International human resources management 'Hilton Hotel' Essay

International human resources management 'Hilton Hotel' - Essay Example They use a number of mixed models in their management, which include: - 1. Harvard model developed by David Guest (1987,1989,1986b, 1991) this model four policies are defined and are applied in this hotel they include; - a) Strategic integration - Hilton hotel integrates human resource management issues into its various strategic plans that are aimed at more developed and improved services. b) High commitment to pursue agreed goals- the hotel demonstrates very high commitment to its effort of achieving set goals this are shown by both the employees and the management itself. c) High quality of goods and services provided which include management of employees and investment in high quality employees. d) Functional flexibility with capacity to manage various innovations. 2. The matching model of Human Resource Management Fiedler (1964) asserted that the human resource systems and the organization structure should be managed in a way that is congruent with organizational Strategy and that the strategic human resource concepts and tools needed are fundamentally different from the stock in the trade of the traditional personnel administrator. This is exactly what Hilton hotel practice; its managers are committed in weighing human resource issues with the same level of attention as they give to other functions, for example, finance marketing and production. The model is highly achieved in this London branch of the Hilton hotels (Fox, 1973) The hotel integrates business and human resource strategies which yield better results, set business targets are thus achieved and the best human resource strategies applied It has adopted a very coherent approach for provision of mutually supporting and integrated human resource policies and... The employees of Conrad hotel undergo training regularly, their own training manager conducts this in their boardroom and at times they attend various seminars and workshops in the neighboring cities, countriesÐ ± and continents. Besides, they invite expatriates to come and train their employees. To meet the daily recruitment needs at Conrad hotel the personnel and Training manager uses Hcareers a site that offers the excellent tool for attracting the right candidates. The website recruitment ensures speed in recruitment. The manager normally uses the external recruitment sources for supervisory and management positions. The approach in customer skills is applied and candidates from reputable sources are recruited. These give a perfect solution to everyday recruitment needs at the Conrad HotelÃ'Ž The mode of recruiting workers at this hotel is purely through merit where applications are invited from any potential applicant in the nay corner of the globe. A panel of officials goes t hrough the application letters who later shortlist the successful candidates for the interview. Selection is based on the interview results where the best candidate is picked. He goes through massive training until he becomes well equipped in laying out duties. The current staffing trend is not geographically well spread because most of the employees of the senior management level i.e. Accountants, Marketing managers, human resource manager, and personnel manager among others are from a given particular region. (Thomas & Walker, 1993)

The Suspense and Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay Example for Free

The Suspense and Atmosphere in The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Essay According to the New Edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, Suspense is defined as being the following: Suspense- state of usu. anxious uncertainty or expectation or waiting for information. According to that same dictionary, the definition of Atmosphere is the following: Atmosphere- mental or moral environment esp. artistic or emotional; pervading tone or mood, esp. attractive one; air (in any place), esp. w. ref. to effects on those present. The definition of Setting according to the New Edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary is: Setting- environment The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is set in Nineteenth Century London. Therefore the setting or environment was a largely Victorian one. This would involve the lack of any motorised vehicles and at night gas lamps would light the streets. London would have had a very defined poverty line, which meant large and noticeable differences between rich and poor. The buildings and streets would be very much in the style as shown below in this picture of Victorian London: The above picture of Tottenham Court Road, in the late nineteenth century, illustrates very well what the average London street would have looked like at the time of the story. It displays images of a busy, bustling thoroughfare with horses and carts sweeping across it, an image typical of the era. In the story, Mr Hydes residence is said to be in Londons Soho. At that time, this particular area of the city had a very bad reputation for prostitutes, criminals and other undesirables. This is a reflection of the way the reader is encouraged to view Mr Hyde, who himself was an undesirable. It is also representative of the attitude towards what was commonly perceived as an underclass. Dr Jekyll on the other hand, was a cultured, professional gentleman, and lived in a respectable part of town. It was therefore frowned upon by polite society when he was found to be associating with a ruffian such as Mr Hyde. It was seen as being a very unusual act for someone of the Doctors social standing, to mix with an individual who lived in Londons Soho. The setting of parts of the story in Soho, the underbelly of Victorian London, with its seedy appearance, attractiveness to criminals and home to the disadvantaged, contributes to the generally uneasy atmosphere pervading the story. For example, on pages four and five, Mr Enfield, a lawyer and friend of Jekylls, is walking down a prosperous market street. It is pleasant and charming, yet just around the corner, the setting changes, and this has an immediate effect on the atmosphere. Two doors from one corner, on the left hand going east, the line was broken by the entry of a court; and just at that point, a certain sinister block of building thrust forward its gable on the street. It was two storeys high; showed no window, nothing but a door on the lower storey and a blind forehead of discoloured wall on the upper; and bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence. The door, which was equipped with neither bell nor knocker, was blistered and distained. Tramps slouched into the recess and struck matches on the panels; children kept shop upon the steps; the schoolboy had tried his knife on the mouldings; and for close on a generation no one had appeared to drive away these random visitors or to repair their ravages. The quote I have chosen, illustrates how the setting in which the author chooses to place the action, can affect the readers interpretation of the mood of the moment. After reading that passage the atmosphere is immediately intimidating, a feeling reinforced by the thrust of the gable of the building. The latter takes on the characteristics of a face, personifying its owner with subtle references to human physiology and disfiguration e.g. a (blind) forehead, scars and blisters as can be found on skin, and the door representing a mouth. The tramps and the children are like parasites which are found on unclean bodies and the lack of windows suggests that not only are passers-by prevented from looking inside, but that the occupant of the building cannot or does not want to see out. These are all strong visual images, deliberately intended by the author, to create an impression in the readers mind. In this way, a setting can be used when a writer wants to influence his audience into thinking about a character, event, or location in a certain way. The weather also plays an important part in the setting of an event. It can be used by the writer to evoke different emotions in the reader: fear, excitement, happiness, unhappiness, suspicion, romance or even relief. These are all essential elements to create suspense or atmosphere within a story or dialogue. A good example of this can be found on page fifty-three: It was a wild, cold, seasonable night of March, with a pale moon, lying on her back as though the wind had tilted her, and a flying wrack of the most diaphanous and lawny texture. The wind made talking difficult and flecked blood into the face. It seemed to have swept the streets unusually bare of passengers. In this case, the weather is a key element of the setting, in particular the wind. The author has used it to emphasise the feeling of being swept brutally along by a powerful force beyond our control. Even the moon itself appears to have tilted and changed its appearance, with the cutting wind inflicting pain on the few pedestrians brave enough to venture abroad. His deliberate use of the word passengers reinforces the feeling for the reader that they too are on a journey travelling into the unknown, where evil and danger lurk. The reader is now filled with foreboding and slight uneasiness due to the unpredictability (like the weather itself) of what might happen next On page fifty-four, there is another good example of how weather can play a large and important part in the setting of a story, helping to develop a particular atmosphere. The square, when they got there, was all full of wind and dust, and the thin trees in the garden were lashing themselves along the railing. The reference to the weather is vital to the image of the scene. Suffocating dust pollutes the air and the railings are cage-like, preventing escape. The thin, malnourished trees give the impression that they are punishing themselves, whilst at the same time seeking refuge against the elements. This is indicative of the physical and psychological condition of Dr. Jekyll himself at this point in the story. A third example of the impact that the weather has on the atmosphere, occurs on pages forty-nine to fifty, when Mr Utterson is on his way to meet Dr Jekyll: The court was very cool and a little damp, and full of premature twilight, although the sky, high up overhead, was still bright with sunset. This reference to the weather symbolises the split personality of Dr Jekyll. The struggle between the light above and the darkness below, represents the conflict between good and evil. This presents a rather disturbing, image reinforcing our assumption that darkness is likely to prevail. The sinister aspect of this being, that darkness is the absence of light, and goodness. All through the story we have the impression that something is not quite right. This is reinforced by way of constant references to the weather. There is always something strange and unsettling about it. This is a recurring theme throughout. The examples above, illustrate how weather as a part of the setting can build up the suspense and atmosphere of a scene, a dialogue or the tensions affecting an individual character. The writer assumes (successfully) that his use of particular imagery and metaphor will induce certain reactions in his readers e.g. red for danger, darkness for impending doom etc. He does this to almost manipulate the reader into thinking about events or people in a way that enables him to build up the atmosphere and suspense within the story. Another example of this can be found on page thirty-two, when Mr Utterson is walking across the streets of Soho: The dismal quarter of Soho seen under the changing glimpses, with its muddy ways, and slatternly passengers, and its lamps, which had never been extinguished or had been kindled afresh to combat this mournful re-invasion of darkness, seemed, in the Lawyers eyes, like a district of some city in a nightmare. The writer cleverly describes the streets of Soho so that the reader immediately feels a sense of disapproval for not only the neglected appearance of the place but also its unkempt inhabitants (including the infamous Mr Hyde). His use of the word mournful to describe nightfall evokes an unpleasant feeling that bad things may happen under the cover of darkness. Not only Mr Utterson experiences the nightmare scenario but the reader too can identify with his need to escape and awake from danger. However, Robert Louis Stevenson does not always use the setting to create an unpleasant atmosphere. For instance on page one hundred and three, when describing a moment of clarity for Dr Jekyll, he uses it to create a somewhat uplifting atmosphere. I was stepping leisurely across the court after breakfast, drinking the chill of the air with pleasure, When using the word chill the writer evokes a feeling of clarity within the reader, a clarity that Dr Jekyll himself is momentarily experiencing. This creates, if but shortly, an atmosphere of hope and some relief. It represents a sort of snap back to reality for the reader as well as Dr Jekyll. Mostly I have discussed how the setting has affected the atmosphere within the story, in order to evoke specific emotions within the reader. Suspense however is an emotion within itself and I will now look at how the setting directly affects the suspense in the story. This can be found at many points within the book, as it is a very exciting and captivating story. On page fifty-six for instance when Poole knocks on the cabinet door to inform Dr Jekyll that Mr Utterson wishes to speak to him. The Author talks about, the red baize of the cabinet door. Red is a classically forbidding colour. It is a psychological message to the reader, implying that whatever or whomever is in there, does not want to be seen or disturbed. Red can also be a colour that is associated with the Devil. Coincidentally, the cabinet (for Dr Jekyll and those that know him) is also associated with evil, as this is the place where he retires to whenever strange things start happening. This all helps to create suspense, and the reader wonders what awful things are behind that door, and what it is hiding? The use of these kinds of allegories build up tension and adds some mystery to the story, thus making the reader want to continue in order to find out what happens. All these elements, the weather, the buildings, the colours and the people, play a vital part in the setting of a scene or event. The examples that I have given, demonstrate that all of these factors can play a role in creating the atmosphere and suspense within a story. Certain word combinations can cause the reader to experience many different emotions. Therefore by using these word combinations, the writer can encourage the reader to think what he or she wants them to think. In this way atmosphere and suspense are intentionally created through the setting, to suit what the writer wants the reader to think. In the story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, these methods have proved to be essential to developing the storyline. Therefore I can successfully conclude that the setting in the story of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde contributes to the atmosphere and suspense in a major and very effective way.

Communication Exersise Formal Report Essay Example for Free

Communication Exersise Formal Report Essay By Business Consultant Executive summary: Mirror Image needs an overhaul in communication between management and workers. After collecting information collected through the CEO and a resent staff survey, it is apparent that certain things are restricting good communication. With the help of great pre-existing research this report identifies several major issues. Distrust of management has led to limited communication, as the workers feel this protects them. I suggest this course of action: 1. Create a transparent workplace and reassure staff about future redundancies. 2. Invest in communication courses for managers that deal with open conversation. 3. Actively encourage ‘two way’ communication between managers and workers. 4. Promote team leaders (foremen) that communicate well. This report was commissioned by the CEO and will help identify the communication problems at Mirror Image, particularly between factory workers and managers. Firstly the report will bring together relevant information on the subject, secondly identify the problems with provided information and lastly it will suggest some causes of action to help improve communications at IM. 2.0 Analysis of communication: 2.1 Literature review: Communication Managers need more than technical skills, communication is a leaders main channel for inspiration and engagement, whilst helping avoid serious problems. Communication classes for management have been proven effective by large pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, large amounts of evidence suggest educating managers about communication is very beneficial (Walters Norton 2007). Communication classes for management can be tailored to address concerns. It’s usually hard to identifying issues resulting in poor communication. Luckily there is a wealth of information on the subject. Newberry Conrad (2010) delivered a journal dedicated to improving communication skills in the workplace. Relevance established, the authors list twenty four key communication guidelines to aim for. Relevant key ideas: * Initiate open Discussion(Organizational communication) * Create information networks â€Å" * Provide feedback â€Å" * Building trust(Interpersonal, involve positive verbal/non-verbal communication) Trust is gained by a manager, when subordinates have certainty about events. Certainty gained from open discussion, where both parties have a say. Trust leads to increased productivity (Bach, 2006). â€Å"The best disinfectant is sunshine (Allen, 2012)† Power Bases Gupta and Sharma (2008) believe Power bases play a pivotal role in worker compliance. They make a distinction between harsh power bases (HPB) and soft power bases (SPB). They conclude that SPB are more effective in conjunction with quality communication then HPB. The SPB categories are expert, referent, information and dependence legitimacy. The HPB categories are coercion, reward, position legitimacy (French Raven 1959). Silence The theory ‘the spiral of silence’ by Noelle-Neumann (1974) talks about how in groups, individuals will not raise comments or arguments, when they feel their views aren’t shared by the other members. The idea is important when considering employee involvement in the decision making process. Silence also occurs when there are trust issues. If someone believes what they say will be used against them, they will remain silent. Comment made by UK charity ‘Public Concerns at Work’, in a UK newspaper: The knowledge that there is a culture of silence in the workplace both encourages and shields the corrupt and dishonest (stern, 2008). In this instance the negligence of management was extreme. However silence can still facilitate negligence in management, no matter the severity. Therefore, silence in its adolescence is bad, if left untreated it could turn into something much worse. When participants in an organization discuss issues at meetings, certain points should be taken into account. Levasseur (1995) provides ten points, the relevant ones are: 2. Agree on a shared purpose. 4. Record ideas, issues and agreements. 6. Manage tasks and teamwork simultaneously. 7. Answer 4 key questions about every agenda topic. 8. Decide on next steps as a group. This list highlights the fact that communication is a ‘two way street’. Silence occurs in Organisations when these recommendations are not met. 2.2 Staff survey: (full results can be found in the appendix) The staff survey highlighted serious problems, with MI’s factory workers. The majority of workers gave a negative response to nearly every question. The workers seem to be more aware of the issues then the managers. The survey provided an anonymous outlet for factory workers where there previously wasn’t one. The survey should therefore be regarded as an accurate representation of worker/manager views. However some questions contain results that suggest ‘attribution errors’. Attribution errors effect perceptions of positive or negative situations, and whether it’s internalised or externalised (Philip, 1985), evidence will not be taken from these afflicted questions. Figure [ 1 ]~ 60% of workers believe they are insufficiently educated on their job role. Workers don’t receive enough instruction about their specific role in the company. This leads to enormous inefficiencies, as workers are left to pick up the pieces. Figure 2 ~60% of workers do not have confidence in management. The lanes of communication needed are not there. A workplace without trust is inefficient. Figure [ 3 ] ~80% of workers are prevented from voicing their concerns. Workers are scared that what they say will be viewed favourably. They are also worried about getting fired. They are already inherently disadvantaged, because their only form of vertical communication is ‘logical persuasion’. Figure 4 A lot of managers don’t involve workers. Decisions are probably made without them knowing. The workers probable feel helpless. Figure 5 All managers consider themselves approachable. Question three was the most unanimous result from the entire survey. This suggests managers don’t openly discourage communication. They most discourage communication other ways. They are in positions of power, making them more accountable then individual workers. 2.3 Case Study: Mirror Image shows a general lack of communication between management and their respective subordinates, brought about by distrust and fear. Management is distrusted because the workers fear clear communication will ultimately leave them jobless. Fear keeps what little interpersonal communication they have focused on safe subjects, like the ‘Rugby world cup’. Fear is a powerful tool used by harsher power bases. Managers at MI resort to harsh power bases because they come with the job (legitimate and coercive bases). Softer more progressive bases require reform and effort. The need for softer bases is evident in the formation of several factory leaders. One mentioned was ‘Rick’ who became a ‘go between’ for workers. Workers like Rick display reverent power that managers and the foreman lack. This is an obvious inefficiency. Effectively doubling the time spent communicating. The ‘spiral of silence’ impacts employees, because their ideas are not considered my management. Previously efforts in communication where hampered by an uninterested CEO. Relying on memo boards is extremely impersonal and should only be used for functional information. This lack of effective communication set a low standard for workers and managers, this caused the distrust between them. Managers didn’t involve workers and don’t ask for their opinions, while workers used inefficient mediums of exchange. The loss in productivity isn’t easy to quantify, however managers being disinterested in workers activities may further decrease productivity (Mayo, 1930). 3.0 Conclusion: MI has significant issues between factory workers and management. Brought about by lacklustre communication, the issues were mostly caused by distrust. When analysing the workers survey it was obvious that they sore serious problems with the way MI was run. NOT FINISHED 4.0 Recommendation: These recommendations will help managers and workers communicate more efficiently, remembering as CEO you should lead by example. Transparency should be deployed in every facet of the organisation, to tackle the large trust issues hampering communication. Start by reassuring staff that jobs will not be going under your leadership, making shore you don’t promise something you can’t keep. Try having reviewable performance evaluation  systems. If transparency is achieved certainty will result, certainty in time will bring a trusting workforce. Use communication classes to teach the basics, from subtle nonverbal communication to lifting the level of communication entirely (extensive list provided in index). Include shifting manager’s power bases from harsh to soft. Only bother teaching the managers as it will cost less, while achieving more. Managers should be encouraged to show an interest in the workers and the work they are doing. Managers should encourage ‘two way’ communication, make them answer employee questions fully. If they are not receiving questions have them rhetorically answer some of their own. Enforce these measures by increasing the transparency down the chain of command. Ask for updates on progress regularly. Removing the memo board is a good idea, in favour of orders being communicated down the chain of command, to ensure ‘two way’ communication. Only process information should be distributed through other mediums. Goals should be produced by both the workers and managers. This should reduce some of the ‘spiral of silence’ effects. Finally the team leaders (foremen) have proven to be a bottle neck in communication. Seek to promote workers who display natural ability to communicate. For example ‘Rick’ the employee mentioned by you would be a fine candidate. These leaders will hopefully bridge the gap between workers and management. 5.0 List of references: 1. Allen, Christopher J,D.V.M., J.D. 2012, 4 Ways to Provide Transparency in the Workplace, DVM, vol. 43, no. 10, pp. 54-55. 2. Bach, P. 2006, Workplace trust hard to gain, but consistency, transparency key, Washington, United States, Washington.(ProQuestID- 463161676) 3. Daniel A. Wren, Arthur G. Bedeian, John D. Breeze, (2002) The foundations of Henri Fayol’s administrative theory, Management Decision, Vol. 40 Iss: 9, pp.906 918 state: It was not until the Storr’s translation that Fayol’s (1949) 4. French, J. R. and B. Raven (1959). The bases of social power. Studies in social power 150: 167 5. Gupta, B. Sharma, N.K. 2008, Compliance with Bases of Power and Subordinates Perception of Superiors: Moderating Effect of Quality of Interaction, Singapore Management Review, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 1-24. (ProQuestID-226850816) 6. Levasseur, R.E. 1995, Breaking the silence, Successful Meetings, vol. 44, no. 13, pp. 61-61.(ProQuestID-206037363) 7. Mayo, Elton (1930). Hawthorne and the Western Electric Company. The Social Problems of an Industrial Civilisation. Routledge. 8. Newberry, R. Conrad, D. 2010, Identification of Outcome Based Business Communication Skills, Allied Academies International Conference.Academy of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict.Proceedings, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 28-32.(ProQuestID- 807539416) 9. Noelle-Neumann, E.(1974) â€Å"The spiral of silence†: A theory of public opinion. Journal of Communication, 24, 43-3 10. Philip E. Tetlock. Sept 1985, â€Å"Accountability: A Social Check on the Fundamental Attribution Error†, Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 227-236 11. Stern, S. Sept 9 2008, Pssst . . . get smart and wipe out whistleblowing, The Financial Times, United Kingdom 12. Walters, D. Norton, D. 2007, Leadership communication the AstraZeneca way, Strategic Communication Management, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 16-19. (ProQuestID-203 573719) | | 6.0 Appendix: 6.1 Question from Survey: Factory Worker Questions 1. I have a clear idea about my job role. 2. I am satisfied with the performance evaluation system. 3. Sometime I’m given tasks without the required resources (including time and knowledge) to complete them. (possible attribution error) 4. I have confidence in the intentions of the top management team 5. I feel comfortable voicing my concerns to senior managers. 6. I have a voice in the organizational decision making process. 7. I trust the people with which I work 8. I am treated fairly at work 9. I am satisfied with my work. 10. I feel committed to this organisation Management Questions 1. I try to seek employees’ input when making decisions. 2. I tend to closely supervise my subordinates. 3. I consider myself an approachable manager(possible attribution error) 4. I tend to customize my communication with employees to fit specific situations 5. I consider my workplace as rather political 6. I am satisfied with my work. 7. I feel committed to this organisation 6.2 Results from Survey: | Workers n=100| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | q1| q2| q3| q4| q5| q6| q7| q8| q9| q10| Completely Disagree| 20| 15| 10| 35| 60| 72| 36| 23| 0| 5| Mostly Disagree| 40| 45| 15| 25| 20| 24| 25| 32| 19| 55| Neither| 20| 20| 10| 25| 10| 4| 30| 28| 52| 25| Mostly Agree| 10| 20| 40| 15| 10| 0| 9| 7| 23| 10| Completely Agree| 10| 0| 25| 0| 0| 0| 0| 10| 6| 5| | | | Managers n=20| | | | | | | | | q1| q2| q3| q4| q5| q6| q7| | Completely Disagree| 2| 0| 0| 3| 1| 0| 0| | Mostly Disagree| 7| 2| 0| 5| 2| 2| 3| | Neither| 10| 3| 0| 4| 3| 3| 3| | Mostly Agree| 1| 4| 0| 3| 5| 5| 5| | Completly Agree| 0| 11| 20| 5| 9| 10| 9| | 6.3Newberry Conrad (2010) extensive list of valuable communication skills â€Å"Organizational Communication Skills 1. Initiating open discussion the ability to create the act of discussion and dialogue exploring opposition by individuals who advocate their positions and convince others to adopt those positions through logic, argument, or debate 2. Resolving conflict the ability to employ a range of processes aimed at alleviating or eliminating sources of conflict through processes including negotiation, mediation, and diplomacy 3. Creating information networks the ability to design and institute formal or informal systems for managing the flow of information and providing person-to-person relationships through which information flows 4. Teaching important skills the ability to provide skill remediation to employees in areas such as job performance, technical competency, interpersonal  communication, and problem solving 5. Using information technology the ability to employ equipment (usually computers) that enables managers and staff to access ongoing and relevant company information including reports, planning data, and employee and customer feedback 6. Providing performance feedback the ability to assess employee performance and provide performance feedback as a review of the performance of employees, which helps to set targets for future performance targets 7. Negotiating the ability to produce an agreement upon courses of action, to bargain for individual or collective advantage, or to craft outcomes to satisfy various interests. 8. Writing business correspondence the ability to produce written communication used in business including letters, memos, bulletins, and reports 9. Making convincing presentations the ability to provide informal or formal talks delivered to decision making groups to convey information or make a point Leadership Communication Skills 1. Arousing enthusiasm the ability to inspire a whole-hearted devotion to an ideal cause, study or pursuit, or merely being visibly excited about what ones doing 2. Being a change catalyst the ability to initiate change through provision of information to employees that will convince them of why a change is necessary and will compel them to embrace it 3. Creating group synergy the ability to compel organizational members to interact and produce a joint effect that is greater than the sum of the members acting alone 4. Building team bonds the ability to establish team cohesiveness, which is the extent to which members stick together and remain united in the pursuit of a common goal 5. Expressing encouragement the ability to provide support and confidence raising or increasing ones self-esteem and confidence to make choices and decisions 6. Providing motivation the ability to move a person or group toward desired goals by increasing their willingness to exert effort and energy to achieve the goals 7. Being persuasive the ability to guide people toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational, and logical means relying on appeals rather than coercion 8. Building optimism the ability to create a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome despite obstacles and setbacks Interpersonal Communication Skills 1. Active listening the ability to employ an intrapersonal and interactive process to actively focus on, interpret, and respond verbally and nonverbally to messages 2. Building rapport the ability to create a harmonious relationship, bond, or kinship based on mutual respect, friendship, camaraderie, or emotional ties making someone feel comfortable and accepted 3. Demonstrating emotion self control the ability to display balanced moods through retaining, mastering, and dominating ones reactions provoked by pleasant or unpleasant emotion 4. Building trust the ability to construct the reciprocal faith in others intentions and behavior through a shared belief that you can depend on each other to achieve a common purpose 5. Relating to people of diverse backgrounds the ability to recognize and respect differences in people and communicate appropriately in verbal and nonverbal exchanges 6. Demonstrating respect the ability to show esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability 7. Building relationships the ability to establish a relatively long-term association between two or more people based on liking, trust, and respect creating regular business interactions, interdependence, or some other type of social commitment (Newberry Conrad 2010)†

Smoking During Pregnancy

Smoking During Pregnancy The Dangers of Smoking During Pregnancy When a baby is conceived, it is most often a joyous occasion for the parents. A lot of changes are obviously in store for them, as well as some apprehension about what the future holds. They will have approximately nine months to plan for the birth of their child. Undoubtedly, they will begin making arrangements for day care, because they understand that, upon birth, the child will be totally dependent on them for all of his or her needs. What they may not realize is that complete dependence begins long before birth. During the first couple of weeks after conception, the embryo travels from the mothers fallopian tubes to the womb, where it will attach itself to the uterine wall. During this voyage, the embryo will spend its time splitting cells and multiplying rapidly. While the embryo is extremely busy during the first 17 days, this is not an extremely critical time of development when major organ systems are formed. If anything unhealthy is introduced into the mothers body during this time, the affect on the embryo will either be no affect at all or they may completely destroy the embryo, causing a miscarriage. If this happens, it is likely that the woman will have no knowledge that she was ever pregnant (Hawkesley 8). It is an entirely different situation during the next stage of fetal development. Many organ systems are developed during the second stage, which happens from the third to the tenth week of pregnancy. Any abnormality that forms during this time will be present from that time forward (Hawkesley 9). Because this stage is a significant period in which organs are being formed, its unmistakably essential that the mother take tremendous care in what she ingests, injects and inhales into her body. Any unhealthy substance that enters her body may have a tremendous impact on the health of her unborn child. The third stage of fetal development lasts from day 56 until the baby is born (Hawkesley 10). During this time, organs developed in the second stage are simply becoming larger and more robust. While its unlikely harmful substances will affect the development of organs, they may retard the growth of them. It should be noted that the brain continues developing throughout the entire pregnancy, meaning that any harmful toxins used by the mother may, in fact, cause the baby to be born with brain damage (Hawkesley 10). The fetus is attached to the mother by the placenta, which carries all of the oxygen and nutrition it will need until it is born. It is imperative for the mother to eat well-balanced meals because she is not only providing nutrition to her body, but to her babys body as well. Anything she eats, sniffs, injects or inhales will be passed onto the fetus and may impair the development or growth of it. Due to the fact that cigarettes contain 580 carcinogenes in addition to nicotine, smoking is not only harmful to the mother, but it is also extremely harmful to her unborn child. Cigarette smoking can cause a greater chance of miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and placental abruption. These babies also have higher perinatal death rates [stillbirth or death soon after delivery]. It is believed that the carbon monoxide in cigarettes negatively effect the fetuses red blood cells and cause small blood vessels to constrict, consequently reducing the oxygen transferred to the fetus (Thurston 381). Nine months later and the baby is born, apparently healthy. The mothers smoking didnt seem to cause any harm to the child; or did it? There are many other risks associated with smoking during pregnancy. One of them is SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). While babies appear seemingly healthy, the CDC reports that babies born to mothers who smoked during their pregnancy, have an increased chance of dying from SIDS before their first birthday. The risk is 1.4 to 3.0 times than those babies born to women who did not smoke during their pregnancy (CDC website citation). While its also very important that the mother not smoke during her pregnancy, she also needs to be cognizant of her surroundings. If she is around anyone else who is smoking, the secondhand smoke she breathes in is just as harmful to her growing fetus as though she were smoking the cigarette herself. The same is true of infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke. Additionally, infants exposed to smoke both in the womb and secondhand smoke after birth have an even greater risk of SIDS. Simply states, the CDC says that â€Å"parents can help protect their babies from SIDS by taking the following three actions: not smoking when pregnant, not smoking in the home or around the baby after the baby is born and putting the baby down to sleep on its back [another risk factor for SIDS]† (CDC website citation). Other complications that can arise are asthma, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Works Cited http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/health_effects/pregnancy.htm (Aug 14, 2007) http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/Sids.htm (October 2006) http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/TobaccoUsePregnancy/index.htm (Oct 2,2007) Tobacco Use and Pregnancy: Home

Comparison (J. Swift & A. Pope) Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The attitudes portrayed in Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man and Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal† towards mankind is strikingly similar. Both acknowledge the view that man has dominion over the earth, as created and instituted by God. However, the difference is seen in their approaches to this subject. Pope primarily focuses on man’s pride and place in society, whereas Swift discusses how man deals with certain situations reasonably or unreasonably. Pope and Swift present situations that man has to face in conjunction with illogical conclusions. Besides exhibiting illogical conclusions, they also show the selfish, prideful, rebellious, jealous, and the ungrateful characteristics of man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator in Swift’s, â€Å"A Modest Proposal† appears to be a logical, educated person who has been studying the subject of impoverished citizens, primarily women and children, for years. He does this by informing the reader of his working relationship with scholars, as well as thought out and gathered calculations, followed by examples of children having no hope for the future. He transitions into illustrating his proposal from giving his findings by stating, â€Å"I have too long digressed, and therefore shall I return to my subject† (Swift 457). The narrator indicates his proposal, which appears to be illogical to the reader. He does this so that the reader will not agree with the solution to overpopulation by eating babies, but fo...

Keeping Close to Home by bell hooks Essay -- Class and Education

Because it is very credible, emotionally appealing, and slightly academically based, bell hooks's essay "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education" is an essay that I consider to be very touching. While arguing in her essay that the rich class and the working-class should come to respect and understand each other, bell hooks employs three elements of argument: ethos, pathos, and logos. With her usage of ethos, hooks relates her experience as an undergraduate at Stanford. Providing an experience from a time before she went to Stanford, hooks uses pathos to inspire the audience. However, hooks uses logos by appealing to the readers' logic. These readers are the working-class and the privileged, the audience of her book: "Ain't I a Woman: black women and feminism." Relying mostly on ethos, hooks uses the three elements of argument to express her belief that students should not feel the pressure to replace their values with others' values. Because hooks feels strongly about h er belief, she argues that a university should help students maintain the connection with their values, so people of different communities will feel neither inferior nor superior to others but equal. When using ethos, hooks demonstrates her knowledge of values by relating her experience at Stanford where she met many privileged whites who had values that contradicted her own. For example, many of the white students appeared to lack respect for their parents. However, hooks's parents always taught her to show them respect. hooks even says in her essay, "I was profoundly shocked and disturbed when peers would talk about their parents without respect, or would even say that they hated their parents" (88). Also, everyone looked down upon the ... ... much easier when we were all in segregated communities sharing common experiences in relation to social institutions. Without this grounding, we must work to maintain ties, connection" (hooks 95). As hooks hints, maintaining ties may not be easy, but it is definitely possible. hooks establishes common ground with people who have these questions, and she gives the answer in her experience of hard work. Having worked hard on handling harsh criticism and pressure without losing ties with her background, bell hooks, in my opinion, is an example of a strong individual. So, if you need proof that the answer to these questions is yes, bell hooks is all the proof you need! Works Cited hooks, bell. "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." The Presence of Others. 2nd ed. Andrea Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. 85-95.

Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, and Chronicle of A Deat

Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, and Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez Works Cited Not Included Religion is supremacy, perfection and spirituality. A typical Latin American religious community heavily relies on religion to provide a moral framework to guide and protect its citizens. However, projecting religion in the light of perfection is superficial. In actuality, it often contains flaws underneath its idealistic teachings. The inadequacy in maintaining the idealistic doctrines is deeply rooted in society. Such notion is reflected and commented upon in the novels Dom Casmurro by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis and Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garci ­a Marquez. In both novels, the authors effectively criticize religion through their satiric portrayal of religious authorities and other characters' attitudes towards religion. The two novels reveal the practical result of religion in a critical light. The ideal doctrine of religion adjusts itself to the imperfect world in ways that some times do not command respect. The actual practice of the doctrine allows flexibility, which is often abused. In Dom Casmurro, Bento and Jose Dias imagine that a journey to see the Pope will undo Dona Gloria's promise to God. Eventually they settle the matter much more conveniently by resorting to the local church. As shown in Escobar's speech, the characters are constantly manipulating with the power of the religious authorities: "Consult the protonotary about it and if he hesitates, we'll speak to the bishop" (171). This implies that the people often seek and take advantages of the plot holes in religion. The concept of religion as an obligation becomes obvious through... ...o to mirror the Church's failure to uphold high moral standards and use their authority effectively and seriously. Through the subtle and detailed portrayals of the characters in the novels Chronicle of A Death Foretold and Dom Casmurro shed a criticizing light on the hypocritical Church present in the community. Bento's repulsion to be religiously devoted bluntly reveals the blemishes in the practical result of religion hidden underneath seemingly deep devotion. The tragedy of Santiago Nasar explores the other defects of religion, one that is present in the Church itself, and how failure to uphold moral standards in Church upsets the community. Of course the authors do not write solely to condemn religion, they also bring forth the concept that people must adjust their attitudes toward religion and then irrational, old values set by the past Church.