People migrate to America

Reading Amy Tan's â€Å"Two Kinds† for the first time is confusing. The message is not quite clear until one studies the context of the story. The story deals with immigrants and the American expectation for success, but primarily of a daugthters relationship to her mother. â€Å"Two Kinds† tells the story of Jing-mei and her mother. Jing-mei's mother migrated to America after â€Å"losing everything in China. † When she was young, Jing-mei's mother told her the potential o being successful in America. â€Å"You can be a prodigy,† her mother says.Her mother had given Jing-mei piano lessons such that her talents will show. Eventhough Jing-mei recognizes that she has the talent, she refuses to give herself into it because she felt a sense of rebellion inside her. She was not able to show her true talents because of her own shortcomings. In the end her mother gives up her hopes for her daughter. The conflict lies within Jing-mei. She wants to be something els e and at the same time she wants just to be herself. She was at first just as excited to find her prodigy.But she felt the pressure coming from her mother and at the same time she felt impatient for it. Her mother. however, tried to impose to her what she cannot be. â€Å"I won't let her change me,† she tells herself in the mirror. Once she found out her inclination, she refused to pursue and sharpen it partly because of her defiance towards her mother. Her mother, on the other hand, acted the way she did because of her dream of success. People migrate to America in search of greener pastures, but scholars believe that what the immigrants could not achieve they pass to their sons or daughters.Jing-mei was a victim of such circumtance. Although, it was also the intention of her mother to see her daughter succeed in life, Jing-mei felt she's being pushed to something she's not. Jing-mei did not see that her mother had deep faith in her. Many years had passed before Jing-mei rea lized her mother's attempt to bring out her â€Å"prodigy† and found her true self. She had already realized her â€Å"prodigy† during the piano recital but she remained defiant. Even during her lessons, she knew she could be good at it, even become great with it.But she did not will it to happen. At her recital, she was confident she could do it, but because she did not take her lessons seriously, it ended shamefully for her and for her parents. When she grew old, her parents gave her as a gift the piano her mother bought for her when she was young. She was at first reluctant to accept it. Her mother explained: â€Å"this your piano†¦ Always your piano. You only one can play†¦ You have natural talent. You could be a genius if you want to. † Jing-mei found the gift as a peace offering.It gave her a chance to try again without feeling that she was doing it for the benefit of someone else. Playing it again, she found it easy enough to prove her mother ha d been right. In the end of the story where Jing-mei played the piano after some years without doing so, she played the â€Å"Pleading Child,† the same piece she played unsuccessfully during the recital. She also noticed for the first time the piece on the opposite side entitled â€Å"Perfectly Contented. † Jing-mei understood that she was playing two halves of the same song, and it reflected her feelings.She was the pleading child and when she realized her mother's intentions and trust to her, she became perfectly contented. The story's moral runs two ways. First is with the parents not to push their sons or daughters too hard as to give them a hard time. They are, after all, just children who does not understand the real world. Second is for the children to be obedient to their parents, for parents only want what is best for their children. A jing-mei's mother expressed: â€Å"Only two kinds of daughters†¦ Those who are obedient and those who follow their own m ind.† It was unfortunate that Jing-mei did not realize that her internal conflict did not arise from her mother's expectations but from the love and faith her mother had for her until her mother had already died. The story also points that one's â€Å"prodigy† lies in the person's will to succeed. Jing-mei's failure at the recital was because she lacked the will to succeed, and at the same time, her rebeliousness towards her mother. It could be said as well that had her mother not pushed her too hard, Jing-mei could have done better and she would have pursued it at her own will.I was not able to recognize the message the first time I read the story, most especially the connection of the piano pieces mentioned at the end: the â€Å"Pleading Child† and â€Å"Perfectly Contented. † But after reading it again and researching the context of the story, I came to appreciate it as giving lessons to parents and children. At the same time, the story also points to t he importance of will power to the success of a person. Defiance blinds us that even when we recognize our own strenghts and weaknesses, we sometimes refuse to let it show just to prove that others are wrong.We tell ourselves â€Å"I am who I am† without really knowing who we really are. But the beauty of it all is that at the end of the day, we will come to realize our own shortcomings when left to find who we really are by ourselves. Summing up the lesson given by the story, it is best to be both kinds: the kind that is obedient towards one's parents and the kind that follows one's own heart. It may not always be the case but, usually, once parents find out their child's talents, they can't help but enforce it, which, in the end, is best for the child. Show what you got and your parents will surely back you up. Works Cited Tan, Amy. â€Å"Two Kinds. †

How democratic is the UK Essay

It can be argued that Britain is both democratic and undemocratic; this can be shown via a range of issues relating to British politics and the society in which we live. The generally accepted definition of a democracy is a form of government in which the major decisions of government and the direction of policy behind these decisions – rests directly or indirectly on the freely given consent of the freely given consent of the freely majority of the adults government. There are two forms of democracy but the UK is run through an indirect or representative democracy as opposed to a direct democracy, which relies on referendums and would be difficult in a large, modern society. Furthermore, the UK is a parliamentary democracy, the government and representatives are intermingled meaning that the UK does not have separation of powers, meaning that the executive, legislative and judicial courts all work together unlike the American Presidential system which could create a lack in communication. In this essay, I propose to argue both for and against and eventually come to a conclusion whether the UK is democratic or not and give a comparison between the UK and the US in terms of democracy. There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ democracy but certain aspects are needed to make a democracy. A democracy needs a political system for choosing and replacing the government through frequent, free and fair elections in which people choose their leaders and to hold their leaders accountable for their policies and their conduct in office. Elections have to occur at regular intervals, as prescribed by law. Those in power cannot extend their terms in office without asking for the consent of the people again in an election. For elections to be free and fair, they have to be administered by a neutral, fair, and professional body that treats all political parties and candidates equally. All parties and candidates must have the right to campaign freely, to present their proposals to the voters both directly and through the mass media. A democracy also needs the active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life. To vote wisely, each citizen should listen to the views of the different parties and candidates, and then make his or her own decision on whom to support. Furthermore there should be protection of human rights of all citizens and a rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens. Does the UK fulfill these four key elements? Yes, the UK does. Therefore we can say the UK governmental system. Democracy by definition means the government by the people. That means that all the people should be able to have their say in one way or another in everything that affects their lives. As said previously, the UK is run through a representative democracy but there are problems with a representative democracy. Representative democracy would be fine if the representatives would really make all their decisions only after consulting their constituencies. In the least, after having a clear idea about the views of their constituents on a particular issue, and trying to accommodate these views as best as possible. However, a vast majority of countries that call themselves Representative Democracies are not true democracies according to the above definition. Most of them are actually just Elected Dictatorships. People can vote usually only once every four or five years. They do not vote on any issues. They just elect their so called representatives who then until the next elections have no obligations by law and little incentives to base their decisions on individual issues on the wishes on their electorate. They hardly ever bother to consult them on their stands on various issues. Therefore, legislative bodies composed of such â€Å"representatives† can effectively act in a very dictatorial manner between the elections. So to meet the definition of democracy, a direct democracy must be in place, like in Switzerland. The UK is divided up into constituencies. Within these constituencies, are MPs for each political party. The first past the post system means that the MP with most votes (first past the post) will win power for their party in that constituency. In the UK voting system, we do not vote who is our next Prime Minister. Our vote goes towards the MPs for our constituency. In this sense, the idea of UK as a representative democracy is flawed as we as people are not voting for one single figure but for an MP. The reason for voting for that party may be influenced by the leader of that party but you are not voting specifically for that person. An element of Britain’s governmental system is that there is no written constitution. This means that, theoretically, the government is free to pass any legislation as long as they have the majority in parliament which could be easily achieved if the party has a large majority of seats. This means there is no safeguard for laws that can be altered or new ones that could be created. This is very undemocratic as the government therefore has too much power. The government is also in possession of other powers such as the royal prerogative that allows the prime minister to go to war without consent from parliament. An example of where this was used was the Iraq war in 2005, which was heavily resented by a large majority of the public. Even though this aspect of Britain’s governmental system is undemocratic, parliament generally prevents government from taking to much power.

Work Family Conflict

Hypotheses Hal- Individuals who report telecommuting will report less work-family conflict than those who do not report telecommuting. H2O – Individuals who report being able to take work home to complete will report less work-family conflict than those who do not report being able to take work home.. HA – Individuals who report having a flexible work schedule will report less work- family conflict than those who do not report having a flexible schedule. HA – Individuals who report taking a family leave will report less work-?family conflict than individuals who do not report taking a leave..HA – Reporting to a family-supportive supervisor will be related to the use of (a) telecommuting, (b) taking work home, (c) flexible hours, and (d) family leave. HA – There will be a negative relationship between reporting to a family-supportive supervisor and work-family conflict. HA – Having a family-supportive supervisor will mediate the relationship b etween (a) telecommuting, (b) taking work home, (c) flexible work hours, and (d) family leave and work-family conflict.Method Sample for the study was drawn from two sources (alumni of the College of Business f a public university and students enrolled in an evening MBA program there). Consent forms, questionnaires, and return mail envelopes were sent to alumni along with a letter requesting their participation. Only 12% of the alumni returned usable questionnaires. The low rate of returns was due to incorrect addresses and the fact that alumni were told they were only eligible to participate in the study if they were currently working and had a supervisor.For the MBA students, consent forms and questionnaires were distributed during class time. Students were told they only would fill out a questionnaire if they were employed by an organization. In total, 140 alumni and 71 MBA students returned questionnaires. Given the focus of the study was on work-family conflict, the only Indivi duals Include In the analyses were individuals who were working at least 35 hours per week and who had responsibility for whom an individual had responsibility. Given the sample inclusion criteria, the study ended up with a sample of 96 individuals (83 alumni and 13 MBA students).Of those individuals, 86 reported having childcare responsibility; eight individuals ported being responsible for another person, and two persons reported being responsible for both children and others. In order to ensure accuracy of the self- reported information, the alumni and the MBA students who returned questionnaires were asked to supply the name and address of a person whom they felt was quite familiar with their work and family life. A questionnaire was sent to those significant others along with a letter explaining why they were contacted.Of the 96 persons who comprised of the main sample, 53 questionnaires from significant others were received. Results Childcare responsibility, non-child responsi bility, and the use of family-friendly practices, questionnaire responses were made on a 7-point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). Participants were asked-?†On average, how many hours do you work per week? ‘ , â€Å"How many children do you have under your career, and â€Å"Do you have care giving responsibilities for someone other than a child? ‘ (coded 1 = no, 2 = yes).As noted in the study, in order to be included in the analyses, an individual had to be employed, have a supervisor, be working at least 35 hours per eek, and be responsible for a dependent. With regard to the mean number of hours worked, the 96 individuals comprising the main sample reported working 47. 21 hours (SD = 6. 21). In terms of child dependents, the mean number reported was 1. 89 (SD = 1. 08). In terms of being responsible for non-child dependents, of the ten individuals reporting such responsibility, no one reported being responsible for more than one person. 6 indi viduals reported taking work home (58%), 55 individuals reported working flexible hours (57%), 23 individuals reported using family leave (24%) and even individuals reported telecommuting (7%). Of the 96 employees in the sample, two reported using all four family-friendly practices, 12 reported using three practices, 24 reported using two practices, 49 reported using one practice, and nine individuals reported using no practices. Hypothesis 1 predicted that individuals who reported telecommuting would report less work-family conflict.This hypothesis was not supported for either self-reports of work-family conflict (r = -. 01) or reports of significant others (r = -. 07). Hypothesis 2 predicted that individuals who reported Ewing able to take work home to complete would report less work-family conflict. No support was found for this hypothesis for either self-reports of conflict (r = . 17) or significant other reports (r = . 10). In fact, for self-reports, the correlation attained a p. 05 level of statistical significance but in the direction opposite of that predicted. In contrast to the results for Hypothesis 1 and 2, Hypothesis 3 received strong support.Individuals who reported having flexible work hours also reported lower levels of work-family conflict (r = -. 22, p. 05). The results for significant other reports of conflict also supported Hypothesis 3 (r = -. 23, p. 05). In terms of Hypothesis 4 individuals who reported having made use of family leave reported lower levels of work-family conflict (r = -. 21, p. 05). On the other hand, significant other reports of conflict did not support Hypothesis 4 (r = -. 11). Hypothesis 5 predicted that individuals who reported to family-supportive supervisors would make greater use of family-friendly (r = . 8, p. 05) were significant at the . 05 level. Hypothesis 6 predicted that individuals porting to a family-supportive supervisor would report lower levels of work-family conflict. This hypothesis was supported both for self-reports of work-family conflict (r -? -. 54, p. 01) and significant other reports of conflict (r = -. 38, p. 01). In summary, with the exception of the relationship between taking work home to complete and self- reports of work-family conflict, all of the other relationships between the use of family-friendly practices and work-family conflict were mediated.Discussion The study hypothesized that telecommuting, taking work home, having flexible hours, ND taking a family leave each would be negatively related to reports of work-family conflict. Strong support for Hypothesis 3 (I. E. , the use of flexible hours was negatively correlated with both self-reports and significant other reports of work-family conflict). This information may prove to be advisable for many organizations to offer flexible hours to their employees. In addition to focusing on the use of family-friendly practices, the study also examined the effects of reporting to a family-supportive supervisor.It was f ound that reporting to such a supervisor was positively related to he use of flexible hours and family leave. In terms of the correlation (r = . 14) between having a family-supportive supervisor and telecommuting, it may be premature to dismiss this relationship because it did not meet the p. 05 threshold that was used throughout this paper (this correlation was significant at the p. 10 level). Criticism Limitations for this given study are as follow: The response rate for the alumni survey was lower than the study would have liked. Another limitation is the low base rate for a few of the variables that were examined (I. . The use of telecommuting). A third limitation to note was the educated nature of the sample (everyone in the sample was a college graduate). Application This study could be expanded to include a larger population of employees, such as non-college graduates. It could also be expanded to other professions/departments in the organization. In future studies, it might also be worthwhile to consider coworker support for balancing work and family responsibilities (e. G. , are coworkers willing to switch work days or work hours to accommodate family responsibilities? ).

Acquiring another organization in same Industry Essay

Acquiring another organization in same Industry - Essay Example Strengths/Opportunities: (1) Achieve geographic expansion by means of selling more of the same product; (2) Use joint resources to different product. Commonly referred to as â€Å"synergies†; (3) Increased market power (no competitor in the market); (4) Benefit by using the same brand name to promote multiple products. Weaknesses/Threats: (1) Risk of anticipated economic gains; (2) Management to make sure (before acquisition) that imagined benefits are real, For instance, Siemens Pakistan’s technical partnership with Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) failed and finally Siemens had to discontinue with KESC. Recommendations: Now-a-days â€Å"Horizontal Integration† is the most common growth strategy taking place all over the world. We have tens of examples where horizontal integration has effectively & successfully taken place. In the recent past Unilever Pakistan bought-out the Polka ice cream and launched a new ice cream in the name of Walls. Although it was an unrelated business integration – i.e. Unilever was not in the ice cream business before, it has been very successful in this strategic move and doing well in Pakistan. Likewise, mergers/acquisitions of pharmaceutical firms and banks, etc. have also proved to be successful. The philosophy behind horizontal integration is: If you can’t beat, buy it. In my opinion â€Å"horizontal integration† should be beneficial for M/s. McBride Financial Services because the firm already has experience and relevant expertise to run the same kind of business. It would be simply like a business expansion. Moreover, this way intensity of rivalry (competitor) would get diminished and the firm could smoothly advance with the business acquired. However, two basic questions need to be addressed before acquisition: Lam, T. & Lao, T. (2010) under the introduction states that, â€Å"Horizontal integration should enable a firm to expand its products and existence

Mistaking africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mistaking africa - Essay Example It can be affirmed from a broader outlook that the critical concern of cultural bias is quite discriminative in nature (Flanagan 153). With this concern, this paper intends to provide a comprehensive understanding about own cultural biases towards Africa through reading the text i.e. Curtis A. Keim’s ‘Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind’. DISCUSSION The book of Curtis A. Keim i.e. ‘Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind’ has portrayed certain significant ideas and perceptions that have broadly influenced or imposed extensive impacts especially upon social along with cultural aspects of Africa. This particular book provides a general idea about the existence of cultural biasness within the nation of Africa. According to the findings of the aforesaid book, it can be affirmed from a broader outlook that an individual can acquire a valuable idea about diverse aspects such as the use and the misuse o f stereotypes, racism, exploitation and various other sorts of cultural aspects. The author in this book revealed that for several Americans, the nation i.e. Africa appears to be the indication of various surroundings i.e. dense jungles, safaris, strangely dressed tribesmen and ferocious animals. It is worth mentioning that Curtis A. Keim’s ‘Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind’ mainly concentrates upon conducting historical evolution and addressing the most widespread preconceptions along with myths concerning dissimilar cultures and people belonging to Africa (Keim 101-170). In order to present my own notions regarding cultural biases towards Africa through reading the abovementioned book of Keim, certain significant aspects need to be taken into concern and discussed broadly. In this similar context, it can be observed in Keim’s text that a huge majority of Americans considered the facets of exploitation and racism against A frica to be quite acceptable. This can be justified with reference to the fact that the Americans did enslave Africans and maintain segregation along with slavery system, though they by no means ruled colonies in Africa. According to my own perception, as the Americans did enslave the Africans, it can be stated that there laid the existence of cultural biasness within the nation by a significant level. Moreover, apart from enslaving the Africans, the treatment of the Africans as inferiors by the Americans also demonstrates the prevalence of cultural biasness within the nation at large. There also lay certain other significant evidences that have eventually developed my perception towards recognizing the prevalence of cultural biasness in the region of Africa. One of the evidences can be apparently observed in the readings of Curtis A. Keim’s ‘Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind’. This particular evidence which proves to be quiet effe ctive in determining the existence of cultural biasness in Africa can be related with the notion of prejudice. With reference to the reading i.e. Keim’s ‘Mistaking Africa: Curiosities and Inventions of the American Mind’, it can be revealed that with every passing decade, Americans are incessantly treating Africans with less prejudice. Though the nation i.e. Africa is growing to play an imperative role in developing worldwide economy because of its huge size, greater amount of population and accessibility of vast resources,

Academic Journals Exercise of Social Goegraphy Essay

Academic Journals Exercise of Social Goegraphy - Essay Example e articles published during the past few years in the selected journal will be reviewed and methodological approaches of the journal will be discussed in the paper. ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies is the journal that will be analyzed and scrutinized in this paper. (ACME, 2009) In specific, social, spatial, and political analyses are welcomed and encouraged in the abovementioned journal; however, a significant importance has been given to the critical and radical approaches for such analyses. As the name suggests, different geographies have been analyzed in this journal critically with its relation with social sciences. Some of the social-scientific aspects, such as feminist, Marxist, anarchist, post-structuralism, and a number of other perspectives have been used by the authors to provide an understanding of such socialist aspects in terms of geography. It is believed that the abovementioned perspectives play a crucial role in the development of geographies, and thus, different political structures, such as nationalist, liberalism, fascism, etc. have been investigated and challenged in a critical and radical manner. One of the major reasons of choosing this journal is its international perspective and scope that allows contribution from academic, as well as, non-academic providers and contributors. Besides this, articles have been published in English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French in the journal that provides an overview of its diversity. Journal includes review essays, as well as, a variety of empirical based research articles that have critically analyzed socialist issues with respect to geography by debates, literature reviews, and poetry as well. Until now, ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies has published fifteen volumes since its first volume in the year 2002. Since its first volume, different topics, such as critical cartographies, sexuality and gender, mediated places, class struggles and geography,

Floating Exchange Rate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Floating Exchange Rate - Essay Example Since, it is largely dependent on the working of supply and demand, it is said to be self-correcting. The value of the currency will depend on the factors that affect the supply and demand, similar to a simple commodity. If the demand for the currency is high, its value (which is reflective of its a price) will increase. On the other hand, a low demand for the currency in the world market, perhaps brought by a decline in the demand for the domestic products, will cause a depreciation of the currency. Examining the supply side, an increase in the supply of the currency will cause its depreciation while a decline in supply will work the other way. The terms "appreciation" and "depreciation" are used to mean increase in value and decrease in value respectively. However, these terms are only used in the floating exchange rate regime as in the fixed exchange rate; they use the terms "evaluation" and "devaluation". We say that it is "largely", but not "entirely" dependent on the workings o f the private market through the supply and demand because it is not entirely free from government intervention. "In a floating regime, the central bank may also intervene when it is necessary to ensure stability and to avoid inflation", although this is much less often than in a fixed exchange rate regime (Investopedia).One way for the central bank to intervene in a floating exchange rate regime is through "buying and selling of its own currency reserves in the foreign exchange market

HRM- Journal entry Unit 7 & 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HRM- Journal entry Unit 7 & 8 - Essay Example Group based compensation is also another system that is intended to motivate a group of individuals for attaining their group goals and objectives (Langley, 2011). The system is supposed to strengthen the bond between group members in an organization. Therefore, the fundamental objective of developing reward system in an organization is to motivate employees to work hard and as well retain the in the organization. However, the reward system can only be effective if it meets the needs of workers in an organization. Therefore, one will only know that the reward system ids useful if there is reduced complaints among employees in an organization and instead there is an increase in productivity as well as the profitability of the organization. An organization can manage the staff to perform better by linking their rewards to their individual as well as group performance. In this case, they will have to work hard to increase their rewards at any particular time. However, the employer needs to understand the strictly adhere to the contract of employment. Therefore, he has to provide proper working conditions among other welfare services to enhance their working relationship (Langley, 2011). Employees in an organization should also be involved in the decision-making the process to encourage them in everything that they do. Giving room to employees to participate in decision-making makes, they feel part of the organization. Hence, they will be loyal to the organization. Employee involvement in management will enable all the operations of the organization to be effective in that; they will feel to be directly responsible for the activities they conduct. Therefore, they will ensure that organizations operations are efficient and effective. However, there are various developments in the organization management from the EU in that the HRM identified the power of employee involvement in the decision-making process. That is; the management

An Evaluation of Emergency Plan for Hurricanes and Natural Disasters Research Paper - 1

An Evaluation of Emergency Plan for Hurricanes and Natural Disasters - Research Paper Example rs, it has been observed that these changes have been occurring quite more often in today’s world due to atmospheric and climatic imbalances that appear in different natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and most recently the tsunami that have shattered the lives of many in past few years and most recently in Japan. It has been observed that with every hazard that occur, it becomes highly important for the state to react and take spontaneous measures to tackle the situation immediately for becoming more grave and to lower down the intensity of the situation by implementing a thorough strategy that outlines the quickest most relief efforts on immediate basis to help the victims and the affectees of the disaster. For countering such serious situations, it is very important for the governments around the world to take strong measures and to have an emergency plan or a policy that defines all the phases required for early relief and recovery of th e localities hit by the disaster. It is highly imperative to understand the significance of the disaster management plan and the whole process that is involved in relief operation during the time of disaster and it is also very important to understand that how the success of the plan can be acquired through its implementation. Disaster management is a strategy that is devised in case of any natural calamity happens. It has also been termed as the disaster recovery management that can be strategized and become operational during the time of any disaster or a major catastrophe that can affect the human population on a large scale. Around the world in majority of the countries where natural disasters become a part of their lives, governments strategize such disaster or emergency plans for quick relief measures in order to restore the normal operations or the routine life in the areas hit by disasters. The disaster management policy or plan depends on certain essential elements. But one of the

Bridge On The River Kwai Essay Example for Free

Bridge On The River Kwai Essay For example: a characters intention, sequence of events, etc? A part in the movie which was confusing was when Nicholson decided to assist the Japanese in building the bridge. He becomes so obsessed in building the bridge (which he regarded as a symbol of British efficiency and resourcefulness, which will be remembered for times to come) that he fails to identify that he is collaborating with the Japanese even when he was informed by his own medical officer. He becomes so blinded by this that he, a man of principles and one who follows rules mentioned in the Geneva Convention is willing to make his officers work for the timely completion of the bridge. Saito tells Nicholson that it will not be necessary to bring the copy of the Geneva Convention and walks away making the silence/no-response response speak for him. Due to the indirect form of communication it is hard to follow if Saito means that Nicholson should not bring the book because he has previously read it and now that it has been brought to his attention he will not make the British officers do manual abour or that he has read the book but will still make the British officers do manual labour. Making silence speak instead of words and the indirect form of communication gives the essence of a reactive culture. Another part of the movie which was hard to understand was when Nicholson fell on the detonator at the end of the film. It is unclear if Nicholson had an intention to destroy the bridge or if it was a mere accident. His last lines what have I done do clarify his intent but due to the fact that he falls on the plunger there was no ample clarification for the same. There is a possibility that due to his love for the bridge uilt by the British soldiers he had Just proceeded towards the plunger to disconnect it, however, dies while doing so and hence falls on it instead. 0 What was the best thing about the movie? What was the worst? The best part about the film was the way Nicholson stood by his principles and persuaded Saito to not make his officers do manual labour and hence go by the rules mentioned in the Geneva Convention. The astonishing part about this was that this was taking place in a POW camp where the bargaining power was higher with Saito than Nichonson. Nicholsonss leadership abilities made his officers not give in to Saito and start anual work, and hence continued to be punished in the oven. His leadership abilities are portrayed well when the British medical officer comes to meet him at the oven, Nicholson was more concern about his officers than about himself even after he was deprived of food and water for numerous days. His pride and patriotic qualities tacilitate him to stand by his word against Saito even atter physical and emotional harm is being inflicted on him during the period of negotiation. On the other hand I feel that 2 Saito underestimated his BATNA (Best alternative to a negotiated agreement). I feel hat during the time of positional bargaining with Nicholson, ultimately carving under pressure and letting him out of the oven, Saito should have used his own soldiers for the bridge (till such time Nicholson was persuaded to make his men work) and created more discipline and collaboration among the workers for the timely completion of the bridge. I feel that there was little room for principled negotiation as Nicholson was not willing to do so. The worse part of the movie was the collapse of the bridge in the end. A bridge which was the cause of various negotiations between Saito and Nicholson, in the process esulted in numerous threats, blackmail and infliction of physical and emotional harm from Saito to Nicholson and consequentially got Nicholson himself killed. By the collapse of the bridge all that seemed to be a waste. 0 What did you find to be the most interesting or surprising element of the film? Why? The most surprising element of the film is the fact when Nicholson decides to take over the responsibility to construct the bridge after having won the negotiation against Saito and having no obligation towards doing so. He becomes so obsessed in building the bridge (which he regarded as a symbol of British efficiency and resourcefulness, which will be remembered for times to come) that he fails to identify that he is collaborating with the Japanese even when he was informed by his own medical officer. He defends himself in front of the officer by saying that he is getting the bridge made efficiently as he wants people who use to bridge in the future to remember how it was built and who built it. He also adds that by working on the bridge together his men will feel like British soldiers rather than Japanese prisoners. The bridge was Nicholsons trophy and was not an instrument to keep the British soldiers together. He becomes so blinded by this that he, a man of principles and one who follows rules mentioned in the Geneva Convention is willing to make his officers work for the timely completion of the bridge. He forgot about the war and his loyalties and started to aid in the improvement of the bridge rather than working in accordance with the instructions provided by the Japanese. It was this perceived duty that lead to his downfall ultimately. This was due to the fact that if he was not that keen of building a good bridge, he would not have reacted the way he did once he identified the explosives and could have prevented the unnecessary loss f lives towards the end including his own. 3 0 What is the movie trying to tell viewers? The movie glorifies the western civilization, especially that of the British. On the other hand it portrays the east Oapanese) to be weak and still learning. 0 How does it go about conveying this message? In the beginning Saito and Nicholson did not get along well. Nicholson insisted that his officers were not to do manual labour as per the rules stated in the Geneva Convention, however, Saito was more bothered about getting the bridge ready on time. When the numerous attempts Saito made to persuade the stubborn Nicholson ailed he tried a friendly approach by offering the starved Nicholson with Beef corn and Whiskey and by telling him that the senior officers including him do not have to manual labour. Saito had to ultimately carve and wilt towards the strong armed Nicholson even though Nicholson was in his POW camp. This was done using the anniversary of Japans victory in the Russo-Japanese war in order to save face. The concept of saving face is due to the impact of collectivism. This concept of saving face suggests that Saito is from a country with a high long term orientation index (L TO) culture. Not only this, once Nicholson took up the responsibility of the bridge and implemented British designs, oversight and ingenuity to it, he ended up making a more technically sound and competent bridge than the Japanese could have otherwise built. What cultural issues do you see? How are these portrayed? o Individualist, Power distance and hierarchy, Communication styles, role of gender, etc? In the initial part of the movie the American soldier bribes the Japanese captain to assist him in getting hospitalized. The Japanese soldier does not use the word No. He indirectly tries to xpress his reluctance to hospitalize the American. When the American insists using the usual American loud and verbose atti tude, the solder uses silence for the same and walks away after moving his head from side to side. This indirect and non-verbal form of communication indicates that the Japanese is from a collectivist, low IDV and a high context culture. The American soldier wanted to be hospitalized as he was self-centered. This along with the fact that he ran away shows that he was individualistic and did not care about anyone else. It can therefore be perceived that e has a high internal locus of control, signifying that he is in charge of his own life and that what happens to him is a result of his own actions and hence indicates that he is from a high IDV and a low context culture. 4 A more participative hierarchy is portrayed by the British soldiers. This can be seen when the British officers and their Colonel meet and have a debate on the topic of escape from the camp. One of the officers directly disagreed with Nicholson when he advised the officers not to escape from the camp. The officer argued that staying in the camp is a sure way of getting killed. This shows the impact of an individualistic ulture as in a collectivist culture disagreement is usually done indirectly or very discreetly. The British (westerners) usually like to near the word No in order tor the meaning to be conveyed effectively; they do not understand indirect negative responses. This kind of participative nature and direct denial from an officer to the colonels advice signifies a low power distance index (PDI) as power seems to be shared and well dispersed. This direct approach can also be seen in Nicholson when Saito tells him at the beginning of the movie that he will order his officers to work and he directly replies saying No. The local woman are looking up to the men and taking care of them in the scene where the American is returning the POW camp to destroy the bridge. It seems as if the women expect the men to be tough, assertive and be the provider. This shows that the local community is a high Masculinity index (MAS) culture. Hierarchy has been shown in many instances during the film. As far as the Japanese were concern, the Japanese soldier taking his cap off and bowing (In Japan there are rules for the Japanese equivalent of the Western handshake for who to bow, how much they should bow and hence are difficult to master) to Saito at the beginning of he film, bringing him a platform to stand on as he was short and so that people look up to him and salute him, were some instances showing hierarchy amongst the Japanese. Also the man responsible for fanning the Saito does not speak due to respect and even if it is raining the soldier still stands outside the premises as they are lower down in the hierarchy. 0 Did you like the film? Why or why not? Yes, I liked the film. The film did not have a right or wrong due to which it follows a unique and realistic approach based on individuals. Like more war films it is neither for nor against the war. By the end of the movie the viewer is less interested in the fact that who wins the war than about how the individuals will behave. 0 What adjective would you use to describe your reaction to the film? Why did you react this way? As rightly described by Clipton at the end of the film, the adjective that can be used to describe my reaction of the film is madness. Every individual in the film is inclined towards their own duty, order and chaos that they lose what really matters and what is most important. Emotions and orders have taken over the right or sane thing to do. The characters have hence led the situation to go out of hand. 0 In what ways can you identify with the movie, its characters and its message? The movie is more about the events surrounding the war rather than the battles and the fighting. These events have turned mortality, Judgment and sound thought around and have eventually lead to madness. There are various examples of this so called madness in the movie; the madness of Nicholson who says that working with the enemy is not going against ones country, the madness ot the American who accepts to return to a camp on a suicide mission where he escaped, nearly getting killed and he madness of a struggle the obliged men to make harsh decisions. Based on your knowledge of negotiations what do you think was going on? o What kind of dirty tricks were being used? Give 3 examples. Initially Saito used a forceful approach in negotiating with the Nicholson. Saito caused emotional (By cutting food supply and taking people from the hospital to work) and physical (When Saito slapped Nicholson and put him in the oven) means in order to persuade the soldiers to commence work on the bridg e. Saito underestimated his BATNA (Best alternative to a negotiated agreement). I feel that during the time of positional bargaining with Nicholson, ultimately carving under pressure and letting them out of the oven, Saito should have used his own soldiers for the bridge (Till such time Nicholson was persuaded to make his men work) and created discipline and collaboration among the workers for the timely completion of the bridge. I feel that there was little room for principled negotiation as Nicholson was not willing to do so. One of the dirty tricks used by Saito was that of threat when he warned Nicholson that if he does not order his troops to start work on the bridge he will be shot. Another dirty trick used by Saito in the initial part of the movie was that of Chinese water torture, signifying that he kept repeating his demands without bothering much about what Nicholson has to say. 6 The third dirty trick in the movie was when Saito asked the British soldier to meet with Nicholson for 5 minutes and tell him that if he doesnt order his officers to start work he will make the people in the hospital work. This was a bluff on Saitos part, even after hearing this Nicholson never changed his decision and the soldiers at the hospital were never made to work. What values are portrayed? Independence, cooperation, hierarchy, power, etc? The values that are portrayed in the movie are Independence, hierarchy, bravery, power, pride, patriotism, collaboration, leadership and commitment to duty. 0 How were these values portrayed? o Give examples of the type of behaviour that you base your answer upon Independence was shown when the American played on his life in order to esca pe from the Japanese camp in order to be free. Hierarchy can be seen by the Japanese soldiers to Saito when they remove their cap and bow to him, when they get him a raised platform during the time of his speech, y the guard to Saitos house has to stand outside even though it is raining and by the man responsible for fanning not speaking in the entire movie. These major differences in hierarchy and the soldiers accepting an unequal distribution of power indicates a high power distance index (PDI). Bravery has been shown by Nicholson when he did not give in even though Saito threaten ed him witn a gun hidden in the truck. Collaboration was shown by the soldiers once the bridge was the responsibility of Nicholson. This was not present when Saito is in charge of the bridge as stated by he British engineer when he was questioned by Nicholson what he would have done differently if this was his bridge. Because of the task-oriented approach of Nicholson and he planning ahead step by step which can be seen when he says this is the end of the agenda while meeting with Saito for discussion of the proposal for the new bridge, the soldiers were able to effectively collaborate. This suggests that Nicholson is from a linear Active Culture. Pride and patriotism can be seen when the British officers were marching in group and whistling. 7 Leadership was portrayed by Nicholson when the British soldier brought him food in he oven. Nicholson had not seen sun light for days, was weak and deprived of food and water but even then he was more concern about his officers than about himself. Commitment to duty was shown by Nicholson when he took over the responsibility of the bridge. He made the best and most efficient bridge possible, forgetting about the war and his loyalties. 0 Was there anything about the movie (sights, sounds, smells, colors, background scenes) that told you something about the culture that you were dealing with? What did you learn? The type of culture seemed to be a collectivist one. This can be seen rom the behavior of the society when the American escapes and reaches a village. 0 What does the movie tell you about the culture of the producers of the film? What about the film gives you this indication? The movie portrays glorification of western civilization in terms of perseverance and inventiveness, specifically the British. This indicates that the producer is from the British culture. Nicholson was able to circumvent Japanese commands due to his Engineers having the ability to construct a more technically sound bridge than the Japanese Engineers. 0 How do you think other audiences would react to this film? Why? I feel that other audience would feel that the film is more about the events surrounding the war rather than the battles and the fighting. These events have turned mortality, judgment and sound thought around and have eventually lead to madness. There are various examples of this so called madness in the movie; the madness of Nicholson who says that working with the enemy is not going against ones country, the madness ot the American who accepts to return to a camp where ne escaped, nearly getting killed and the madness of a struggle the obliged men to make harsh decisions.

Are Zoos Cruel To Wild Animals?

Are Zoos Cruel To Wild Animals? For the question that Are our zoos cruel to wild animals I am agree with this statement up to some extent. Zoo is the place where animals are kept within enclosures be displayed to the visitors for the awareness about wild animals. Zoo is like the second home of the animals. Zoos are considered a great teaching center about the animals and their behavior. We cannot imagine our society and environment if we destroy the animals that are our ecosystem. Animals are the important part of our ecofriendly nature and ecosystem. Each and every creature is dependent on each other. A man is a social animal. They depend upon other loving creature made by the god. The San Diego Zoo has a center called CRES the Center for Research Endangered Species. It is the largest zoo based center. Their main aim to improve the health of both wild animal and the animals which are captured in the zoos through sharing the problems and research with the other countries and to maintain the genetic knowledge and th eir resources so they can support in their conservation. A country can only be good and known by the way that how they behave or treat with animals. Is it cruel? Just think if anyone take us and keep us behind the bars,ÂÂ  dont allow us to do whatÂÂ  we want, dont allow us to eat according to our wish. As we all like eating pizza, burger, etc. and any one comes stop us from eating all these things not only this, stop us from doing all those things which we want to do according to our wish. How we feel? We surely feel very bad. we even cant think of living like this that is we even cant think of living in anybodys foundation and we only keep those poor animals behind the bars. Is it not cruel for them? As we have feelings, wishes. Animals also have some feelings. They also feel very bad. They also want to live freely. They also wantÂÂ  to spend their life according to their wish as we do. They also want freedom. They alsoÂÂ  want to eat according to their wish. And I think we human are the biggest hindrance in the life of those poor animals. We only keep them behind the bars and given name to that place where w e keep those poor animals as ZOO butÂÂ  IÂÂ  am not going to call that place aÂÂ  ZOO. IÂÂ  will call it aÂÂ  PRISON. According to us PRISON is that place where criminals, anybody who have done any mistake are kept behind the bars. So we should not call that place a ZOO we should call that aÂÂ  PRISON OF ANIMALS. The place where animals are kept behind the bars without any mistake. Why we keep those poor animals behind the bars? WHAT IS THEIR MISTAKE? Is there any answer forÂÂ  this question?ÂÂ  I know no one can answer this. But I can give you the answer. The answer is we keep those poor animals just for our pleasure. We all have visited the zoo. RememberÂÂ  that time when we were small, we went to the zoo with so much of excitement. We see so many type of animal there. We use to make lots of fun of them. But no one ever tried to think about those poor animals that how they feel. Dont they feel bad? TheyÂÂ  also have feelings they too feel bad. We keep those poor animals behind the bars for the sake of saving them butÂÂ  are we really saving them. NO, weÂÂ  are not saving them actuallyÂÂ  we are exploiting them. We all know that so many animals die every day in the zoo and we giveÂÂ  reason that may be the environmentÂÂ  doesnt suit to that animal. But no one bothered to find the actual problem. Did anyone ever thou ght that why these animals are dyeing so frequent? It is soÂÂ  not only because of the change of environment. There is any other reason also and the reason is that theyÂÂ  dont like that boundation. They are habitual to live freely in the forest. There they can do anything whatever they want. Their they do hunting according to their wish. They can run anywhere as they wish they can play as they want but no w theyÂÂ  are taken to that place where they cant play freely. This is the reason that most of the animal die in the zoo. Most of them become lazy. This is all onlyÂÂ  because of we human being. weÂÂ  are the biggest culprit of the wildlife. For our pleaser we have kept those poor animals behind the bars. I think those should be punished who do this. Who had opened this so called zoo? Who hunt those poor animals and keep them behind the bars. Zoo is not the correct place to keep the animals.ÂÂ  Forest is the home of the wild animals andÂÂ  that i s only the correct placeÂÂ  for the wild animals. So they should allow living there only. If we really want to save the wild life we should disturb them from their natural living. I mean we should not migrate them to such a prison. Let them live their life as they want.ÂÂ  Let them live in theÂÂ  forest only. There are so many sanctuaries and national parks are organized by the government to save those wild animals. Their they get the environment as same as that of the forest so let them live there.ÂÂ  Why these zoos are made which are of no use? It is just for the pleasure of the common people and just to earnÂÂ  some money.ÂÂ  It is just to exploit the animals. So its my humble request to the government officer that they should pass some orderÂÂ  to close all these zoos so that the wild animal can live their life freely. LET WILD ANIMAL LIVE THEIR LIFE.