Giovanni + Lusanna Essays - 9, , Term Papers

Giovanni + Lusanna Annonymous I can't believe he did that! I'll get even for what happened. Revenge. Hot blooded or cold and calculated. Everyone has had occasion to seek revenge; to retaliate for some wrong, real or perceived. For some, retaliation takes the ultimate and final form. Death. But for most people, just knowing that something was done, no matter how small, is enough to cool the desire to get even. There are multitudes of ways to redress wrongs; however, in this paper I will just be talking of three ways satisfaction may be achieved. Due to the advent of caller id and caller return, phoning someone at all hours of the night is no longer an option. However, I knew that if I asked, a local company that leases beepers would give me the three digit prefixes for their little pagers. After I got the numbers, I started to methodically call one number after another. Sometimes I reached an inactive number, but for the most part, the number I dialed reached an active beeper. When I did, I left my victims phone number. At least a hundred people called him, wanting to know why he called them. So many messages were left on his answering machine that he didn't bother to listen to it any more when he came home from work. Another way I gained revenge was more destructive and costly to the person involved. The manager of the apartments my family and I lived in were set back away from the main road. One day the manager decided to put up a gate across the main entrance road. He used a simple chain and lock to secure it and gave a key to all the tenets. He did this without consulting anyone, or considering the consequences. After night fell, the gate was locked and the tenets would have to get out of their cars and unlock the gate by hand. If it were raining, tough. Cold? Too bad! After asking repeatedly for the gate to be removed, I finally decided on a course of action. Late one night I filled the key hole with super glue. The stuff hardened and a key couldn't be put in. The manager had to break the lock. But he just bought a new one, which I filled up again. After five more locks were ruined, he finally gave up on his idea of a locked gate. The last type of revenge I'll talk about, was more of a joke that went a little too far. When our daughter was in the hospital, our friends brought her some gifts. Among them was an egg of Silly Putty. Pretty harmless stuff really. But our little girl managed to get it everywhere. On the nurses call button, her clothes, and the carpet at home. No harm was intended, but I felt a little pay back was in order. Waiting patiently for Christmas, I had bought for their three year old hellion, the biggest and best Pla-Doh set I could find. A huge yuck factory. I even bought extra cups of neon colored Pla-Doh. After fifteen minutes of, their daughter had managed to get that devilish stuff on the kitchen table, the floor, walls, and even in her hair! For all that, I did feel a little guilty. Also I'm a tad fearful of what form our friends' revenge might take, for our daughter is about to have another birthday. The need for revenge seems to be tied to our basic need for closure. When wronged by some clod, we feel the need to strike back. In the end, nothing changed the hurt that was caused. Very little is seldom accomplished except closure. But hot damn, didn't it feel good to fix his wagon! Steve Nix 4-9-98

Life Hacks for College Students

Life Hacks for College Students When you head off to college, it can be a new and exciting experience, but, it can also be overwhelming. For students who have never lived alone before, heading off to college, and finding themselves in a more independent lifestyle than ever before, can be an adjustment. Check out these tips and life hacks for college students that can make your life easier than you ever thought possible.   Learn How to Do Laundry Before You Go to College Believe it or not, there’s an art to laundry, and if you don’t master it, you might wind up needing a whole new wardrobe. Most college students can’t afford that! Doing laundry means remembering a few rules, and understanding how to take care of your clothes means you will save both time and money. What kind of rules? Wash like fabrics with like fabrics (don’t mix towels and silk), like colors with like colors (white clothes and red clothes do not get along well!), and not everything goes in the dryer. You don’t want a shrunken sweater, pants covered in towel fuzz or pink socks and shirts, so learn how to properly wash and dry your clothes before you go off to college (or invest in a laundry service).   Fake a Clean Outfit, Even if Laundry Day Has Passed You know its going to happen ... youre going to put off laundry day and your clothes arent going to get the washing they need all the time. Theres help though. Put dryer sheets in your drawers (or bags or piles of clothes) to keep them smelling fresh, even if they are on day 2 or 3 or 5 of being worn. Febreeze also helps if youre pushing it, and its less assaulting to the nose than bathing in cologne and perfume. Bonus tip: keep dryer sheets handy because they can also eliminate static cling. Hamper Backpack and Laundry Detergent Pods A good hamper backpack can make lugging your clothes to the laundry room easier than carrying a laundry basket while juggling detergent and fabric softener. As a bonus, many of these backpacks even have places to carry your detergent and fabric softener. Have a long way to walk? Avoid lugging large and heavy bottles of detergent by buying detergent pods in bulk instead. Then, you just need to carry a few pods at a time with your laundry. Use dryer sheets instead of liquid, and once again, youve lessened your load.   Always Stock Up on Plastic Baggies From storing leftover food to carrying those laundry detergent pods, plastic baggies are a must-have to keep stocked in your dorm room. They are a great way to store receipts you need, wrangle that mess of pens and pencils you have, and store band-aids and other meds. In a pinch, they can even double as a bowl or cup, and they are a great way to seal up leftover food that youre tossing so it doesnt stink up the room. We all know that taking out the trash isnt always a top priority.   Save Money by Eating in the Dining Hall Most colleges offer awesome dining hall plans, and taking advantage of these plans can save you money over always ordering out. You may not like everything that’s served, but if there’s a salad bar, sandwich bar, pasta bar, or pizza station, you can often find something. Many dining service plans offer unlimited food when you eat there, but they may limit what you can carry out. Fear not! Most dining halls will allow drinks to be taken out, and so hiding your foraged food can be a cinch. Always carry a giant empty water bottle or two to store that forbidden extra food in, so that you can stealthily carry it out of the dining hall. A clear water bottle won’t work, as you’d be able to see through the bottle to know you’re breaking the rules. Be smart, don’t go crazy carrying like 10 water bottles - that’s a bit suspect - and always wash your water bottles thoroughly in between food foraging sessions. Juice Up Your Technology Stock up on extra external chargers and cords to get through the day. It’s too easy to run out of battery mid-lecture and miss important notes or not have your calendar at the ready, or worse, not be able to find out about the latest party, catch an Uber or order pizza at night. Keeping extra cords and chargers in your backpack can be a life saver. Some of the most popular cords are retractable cords that don’t take up a lot of room in your bag and that have multiple connection ports, so you can charge your chargers, iPhone, camera and whatever other electronic goodies you may have, right from the same cord. Buy two or three cords just in case you lose one or want to charge two things at once because you know you will. And remember to have the plug for the outlet or a charging port that charges multiple devices at once. Keep one by your bed at night and one in your bag for emergencies.   Incentivize Studying (with Snacks and activities) We’ve all been there. The night is quickly coming to an end and you’ve got a paper due tomorrow or a test to study for, and you just aren’t motivated. That pizza your roommate ordered is calling your name or that party everyone is going to is so tempting. You dont have to recreate the scene from Legally Blonde where Elle forgoes Greek Week completely ... just show a little self-discipline by creating a rewards system for yourself to keep going. You know you’ve got 30 minutes before the party starts? Instead of pre-party festivities, focus on that science lab you need to write up and get it done. Making it in that 30-minute time slot means you get a reward - pizza or a party. If you don’t make it? You have to stay back. This means you need to have some self-discipline, but challenging yourself to reach goals and rewarding yourself afterward can be a great strategy to get things done, especially if you plan in advance. Add another level of incentives by giving yourself bigger rewards for exceeding expectations. Ace that exam? Treat yourself to a night out or order wings and pizza. Whatever it is that will motivate you to work, use it.   Turn Your Wall Into a Schedule Here’s that plan in advance advice that I just mentioned. Get a white board calendar, idea paint (if your dorm allows it) or larger paper desk calendar and attach it to your wall in a place that you will see it well from any spot in your room. Use it to write down class times, block off study times and important meetings, and even outline sports, activities, and parties you plan on attending. Use a different color for each class or activity (check out the next bullet for more color-coding ideas) and on day one of your classes, invest some time in filling this calendar out with class dates and deadlines in one color. Take the syllabus from every class and fill in the calendar with all the dates and deadlines that are posted. Take a picture of it on your iPhone so it’s always with you, too. If you use an online calendar, take the time to match it to the whiteboard - yes, do both! The more ways that you can remind yourself of what you need to do, the more successful - and on time - you will be. Color Code Your Classes If organization  isn’t your strong suit and you’re a paper-based study type, color code your classes by getting notebooks, folders and book covers (throwback time - remember your middle school days of wrapping textbooks in paper bags?) in a color that matches the marker on your whiteboard that we just mentioned. Chances are, a typical pack of markers has everything you need. Then, as you’re glancing quickly at what’s coming up, you can easily grab the colored materials that you need. Record Lectures While You Take Notes Assuming youre a note taker, you should still take manual  notes, but also get your iPhone recording the lecture (don’t forget that extra external charger!). That way, if you don’t understand something in your notes, you can go back to the recording for clarification. Know you’re going to need to review a certain part of the lecture? Make a star in your notes and write down the time stamp of when that material was covered so you can easily find the right moment without having to listen to everything. There are plenty of apps out there to help with note taking if you need one.   If youre not already, consider a cloud-based service for digital notes so they are always accessible. Find a good note-taking app like Evernote or even just use Google Docs and make folders for every semester and every class. This allows you to store recordings and all your notes online, making them super easy to search. Dictation apps and programs like Dragon and even just your iPhone allow you to dictate your notes and essays without having to type. For many students, this saves a lot of time and energy. Just be sure to proofread and edit carefully. We all know that autocorrect can make mistakes. Start Slow and Ramp Up Your Studies in Years Two and Three Many students hit the ground running at full speed during year one, and don’t get properly acclimated to school. Use your first year to take the typical number of classes - don’t overload - and start with the basic pre-requisites and maybe just a fun class (if you can get in). Take the time to enjoy college for the first year, and then in your next two years, start testing yourself academically with harder classes and heavier schedule loads. Get a Pinterest Account Really? This is a life hack? Yes. When it comes to college, living on a budget in a tiny room, Pinterest will become your best friend. From food ideas to storage and space saving tips, Pinterest is a plethora of great ideas. Recipes in Mug? You’d be surprised how many things you can make using a mug and a microwave, and Pinterest is the best place to find endless recipes and ideas for creating a gourmet meal in the dorm. Cant find a home for everything? Its not surprising. Dorm rooms aren’t known for being super spacey and luxurious, but Pinterest has a plethora of awesome ideas on how to save space, stay organized and even pimp out your dorm room so that you’re one of the hottest stops on the floor. Alarm Yourself Alarms are great for getting up, but they also can help throughout the day. Set alarms for every class, study group, and meeting so you’re never late. Give yourself 15-20 minutes before class to get there. If you’re someone who is often late, set multiple alarms for each class so you don’t risk snoozing them.

Acadian ambulance service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Acadian ambulance service - Essay Example Flight system. Acadian ambulance service offers specialized aviation services with international expertise. It provides information required to make conversant decisions and to deal with the risks effectively. The flight services make it expedient to travel with increased concentration on valuable experience. The flight services of Acadian Ambulance Service is available 24/7 for any emergency services with safe, relaxed and effortless travel ([2] Acadian, â€Å"Executive Aircraft Charter Service†). Employment opportunities. Acadian Ambulance Service is known for providing excellent employment opportunities and offering them a greater prospect to grow as professionals. It helps the employees to progress and to try different activities in order to help and improve the ambulance services which can have positive impact on the life of others. In Acadian Ambulance Service, there are diverse employment opportunities for individuals to select such as HR generalist, billing specialist, safety technician and pilot among others ([3] Acadian, â€Å"Careers†). Pension system. Acadian Ambulance Service is committed to provide several pension and benefitsto its employees. It allows employees the flexibility to select such benefits and plans which matters highly for their individual objectives. The pension plans of Acadian Ambulance Service are based on delivering keen support to the wellness of its employees along with their families (Acadia University, â€Å"Total Reward Philosophy†). Benefits. Acadian Ambulance Service provides several benefits to the employees. The remunerations and benefits are regarded as a key portion of the organization’s strategy and it also determines its image as an ideal place to work. The benefits provided by Acadian Ambulance Service comprise reasonable earnings, dental plan, family assistance program, sports affiliation, leisure services, fuel

The Liberal Values of Washington Consensuses Term Paper

The Liberal Values of Washington Consensuses - Term Paper Example The feature of neo-liberalism, in general, is to expand the market and desire to intensify, increase the frequency, number, formalization, and repeatability of transactions. The crucial goal of neo-liberalism is a universe wherein every action of every individual is a trade transaction, performed in competition with the other individual and influence every transaction, with the transactions that occur in the infinitely shorter time period and reiterate at an infinitely rapid rate (Neoliberalism: Origins, Theory, Definition 2005). Â   Â   Â   Â   As a result of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations, the rise of the World Trade Organization (WTO) was established in the year 1995. It is central to the development of global governance. The concern of WTO is to build a world trade system into a predictable and uniform arena for the world nations and businesses. Streamlining the trade policies of the nation-states, reducing barriers to trade among nation-states and resolving trading disputes are the responsibilities of WTO. It plays a significant role in preserving intellectual patents, rights and so forth. Â   Â   Â   Â   The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) also play a significant role in global governance. The IMF tries to make the International economy more translucent by imposing rules and is a lender to the countries that are undergoing a financial crisis. The World Bank reduces poverty to balance or diminish social division that may counterbalance the global integration of economies. Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Since, the commencement of Westphalian International System that is International state system established in 1648 by Peace of Westphalia treaty as a defining feature of policy with the state sovereignty, the state has played a significant role in the system. The ideological cover of neo-liberal (deemphasizing the traditional liberal doctrine to get development by practical methods is accomplished due to the growth of globalization. The role of the state in the International system has undergone a drastic change. The ideology of neo-liberal states that market by it is a very significant institution (Christensen, Karen & Levinson, David 2003).

Right and left handed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Right and left handed - Essay Example This is why a person with an increased ability to use the right hand is referred to as right-handed while those with skills in the left are called left-handed. In that prospect, health experts agree that hand preference happens to infants mostly when they are at 6 months of age. However, there are several theories that attempt to explicate the reasons for handedness and their superseding functionalities (Annet, 2002). On that perspective, it is significant to report that the people with right-handedness make up about 70-90% while their left-handed counterparts are only 10%. Therefore, this makes left-handed people a minority because the world is unnaturally angled in favor of the right-handed people. Among the most popular theories that help to explain the usage of right and left hand is that of the brain hemisphere. Scientists and biologists have accepted the presence of a relationship between the motor control of speech and other fine motor skills. In that respect, these scientists report in their studies that the brain is subdivided into the left and right hemisphere. This subdivision ensures every part of the brain has its unique functions that give people of different handedness different advantages of the other (Nicholls et al, 2010). Therefore, research indicates speaking is controlled by the left side of the brain while the control of the body is done by the right side of the brain. Additionally, about 50% of left-handed individuals process their speech on the left part of their brain while the other 95% of right-handed individuals use the same side of the brain. It is imperative to note that people do not necessarily decide to either use left or right hand in their functionalities of life. However, there are inherent merits of either using right or left hand because of brain development and the structuring of their hemispheres. This brings the supposed advantages of people who are left-handed especially in the areas of visual-spatial skills. Additional ly, left-handed people are also dexterous in spatial layouts thus they make the majority of musicians, architects, artists and mathematicians (Annet, 2002). This is backed by studies that discovered that 20% of more than 100,000 students who took Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) excelled and they were left-handed individuals (McManus, 2004). This is was twice the number recorded for the right-handed people that stood at 10%. Alternatively, studies also indicate that left-handedness reduces arthritis and other diseases that are prevalent among right-handed people. Left-handed individuals are also adept at higher creativity because of the workings of the right brain regions that transmit information between the hemispheres simultaneously. On the other hand, right-handed people have a lot of competence in the mastery of language especially in the development of phonology and semantics. This is also manifested in the handwriting where right handed people are better than their counterparts . For instance, the writing of languages such as Arabic and Hebrew, right-handed people are well placed. There is also an increased evolutionary fitness that entails higher weight, longer adult weight and care in handling pressing situations that is not easy with left-handed individuals (Annet, 2002). According to research, there are several factors that may determine the probability of person becoming either left-handed or

Argos Diesel Europe

Argos Diesel Europe The Case of the Floundering Expatriate 1a. Analysis of the case situation (what and why) 1b. Specific Cross Cultural Issues Argos Diesel Europe is experiencing cross-cultural challenges among various divisions of the company (Argos Diesel Europe, its European suppliers, local company employees and the new member an American expatriate). The company places high priority on achieving results, and it is conscious that in order to achieve their financial targets they must become an integrated team. However, the teams cultural diversity and lack of understanding for each others differences, demonstrates an intense friction and cohesiveness among members. Depending on the group members nationalities, each one has a different degree of expectation, motivation, participation and commitment. The main factors affecting the company from becoming an efficient cross cultural integrated team include: Lack of Open Communication among each other: ‘I tell you, Frank, theyre just going to have to join the rest of us in the postindustrial age, learn to do things the Argos way. * No direct confrontation to discuss the real issues and what can be done to improve problems (ex: Donaldson lack of cultural awareness and the effect on the company, group perception of him) (back talk) * Between Frank Waterhouse and Bert Donaldson (lack of communication as to what is expected from Bert, how he can better adjust to the culture, ways of solving friction between Bert and the team) * Between Frank Waterhouse and Bill Loan lack of understanding about each others necessities and overall company performance. Bill does not want to be bothered in solving the particular issues that the Zà ¼rich office is having. * Between Bert Donaldson and his department team * Between Bert Donaldson and the companys suppliers (as he delivered his speech, everyone in the audience was already familiar with his team-building plan) * Donaldson and Frau Schweri (manager) if proper communication was established at the beginning Frau Schweri could have assisted in setting up the meetings and familiarize Donaldson with the social/organisational etiquette * Arrival of trainers in Zà ¼rich Two year contract being offered to the trainers, â€Å"after Frau Schweri adviced him not to† 2. Lack of team collaboration * Lack of having an ‘open mind work approach * Individual vs collective attitude Examples: Franks self-centered attitude toward his own career plans in the US versus an overall attempt to ensure everyone in the team properly adjusts to changes in culture to ensure quality performance. Frank being one of the drivers for the European team program Emphasis should be on overall team performance and collaboration * Lack of response from managers to Donaldson multiple choice survey. ‘ * Group culture (not 1 way of doing things is better than another) everyone should cooperate and find a middle ground * Lack of synergy (no pattern of interaction that involves everyone) (Berger, 165, ch 165) * No formal support to Bert to ensure he becomes aware of the organization culture in Zà ¼rich / no support to Berts family (external and internal pressures) He is unintentionally offending colleagues No one confronts about the real problems (Waterhouse or Bert) * Team exclusion Bert is not part of Franks â€Å"inner circle† * Relationship conflict â€Å"interpersonal incompatibilities, including tension, animosity, and annoyance† (Chuang et al. 28) Between Bert and the European managers Between Bert and Jacob Hassler, VP of HR at Schwyz Turbines I told him I was interested in his ideas, so he pushed his chair back and said , ‘Please let me know what you expect. I reminded him that were on the same team, have only two more years for major change, gave him a week to get back to me with a few ideas, and you know what he said? He said, ‘Ja,ja. (Adler, p. 29) Between Bert an Ursula Lindt (regarding Berts reference to Bettina Schweri as a ‘secretary†, instead of referring to her with her appropriate title * All of them are back talking negatively about each other 3. Lack of understanding for cultural differences / cultural awareness * Lack of tolerance for individual differences (when things do not go as expected, European managers and administrative team I in Zà ¼rich becomes frustrated and complaint. Instead, they should be upfront and finding a solution/means to tell Bert what is expected of him, instead of seeing him fail. After all, the importance is to learn to overcome each others differences to ensure the company succeeds. * Stereotypes: ‘the American, ‘the Germans vs ‘the Portuguese * Difference in perception of time (punctuality, meeting duration, the ‘right time to be part of an international assignment) * Use of titles and names * Ways of addressing others (secretary versus manager) * Dress code (American trainers wearing Mickey Mouse sweaters) * Understanding of hierarchical organisations * Team involvement / management styles â€Å"management by walking† managers unresponsiveness to Donaldsons multiple-choice survey * Use of humor * Presentation style and amount of information covered (â€Å"bombardment of information†, not providing â€Å"enough background information†) * Networking (allow breaks in between presentations to allow people to interact) 4. Staff morale * Networking and socializing is a central part of Argos Zà ¼rich office culture * Differences in culture, work habits, and management styles are affecting the staff morale in the office 5. Culturally different leadership/working styles (Berger 162, cha 11) * â€Å"Management by walking† (Berts attempt to involve the entire department to obtain â€Å"ideas, plans, or solutions†) * Working habits (ex: working during lunch time and until midnight) * Presentation style, material covered, and duration (meetings running too short, or not allowing for enough breaks to network)  · Decision making (individual vs collective) 6. Difference in the levels of fluency of the common language * Everyone in the office, except from Bert is fluent in Swiss German * Berts lack of attempt to speak Swiss German is viewed negatively by the team As a leader it is expected to have basic command of the language Cross cultural issues and managerial issues The Case of the Floundering Expatriate Meeting 2 Thursday, October 22, 2009 2a. Action plan which Bert could present to his team on ways forward to address some of these issues Given that one of the main cultural issues faced by Bert and his team is lack of communication, before any of the following actions are implemented, Bert needs to establish a group meeting between key members (Frank, Frank Schweri, main suppliers). The meeting, which will be lead by an external facilitator, will allow everyone to share their concerns, open communication channels, relieve frustrations, share their opinions, and reach a consensus regarding the actions that everyone needs to take. Thus, allowing the team to improve their work relationship, morale, and work atmosphere. More importantly, during this first meeting, the group will complete and discuss Belbins team roles self-assessment. Subsequent to this meeting, Bert will also suggest weekly staff briefs to discuss current issues, in an open manner. In addition, he will present the following set of seminars and training sessions to address the teams main cultural issues. These sessions will be placed on a year trial period (which correlates with Berts evaluation period). 1. Intercultural communication seminar This seminar will allow the group to acquire the skills and techniques needed for a successful communication process by: * Establishing open/direct lines of communication * Learning how to communicate effectively with a culturally diverse workforce * Recognizing the importance of active listening * Learning the significance of verbal and non-verbal communication (tone of voice, proxemics, body position and gestures, facial expression, and eye contact) (Thomas 2008). 2. Cross-cultural/diversity awareness training (Thomas 2008) This training session will allow the team to improve interpersonal interaction among each other by: * Raising ‘level of awareness and sensitivity to diversity issues (Francesco et al. 2005). How to manage diversity (short and long term focus) Usefulness of cultural values differences among different ethnic groups Establishing ‘cultural advisory groups (Francesco et al. 2005). * Learning how to interact with different cultures Create awareness of diverse cultural and individual working, communication, behavioral, and presentation styles * Learning to ‘manage diversity effectively to ‘develop a competitive advantage (Francesco et al. 2005). * Learning about social customs, business etiquette and protocols in different countries (ex: Switzerland, United States, Great Britain) 3. Improving staff moral seminar ‘we all matter This session will allow Berts team to: * Establish ways of improving motivation and overall teams engagement * Learn the correlation between motivation and productivity * Creating a dynamic, positive and friendly workplace environment  · Establishing ‘values which play importance on satisfaction, morale, and loyalty (Berger, 1996, p. 22) 4. Interactive events encouraging diversity and team spirit To encourage interaction among team members, improve communication, cultural differences understanding, staff morale, and overall dynamics of the team and the environment they operate under, the following events could be suggested to take place:  · Friday staff breakfast meetings These sessions will allow all team members to obtain updates and have clear visibility of everyones activities, project, and companys current status These meetings will encourage open communication changes, team building exercises, and staff moral improvement  · Quarterly team challenge events (including: city challenges, bowling, boat trips, etc) These events will allow team members to interact in a non-working environment Positive moral, interaction, communication, and team synergy will be the main emphasis * Informal family-staff picnics 5. Conflict resolution seminar (Thomas 2008) Through role play, group discussions, and the use of case studies, the group will be able to:  · Learn the ‘background to conflict and the contribution they can make to either calming or escalating a confrontation (The conflict 2009) * Learn various approaches to dealing with different cultures and difficult colleagues * Learn how to structure and control a conversation (The conflict 2009) * Learn how to manage unpredictability (The conflict 2009) * Learn how to make concessions and reach agreements (Thomas 2008) * Learn how to employ the use of assertive communication 6. Constant feedback and evaluation of progress and training/seminar sessions (will create interactive synergy) While all of the above training and seminar sessions are imperative in dealing with individual cultural issues and group differences, as a continuous and recurring activity, the group must have established feedback and evaluation procedures. The feedback/evaluation process will allow the group to: * ‘Review the learning within the team learn from mistakes and share success (Berger 1996, p.175) * Evaluate the set goals, progress, areas requiring further intervention, and the overall effectiveness of the training and seminar sessions * Provide individual and group feedback to ensure everyone obtains an equal and fair opportunity to develop with the group and contribute to solve their cross-cultural issues. While the above training sessions and seminars will be suggested by Bert, careful consideration must be given to the implementation, cost, frequency, time constraints, evaluation and overall benefit of such sessions. Nevertheless, if implemented effectively, this action plan will ‘create a set of rules for the team, and help them develop ‘a shared team vision (Francesco et al., 2005, p.205). These activities will allow the team to discover ways of embracing their diversity, and use it as a ‘sustainable competitive advantage that will ultimately lead to superior performance and effective working relations (Von Berger et al., 2005, p. 2). The Case of the Floundering Expatriate Meeting 3 Monday, October 26, 2009 3. Action plan for Bert on the steps he needs to take in his own cross-international development to ensure he interacts effectively in this and future interactive work groups. In order for Bert to develop as an effective international leader, he needs to consider his current condition and future prospects. Given that he was not provided with any cultural training prior to his move to Switzerland, and due to the current turmoil, misunderstanding, and demands of his current role, the most effective and less time constraining activities during the present time will be the following. (These activities will be given a trial period of six months followed by an evaluation). 1. Cultural awareness training * This training will allow Bert to learn ‘major aspects of the host country culture, including customs, traditions, everyday behaviors (Francesco et al., 19998) * By developing his cultural awareness, Berts way of thinking will expand, and global mindset will broaden Bert will build up an understanding on how to create an environment of equal opportunities, while being flexible and sensitive to others differences He will be more receptive in learning about the needs and wants of others, while sharing openly common goals and values 2. Become involved in coaching and feedback sessions Bert should discuss with Frank the possibility of obtaining an internal coach (possibly Frank himself). The goal for Frank, Bert, and the entire company is to reach successful results. Hence, it s to the advantage of Bert and Frank that bonds are established so that they can discuss openly their feelings, expectations, and more importantly a change of action. During these coaching sessions Bert can: * Access his complete a free online ‘Cultural Orientation Framework (COF) (www.philrosinski.com) in order to identify his ‘existing orientations and to examine other alternatives (Rosinski et al., 2008, p. 258). The COF can be used with his coach to: evaluate cultures, find out new ways to create solutions, ‘envision a desired culture, and learn to use diversity as a source of action and cooperation (Gilbert et al., 2008, p. 88). * Use the GROW Model of Coaching to: Set up SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals for the short and long term Obtain a reality check to analyse his current situation Explore his options and alternative courses of action ‘Wrap-up, decide what he needs to do, his will to do, and by when (Gilbert, 2009, p.8) * Use the ‘Global Coaching Process to access his ‘desires, strengths, weaknesses, present situation and preferences in an attempt to evaluate the expectations of his group members (Rosinski et al. 270) 3. Interaction with team members A key to a leaders success is having the correct networking ability to connect and interact with others. Hence, while long working days, ineffective communication, and lack of cooperation has been present in his team. As a director, Bert should try be more charismatic, share a few lunch breaks with his team, or even try to interact outside of work. This will allow him the possibility to see his colleagues and team members in a richer cultural and analytical context. In future assignments it is crucial that Bert is culturally better prepared prior to actually relocating to a new country. In order to do this, Bert should suggest to the company that not only him, but all individuals and their families who will be embarking on an international assignment undergo the following programme: 1. Country Briefings 2. Reading assignments Focusing on the culture of the specific country or region How to interact and do business with different cultures Provide access to similar electronic sources to accompanying family members 3. Informal chats with employees who have acquired experience in a particular country 4. Basic language courses to employees and their families Twice a week for a minimum period of 5 weeks 5. In country training an development New expatriates should be assigned a mentor/coach with the particular country relevant experience. The coach/ mentor will not only assist the expatriate in his development and acculturation to the new corporate environment. He/she will also assist the expatriate and his/her family to get accustomed to the new country, help them find schools, jobs for their partners, etc. 6. Repatriation Within a month of Once return to their home country, after completing their international assignment, expatriates should be required to review their Personal Development Plans, success/failure of their assignment, and lessons learnt with their provided HR business partner and coach/mentor. (Eangle, p. 294) Berts current situation demonstrates to the company, that the culture of the organization must be adjusted in order to foster successful cross-cultural assignments where It needs to promulgate coaching, mentoring, and adapt to potential new ideas and ways of doing for their employees and their families prior to departure. While cost and resources might prove to be a challenge for the company, the overall success of expatriate assignments, lie on the success of the cultural awareness pre-departure programme. â€Å" An effective international manager needs to develop skills for understanding an managing diversity. Since different cultures have various approaches to diversity, it is important to understand these approaches and the potential impact they could have on the manager† (Francesco et al., 2005, pp 209). Working Together and Cross Cultural Issues Culture is central to what we see, how we make sense of what we see, and how we express ourselves, and there are various varieties that lie within. For example, Different Communication Styles where as a group we had diverse ways of doing that varied widely between us. One aspect of communication style is language usage. Across cultures, some words and phrases are used in different ways. For example, even in countries that share the English language, the meaning of yes varies from maybe, Ill consider it to definitely so, with many shades in between. Therefore we found that it took some time to agree with each other about certain points but always came to a conclusion or harmony in the end. Secondly we had different approaches to Completing Tasks From culture to culture; there are different ways that people move toward completing roles or projects. Some reasons include different access to resources; different judgments of the rewards associated with task completion, different notions of time, and varied ideas about how relationship-building and task-oriented work should go together, but found that everyone worked well together to find appropriate data that was relevant to the actual task and respected asked criteria. Finally we had a complete group where everyone had a particular role to complete, and worked well within the context to find an applicable solution to the case for answering adequately. References 1 Berger, M. (1996) Cross-Cultural Team Building: guidelines for more effective communication and negotiation. London, McGraw-Hill, Chapter 2, 11, pp. 22, 175. Francesco, A.M. and Gold, B.A. (2005) International Organizational Behavior, Upper Saddler River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc., Chapter 10, pp. 204-206. The Conflict Training Company (2009) Conflict Management Training. The Conflict Training Company Ltd [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www.conflict-training.co.uk/conflict_management_training.php?gclid=CPiegujYw50CFUtp4wodBnx8sQ [Accessed 17 October 2009]. Thomas, D.C. (2008) Cross-Cultural Management Essential Concepts, 2nd Edition, Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Ltd, pp: 131-137, 187. Von Bergen C.W., Parnell J.A. (2005) ‘Workforce Diversity and Organisational Performance, Equal Opportunities International, Vol.24, No 3/4, p. 2. References 2 Francesco, A.M. and Gold, B.A. (1998) International Organizational Behavior, Upper Saddler River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc., p. 175. Gilbert, K. and Rosinski, P (2008) ‘Accessing cultural orientations: the online Cultural Orientations Framework Assessment as a tool for coaching. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice. Vol. 1, No. 1, March 2008, p. 88 Gilbert, K. (2009) ‘Week 4: Coaching and Mentoring Across Cultures. International Management Competencies. Slides 8, 9. Rosinski, P. and Abbott, G (2006) Evidence Based Coaching Handbook; Putting best practices to work for your clients. MyLibrary [Online]. Available at: http://opac.brookes.ac.uk/www-bin/ejnls?CN=S0016895OX (Accessed: 23 October 2009).

America Needs a Complete Smoking Ban Essay -- Should smoking be banned

Approximately 7,500 infants die due to sudden infant death syndrome due to exposure of secondhand smoke in America (â€Å"American Lung Association†). Children all over the United States are unwillingly exposed to parental secondhand smoke in public, in cars, and at home. When children are exposed to secondhand smoke, many develop life threatening diseases later in life as a result of that exposure. In the United States, smoking should be banned while in the presence of children. Children’s lungs are vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke, and this can cause serious problems down the road. Some states have already banned smoking in public and others are in the process. Secondhand smoke exposure has the possibility of causing nicotine dependence in adolescent (nicotine dependence in Children). Secondhand smoke can cause diseases in the lungs of children which can be long-term. There are three examples of diseases in children that include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pneumonia. Asthma, being the most common, is a chronic disorder which causes the host to cough, wheeze, have a shortness of breath, and chest pains (â€Å"WebMd† Asthma.) Living with asthma is very common; many people can live perfectly normal lives with the disease. Another illness caused by secondhand smoking is COPD. Symptoms include COPD flare ups, shortness of breath, buildup of mucus, weight loss, and in some cases the host’s skin will turn a shade of blue. There are four stages to COPD which are mild, moderate, serious, and very serious in which the symptoms progressively become worse as you go from stage to stage ("WebMd COPD.") A third disease is pneumonia which violently attacks the respiratory system. Symptoms include rapid ... ...ndhand Smoke." American Lung Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. . "Symptoms and types." WebMd. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. . "COPD Symptoms and types." WebMd. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. . "Pneumonia Symptoms and types." WebMd. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. . Bell, Kirsten, Salmon Amy, and Darlene McNaughton. "Smoking around children and childhood overnutrition." 19.2 (2009): 15. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. "second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in kids." NewsRx Health & Science 19 Oct. 2008: 195. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 28 Mar. 2015.