Zara Fast Fashion Executive Summary - 5256 Words

Hong Kong Baptist University Semester 1, 2007-2008 BUS 3200 Strategic Management Case Assignment Zara: Fast Fashion NG Pui Yan, Ivy 05003539 CHAN Chi Cheuk, Sunny 05006856 CHUI Yuen Shan, Cora 05017041 LOK Ka Pik, Capi 06004911 GUENTHNER Patrick 07501153 Executive summary Quick response of Zara leads it to be successful in the fashion clothing industry. Zara adopts international strategy for its operation. With vertical integration, it benefits Zara in cost aspect, however, it involves some risks. Due to our anaylysis on Zara’s operations, some of the recommendations are made to facilitate its further improvements. Marco-environment Macro-environments are changing in different aspects which influence Zara’s†¦show more content†¦This can be seen from Fig 3 that the export and import during 2005 and 2006 have significantly increased and it is foreseen that the future global trend would be increasing. Also, in order to lower the production costs, lots of international companies will transfer part of work in some countries with lower labor and material costs. This kind of out-sourcing activity enhances the global cooperation as well. Porter five forces model: | |Force | | |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 | |Rivalry among competitors | | |ï ¼Å  |[pic] | | |Threat of Substitutes | | | | | ï ¼Å  | |Barriers to Entry | | | |ï ¼Å  | | |Power of Suppliers | | | | |ï ¼Å  | |Power of Buyers | | | | | ï ¼Å  | | |(Strong) | | |Show MoreRelatedZara E-Business672 Words   |  3 PagesExecutive Summary E-business Background Zara, part of Spanish giant Inditex Group, provides clothing products to customers demanding fast fashion that looks like high fashion at lower prices. It has been considered as the most remarkable fast fashion company of the 21st century. In order to understand and analyze the dynamics of the sector and the current state of Zara, Porter’s Five Forces and SWOT analysis will be used. E-Marketing The key elements of Zara’s e-marketing strategy include socialRead MoreZara s Operation Strategy And How It Uses Technology Into Operations For Fast Communication Between Different Departments Essay1238 Words   |  5 Pages â€Æ' Executive Summary This report is about Zara’s operation strategy and how it uses technology in operations to get competitive advantage in the fashion market. Zara introduced information system in operations for fast communication between different departments. The company’s store managers directly convey customers feedback to head office through advanced information system. Once the information gets collected by head office, the designers start working on new designs and take immediate opinionsRead MoreMarketing Plan: ZARA1571 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Content I. Executive Summary II. Situational Analysis III. Target Market IV. Swot Analysis V. Marketing objective and goals VI. Marketing Strategy and Tactics VII. Implementation and Control De La Salle University-Dasmarinas Bachelor of Sciences in Business Administration major in Human Resource Development Management Zara Clothing Company Marketing Plan By Mr. Carl Jastine Eugenio Ms. Angelica May Ignacio Ms. Mary Christine Agojo Ms. ShennaRead MoreZara Essay examples1242 Words   |  5 PagesExecutive Summary: Zara is one the leading fashion having a substantial sale of Euro 8088 million in 2010. There are many factors which have led to such a substantial growth for the company some of which are analyzed in the subsequent discussion. Some of them are capability to release in-season fashion in 50% less time than competitors. The central distribution model and efficiency in supply chain has contributed to this immense success. Once the stores are opened outside Spain this is the biggestRead MoreManagement and Zara1507 Words   |  7 PagesExecutive Summary: Zara is an apparel chain owned at operated by the Inditex of Spain. It was founded by Mr. Amancio Ortega Gaona; currently Spains richest man. Zara specializes in fast fashion. At the end of fiscal year 2001 Zara was operating 1,284 stores world wide and had total revenue of €3,250 million. Inditexs headquarters and its major assets are located in the Galacia region of Spain. Inditex also operates five other chains: Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius and OyshoRead MoreZara: It for Fast Fashion1266 Words   |  6 PagesExecutive Summary The objective of this document is to discuss the issue of Inditex’s DOS-base IT infrastructure and how it affects Zara’s performance. Inditex is concerned about its IT infrastructure being antiquated and the possibility that hardware vendors will upgrade their machines leaving them incompatible with DOS. Because Zara’s core business model is vertically integrated, it could specialize in speed and efficiency and the fast fashion trend. By assessing the pros and cons of the newRead MoreInformation Technology2051 Words   |  9 Pagesrelate to the way Zara runs its business. What types of systems are the most essential for this company in its current environment? In this new era of globalization, the using of technology has been very common and can be conclude as part of human’s life. In order to survive in today’s challenging business world, every organization has to be confronted with highly competitive pressure to bring out more effectiveness and efficiency when running a business. This case study is about Zara, large internationalRead MoreZara It for Fashion Case Study1595 Words   |  7 PagesExecutive Summary Zara has relied on Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) and Point of Sales (POS) terminal operating on Microsoft DOS which are not linked to the headquarters or other stores for its daily transactions. Although, the system has proved to be stable and reliable over time, it has become obsolete and cannot be supported by the providers. I recommend that the company invest on a new system like Windows, UNIX or Linux operating system which will enhance connectivity and flexibilityRead MoreZara It Strategies for Retail Essay2571 Words   |  11 PagesMIB 2013 2355 words Zara: IT for Fast Fashion Zara: IT for Fast Fashion EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In This case we see the typical problem which affect big Companies : the conflict between old style and new school of thought. We analyze Zara’s information Technology strategies and the diatribe between Salgado, The Head of the Department and Sanchez , his assistant,s concern upgrading the operating system and the implementation of a new IT system to fulfill the needs of a fast growing retail chainRead MoreZara Strategic Analysis2115 Words   |  9 PagesResearch paper Zara Students name: Instructor name: Class: Date: 1. Executive summary Background Information Inditex is an international Spanish company that designs, manufactures, and sells apparel, footwear, and accessories for women, men and children through its chains and shops around the world. Zara is the largest and internalized of all the Inditex products such as: Massimo Dutti, Pull amp; Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, and Oysho. It was firstly open from a businessman

The Different Development Stages - 1387 Words

First and foremost, it is critical to agnize and determine the paramountcy of the different development stages throughout infancy that include, but not constrained to, the following: physical, cognitive, social/personality development. Equally important, it is crucial to understand the major cultural values, beliefs, behaviors correlate with a favorable development for the aforementioned stages. Certainly, I have observed a contrast on the different results that an infant experiences, predicated on the quality of development, offered by parents in two individual instances with two close family members. On the one hand, a cousin named Andrew — in this case, I will not provide his real name, and will call him â€Å"Andrew†Ã¢â‚¬â€ had the full support†¦show more content†¦Not to mention, Carlos’ mother would provide a babysitter to take care of Carlos, but would nonetheless not equate the amount of affection the biological mother essentially provides. As n oted, the quality of the aforementioned important developmental stages in both cases differ in a drastic manner, which is essentially influenced by parents and the social environment provided. Cognitive Development In an attempt to deconstruct the phenomenon affecting the aforementioned individuals, one must understand how important â€Å"[t]he processes that allow people to know, understand, and think about the world† are essential in order to have a favorable overall infant development. As described above on the first case, it is safe to say that Andrew is potentially more likely to acquire a better cognitive development due to the fact that Andrew was more exposed to beneficial practices. The fact that Andrew’s parents read books and played classical music for him, simultaneously benefits his spatial-temporal reasoning—related to the cognitive psychology spectrum. At the same time, the fact that Andrew’s parents allowed him to interact with other individuals, inevitably benefits Andrew’s cognitive development—sociocultural theory (Feldman, 29). On the other hand, the lack of support and care by Carlos’ mother causes a major impact on Carlosâ⠂¬â„¢ cognitive development. How? It is necessary for parents to be attentive with their children at all times with theShow MoreRelatedDifferent Stages of Development in Macbeth1513 Words   |  7 PagesDIFFERENT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT IN MACBETH In most stories the main character or protagonist develops and his or her state of mind changes by the end of the story. The state of mind tends to change at the various stages of the plot including the introduction, beginning excitement, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. Freytag’s pyramid shows the usual structure for the development of the story and he explains how the protagonist changes and develops at those different stagesRead MoreThe Different Stages Of Human Development1617 Words   |  7 PagesThe different stages of human development can be vast in dimension. The chosen age group was childhood (3-12 years) or also called the juvenile period consist of various features of its age group. Early to middle childhood features such as physical, emotional, cognitive, and social aspects have their growing and specific developments compared to other human developmental stages. Also, different theoretical perspectives will substantiate the selected deve lopmental stage and which is most usefulRead MoreMarketing in Different Stages of Economic Development3055 Words   |  13 PagesMARKETING IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MARKETING:- Marketing is about identifying amp; meeting human and social needs or we can say in short that marketing is meeting needs profitably. It is the activity, set of institutions amp; process for creating, communication, delivering amp; exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large. Marketing satisfy individual and social values, needs and wants- through production of goodsRead MoreDifferent Stages Of Development Children Go Through Essay1353 Words   |  6 Pageswhy children are repetitive in some things at certain stages. These types of questions will be answered if we all understand the concepts explained by Dr. Maria Montessori regarding different stages of development children go through. Maria Montessori believed that children pass through different phases in which at certain stages throughout their development they have a predisposition or sensitivity to learning a specific skill. These stages are called ‘Sensitive Periods’. Each period lasts forRead MoreDevelopment At Different Stages Of The Life Span Of An Individual Essay2311 Words   |  10 Pages1.1 Development at different stages of the life span of an individual, using psychological theories: Psychosocial Development (Erikson, 1950, 1963): Stage 7 – Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood) Hannah is 45 years old, married and has two children, one is 10 years old and in primary school and the other is 4 years old and in nursery. Hannah is a health and safety consultant in one of the big oil company based in Aberdeen. Hannah feels that she has a big responsibility towards herRead MoreUnit 3.3.1 – How Communication with Children and Young People Differs Across Different Age Ranges and Stages of Development1458 Words   |  6 Pagesdiffers across different age ranges and stages of development 0 – 6 Months By 6 months, usually children will: * Turn towards a sound when they hear it. * Be startled by loud noises. * Watch your face when you talk to them. * Recognise your voice. * Smile and laugh when other people smile and laugh. * Make sounds to themselves, like cooing, gurgling and babbling. * Make noises, like coos or squeals, to get your attention. * Have different cries for different needs. ForRead MoreDifferences Between Female And Female Babies1716 Words   |  7 Pages When a baby is first born the main concern of the parents is the development of the child; this is a crucial part of the infant’s life where the first few years of life are the most important. The rate of brain development depends on the environment around the baby including where they live and who they are growing up around. During the baby’s first year especially, the skills being developed are what will be needed and used throughout their entire life. Not all babies develop at the same rate,Read MoreFreud s Psychoanalytic Theory Of Personality1384 Words   |  6 Pagespaper I am going to talk about Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality. I will describe what his theory is about and about what my thoughts are about if I would use this technique or not in my way in counseling. I will also describe different ways that I would still use the Freud’s technique but in my own unique way. Sigmund Freud s psychoanalytic theory of personality argues that human behavior is the result of the interactions among three component parts of the mind: the id, ego,Read MoreThe Theory Of Nature Vs. Nurture1523 Words   |  7 Pagesprevalent within developmental theory. Many theorists have strong opinions on the subject and how it relates to biological development, behavioral development and learning. The nature concept refers to development being driven by heredity, maturation, genes, and inborn intrinsic actions (Lerner, 2002). A theorist who had a strong view that nature was the driving force behind development was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In contrast, the nurture concept refers to experiences learned from the environment, educationRead MoreThe Theories Of Human Mind And Behavior1138 Words   |  5 Pagesvarious branches that deeply analyze different concepts of human behavior. In Human Growth and Development, full perceptions of the process of human development are covered in d etail evaluating various stages of human growth. As such, this aspect provides an overview of the stages of human life from birth through the middle stages to the adult stage. Some various theories are set to provide some guiding principles and concepts that analyze the human development in a coherence and detailed form. The

Magnesium Essay Paper Example For Students

Magnesium Essay Paper Magnesium is one of the alkaline-earth metals of main group IIa in the periodic table. Magnesium is a grayish-white metal. Normally magnesium is covered with a layer of oxide, MgO,that protects magnesium from air and water. Magnesium is an important element for plant andanimal life. Chlorophylls depend greatly on it.Sir Humphrey Davy discovered magnesium in 1775at England. It was dicovered when he evaporated magnesium amalgam by mixing a moistmagnesia and mercuric oxide. The meaning of the name comes from a Greek word Magnesia. Properties of pure magnesium:Atomic number 12Atomic mass 24.31 Colour Silvery grey metal Density1.738 g.cm -3 at 20C 1.58 g.cm-3 at 650RC (1) Melting point 650C Boiling point 1103C Crystal structure close-packed hexagonal Heat of combustion25020 kJ.kg -1 Flame temperature~2800C Heat of fusion368 kJ.kg-1 Heat of vaporisation5272 kJ.kg-1 Specific heat1025 J.K -1.kg at 20C Vapour pressure 20 Pa at 527C(s) 360 Pa at 650C (1) 1400 Pa at 727C Valence statesMg2+ Viscosity 1.25 cp at 650C (1) The magnesium element has the atomic number of 12 and atomic weight of 24.3050. Itssymbol is Mg. The group number that mg is in is group 2a. Its electronic configuration ofNe.3 s2. Physical dataStandard state: solid at 298 KColour: silvery whiteDensity of solid at ambient temperature/kg m-3: 1738Molar volume/cm3: 14.00 Table on isotopes:Nominal mass Accurate mass%natural abundance 24Mg23.9850423 (8)78.99 (3)25Mg24.9858374 (8)10.00 (1)26Mg25.9825937 (8)11.01 (2)Magnesium is the 6th most abundant element metal on the surface of the earth at about 2.5%of its composition. Sea water contains 0.13% Mg and some facilities use the magnesium for theproduction of magnesium metal. This happens when the precipitation of other salts leave amagnesium-rich brine. Other sources are dolomite ((CaMg)CO3) and magnesite (MgCO3). Magnesite also produces magnesium oxide which are used for the making of refractories. Magnesium oxide, MgO, is the second most common compounds in the earths crust, secondonly to silicon dioxide, or beach sand. In seawater, the magnesium compound is magnesiumchloride, MgCl2. The chloride is taken from seawater and is used in the electrolysis process tomanufacture magnesium metal. When seawater is not available, magesium can be found fromminerals such as dolomite (CaCO3.MgCO3) and carnallite (KCl.MgCl2.6H2O). Magnesium is an active metal. Magnesium burns easily in air, making a bright white light. Magnesium is an important element for improving the working characteristics of aluminum andzinc. It makes them easier to roll and machine. Magnesium is also flammable at temperaturescharacteristic of burning gasoline so its use as a structural metal is limited. Insoluble magnesiumcarbonate and magnesium sulfate, together with insoluble calcium compounds occur in hardwater. These compounds are observed as scales in pipes and boilers. However, magnesium is animportant catalyst in organic reactions. Magnesium compunds include: magnesium chloride, MgCl2, which is used in the preparation of cotton fabrics.-magnesium bicarbonate, Mg(HCO3)2, which is produced in solution when water containingcarbon dioxide dissolves magnesium carbonate. It is a cause of hardness in water. -magnesium oxide, MgO, which is used for as lining for glass. -magnesium peroxide, Mg2O2, which is used as a bleach for dyes and silks. Electron Configuration:

QHT Task free essay sample

Entrepreneurs use many tools to propel their endeavors. One of the tools that many entrepreneurs use is the innovation concept. The innovation concept Is the development of new disciplines and practices within the frame work of the concept. Entrepreneurs bring about innovation through opportunities that are caused by change. Technology innovation, processes Innovation, service Innovation and product Innovation are some of the ways that the opportunities within the Innovation concept can be found.Each of these ways of finding opportunities happen In different ways. Technology Innovation: The first way In which entrepreneurs use the Innovation concept Is technology Innovation. Technology Innovation Is used In production techniques. The use of technology Innovation in production techniques does two Important things. The first thing that is does is lower the cost of a product or make the product a better quality product for the consumer to use. When the price of a product lowers or the quality of the product is raised, the business or organization is able to surpass their impetuous. We will write a custom essay sample on QHT Task or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When a company is able to produce a product that is better than its competitors products more product is sold. Therefore, the companys profits are raised. The second thing that technology innovation does is keep the interest of current customers and possible new customers through the change made by technology innovation. Process Innovation: Process innovation is where change is found to make productivity more cost effective. It uses the total quality management (TTS) concept and the just-in-time supply (KIT).The TMQL concept is when an organization works together to constantly make changes that will deliver higher quality products and services to consumers. The KIT supply is a concept of not keeping any unused inventory on hand. KIT saves a company a substantial amount of money. Process innovation changes are innovations that usually use technology to reduce the occurrence of product defects that happen on the production line because of human errors. The reduction of human error on the production line cuts down on Internal failure costs because less effective products have to be thrown out, less waste occurs and less downtime Is experienced.Because these issues are usually caused by quality problems, process Innovations that improve quality help eliminate Internal failure costs. Service Innovation: Service Innovation happens when a company changes and Improves their customer service methods. This makes the companys product more desirable to customers because they are offered better customer service. This also gives the company the opportunity to build a better relationship with their customers. Often service Innovation involves getting customer feedback on how to better their customer service.Better customer service creates more customers and; therefore, more cash flow and profits are experienced by the company. Product Innovation: services to customers. This keeps current customers interested in doing business with the company and has the potential to attract new customers. Sometimes this is done by creating new products, greatly changing an existing product or by Just changing the way the current product is presented. Another form of product innovation is branding.By creating a more positive brand image a company can keep the interest of consumers. Most people have heard the phrase innovation is the key to industry. While this statement may seem tired and over used, it still rings true. If businesses do not change they will not survive in a changing world. If business do not change products and services to meet customers need they will not have any profit. By implementing technology innovation, processes innovation, service innovation and product innovation a business can continue to grow and thrive.

102 Intro to Course and Syllabus Professor Ramos Blog

102 Intro to Course and Syllabus Intro to Course Intro to Course Welcome to English 102, Intermediate Composition and Critical Thinking. From the name, we can tell that this course focuses on two things. One, more advanced writing techniques, building on what you have learned in English 101. Two, Critical Thinking. This is just an introduction to Critical Thinking, since this is a lifelong pursuit. We split the course up into two Units, Critical Media Engagement and Critical Monster Theory. The first half of the course will be an introduction to critical thinking and practicing those concepts by applying them to media. The second half of the semester will be learning theory, Monster Theory, and using it to analyze and understand our culture. We will learn critical thinking, reading, and writing and then we will apply theory to the world around us. Writing Approach The way I like to approach the teaching of writing is through Genre. You may know genres from music and movies. Just like those, there are many different writing genres that we can use. We will be focusing on four genres for this course. In the intro to critical thinking unit we will write: Proposal Rhetorical Analysis For the monster theory we will write: Evaluation of a monster Causal Analysis of a monster We will learn more about each genre as we are working on them. All four of these genres are research based argumentative papers. They each ask you to do specific work. You will be graded on how well you write the genre, and the five criteria we come up with together. Every essay will require the same two categories: Critical Thinking Clarity of Writing The third, fourth, and fifth categories for grading we will come up with together. Ice Breaker Name Major Two interesting facts about you Find one other person who has something in common with you. Either first or last name, major or related major, one or more interests as you or related facts. Syllabus The syllabus for this course can be found on the navigation menu for this class website. 102 Intro to Course and Syllabus Intro to Course Intro to Course Welcome to English 102, Intermediate Composition and Critical Thinking. From the name, we can tell that this course focuses on two things. One, more advanced writing techniques, building on what you have learned in English 101. Two, Critical Thinking. This is just an introduction to Critical Thinking, since this is a lifelong pursuit. We split the course up into to Units, Critical Media Engagement and Critical Monster Theory. The first half of the course will be an introduction to critical thinking and practicing those concepts by applying them to media. The second half of the semester will be learning theory, Monster Theory, and using it to analyze and understand our culture. We will learn critical thinking, reading, and writing and then we will apply theory to the world around us. Writing Approach The way I like to approach the teaching of writing is through Genre. You may know genres from music and movies. Just like those, there are many different writing genres that we can use. We will be focusing on four genres for this course. In the intro to critical thinking unit we will write: Proposal Rhetorical Analysis For the monster theory we will write: Evaluation of a monster Causal Analysis of a monster We will learn more about each genre as we are working on them. All four of these genres are research based argumentative papers. They each ask you to do specific work. You will be graded on how well you write the genre, and the five criteria we come up with together. Every essay will require the same two categories: Critical Thinking Clarity of Writing The third, fourth, and fifth categories for grading we will come up with together. Ice Breaker Name Major Two interesting facts about you Find one other person who has something in common with you. Either first or last name, major or related major, one or more interests as you or related facts. Syllabus The syllabus for this course can be found on the navigation menu for this class website. English 102 Summer 19 Syllabus Homework Read  Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott

You Too Can Sponsor A Word!

You Too Can Sponsor A Word! You Too Can Sponsor A Word! You Too Can Sponsor A Word! By Maeve Maddox Of all the free language references available online, my absolute favorite is the Online Etymology Dictionary: a map of the wheel-ruts of modern Englishexplanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago. My usual practice in researching a post is to consult several referencesonline and in print. When my topic is a single word or expression, I usually begin with the Online Etymology Dictionary. Hmm, I just tried to abbreviate the title, but realized that I cant use its initials because they are the same as another, better-known reference. In all the time Ive been using the OEtyD, this is the first time Id given any thought to how its creators are able to provide this wonderful site for free. The other day my eye fell on a link Id never noticed before: Sponsor a word, and help keep the Online Etymology Dictionary free and open. The link led me to the plea for donations, but unlike most such pleas, this one is hard to resist. For a mere $10, donors can sponsor a word of their choice for six months. Think of it! If no one else has already claimed it, you can sponsor a beautiful word like hyperventilation or minuscule. You can dedicate a word to your girl friend or boy friend. You can even submit a photo to go with your word and a personalized message explaining why you chose it. I couldnt resist. After all, I do use this reference a lot. And I enjoy it. In fact, sometimes I enjoy it so much I spend more time researching than is absolutely necessary. Ive signed up to sponsor the word standard. Check it out. If nothing else, youll enjoy browsing the Sponsors page and reading the various reasons for their word choices. Online Etymology Dictionary Home Page Sponsors and their words Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryUse a Dash for Number RangesNarrative, Plot, and Story

Basic Security in Corrections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Basic Security in Corrections - Essay Example The Department of Corrections is essentially committed to achieve public safety, sinking crime rates and making lives and neighborhoods safe.   Business Impact Analysis helps us decide which areas are important within the department of Corrections. It helps collect evidence based on experience of the skilled team and knowledge about valuable correctional practices and risk reduction strategies.  The first and foremost function that requires improvement would be the service delivery system. It would improve conditions in the prison and the Department of corrections as well. Also, the function that needs to be improved is the technology which enables better monitoring systems too for all basic securities. And all this hand in hand with an unbeatable infrastructure that can support all this. Business Impact Analysis’ actions. programs and services are specially designed to hold the Offenders culprit and accountable and to lower the risk of emerging new crimes and victimizatio ns. Basic Securities refers to all the procedures followed within an organization for ensuring safeguarding of assets, guaranteeing the precision and reliability of records, and encouraging operational correctness and observance to prescribed procedures. Internal Controls also includes the safeguarding of the Computer Systems in the Organization. Security is a rising apprehension because computer systems are now more complex than ever before. Specific security concerns arise from the abundance of PCs, LAN’s, and on-line systems that provides more than one ways of acquiring data from a source. Advancement in technology provides hackers with several new ways of safecracking. Important functions of concern related to computer internal controls generally include: organization controls, systems development controls, maintenance controls, documentation controls, foreign access controls, data controls, procedural controls, physical security, password security

Organisational Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisational Development - Essay Example Obsolete technology is used. Time lag in maintaining trust and goodwill is present. Opportunities Favourable circumstances that can be a source of potential benefit for Jim’s Cleaning are as follows: After training programs, results will depict improvement in employee’s attitude and this will also result in possible new markets and strong brand loyalty by old customers. Emerging new technology from order taking to service delivery can enhance competitiveness. Expansion of business can be made in other cities as well as a result of increased customer’s awareness in cleaning services. Expansion can be made in service range as well to increase customer’s loyalty and broader range of customer needs. Threats The possible threats to Jim’s Cleaning are as follows: Low morale will result in employee turnover. Many competitors are entering the market. Development Plan In order to resolve the problem, the development process comprises of following steps: Prob lem Lack of service employee’s interpersonal attributes in Jim's Cleaning is negatively impacting customer satisfaction and their commitment to retain withntioon to Jim' 000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 this company. Decreasing morale of employees is directly affecting the level of satisfaction of customers and ultimately success chart of Jim’s Cleaning. Employees in Jim’s Cleaning are not getting successful in satisfying customer to the optimum level. Henceforth customers are not spreading the awareness of Jim’s Cleaning to their friends or family. This is damaging the image of the organisation in different ways. Needs are going unfilled, word of mouth and repeated customers are declining. Ultimately, bad customer... This essay stresses that the on-going training program will help to boost our employee satisfaction. Through this training program the employees will become more confident, can upgrade their skills, can pace with the changes occurring in the organisation, can work with full potential, and can deal with changing demands and needs. The training program will result in employees who are creative, motivated, satisfied with their careers and have high morals. Training course will allow them to achieve higher customer satisfaction and responsiveness in meeting the job roles. This paper makes a conclusion that organisation development is a necessary process of improving organisation effectiveness and for achieving the desired goals. If Jim’s Cleaning concentrates on creating value in employees only, then it will be able to make a positive connection between employee satisfaction and organisation profitability. The management should recognise that employee morale, performance and overall job satisfaction is a highly important component for increased profitability. If this change is implemented in the organisation, it will definitely produce positive results. Successful execution of the plan will allow Jim’s Cleaning to constantly perpetuate this synergistic relationship. By this relationship, Jim’s Cleaning will win customer loyalty that ultimately results in increased corporate profitability. Satisfied employees are a precondition for increasing productivity, responsiveness, quality, and customer service.

Opression in a Thousand Splendid Suns Essay Example for Free

Opression in a Thousand Splendid Suns Essay Taslima Nasrin once said: â€Å"Those religions that are oppressive to women are also against democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression. † This quote also applies to a book called a thousand splendid suns by Khaled hosseini and Deepa Metha’s Film Water. A thousand splendid suns in a book about two women in Afghanistan with an abusive husband. They struggle for survival and for their human rights that have been overlooked by the Taliban and a patriarchal society. Water is a movie about widows living in India. They are sent to the country side to live with other widows supposedly so they can live pure lives. In actuality they are cast aside and denied the basic respect all humans deserve. Ironically, the only way they can make enough money to survive is by committing acts as impure as it gets. They are forced to turn to prostitution. These two stories show that a cultural society’s refusal to change religious practices causes the oppression of women. The characters Mariam, kalyani, and chuyia demonstrate this. Mariam is a woman living in Afghanistan from the book A Thousand Splendid Suns. Mariam grew up very poor living in a small hut excluded from society. As a child she was taught only to endure and was never given the opportunity to stand up for herself. Mariam was the daughter of a maid that her father Jalil had an affair with and he was very ashamed of this. To solve this â€Å"problem† he got rid of her. Jalil married her off to a much older man named Rasheed. Shortly after the start of their marriage, Rasheed rapes her. He justifies it with the Quran. â€Å"‘It’s what married people do. It’s what the prophet himself and his wives did. There is no shame. ’† (Hosseini, 77). In this quote Rasheed refers to the prophet Muhammad in the Quran. This shows how Rasheed perverted the events Quran, the sacred Islamic text, to justify the rape of a young girl who hadn’t even turned 16. Marrying young girls still in their teens is an old custom that is embedded in Islam and the Afghan culture. Society’s refusal to change this practice caused the ruthless humiliation of a young girl and in the long run made the oppression of all women an accepted practice. Kalyani is a character in the movie Water. She is a widow most likely in her 20s who never met her husband. Her husband died shortly after her marriage and was sent to the ashram as a young girl. Since she is the only young widow in the ashram she is forced to turn to prostitution to bring in extra money so the widows can at least have enough money for 1 meal a day. Her entire life story shows the subjugation of women. She was married at around the age of 10 because of religious traditions that have not changed in hundreds of years. This tradition has given men the power to oppress women. This oppression is shown through the death of the husband. If the husband dies before the wife, the wife is sent away. If the opposite happen the husband is free to remarry as he pleases. This happens because of the religious belief that when a husband dies, half of the woman also dies. This makes it easier to mistreat women because it makes them seem less than human. It is also believed that the death of a husband is punishment for something done in a previous life. Society’s refusal to change theses Hindi beliefs and practices create the oppression of women by making their mistreatment seem justified and by making them seem less than human. Chuyia is a young girl who was married at the age of 8 and was widowed the next day. She doesn’t even remember getting married but is forced to suffer the same fate as Kalyani. She is young and innocent and her innocence causes her to question practices that everyone else simply accepts. Deepa Metha uses this character to point out inconsistencies in the Hindi religion and traditional society. At one point in the story she asks why there isn’t a place for men to go if they are widowed. She is quickly ridiculed by both men and women. This event shows that the refusal to change religious practices has brainwashed both men and women to accept and even endorse the oppression of women. Taslima Nasrin words are clearly tied to the theme of these two stories. She explains in her quote that a religion cannot be providing people basic rights if it discriminates against women. The theme reiterates the same message by declaring that religion can sometimes cause oppression of women. These three characters show how traditions and old religious practices have made the oppression of women possible all over the world. By displaying this message in the authors’ books and movies, the authors hope to encourage all people around the world to not follow blindly old traditions and practices. They want people to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. When people fail to do this, bad things start happening such as the oppression, humiliation, and subjugation of women who are actually just as intelligent, strong, and able as any man.

Discrimination is a Virtue Essay -- Robert Keith Miller Essays

Discrimination is a Virtue In the next few paragraphs I will critique the rhetorical effectiveness of Robert Keith Miller’s essay, Discrimination is a Virtue. In his essay Miller tries to redefine the word discrimination. I will evaluate the effectiveness of his argument, and suggest different elements he could have incorporated or deleted to make his paper more effective. Overall, Miller gets his point across and enlightens the reader, but I do not believe he had a goal in writing this to make any tangible changes. The first aspect of this text that diminishes the credibility of the essay, is the fact that the only thing the reader knows about the author, is that his name is Robert Keith Miller. No additional background information is supplied to let the reader know if Miller has any authority on the topic. It is unknown if he is in a minority, if he has been traditionally well educated, or if he is just an observant man who is able to convey his observations through words. The topic that he chose to write on however, is obvious to anyone who is willing to open their eyes. Miller explains to the reader that the word discrimination is no longer used in the context that it was originally meant, but instead is now used to negatively define differences. He expands on this idea, highlighting the fact that our society tries to pretend that these differences don’t matter, when they clearly do. Miller doesn’t seem to have a specific intended audience, instead he seems to be addressing Ame rican society as a whole. He makes the essay accessible to everyone by siting numerous different examples and short parables. This was an effective technique for the beginning of the essay because it drew in the readers attention. Miller ... ...ph, which focuses on politics is the weakest of the three. Miller uses all generalizations in his argument that the voting population is faced with too many options, and too little information. Yet again he makes a valid point, but like the candidates he is criticizing, he fails to back it up. Miller brings up two very good points in this essay, the misuse of the word discrimination and Americans refusal to see differences in our society. He is criticizing a trait that many people in America have, and because of this negative reflection Miller needs to back up his conclusion with solid evidence. If Miller had chosen one of the three examples to expand on, his paper would have had more authority. As it is, Discrimination is a Virtue, brings up ideas that really should be expanded on to make our country a better place, but on its own fails to convince the reader.

A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt Essay

When looking at the play, A Man for All Seasons, Richard Rich lied, cheated, deceived, hurt close friends and committed perjury to obtain his goal. He went from Attorney General of Wales to the Solicitor General, to the Secretary for Norfolk and finally to the Chancellor of England. Sir Thomas More, was very selfish towards achieving his own personal goals. He believed that if he went about everything the way God would have done it that he would reach heaven. In this process he managed to hurt his wife Alice, his daughter Margaret, and put his friends in awful positions. When every aspect is considered Sir Thomas More, evidently wanted eternal salvation and only really truly cared about him self. King Henry VIII was a man of power and intimidation. He did not let anything stand in his way. Cardinal Wolsey, was executed because he put up resistance toward the King, along with Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More. Any individual that caused a ripple in his path was executed. â€Å"Henry VIII, started with everything and squandered it all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Bolt, vii). Henry VIII wants an heir for his thrown and no matter how many women he has to marry then divorce to get it that is his primary intention. Richard Rich, Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII all use reprehensible means, which harm others in order to achieve their own personal goals and in the end are never justified. Sir Thomas More does not justify the pain and suffering he causes by trying to live a glorious life that will put him in heaven. More has a one-track mind. With this, his beliefs and values are very strong towards the way of God and the right and the wrong; but his actions are very self centered and selfish. When More, was asked his opinion on the matter of King Henry’s divorce he replied, â€Å"†¦As I think of it I see so clearly that I can not come with Your Grace that my endeavor is not to think of it at all†¦.There is my right arm. Take your dagger and saw it from my shoulder, and I will laugh and be thankful, if by that means I can come with Your Grace with a clear conscience† (Bolt, pg31). His pride and values get in the way of his loved ones future and outcome. More is acting the way his heart tells him but not the most beneficial way in his circumstance. King Henry is one who hates opposition or doubts and Sir Thomas More is giving him doubt and grief on not siding with him on this issue. With having the King on your bad side the chances of you living a good life or living at all is very slim. Also, More shows selfish acts when Margaret approaches him, while he is in his jail cell. â€Å"When a man takes an oath, Margaret he’s holding his own self in his own hands†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg.83) This shows his selfishness towards himself and his goal of going to heaven. He does not care about his life hear on earth or what he leaves behind he just wants what is best for himself. Hence, Sir Thomas More attitude toward his family’s life was very poor. By talking about the King and by not siding with him he threw his life and his families life out the window. For food he made Alice eat mutton and did not provide for his family. Also, by him thinking of resigning his position is another example of himself being selfish and not providing for his family. His selfish acts towards himself hurt his friends and his family and do not justify his means for eternal salvation. Firstly, Richard Rich does not justify his means by his ends at all. This man is a lying deceiving little man that will do whatever it takes to gain rank and power. His betrayal towards Sir Thomas More was very futile in Sir Thomas’s conviction. â€Å"I’ve lost my innocence.†(pg.44) Rich has just sold out information to Cromwell in order to move ahead in rank. From here on Rich is starting down a path that will lead to hurting a lot of people’s lives. Secondly, Rich betrayed More for obvious reasons. He wanted to get ahead in life but also, there was the taste of money that came along with it. â€Å"Every man has his price.†(pg.2) This is just showing again why Richard Rich keeps on hurting individuals. In life one will betray another for some benefit and this in it self is an example of Macchiavelli. Hence, when Rich took the stand in the court to persecute More he showed again his greed and will to not stop at any cost to get what he wanted. â€Å"He said, ‘Parliament has not the competence.’ Or words to that effect.† Rich was saying what he knew the King wanted to hear. He was committing perjury against More so that he could eventually move into the spot of Chancellor of England. With this being said it shows that his greed and lust could not justify Rich’s means for money and self-advancement. Lastly, King Henry VIII only lived and strived for power and for dominance over everybody in England. If anybody ever crossed his path they were executed and nothing was said about it. Henry liked to show everybody that he ruled and no one else. â€Å"No opposition I say! No opposition!†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg.33) King Henry is again showing More that his opinion on his divorce is not going to be taken lightly in any sense. Even though More is the Chancellor of England Henry is still pressing him to side with him on the matter and not the Pope. Also, Henry showed dominance over Margaret. The King always has to be the smartest and most powerful one among all. In this certain occasion when Margaret could speak better Spanish then Henry he was very defensive. Right away he asked her if she could dance her response was no. â€Å"Well I can dance superlatively!† (pg.28) Henry is trying to put her down for showing her dominance over him. Also, Henry always wanted to be in power of the Church of England. This was the only thing that he was not in full complete control of and he needed to be to divorce Catherine for Anne Boleyn. The only way he could do this is to kill Cardinal Wolsey and clear the path for his dominance. Catherine provided him with a daughter and without an heir to the thrown this marriage and his legacy would not work. â€Å"Queen on the throne of England was unthinkable.† (pg. Viii) The King had to have power over the Church of England because he would not receive a divorce if he did not receive a boy through Anne. Henry used intimidation to justify his goals and his means were not reasonable nor were his actions justified. With Sir Thomas More, Richard Rich and King Henry VIII all having their means not justify their actions it showed that they were all doing this for some self-advancement in life. So again clearly through points and quotes all three used reprehensible means which harm others, in order to achieve their own personal goals and in the end are never justified. Work Citied Bolt, Robert. A Man for All Seasons, Toronto: Irwin Publishing, 1963

Movie Review on Crash

The movie started with Don Cheadle, who played a Los Angeles detective, commenting about how people interact with each other. He said that the act of touching is prevented by the existence of artificial elements such as metal and glass. Because of this, people have the tendency to crash with one another in order to feel each other. This thought provoking line summarizes the entire plot of the movie which revolved around racism and stereotyping. The term â€Å"crash† described the many conflicting events among the main characters that transpired in the movie. It defined the multifaceted relationships of people from different cultural backgrounds, colors of the skin and socio-economic status. There were many concepts in the movie that emphasized differences in race and gender that manifested the following power, discrimination, hate crime, racism, wealth, sexual harassment, ethnicity, minority, prejudice, stereotype, segregation, pluralism, assimilation, scapegoat, crime against property and gender stratification. Power was seen in the scene where the District Attorney played by Brendan Fraser got prioritized by the LAPD when his vehicle was stolen. He used his stature as a government official in order for the police force to immediately handle and resolve his case. Meanwhile, I saw a form of discrimination when Matt Dillon who played a white racist cop, called the hospital to inquire about the medical treatment needed by his father. Throughout their conversation, he was very unsatisfied so when he asked who was he talking to, the person at the other end of the line, gave a name that was a typical Black name and Dillon immediately assumed that the reason behind the unsatisfactory service was because he was dealing with a Black person. An example of hate crime was also depicted in the movie. When the Persian store owner assumed that the Hispanic locksmith was behind the damaging of his property because the locksmith looked like a typical gangster or criminal, he tried to kill him by shooting him in front of his home. Luckily, the locksmith was unharmed from the incident. In relation with this, prior to this incident, the Persian tried to buy a gun for him and his family's protection from an American-owned gun store. The American owner refused to sell a gun to the Persian because the owner associated the Persian with the Arab Muslims who were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attack. This was a form of racism that showed intolerance for another social or racial group. On the other hand, wealth was evident with the characters of Bullock and Fraser who played a rich white couple while Howard and Newton's characters who were the well to do black couple. These characters symbolized that fame and fortune can be attained and enjoyed irregardless of the color of the skin. In another scene in the movie, I saw an act of sexual harassment between a black woman who was the victim and the white man who was the harasser. It is the scene where the character of Dillon pulled over a vehicle of a black couple and interrogated them. During the interrogation, Dillon physically searched the character of Newton who played the rich black wife of Terrence Howard, a big shot black producer. Dillon inappropriately touched the body of Newton which implied an unwelcome sexual advance. On another note, at the beginning of the movie, several cultural identities were presented. A black man, a Hispanic woman and an Asian woman were convened together in one place because of a car crash. This scene portrayed the fusion of different ethnic groups in one area wherein their different languages, beliefs and culture signifying the existence of various ethnicity in LA. However, multiculturalism also entails having minority groups. In the movie, Chinese illegal immigrants were being sold as slaves by Americans in downtown Los Angeles. This scene illustrated that the Chinese are still considered as a minority or a subordinate group in an American dominated city where they are deprived of their basic needs. Meanwhile, prejudice was seen when the character of Bullock clutched the arms of her husband upon seeing two African-American males walking on the same sidewalk as they are. Bullock's action showed her hasty judgment of the two blacks. She assumed that they were gangsters or robbers so she made a gesture seeking protection from her husband. In a similar scenario, Bullock stereotyped a Hispanic locksmith with a gangster because of his shaved head and tattoos. This is a form of stereotyping wherein one generalizes a specific concept to anyone who typifies that concept. Meanwhile, segregation is apparent in the scene where people of Mexican or Hispanic origin are usually typecast in blue collar jobs such as domestic works or construction. In the movie, the housekeeper of Bullock and Fraser was a Hispanic woman. Because of the housekeeper's nationality and the nature of her job, Bullock constantly looked down on the capability and intelligence of the Hispanic woman. Moreover, pluralism was shown by demonstrating Los Angeles as a pluralist city. LA was seen as a place where Black and White Americans, Asians and Hispanics have preserved their respective cultural identities amid the diversity. Meanwhile, Terrence Howard played the character of Cameron Thayer who was a successful black television producer. The TV industry was dominated by whites. Howard managed to be assimilated to the dominant group by succumbing to the demands and wants of the whites at the expense of disregarding his own wants and opinions. This is a clear example of cultural assimilation. Meanwhile, in the scene where Detective Graham Waters played by Don Cheadles was investigating a shooting scene between a black man and a white LAPD officer, he learned that the police officer was guilty of doing illegal activities. In order to preserve the good image and integrity of the LAPD, the black man was used as an scapegoat by pinpointing him as the instigator of the crime. On the other hand, crime against property was illustrated when the store of the Persian was thrashed. They were subjected to such offensive behavior because of their similar physical appearance with the Arabs who were highly discriminated in the U.S. because of the 9/11 attack. Last but not the least, gender stratification was demonstrated in the movie through the scene where the Persian woman was urging the American gun store owner to sell them a hand gun. Instead the owner verbally harassed the Persian woman indicating the status of women in a male-dominated society. Generally, women are perceived as sex objects or domesticated beings. References Cheadle, D., Haggis, P., Moresco, R., Schulman, C., & Yari, B. (Producers) & Haggis, P.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Director).(2004). Crash [Motion Picture]. U.S.A.: Lion Gate Films.

buy custom Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome essay

buy custom Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome essay More than a half a century ago, Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger introduced to the professional world their understanding of a particular pattern of behavior for certain childrens lack of empathy, inability to form friendships with peers, too much concentration on particular interests, focusing too much on their one-sided conversation and somewhat awkward motor movement. Today, we call it Aspergers Syndrome, a form of disability that is gaining more recognition in the contemporary society. Currently, the most acknowledged definition of Aspergers Syndrome originated from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV-TR of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). For it to be effectively diagnosed, there are particular symptoms that must be present, which include at least two conditions of impairment within an individuals social cycle and interactions, and at least one in the area of restrictive interest as well as stereotyped behaviors or rituals (Tomeny, Barry, Bader, 2011; Mayada, E. Johnson, 2010, p.82). Research confirms that over the previous years the diagnostic term Aspergers syndrome (AS) and other higher functioning related conditions such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism disorder and autism spectrum disorder are on the rise (Wallace, Coleman Bailey, 2008, p. 1353; Sigman, Spence Wang, 2006, p.329). It is also established that Aspergers Syndrome is a serious social and communication disorder that can lead to a devastating effects to the affected. However, several efforts and initiatives have shown that good support and training can help the affected children progress in their areas of weakness and proceed to lead happy and productive lives in the future. The common social impairment syndrome associated with this disorder includes the child exhibiting poor eye contact. Children or students with AS disorder involuntarily avoid any eye contact with people within their surrounding. They are also have problem interacting with peers and are unable to keep friends as they find it easy to curve their own personal space. In certain instances, they may invade their peers personal space and in the end in the end dont get any appreciation from their social and emotional cues (Whittinggham, Sofronoff, Sheffield Sanders, 2008). Their reactions and facial expressions to unpleasant situations are normally not appropriate and find it difficult to accept other peoples perspective on issues or life. On the restrictive interests, AS victims dont find it strange when they focus too much on certain areas of interests until it becomes an impediment to their social life (Jonge, Kemmer, Naber Engeland, 2009). That is, they tend to concentrate on a single area of interest and know too much about everything, and find it difficult to change their way of thinking as far as transitions are concerned. Still, their motor movements tend to be repetitive, and hence find themselves doing such things as toe-walking in a repetitive manner. They unnecessarily get preoccupied with only particular parts of certain objects. According to Hegesh, Kertzman, Vishne (2009), this group of children is not tolerant to frustrations. They find it difficult to cope or survive in areas that require a lot of skills to cope with the events or situations. This group of children will always insist on having their own way in everything they do. This group of children has peculiar language speech traits. They have late development of speech and language mastery and superficially express language in a perfect manner (Sucksmith, Roth Hoekstra, 2011, p.; Belmonte, Gomot Baron-Cohen, 2010, p.266). Their interpretation of statements can be biased, and considers others opinions not acceptable. They also have limited non-verbal communication skills. That is, they cannot comprehend common gestures, and have clumsy communication model, especially on topics they are quite familiar with (Steifel et al., 2008, p.2). This syndrome has also been associated with biological, psychosocial, and neuropsychological risk/deficit factors. Low birth weight, abnormal rate of brain development, metabolic problems, infections before and after birth, obstetric events, increased maternal or paternal age, history of maternal psychiatric disorder, and socioeconomic place of birth have all been genetic, chromosomal, and psychosocial deficits proposed to capture AS (Gousse, 2002; Sabbagh Seamans, 2008; Damarla, Keller, Kana et al., 2010, p.273). Several neuropsychological deficits are involved with Aspergers Syndrome however there is no unifying theory or model of AS as a neurobiological disorder. The parents of children with these disorders often need considerable support in terms of information and intervention because the disorders are lifelong and multifaceted. In addition, autism has impact on the family as well as the individual, and so there is a growing need for family-centered intervention and support ser vices (Bradford, 2010; Steifel et al., 2008). Background The research on the aetiology of AS has been hindered by the absence of a unitary construct of AS (or Autism Spectrum Disorder) by its interchangble terminology and extrapolation from autism research. However, in the recent years a lot of studies have been undertaken to unearth the origin, impact, treatment and management of Apergers Syndrome. In 1943, Leo Kanner published the first paper when he described eleven children from his Child Psychiatric Unit who had much similarity in their behaviors than to the normal referrals had had received previously (Kunihira, Senju, Dairoku, 2006; Wallace, 2008). Kanner categorized some of the common character traits this group exhibited into peculiar language, social isolation, and insistence on sameness. The remarkable description from Kanner was the base from which many scholars picked their research initiatives. He highlighted some of the characteristic that today describes Aspergers Syndrome or Autism. In a more specific manner, he highlighted the difficulties these young people faced, their problem with expressing themselves through communication and repetitive as well as restrictive activities. Other researchers later described these traits as triad of impairments, as reported in Wing and Gould (1979), (as cited in Sullivan, Allen, 2009, p.148). It is Kanners observation and bel ief that led him to describe the primary condition of this problem as autism to express the central feature of the disability (Jonge, Kemner Engeland, 2006; Lopez, Tchanturia, Stahl Treasure, 2008). It is Kanner who separated autism from Childhood schizophrenia by describing the distinguishing feature of the two disorders. His observation was that people suffering from schizophrenia withdrew from social relationships while children who suffered from autism never developed them in the first place. In his report, he has been quoted as stating that, there is from the start an extreme autistic aloneness that, whenever possible, disregards, ignores, and shuts out anything that comes to the child from the outside (Kanner, 1943 as cited in Noland Reznick, Stone, W.L. et al., 2010). He also noted another peculiar thing about autism in language that differentiated it from schizophrenia. The language as expressed by autism victims suggested echolalia, pronoun reversals, and unique forms of expressions. In Grinter, Maybery, Beek, et al. (2009) view, although Kanner saw distinguishing features of autism and schizophrenia, his assumption was that autism was the earliest form and precursor of adult schizophrenia. However, other researchers have since disapproved this assertion with numerous distinguishing evidences. A lot of interests were generated by Kanners paper, which attracted a lot of readership and influenced many researchers. Although the reason for this wide readership is not clear, common assumption is that many professionals had started seeing an increased number of children exhibiting same disorder but were unsure on how to group or categorize them. One problem that has emerged from the original misconception presented in Kanners original paper has been proved difficult to overcome. From the onset, Kanner argument based on his 11 cases was that children were mostly of normal or higher than normal intelligence, with parents from higher social classes, and without neurological impairments (Cohen-Baron, Belmonte, 2005). His assertion was that social deficits were primary in instigating and emphasizing the problem. However, since Kanners time, his definition of autism has been modified and some of his claims have been refuted in a number of professionals but one thing is clear: many of the other ideas are still considered accurate and relevant in the modern day as they were 50 years ago (ONeill Menard, 2008; Ginter, Beek, Maybery, et al., 2009). After Kanner, came Asperger with his doctoral thesis paper in 1944. Although not widely known till almost 40 years laer when it was translated into English from its original manuscript in German, the manuscript has a huge contribution because it was picked from Kanners work. In fact, it is believed that Asperger even responded to some of Kanners manuscripts, albeit the less popular German language. Aspergers preliminary observations suggested that the children he made contact with during his summer camp programs on his ward exhibited some behaviors that he found unique. Some of these children, during the activities, did not fit with the rest of their peers, preferring to play alone and avoiding rough and tumble games (Gokcen, Bora Erermis, 2009). His curiosity drove him to search why and how these children behaved like this, and why they different from other children. He expressed empathy and described the children as autistic psychopathic cases (Johnson Rausch, 2008). Overtime, th is condition has been labeled as autistic personality disorder, which has significantly described Aspergers view of the condition. Hi view was that autism is a stable personality trait present from birth, rather than a psychotic process (Bolte Poustka, 2006). It was Aspergers description of the condition that took many professionals with a lot of desire to learn more. His observations were described as interesting, thought provoking and vivid (Bolte Poustka, 2006). Departing from Kanners approach, Asperger did not articulate which of the characteristics he believed were more essential for diagnosis, and those which did not fit the bill. However, many scholars have argued that Aspergers descriptions sounded more like a detailed account of the many common features he saw in the children he dealt with rather than a diagnostic approach to explaining the analytic observation (Pellicano, Maybery Durkin, 2005; Wallace, Sebastian, Pellicano, Parr Bailey, 2010; Ruta, Mazzone, Mazzone, et.al., 2011). One of the most telling inadequacies in Aspergers explanation was the inability to categorically state the primary features in his childrens disturbance with the social contacts. He only stated the peculiar linguistic, which involved pragmatic langu age deficits, which some describe as problems associated with using language as a functional tool in appropriate manner. He, in fact, interpreted the pragmatic difficulties that he saw his children experienced with eye gaze. Some of his observations have been interpreted as part of a fundamental disturbance in the expressive behaviors needed for social interaction. His therefore described the children as those unequal partners in the social interactions who had no ability to interpret complex social cues. Asperger also observed the childrens repetitive activities that Kanner had observed earlier. According to Asperger, this kind of behavior was just but one way some children used to follow their own interests and preoccupations while ignoring the social benefits of interactions and learning from each other (Yirmiya Shaked, 2005). According to his approach, Asperger believed that what he termed as autistic intelligence was a form of independent thinking and originality in thought wh ich his children displayed in school. In Aspergers view, this behavior was both a weakness and a strength exposed by the students. Contrary to what other children did, children with AS were more capable of forming their own imagination and strategies on various approaches to studying. They hardly followed what the teachers instructed them to do, a trait that Asperger believed was an intellectual strength rather than a weakness. But they could not also get into contact with those who were willing to help them, representing social weakness. Although various scholars agree that there is a lot of similarities in their perceptions and findings about AS, it cannot escape our attentions to note that there are some significant differences in details, descriptions and conclusions of the findings of these researchers. Literature Review Autism has always been seen as the paradigm pervasive development disorder. However, other diagnostic ideas with features that are somewhat similar to the disorder have not been intensively studied as far as research is concerned. However, a few literature findings suggest that some of the studies that have been conducted are still helpful for any present and future researches. Several diagnostic approaches from various scholars have revealed numerous efforts to have disorder exhaustively studied. For example, quite a number of these studies originated from adult psychiatry, neuropsychology, neurology, and other disciplines share, to a great degree, the phenomenological aspects of Aspergers Syndrome (Belmonte, Gomot Baron-Cohen, 2010; Tomeny, Barry Bader, 2011). One outstanding study was conducted by Tomeny, Barry Bader (2011) which revealed, to a greater extent, that people with abnormal pattern of behaviors related to autism were characterized by social isolation, rigidity of thoughts and habits, and unusual style of communication. Sucksmith, Roth Hoekstra (2011) agreed with this study and emphasized that Aspergers Syndrome could as well be called Schizoid personality in childhood. Unfortunately, the researcher never gave a development account of this concept, making it quite a challenge to ascertain the extent to which the person involved in the stud y may have experienced the autistic-like symptoms in his early life. More critical is that the concept of AS being a static personality as others claim does not carry with it the developmental process that may be in existent during growth, which may prove to be an important aspect in any effort to find diagnostic approach to its management. In the field of neuropsychology, a lot of effort has been put on research about the delineation of the implications for individuals social and emotional development of unique profile of neuropsychological assets and those inefficiencies that seems to have a deleterious impact on the persons capacity to socialize, as well as on the persons interactive and communicative styles. In Wallaces (2008), individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) lacks tactile perception, psychomotor coordination, visual-spatial organization, non-verbal problem solving, and appreciation of incongruities humor. These individuals also shows well-developed rote verbal capacities and verbal memory skills; difficulty in adapting to novel and complex situations. They also over-rely on rote behaviors in such situations, relative deficits in mechanical arithmetic, in relation to proficiencies in single-word reading; poor pragmatics and prosody in speech. At the end, individuals with NLD show a peculiar te ndency toward social withdrawal are inevitably at risk to develop serious mood disorders. Pellicano, Maybery Durkin (2005, p.533) describes people who suffer NLD as possessing developmental learning disability of the right hemisphere. In this study, they observed that children described with this disorder exhibit extreme disturbances in the interpretation and expression of affected and in other primary interpersonal skills (Pellicano, Maybery Durkin, 2005). Most importantly, a familial link has been noted in the prevalence of NLD. It is noted that there are some unclear concepts that can describe different entities or give us different perspective on the heterogeneity and overlapping nature of individuals suffering from this disorder. Many professionals concur that the current research must focus on convergence among the various accounts of specific disciplines so as to put into usage the different methodologies in an effort to validate the behavioral concepts of Aspergers Syndrome (Sabbagh Seamans, 2008; Hegesh, Kertzman Vishne, 2009; Mayada Johnson, 2010). However, for ease of enhancing comparability studies, it is of critical importance to establish consensual and stringent rules or guidelines to make it easy to diagnose AS, specifically in regard to its similarities to the related disorders. Clinical Description World Health Organization (ICD-10) provides tentative criteria for Aspergers Syndrome, with the focus on symptomatological aspect of its clustered social and emotional behaviors. According to WHO, the restricted interests criteria and some of the two, in motor deficits and isolated special skills cap the traits of AS children (Wallace, 2008; Ginter, Beek, Maybery, et al., 2009). The other approach is the necessity to exclude other conditions, especially autism or sub-threshold form of autism. One interesting thing is that ICD-10 definition of AS is offered with autism when making the reference, thus some of the criteria involves ignoring the possible abnormalities in some functional areas that are common in autism. It is also important to note that the definition of Aspergers Disorder is nearly identical to the ICD-10 definition. However, the existing differences suggest that there is some unclear circumstances that define the difference in approach given to the treatment or manageme nt by different groups of proofessionals. The Onsite Criteria In the ICD-10 or the WHO criteria, individual history must indicate some absence of clinically significant general delay during language acquisition, cognitive development, and adaptive behavior. This kind of approach differs with the typical developmental accounts of autistic children, who show pervasive deficits and deviance in there areas prior to the age of three. However, this may not apply on cases of normal-IQ autistic children. It must also be noted that despite the willingness to adopt the adaptive behavior in the formulation of the criterion, its apparently implied that deficiencies in the social and emotional functions during play behavior dont rule out the AS diagnosis. The onset criteria are in agreement with Aspergers account. However, Cohen-Baron Belmonte (2005) note that there is presence of deficits in the use of language for communication, other than the formal language aspects, in certain case studies they carried out. To date, it is still unclear whether the lack of delays in the prescribed areas is a differential factor between Aspergers Syndrome and autism, or simply a reflection of the higher developmental level associated with the usage of the term AS. Some other common characterization of early development of individuals with AS involves particular precociousness in an attempt to learn to talk, mostly described in common language as learnt to talk before walk. In fact, the child sometimes learns to code numbers or words, even if with little or no understanding. They also develop certain attachment to patterns to family members but lack the appropriate approaches to peers. Theory of Mind Earlier studies have revealed a subgroup of people who suffer from AS who managed to pass second-order tests of theory of mind. However, these kinds of tests have a limit in the ascpect of development and terms corresponding to a mental age of a six-year old child. It is thus quite difficult to categorically state if such individuals are intact or have some form of impairment in their theory of mind. Sullivan Allen (2009) reported the performance of very high functional criteria with adults suffering from autism. With their methodology, these researchers used the information from photographs of a persons eye to infer the mental state of a person. In relation to age-matching of the normal controls and a clinical control group of the adults suffering from Tourette Syndrome, those with AS experienced significant impairment on the task. Specifically, individuals suffering from autism or AS were impaired on tasks related to strange stories of Hapes. However, they were not impaired on som e two control tasks. First they could easily recognize gender from the eye region of the face, and recognize basic emotions from the entire face. This kind of finding gives an evidence for subtle mindreading deficits in some high caliber autism or AS. Some level of evidence suggests that most of the children suffering from autism are impaired during the development of theory of mind (Whittinggham, Sofronoff, Sheffield Sanders, 2008). Such impairment may be a reflective of the underlying social, communicative, and imaginative abnormal diagnostic conditions, as theory of mind is necessary for normal development in each of the areas. In fact, the theory of mind is seemingly expressed quite early, at least from final stage of the first 5 years of life, as reflected in the deficiency in the joint attention (Sigman Wang, 2006). It is, however, noted that there is some evidence that suggests some level of contradiction with the notion that theory of mind deficit is a core cognitive deficiency experienced in autism. Bolte Poustka (2006) revealed that adults with AS, who happen to share the social and communicative symptoms of autism but who had not experienced any deficiency as far as language mastery and delay is concerned in their entire life passed second-order theory of mind tests. Another second-order theory of mind test was carried out, which involved test on reasoning about what one person thinks about anothers thoughts. Hegesh, Kertzman, Vishne (2009) also found out some adults with high-degree autism, who passed second-order theory of mind. However, theres some level of understanding that these studies cannot conclusively give evidence that intact theory of mind among the individuals with autism or AS. The reason is that second-order tests used can easily be used to produce ceiling effects if applied together with a mental age of more that 6 years old children or students. Moreover, children with normal intelligence pass second-order of mind tasks at about six years old (Hegesh, Kertzman Vishne, 2009). The Empathy Quotient Analysis It is no doubt that empathy is a critical aspect if normal social functioning, yet there are important few instruments that can help measure difference between its level on individual basis. An important ability to empathize allows us to put ourselves in someones position in order to understand how they feel about a situation. Empathy also allows us to understand other peoples intentions and undergo the influence that is triggered by their social world. In short, we can understand what social world is all about if we are able to sympathize. However, many individuals with Aspergers Syndrome have problems interacting with their peers and are deficient in empathy (Sullivan Allen, 2009). A number of case reports have reported the case for empathy deficit among the AS patients. In a systematic study of a rather larger cohort of individuals with Aspergers Syndrome, the prevalence of empathy deficient is evident in several instances (Sullivan Allen, 2009). In a similar rejoinder, a genera l population study of Aspergers Syndrome revealed a very high rate of associated ties, which included a fully-blown Tourettes syndrome. Thus, whichever dimension it takes, it is obvious that empathy deficits, autistic features and Aspergers syndrome are common problems affecting people diagnosed with such disorders. The difference in approach all depends on the individuals clinicians preference on the main diagnosis is portrayed as the clinically most important problem. Although most professionals in the field of clinical practice believe that individuals diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome have a disorder which is believed to have a strong relation to genetics or family background, there is a clinical conviction in some quarters that there are subgroups within the Aspergers group that might not have any close relation to the core autism phenotype as currently assumed. Ginter, Beek, Maybery, et al. (2009) state that in their clinical studies, he has come across at least three different family subtypes of those who have been diagnosed with AS disorders. Conclusion It is clear that those who have been diagnosed with autism or Aspergers syndrome other being normal in general perspective, they have above average IQ and would never be impaired on a simple theory of the mind set as some scholars have suggested. On another perspective, it cannot be easily accounted or expressed that IQ of individuals diagnosed with AS Syndrome. In fact, no study within the realm of this literature revealed any correlation between IQ and Aspergers Syndrome disorder. It is therefore critical to note that management of Aspergers Syndrome is dependent on individual clinician to understand the child. It does not utterly depend on just emotional terms, but also includes terms that can describe cognitive mental states. The observation of the real social world also debugs the theory of mind as it is deemed too simple than the real and actual demand of the actual social world. Its clear that those who suffer Aspergers Syndrome often sidelines themselves from real world, depicting the fact that their social action proceeds rapidly, and they tend to focus a lot on why a person said or did something. They even wonder why people rejoice at some things such watching a nice episode of a movie. With the increased interactions with modern social media, it is clear that people can easily notice individuals with symptoms of Aspergers Syndrome. Clinicians give AS a different approach to that of onsite criteria individuals and even the theory of mind. Most clinical approach involves concentration on the emotional and social behaviors. Clinicians also exclude certain conditions such as autism from the actual characteristics of AS. Onsite criteria on the other hand focus on the cognitive development process, general delay of language skills acquisition. In other word, onsite approach does focus mainly on the developmental stage of the problem. It is thus prudent to conclude that Aspergers Syndrome requires a multidimensional approach to management and treatment. Buy custom Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome essay

Differences Between Mass, Spree and Serial Killers

Differences Between Mass, Spree and Serial Killers Multiple murderers are people who have killed more than one victim. Based on the patterns of their murders, multiple killers are classified into three basic categories- mass murderers, spree killers, and serial killers.  Rampage killers is a relatively new name given to both mass murderers and spree killers. Mass Murderers   A mass murderer kills four or more people at one location during one continuous period of time, whether it is done within a few minutes or over a period of days. Mass murderers usually commit murder at one location. Mass murders can be committed by a single individual or a group of people. Killers who murder several members of their family also fall into the mass murderer category. An example of a mass murderer would be Richard Speck. On  July 14, 1966, Speck systematically tortured, raped and killed eight student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital. All of the murders were committed in a single night in the nurses south Chicago townhouse, which had been converted to a student dormitory. Terry Lynn Nichols is a mass murderer convicted of conspiring with Timothy McVeigh to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building  in Oklahoma City on  April 19, 1995. The bombing resulted in the deaths of 168 people, including children. Nichols was given a life sentence after the jury deadlocked on the death penalty. He then received 162 consecutive life terms on federal charges of murder. McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001, after being found guilty of detonating a bomb hidden in a truck parked in front of the building. Spree Killers Spree killers (sometimes referred to as rampage killers) murder two or more victims, but at more than one location. Although their murders occur in separate locations, their spree is considered a single event because there is no cooling-off period between the murders. Differentiating  between mass murderers, spree  killers, and serial killers is the source for ongoing debates among  criminologists. While many experts agree with the general description of a spree killer, the term is often dropped and mass or serial murder is used in its place. Robert Polin is an example of a spree killer. In October 1975 he killed one student and wounded five others at an Ottawa high school after earlier raping and stabbing a 17-year-old friend to death. Charles Starkweather  was a spree killer. Between December 1957 and January 1958, Starkweather, with his 14-year-old girlfriend by his side, killed 11 people in Nebraska and Wyoming. Starkweather was executed by  electrocution  17 months after his conviction. Serial Killers Serial killers murder three or more victims, but each victim is killed on separate occasions. Unlike mass murderers and spree killers, serial killers usually select their victims, have cooling-off periods between murders, and plan their crimes carefully. Some serial killers travel widely to find their victims, such as Ted Bundy, but others remain in the same general geographic area. Serial killers often demonstrate specific patterns that can be easily identified by police investigators. What motivates serial killers  remains a mystery; however, their behavior often fits into specific sub-types. In 1988, Ronald Holmes, a criminologist at the University of Louisville who specializes in the study of serial killers, identified four subtypes of serial killers. The Visionary - Usually psychotic, the visionary is compelled to murder because they hear voices or sees visions ordering them to kill certain kinds of people.Mission-Oriented - Targets a specific group of people who they believe are unworthy to live and without whom the world would be a better place.Hedonistic Killer - Kills for the thrill of it because they enjoy the act of killing and sometimes becomes sexually aroused during the act of murder.Power-Oriented - Kills to exert ultimate control over their victims. These murderers are not psychotic, but they are obsessed with capturing and controlling their victims and forcing them to obey their every command. According to a report issued by the F.B.I., there is no single identifiable cause or factor that leads to the development of a serial killer. Rather, there is a multitude of factors that contribute to their development. The most significant factor is the serial killer’s personal decision in choosing to pursue their crimes.

The Hurt Locker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Hurt Locker - Essay Example Nonetheless, the three created a brotherlike connection along their tour in Iraq. Respect, trust, and courage were their core values in succeeding with their work. In the course of their tour, the three had already detonated a bomb, which was implanted within a public area. They had also succeeded with their encounter against snipers in an open desert. Also, along the way, James had been familiar with an Iraqi boy named Beckham, who sells pirated DVDs. In an encounter, James thought that the boy was killed and was implanted with bombs. However, he was wrong, and in the next morning, he sees Beckham selling him DVDs. In the last days of their tour, the team encounters an Iraqi man who is locked with bombs around his body. However, their will to help the man was not enough to remove all the locks, and the man dies with the explosion. After their tour, James went home to his family and attended sessions to relieve him from the stress he had from work. However, James realized that he may love his family, but he cannot function well around them. This leads him to decide to go back in Iraq and have another year of tour of duty (Berra 9). The Characters There are three main characters in the movie with differing degree of nature; nonetheless, when put together they create an exciting combat film such as The Hurt Locker. Staff Sergeant William James is played by Jeremy Renner, who is an adrenaline junkie in terms of facing his job facing and detonating bombs in the streets of Iraq. Aside from this, he also has a keen understanding on the bombers. The character of James is considered as a hero in a sense that he compulsively does his job; nonetheless, he does it with precision and artistry that he engulfs himself with the life-threatening situation. The next character is Sergeant J. T. Sanborn, who is portrayed by Anthony Mackie. Sanborn is considered as James’ eyes around while he tries to detonate the bombs. He always follows the rules and has a realistic view on situations. Lastly, their team is completed by Specialist Owen Eldridge, portrayed by Brian Geraghty, who portrays the weak link, yet he always tries to find the good side of danger (Ebert 253-255; Scott). Screenplay Writer: Mark Boal The screenplay of the movie was written by Mark Boal. He is a journalist who had been a correspondent for the Playboy, The Village Voice, and the Rolling Stone. Due to his passion for his work, he decided to record the lives of the U.S. Army unit, which is the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team, whom he considers as the people who has one of the most dangerous jobs. In 2004, the EOD in Iraq were to detonate bombs on the streets. Boal decided to take part and record the lives of these people, along with putting his life on the line, which allowed him to realize his realistic themes on death, war, courage, and life. During this time, Boal was able to survive his flight in Iraq against the Improvised Explosive Devices and the ambushes together wit h the EOD. As Boal returned from his flight, he wrote about his experience in Iraq in 2004 in an article published in Playboy with a title of â€Å"Death and Dishonor.† This article was his basis for the screenplay of the movie The Hurt Locker, which was released in 2009 (â€Å"Mark Boal - Biography†; Bigelow). The Director: Kathryn Bigelow The director of The Hurt Locker is Kathryn Bigelow, who is a critically acclaimed Hollywood

Reflection 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection 5 - Research Paper Example There are however industries/businesses that will be immediately and severely affected with this crisis. In particular, banks will be the first hit because they adopt a cautionary stance in lending out money because they are uncertain if borrowers can repay given the current dismal economic condition. Second is the housing industry. A home is the single largest investment that an individual will make and it is very unlikely that an individual will make his or her largest investment during a crisis. Without a market or having a market that is overly cautious, housing industry will surely contract. Third are the manufacturing companies who needs infusion of capital to finance its fix assets for expansion. As lending institutions are in doubt of the economy’s future, they will be heistant to lend money to industries. The manufacturing industry in effect will not have enough funds to finance its expansion resulting for it to contract. 2. Giving the current trend both in the US and Canada where consumers eating habits are changing, both food manufacturers and grocery stores has to adjust. For food manufacturers, they have to realize the increasing preference of consumers towards discounts and buying in scale to save money. Such, they may want to reconsider their packaging that would accommodate the increasing preference for scale and value. For grocery stores, they now have to reconfigure their service to include delivery as consumers now are preferring to have their groceries delivered to save on gas. 3. There is an increasing trend for consumers to use social media. Research showed that adults spend at least six hours per week in social media and this would continue in the future. Such, marketers may want to adjust their marketing plans and diversify to non-traditional media such as social media (facebook, twitter, etch) to capture the market to are frequenting these sites. Also the trend in technology purchases such as smartphones may

The Clinical Impacts of Masturbation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Clinical Impacts of Masturbation - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the psychology and counseling practices are some of the fields which mostly have the privilege of getting first-hand victims of masturbation. People come crying and others confused because masturbation is presumed to be a taboo. It is a mental related problem. A first timer mostly suffers from self-guilt and shame. Despite science showing that masturbation can affect anybody, this habit is very common among young people who do not have sexual partners. As a peer counselor in a rural local church, the author has received countless victims of masturbation. On average, three out of every ten young people who visit the author’s office have a problem with masturbating. A young girl, bothered and full of tears on her chin, pops into his office. This question caught the girl unaware and she seemed to swim deep in her thoughts before finally asking whether masturbation is safe. The author has to tear apart in trying to understand the girl ’s problem; whether it safety related or whether it was on grounds of ethics and tradition. Nevertheless, the two had equal importance and that is why the girl was here to be helped. This is the situation many young people are finding themselves in. In our modern society, even discussing the topic is regarded a taboo. Despite the extensive scientific research on masturbation, people are suffering for lacking the knowledge on the topic. Parents do not share the information with the young and similarly the young lack the courage to ask. Masturbation has several faces. According to research, masturbation is healthy. Most of the ideologies which existed before were just myths that lacked scientific backup. Clinical tests show that regular normal masturbation is handy in curbing the increasing problem of prostate cancer. This cancer is common among men who are in their mid-40s. The reproductive system is cleaned during sexual intercourse. But for the case of young people, most of them are unmarried or do not have sexual partners hence masturbation becomes the only hope.

The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse English Language Essay

The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse English Language Essay George Barna, who directed a divorce study, noted that Americans have grown comfortable with divorce as a natural part of life. There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage, the researcher indicated. Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility. There is also evidence that many young people are moving toward embracing the idea of serial marriage, in which a person gets married two or three times, seeking a different partner for each phase of their adult life. People marry today with an exit strategy in place. Consider the following statistics concerning prenuptial agreements: 73% of divorce attorneys cited an increase in prenuptial agreements during the past five years 52% have noted an increase in women initiating the requests, while 36% of those surveyed cited a rise in pension and retirement benefits being included under prenuptial agreements. People are quickly losing confidence in the marital covenant and making preparation for the failure of the relationship with an exit strategy. Some people have actually considered the same sex as an alternative to heterosexual relationship. But not only are heterosexual relationship complex, people who are choosing the gay and lesbian lifestyles have challenges of their own. Consider the following: Homosexual Relationships Homosexual activists often argue that high divorce rates demonstrate traditional marriages fare no better than same-sex relationships in duration. The research, however, indicates that male homosexual relationships last only a fraction of the length of most marriages. A Canadian study of homosexual men, who had been in committed relationships lasting longer than one year, found that only 25 percent of those interviewed reported being monogamous. In one study of 156 males in homosexual relationships lasting from one to 37 years, only seven couples had a totally exclusive sexual relationship, and these men all had been together for less than five years. In their classic 1978 study, published as Homosexuality: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women, researchers Bell and Weinberg found that 43% percent of white male homosexuals had sex with 500 or more partners, with 28% percent having one thousand or more sex partners. In 1991, the Journal of Social Service Research published a survey of 1,099 lesbians in which slightly more than half of the lesbians said they had been abused by a female lover/partner. A survey sponsored by the National Institute of Justice found that same-sex couples reported significantly more violence from their partners than did traditional couples. Noted the report, Thirty-nine percent of the same-sex cohabitants reported being raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked by a marital/cohabitating partner at some time in their lifetimes. Not only are people considering same sex relationships as an alternative to traditional marriages and its problems, they are now entering into test drive marriages. This was traditionally called shacking and was negative, but many today believe that if they can enter into this type of arrangement as a trial, then they can see if they can make it as a couple. Lets consider these statistics: Living Together before Marriage Statistics Statistically speaking, living together is not a trial of marriage, but rather a training for divorce (from Michael McManus, author of the book Marriage Savers). The number of unmarried couples living together soared 12-fold from 430,000 in 1960 to 5.4 million in 2005. More than eight out of ten couples, who live together, will break up either before the wedding or afterwards in divorce. About 45 percent, of those who begin cohabiting, do not marry. Another 5-10 percent continue living together and do not marry. Couples, who do marry after living together, are 50% more likely to divorce than those who did not. Only 12% of couples, who have begun their relationship with cohabitation, end up with a marriage lasting 10 years or more. A Penn State study reports that even a months cohabitation decreases the quality of the couples relationship. The reality is divorce is inevitable if we dont make some drastic changes in how we approach relationships from a healthy perspective! Even after we have experienced what marriage is all about and re-enter into a marital relationship, the statistics get worse. Consider the following research: Divorce Among Adults Who Have Been Married (Base: 3792 adults) Population Segment Have Been Divorced No. of Interviews All adults 33% 3792 Evangelical Christians 26% 339 Non-evangelical born again Christians 33% 1373 Notional Christians 33% 1488 Associated with non-Christian faith 38% 197 Atheist or agnostic 30% 269 All born again Christians 32% 1712 All who were not born again Christians 33% 2080 Protestant 34% 1997 Catholic 28% 875 Upscale 22% 450 Downscale 39% 367 White 32% 2641 African-American 36% 464 Hispanic 31% 458 Asian 20% 128 Conservative 28% 1343 Moderate 33% 1720 Liberal 37% 474 (Source: The Barna Group, Ventura, CA) Reflections on Marriage and Divorce As you can tell, marriage is having a very difficult time, and people are opting out at alarming rates. Forgiveness, humility, conflict resolution, and communication are fundamental factors in making relationships work. The emotions of anger, violence, and fear kill all relationships. However, people are leaning towards the lower level emotions and ultimately divorcing. How is this happening? How is there such a thin line between love and hate? Of course, I could state the obvious that we have discussed in previous chapters from the impact of intoxicating dating to the lack of understanding of gender issues. The attitudinal king in an unhealthy relationship is pride, not humility; thus, forgiveness is impossible. And we cannot forget the absence of a marital skill set for conflict resolution and communication skills. These things are not as apparent and as obvious as they may seem. Divorce takes place over time, and most times unconsciously, and the lack of the above-mentioned factor s simply accent the complexities of one of the most difficult relationships on the planet. The following is some data that provides some additional factors that increase the probabilities of divorce. 6 Factors That Characterize Couples Who Are Prone to Divorce Backgrounds of the two partners are too different. Family of at least one member of the couple has divorce in their history. Couple was acquainted a short period before they were married. Couple has always had opposing views of the roles of men and women in relationships. Family and friends disapprove of the marriage. Couple has no formal membership in a religious group. Exercise: Are you closely familiar with any couples who have divorced recently or who are considering divorce (or if you have considered divorce, use your own relational situation)? If so, which of the above characteristics are present in their relationship? How do you feel their relationship has been adversely affected by these characteristics? How does a couple goes through the process of being in love to being in hate, or strong dislike? This is not a one-day decision, but is the result of a progression of negative behavior and practices over time. According to John Gottman, the four attitudes that most predict the dissolution of a relationship, especially in combination, are criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. Dr. John Gottman, is a psychologist at the University of Washington conducted a study with more than 2,000 married couples over two decades. Prior to this study, the school of behavioral science had a void concerning marriage data. He discovered patterns about how partners relate to each other, which can be used to predict with 94% accuracy which marriages will succeed and which will fail. Gottman refers to these four damaging attitudes as the four horseman of the apocalypse, and states that each horseman paves the way for the next. The four horsemen of the apocalypse are destructive relational conflict patterns. The four stages are listed in order of progression that will work its way up to the apex of marital conflict and divorce. The first horseman is Criticism. You become critical of one another. There is a difference between a criticism and a complaint. A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction (I feel hurt). A criticism is an attack on the other persons personality, character ,or motivation (You hurt me) with the intent of making someone right or wrong. In this stage of the relationship negative generalizations are made, like You always You neverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ You are the kind of person whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Why are you soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦? The second horseman is Contempt. Disrespect rules. Name-calling begins, and you begin to categorize each other negatively. This is the attack of your spouses sense of self with the intention of causing emotional pain. This stage is marked by derogatory name-calling, like ugly, fat, stupid, etc. Also, it is marked by hostile humor and sarcasm or mockery. Negative body language is common in this stage of conflict. The third horseman is Defensiveness. Every time you talk, you are defensive. Every time something is said, each partner is trying to find the others angle. This stage is marked by seeing yourself as the victim, trying to protect yourself from perceived attacks. This stage is marked by excuses for behavior, claiming that external factors caused you to have to react that way. This stage is a cross-complaining stage, where a partners complaint is met with a complaint of your own while ignoring your partners complaint. Thus conflict is characterized by: disagreeing and then cross-complaining Thats not true, youre the one who; yes-butting, starting off in agreement but then disagreement; repeating yourself without paying attention to what the other person is saying. It is the nadir of a lack of communication. The fourth horseman is Stonewalling. You begin to cast the persons identity and behavior in stone and are unable to see the person outside of this identity. As a result, the person develops a need to enter into autonomy (feels the need to get away and distance him/herself from the relationship), which leads to an unfulfilled marriage, which in turn, leads to divorce. This stage involves withdrawing from the relationship to avoid conflict. Partners may think that they are attempting to be neutral, but stonewalling conveys disapproval and rejection. Stonewalling produces a coldness, distance, disconnection, and smugness. People tend to be callously silent, muttering, changing the subject, and removing themselves physically. Exercise: Describe which horseman has entered the following situation? Comment on this interaction between husband and wife. Adrienne: I need you to understand me. I feel that all we do is argue and fight, and we never work anything out. I love you, and I just want to be happy and to live in peace. Vernell: Understand you? You dont really feel that way! Youre just saying that trying to get some sympathy out of me. You think that using those flowery words is going to get me to change my mind? Theyre not! Adrian: Im not just saying things Im speaking from my heart. I love you and everything about you. You eyes, your mouth, your hairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Vernell: My hair? Now I know that youre just trying to get something out of me. I cant believe a word that you say! Just come out and say what you want, because I know that you want something! You must go on the attack against these four horsemen before your marriage reaches the point of no return and dies a natural death. Now is the time to access the many tools and methods that you have learned in this book. Ask yourself, Do I really want this marriage? Is it worth fighting for? You must be intentional about taking immediate steps to counter the carnage being wrought by the four horsemen. For example, make specific complaints and requests (when X happened, I felt Y, I want Z) and avoid criticism at all cost. Make a decision to listen generously. Listen for accuracy, for the core emotions your partner is expressing and for what your partner really wants. Listen to the voice behind the words; there lays the sincere truth. In addition, you must heed and practice the following: Validate your partner (let your partner know what makes sense to you about what they are saying; let them know you understand what they are feeling, and what they want; see through their eyes) Shift to appreciation (five positive interactions are necessary to compensate for one negative interaction) Be very intentional about creating good feelings and experiences. Be responsible: What can I learn from this? and What can I do about it? and How do I not allow this to happen again? Rewrite your inner script (notice when you are thinking critical, contemptuous or defensive thoughts; replace thoughts of righteous indignation or innocent victimization with thoughts of appreciation and responsibility that are soothing and validating). Practice getting vulnerable again (allow your partners utterances to be what they really are: just thoughts and puffs of air) and let go of the stories that you are making up. In essence, you must stop interpreting and hearing in offense. Watch all name-calling, use words that edify, not denigrate. If you have found your marriage has allowed the four horsemen to invade it, you must reverse it before they prevail. Start where you are whether it be defensiveness, stonewalling, criticism, or contempt. Begin reversing the horsemen and put them out of the relationship. You can turn it around! Begin by studying the behavior of each stage; since they are progressive stages, start practicing opposite behavior in each stage. Read this segment with your spouse and discuss each stage and the behavior and ask for forgiveness for the improper behavior and asked them to pray with you as you attempt to reverse this behavior. Start creating good feelings and do things that make each other smile.