Study of the Namibian Border war and the Angolan bush war (1966 - 1989) The WritePass Journal

Study of the Namibian Border war and the Angolan bush war (1966 - 1989) Introduction Study of the Namibian Border war and the Angolan bush war (1966 1989) IntroductionConclusionRelated Introduction The South African Border war, which is sometimes also referred to as the Namibian Border War and Angolan Bush War, lasted between the years 1966 to 1989.   (Source F)   During this period the government of South Africa sent hundreds of thousands of men to go and fight in the war at the Namibian and Angolan borders. (Source B- pg. vii)   What was the government’s motive for this?   It was truly an attempt by the government to keep Communism and certain parties out of the country and also to keep control of the States she owned. (Source G)   But what negative psychological effects did this military service have on the men and their families and how permanent were they?   The soldiers were badly mentally affected and some of their memories still haunt them today. (Source C) The effects were negative and permanent. The South African Border War was really part of the Namibian War of Independence and ultimately a result of the Cold War which started in Europe in the 1940’s all the way to the late 1990’s. (Source F)   It took place in Southern Africa, involving South Africa, Namibia and Angola. (Source F)   Angola, Cuba, SWAPO, Zambia, other independent countries and Umkhonto we Sizwe were against South Africa and UNITA. (Source F)   Russia supported the Communist States and America supported South Africa because they were against Communism. (Source F)   This relates to America’s policy of containment.   The ANC were in exile in Angola and South Africa wanted to keep them out of the country because they were thought to be Communist. (Source F)   When the war ended, South Africa and Cuba withdrew from Angola, and Namibia got independence.   However, a Civil War in Angola continued all the way until 2002. (Source F) This shows the origin of the conflict in Southern Africa and why the SA government did conscription. The Cold War began in Europe and was a fight between Communism and Capitalism, initially starting with Russia and America, but then spread to the rest of the world and it was thought by the anti Communist states that they needed to contain Communism before it spread further.   This was called America’s policy of containment. (Source G)   This is why South Africans were told that they were to fight against Communism. (Source D) This is why the SA government did conscription. The Angolan war began when the super powers of the world, although they were not directly interested in it, used the battleground for Cold War rivalry. (Source G)   â€Å"Other countries became independent in the 1950’s and 1960’s and so the Portuguese wanted to keep control over Angola.   This resulted in wars between the Portuguese and Angolan liberation groups. (Source G)   In 1974 army officers in Portugal overthrew the governing Portuguese dictator in order to end the futile wars and bring independence. (Source G)   In Angola there were 3 main rival liberation groups, namely MPLA, FNLA and UNITA. (Source G)   Before elections, outside powers got involved. (Source G)   America provided arms to FNLA and UNITA, against MPLA.   America wanted to join South Africa in the war in order to regain their status after their defeat in Vietnam.† (Source G)   South Africa invaded Angola in 1975 for its oils and minerals. (Source G)   SA was against MPLA and it was thought that they would be able to take over Namibia, which was a South African state. (Source G)   â€Å"South Africa wanted to capture Luanda after occupying large areas of Angola.† (Source G)   The economy of Angola suffered badly and the war only ended finally in 2002. (Source G) This shows the origin of the conflict in Southern Africa and why the SA government did conscription. In order to keep things under control, the South African government needed to send some soldiers to the Namibian and Angolan borders to prevent Communism, the ANC and SWAPO from entering the country. (Source D)   The South African government and the SADF were against guerrilla warfare used by SWAPO. (Source D)   The government kept them out by means of conscription. (Source B- pg. vii) This shows why and how the South African government dealt with the enemy. All white males aged 17, 18 and 19 had to go and do military service after they finished school. (Source A)   It was compulsory and was expected of the boys as they grew up with the war. (Source A)   You needed to go and do military service for 2 years after which you could go and begin your studies at university. (Source A)   The only way you could get out of doing your military service was if you failed to pass a medical examination, had permission to continue university education before your service or by conscientious objection, in which case you would be thrown into jail. (Source A3)   Each boy had to fill out forms at school (Source A1) and their families were sent a telegraph (Source A2) or a formal military letter. (Source A3)   They knew that they needed to go and do military service as it was expected of them and some of their relatives had previously gone too.   It was something they grew up with, if they were entered at a later stage in the war. (Source A1)   After 2 years of military service, you could leave. (Source A)   The boys needed to purchase a few items, e.g. an iron, and then the parents would take them to a place where they were told to gather and when they were told to gather by the telegraph. (Source A2)   The parents then had to leave and the boys were taken to their specific sector to do their basic training.  Ã‚   Two examples are Ian and Gavin McAlpine who were conscripted at age 18 and 19.   Ian needed to get on a truck to go to Pretoria and Gavin got on a train to go to Kimberley. (Source A)   This confirms that there were splits between families.   Jeremy, aged 18 at the time, says â€Å"It was the worst day of my life†. This shows how the government of SA conscripted soldiers into the war. It was a sad time and the soldiers felt scared and didn’t know what to do next and what was going to happen next. (Source A)   When they got to their sectors for basic training they were only told of the fact that they needed to fight Communism and were sometimes shown powerful images as a form of propaganda. (Sources A B- pg.63)   Chris, who was aged 17 at the time, says â€Å"The horror was nauseating.† (Source B- pg. 63)   The rest of the world was also not told of the true reason behind the war and were only told that it was a fight against Communism. (Source A) There was also control of the media so that the public would not be allowed to be well informed. (Source A2) This meant that they did not know that what they were getting involved in might have been bad. They could not object because they were convinced by the propaganda that they were doing right by fighting the enemy. This shows how the government prevented knowledge of why they did conscription. â€Å"The army was not easy† – Ian (Source A1) and the process of basic training and physical activity was difficult and humiliating at times.   It often involved bringing them down in order to build them up as a team. (Source A1)   â€Å"Seeing boys cry because they could not take it anymore was not fun† – Ian (Source A1) and the war broke soldiers.   However, â€Å"it was necessary to just put on a brave face and become tougher or else you would not survive.†- Ian. (Source A1) This shows how the soldiers were personally affected at the time they were in the army, which was negatively. A boy would be sent to a specific sector that the army thought they would be good in or they would be sent to a specific sector if they had any previous qualifications. (Source A)   The men could have communication with their families when they were granted leave and could go home, ‘phoned when it was necessary, saw their parents on open days for them to visit and the parents corresponded regularly and sent postcards over to their children. (Source A3)   However, this was not done through the army itself. (Source A3)   The army did not offer any psychological assessments or treatment to the soldiers –duits. (Source C)   Soldiers felt angry and disappointed that they were placed in situations against their will and sad about what happened to their fellow soldiers. (Source A2)   Afrikaans generals looked over the men and did regular inspections. (Source B- pgs. 50, 21 22)   Soldiers learnt that they need to iron perfectly and have perfectly made beds, and they sometimes didn’t even sleep in them. (Source B- pgs. 21 22)   Some of the soldiers weren’t even interested in the politics and basic training brings back bad memories for the soldiers.   They were treated badly, but the experiences were worse for the men who did the fighting and saw the death of friends and the enemy. (Source A2) This shows the negative and permanent effects on the soldiers. However, skills that the soldier previously had helped them to an extent e.g. Scouting. (Source A1 B- pg. 46) Although Scouting was very different to the war, it helped the boys who were Scouts and gave them an advantage as they would be more independent, strong and have bush craft knowledge already. Soldiers had to do mortar training and Ian experienced a friend being blown up during this training. (Source A1)   The soldiers did patrols of villages. (Source B- pg. 218) These patrols were violent and gruesome and negatively affected the soldiers. The confrontation in the battlefield was terrible. The amount of casualties was large.   â€Å"All told my armour squadron lost 12 guys with a further 20 casevacs.† -Jaycee. (Source C)   â€Å"The horror and fright one experiences in contacts and large ops is all too real.† – Scottman (Source C) Soldiers felt horrible about doing things â€Å"It was instrumental in making me think: this is not for me.† – Anonymous. (Source B pg. 218) However, the war experiences were worse for the soldiers who battled than the others. (Sources A B) This shows how the soldiers were affected by the war and the events they experienced. When their sons were conscripted it was a sad time for the parents but it was necessary for them to put on a brave face. (Source A3)   Parents were heartbroken and scared for their children. (Source A3) Although parents dealt with it in different ways because one is surrounded by so many different opinions at the time and they had to think positively. (Source A3) Parents always worried because there was always a risk for their children. (Sources A3 4)   It was difficult for a parent if both their sons had to leave at the same time. (Source A4)   Parents felt apprehensive. (Source A4)   The government was really supporting white privilege on top of protecting the country from Communism. (Source A4) This shows how the parents were affected by the war. There are some soldiers and parents who do not think negatively about the war now.  Ã‚   The parents have relief that their children came back unscathed, if they did. (Source A3) Some soldiers do not have memories which haunt them (Source A2) and they say that the war made men out of them. (Source A1)   Some parents believe that it gave their sons responsibility and disciplined attitudes, which they still use today. (Sources A3 C)  Ã‚   Memories are not vivid today for some soldiers and their families. (Source A4) This means that people are beginning to lose the gruesome and painful details of the war and so are getting over things. This shows that some people may not be permanently and negatively affected still today. But some soldiers and their families are still haunted by the memories of their experiences. (Source C) â€Å"They only ‘struck contact’ once in this entire time, but that was enough to wean him off war forever.† –eJay. (Source C) It had lasting effects on the men.   â€Å".some of the experiences I went through, and witnessed, during the Mau Mau war do sometimes come back to give me nightmares!† –Neso. (Source C) Although this was in Kenya, some South African men could still feel this way too. â€Å"Although I did not recognise it at the time, it really had a profound effect on me.† – Jaycee. (Source C) The long term effects could be physical injuries, emotional wrecks, people who committed suicide, having violent nightmares and marriages did not last. (Source C)   They were bitter days.   (Source C)   After the war a medal was awarded to anyone who had spent 55 days doing continuous service on the Border. (Source B)      This shows the negative, permanent effects of the war on some soldiers. People have different takes on war nowadays.   Some believe that war doesn’t solve anything (Source A1) and that we should negotiate instead of resorting to violence.   (Source A3)   â€Å"Old men start wars, young men fight and die in them.†Ã‚   –Ian. (Source A1) Whereas some people are not against war, provided it is used to protect a country. (Source A2)   There was a struggle for liberation and war in Northern Namibia and Angola and it deeply affected the South African people, their children and society.   (Source E)   At the present day, however, â€Å"South Africans are rediscovering and re evaluating a turbulent past and its permutations†.   â€Å"They are reliving sensitive, angular optics†.   Yvonne Mokgoro, Constitutional Court of South Africa.   (Source E)  Ã‚  Ã‚   This shows the different opinions on war from the perspective of soldiers and their families. It also shows that some soldiers and their families are not s till negatively and permanently affected today, and some are. Conclusion It has been shown how and why the South African government conscripted soldiers into the South African Border War. It has also been shown that the time in which the soldiers served the military was a terrible time that has negative and positive aspects to it and it will still affect some soldiers today, and some not.   Most in a negative and permanent way, but some do not have vivid memories.   It has also been shown that the South African government did not consider the young soldiers in their fight against Communism.

Dative Bond Definition (Coordinate Bond)

Dative Bond Definition (Coordinate Bond) A covalent bond forms when two atoms share electrons. The electron pair is attracted to both atomic nuclei, holding them together to form a bond. In a typical covalent bond, each atom supplies an electron to form the bond. A dative bond is a covalent bond between two atoms where one of the atoms provides both electrons that form the bond. A dative bond is also known as a dipolar bond or coordinate bond. In a diagram, a dative bond is indicated by drawing an arrow pointing from the atom that donates the lone electron pair toward the atom that accepts the pair. The arrow replaces the usual line that indicates a chemical bond. Key Takeaways: Dative Bond A dative bond is a 2-center, 2-electron covalent bond in which both electrons come from the same atom.A dative bond is also called a coordinate covalent bond or a coordinate bond.Dative bonds are common when metal ions bind to ligands. Dative Bond Example Dative bonds are commonly seen in reactions involving hydrogen (H) atoms. For example, when hydrogen chloride dissolves in water to make hydrochloric acid, a dative bond is found in the hydronium ion: H2O HCl → H3O Cl- The hydrogen nucleus is transferred to the water molecule to form hydronium, so it does not contribute any electrons to the bond. Once the bond is formed, there is no difference between a dative bond and an ordinary covalent bond. Source Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan. Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann, 1997, Oxford.

Research questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Research questions - Assignment Example That is when I thought social media could actually be an opposite of social and does not make people sociable. Information on this will be easily gathered from my peers and other internet resources. After watching the movie â€Å"John Doe Vigilante,† I was left with too many unanswered questions after I got some enlightening from the movie. The vigilante at some point, in police custody and awaiting court’s verdict, asks where we draw a line between a vigilante and soldiers. They all work for a noble course, but a vigilante will be prosecuted for fighting for the justice of those that the system cannot do justice. In war, many innocent people suffer, including women and children. When do we justify the work of our soldiers as a noble course, where do we draw the line? War journals and articles discussing aftermath of war will be a good place to start while looking for information on this topic. Whenever we do a module that deals with Gender equity and gender equality, I cannot help but think that these two terms are contradictory. In our definition, Gender equity implies to efforts of allocating resources, decision-making, and programs fairly to both females and males and addressing any imbalances on sex basis. Gender equality means all sexes are equal. There is, therefore, contradiction in that we give some sexes what seems to be a free pass to address the imbalances and at the same time, assert that all sexes are equal. Shouldn’t all sexes be treated by order of merit? Should there be posts such as Women Representative in some governments? The internet will be an ideal place to gather information on this

Business to Business Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business to Business Markets - Essay Example In the case of business-to-business, a manufacturer offers more attention to the requirements and demands of the wholesalers or retailers so as to retain its image and reputation in the market. Apart from this, in order to enhance its profitability and image in the market, a wholesaler needs to understand and identify all the changing requirements and preferences of the retailers or customers. This might facilitate the wholesaler to enhance its reliability and consistency within the minds of the customers thereby amplifying its profit margin and total revenue as well. Along with this, it might also amplify help an organization or a wholesaler to develop a good relationship with its customers or retailers thereby reducing its business risks. So, implementation of such a technique is extremely effective for any business enterprise or wholesaler to retain its portfolio in the market in future days (Christensen, 2003).  Moreover, it might help the wholesaler to enhance its position and dependency within the minds of the retailers and customers that may boost its portfolio in the market among others. For example: if a retailer or customer offers more concentration over the orange juices without pulps, then the wholesaler might place both pulpy as well as non-pulpy juices within his outlets. Only then, all the attributes or desires of the customers or retailers are offered equal weight-age so that the rate of switchover may be lowered as described by a non-compensatory model of marketing. Such a tactic is used to attract a wide range of customers or retailers towards the wholesaler thereby amplifying its market share and popularity among other rival players.

Glacier Inn Essay Example for Free

Glacier Inn Essay Our strategy map for the Glacier Inn focuses on the four main dimensions of a business: a financial perspective, a customer perspective, an internal process perspective, and a learning and growth perspective. Each dimension plays a critical part in establishing a strong unified culture, and documents the primary objectives within the organization. For 2004, Glacier Inn has two main goals: to increase profitability and cash flow. The map outlined in Appendix A demonstrates how we will use these four dimensions to facilitate and implement different measures to achieve the desired strategies. With regards to the financial perspective, Glacier Inn can focus on a growth of revenue strategy and productivity strategy. In order to increase revenue, your main focus is to increase the capacity and quality of the hotel. We also believe there are other possible sources of revenue that could be implemented in order to further your capacity to generate income. Because Glacier Inn has such a short season and window of opportunity to make a profit, it is crucial that you make the most out of those winter months by enhancing your productivity and efficiency. The Glacier Inn is part of the service industry, and customer satisfaction plays an integral role in the success of your organization. Your vision statement is centered on delivering more than just place to spend the night; you are providing an experience, an experience of unmatched value and satisfaction. To achieve this, we believe that centering your organization around the culture of the First Nations people will be creating memories and providing adventures. Providing your customers with an unrivaled experience will include outdoor activities, traditional meals, quality service, native art work, individualized rooms, etc. Not only will these add value to the business and differentiate Glacier Inn from other Ice Hotels, but they can also serve as another source of revenue to aid in our revenue growth strategy. The internal process perspective is another important role in our strategy mapping. One of your main goals is to increase occupancy at the Glacier Inn, and we feel that it is important to focus the marketing efforts on the adventure campaign. Glacier Inn needs to showcase their unique business offerings inspired by nature, art, and culture. Due to the nature of the business, it is difficult for Glacier Inn to attract skilled and competent employees. With the development of an effective hiring and training process that also supports the culture that Glacier Inn is trying to create, they will be able to better serve their target market by attracting and retaining customers. Innovation is a key part of your internal process controls, and Glacier Inn wants to be working with ice experts for the development of different and unique ice themes. The final dimension of the Glacier Inn Strategy Map deals with a learning and growth perspective. In order to expand and advance within the entertainment industry, we want to mentor employee proficiency by working with and training the first nation’s people; by incorporating and encouraging culture both internally and externally; and by advancing with new technology through partnering with local colleges and universities in order to generate new innovations in ice making and preservation. All of these dimensions feedback and tie in with what Glacier Inn is trying to accomplish and what their vision is for the company. Issues Another issue that you have acknowledged is the restraint of hiring skilled and competent staff. The Glacier Inn is only open during the winter months, which makes it difficult to attract qualified and experienced employees. Glacier Inn is providing an experience of culture and excitement for their customers. Why not provide the same atmosphere for its employees. In the end, it’s not just about the money. Employees will be able to enjoy the same lifestyle and adventure that this environment has to offer. Glacier Inn can also invest in effective industry training programs to help and support the success of their hired personnel. We also want to address your concerns over changing the staff bonus plan. Currently, bonuses are being determined by profits alone. We agree that the implementation of the 2004 scorecard will provide a great method of measuring employee achievement. The balanced scorecard will provide feedback on whether the strategy is working to impact organizational performance. By measuring employees based subjectively on their scorecard execution, staff will be motivated and empowered to work in the best interests for themselves as well as the company. With employees being measured based on the strategy and implementation of Glacier Inn’s critical success factors, you can ensure that those goals become fundamental to their success as well. Employees are able to focus their attention on what matters most to the success of the organization. The Glacier Inn Hotel has another concern without the seasonal revenues. There is only a short window of opportunity to make profits, from January 4th to April 15th, and is primarily determined by the warming of the weather which can shorten this window. To off set the decrease in revenues in the summer, the hotel can offer customers a chance to stay in touch with nature. Two innovations will be needed to accomplish this, hiring of experienced outdoor staff and the building of year round facilities on the property. By offering summer outdoor actives such as fishing, hiking, and canoeing on guided tours the Glacier Inn can attract year round revenues. Also having facilities built on the property will allow customers places to stay in the summer as well as a warm place or customers to stay in the winter if they are not interested in sleeping in the cold rooms. Lastly, Glacier Inn hHotel lacks a specific measures, targets, and personal initiatives that are clear to the employes of the company. These need to be clearly defined to enhance the strategy and culture that needs to be wolves into the company. We have recommended a possible strategy map that can facilitate these initiatives. We have also chosen a proposition on how the Glacier Inn can continually add value and increase customer satisfaction. We included below a detailed plan of additional initiatives of adding customers value. Customer Value proposition Glacier Inn has competitors in more than just the hotel industry; it is competing with other forms of entertainment as well. The direct industry competitors of Glacier Inn Hotel are the hotel chains in the area, such as Super 8 Motel that offer a place to sleep and eat at a low price. However they do not offer an individualized customer experience. Glacier Inn also competes with other forms of entertainment in Northern Ontario. Places such as Moose Cree Outdoor Discoveries Adventures, which offers outdoor activities incorporated with the culture of the area. However, this experience is easily replicated. We believe that if Glacier Inn could combine the value of both of these industries into one unique location. The hotel must be unique. We have chosen product leadership as our way of adding value to customer offerings. Our recommendations for implementing this customer value from the hotel would be: Three Main Concepts For Product Leadership 1. Cree culture could be used to attract many customers foreign and domestic that are looking for a Canadian experience or wish to discover more about the first nations of Canada. Through cultural story telling, traditional foods, also traditional artwork and ices museum in the hotel lobby a broad audience can be drawn to the hotel. This will also allow the area to maintain its cultural identity and uniqueness while informing others. 2. The Glacier Inn could also offer outdoor winter activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and wilderness sight seeing. Acquiring equipment traditional foods (maple syrup). When guests arrive at the hotel, staff could ask two questions: What do you want to experience? What are you not looking for? So that customers do feel pushed or pressured into experiences that’s are out of their fitness level. 3. Lastly, we believe that the individualized rooms will be an excellent way to attract customers to stay in each room. By pre-planning and designing each rooms theme the hotel can attract more customer to stay in the rooms overnight rather than just visiting the hotel for the day. Also ice sculptures will add a unique finishing touch to each room and can be a way of individualizing each room.

Volcanic Activity at Yellowstone :: essays research papers

Yellowstone is a national park covering 3,468 square miles in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana and it is elevated 8,000 feet from the ground on a plateau. But is there still present volcanic hazard in Yellowstone? The park is covered with over 10,000 geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and travertine terraces, perhaps caused by a ?hot spot? that it overlies. A violent history suggests equally as devastating future volcanic activity, underground forces are causing the landscape to change and geysers to become more active. The real question is, if a super volcanic explosion took place, would human life exist as we know it ever again? The history of volcanic activity at Yellowstone starts with its first eruption at Huckleberry Ridge 2.1 million years ago, the leftovers reached as far as Iowa and central Texas. Then 800,000 years later, another eruption took place in Mesa Falls creating Henry Fork Caldera near Park, Montana. The last eruption took place 630,000 years ago, called the Lava Creek eruption, spewing 240 cubic miles of debris, and spreading as far as Louisiana and California. Hidden underneath the park, powerful volcanic, magnetic, and hydrothermal forces are reforming the land. Several earthquakes, uplifting, and subsidence of the landscape proves that these powers exist. Recent studies have caused scientists to think that Yellowstone could be growing larger as flowing molten rock builds up below the ground. In a period of 10 years, the volcano has risen 5 inches, not a significantly detectable difference, but it may have split the ground in the Norris Geyser Bassin that could reawaken some of the geysers, like the Steamboat. In spite of this newly found information, scientists do not speculate the volcano erupting any time soon, but with time, it will end with a super natural disaster, destroying everything in its path When Yellowstone does erupt, the United states could be covered in 3 feet of ash from the eruption. First, the pyroclastic flow would swallow most of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Then, like Yellowstone eruptions have done before, the world would fall into a freezing, winter lasting around 10 years. Mass famine would take place all around the world as the eruption would have devastated the agriculture, effecting the food.

Applied Linguistics Essay

Second language learning has always become an important work-field both in schools and other private sectors dealing with language teaching and learning process especially in the time of global integration. It is a complex activity involving a mix of internal factors such as age, aptitude, motivation, personality, or learning strategies†¦and external factors such as socio-economic and cultural background, learning and teaching contexts†¦ All these factors play a very important role in learners? success in acquiring and using a second language. Thus, learners’ second language achievement can be greatly improved when teachers have a better understanding of the learner, of the learning process and of the variables that may help or hinder learner’s language achievement. Because of the limited size of this article, I am going to discuss some of the most important factors affecting learner’s second language achievement: motivation, age, personality, social and cultural factor in order to analyze what stimulates successful language learning and what places obstacles in the learner’ s path to language proficiency. II. DEVELOPMENT II. 1. Some factors affecting learner’s L2 achievement II. 1. 1. Internal factors II. 1. 1. 1. Motivation It is undeniable that motivation is one of the major factors in deciding the learner’s failure or success in second language achievement. Motivation is a kind of desire for learning. It is very difficult to teach a second language in a learning environment if the learner does not have a desire to learn a language. Reece & Walker (1997) stress that a less able student who is highly motivated can achieve greater success than the more intelligent student who is not well motivated. In this article, we are concerned with motivation related to foreign language teaching and learning. Wilkins (1972) points out that â€Å"motivation is not a general covert term for possibly distinct concept such as energy, interest and enjoyment, but instead, restricted to the degree of willingness to learn which depends largely on the learner’s needs in learning the language. Psychologists have distinguished two major types of motivation which play an important role in determining how willing the learner is to persevere with the task: instrumental and integrative motivation The first motivation will be discussed is instrumental motivation. It is generally characterized by the desire to obtain something practical or concrete from the study of a second language (Hudson 2000). With instrumental motivation, the purpose of language acquisition is more utilitarian, such as meeting the requirements for school or university graduation, applying for a job, requesting higher pay based on language ability, reading technical material, translation work or achieving higher social status. Instrumental motivation is often characteristic of second language acquisition, where little or no social integration of the learner into a community using the target language takes place. According to Richards (1976) simply learning a language to acquire course credits, or to carry out a limited range of tasks that do not involve the learner in close face – to – face interaction ( for example a person learning enough English to sell souvenirs to tourists does not generally lead to a high degree of accomplishment in learning). However, in recent years, according to Brown (1977), he stated that Indian English is one example of a variety of English which can be acquired very successful for instrumental reasons alone. Another motivation will be taken into consideration is integrative motivation. According to Gardner and Lambert (1959), this kind of motivation means learning a language because the learner wishes to identify himself with or become integrated in the society whose language it is. It has generally been thought that integrative motivation is the more powerful of the two because it implies a desire to integrate with speakers of the target language. Instrumentally oriented students would be expected to acquire the second language only to the point where their instrumented goals were satisfied. It is likely that when the learner merely wanted to be able to buy food and take public transportation he could achieve those goals with a very low level of proficiency in the second language and if the learner had to use the target language in his professional life, his level of learning would be much higher. Learners with integrative motivation view the language as a key to social and cultural enrichment through the opportunities to provide for association with members of a different culture. Then their goal in learning the language is to be able to use the language as a means of  communication and also for acceptance by the people who speak the language. Such motivation often leads to high accomplishment. In settings such as Vietnam, learners who learn English for special purposes have a great deal of instrumental motivation to acquire English in order to be able to be applied for a good job with a high salary. They learn English very fast just because they want to communicate orally, in a very simple English with other speakers of English. In Vietnam, English is a compulsory subjects so almost all of students learn English just to pass the exam. Thus, the type of language learned namely forms as mainly for communicative use will be directly affected by the type of examination students need to pass. As a result, it is likely that learners will not achieve a high standard of English. II. 1. 1. 2. Language aptitude As has been discussed in the previous section, success in mastering a foreign language depends very much on the learner’s motivation. Beside the motivation factor, social psychologists have also found out that whether a student can learn a foreign language very successfully or not also depends on his language aptitude. This section is an attempt to discuss an intrinsic factor influencing foreign language learning that is language aptitude. Aptitude for language learning is usually composed of four different types of abilities: the ability to identify and memorize new sounds, the ability to understand the function of particular words in sentences, the ability to figure out grammatical rules from language samples, the ability to memorize new words. Many tests of language aptitude have proven extremely effective in predicting which learners will be successful in learning. However, considerable controversy remains about whether language aptitude is properly regarded as a unitary concept, an organic property of the brain, or as a complex of factors including motivation and short-term memory. Research has generally shown that language aptitude is quite distinct from general aptitude or intelligence, as measured by various tests, and is itself fairly consistently measurable by different tests. Language aptitude research is often criticized for being irrelevant to the problems of language learners, who must attempt to learn a language regardless of whether they are gifted for the task or not. This claim is reinforced by research findings that aptitude is largely unchangeable. In addition, traditional language aptitude measures such as the Modern Language Aptitude Test strongly favor decontextualized knowledge of the sort used in taking tests, rather than the sort used in conversation. For this reason little research is carried out on aptitude today. However, operators of selective language programs such as the United States Defense Language Institute continue to use language aptitude testing as part of applicant screening. In my opinion, as a teacher of English, aptitude plays an important role in learner’s language achievement. How is it that some people can learn a foreign language quickly while others, given the same opportunity experience utter failure? Does this depend on how language is taught? Partly this is true as when the teacher is equipped with a better language teaching method, his students can learn faster. But partly it is not true as in the same group there always exists fast and slow learners. Another answer to the question is the problem of â€Å"motivation† but not all students with the same motivation can have the same accomplishment. Another possible answer to the question is that some people have language aptitude while others do not. II. 1. 1. 3. Learner’s age The previous section dealt with the learner’s language aptitude, a factor that influences language acquisition a great deal. This section will take into consideration another factor – age which has received a number of opinions so far. In the past few decades, the comparisons among child, adolescent and adult learners have been made by many researchers, and the different findings as well as explanations have been reported. Traditionally, research in Critical Period Hypothesis and other variables has derived two major aspects of language learning–the younger = the better and the older = the better. However, recently the scholars in the fields of linguistics, psychology and psycholinguistics have reported their study or experiment results continually, resulting in completely different points of view so the argument for or against the Critical Period Hypothesis has never stopped. The question of how developmental stages interact with individual learning differences is still a question of great debate. Is there an optimal age, a critical period or a sensitive period? How does the age factor affect the development of linguistic abilities? Are adults really inferior to children and even to adolescents? There exists a belief that younger learners have certain advantages over older learners in language learning. According to Ellis in 2008; Larsen-Freeman in 2008; Mayberry & Lock in 2003, Robert Dekeyser in 2000, younger children learn L2 easily and quickly in comparison to older children. Larsen-Freeman & Long in 2008 also suggest that there is a period of time, between birth and somewhere around the age when a child enters puberty, exists in which the learning a second language can be accomplished more rapidly and easily than times falling outside of this period (i. e. post puberty). This is because children are in the most flexible condition learning a foreign language. This stage might be strongly impressed on their brain, which can stimulate nervous function system, and the further learning can help them to form language habit and competency easi1y. however Researchers also disagree with withdrawing home language support too soon and suggest that although oral communication skills in a second language may be acquired within 2 or 3 years, it may take 4 to 6 years to acquire the level of proficiency needed for understanding the language in its academic uses (Collier, 1989; Cummins, 1981). So children who are taught L2 intensively too early will damage their L1 acquisition. Another belief reported by Johnson and Newport, Dekeyser, Asher and Price, Politzer and Weiss, Olson and Samuel, Lightbown and Spada (2008) that older learners have a higher level of problem solving and metalinguistics abilities than younger learners.. The young learners are considered fluent in communication of the second language and achieve native like accent. Learners after the age of puberty do not acquire native like accent of a second language but have complex learning pattern. Research suggests that children and adults L2 learners pass through different developmental states in second language learning. Learning depends on the cognitive maturity and neurological factors. Adults’ cerebra nerve network has come into being completely, and their thinking habits have become mature in this period. They can deal with complicated language form and contents easily, because their meta-language consciousnesses, common sense and literary knowledge are better than children. In general, age is important but not everything in second language learning. There are some factors related to the age, for example the learning opportunities, the motivation to learn, individual differences, and learning styles, are also important determining variables that affect the rate of second language learning in various developmental stages of the learners. II. 1. 1. 4. Learner’s personality We have mentioned some important factors influencing learner’s second language achievement such as motivation, language aptitude and age. In this section we continues with some specific personality factors in human behavior in relation to second language acquisition. The psychological factors to be discussed here are self-esteem, inhibition, extroversion/ introversion. Self –esteem is the degree of value, a worthiness which an individual ascribes to himself. According to Schuman in 1978 and Brown in 1980, there are three kinds of self- esteem: global, specific and task self – esteem. How is self –esteem related to second language acquisition? Brown (1980) states that specific self- esteem might refer to second language acquisition in general but task- esteem might approximately refer to one’s self-evaluation of a particular aspect of the language process: speaking, writing†¦ A study by Adelaide Heyde (1979) revealed that all three aspects of self-esteem correlated positively with performance in oral production and student with high self –esteem actually performed better in the foreign language. Inhibition – sets of defences built to protect the ego, a concept closely related to self-esteem and of course has to be considered by teachers. Language learners, children or adults, make progress by learning from making mistakes but at the same time, making mistakes can be viewed as a threat to one’s ego. As a result, the learner tends to build a certain degree of defence to protect himself. Guiora et al†¦ (1972a) produced one of the few studies in inhibition in relation to second language learning, and the experiments have been high-lighted a possibility that the inhibition, the defence which we place between ourselves and others can prevent us from communicating in a foreign language. . Another factor which also needs some examination is extraversion and introversion. Language teachers often assume that the extraverts are better language learner than introverts. In a language class, the teacher tends to prefer to have more students with an outgoing and talkative personality. At an early stage, extroverts seem to speak the language better than the introverts, but this does not mean that the proficiency of a more introverted student will be lower. This depends very much on the goal of learning. It can be argued that the reserved learner may be very quiet but he can be a good language learner in the sense that he is good in aural and reading comprehension even though he cannot speak. Thus, it is not clear then that extraversion or introversion helps or hinders the process of second language acquisition and it is hard to say which is ideal for language learning. II. 1. 2. External factors The previous section examined some aspects of internal factors. This section accounts for some equally important external factors which also affect learner’s second language achievement. As language teachers we are faced with factors such as the social context of learning, the cultural differences between two language involved. The learning environment of the educational context and the teaching method being used. Most of these are largely beyond our control but nevertheless they are important because they can affect, sometimes decide the learner’s internal factors in learning. To improve teaching and stimulate better learning, these factors should be taken into consideration. II. 1. 2. 1.  Social factor The child’s acquisition of his mother tongue is affected by the condition under which it takes place. The same influence is also relevant to learning of a second or foreign language. The classroom itself is a kind of social setting where each student has a role, so his success of learning a foreign language is, to some extent, determined by the teacher- student relationship and the student- student relationship. The teacher’s love for his job is often an encouragement to his students in their learning. According to Cheatain (1976), student is also strongly encouraged to learn the language when his teacher is always hopeful. The student- student relationship is no less important. This instance concerns face- saving. No students likes to let his errors be known to his friends, so correction of errors by the group is helpful when there is non- hostile trusting climate in the classroom. In addition to the classroom features of the learning situation itself, there are factors in the wider social context that influence language learning. Teaching never occurs in a vacuum. Any subject occupies a position in the syllabus in order to meet a need of all part of the school population. Second language or foreign language teaching is not an exception. As the political, economic and historical conditions change, the course objectives are altered. In a great number of countries it so happens that shifting political economic and social conditions often bring about the change in status of a second or foreign language. For example, English was not introduced into the school curriculum in Vietnam until 1971. Nowadays, when Vietnam is a member of WTO, English becomes a compulsory subject as it is an international language of commercial and official communication. Political factors are not the only ones that influence second language learning. Other attitudes towards language learning which are characteristic of the society to which the learner belongs are particularly important to the success of language learners. In Vietnam, the ability of using English fluently is a special qualification for certain favored jobs, but in others like the UK or the USA, learning another language is little more than a hobby. Obviously, all the different attitudes, which actually stem from political, economic or historical causes play an important part in the overall achievement in foreign language learning. II. 1. 2. 2. Cultural factors It is obvious that knowing a second language no longer means merely having acquired some linguistic competence: the ability to construct grammatically correct sentences. It also includes the acquisition of communicative competence: the ability to communicate the second language. To the extent that language is culturally acquired, one can never learn a second language successfully without learning the culture of that language. In the article â€Å"Talking across culture† in 1981, Richards argues that those who are supposed to know a foreign language must have linguistic competence, communicative competence and social competence as well. By social competence, he means that the learner is expected to know how to behave in a speech community of speakers of the target language. In other words, he must be familiar with the culture of the native speakers otherwise, he will be shocked, or fail to understand native speakers even though he is linguistically competent. It can be concluded that anyone decides to learn a certain language properly, culture is something he cannot avoid in the process. In teaching English, we need to be aware of the cultural assumptions that the students already possess. We also need to be aware of the cultural assumptions that surround the use of English. Functions and structures used to be examined for cultural content, it cannot be assumed that they are neutral. II. 2. Language teaching implications. For the reason that motivation plays a very important role in second language achievement, the task of the teacher is to maximize the motivation. Teachers should raise students’ interest in learning English so that they no longer learn English to pass the exam or to fulfill curriculum’s requirement but for the desire to interact and communicate with foreigners†¦ In order to achieve these goals, teachers should vary the activities, tasks and materials, provide students with opportunities for interaction in the target language in and outside the language learning environment through preplanned, and authentic activities. As a result, students will be more interested in learning English. Not many researchers have carried out research about language aptitude because it is something that teachers are powerless to alter. Students vary in terms of aptitude so teachers should categorize them according to their aptitude profiles. For example, one group was identified as having particularly good memory abilities (relative to other abilities), and another group was identified as being high in verbal analytical abilities. It is the duty of teachers to select appropriate teaching approaches and activities based on learners’ aptitude profiles to accommodate their differences in aptitude. If the methodology matches students, they will learn better otherwise it may decrease students’ second language achievement. We all know that different ages have different ways of learning and different ways of achieving language. The differences among the three age groups (children, adolescents and adults) are really existent and the biological L2 learning conditions are unchangeable. Learners of different ages and stages should use different strategies. Thus, the teacher’s duty is different in the three groups and the teaching approaches and strategies should cater for the traits of students. For example, children use strategies unconsciously and their teacher should help them form good learning habits in this period. Some adolescents might be unable to be aware of using learning strategies, and others use too many complex and sophisticated learning strategies in L2 language learning, which might not ensure to achieve high level. Adult learners prefer analytic-style strategies such as comparative and contrastive analysis, generalization rules learning, and dissecting words and phrases. As a result, teachers should manipulate a number of options according to the aim of the teaching and learning, such as different reading materials, the speed of teaching procedures, etc†¦ Suitable approach and strategies for each trait of age will help learners achieve language better, compensate the shortcomings and take good advantage of in three groups. As the results listed in the previous part indicate, learners differ in terms of personality. Some students are very reserved, some are self- confident, some are ready to take a risk but others do not. Understanding each student’s personality is extremely important to every teacher not except for teacher of English. When teacher know students’ characteristics, they can use appropriate methods for each of them. For example, most of Vietnamese students are still basically shy and withdrawn. Then teachers should involve a lot of pair and group work instead of using the teacher- students questions and answers. Teachers should use cooperative rather than competitive goals to create a supportive and non-threatening learning atmosphere. Besides, teachers should encourage and support students all the time especially when they are struggling or lacking confidence in certain areas. Good teachers will know how to adapt their methods of teaching to different learners’ personalities to have best results in second language achievement. It cannot be denied that social context has a big influence on situation of second language teaching and learning of each nation. Thus, in order to create a good learning condition for second language learning to flourish is the duty of everyone: parents, authority of school, community, ministry†¦ For example, parents should give children favorable condition to learn second language, school should be concerned about students’ language learning and teaching to make it better, ministry of education should pay more attention to the quality of language teacher, textbooks and facilities necessary for effective second language teaching and learning to happen. Culture is very important in second language learning so the duty of teachers is to raise students’ awareness of cultural differences between countries. When teaching a foreign language such as English, teachers should teach students language competence along with socio- cultural competence. Both teachers and authorities should bear in mind that learning about other cultures does not mean changing one’s own values and world outlook. On the contrary, by comparing some aspects of cultures in different societies, students may better appreciate their own culture and tradition and avoid false stereotypes which may result in either prejudice against other culture or blind belief that other cultures are superior. A successful language learner is a person who not only knows how to make grammatical and meaningful sentences but also knows how to use them in appropriate situations and a good language teacher is a person who knows how to help them do so successfully. III. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the success in second language acquisition depends largely on many factors but some of the most important factors can be mentioned are motivation, language aptitude, learner’s age and personality, social and cultural context. Thus, knowing these factors and how they influences learners’ second language achievement is very crucial to teachers of foreign languages in general and English in particular. Their language can be greatly improved when teachers have a better understanding of the learner, of the learning process and of the variables that may help or hinder learner’s language achievement. IV. REFERENCE Krishna K.  B , â€Å"Age as an Affective Factor in Second Language Acquisition†, Troy Universityn Press. HIDASI, Judit, (2005) â€Å"The Impact of Culture on Second Language Acquisition†, Annals of the International Business School. Hoan, P. K, (1985), â€Å"Psychological and cultural factors related to methodologies to Hanoi foreign languages Teachers’ college student†, Sydney Zhang . J, (2006) Sociocultural Factors in Second Language Acquisition, Sino-US English Teaching, Volume 3, No. 5 (Serial No. 29) Mehmet, N. G, (2001) â€Å"the effects of age and motivation factors on second language acquisition† F? rat University Journal of Social Science. tic

Japanese Hrm Essay

International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal, Organizational Dynamics and Asian Business and Management. In 2005 he co-edited a book entitled â€Å"Japanese Management: The Search for a New Balance between Continuity and Change† with Palgrave. Anne-Wil Harzing is Professor in International Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests include international HRM, expatriate management, HQsubsidiary relationships, cross-cultural management and the role of language in international business. She has published about these topics in journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, Strategic Management Journal, Human Resource Management, and Organization Studies. Her books include Managing the Multinationals (Edward Elgar, 1999) and International Human Resource Management (Sage, 2010). Since 1999 she also maintains an extensive website (www. harzing. com) with resources for international and cross-cultural management as well as academic publishing and bibliometrics. Abstract The objective of this chapter is to develop suggestions as to how Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) might best make use of foreign, here specifically American and German, HRM practices in order to reform their own HRM model. These suggestions are based on a large scale empirical study, encompassing responses from more than 800 HR managers. The learning possibilities for Japanese companies from abroad are analyzed on two different levels: at headqu arters and at subsidiary level. One obvious difficulty we are presented with if we wish to answer the question what Japan can learn from ‘the West’ is the selection of countries that are representative of ‘the West’. In this study we limit our empirical research to the inspirations Japan might receive from the USA and Germany. This selection has some merit, in representing the largest and the third 2 3 largest developed economies in the world (with Japan being the second largest economy), and the economically dominant nations of North America and Europe (with Japan being the leading economy in Asia). In addition, the USA and Germany each embody the prime example of two of the three main varieties of market economies: the USA representing the free market economy of Anglo-Saxon countries and Germany the social market economy of continental Europe (with Japan embodying the third main variety of market economies, the government-induced market economy of East-Asia). Furthermore, according to Smith & Meiksins (1995: 243) the USA, Japan and Germany are most frequently referred to as role models, â€Å"as they provide ‘best practice’ ideals from which other societies can borrow and learn. Consequently, these country models have been subject to numerous comparative analysis (Thurow, 1992; Garten, 1993; Yamamura and Streeck, 2003; Pascha, 2004; Jacoby, 2005). As economic performance and growth paths vary over time the role of a ‘dominant’ economy also rotates among countries. In the 1950s, 1960s and most of the 1970s the American management style clearly was domi nant and a common expectation was that it would spread around the world, gaining application in many foreign countries. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, this argument increasingly was applied to Japan (Mueller, 1994), and to a lesser extent and limited to the European context, to Germany (Albert, 1991; Thurow, 1992). Since the implosion of the Japanese economy, the stagnation of the German economy, and with the advent of globalization, the conventional wisdom over the last one and a half decades up to the current economic crisis has been that the American management model is particularly well suited to provide the necessary flexibility to cope with rapidly evolving economic and technological conditions. Consequently, the USA became again the dominant role model (Edwards et al. , 2005). This study employs a very carefully matched design in which we investigate the same three countries (Japan, the USA and Germany) as home and host countries. We not only study HRM practices at headquarters (HQ) in each of these three countries, but also the practices of the subsidiaries of MNCs from each of the three countries in the two other respective countries. As a result, we re able to compare the HRM practices of nine different groups of companies: HQ in Japan, the USA and Germany, subsidiaries of Japanese and German MNCs in the USA, subsidiaries of Japanese and American MNCs in Germany and subsidiaries of American and German MNCs in Japan. This design will enable us to disentangle the inspirations companies seek from abroad to a far greater extent than has been possible in other studies. 3 4 The structure of our analysis is separated into two main sections. The first main section describes empi rical results from HQ and the second main section depicts the situation at subsidiary level. For each of the two main sections, first the context of existing research is summarized. Subsequently, the methodology of the empirical research is described. Findings are then presented and subsequently discussed. Finally, suggestions are made as to how the Japanese might best make use of foreign HRM policies to reform their own HRM practices and ultimately improve competitiveness. Research context As mentioned above, the Japanese HRM model has often been recognized as a key factor to the rise of the Japanese economy, particularly during the 1980s (see for example Inohara, 1990). However, the same Japanese HRM which until recently has been much celebrated in the West, and presented as a role-model to be learned from (see for example Vogel, 1979; Ouchi, 1981; Peters and Waterman, 1982; Bleicher, 1982; Hilb, 1985), is now increasingly viewed as outmoded, and necessitating substantial reform (Frenkel, 1994; Smith, 1997; Yoshimura and Anderson, 1997; Crawford, 1998; Horiuchi, 1998; Ornatowski, 1998; El Kahal, 2001; Pudelko, 2005, 2007). Others, however, continue to stress its inherent strengths and warn against significant change (Kono and Clegg, 2001; Ballon, 2002; Ballon, 2006). On the other hand, American understanding of HRM has traditionally been viewed by Japanese managers with skepticism. It is regarded as contradicting in many ways the broad concept of ‘respect for people’ (Kono and Clegg, 2001) and the aim of ‘human resource development’ (Ballon, 2002) that is ingrained into the Japanese management philosophy. In particular, the idea of defining the employees of a company as ‘resources’ (instead of members of the company ‘family’) that need to be managed (instead of ‘developed’) runs contrary to the key concepts of traditional Japanese HRM. However, in response to the deep crisis of the Japanese economy and management model, which has lasted for more than a decade now, it is clear that some shift toward Western management principles is taking place 4 5 (Frenkel, 1994; Ornatowski, 1998; El Kahal, 2001; Matanle, 2003). Thus, mirroring the economic growth patterns, adoption of Japanese HRM principles seems in the USA to be largely an issue of the past, whereas the question of adoption of American HRM policies is more current in Japan than ever. The key issue in Japan seems to be to find a new balance between the continuation of traditional (human resource) management principles and changes inspired largely by Western or more specifically American strategies. Regarding finally the specific German understanding of (human resource) management, it has to be concluded that this is a subject of no significant importance in Japanese business research, if it is considered at all (Pudelko, 2000a). Methodology Data collection and sample It may be noted from this brief review that existing literature in this field is in some respects inconclusive or somewhat contradictory. Nor has it generally been informed by empirical examination of HR managers’ own views on cross-national adoption processes. As this group might be expected to constitute the chief change agent, empirical insight appears in this context all the more important. Accordingly, this chapter provides data on the perceptions of HR managers from three different countries on the possibility of learning from each other. In this task, a quantitative approach seemed to be the most appropriate. The analysis is therefore based on empirical data which have been drawn together from an extensive survey (Pudelko, 2000a-c). The heads of HR departments from the 500 largest corporations of Japan – and for comparative reasons – the USA and Germany were selected as units of investigation. It was assumed that the heads of HR departments would have the highest degree of experience, knowledge and vision with regard to the issues being investigated, due to their senior positions within corporate hierarchies.

go ask alice Essay

go ask alice Essay go ask alice Essay GO ASK ALICE : A REVIEW ‘Go Ask Alice’ is a diary of an anonymous fifteen year old girl of the 1960’s. Alice (a name given by the publisher) was living an average life with her parents,grandparents and siblings.But one day a guy named Roger asks her out.Alice feels so excited that she buys this diary because she feels the need to write about her love for Roger.But then Roger rejects her and she starts feeling lonely and humiliated at school with the thought that everyone at school must have heard about her being rejected.Her frustration with life increases when she gains weight .But then one day,her dad gets a better job at another university in a different county and the family decides to move.This makes a Alice very happy as she thinks that this is a good opportunity to start a new life in a new place and with new people.The whole family is enthusiastic about their move .Alice starts her weight loss program in the hope that seeing her in a good shape,Roger will ask her out and then how she will reject him to take revenge.Her last few days at school go well since Alice is so excited about going to a new place.She also writes about her thoughts when she sees her mother.She wonders whether her mom had the same teen issues that she has about boys and self and how she wishes that she could discuss these things with her mother rather than friends whom she doesn't trust.She also says that she wants to be like her mother and not lose her identity in a quest to fit in with the people of her age. This is how the book or Alice’s diary starts off and gives us an overview of the problems faced by Alice or any other girl of her age.Being accepted by peers,being liked and asked out by boys,sexuality,family and peer pressures etc were the major problems faced by adolescents in the 1960’s and they still are even in present times.When such problems arise in her life as mentioned in the previous paragraph,Alice starts feeling close to her diary and refers to it as a close friend who is always there for her whenever needed.Slowly,her loneliness,need to be accepted by friends,and wanting to escape from her problems and become independent led her into a dangerous trap of drugs and sex from which she could not free herself even when she tried her best. It all started when she had gone to a house party with her friends.She was offered a soda drink at the party.But she had no clue that her drink had LSD mixed in it. â€Å"This will be a good trip.Just relax and enjoy it† said the guy who gave her the drink.In this way,unknowingly,Alice got drawn into the exciting but dangerous world of drugs.After that party,she gets fascinated and wants to try other drugs as well.She also realizes that her school is divided into groups ­one group of people who do drugs and another group which doesn’t.She tries to fit in in both the groups,but finds it difficult to sustain in any one.After the LSD trip,Alice tries pot (marijuana),speed(methamphetamine).With every drug she has a different exciting experience.For example,once when she was high on LSD she kept staring at her hand,or once she focused on the floor rug and its softness.Thus,things that she wouldn’t pay attention to usually became objects of fascination when stoned.Drugs also removed all her inhibitions and made her forget all her worries.She used to laugh uncontrollably,talk to everyone around her,dance crazily etc.Not only that,but sex with random guys also became a part of her crazy drug lifestyle.She had always dreamt of losing her virginity to the love of her life.But she never had sex when she was sober and when high on drugs she always ended up with one or the other guy.Thus,we can see how she gets into drugs unknowingly at first,but then her curiosity about it makes her explore the drug scene which ultimately turns out to be fatal for hER. Alice’s story is a perfect example of how drug addiction can ruin one’s life.She started doing drugs to fit

What Would A Content Marketing Degree Look Like

What Would A Content Marketing Degree Look Like What would a content marketing degree look like? Obviously, you dont need a degree to take part in content marketing. But if it were going to be your profession, what would you need to know?  Ive been stumbling onto blog posts and articles that try to pin down whether universities ought to offer actual degrees (or at least classes) in online content marketing, or whether there are certain types of courses someone ought to take in order to prepare for a career in content marketing. A Content Marketing Degree Im an art major, and while people often joke about the usefulness of that particular degree, I would point out that it is a degree that taught me important core creative principles that easily translate into other fields. It wasnt limited to the mechanics of drawing and painting, but included learning to give and receive critique, solving problems with my own ideas, working through a problem–good stuff to be able to do. In other words, some college degrees are about more than just their official title, building skills and qualities that translate well into other careers. Should universities offer specific content marketing degrees? #discussRather than worry about universities offering degrees for content marketing specifically, though, two better questions might be: What skills and knowledge would someone look for in hiring a content marketer? What kind of a training should you have if you want to pursue content marketing on your own? There are things every content marketer should know, and it doesnt take a university degree to learn them. What Every Content Marketer Should Know Content marketing is about writing, creativity, marketing, sales, data, and being socially engaging. Thats a lot of skills. How do you approach getting them? There are six core areas of knowledge that a content marketer should have a fair working grasp of, and if there were a content marketing degree, it might look a bit like this. 1. Psychology, Sociology, And Anthropology Psychology is the study of how we behave, and what motivates us to take action (or non-action).  Sociology  is the study of human social behavior, organization, and institutions.  Anthropology  is the study of people using social, biological, and natural sciences, as well as the  humanities  (studying human culture through a speculative and critical lens).  A special focus on  cultural anthropology  will give you insight into the customs, culture, politics, laws, religions, and language of a particular people group, which helps you understand a bit better why and how they react to things that other cultures perceive differently. Whew. All of that to say this:  You need to understand why people do what they do.  You need to know how to motivate or convince them to behave in the way that you want them to. If you are creating content that you want people to notice and share, take action on, and engage with in some way, you must know what causes them to do so. As a content marketer, youll need to know about: Pinging their emotions. Lets say there really are four basic emotions (happy, sad, afraid/surprised, angry/disgusted). Do you know which emotions encourage sharing? Which emotions get people to buy? Which emotions create loyalty? (Psychology) Pinging their motivations. Do you know what motivates people to take action? What verbal cues they look for? What visual cues they want? What turns them off right away? (Psychology) Banking on the group. Understanding how people act in groups or packs is important because that is exactly what social media is. It gets the individual to instigate something to the group. We talked about social proof, and how important it is to build that for your content marketing. Do you know how to leverage the group? (Sociology) Offending their sensibilities. Understanding your audiences culture is paramount. We all view the world through different cultural lenses. What might be offensive or crass in one culture might be admirable in another. Additionally, cultures arent purely based on geopolitical boundaries. They might be startup culture, mommy blogger culture, Star Trek culture–or all of the above. You should know your audiences culture well if you have a niche blog. (Anthropology) Culture affects marketing. Know the zeitgeist you are operating in. Culture determines so much about how content marketing works. Whats trending? Whats old news? Whats hot and what has become passà ©? (Anthropology) Youll see a lot of content marketing blog posts with a psychological or physiological (how our brain responds to stimuli) bent these days, but Ive always felt that, until recently, anthropology was lacking in mention despite having a very large role in how people groups act. The outcome of psychology and sociology sometimes gets altered when filtered through anthropology. Suggested Reading Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer Any of Dan Arielys books on behavior and rationality. Anthropology, Inc. by Graeme Wood The Atlantic, Feb 20, 2013. Anthropologys Contributions To Marketing by Charles Winick, Journal of Marketing, July 1961. Cultural Anthropology In Marketing by Marketing Profs 3 Things Marketers Could (And Should) Learn From Anthropologists by Mitchell Osak, Financial Post, March 4, 2014. Psychology for Marketer: 9 Revealing Principles of Human Behavior by Ginny Soskey, Hubspot Blog 2. Creativity And Problem Solving The need to create content of all types, for all occasions, means that youll need to be on your creative toes. A how-to guide on creativity is a bit hard to nail down, since we all approach it differently with habits, systems, preferences, and experiences. As a content marketer, youll need to know how to: Develop a system. Creativity and problem solving are concrete concepts in that they actually do tend to happen in the same way in each of us. We often get the idea that creativity is accidental, on a whim, and not predictable, but this is not the case. Will your system use brainstorming? Will you schedule creative time? Do you understand how creativity works? Do you know how to approach a problem that needs solving? Work through blocks. Sooner or later, youll face a dead-end when it comes to ideas, and this is when youll be glad you took the time to learn techniques to help you get past that. Maybe you have writers block, or cant think of absolutely anything to do for the next video. Really, when you think about it, problem solving  is  creativity. Suggested Reading: Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results by Drew Boyd Ogilvy On Advertising by David Ogilvy Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fools Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie An Easy Way To Increase Creativity  By Oren Shapira and Nira Liberman, Scientific American, July 21, 2009 3. Journalism And Creative Writing Journalism and creative writing both have a place in content marketing. The journalist approach–getting the important facts and presenting the data with impartiality–mixes well with creative writing, the telling of a good story. As a content marketer, youll need: Research skills. When you approach your blog posts like a journalist, youll start to make use of serious research tools to collect necessary data. The New York Times has compiled a great list of resources you could use to do this kind of research, as has Poynter. Interview skills. Even if you are not doing an outright interview post, you still need to know the art of interviewing because that is really just the art of asking the right questions. Sometimes, when doing research, you are interviewing yourself, asking yourself the questions so that you know what answers to find. Storytelling skills. Do take the time to practice the art of storytelling, which mixes in many of the elements of psychology that motivate readers to keep reading: suspense, emotion, connection, and curiosity. In a sense, both journalists and creative writers are storytellers; one just has tangible facts that must be included with a goal of informing and educating the reader, while creative writing approaches the same goal through a more winding path. In the end, all great writing, no matter what form or style it takes, tells the truth to and about the reader.

Personal assessment for management skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal assessment for management skills - Essay Example Falling in this quartile range did not surprise me. This is because I am well aware of the leadership skills which I possess and I plan to enhance my capabilities and motivate the staff working for me. 2. The key areas in which I scored the highest were motivating others and building teams to promote team work. These areas are my strengths, and I will acquire significant success in the hearts of my subordinates if I work harder to enhance these skills in a more significant manner. The areas where I have scored less, and I need to grow are creative problem solving and gaining power and influences over the employees are the areas which require work. 3. My scores of assessment and the assessment of my colleagues regarding my performance as a manager were nearly in line. There were a few minor contradictions, but most of the skills I was assessed for by my colleagues were rated on a higher scale. This has motivated to improve my performance in the areas for which I gave myself a lower score. I rated rational problem solving on a lower scale comparatively, but my colleagues have given me a higher score for that too. In other areas, I have been given a higher score by my colleagues where I rated myself comparatively lower. 4. The assessments of my colleagues have contradicted in the area of rational problem solving. I have rated this segment as weak in my assessment, but my colleagues have rated me on a higher scale. In all other areas, the assessment which I have made, and my colleagues have made are nearly the same. These scores show that my own assessment and the assessment of my colleagues are accurate and in line with my actual skills. This will help me further improve myself, and it will help me enhance my skills for my future performance. 5. This exercise was immensely useful for me. It helped me in analyzing my skills and gave me the view point of what others think about my efforts. The score which I gave myself was lesser as compared to what my

Final Exam MGT 123 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Final Exam MGT 123 - Essay Example 49). The system includes the private, public, and government finance systems that have a direct influence on each financial space. Human resource is the business component that entails the knowledge, the skills, and the motivation of people (2013, p. 67). Unlike other factors of production, human resource improves with age and experience, hence termed as the most crucial facet that holds the advantage for an organisations business objectives. The human resource can be used to mobilize other resources that will help achieve organisations profitability goals. Manufacturing encompasses the process of converting raw materials, parts, or components into finished products that meet customer specifications and expectations (2013, p. 92). Manufacturing involves the collaboration between human resource and machines in a well-defined structure to realize production. The prosperity of an enterprise relies on the seamless integration of the four facets discussed, because of the strong interrelationship between them. Human resource plays a pivotal role because it stimulates manufacturing based on the market specifications, after that creating the finance that will help in sustaining the enterprise. Marketing helps in guiding detailed manufacturing specifications that will meet the clients needs. The mutual relationship between the four parts will channel the organisations objectives to its target when they are implemented under good business leadership from the human resource (2013, p. 109). In marketing, the information of the target market regarding its demographics, segments, needs, and purchasing decisions will help define pricing, promotion, and the most strategic places for the business. The other information regarding the strengths and the weaknesses of the competition will help in designing products that leverage the competition to the benefit of the company (2013, p. 152). Pricing information will help in developing a proficient pricing strategy