered poor. African Americans make up 12. 9 percent of the United States population. They are the second largest minority population, following Hispanics. Majority of the blacks live in the south totaling up 55. 6 percent of the black population. The top three states being Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia. The state that has the highest population of African Americans is New York. The African American culture is much bigger than a micro culture. This is because a micro-culture is a small group of people who share the same values, beliefs, and behaviors. The reason why the African American culture is not a micro culture is because there are all types of black Americans of all different types just like any other race. For example you have African Americans the practice different religions. You also have black Americans that come from all over the United States in different cities and neighborhoods with different ways of living and growing up. There are a few concepts in the text that are relevant to the African American culture. The first concept is one of the biggest and that is stereotyping. The systematic study of racial and ethnic stereotypes began in the United States in the 1930s with a study conducted by David Katz and Kenneth Braly. They presented college students with a list of 84 adjectives (lazy, ignorant, and stupid. ) and the traits that came up for black Americans were superstitious, lazy, happy go luck, ignorant, musical, religious. They found out all those traits came up consistently on each students list. Since then there has been a number of different researchers that have replicated Katz and Braly work. In today’s world you find and still here a lot of the stereotypes such as blacks are more athletic, their very loud, they all live in bad neighborhoods, they don’t work. There are a lot of different explanations and ideas why stereotypes on African Americans seem to dominate people’s way of thinking. For example stereotypes are well established in children’s memories well before they acquire the intellectual ability to question or evaluate them. By seeing how parents act and talk about the black community. We also get stereotype ideas by what is on the television and movies now days. The movies and shows always seem to try to make the â€Å"stereotypical† black man or woman. Another Concept that is relevant to the black American culture is the Black English dialect, and Ebonics. A primary way in which members of culture group define themselves and establish in-group and out-group identities is through verbal language. African American differs in their use of language, which is labeled as â€Å"Black language†, â€Å"Black Dialect†. The term Ebonics was first brought up in 1973 and refers to a grammatically complex African American speech pattern. Ebonics or Black language is a unique language created by the slaves. According to John Rickford an Ebonics scholar. He explains Ebonic pronunciations include the omission of the final consonant in words like pas (past) or han (hand) and the pronouncement of the vowel in words like my ride (mah rahd). Overall the African American speech acts are more animated, lively, and forceful than a lot of other cultures speeches. The last relevant concept that will be discussed is the culture and cognition. Culture and cognition refers to people from different areas and backgrounds and how they view and see things. This comes into play with African Americans that grow up in poverty or live with a single parent. Even though this can be associated with any race and culture its more likely with black Americans. With watching an interview on real sports with Bryan Gumble there was a black American on there and he explained the difference between black children growing up and every other culture you had to focus on only one thing to get out of poverty, his reference was â€Å"the hood†. He explained that growing up the only thing that could get black children out of the hood was sports. It wasn’t good grades and doing well in school because that was just a bonus. He said good grades wouldn’t pay for college but a football or basketball scholarship would. By all that he didn’t think a lot of other cultures had to worry about those things, that’s what made African American think and act different in different situations. In conclusion, the African American culture has many different religions they practice; they stay in all parts of the United States and just like multiple other cultures, people seem to stereotype. All in all the African American culture is one of the more diverse cultures out there.