Neanderthals Essays - Stone Age, Human Evolution, Hominini

Neanderthals Neanderthals I have never really had an interest in religion and the beliefs it is made of. This all leaves me confused at times. Religion explains the creation of humankind, since I have no religious beliefs then where does this leave me in thought about where I came from? Actually it left me no where. I have just recently taken an anthropology class the second semester of my freshman year at Montgomery College. I am just know gaining a belief in where and when man was created. Just think, most people are instilled with religion early in life, mostly by their parents or the schools that there parents make the attend at an early age. I have always been to stubborn to listen to anything my parents had to say, leading me to find out things for myself. I have only been able to listen and understand things that I like and listening to my anthropology teacher was something that I could understand and enjoyed listening to. He was the one who first introduced me to Neanderthals. Many Anthropologists believe that Neanderthals were in fact a direct ancestor to modern man. Thus giving Anthropologists an idea of where we started out. On the other hand some Anthropologists think that the Neanderthals had no relation to modern man. Through the research that I have done, there is little info that supports that Neanderthals were in fact ancestors, but there is a definite larger amount of info that supports that they are not ancestors of man. Most of the information that supported that Neanderthals were direct ancestors has been found to be incorrect through research and technology. In 1856 at the Feldhofer Cave, Germany, Neanderthal Man introduced himself to the world indicated by Turnbaugh, Jurmain, Nelson, Kilgore in the seventh edition of Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archeology. Named after the valley in which he was discovered (Neander Tal), this hominid would send anthropologists mad for over 100 years. They were initially though of as dim-witted brutes with clubs and beast like characteristics. French Paleontologist, Marcelin Boule was the creator of this misconception about the Neanderthals. Boule declare that these hominids were unintelligent due to their low-browed brains and that the only thing that they could make is their tools and not much else. Boule believed that the beast walked bent need and head projecting forward with his big toe similar to a chimpanzee. Later it is learned that in fact his misconception about the beast steered him wrong in his examination of the elderly hominid. Actually the bones that he examined was crippled and had suffered from arthritis, over looked by Boule. Some Anthropologists believe that it is almost impossible to miss the evidence of arthritis on the old mans bones because it is so obvious to see. Either way, Boule's analysis left a permanent scar on the Neanderthals image that would not be changed until many years later (307). In recent years researchers have successfully extract and sequence DNA from a Neanderthal fossil. A small piece of bone from the humorous was removed from the original Neandertal Vally fossil and compared to numerous other DNA samples. Definite proof can not be determined from one sequence of an individual, in fact new data leading in favor of Neanderthals: showing that they were a branch of the human family, not a direct ancestor. The results from the tests indicate that the Neanderthal DNA is considerably different from the other DNA that was tested. The other DNA that was tested was from Humans as well as chimpanzees. From the result of these DNA tests, researchers stand by the view that "Neanderthals exist as a species independent from early modern man". Thus living up to the name of Neanderthals as an evolutionary dead end (Science 176-178). "Mitochondria is an important cell that finally determined the relation between man and Neanderthals" (Newman 1999). There is also a "cultural contrast between the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (early modern man)" indicated by Turnbaugh, Jurmain, Nelson, Kilgore in the seventh edition of Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archeology. These differences set them apart in a way that tells us how they lived and defines the difference in the two. Tool technology on the behalf of the Neanderthals was less advanced. Flake tools were used for specific and few operations. Bone, antler, and ivory were used infrequently. Most tools had only one or two parts. While the Homo sapiens were using a wide verity of stone tools. Using bone, antler and ivory as often as possible. As well as having many more tools with two or more parts. Hunting is another

Compare Babe Ruth to Ted Williams essays

Compare Babe Ruth to Ted Williams essays For my compare and contrast paper I am going to compare and contrast two of the best baseball players of all time. One of them is The Great Bambino other wise known as Babe Ruth and the other is the great Ted Williams. Both were great players who were alike in many ways, but were also different, which I will tell you about. I believe that these two players are the best to ever play the game of baseball. So lets get started. When you think of Babe Ruth or Ted Williams most people think of homeruns. Which is very true for both players. These two are the best batters of all time. Although both were very good power hitters, they were also great contact hitters. They both would hit singles, and doubles, and triples all the time. They both have one of the highest on base percentages still to today. They both played for Boston, although the Babe only played there for one year. When I say that these guys are good hitters I mean it. Babe Ruth had 182 hits and Ted Williams had 183 hits, which in my opinion is really good for back in the day. With all of those hits they each had a very good slugging percentage (.508 and .505). These players were so feared by other teams that they had 140 walks apiece. These guys were not always alike. They were different in many ways as well. Ted Williams was a great outfielder and Babe Ruth was a great pitcher. Eventually the Babe was moved to the outfield because he was such a good hitter they wanted to keep him in the line up. The Babe played his entire career with the New York Yankees, except for one year in which he played for Boston. Williams played his entire career in Boston. Williams also fought in World War II, so he missed some of his peak playing years. Not only was there playing different, but so were there lifestyles. Ruth was the rich guy that sat around and smoked cigars, playing cards, drinking, and eating. Williams was the shy and goodie-to-shoes kind of person. He was always...

9 Famous Types of Editing That Every Author Should Know

9 Famous Types of Editing That Every Author Should Know 9 Types of Editing: A Guide for Authors For any writer, the world of professional editing can be very intimidating - especially when trying to figure out what kinds of editors you need and how to find good ones for your project. Indeed, there are so many types of editing out there, it’s enough to make anyone’s head spin!But this process doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll take you through all the different types of editing, what each one entails, and how they relate to one another. Plus we’ll provide insight from our own expert editors on what these types can do for you as a writer! Ready to get started? 9 types of editing how to apply them to your manuscript  Ã°Å¸â€œ  What are the 9 types of editing?1. Developmental editingDevelopmental editing, also called content or substantive editing, involves an editor providing detailed feedback on â€Å"big-picture† issues. They’ll refine your ideas, shape your narrative, and help you fix any major plot or character inconsistencies. Basically, they’ll look at just about every element of your story and tell you what works and what doesn’t.â€Å"For a developmental edit, I look at some of the larger questions,† says editor Mary-Theresa Hussey. â€Å"Why are the characters behaving as they do? What are their motivations? Do these scenes add to the overall story? What is your underlying theme and how does it change?†As we said, this is typically the first step in the editing process. After all, you don’t want to get your manuscript proofed or formatted if you haven’t even fleshed out the plot yet! A developmental editor will make sure your story’s u p to snuff before moving forward, so you don’t end up copy-correcting work that’s just going to get thrown out anyway.What do you get out of a developmental edit?There are two pieces here that your editor should provide: an editorial report and an annotated manuscript.The editorial report is a general critique of everything your developmental editor thinks you should change, along with commentary on what’s functioning well and should stay in your work. Meanwhile, the annotated manuscript is a marked-up version of the manuscript itself, with specific suggestions as to how you can fix each issue. You might think of the annotated manuscript as the editor’s raw feedback and the editorial report as a summary of that feedback.2. Editorial assessmentOn the other hand, if your manuscript isn’t quite ready yet for a developmental edit, but you still want to get some feedback on it, you can always call for an editorial assessment.â€Å"In an editorial asses sment, the author wouldn’t receive comments and example rewrites in the manuscript,† says genre fiction editor Leah Brown. â€Å"Instead, they would receive a letter that focuses on the broad strokes. An editorial assessment is best for an author who is early in the process and whose manuscript may be messier.†So an editorial assessment is similar to an editorial report, but with less detail. It should give you some concrete ideas about how to construct your story. However, it won’t have the nuance of a full developmental edit, so don’t rely on an assessment alone to perfect your manuscript.3. Structural editing Make sure that structure's solid before you build on it! (Image: Michael Eggerl on Unsplash)4. Copy editingOnce you’re certain that you’ve solved the big-picture issues of your book and done any necessary rewrites, it’s time to dive into copy editing! This type is also known as mechanical and sometimes line editing, depending on its particular application.â€Å"A copy editor’s job is to bring the author’s completed manuscript to a more professional level,† says editor Chersti Nieveen. â€Å"A copy edit helps create the most readable version of your book, improving clarity, coherency, consistency, and correctness. The goal is to bridge any remaining gaps between the author’s intent and the reader’s understanding.†What elements do copy editors consider?A copy editor examines and corrects the following elements in your work:SpellingGrammarCapitalizationWord usage and repetitionDialogue tagsUsage of numbers or numeralsPOV/ten se (to fix any unintentional shifts)Descriptive inconsistencies (character descriptions, locations, blocking, etc.)Essentially, while a developmental editor will address overarching issues with your story, the copy editor looks at more minute details. After all, it’d be pretty distracting to your reader if you constantly misuse dialogue tags or misspell the word â€Å"restaurant.† Copy editing ensures that errors like these don’t happen, so your writing is as strong as possible, and your reader remains 100% focused on the story.5. Line editingPeople often use this term synonymously with copy editing, but they’re not exactly the same. To clarify: line editing focuses specifically on the content and flow of your prose. It’s also called stylistic editing, since it concentrates on style rather than mechanics.In other words, it still falls under the umbrella of copy editing, but it’s more precise. While a full copy edit looks at all of the elemen ts listed in the bullets above, a line edit would only take word usage, POV/tense, and descriptive inconsistencies into account, and provide more detailed suggestions as to how to strengthen the prose itself.Obviously, spelling, grammar, and other mechanical elements are critical, but a line edit would not attend to these so much as to creative content. If you feel incredibly confident about the mechanics of your prose but less so about its flow and style, you might request that your copy editor focus their energy on line editing alone. After all, a proofreader can always catch any minor errors that slip through the cracks. Copy vs. line editing: what's the difference? Find out here! 🔎 And speaking of proofreaders...6. Proofreading 9 Types of Editing: A Guide for Authors Read post There are plenty of ways to self-edit or  build a team of insightful beta readers who can provide you with an outside perspective. But if you intend to become a successful author (whatever that means to you), there’s no replacement for professional assistance and correct procedure when it comes to editing. With this in mind, you’re ready to go forth and conquer - the world of editing, that is!Have you ever had a professional edit done on your work? If so, tell us about it in the comments below!

OPERATIONS STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

OPERATIONS STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT - Essay Example McDonalds has a huge supply chain network spread globally and the company puts lots of concentration over its supply chain as it is in the food division so maintenance of the quality of the food items and protecting them from getting damaged. The diagram showing the complete supply chain network of the company is been given below (Bass, 2010, pp. 89-96). The flow of information and also the flow of the materials give a clear indication in as to how important the supply chain is for the company. The company uses various transport medium like for transporting the materials which are perishable are been transported using cold vans which has freezer facilities which helps the company to maintain the quality of the item (Manos and Vincent, 2012, pp. 65-68). Company has looked to get local suppliers for supply of vegetables which can be availed in the fresh way. It has distributors in the supply chain in every city where all the raw materials come from the various suppliers of vegetables, breads, meats, milk items etc. From these distributors the materials are been supplied to the various outlets and restaurants using cold vans and trucks. The time limit for every supply of raw materials is 3 days, that is after every 3 days new stock of raw materials are been supplied to the stores and the maximum stock been maintained in the stores are only for 3 days which helps the company to keep the freshness of the product as a result of which the quality of the food item is been maintained in a good way (Wireman, 2004, pp. 113-115). McDonalds looks to maintain a good relation with the suppliers by providing them good facilities and good knowledge regarding good maintenance of the animals and also gives information to the vegetable suppliers regarding the various methods used for maintaining the quality and freshness of the vegetables. The company ma intains a simple policy of one material-one supplier to give the suppliers under control and

Nursing Research Article Critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing Research Critique - Article Example A good article provides information on the geographical location of the study as well as the type of target population being explored. Although, the authors do not share any information on the location of the study but they mentioned the target population, the surgical patients. The article narrates the problem statement in a clear way; mentions the study variables as well as the population involved. The authors want to assess the impact of the education of nurses in the hospitals over the care and eventually the mortality status of these patients. This is an important area which is feasible to carry out and will result in interesting findings which will be generalized on similar hospitals. Since a researcher has to present a new idea, hypothesis or pose a research question based on some violence. This can be constructed once there is no information, or the previous research suggests some new research activity or previous evidence raised new questions. Whatever be the case, literature review becomes significantly important to build the situation! This literature review, actually, favors and opposes some of the issues and new research is proposed, in a way to decide the conflict. Yes, literature review in this article is comprehensive. The sources are very much relevant to the topic and almost all are primary ones. Both types of viewpoints, supporting and opposing, have been added which lead to the development of a rational for the next study, the current one! Theoretical/conceptual framework The authors have not described anything explicitly as theoretical or conceptual framework. But the way rational is developed based on the existing evidence and the arguments in the favor of testing the research question are impressive. The authors have taken up various concepts related to the topic and discuss them clearly; they also link these concepts. They have not provided the formal definition of various terms but have described them well. There is no information which suggests that the framework is strong enough to make judgments. Hypothesis/Research Questions This article does not state any research question or hypothesis right away as a question or hypothesis but build a rationale and make statements which go in the direction of a research question or hypothesis. Actually, an explicit hypothesis is important for making the future research design and analysis. In this article when the authors write the statement of hypothesis they take into account the variables, independent and dependent. In fact, research questions have not been raised or stated in real sense but the issues which need to be explored have been described very well. Strictly speaking, the research questions have not been written in the article so they cannot delineate the study. Quantitative Designs This study was carried out using cross-sectional design which has been mentioned clearly in the methodology section. For this hypothesis, design is fine as far as the determination of association is concerned between the independent and dependent variables are concerned. But this design cannot determine the cause and effect association as

Should Hong Kong Dollar Depeg with USD Essay Example for Free

Should Hong Kong Dollar Depeg with USD Essay Since Joseph Yam had mentioned by June 2012that it should be time to call for a review of the link to dollar. This reminded us to focus back on this 29-year-old currency linking system of HKD to USD. It was a very good / effective system to help Hong Kong to remain stable under the economic turmoil when first applied in 1983. This formed a very firm ‘firewall’ to protect the stability of the Hong Kong Dollar. We also had the testimony for the effectiveness of this system while the economic crisis that happened in 1997 and 2007. Although the Hong Kong Government had shown their loyalty of pegging the Hong Kong Dollar to U. S. currency and had announced that there are no plans to adjust such link. But I really agree with Joseph Yam that it should be time to call for a review. Since we all know that Hong Kong is having a higher and higher inflation rate that makes the whole city suffer. As well as most of the inflation we experiencing are imported inflation. We may find that U. S. is seeming to have a down slope economic trend and their currency is a lot weaker than before, especially against RMB. If Hong Kong still insists to peg HKD with U. S. currency that means we will, to some extend, having the same trend and future with the state i. e. declining. Moreover, Hong Kong is a place that mainly depends on import and almost all our daily necessities are imported from other countries and of which, mainly from Mainland China. RMB is now having a very strong appreciating trend from which HKD had depreciated 40% to 50% against RMB in the past decade. And we found that the price of food and products that imported from China is becoming more and more expensive. That really makes the whole city suffer. I am quite agreed with what William Ackman, founder of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management LP, said in September that he had placed a wager that would profit if Hong Kong allows its currency to appreciate against the dollar to curb inflation. Also to switch the linking of HKD from USD to RMB in the coming three to six years. This is one of the effective ways to release the painful situation we are currently experiencing. Lets not afraid of changing from the 29-year-old policy to a new and aggressive format.

Different Cultures, Different Essay -- essays research papers fc

Every society and culture has different ways of interpreting and defining occurrences by the way their own culture or society functions. â€Å"A society’s culture, consists of whatever it is one has to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members†(Geertz 242). The rituals, customs, ethics and morals that are attributed to the cultures have caused these differences. To understand how the people of one culture interpret a situation or event, one must evaluate the attributes that a culture has. The criteria that an event is based on changes as one culture applies their own ideas to the given situation. Heroism and violation are two concepts that are easily misinterpreted depending on culture’s ideals. Since cultures have different attributes it is impossible for two cultures to exist and share a view of a situation or event.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heroism and violation are two concepts that are addressed by Geertz in his relating of Ryle’s story of the sheep raid. From the different cultures involved, two different interpretations are concluded. To the protagonist, Cohen, and the perpetrators of the crime, his raid on the Berbers was seen as heroism. Cohen risking his life for his redemption of crime that was committed against him is viewed as heroic. On the contrary, when Cohen returned to his French counterparts, they saw his redemption as a violation of the Berbers, and accused him of being a spy: Here, in our text, such sorting would beg...

Communication Strategies Essay

Communication is one of the most common tools of interaction among people. Communication has been around the stone ages or you can say from the very being of time, so that the people can convey ideas to each other there has always been felt the need for communication. As we know that man is a social animal, he or she can only survive in such an environment where they can interact, socialize and communicate among one another that are present around them. Man has a natural extinct of forming groups and tribes. In order to address to the various problems and issues that occur or are faced by people, they have a need to send across to other people a message so that they would help him or her, therefore communication became a necessity. Intercultural Communication Intercultural communication is a process of sending and receiving messages between people, whose cultural background leads them to deal, interpret verbal and non – verbal signs differently (Salwen & Stacks, 2008). There are two trends that contributing to the rapidly increase in the importance of intercultural communication in the workplace. These trends are the global marketplace and the multicultural workforce. Diversity plays a major role in the multicultural workforce of a company. Having a diverse culture in an organization is considered to be a beneficial process that will help in an employee’s growth while it also increases the cultural sensitivity as well as the skills of the management, it is considered to be a 2 way process. Such a cultural diversity is one of the trends that are contributing to the importance of intercultural communication within the organization. Diversity awareness helps the employees learn to communicate with other employees from other cultural context. Increasing diversity within organization means that the management of the organization needs to develop programs that deal with global and as well as domestic diversity and with potential conflicts like language barriers or cultural differences (Salwen & Stacks, 2008). Example Hewlett – Packard (HP) brought its US engineers together with its French engineers, so that they would develop and design software together. And this caused a cultural difference and that difference broke down the communication. What happened is that the US engineers sent long and detailed emails to the Japanese engineers, but the engineers in Japan saw the detailed messages as patronizing and they replied those detailed emails with short and quick messages. The engineers in US, when saw those messages believed that their counterparts in Japan were withholding important information from them. This whole communication process was non – verbal and due to misunderstanding from both sides this whole process of communication got out of control. The end result of this situation was that the management of Hewlett – Packard (HP) had to hire a team of consultants, so that they would train their engineers on both sides to deal with their differences. The communication device that was used by both the parties was online mailing, which is verbal way of communicating. If we take the internet in a verbal form of communication forum, we are able to open up a world so vast that the amount of knowledge is limitless; it provides a space for any language, any culture or any religion without a bias of opinions. Anyone with the ability to use a computer can use of this tool and can get connected to the world without a hitch. If we see that emailing and the internet were not a good of communicating between both the parties, instead it created a great deal of misunderstanding between both the parties (Daft, 1997). Cultural Differences The biggest issue that is being faced by most companies is that great deals of employees do not understand the cultural differences of each other, and this causes a breakdown in communication. In this example we see that the Japanese culture differs from the American culture. In the American Culture communication plays an important role, let’s consider the US expression that ‘the squeaky wheel gets the oil’; it means that the loudest person will get the most attention and in the US attention is assumed is considered favorable. The American culture comes under a low context culture. A low context culture can be defined as a culture in which communication is used as a form of exchanging information and facts about work. Now let’s consider a Japanese expression ‘the nail that stick up gets hammered down’; it means that standing out as an individual in the Japanese culture merits unfavorable attention. Japan belongs in the high context culture, which can be defined as a culture which uses communication to enhance and increase personal relationships during the working hours as well. In the American Culture in an organization is mostly based on face-to-face confrontation and competition as ways to motivate individuals to work in an effective and efficient manner, for example, In the American culture of the management the employees are given empowerment that is empowerment of the employees at all the levels of the hierarchy is an important means of coping with challenges and problems that are being faced by the human resource department of the company. For example companies like Hewlett-Packard, Wal-Mart and Southwest Airlines sustain top performance through their people. The management of these companies pays attention to their employees and empowers them to certain degrees which in return makes their employees satisfied with their jobs and remain motivated. (Daft, 1997) Whereas in the Japanese Culture in an organization is mostly based on group harmony to efficiently and effectively, for example, in the Japanese management culture the career progression in a Japanese company is very predictable and automatic. The promotions and the increments happen as the employees spend more and more time with the company. Compensation for the employees is mostly based of tangible and intangible benefits for example, low cost loans for housing and car expanses, low paid vacations for the employees and semi-annual bonuses with pays. This is the way how employees are motivated in the company to retain them and so that they work in an effective and efficient manner. Another thing in the Japanese management culture is that the management is based on permanent employment and when the new recruits that are hired are placed under a probation period of 6 month at least and if they survive then the employees are given permanent jobs, which means that the employees will not be dismissed or terminated in the future without any reason, they will remain inevitably with the company until they do not retire. (Fullmer, 1983) Intercultural Communication Theories The intercultural communication theory that is needed for to solve the problem within the company would be Cultural Convergence. Cultural Convergence Cultural convergence is a theory which is based on effective outcomes. Cultural convergence is very closely related to a social system, where communication is considered very important and it is unrestricted between the members, eventually the system will converge over time towards a uniformity of a greater cultural. The communication system will mostly tilt towards diversity when communication is restricted. Cultural Convergence will help the company to recognizing the cultural differences and will also be able to overcome ethnocentrism (Salwen & Stacks, 2008). Recognizing the Cultural Differences: Problems like these arise when individuals assume, wrongly, that the other person’s attitudes, values, knowledge and beliefs. The management can improve intercultural sensitivity by recognizing and accommodating four main types of cultural differences. They are 1) contextual difference; it is one of the ways where individuals assign meaning to a message in accordance to cultural context, message stimuli and implicit understanding, 2) legal and ethical differences; cultural context also influences legal and ethical behavior of the employees.  For example, low context cultures like Americans, value written words more than oral communication. They believe that word agreements are binding. When a company is conducting its business overseas and across cultures, the management has to keep it messages ethical by applying 4 principles; seek mutual ground actively, send and receive messages without any sort of judgment, send those messages which are honest and lastly show some respect for cultural differences. 3) Social differences; social behavior is another distinguishing factor among all of the cultures. In any culture rules of social etiquette may be formal or informal.  And in case if formal rules are violated for any reason, the members of the culture will be able to explain why they are upset about it and if informal rules of any culture are violated for any reason, the people of that culture will feel uncomfortable and will not be able to tell the person who violated those rules why. Social differences will include use of manners, roles and status, attitudes towards materialism and attitude towards time. 4) Non-verbal differences; nonverbal communication is more reliable than verbal communication but only in the same culture because nonverbal communication is perceived differently in different cultures.  Nonverbal communication would include personal space and use of body language (Fullmer, 1983). Overcome ethnocentrism: when the management is communicating overseas and across cultures, open mindedness is consider very important and it is very effective for communication. To overcome any sort of ethnocentrism the management must remember to acknowledge distinctions, avoid any sort of assumptions and it not suppose to make any sort of judgments (Fullmer, 1983). Strategies for Dealing with the Issue Strategy is very important if the company wants to deals with its communication problems. Strategy enables the organization to achieve its stated goals and objectives and in our case would be to overcome the company’s communication issues like cultural differences. Once the company has recognized the cultural elements and has overcome its ethnocentrism, the company is then ready to develop strategies which will solve any future communication problems and it will help the employees to communicate effectively. It can be done through the following:- 1) The management needs to learn about other cultures, because it would help the management to send and receive intercultural messages effectively. ) The employees have to break through the barriers of language to communicate effectively with each other. 3) The employees would need to improve their writing and as well as oral skills (Salwen & Stacks, 2008) Conclusion Communication is the process whereby information is exchanged and understood by 2 or more people, usually with the intention of motivating or influencing peop le. There are mostly two kinds of communication; verbal and non-verbal. Communication among people can be affected by perception, communication channels, nonverbal communication and listening skills.

Third Party Conflict Resolution

Third Party Conflict Resolution MGT/445 Organizational Negotiations March 11, 2013 | | | | Third Party Conflict Resolution Conflict is an omnipresent facet of human existence present at every level of society. Differences in culture, norms, beliefs, wants, needs, and personality causes conflict. Throughout history people involved in conflict solicit assistance from a third party with the primary goal to negotiate a resolution. Team A is assigned to review a case involving two managers of a manufacturing company involved in a conflict. The following paragraphs provide an overview of the case and different third party interventions strategies.Team A included below the analysis of the case, a third party intervention strategy to resolve the conflict, the reason the strategy resolves the conflict, and an alternate strategy if the first strategy does not work. Case Overview The case involves a conflict with managers of a major producer of office furniture -Seatcor. Acting as the senior vi ce president of operations and chief operating officer, Team A must provide an appropriate solution to the conflict. Joe Gibbons is the vice president and general manager of Seatcor’s largest desk assembly plant. Joe has been with Seatcor for 38 years and is two years away from retirement.He worked his way up through the ranks to his present position and has managed successfully his division for five years with a marginally competent staff. Joe is a long-standing personal friend. There is a perception Joe has surrounded himself deliberately with minimally competent people possibly because he may have felt threatened by talented assistants. During lunch with Charles Stewart, assistant vice president and Joe’s second in command, it became clear there is a conflict between Charles and Joe. Joe’s potential replacement upon his retirement is Charles, who was hired last year.Joe was reluctant to hire Charles. Charles is 39, a tenacious, bright, and well-trained busine ss school graduate. Charles is doing a good job in his new position. Joe is in the process of completing a five-year plan for his plant. This plan will serve as the basis for a proposal to management for several major plant reinvestment and reorganization decisions. According to Charles, Joe has not included Charles in the planning process. Joe excluding Charles is disturbing him. His distress may be influencing his work and relationship with Joe. Charles may have an ulterior motive for disclosing this information.Joe runs a good ship and has good judgment. Confronting Joe may upset him and appear to undermine his authority. Joe may have a good reason for excluding Charles. Joe felt threatened by a junior manager or he may not be aware of Charles’ distress regarding exclusion from the planning process. Some tension between Joe and Charles may exist even though they are not in a verbal dispute. From a business standpoint, the potential conflict between Joe and Charles is a ver y serious problem. Joe will retire in two years so it will be important to have a trained replacement in place well in advance.Charles probably will have to live with the results of any major decisions about the plant after Joe retires. In addition, it is essential Joe support Charles so he can grow properly into his present position and future job. The goal is to resolve the potential conflict between Joe and Charles as well as benefit the company. It will be important to get Joe and Charles talking. The company will benefit if Joe and Charles have an amicable relationship so Joe can train Charles and collaborate on the five-year reinvestment and reorganization plan. According to the â€Å"The FreeDictionary† (2013), intervention means â€Å"to come, appear, or lie between two things† (Intervene, para. 1). As acting senior vice president of operations and chief operating, Team A must intervene to resolve the conflict. Third Party Intervention Strategies and Selection In the Seatcor case, Team is considering using a third party. â€Å"The terms third party and intermediary are both used to refer to a person or team of people who become involved in a conflict to help the disputing parties manage or resolve it† (University of Colorado, December 2, 2005,  p. ) Third parties can take the role of intermediary, consultant, facilitator, mediator, or arbitrators. â€Å"The various forms of observed third-party intervention are distinguished primarily by the degree of power that the intervener exercises over the process and outcome of the conflict† (Fisher,  April 2001-03-30, p. 1. The role of a consultant is to analyze the conflict and develop a plan to help resolve the conflict. The role of a facilitator is to arrange and manage meetings until a reasonable agreement is reached. More serious conflicts may warrant a mediator.Mediators are more involved and impose more structure to the discussion process between both parties. The goal of the mediator is to get both parties talking so each side understands the conflict from the other party’s point of view. Common understanding between both parties often yields a solution to the conflict. The role of the arbitrator is to listen to both sides, collect evidence, and determine the resolution to conflict. Decisions made by arbitrators are final. Informal interventions are incidental to the negotiation, whereas formal interventions are designed intentionally or in advance (Lewick, Saunders, & Barry, 2006, p. 87). As the senior vice president of operations and chief operating officer, Team A decides the best approach is to use a formal mediation strategy through an impartial third party. Applying the Intervention Strategy There are six steps to the formal mediation process that include introductory remarks, statement of the problem by both parties, gathering information, identification of the problem, bargaining and generating options, and finally reaching an agreeme nt. In general, the information gathering step is done after the parties have stated the problem. In this case it is important to ollect some data about the five-year plan and more on the relationship between Joe and Charles. It will be difficult to gather information without alarming the parties involved and creating rumors within the plant. Before the meeting with both parties, Team A will meet with Joe to allow him to explain his concerns with the development of the short-term plan. The mediation process will begin with arranging a meeting with both parties and the third party mediator. The mediation between Joe and Charles is set to take place at a local conference room close to the assembly plant with the third party mediator and Team A.This gives the mediation neutrality and takes away any implied bias by having the mediation at the plant. Hilary (2000) stated â€Å"Mediator neutrality legitimizes the mediation process because the parties, rather than the mediator, are in con trol of decision-making† (p. 145). The ground rules are simple but ensure Joe and Charles stay amicable with one another. Introductory Remarks The mediation begins with the mediator speaking to both Joe and Charles in the room. The mediator explains why he is there and the intent of the mediation. At the beginning of the eeting, the mediator will outline the reason for the meeting, the expectations of both parties, and protocol of the meeting such as allowing each party to speak without interruption. Also each party is asked to sign a paper agreeing to follow the ground rules, and the mediator can clarify any questions the parties may have about the ground rules The ground rules are simple but ensure Joe and Charles stay amicable with one another. * Both parties agree to take turns talking and will refrain from interrupting the other party. * Both parties will address the other party on a first name basis. The parties agree to pay attention to the other party to understand the other party’s wishes. * Each parties can request breaks when necessary. * Either party can speak up if the mediation falls off track. * Each party is to follow the guidance of the mediator. Statement of the Problem by the Parties Each party is asked to step outside and the other party speaks one-on-one with the mediator. This gives the mediator an overview of the situation and allows the mediator to counsel the parties on the correct language to not provoke the other party.Both parties are allowed in the room for face-to-face dialogue on the issues they believed led to the situation. Joe should be allowed to go first as senior manager. As the conversation progresses, the mediator writes down the problems from the views of both parties. The statements by both Joe and Charles will not necessarily be a true representation of the situation but will allow both parties express their respective view on the conflict. Joe may deny excluding Charles and is likely to place blame in an attempt to make Charles out to be the scapegoat.Charles may try to make Joe look bad to hide his own shortcomings or attempt to make himself look better. Either way, Charles’ distress may be warranted. Information Gathering In the information gathering step, the mediator will ask both parties questions to get to the potential root of the problem and evaluate the emotional undercurrents. Gathering information helps the mediator build rapport with both parties plus helps identify the root of the problem. Problem Identification After a short break, the mediator should summarize and repeat the highlights of the discussion to Joe and Charles.Summarizes the highlights helps both parties understand the primary points of the conflict. â€Å"The mediator tries to find common goals between the parties. The mediator will figure out which issues are going to be able to settle or those that will settle first† Stepp, J. A. , (February 2003). Bargaining and Generating Options Once th e mediator is confident of Joe and Charles’ commitment to achieve a negotiated settlement, the mediator may choose to hold private sessions with both parties to help move the negotiations along. The goal of the mediator is to find some common ground.This can lead to a final agreement, which diffuses the conflict and provides a new basis for future relations. Both parties may entertain alternative solutions without committing to any concessions. Reaching an Agreement During the final step of the mediation, Joe, Charles, and the mediator will work through the problems to find common ground. The ultimate goal would be for Joe to agree to mentor and train Charles for his position. In addition, Joe and Charles should agree to collaborate on completing the five-year reinvestment and reorganization plan.If an agreement is not reached an alternative strategy will be used. Alternative Actions Ultimately the needs of the company come first. If the relationship between Joe and Charles d oes not improve and an agreement is not reached then Team A will implement an alternative strategy. The next step would be to use arbitration. The third party mediator and Team A would advise both Joe and Charles are expected to act professional and put personal differences aside. Joe will be directed to provide training to Charles as well as work together on the five-year plan.If either party cannot agree to the terms of the agreement they may face possible termination. Conclusion Resolving conflicts, especially in a business setting is important. Conflicts can disrupt business operations and impede a company’s profits and growth. Team A selected the best approaches to resolve the conflict between Joe and Charles. The company solicited a third party mediator to protect the best interest of the company. Conflicts among employees are not uncommon and can be a simple a misunderstanding or personality conflict.If employees are not willing to work to resolve conflicts interventio n becomes necessary. From the information provided regarding this case it is unclear if Joe and Charles would have reached an agreement without a third party. Team A believed the information provided was serious enough to require the intervention of a at least a third party mediator or as a last result an arbitrator. References Fisher, R. (April 2001-03-30). Methods of Third-Party Intervention. Berghof Handbook for Conflict Transformation, ISSN 1616-2544(), 1-25. Retrieved  from  http://www. berghof- handbook. net/documents/publications/fisher_hb. df Lewick, R. , Saunders, D. , & Barry, B. (2006). Negotiation (5th ed. ). Retrieved on March 7, 2013 2013 from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Stepp, J. A. (February 2003). How Does The Mediation Process Work? Retrieved from http://www. mediate. com/articles/steppj. cfm The free dictionary. (2013). Retrieved on March 7, 2013 from http://www. thefreedictionary. com/intervention 4 University of Colorado. (Dec 2, 200 5). Third Party Intervention. Retrieved from University of Colorado, International Online Training Program On Intractable Conflict website.

civil rights1 essays

civil rights1 essays It had been almost one hundred years since the emancipation proclamation but still blacks were not truly free. Civil rights although were laws in the north, were not enforced to any extent of the law. From 1954 to 1972 the civil rights movement took on many changes. From leaders to tactics, the movement changed over and over again. On May 17, 1954 in Topeka Kansas, a court case changed the face of America. Brown vs. the Board of Education overturned the old Supreme Court decision Plessy vs. Ferguson which stated that all public facilities are to be separate but equal. The new decision stated that, separate facilities are inherently unequal. This new decision caused the first integration of public schools. In order to integrate though, President Eisenhower had to send in the National Guard to protect the students as they entered the school. There were other battles to be fought though. In 55 a little lady by the name of Rosa sat down on a bus and refused to get up for a white man. This one event exploded a movement all over the United States and right in the middle of the explosion was Martin Luther King Jr. King who had a whole new approach to opposition of segregation called passive resistance. King and his followers refused to take the bus because of the Rosa Parks incident. He also organized sit ins, where a group of black people would just sit at places that only white people were allowed to be. This form of nonviolence was effective in the south but not very effective in the north were segregation wasnt written down in laws but was practiced anyway. The third stage of progressive reform in the civil rights movement was the rise of black power. Its here that groups such as the nation of Islam, and the Black Panthers began to have huge followings and people such as Malcolm X, and Huey P. Newton, began to lead them. These new turn of events brought on great consequences. ...

Bmw’s Dream Factory and Culture

The culture at BMW is an entrepreneurial culture which emphasizes creativity, risk taking and the bottom-up system of freewheeling ideas. The top-down management style is popular in Germany but not at the BMW. As soon as associates start working at the BMW, they will have the sense of the place, history and the mission of the company. BMW creates a working environment that promotes easier communications between leaders and employees. Every employee can contribute his or her ideas and creations via either formal or informal ways. For example, an employee sees his or her supervisor by chance on the way to lunch, he/she can tell this person of the idea which has just happened in his/her mind. More importantly, their voices and their ideas are heard, welcomed and brought into discussions and consideration. As a result, a car from BMW is often a production of thousands of impromptu brainstorming sessions. Furthermore, BMW cares for the benefits of its employees. It includes all employees in profit sharing. It has a plan that distributes as much as one and a half months’ extra pay at the end of the year to employees. The company also provides a high level of job security for its employees. Lastly, BMW also focuses on high-quality but practical products which meet the demand of consumers and are highly competitive with other auto producers. The company’s near-failure from producing impractical and expensive cars during the postwar time in 1959 was a big lesson for them. This near-failure is always retold and mentioned in all new orientations for the new associates. It helps to remind all employees at BMW of a lesson learned for the company in developing its plans in the future and ensuring that kind of mistake should never happen again. 2. Discuss the model of leadership illustrated at BMW. The model of leadership illustrated at BMW is the consideration model of leadership. The leaders at BMW have close relationships with subordinates that are based on mutual trust, two-way and open communications, and respect for employees’ ideas. The managers at BMW must stay humble and work closely with subordinates and their peers. The Leipzig factory, which looks like an art museum, is a very creative working environment that can make the communications between managers and employees easier. Managers at BMW are the ones who know to make the right questions to ask their subordinates, not the ones who have all the right answers. They also emphasize the satisfaction of their employees’ needs and provide as many benefits to their employees as possible. They are approachable and always willing to listen to their employees. They think if the employees are well motivated, better cars will be produced. . Discuss how the leadership model contributes to the culture. The leadership model at BMW shortens the distance between leaders and subordinates. The relationships between them are built on mutual trust. Employees can feel free to raise their innovative ideas to their managers anytime and anywhere. When the employees see that their voice is heard, they are more encouraged to talk. Moreover, the company cares for the employees’ benefits. In return, the employees are very flexible to contribute their best for the company. The employees do not mind working temporarily for months in another work location which requires them to be far away from their family. They are willing to work for extra hours without being concerned about overtime. In summary, the leadership model at BMW has made it such a culture that is quite distinct from other German companies. 4. Discuss why employees derive high job satisfaction at BMW. The employees of BMW derive high job satisfaction because their benefits are well cared of, their voice is heard and their hard work is highly appreciated. Also, their job security at BMW is high. Any employees, regardless of what grade they are, can contribute their ideas and their innovations to the company’s managers easily. There are no complicated, formal processes or procedures required to send their ideas to their management teams. Furthermore, when the company gets more profits, the employees will also be more benefited. Good working environment is developed and paid attention to. In conclusion, BMW’s employees are highly motivated so they are satisfied and willing to contribute more to the development of the company.

Groups and teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Groups and teams - Essay Example All the activities were electrically related as the groups were required to design a digital invention for sale at the end of the semester. Two poorly functioning groups or teams were identified and denoted as team A and team B (Borkman). For the purpose of this assignment, the two poorly functioning groups or teams will also be denoted as team A and team B. This paper elucidates the multiple factors that caused the poor functioning of each of the two poorly functioning groups, draws a comparison between the two groups in respect to the conflict process in regard to the Tuckman’s framework or model. This paper also suggests a resolution to the conflicts and further elucidates why the resolutions will be effective. Team A It is of significance to posit that there is a range of factors that caused the poo functioning of each off the group. Team A was one of the teams involved in the project. In this group off seven members, Borkman posits that only four of the group members were unfailingly involved in the activities off the team. The other three members of the team failed to actively participate in the activities. One of the factors that caused the poor functioning of the team was leadership. Of the three constantly absent members of the group, one of them initially presumed a leadership role. This person’s name was denoted as ‘All Talk’ and was adopted by other group members. ... As illustrated by Tuckman in his model off development, a team or group ought to identify and recognize authority, as well as role and communication arrangements or organizations. In team A, all the members had divergent views and opinions on whether there were too many or too few individuals in positions of leadership. The members had also divergent opinions on whether the leaders within the team were legitimate or not. Secondly communication issues also cause the poor functioning of the team. In the forming stage, it was agreed upon that members of the group could either contribute through emails or could physically attend group meetings. Though a common discussion tool for communication was proposed and created, the members who physically attended meetings failed to update those who missed the meetings through the discussion tool. Therefore, there was poor communication within the group hence the poor functioning off the team. According to the Tuckman’s model of development , communication is vital or critical for the normal functioning of the team (Borkman). Thirdly, the poor functioning of the team was caused by the fact that some of the members of the group were isolated by the others. When the members were interviewed, it was observed that four members of the group worked hand in hand while the other three members were isolated. Therefore, the isolated individuals had divergent opinions and views regarding the project as compared to the four members who worked collectively. There are other factors that caused the poor functioning of the group. Some lf the team members were not dedicated and devoted in their work. This is attributed to the absence of three of the members hence the