Sojourn to Singapore Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

Sojourn to Singapore "Eat the durians...eat it!" Although a jumbled cacophony of encouraging voices seemed to levitate the humid night air, all hesitancy was not dispersed as I carefully probed the pulpy tropical fruit with an expectant tongue. Proudly, (and much to the glee of my Asian companions who enjoyed the various facial contortions), I swallowed the remainder, washed down with three full bottles of water. Before the initial incision into the durian, I was engulfed by the painfully distinctive odor that only three days and half a bottle of Listerine could remedy. With my experiences in Singapore as a United States representative to the Asian-Pacific Youth Science Festival, however, I also was engulfed by the myriad of Asian cultures, whose unique facets of language, tradition, and daily life broadened my spectrum of global understanding. All delegates from each of the fourteen economies were combined into groups and assigned a topic of concern facing the scientific community-diseases, genetic engineering, globalization, and global warming. Although my fellow group members resided in China, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia, we all share... ...and possibly the world. We composed papers, visually presented our conclusions, and became brothers and sisters in striving to accomplish our task. Of course, our interaction provided inestimable amounts of enjoyment for everyone-the Asian delegates were thrilled by my 'American humor.' On the final night, Group 24 assembled under a shelter and everyone exchanged teary-eyed good-byes with low voices. Little did I expect the torrent of ice and freezing water that crashed over my head and shoulders merely seconds later, wrecking the silent awkwardness. We laughed, and then we were friends again.

American shipbuilding World War II

World war II was a global military conflict fought in every one of the five continents and involving combatants from every continental region. Fought in two phases, the first phase involved Asia in 1937 and also known as Sino Japenese war. The second phase began in Eupore in 1939 with Germany voilating the treaties and by being aggressive, without any previous declaration invaded poland. The globe was divided into two military alliance: the allies and the Axis powers. Allies primarily were formed by the union of United Kingdom and France, whereas the Germany, Japan and Italy dominted axis powers.World War II involved over 100 million military personnel, making it the most widespread war in history, and placed the participants in a state of total war, erasing the distinction between civil and military resources. This resulted in the complete exhaustion of a nation's economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities for the purposes. Tension cretaed due to great depression that swept t he world in early 1930s sharpened national rivalries, increased fear and distrust and made masses susceptible to the promises of demagogues.Also the condition created by post world war I settlement, led to the this global military conflict of world war II. After world war I, defeated germany and ambitious Japan and Italy anxious to increase their power, eventually adopted forms of dictaorship. In Gemany the National socialist Adolf Hitler began a rearming campaign on a massive scale and in mid 1937 and following a marco Bridge incident Japan invaded China. Some tolerance was shown to these invasions as they were of anti communist nature but soon entering of Soviet to aid China marked the division of the global scenario.America in world war II Through the global turmoil for the power and series of conqest,United states chose to be a isolationist and passed neutrality act in August 1933, a dyanamic impulse to stay aloof from all Europeon politics . But in November 1939, the American n eutrality act was amended to allow cash and carry, to support Allies. United stated, to protect and aid china, implemented a series of embargos, including oil, iron, steel and mechanical parts, against Japan.The Tripartite pact between the Axis powers served as a warning to United States of the consequences resulting in war if it continued extending help to the allied power. But regardless of the pact, the United States continued to support Britain and China, further, by introducing the lend-lease policy and creating a security zone spanning roughly half of the Atlantic Ocean, where the United States navy protected British Convoys. Though attacks on America were rare by the Axis power, but ultimately, it was attack on pearl harbour in 1941 that drew United States into direct war .In later years of 1942 Japan repeatedly attacked America in wars of Aleutian Islands and fort Stevens attack. America- Japan relations Attack on china, led Japan into series of trouble when the move prompte d America embargo on oil exports to Japan, which in turn caused the Japanese to plan the takeover of oil supplies of Dutch east India. The attack on the Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack of Japan against the United States naval base on December 7; 1941, also called â€Å"a day of infamy† by President Roosevelt .The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, dramatically heralded the new age of naval combat, divided into two phases, the first attack wave targets airfields and battleships. The second wave targets other ships and shipyard facilities. It was intended as a preventive action to remove US pacific fleet that was involved in protection of British Convoys and Dutch East India, and also to wage war against United States. Both the U. S. and Japan had long-standing contingency plans for war in the Pacific, continuously updated as tension between the two countries steadily increased during the 1930s.Though numerous sanctions were imposed on Japan as a result of steadily growing ten sion, and America under the export control act halted the shipments of machine tools, high octane gasoline to japan, but the oil export was continued to japan in early pre war years to resist undue provocation. Assets were to be frozen till Indochina was declared as neutral. The Japanese high command was certain, though mistakenly so that an attack on the United Kingdom’s colonies would bring the U. S. into the war. So a preventive strike appeared to be the only way to avoid US interference in the Pacific.. With the Pacific cleansed of American ships, Japan would have an unchallenged defensive perimeter, stretching from the North Pacific through mid-ocean to the South Pacific. The attack wrecked two US Navy battleships, destroyed several aircrafts, and US suffered huge personnel losses though the, Vital fuel storage, shipyard, maintenance, were not raided. The japanese suffered minimal losses in artiliary and personnels. While it accomplished the intended objective, the attac k was pointless. US Navy The new Navy 1890-1909 A crucial date in the reconstitution of U.S. naval shipyards is 1890 . From about 1850, American shipping and shipbuilding rose from a position of superiority to near international significance. Until the late 1880s the United States possessed no modern warships, and the technological gap widened, where European progress was rapid with the assembly of armor plate, guns, torpedoes, high-speed propulsion systems, and steel hulls. By 1890 American shipyards lagged far behind their European counterparts in techniques and in speed of construction. Progress started in year 1885 with the funding of â€Å"new navy†.Warships of the new American navy built between 1890 and 1909 were steel hulled, purpose-built for steam power, and substantially more complicated than their predecessors. In its first thirty years, armored ships dominated new American naval construction. Between 1910 and 1929 a much wider range of warships was built. Battles hips still dominated tonnage figures, and the pace for construction of new ships steadily increased. Both the number and the size of these ships amplified, in the competition to build better warfare compared to European powers, also called â€Å"dreadnoughts fever†.Shipbuilding in World War II World War II saw the U. S. Navy emerge as the world’s largest naval force, a commanding role that would be maintained for the next fifty years. Hallmarks of the two decades included an intensified effort of existing private shipbuilders, massive new construction at government navy yards, and the development of new private shipyards, in new locations, to produce large numbers of small- or medium-sized warships. At a time of near-total national commitment, almost 1. 5 million workers built American warships in dozens of locations.Destroyers were numerically were the most important warships built during the period. More than 550 full-sized destroyers were eventually launched, becaus e of the German submarine threat, these ships held a very high priority. Pacific produced majority of warships, and some of the mass produced warships were â€Å"escort aircraft carrier† at Todd- pacific, and at Kaiser Yards, Vancouver. Also, pacific were specialized war- damaged ships. Submarines were built at a number of yards, but majorly at two locations, Portsmouth Navy Yard, near Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and Electric Boat, at Groton, Connecticut.Another in land production included the fabrication of almost 1,051 large landing ships, most of them tank-landing ships out of which, more than 60 percent were constructed along inland waters by five major steel-fabricating firms. World War II encompassed a massive national effort for production of massive warships. Pacific fleet A Pacific Fleet was created in 1907 and was marked as the largest naval construction effort ever undertaken by any nation.. Building warships for the U. S navy was a major sector of the American defe nce industry over a hundred year period during which the growth of the US navy was substantial.It was also the chief activity of most large American shipyards and had a sizable influence on regional economy and identity. Until May of 1940, this unit was stationed on the west coast of the United States . During the summer of that year, as part of the U. S. response to japanese expansionism and prevent its intrusion into Phillipines, it was instructed to take an â€Å"advanced† position at Pearl Harbor,Hawaii. During the time of attack the pearl harbor strength consisted of, nine battleships, three aircrafts, eight light crusiers, 50 destroyers, 33 submarines and 100 patrol bombers.American battleships can be roughly divided into four groups, pre-dreadnoughts, dreadnoughts, standards and World War II ships Japanese Imperial Navy Japanese imperial navy was one of the most powerful and world third largest navies. Initially, it was built overseas in England but soon Japanese yards built ships on English designs. The advancement in the concept resulted in Ships that were at par or better than any ship afloat. Early years of the war were dominated by the Imperial navy, however in later years it succumbed to the pressure of huge opponent power.Its naval aviation corps, consisting of 10 aircraft carriers and 1500 topnotch aviators, was the most highly trained and proficient force of its kind. Victory of American Navy over Japanese Imperial Navy America had a period of economic depression prior to commencement of the War, though Japan was also â€Å"economically disadvantaged† in waging a war against allies but, its misplaced sense of superiority in economic and military areas, against the allies, led to its ultimate downfall.While, America in the midst of seemingly interminable economic crisis, still had almost seven times more coal production, five times more steel production, eighty times the automobile production compared to the production of Japan. Th ere is no doubt, however, of the abundance of American resources even though in the depth of depression, it had much more capability for war production compared to any other nation. Also US had nearly twice the population of Japan and hence, the manpower was never a setback.Around one million people had engaged in war production in America and furthermore, it was ever willing to utilize its women population in the war effort counting work of 6. 5 million women as a tremendous advantage, a concept not acknowledged till later years by the Axis powers. Also, America had some hidden advantages that didn't show up directly in production figures. First, the U. S. factories were, on average, more modern and automated than those in Europe or in Japan. A rapid boom to the industrialization and technological advantage worked significantly in favor of the US navy.Additionally, American managerial practice at that time was the best in the world. Together taken, the per capita productivity of th e American worker was the highest in the world. The average income of America was seventeen times more compared to that of Japan. By mid-1942, even before U. S. force of arms was being accepted as a most powerful force globally, American factories were nevertheless beginning to make a material effect in the war's progress. The U. S. churned out seemingly endless quantities of equipment and provision, which were then funneled to forces and provided an endless support.By 1944, most of the other powers in the war, though still producing furiously, noticed a decline in the economic front and also the production was steadily decreasing from destruction of industrial bases and constriction of resource pools. But the enormous productive apparatus of the U. S. economy was pouring out war munitions in overwhelming volume Especially in Japan, the oils supplies had cut down to a trickle owing to decisive battle of the US against the Japanese imperial navy. And unless Japan could ward off obvio us enemy retaliatory blows designed to capitalize on her greatest weakness, vulnerability to blockade,seizure of the southern areas would be just a hollow and ephemeral event, improving but little the basic weakness of Japan's economy. The American submarines had specially targeted the oil carriers of Japan, and its only source left was from the Dutch East Indies behind a screen of islands that ran from the Philippines through Formosa and the Ryukyus. . After that the Japanese economy, with the possible exception of oil, was based on the continent and upon Japan proper. Resources proved much less than the expansionist propaganda had previously anticipated. . Inadequate rail facilities made it difficult to bring resources to the coast.And from mid-1944, due to the attack on shipping, only a small percentage of the material that reached the coast could be transported to Japan proper further leading to commotion. Owing to its large resources backup and abundant manpower, America suffer ed none of these problems and as a consequence its economy grew at an annual rate of 15% throughout the war years. It is perhaps not surprising that in 1945, the U. S. accounted for over 50% of total global GNP. Battle of Midway. Midway is often cited as the ‘Turning Point in the Pacific', the ‘Battle that Doomed Japan,' and a string of other stirring epithets.And there's no question that it broke the offensive capability of the Japanese Navy and led to major crisis. The United States built more merchant shipping in the first four and a half months of 1943 than Japan put in the water in seven years and there was really no noticeable increase in Japanese merchant vessel building until 1943, by which time Japan was deeply involved in war with US and was not able to do much. Just as with their escort building programs, the Japanese were operating under a tragically flawed national strategy that dictated that the war with the United States would be a short one.Again, the Uni ted States had to devote a lot of the merchant shipping it built to replace the losses inflicted by the German U-Boats. But the battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history markedly changed the prevalent condition and favored US more than the axis powers. Underlying the Six naval forces, four Japanese and two American, were converging on, a titanic clash spread over three days and 100,000 square miles of sea, engaging 282 ships and 200,000 sailors. In the condition of loss of massive number of war ships and the inability to produce adequately, the Japanese war front was further deteriorated..Japan's own ability to produce basic materials was completely inadequate to support a war against a major in ¬dustrial power. In retrospect, it is difficult to comprehend how Japan's leadership managed to rationalize their way around the economic facts when they contemplated making war on the US. The war ended with Japanese Imperial Navy defeated in shortage of material and person nel resources, while the resources of US were just warming up and could continue for years to come. , Bibliography Keegan John; Who’s who in World War II; routledge; 2002World War II; Article; The Columbia Encyclopedia; sixth edition 2007 Rohtermund Dietman; Global impact of great depression 1929-1939; routledge; 1996 Heinrichs Waldo; threshold of war: Franklin Roosevelt and American entry into World War II; New York; Oxford university press; 1988 Cull John Nicholas; selling war: the British propaganda campaign against American â€Å"neutrality† in World War II; New York; Oxford University press; 1995 Kimball warren F; the most unsordid act: lend-lease, 1939-1941; Baltimore; Johns Hopkins press; 1969Gregory Urwin; the siege of Wake Island; University of Nebraska press; 1997 Gailey A Harry; The war in the pacific: from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay; Presidio press; 1995 Sluimers Laszlo; Japanese military and Indonesian independence; Japanese Journal of Southeast Asian studi es; Vol 27; 1996 Walters. D. William; American naval shipbuilding 1890-1989; Journal article; the geographical review; Vol 90; 200 Hector C. Bywater; sea power in the pacific: a study of America-Japanese naval problem; Houghton muffin company; 1921Lindberg Michael; Anglo-American shipbuilding in World War II: A geographical perspective; 2004; Daniel Todd Praeger Padfield peter; the great naval race: The Anglo-German naval rivalry 1900-1914; Birlinn; 2005 George Q Flynn; the mess in Washington: manpower mobilization in World War II; greenwood press; 1979 Kennedy M David; Victory at sea; magazine article; Atlantic monthly; vol 283; March 1999 Barrett Judy, Smith C. David,; US women on the home front in world war II; Journal article; The historian; Vol 57,1994

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald relies heavily on the weather and the environment to emphasize events and people

People’s feelings and emotions are often changed or affected by the weather. There are also many stereotypes that go along with the weather. For example on rainy days people often feel sad or on very hot days people often have short tempers and can become angry easily. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald relies heavily on the weather and the environment to emphasize events and people. This is clearly seen during the days of Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy, Gatsby’s funeral, and the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom. One of the more important times that F. Scott Fitzgerald relies on the weather and the environment to emphasize events and people in The Great Gatsby is the day of Gatsby’s reunion with her. This day is very important to Gatsby as he has been counting the days since he last saw Daisy. Gatsby has asked Nick to invite daisy over to Nick’s place for tea so that Gatsby could come over and be reunited with her. â€Å"The day agreed upon was pouring rain† (Fitzgerald 81). While they wait For Daisy, Gatsby is uncharacteristically nervous. He is so nervous that he tells Nick that he is going to go home because he doesn’t think that Daisy will show up. The rain helps to emphasise the how nervous and worried Gatsby is. At first, when Daisy shows up, Gatsby is awkward and his fingers are even â€Å"trembling† (Fitzgerald 84) but after Nick leaves him alone for half an hour, he comes back to find Gatsby back to his confident self. When Nick walks back in the room he informs Gatsby, as well as the reader, that â€Å"it’s stopped raining† (Fitzgerald 86) and at this news Gatsby smiles â€Å"like an ecstatic patron of recurrent light† (Fitzgerald 86). The fact that it has stopped raining helps to emphasise that Gatsby has gained back his sureness and has his usual self confidence. Another time that is significant in The Great Gatsby where F. Scott Fitzgerald relies on the weather and the environment to emphasize events and people is on the day of Gatsby’s funeral. On the day of the funeral the rain creates a sad mood. When Nick goes to New York to see Meyer Wolfshiem and he says he can not attend the funeral we first learn that it is raining out. â€Å"When I left his office the sky turned dark and I got back to West egg in drizzle† (Fitzgerald 163). This sets the mood for a sad, gloomy day. Although during all of Gatsby’s very large and expansive parties he is surrounded by people, his funeral is quite the opposite with only Nick, Mr. Gatz, Owl-eyes and a few of Gatsby’s servants attending the funeral, â€Å"our procession of three cars reached the ceremony† (Fitzgerald 165). The weather stays this way all day and Gatsby’s funeral ends up being a very sad and miserable event. This is very unlike the funeral earlier in the book where people are celebrating the life of their friend and remembering all the good times they spent together as they pass Nick and Gatsby in â€Å"cheerful carriages† (Fitzgerald 67). F. Scott Fitzgerald again relies on the weather and the environment to emphasize events and people in The Great Gatsby on the day of the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom. When Tom, Nick Gatsby, Jordan and Daisy all go to New York they decide to get a suite at the Plaza Hotel. It is here on the hottest day of the summer that Tom and Gatsby have their big fight. The â€Å"broiling† (Fitzgerald 109) weather causes everyone’s tempers to be short and helps to establish the hateful, fierce mood of the confrontation. In the end, Tom wins the dispute and everyone, except Gatsby, can see that Daisy is going to stay with Tom. The next day, now that the reader understands that Daisy is going to remain with Tom, the weather cools down and it is chilly outside â€Å"The night had made a sharp difference in the weather and there was an autumn flavour in the air† (Fitzgerald 146). Just as Gatsby refuses to accept the fact that he can not go back in time and that Daisy really did and still does love Tom, in this instance he refuses to accept that it is no longer summer. When the gardener tells Gatsby that he wants to drain the pool to stop leaves from clogging the pipes, Gatsby tells him that he can not do this today and that Gatsby has not swam all year and plans to do so today. Gatsby believes that he can go back in time and make it warm, just like he believes ha can go back in time and make Daisy love him. In conclusion people’s emotions and feelings are often affected or can be changed by the weather. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald relies heavily on the weather and the environment to emphasize events and people. F. Scott Fitzgerald really uses this during the days of Gatsby’s reunion with Daisy, Gatsby’s funeral, and the confrontation between Gatsby and Tom. Like many great writers such as William Shakespeare, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses pathetic fallacy to help the reader to better understand what is happening, create suspense, and put emphasise on different incidents throughout the novel.

Organisational Citizenship Behaviour and Counterproductive Work Behaviour Essay

Organisational behaviour is the study of human behaviour in the workplace, the interaction between people and the organisation, and organisation itself (Dubrin 2002, p. 2). In most of the organisational behaviour literature review, the following five types of behaviours are often highlighted- task performance, organisational citizenship, counterproductive work behaviours, joining and staying with the organisation and work attendance (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione, 2009). These individual-level dependent variables are present in most OB research which has a significant impact on the effectiveness of organisations. In my following essay, I will be highlighting on two of the above factors-mainly Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) and Counterproductive Work Behaviour (CWB). I will be discussing on how various authors agree that different personalities and positive affectivity levels contributes to the emergence of OCB and that how different authors view the stand of considering all OCB as voluntary acts based on own accord. In addition, I will also be discussing the issue in which a consensus has been reached by most authors that job dissatisfaction is one contributing factor of CWB and that CWB, being defined as harmful in nature, has been challenged by some authors to be a justifiable act. OCB Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB) has been defined as individual behavior that is discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective functioning of the organization (Organ, cited in Vigoda-Gadot, 2006, p. 3) or as individual behavior that promotes the goals of the organization by contributing to its social and psychological environment (Organ; Rotundo & Sackett, cited in Vigoda-Gadot, 2006, p. 3). Personality and Positive Affectivity Personality refers to the enduring, inner characteristics of individuals that organise their behaviour (Derlega et al, cited in Rothmann & Cooper, 2008, p. 24) and personality traits predict what a person will do as opposed to what he or she can do (Rothmann & Cooper 2008, p. 24). As such, it is agreed that citizenship performance is well predicted by personality variables (Penner, Allen, & Motowidlo, 2001; Hurtz & Donovan, cited in Barrick & Ryan 2003). It is also stated that differences in citizenship performance by the employees are clearly tied to the differences in their personalities and attitudes (Landy & Conte 2004) and feelings about their work, also known as affects (Lee & Allen 2002). I came across this survey done by (Bierhoff, Klein & Kramp, ed. Murphy 1996) in which ‘first aiders’ who rushed to the aid of the accident victims almost immediately scored lower on a measure of egocentrism- the absorption with one self’s lives and family. They also scored higher on a measure of empathy in which they expressed a greater level of concern for others (ed. Murphy 1996). From the above results, I feel that various personality factors do influence the tendency of one to render help to others thereby performing citizenship performance which benefits the organisation as a whole. In addition to the above, I have learnt that the higher the level of positive affect, the higher the level of willingness to help is in individuals (ed. Murphy 1996). Besides the helping behaviour, I have also learnt that maintaining a positive mood in the course of our work may also inadvertently lead us to performing extra role behaviours (e.g.: protecting the organisation and developing oneself in terms of upgrading one’s skills to the benefit of the organisation) (George and Brief, cited in Lee & Allen, 2002). To my surprise, I found that positive affect is not just influenced on a personal level but also due to external environmental factors. These include the differences in shades of lightings at our workplaces (Baron et al, cited in ed. Murphy 1996) and even presence of pleasant smelling artificial fragrances in our workplaces (Baron & Bronfen 1994, cited in ed. Murphy 1996). Performed based on free will? Most of the recent studies and researches on OCB have pointed out that it is based on voluntary helping behaviours. However, (Vigoda-Gadot E 2006, p. 1 ) pointed out on focusing on the exploitative and abusive tendency of supervisors and managements to impose so-called ‘‘voluntary’’ or ‘‘extra-role† activities via compulsory mechanisms in the workplace, thereby refuting the conventional definition of OCB being performed based on ‘good will’ and free choice. In fact, some of these behaviours categorised under OCB may well be categorised under Compulsory Citizenship Behavior (CCB) (Vigoda-Gadot 2006, p. 1). By reviewing the Expectancy Theory (Griffin & Ebert 2005, p. 246) in which people are motivated to work towards rewards that they want and that they believe they have a reasonable chance or expectancy of obtaining it in mind, I have actually agreed with the view that there is much possibility that OCB can also arise from other motives, some of them less voluntary or less self-initiated. Among these motivations are the abusive and exploitative behavior of immediate supervisors and the pressure by management or peers to become involved in activities in which the employee would otherwise not involve himself (Tepper, cited in Vigoda-Gadot 2006, p. 3). CWB Counterproductive Work Behaviours (CWB) is defined as voluntary behaviours that have the potential to directly or indirectly harm the organisation (McShane, Olekalns & Travaglione T, 2009, p. 18). Job Dissatisfaction Job dissatisfaction is defined as a set of unfavourable feelings and emotions with which employees view their work (Newstrom & Davis 1997, p. 255). It seems that authors have a consensus on job dissatisfaction contributing to the emergence and high levels of CWB. It is stated that dissatisfied employees may engage in psychological withdrawal (e.g.: daydreaming during job), physical withdrawal (eg: unauthorized absence, early departures, extended breaks, work slowdowns) or even overt acts of aggression and retaliation for presumed wrong. There are many factors influencing job dissatisfaction which includes organisational factors like pay and promotion opportunities and the working condition itself. Group factors like the role of supervisor and co-workers; personal factors like needs and aspiration and how are these met, and how individuals views he instrumental benefits of the job also contributes to job dissatisfaction( Rothmann & Cooper 2008, p. 24). Though I am in agreement that job dissatisfaction is a strong contributor to the performance of CWB, I feel that CWB may also be induced by other factors like accumulated work stress leading to the emergence of violence which is one form of CWB. Similarly, theft cases in the company, which is another form of CWB, may just be a personal justification of the employees due to a perception of lost equity in the course of their work (Newstrom & Davis 1997). Justifiable Act Various authors held on to their individual stands regarding the topic on CWB. In most of my readings, authors agreed that CWB are actually harmful acts towards either individuals or towards the organisation itself. However, (Fox 2002) had presented a different point of view discussing the view that CWB may could well be a justifiable act which is clearly challenging the most conventional definition of CWB which is being negative in nature. (Fox 2002, p. 2) expanded the definition of CWB to include unintentional harm, as long as the act itself is volitional- an act which is motivated by other reasons to cause harm. Hence with this expanded definition, it raises the possibility of constructive CWB. In their article, they have considered on 3 categories of arguments which are moral issues, role conflicts and productivity arguments. I personally feel strongly for the argument on role conflicts. Many of the withdrawal behaviours may be seen as counterproductive in the perspective of managers or even organisations. However, these behaviours shown may be required to be fulfilled by the employees in the perspectives of their family and even the community. Putting in simpler terms, employees may be expected by the society to perform these behaviours so as to be able to strike a work-life balance. Hence, I feel that CWB should not be seen as just a negative behaviour which is purely deviant from an organisation’s objectives as I strongly feel for the presence of positive CWB. Key Findings In this modern age, to adapt and survive in a workplace, other than equipping oneself with the generic skill of problem solving, it is also vital to place great importance on understanding fellow colleagues as this will lead to self knowledge and self insight (Dubrin 2002, p. 4). By understanding what motivates others to perform OCB through the study of organisational behaviour, it will also in turn allow employees to gain an understanding on what motivates them to have similar behaviours. Inadvertently, this may bring them to a greater level of job satisfaction which also leads to greater organisational effectiveness as a whole. In addition, studying organisational behaviours enhances a professional or manager’s effectiveness relating to their interpersonal skills. Hence, if solid interpersonal skills are added on to one’s professional or managerial knowledge, it will certainly be a bonus towards an organisation’s overall service and productivity. Hence, information about organisational behaviours is vital to be known to the employees in organisations. Reflection If I were given a chance to assume the role of manager in an organisation, the notion of having OCB being induced by compulsion as mentioned earlier on will certainly be omitted by me as I feel that though it is an important goal of managers everywhere to make employees aware of the benefits of OCB and ideally, encourage it, it is far more important to conduct it through a legitimate way and not by other means such as abusive or exploitative activities. In this way, I believe conventional OCB will indeed be truly promoted as the employees will be serving and going the extra mile for the organisation in the most genuine way as I agree with the view that a person who engages in OCB might receive appreciation and recognition that induce positive moods and there will be a greater likelihood of repeating the OCB (Miles et al, cited in Zirgham 2009, p. 85) which will greatly benefit the organisation. A discrepancy often exists among managers and employees about the definition of certain work tasks being â€Å"in-role† or â€Å"extra-role†. Each behaviour may be different for different people as every employee in an organization perceives job requirements differently (e.g.: for service sectors), helping others may be a routine, but some may see it as beyond their job scope. By acknowledging this in the position of an employee, I will be able to anticipate this possible occurrence of conflict between managers and employees and thus, expand the boundaries for the definition of my job scope. In this way, I believe that my chances of managerial exploitation and workplace abuse by supervisors to perform compulsive OCB will be reduced to the minimum. Conclusion OCB is a stable behaviour emerging in workplaces and it will always act as a value adding criterion in one’s performance. However, it will only act as a value adding criterion only when it is performed through the free choice of employees and not by coercion means and negative external pressures. Thus, we have to be aware and alert so as to preserve the original positive results of OCB being performed, leading to a more successful and healthy establishment of an organisation. CWB is always seen as a conduct having an adverse relationship with OCB. However, as the saying goes- there are always two sides to the same coin; we should probably broaden our perspectives in our view towards CWB and accept the notion that CWB may not be necessary all detrimental in nature.

My Journal Entry Week Essay

â€Å"Well that’s what we did with my kids and they turned out just fine.† Is a phrase that I have heard plenty of times over the years. I tend to be a very honest person no matter the situation or consequences so I have ticked off a lot of people over the years and have lost many of friends for being such an honest opinions or advice. I have three handsome and polite little boys. Well at least most of the time. Over the years I have been approached by parents of their friends that they go to school with and were asked if my boy could stay the night with their boy. Now don’t get me wrong I love sleepovers when they are done at my house or it is at a house of responsible mature parents. My oldest son just became a teen ager. How exciting right? Yea right now he constantly wants to go and stay with friends. These friends that he has are rotten, mean and ignorant boys. I know that it is not their fault but, their parents fault for how they are raised. I also know these parents as well and know what kind of parents they are and how they live their lives. One of the fathers to the boys called me a while back and wanted my son to come and stay the night with his boy. Not only did he call me while he was intoxicated but he lets his son drink as well. I told him no. He asked me why I was being so difficult about my son staying over I decided just to be brutally honest with him. He actually said these same words. â€Å"Well that’s what we did with my kids and they turned out just fine.† He must have thought I did not have access to a television because a few weeks earlier his oldest son was on the evening news for being drunk and being involved in a stabbing. I most certainly do not think they turned out just fine. For a case that this saying may be true in some cases would be if the parent was talking about their child taking an extra class or volunteering at shelter of some kind. When I was fourteen my parents always had me work in the summer to earn my own money. Not only did it not bother my future any but, made it much better by teaching me responsibility. Why is it important to utilize problem-solving techniques in exploring developmental issues, grounded in child development theory to explain and/or demonstrate a foundational knowledge of the children’s developmental continuum, from conception? Because there are many questions that need to be answer starting from birth until old age. Does baby dream? To stress at an older age. If scientist investigate all these  questions to find answers you may discover how to keep a baby calm when nothing else seems to work to how to help an aging parent hoe to remember simple things such as where they left their eye glasses. What makes scholarly research different from anecdotal evidence (or personal experience) in explaining child and adolescent development? [Hint: Consider the methodology of the articles you are reading.] Anecdotal evidence is evidence that comes from anecdotes. Anecdotal evidence is known to be suspicious and is not to be relied on. Scholarly research is research that is done by scholars and professionals that can show evidence that can be relied on. Identify and briefly describe the key points of one theory and why you feel that theory is applicable to child and/or adolescent development. I agree with the Erik Erikson that conflict is the major concept of human development when it comes to establishing an identity in life. If a child does not deal with the conflicts they may not be able to establish their role in life as easily as others or maybe not at all. This leads to a lot of confusion. Finally, relate the value of continued learning with a concluding reflection on why we should incorporate both personal experience and scholarly research grounded in theory to help support any statements made in this class or any other professional setting. I think it is important to have any and all evidence no matter what it may be. The more research and life lesson we learn the better we will learn in the future by learning from school and past mistakes. Mossler, R.A. (2011). Child and adolescent development. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Endless Questions video About.com Psychology

Authoritative Parenting Model Essay

Establishing discipline through authoritative parenting is an effective style because it displays secure emotional development, allows a higher quality of supportive peer relationships and enhances problem-solving skills for the child. Research has shown that authoritative parenting is the most effective style of parenting. Authoritative parenting is the one style that promotes equal involvement between the parent and child. (Cherry, 2013a). The parent displays fair discipline, warmth and nurturing, effective communication with the child and sets certain expectations on behavior and maturity. This parenting style promotes a â€Å"democratic† model in which parents are  responsive to the child’s needs, thoughts and concerns. These parents will listen to questions the child may have on expectations set. Simply put by these parents are direct but not over bearing. (Cherry, 2013b). They reason instead of just punishing the child. Parents of this model want their children to be self-assured, socially approachable and cooperative. This furthermore, clearly defines that the authoritative style allows open communication between parent and child, love, guidance, nurturing, explanation of discipline and balance for the child. The authoritative parenting style is about setting limits, reasoning with kids, and being responsive to their emotional needs. (Dewar, 2013). These types of parents offer children a great deal of emotional support. While setting high standards for a child, parents who practice the authoritative style are responsive to the needs of children, demand children to show respect as well as provide a nurturing environment. In setting limits, children will often comply with respect to their parents and act responsibly. When children misbehave, the authoritative parent provides discipline as well and pointing out and discussing the misbehavior. The parent further provides reasoning to the act. In addition, parents allow for verbal responses and communication  from the child that promotes a sense of balance. As Dewar further states, there is evidence that this style helps kids become more empathic, helpful, conscientious, and kind to others. Dewar also suggests, authoritative parents are both highly responsive and very demanding. Overall, this is one of the best ways to define the authoritative parenting style. Evidenced  research provides several conclusions that children raised by authoritative parents are more likely to become independent, socially accepted by peers, academically productive, and well mannered. (Dewar, 2013). Children often become more supportive, reliable, and thoughtful to family and peers. Authoritative parents promote secure attachments and allow children to communicate their concerns and feelings. In doing so, children are less likely to internalize problems. Talking with a child will allow them to verbalize both good and bad, learning from these better choices and avoiding future mistakes. In the end, children will become better with problem solving skills and positive emotional well-being. Authoritative parenting offers secure emotional development of a child. These parents exhibit respectable emotional understanding and control, encourage children to manage their own emotions and learn to understand others as well. (Cherry, 2013b). The authoritative parenting style focuses on parents listening to what their children have to say, place reasonable limits that have set consequences for certain behaviors and encourage an independent child. Parents are warm and welcoming to discuss anything with the child but do not do this in a robust manner. This parent is consistent with discipline but expects the child take responsibility for their actions. The parents do not judge or place immediate blame, they listen to what the child has to say. In return, these children tend to be capable of making appropriate decisions, have a sense of pride and happiness with themself and achieve goals set for them effectively. In other words, the authoritative parent encourages a child to set expectations of their own to succeed,  work through problems, develop their own skill sets and accomplish a strong sense of confidence. Diane Baumrind’s research shows that these children display a happier disposition, have effective control of their emotions, exhibit s social interaction and are self-starters in learning new things. (Cherry, 2013a). Multiple studies have been done that prove authoritative parents score high on measures of warmth and responsiveness and high on measures of control and maturity demands (Spera, 2005). This is likely due to the parent’s warm and responsive manner in which the child is approached by the parent. The parents due demand a high level of maturity from the child, but do so with balance, affection, and bidirectional communication to nurture relationships. The parent gives explanation of why a child should act a certain way in social or serious situation. Parents also help the child to prioritize what is important to succeed socially and academically. This is referred to as the demandingness/responsive model. (Spera, 2005). Demandingness refers to the demands parents make on their children to become unified with family and united in society with others. Parents hold certain levels of demand for their children, but provide direction, and discipline when appropriate. Responsiveness refers to parental actions that purposefully encourage individuality, self-confidence and contention of the child. With parental responsiveness, parents are receptive and understanding of the child’s needs. Parenting in this manner and with warmth and understanding, this can make a child’s temperament more calm, happy, adaptable, regulate sleeping and eating habits, set a positive mood and encourage interest in new experiences. Research has found that the best-adjusted children have parents with an authoritative style (Gurian, 2011). These parents are able to balance with definitions, place high demands with emotional responsiveness and maintain respect for their child’s independence. Parents need to remember though; children also have their own style and temperament. They do  react differently in given situations and parents must recognize those differences, especially in families with many siblings. Differences in these types of children are the easy going, calm, happy child who possess healthy habits, is generally in a good mood at all time and is interested in many different activities. In contrast, difficult child may be fussy, negative, and emotionally weak and get upset easily. Authoritative parents must understand the given situation and find a good â€Å"fit† to meet the child’s demands. Being consistent is key as well. Setting limits on the child, providing ongoing encouragement, recognizing accomplishments, discussing solutions to problems and consistent communication is a must. Constructive conversation and encouragement with balance develop a strong relationship. Parents need to gain and maintain respect from their children to be able to teach them how to develop strong social relationships. Parents are the influential to child as they set limits and rules with respect to each individual in the family. A warm parent is full encouragement, bi directional communication, and love. (Harkey, 2012). The authoritative style is obviously the one that parents should strive for when parenting. When this type of parenting is accomplished a child will be happy, content and successful. Children will strive for balance and selfconfidence to develop strong peer relationships. Authoritative parents practice demandingness and response. They balance control and empathy that results in a thriving relationship with the child. These parents also do not put more on a child then they feel the child can handle. Again, they listen to the child’s needs and help them to make better decisions. Authoritative parent practices  increase the importance of peer relationships for adolescents. This parenting style encourages a variety of positive outcomes for adolescents with quality, supportive friendships. (Beck, 2011). Peer friendships are important to all children especially in the adolescent years. Support from friends helps to develop a higher self-esteem  during this time and makes teens feel important. The authoritative parenting style promotes this as parents discuss school events, peer relationships and emotions with the child. Studies show that strong peer relationships are related to better social skills and develop leadership qualities in teens. (Beck, 2011). Parents encourage teens to become involved in these types of relationships. Parents encourage externalized communication, involvement in teen activities, questions about their peer relationships and strong communications. At the same time, parents demand certain behaviors and will not tolerate inappropriate teen behaviors. Parents must remember not to wait to form these bonds with children in the adolescent years; these bonds must being in early childhood and continued throughout the early adulthood years. Parents must also recognize that teens may begin to reference peers for advice and problem solving skills. Parent involvement without being over bearing is essential to maintain a balanced relationship with the child. Authoritative parenting is effective for positive outcomes of the child in problem solving skills as well as success with peer relationships (Spera, 2005). Spera reviews findings that speak to research of children from authoritative parenting styles and that are associated with positive school  outcomes. In his review of such research he suggests that authoritative parents provide many idea dynamics that lead to high academic performance. Authoritative parents provide a high level of emotional security. This allows the child a sense of comfort and helps them to succeed in their school and peer relationships. Spera also defines that authoritative parents provide their children with explanations for their actions. Explanations provide children with a sense of interpretation and mindfulness of their parents’ values, morals, and goals. These are the building blocks to success in academic and social performance. Authoritative parents participate with the child in bidirectional communication. This style furthermore promotes better skills in interpersonal relations, sets a higher level of confidence and more popular children. These  interpersonal skills are a direct reflection of how a child will succeed in school, both socially and academically. Authoritative parents take a different, more moderate approach that emphasizes setting high standards, being nurturing and responsive, and showing respect for children as independent, rational beings. The authoritative parent expects maturity and cooperation, and offers children a lot of emotional support. Quality parenting is ongoing and offers warm and secure bonds between the parent and child. Children raised in this environment are less likely to internalize their feelings as authoritative parents encourage the child to talk about their thoughts and feelings. Also when a child makes a mistake, the parents must approach the situation in a caring manner vs. a blaming tone. This can  provide openness and solutions to problem solving and in turn children will become more effective learners from this process. Studies prove that encouraging independence in children reflect better problem solving skills and healthy emotional beings. (Dewar, 2010). This can provide the appropriate means for a child to become more helpful to others, caring and giving. In doing so, children will be viewed by peers as being kind, approachable and sometimes popular. The best-adjusted child, particularly in terms of social competence, has parents who utilize the authoritative, moderate parenting style. (Gurian, 2011). Gurian examines and compares the parenting styles researched for many years by Diane Baumrind that speaks to three different styles. These styles are authoritative, authoritarian and permissive parenting. Authoritative parenting, provides a balanced approach, demands expectations of appropriate behaviors, allow children to think through decisions and develop a sense of autonomy. Authoritarian patenting on the other hand, emphasizes strict discipline and severe punishment. Also, there is little affection shown. Permissive parenting, displays passionate warmth but this parent is hesitant to enforce rules. Gurian further explains that children from authoritative  families tend to be emotionally sound, well behaved and competent in academic performance. This makes them resourceful, and socially adept in all aspects of life. In reference to children from authoritarian families, they are fairly well behaved but lack social skills. Also these children tend to  suffer from anxiety, unhappiness, and lack of self-confidence. Children from permissive families may hold a high self esteem but tend to get involved in problem behaviors such as drug or alcohol abuse and are poor performers in academics. Findings show that among all the components of personality, there is a direct and significant relationship between openness personality trait and authoritative parenting style. (Mohammad, Nasirudin, Samadzadeh and Amini, 2012). It aims to explore the difference in parenting styles and personality dimensions. This leads children to broaden their scope of curiosity and wisdom, which helps them with problem solving skills. The authors of this abstract (Mohammad, Nasirudin, Samadzadeh and Amini, 2012) clearly research and study over 272 students from a national university. They used random sampling and a questionnaire to gather the information to be reviewed from these students as the authoritative parenting style is one compared to the others that improves secure being, focus, knowledge, and develops problem solving. Also, in this study it reflects that the authoritative parenting style is the one compared to the others that improves secure being within the child, focus, and knowledge and develops problem-solving skills. Results of this study also showed that parent’s educational manners and styles are effective on the development of children’s personality behaviors. Parents play an important role in meeting a child’s needs. It is imperative that a parent provides a healthy relationship with child using the authoritative style of open communication, warmth and love. Self-confidence for child throughout life is significant in decision-making. Children with authoritative education style have higher social-emotional growth and better academic  achievement. Parents display social support, mutual relationships, approachability, responsiveness and satisfaction towards children with an authoritative parenting style. This in turn results in the maturity of these mechanisms within children. Family is definitely the main support of a child’s personality traits and growth. Parenting styles are patterns for children’s enhancement that is formed by the consistent communication of parent/child and how they response to children’s behavior. Authoritative parents demand maturity and accountability from the child, but approach them in a kind way with explanation at all times. Various studies discussed by (Mohammad, Nasirudin, Samadzadeh and Amini, 2012) speak to the committed relationship and authoritative parenting style that has a direct reflection on academic achievement in children. It also has a positive impact on the well-being and mental health of the child. These parents guide direction and provide explanation and solutions for further success of these children and therefore have a direct reflection on problem solving of adolescent issues. The article by (Spera, 2005) evaluates the information on the relationship among parenting practices, parenting styles, and adolescent school achievement. Spera speaks to research completed by Diane Baumrind that authoritative parents have high maturity demands and set expectations for achievement of their children. However, they foster maturity requests through bidirectional communication and encouragement of independence. The review of the practical research indicates that parental involvement and monitoring are strong predictors of adolescent achievement. Furthermore, the review specifies that authoritative parenting styles are often associated with advanced areas of student achievement. Parents find social skills important and entwine them in daily discussions with children. These topics can include social, academic and peer topics for discussion. Volunteering at school, helping children with homework and attending school events such as extracurricular activities are the many ways parents can stay  involved with child. Parents must initiate this type of involvement with children, as it will result in positive outcomes for the child. Moreover, Spera speaks to studies with adolescents that have found that parental assistance with homework is positively related to the amount of time adolescents spend on their homework. Parents who value the education as their child will result in those child to succeed in their academic practices as well as social interaction with peer groups (Spera, 2005). This results in personal and professional growth of the child. It also teaches children to respect their studies and understand why education is to be valued. Setting goals together can prove effective. Also, mature and self-confident children succeed with an authoritative parent if bidirectional communication is maintained. The abstract by (Turner, Chandler, and Heffer, 2009) also provides information about the effectiveness of appropriate parenting styles in relation to academic performance. The results of the current study of college students concludes that parenting characteristics such as concern, love and warmth continue to play an important role in prompting a student’s academic performance while in college. It also speaks to self- esteem as it relates to success in college students. In doing so, it discusses research and studies that tested the interaction between child self-efficacy and authoritative parenting. In general, an authoritative parenting style emphasizing both responsiveness and demandingness appears superior in fostering higher academic performance. This provides reasoning as to why authoritative parenting is effective in the child’s progress through adolescence and early adulthood. Several other studies by Diane Baumrind have indicated that there is a positive link between authoritative parenting style and academic performance. These children are motivated constantly by their parents and provide ongoing  reassurance of goals and values. Authoritative parents encourage a high self-esteem and promote the ability for the child to mature, organize and achieve goals in a warm, secure way. These positive actions build success and growth for the child as they learn to work through problems, difficult scenarios and achieve success academically. Self-efficacy is strongly related to academic achievement especially at the college level. Again parents play an important role to assist in the development of maturity and self-assurance of the child beginning early in life. As children mature and begin on their own at the college levels, parents still can play an important role on the continued success. According to studies reviewed in the article of (Turner, Chandler, and Heffer, 2009). Students who come from an authoritative parenting style not only achieve overall academic success but tend to have a higher GPA. Ongoing research over the years shows that establishing discipline through authoritative parenting is one of the most effective styles because it provides secure emotional development, allows a higher quality of supportive social relationships and enhances problem-solving skills for the child. The authoritative parenting style is one in which parents display warmth, rationalization and understanding that provide a sense of security and self-perseverance of the child. These parents allow child involvement with an emphasis on bidirectional communication. Parents provide ideal problem  solving skills at all ages for future success by demanding maturity from the child but provide a positive and encouraging approach with balance to a develop strong peer relationships. Authoritative parents provide warmth, understanding and love to promote a child’s self confidence for overall academic and personal achievement throughout life. REFERENCES Beck, K. (2011). The role of mothers’ authoritative  parenting in adolescent attachment and social relationships. [Abstract]. Cherry, K. (2013a). Parenting styles: the four styles of parenting. About.com Psychology. Retrievedfrom http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/paren ting-style.htm?r=et. Cherry, K. (2013b). What is authoritative parenting? About.com Guide to Psychology. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/childcare/f/authoritativeparenting.htm Dewar, G. (2013, March). The authoritative parenting style: Warmth, rationality, and high standards. A guide for the science-minded parent http://www.parentingscience.com/authoritative-parenting-style.html Dewar, G. (2010). Parenting styles: A guide for the science-minded http://www.parentingscience.com/parenting-styles.html Gurian, A. (2011, July). Parenting styles/children’s temperaments: the match. NYU Child Study Center. Retrieved from http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/parenting_styleschildren039s_temperaments _match Harkey, N, & Jourgensen, T. (2012). Parenting by temperament: Authoritative parenting [Kindle edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com Mohammad, M. Javidi, N., Samadzadeh, M. & Amini. M. ( 2012, September). 3332 Indian Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 5 No. 9 Spera, C. (2005). A review of the relationship among parenting practices, parenting styles, and adolescent school achievement. Educational Psychology Review, 17(2), 125-146 Turner, E., Chandler, M., Heffer, R. (2009, May/June). The influence of parenting styles, achievement motivation, and self-efficacy on academic performance in college students. Journal of College Student Development, Volume 50, (3), 337-346. Published by The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Language and Culture in New Zealand Organization Research Paper

Language and Culture in New Zealand Organization - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that various languages are spoken in the country where some are officially recognized, and others are not. These diverse languages bring about different cultures and influence the organization structure of the country. New Zealand is located in the Southwest of the Pacific Ocean. The country is mainly made up of two landmasses namely the South and North Islands. Several ethnic groups can be found in New Zealand, which includes the Maori, Europeans, Asians, and Pacific Islander among others. The country's official languages are Maori, English and the New Zealand sign language. English can be termed as the main business language, as it is spoken by 98 % of the citizens this can be attributed to the British Commonwealth ties. Maori is considered a Polynesian language which can be compared to languages spoken in other Pacific Cultures such as Tongan, Samoan and Hawaiian. As per the census done in 2006, more than 157,000 peopl e in the country speak Maori. This language has existed in New Zealand culture from as early as the country’s discovery. Maori people were the first to get to New Zealand and were later followed by the European settlers. However, it was only after passing of the 1986 Maori Language Act that the language was formally recognized as an official language. The use and the development of Maori language is consistently encouraged by the New Zealand language Commission. English and Maori are used all over the country in varied media outlets especially in radio and television programs. As apparent in most regions of the world where cultures have intermixed, Both English and Maori cultures have influenced each other. Various words have been absorbed into the vocabulary of the two languages. There are quite a number of differences in the above cultures especially when tribal circles are involved.