Jefferson Wears A Tie

The story Jefferson wears a tie is about a man called Jefferson. His occupation is that he works as a sales administration manager at a firm. He is quite good and skilled doing his job and got quite the potential. He is a creature of habit in what he does, and driven by his routines. He struggles to work hard and to finish his deadlines but all that changes. He starts to put less time in his work and lacks that determination he once had. He shows up late for work and acts differently during the day and quickly people at his work start to notice this sudden change and noticing him a bit more than usual.That starts a bit of a chain reaction at work, people starts to talk about him behind his back and the rumor about him getting that promotion is closer than ever. One day when the managing director shows up he confronts him with a possible promotion wearing only pajamas where it’s questioned if he even wanted the promotion.2.Characterize Jefferson and his developmentJefferson see ms to be a rather reasonable man that sticks to himself; he got somehow a few routines that he like to do such as, getting that cup of tea and doing that small talk on his way to the office. A man that has a relative important role in the form, that means he got work on his table and need to make sure the quality of his work is in top notch quality, you could say that he takes a certain pride in his hard work. As the story progresses he develops different personalities, initially he cares a lot about his work and don’t have the need to socialize during work hours. But now he begins strategically different towards have himself noticed by his superiors.It’s now that he begins to socialize more, and enjoy reading the news with a cup of tea before he starts his work. He starts to feel less appreciated at work, feels that he is better than most of his fellow employees. Suddenly he chooses to rebel against his habits, his pattern changes and people quickly begin to notice hi m. It’s not only by work they can notice him it’s also his appeal as he starts to dress differently. This ongoing pursuit for a better position at work slowly decreases and he starts to think that his job is meaningless, so by other words he starts questioning his current position. It’s an admirable process that our main character goes though. He starts from being quiet and dissatisfied to evolving into a confident man that does  whatever he pleases.3.Comment on the environment at Jefferson’s workplace.The environment seems to be a quite common workplace in an office. A place also where nothing really matters in a way, there are all these fancy job titles and the boss has clearly no idea about what his employees are doing, or how they are doing it. The social aspect seems to lack in this place and judging by there are a few that talks and dreams about vacations to get away from the place.4.In a short essay (150-200 words) discuss why some people rebel a gainst the norms and others conform to the rules. Relate your discussion in the text. The reason I think why the most people adapts to the norms it’s because, it’s actually the easiest thing to do. But then, it’s hardest for the person to fall out from these norms because you risk being judged by other people. It’s also a good way of laying of the responsibility that you got for yourself, just obey orders like Jefferson and do what pleases other. People tend to be stuck at doing things their way, some people does not necessary embrace change into their life. They are at their comfort zone, safe doing the things they do, so why change it?People also seem to tend to rebel against some of the norms because some feel the urge to break free from the rules, it can be a fantastic feeling to be also true to yourself and not being â€Å"chained† by these norms. For example, Jefferson starts questioning his life and by that he takes more control of it than e ver. It’s also being said that sometimes you have to think outside the box, I believe this saying is perfect to this since you can achieve greatness other ways than following the path that already has been laid out for you.

Nike Hrm Issues and Solutions

Sarawak Campus School of Business & Design HBH225N Human Resource Management Semester 02/2012 Individual Assignment Nike – Human Resource Management Issues and Solutions Due Date: Friday, 30. November 2012 By Katharina Pilgrim, ID: 4310187 Executive Summary In 1964 a company known back then as Blue Ribbon Sports was founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. 14 years later the US American multinational corporation officially became Nike, Inc. , which is up to today engaged in the development, design and international marketing and selling of sport footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services.The company’s headquarters are located in Washington County, Oregon, near Beaverton in the United States of America. Nike’s revenue reached 24. 1 billion USD in 2012 with an operating income of 3. 04 billion USD and employing worldwide more than 44. 000 people. The company is leading in supplying athletic apparel and shoes as well as manufacturing sports equipment an d other athletic and recreational products. Just the brand alone is worth 10. 7 billion USD, which makes Nike the most valuable brand among sport businesses. Its president and CEO is Mark Parker and founder Phil Knight still remains chairman of the board.The company’s name Nike goes back to the Greek goddess of victory, Nike [ni? k ]. In 1971 the graphic-design student Carolyn Davidson drafted the company logo for 35 USD, the international trademark and better known today as the Swoosh. Nike owns a number of subsidiaries, including the four most important ones, the upscale footwear company Cole Haan, the surf apparel company Hurley International, Converse Inc. , makers of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Stars sneakers and sports apparel supplier Umbro (About Nike Inc, 2012). Table of Contents 1. Introduction 04 2. Analysis of HRM Issues 04 . 1 Employee Compensation 04 2. 2 employee Motivation 05 2. 3 Occupational Health and Safety 06 2. 4 Quality of Work Life 07 2. 5 Managing Div ersity 08 3. Implication of Issues 08 3. 1 Employee Compensation 08 3. 2 employee Motivation 09 3. 3 Occupational Health and Safety 10 3. 4 Quality of Work Life 10 3. 5 Managing Diversity 11 4. Recommendations 12 4. 1 Employee Compensation 12 4. 2 employee Motivation 13 4. 3 Occupational Health and Safety 13 4. 4 Quality of Work Life 14 4. 5 Managing Diversity 15 5. Conclusion 16 6. References 16 . Introduction The following report will analyse five major human resource management issues that occurred at Nike Inc. over the past years, relating them to human resource management models and theories, followed by an implication of those issues, which means elaborating on the outcomes or better, what happened to employees or management after the issues occurred and how they impacted the entire company. This will be followed by giving recommendations for those issues by finding solutions using human resource information systems and the theory of change management.In the end an overall con clusion will be drawn, summarizing the major points and solutions found. 2. 0 Analysis of HRM Issues 2. 1 Employee Compensation In 1998 the issue of unfair employee compensation in Nike’s factories in the South East Asian region arose and made its way to the public. Nike ‘s management was accused to use child labour in first place and pay Indonesian kids just 19 US cents per hour (Werner-Lobo 2008, p. 40). Workers complained that their basic monthly salary is not high enough in order to meet their cost of living.There were also complaints concerning unpaid wages and disputed overtime payments. Nike was accused to exploit their workers and use methods of compensation along with the overall treatment that are against human rights (Werner-Lobo 2008, p. 41). Base payment is considered a direct financial reward. Next to the indirect financial rewards and the non-financial ones regarding the job itself and the job environment it comes together as the overall employee compensa tion, which is the most important human resource management function (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 2). It can help in order to reinforce the culture of an organisation and its key values. Compensation also facilitates the achievement of the organisation’s business objects and therefore a significant mismatch between the compensation and the organisational strategy can create major barriers (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 22). In a compensation program with the employee as the objective, there are four points to take in mind. First, all employees must receive equitable treatment; second, the employee’s performance needs to me measured accurately and rewarded ppropriately. Also an appropriate compensation change needs to be provided as well as performance and compensation reviews on a regular basis (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 24). Nike does not see to apply this or any compensation program to their workers in South East Asia, especially in Indonesia and Vietn am. Nike also does not care to pay for performance. Merit pay exists in order to develop a productive, efficient and effective organisation that enhances their employee’s motivation and performance (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 25).Nike instead just pays and average minimum wage which neither reflects an employee’s performance nor is enough to survive in some cases (Werner-Lobo 2008, p. 45). 2. 2 Employee Motivation Another issue that arose at Nike Inc. also in factories in South East Asia was that workers experienced a great lack of motivation, because they were highly dissatisfied with the attitude of their direct supervisor. Again, human rights were violated. In 2007 workers in factories in Vietnam claimed that the treatment of their direct supervisors was inhuman and makes them not want to go to work anymore at all (Harte Arbeit, wenig Geld 2009).Employees for example were just allowed to use the bathroom once a day in a twelve hour shift and drinking water was limited to two glasses per day as well. Supervisors would treat employees like second class people, talk in a rude tone and threaten them as well. As a result of this misbehaviour employees didn’t feel valued as human beings at all and started to loose motivation (Harte Arbeit, wenig Geld 2009). Considering the existing theories of motivation, you can say that Nike’s supervisors practice the X theory, which makes manager’s assumptions directive, narrow and control oriented in their treatment of employees.Theory X is an early theory of motivation and in modern society should not be practiced anymore (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 41). Also the little pay workers receive can’t be the only motivational factor, since there is little trust between management and employees and money is viewed just as the sole motivator. The thought process of workers in affected factories looked like this; after they get treated poorly and have to face a difficult workplace environment, they put little effort in their work, so their performance is just acceptable, they receive a low wage with no opportunity in sight for a raise nyways, so they just do the minimum required in order to not get fired (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 42). This is not beneficial for the worker himself, since mentally he is also suffering if he has to go to a job every day he is not satisfied with and also not beneficial for Nike, since the worker’s performance will be on a very low level, raising chances for products to be not manufactured in a way the company desires.Taking a brief look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you can see that the physiological need that includes water, food and air is the fundamental of all needs every job has to provide for an employee, since if the base already experiences cracks, everything build on top will be crocked and not function in the way desired (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 43). 2. 3 Occupational Health and SafetyI n 2010, Nike had to face another issue besides the lack of employee motivation and the general public denouncing Nike due to their general treatment of their workforce in South East Asia, this time considering the topic of occupational health and safety. In factories in South China, after providing surveys prior to training, 60 to 90% of the employees stated that procedures to obtain permission for sick leave or access to medical care are very difficult. The death of two workers was alleged to be directly linked to the denial of sick leave and access to medical attention (Trouble discovered in Nike’s Indonesian factories 2010).In general you can say, that Nike’s poor OH&S performance equates with poor human resource management and poor legal and social responsibility. Nike needs to establish its organisational health and safety objectives in order for the management to demonstrate commitment and support. Nike needs to be aware of the benefits of a safe work environment such as the improvement of personal safety, the reduction of uninsured losses as well as re-work (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 66).Since the key elements of workplace improvement are culture, systems and hardware you can say that Nike’s culture does not value the wellbeing of the entire staff, they do not seem to have a solid system underpinning OH&S as well as their hardware does not include OH&S considerations (Kolbe, Burkart & Zundel 2010, p. 67). 2. 4 Quality of Work Life Vice president of global human resource at Nike’s headquarters near Beaverton, David Ayre, stated in 2011, that growth is the biggest challenge for the company.The challenges for the management are continuously growing as rising global salaries dissipate the easy cost gains from offshore outsourcing (How Nike’s HR pros help the giant company stay competitive 2011). Considering that Nike’s highest concern is their profit, the management tends to forget about the employees and the quality of their workplace. The latest issue with Nike's labour practice that again occurred in factories in Vietnam, are a violation of overtime rules and an excess level of toxic fumes in the workplace.The quality of work life was rated poorly by questioned workers, claiming that there is no safe and healthy environment, no growth and security, no social integration and too little life space in general (Harte Arbeit, wenig Geld 2009). A questioned worker, Miss B. , 32 years old stated, that she is suffering from a constant head and stomach ache, since she is working in the gluing section of the factory. The glue smells, sticks to skin and clothes and pain killers are not even working anymore (Harte Arbeit, wenig Geld 2009).Nike is known for making its equipment in countries which are in the developing phase, having very cheap labour, authoritarian government, a lack of human rights appeal and union movement (How Nike’s HR pros help the giant company stay competitive 2011). It does not seem that Nike has introduced quality of work life programs which incorporate principles of job enrichment and sociotechnical enrichment in a comprehensive effort in order to improve the quality of the work environment. The company does not seek to integrate employee needs with higher productivity (Kolbe, Burkart ; Zundel 2010, p. 50).Instead spokesman like David Ayre make excuses in public to justify the poor quality of work life in Nike’s South East Asian factories. If quality circles would exist, work-related issues could be identified and solved, but this would require training, commitment, support and relevance to a range of organisational members (Kolbe, Burkart ; Zundel 2010, p. 51). Besides the toxic fumes, tables and chairs were not appropriate in order to sit on them for twelve hours and even longer, plus the entire work atmosphere was not rated as comfortable as stated in the paragraphs above (Case Study for Nike 2009). . 5 Managing Diversity Nowadays managing diversity is highly important in any company. Unfortunately Nike also experienced problems in this field. 2001 female workers at factories in Indonesia reported incidents of sexual harassment and abuse. After the initial incident, when women reported that they were just allowed to go to the toilet with a supervisor watching, further investigations were undertaken. The outcome was that 30% of all respondents had personally experienced at least verbal abuse; nearly 8% of total workers reported unwanted sexual comments.At two factories, there were reports of ‘deeply disturbing’ incidents of sexual favours demanded in return for employment (Reaktion auf Ausbeutungs-Vorwuerfe 2001). Discrimination against women in companies is a great problem human resource management has to deal with. Discrimination can occur when unreasonable condition ore requirements are set, just as it happened with the female workers using the bathroom. Harassment is a particular form of discr imination, where the behaviour is designed to make a person feel unwelcome, offended, humiliated and intimidated.These entire factors apply to Nike’s supervisors and male managers who are involved in those accusations. Sexual harassment is considered physical, visual, verbal and non-verbal behaviour of a sexual nature that is uninvited and unwelcome (Kolbe, Burkart ; Zundel 2010, p. 103). All of the above has happened in Nike factories involving male supervisors and female workers, which should be a great concern for Nike. 3. Implication of Issues 3. 1 Employee CompensationOver the years Nike has become very skilled at showing its own side of the story, when it comes to accusations regarding their employee compensation and overall labour practices. A direct implementation of the discovered low wages in Indonesia in 2008 and additionally employees expressing their inability to live of their current salary, Nike published a section called ‘Transparency 101’ on thei r website www. nike. com, with all details of their remediation plan, as well as a link to the full report at the Global Alliance site.The Global Alliance is a union of companies and public groups, which includes Nike, The Gap, and The World Bank amongst their members (Menschenrechte in Asien 2009). The Centre for societal Development Studies at the Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta carefully produced and conducted the report on behalf of the Global Alliance. Researchers conducted one-on-one interviews, surveys and focus groups that involved more than 4,450 workers in nine factories in order to show an effort to solve the problems considered child labour and unsatisfying wages (Werner-Lobo 2008, p. 8). Another outcome of this discovery was raising public awareness of Nike’s methods and damaging their image in the long run. Human rights organisations raised their voices for the employees in Indonesia and Vietnam that could not do so themselves and made the issue spread world-wide on public media in order to put Nike under pressure to make a change (Menschenrechte in Asien 2009). Also in order to show an effort Nike fired several managers in affected factories.The employees itself remained silent, means there were no strikes or a high number of resignations to be found. Further independent audits have been commissioned to ensure that all factories are paying the new minimum wage and that workers understand the wage and overtime calculations (Werner-Lobo 2008, p. 98). 3. 2 Employee Motivation Considering the issue Nike has with motivating their employees in the right way, which means not with rules that touch their human rights or inacceptable punishment, there are several implications to be found.Nike’s answer to their dissatisfied and unmotivated workers is a new system of training they introduced. In eight factories in Vietnam and eight factories in Southern China since 2008, Nike offers workshops in order to strengthen contract manufactur ers' HRM systems and support lean manufacturing implementation (Workers and Factories 2011). Before the actual workshops take place, in each factory employee satisfaction surveys were completed in order to understand the top issues workers are facing and also to measure mutual trust and respect in the factories.In every factory action plans were developed individually in order to address core HRM areas, including supervisory skills, employee turnover, incentive structures, and employee satisfaction (Workers and Factories 2011). Another outcome from employees raising their voices and speaking up about the inhuman rules and treatments in their factories, is greater supervision of Nike from the government and human rights organisations, to make sure, Nike is on the right path (Fair Labor at Nike 2012).Other than that, Nike had to face a lot of complaints from retailers, since a large amount of manufactured jerseys were poorly stitched and had manufacturing mistakes, since employees did not put a lot of effort in their work anymore and started to glue, stich and sew inaccurately. This cost the concern a lot of money which they rather should have invested in training or the recruiting process in order to employ managers and supervisors with better human resource management skills and behaviour (Nike sorgt sich um den Heimatmarkt 2008). 3. 3 Occupational Health and SafetyAfter the death of two workers and the entire workforce in South China showing their dissatisfaction with Nike’s care for their employee’s health and safety, Nike again, responded very quickly after the incidents occurred. The company promised to upgrade their sanitation and to implement food service standards in all factories in order to ensure a healthy and hygienic environment (Trouble discovered in Nike’s Indonesian factories 2010). Also supervisors in affected factories were replaced and a special officer just dealing with occupational health and safety issues was introduce d.The two deaths were further investigated and Nike didn’t get pressed with legal charges since a direct link could not be made out 100% (Trouble discovered in Nike’s Indonesian factories 2010). Furthermore Nike changed its policies when it comes to sick leave and allows their employees to leave their work place, go home and see a doctor after talking to the OH&S officer and getting his approval, which is an improvement considering no leave at all was permitted (Trouble discovered in Nike’s Indonesian factories 2010). . 4 Quality of Work Life Since Nike has a lot of human resource management issues to deal with, they became professional over time how to deal with them. So the first outcome of the issue, that in factories in South East Asia working quality is very poor and on the lower edge, Nike has constructed an elaborate program to deal with labour issues in the 900-odd supplier factories (none owned by Nike) that churn out its products in some 50 countries ( Nike 2010). By developing several initiatives, Nike landed at the No. spot in 2012 on Fortune magazine’s â€Å"Most Admired Companies for HR† list, which is an HR-specific recalibration of Fortune’s â€Å"Most Admired Companies† list (Case Study for Nike 2009). Because of the poor working environment and work life in general the turnover rate in factories in China was dramatically higher than in factories of competitors and a significant number of workers would not show up in the morning without excuses, which created a major problem for Nike since production slowed down (Nike sorgt sich um den Heimatmarkt 2008).Also in the specific case of Miss B, she received a bonus of five dollars monthly and protective clothing, but she will suffer from lifelong breathing difficulties, skin irritation and sterility (Harte Arbeit, wenig Geld 2009). 3. 5 Managing Diversity The immediate implication of Nike’s issue of harassment when it comes to managing diversit y and having few women under just male supervision, Nike implemented an harassment training for managers and workers using local resource people, and initiated a grievance system for workers to bring forth issues without fear of retribution.The women who were sexually harassed were helped by providing psychotherapy (Reaktion auf Ausbeutungs-Vorwuerfe 2001). Other than that, cameras were installed at bathroom entrances to monitor people going in and coming out, trying to give employees a feeling of security. No legal charges were pressed against supervisors or Nike itself (again), although an employer can be held vicariously liable for the discriminatory acts of his employees against others. Nike also created an employee council, workers can speak to anonymously when problems occur so a solution can be found together (Reaktion auf Ausbeutungs-Vorwuerfe 2001). 4.Recommendations 4. 1 Employee Compensation Considering that Nike does not have a real compensation system in their productio n factories in South East Asia as stated earlier on, my first recommendation for the human resource manager would be to implement a human resource information system in order to collect and store data about the employee’s productivity and therefore what type of compensation and especially salary they deserve individually. Since Nike employs a large number of workers the implementation of payroll is necessary, since it is an accounting system that is capable of processing a large number of transactions.It is relatively easy to collect the data of how much time a worker spend at the actual work place, how many items he produced and how accurate his outcomes are with a scanner or by taking samples. Storing all this data for each employee is manually almost impossible, therefore is the use of a HRIMS beneficial because it increases the communication on all levels and includes data on employees, jobs and work condition as well as position, leave and the management in order to also make sure that child labour can be outruled. Another recommendation for Nike would be the consideration of the general change and how to manage it. 0 years ago, Nike might already let their employees work under the same or worse condition as they do today, but back then the general interest in this subject was relatively small and countries in South East Asia were not as highly developed as Western countries or as they are today. In order for an organisation to succeed they must respond to the pace of change, that means the human resource manager especially need to take the role of an change agent and needs to be aware of external factors and how the companies culture needs to adapt.The change in government regulations, which today are more concerned about child labour and correct payment and treatment of employees, is a force Nike can’t walk away from, but has to adapt to and change its mentality and treatment of employees. Basically the corporate culture, which means the v alues, beliefs, assumptions and symbols that define the way in which Nike conducts its business need to be renewed in order to meet human rights standards. 4. 2 Employee MotivationIn order to avoid dissatisfied and unmotivated employees as well as poorly skilled supervisors and managers the usage of human resource information system in the future would be a great help. With HRIMS the company will experience enhanced communication across all levels of the organisation, which gives the employees in a factory in Vietnam the chance to communicate their feelings as well as reporting incidents that occurred with their supervisors directly to the headquarters in Oregon. With HRIMS next to individual data and previous experience you can store and manage the ondition of service of every employee and supervisor. Working hours can be recorded with a digital scanning card as well as break times in order to make sure, an employee gets enough breaks. The fact, that HRIMS provides transparency, wh ich means informs those who are monitored, will be helpful in letting supervisors know immediately, when they are acting wrong. Also the surveys Nike conducts before providing training, can easily be made, stored and evaluated with a HRIMS. Other than that the development of performance management systems can be a great help in order to solve Nike’s problem of employee’s motivation.The company has to be aware, that over time many factors, internal and external, will change and they have to adapt to this. Perhaps 30 years ago, employees accepted such behaviour of their supervisors, but not today anymore, since the country itself developed over the years as well as its people’s self-confidence. Nike needs to understand how important human resource management in general is in today’s work life and managers need to promote trust among their workforce. They need to ensure that human resource policies and practices are fair and equitable since the employee†™s voice is critical to performance improvement and innovation. . 3 Occupational Health and Safety Considering Nike’s issues with their health and safety policies I would recommend them to implement this section in their HRIMS. The newly introduced officer for occupational health and safety can create a policy catalogue via HRIMS all employees and supervisors as well as managers have access to. It can keep a record of what illnesses a worker had or what medicine he is required to take on a daily bases so Nike can make sure to provide those needed, since HRIMS increases flexibility by adapting to present and future requirements.The costs these implementations bring along would definitely be outweighed by the benefits Nike will gain from them. Other than that Nike has to adapt to the incremental change which involves gradual modifications to existing activities. This means that the change is evolutionary and Nike has to adapt to a certain health and safety standard that is re quired today and got developed over the years. The organisation initially needs to be unfreezed, which means it needs to be prepared for the change with the implementation of new OH&S rules in the HRMIS, the exchange of existing supervisors or an intense training for the existing ones.This is followed by taking action so that the change actually occurs. They need to practice and follow those rules so employees feel and see a difference. In the end this state needs to be refreezed by continuously reinforcing the desired outcomes, which are employees who trust the company and feel safe and taken care of. 4. 4 Quality of Work Life Considering a general improvement in the work life of every employee, the management has to make sure, that there is autonomy, the degree to which the job provides freedom, independence and discretion to the individual as a safe and healthy environment amongst others.Human capabilities need to be developed and a social integration needs to take place. Using t he HRMIS for this purpose it again can be very beneficial since the system can easily create routine reports, exception reports, on-demand reports and forecasts which all will work together as a whole in order to help the management in improving the work environment and an employee’s satisfaction by increasing the work life quality. It is a strategic and competitive tool which has to be customized for Nike and contain data of an employee’s satisfaction level, of legal advice and regulations, feedback and survey outcomes.Other than that again, change has to be taken into consideration, since the workforce has changed its character and is dominated by change, as well as the needs employees crave nowadays for and what work environment is acceptable to do the required work. Globalisation, technological change and changes in government regulations are external forces Nike has to deal with. Since a high quality of work life should be a great priority for Nike they need to ad apt to the transformational change, since it produces revolutionary shifts in Nike’s strategies, culture and structure.A general problem Nike has is that they still manufacture their products in low-cost countries with very low standards for their workers. As an American corporation they should not downgrade the standards that would exist in a factory in the US to the countries general standards, but change the way of thinking. Their business strategy is, to produce at factories not owned by Nike itself, at the cheapest price possible in order to increase the profit. Maybe it is time for a change and taking a worker’s life and soul more into consideration than just thinking about the revenue. 4. 5 Managing DiversityWhen it comes to Nike’s problem of managing diversity and discriminating minor groups such as women, HRIMS can also be helpful and beneficial. Since it is enhancing communication across all levels, problems can be communicated faster and actions can b e taken. The cameras can be linked to the HRIMS in order for the footage to be accessible easily and not just within the factory itself. Workers can use HRIMS to report incidents anonymously so solutions can be found. Nike also needs to take its strategic human resource objectives into account, since they affect all aspects of the workplace relations.Nike’s workforce should experience open communication, procedural justice and organisational support when problems occur. The corporate cultures, which means the values, beliefs, assumptions and symbols that define the way in which Nike conduct its business, needs to focus more on fighting discriminatory behaviour and how to fully integrate minorities. With training they need to raise awareness of what has happened and through communication, participation, counselling and certainty the issues need to be solved so they do not repeat themselves. 5.Conclusion After learning about the variety of human resource management issues that can occur in a company and actually did happen at Nike Inc. , you can see that managing your employees is a sensitive field, where mistakes easily occur if you do not pay enough attention to your employee’s wants and needs. Today it is really important for every company to have a human resource management department, with a human resource manager who in first place and most importantly has the role of the employee champion as well as the one of a change agent.Nike showed an effort by reaching out to their workforce immediately after every incident occurred and tried to improve where mistakes were found. Further improvements can also be made by implementing a HRMIS and considering the power of change. The winning companies of the future will be those most adapt at leveraging global talent to transform themselves, their industries, and creating better jobs for everyone. 6. References About Nike Inc, 2012, Nike Inc. , viewed 20 November 2012, . Case Study for Nike 2009, viewed 2 0 November 2012, . Fair Labor at Nike 2012, viewed 15 November 2012, . Harte Arbeit, wenig Geld 2009, Stiftung Warentest, viewed 17 November 2012, . How Nike’s HR pros help the giant company stay competitive 2011, HR Communication, viewed 20 November 2012, .Kolbe, M , Burkart, B & Zundel, F 2010, Personalmanagement: Grundlagen und Praxis des Human Resources Managements, 2nd edn, Gabler, Deutschland. Menschenrechte in Asien 2009, Forum, viewed 18 November 2012, . Nike 2010, viewed 18 November 2012, . Nike sorgt sich um den Heimatmarkt 2008, Financial Times Deutschland, viewed 15 November 2012, .

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay Example for Free

A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay ? The grandmother identifies herself as a southern lady based on appearance, money, and background. She is the main character in this short story and also the only character that the narrator actually shows into the mind of. The grandmother is the reason for the title of this story because she repeats throughout the story about a â€Å"good man†, when there really is no good man in this whole story. The grandmother also is used in many ways to foreshadow the upcoming events in the story; such as â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (O’Connor 354) The grandmother is identified by appearance in that she compares the way she is dressed to the way the mother is dressed. The mother is told to be dressed in â€Å"slacks and still had her green kerchief† and the grandmother describes herself as having â€Å"on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print† (O’Connor 354). She wanted to make sure that â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (O’Connor 354). Money is something important to the grandmother that we can also identify her by. The grandmother thought very highly of Mr. Teagarden because she says that June Star â€Å"would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man† (O’Connor 355). Red Sam is a â€Å"good man† in the grandmother’s eyes, which is probably because he is a wealthy owner of his own store (O’Connor 356). Where the grandmother is from and how she is raised is also a big part in identifying her. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother describes how she wants to go to Tennessee for their vacation instead of Georgia. When John Wesley says something about it, the grandmother gets defensive over where she grew up, she says to him â€Å"I wouldn’t talk about my native country that way† (O’Connor 354). Later in the story, the mother goes to a jukebox and plays â€Å"The Tennessee Waltz† kind of just to rub it in to the grandmother  that they were not, in fact, going to Tennessee. Another time in the story, the grandmother says that she recognizes where they were while on the way to Georgia. But it turns out, she was just recalling when she was in Tennessee â€Å"when she was a young lady† (O’Connor 357). Flannery O’Connor is such a good author, and that shows especially in this piece. She identifies the grandmother through appearance, money, and background. Appearance, such as the way she compares herself to the mother, how she talks about how Mr. Teagarden was â€Å"very-good looking†, and talking about the Misfit’s crew and their attire. The grandmother identifies herself as a southern lady based on appearance, money, and background. She is the main character in this short story and also the only character that the narrator actually shows into the mind of. The grandmother is the reason for the title of this story because she repeats throughout the story about a â€Å"good man†, when there really is no good man in this whole story. The grandmother also is used in many ways to foreshadow the upcoming events in the story; such as â€Å"In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† The grandmother is identified by appearance in that she compares the way she is dressed to the way the mother is dressed. The mother is told to be dressed in â€Å"slacks and still had her green kerchief† and the grandmother describes herself as having â€Å"on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print.† She wanted to make sure that â€Å"anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.† Money is something important to the grandmother that we can also identify her by. The grandmother thought very highly of Mr. Teagarden because she says that June Star â€Å"would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he was a gentleman and had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died only a few years ago, a very wealthy man.† Red Sam is a â€Å"good man† in the grandmother’s eyes, which is probably because he is a wealthy owner of his own store. Where the grandmother is from and how she is raised is also a big part in identifying her. In the beginning of the story, the grandmother describes how she wants to go to Tennessee for their vacation instead of Georgia. When John Wesley says something about it, the grandmother gets defensive over where she grew up, she says to him â€Å"I wouldn’t talk about my native country that way.† Later in the story, the mother goes to a jukebox and plays â€Å"The Tennessee Waltz† kind of just to rub it in to the grandmother that they were not, in fact, going to Tennessee. Another time in the story, the grandmother says that she recognizes where they were while on the way to Georgia. But it turns out, she was just recalling when she was in Tennessee â€Å"when she was a young lady.† Flannery O’Connor is such a good author, and that shows especially in this piece. She identifies the grandmother through appearance, money, and background. Works Cited: O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find.† Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X.J. Kennedy and Gioias eds. Pearson: New York, 2012. 352-365. Print. A Good Man is Hard to Find. (2016, Mar 01).

The process of DNA fingerprinting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The process of DNA fingerprinting - Essay Example The sides that make up the DNA are twisted around each other in a spirally way. Each turn of the spiral staircase of the DNA is made up of ten rungs. DNA strand is composed of nucleotides that consist of phosphate, deoxyribose sugar and four nitrogen bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine). According to Hess and Orthmann (2012, p. 147), â€Å"the linking of the nitrogen bases results to nucleotide sequence which is distinct and different for every person, thereby determining a person’s individual characteristics.† Production of DNA fingerprint involves many diverse steps: the first step of DNA fingerprinting however begins by one obtaining a sample of DNA from materials such as blood, semen or saliva (Bevans 2014). Vaginal fluids, skin, or skeletal remains can also provide samples for DNA fingerprinting. In case of plant, hair roots are good samples. Through employing the current biochemical techniques, one can also multiply the number of DNA present by use of methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, some competent researchers have the potential to work with very small samples such as hair root. To access the DNA from the collected samples, some cells are isolated from the sample and then split open. After splitting the cells, the DNA is separated from the cellular debris. The isolated DNA is then treated endonuclease enzymes/ restriction enzymes (specialized enzymes that cut the sugar-phosphate bond of DNA) that cut the DNA at specific sites into small fragments (Reeve 2014). Due to variation of minisatellites composition of different individuals, the DNAs are cleaved at different points resulting to fragments of varying lengths. The different lengths of the DNA fragments are referred to as restriction length polymorphisms (RFLPs). The different sized of the fragments are easily observed by aid of an experiment called Gel Electrophoresis. After cleavage stage, the DNA portions are then introduced to one end of agarose gel (thin

The Sun Also Rises Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Sun Also Rises Research Paper - Essay Example Thus, this disenchanted generation of post World War I war enjoyed violent Festiva of San Fermin in Pamplona (bull running and fighting) as a relaxing vacation event (â€Å"The sun also rises†, p.156). Hence, conventional morality notions were discarded after the World War I and the lives of individuals were subjugated by aimlessness. Earnest Hemingway wrote this partially fictional tale to signify the pessimistic psychological and physical impacts of War on the individuals, who witnessed its full vivacity at some point of life. Therefore, his first hand experience in War enabled him to shed light on the psychological yearnings and deficiencies, which emerge as a traumatic aftermath of War. Although, these traumatic changes in the society and the personalities of individuals are not mentioned clearly by the author, but his implications suggest that he intends to direct his readers towards the unseen revulsions and turmoil his characters face and feel due to horrifying affect o f War. Therefore, Hemingway’s work has meticulously chosen the age group of his characters, who are not young, but adults; all earning their living through some mean. These characters who are somewhere in their late twenties or early thirties, have spent their adolescent time in speculating the revulsions of War. Thus, after the war these individuals recall their trauma and become miserable even with the extravagance of alcohol, sexual freedom and lack of moral ethics to follow due to liberalism or modernism. The nineteenth century social norms or perspectives were discarded by this disillusioned generations and women became powerful in choosing their sexual partners without impeding their desires or will (Moddelmog, p.92). Hemingway was a true moralist, who speculated all his characters with intellect and emphasized on learning from one’s own mistakes (Bloom, p.334). Therefore, he narrated the tale of people, who were self-indulgent and cried over their personal short comings. They have been depicted as single souls without social and family obligations, who are only responsible for their pleasures and heart contentment. However, due to Hemingway’s journalism familiarity, he was able to inscribe this partially fictional yet true replica of elite class and their gauche and unappealing lives. Thus, Jake Barnes, Lady Ashley, Robert Cohen, Mike Campbell Bill Gorton, Montoya and Pedro Romero play along with Hemingway’s mantra of social chauvinism against conventional morals. Although, Earnest Hemingway has represented his characters on prominent positions of social and professional life; closer to be called successful, but they all have been yearning for some unattainable personal desire. Dominance of personal and social ambiguity is evident throughout the play, which has been an aftermath of poignant horrors of war. Psychological disturbance is not directly suggested but it has been an imperceptible phenomenon, which Hemingway specifica lly wanted to address. Therefore, he crafted twentieth century romance with its true veracity in a post war modern society. Hence, one can observe how easy it is for the characters of the novel to mingle among them self and change sex-partners in accord to their will and preference. Concurrently, Hemingway depicted in his novel

Psychological Route to War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Psychological Route to War - Essay Example The act of war is a decision with the ultimate consequence. With such magnitude that comes with the declaration of war, it becomes imperative to understand the political and historical context that comes with such a decision. "The constitution makes the President Commander in chief of the armed forces but requires that Congress appropriate all money for the military. The president appoints ambassadors, but the Senate must confirm them. The president can sign treaties, but they have no meaning unless the Senate, by a two-thirds vote, ratifies them. Congress must 'declare' war, but the United States has often gone to war without any formal declaration. The reason is simple: America backs its fighting forces, and when they are put in harm's way, Congress pays their bills," (Wilson p.348). With such insurmountable risks at hand, the psychological reasoning behind resorting to a declaration of war to resolve conflict is an imperative idea to assess and analyze. To have one person be given the Godly role of placing people in a perilous situation, the psychology of what leads them there is tantalizing to contemplate. Humans by nature find themselves at one point in their lives being in the position of having to make a decision that has ramifications of monumental proportion. Psychology Today writes that, "War is probably the second most popular activity with the human race," says psychologist Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D., author of the recently published book, The Psychology of War (Helios Press, 2002). "Making love," he concedes, "is the first." In his book, LeShan argues that war's popularity stems from its unique ability to resolve two major psychological needs. It fulfills our sense of independence by assigning it a purpose, and it fulfills our need for community by establishing boundaries between 'us' and 'them,'" Adding that, "We say we love peace, but it doesn't actually excite us," says LeShan. "Even pacifists talk more about the horrors of war than the glories of peace." Battle generates perceptions so attractive that they can shift people from a rational perspective to one of "war mode," the idealized perception of crusading against evil. But as LeShan notes, After it's all over, you might have solved one problem, but you won't have solved all of the m," (Allen p.1). Humans, as a sign of their nature, can find themselves letting their subconscious desires filter into the decision making capabilities of their logical mindset on the outside. It is those unspoken desires which can lead the person into the most dangerous situations, with the direst of conclusions, or lead them into the most amazing of successes. In the end, as it comes down to it, the chips ultimately fall wherever they may and it is up to whomever is at the helm to make the important decisions with only their natural resolve, as well as the conviction of their psyches, to guide them as best as they see fit at the present time. To assess the psychological reasoning behind the act of declaring war, one must

The Outcome of Organized Efforts of Workers in the Lowell and Triangle Case Study

The Outcome of Organized Efforts of Workers in the Lowell and Triangle Factories in the 19th century - Case Study Example The Lowell Factory is located beside the Pawtucket Falls. It is in Massachusetts, which is but one of America’s early and vital industrial cities. Just like the Triangle Factory, the Lowell Factory also majored in textile production.The conditions of Lowell’s factory were far from the modern American standards back at the time. The workers worked from 5:00 am to 7:00 pm amounting to an average of 73 hours per week. The working conditions were extremely uncomfortable with 80 people in a room, which was hot and the windows remained closed even during the summer.   The air in the rooms was filled with small elements of fabric and fiber.The machines made a noise that was not comfortable for the human ear. Although the visitors of the company were persuaded that the factory had perfect working conditions, the workers were always complaining because of draining work, which was termed as unsympathetic to the cerebral maturity. In terms of the living quarters, only women got an opportunity to secure a chance to a boarding house. The houses were congested with an average of six women sharing a sleeping room.On the other hand, the Triangle Factory also had poor working conditions. The workers, who were mostly women, were subjected to utter exploitation and little pay since they were immigrants and were desperately in need of a job.In Lowell’s Factory, in February 1834, the Board of Directors appealed to the managers of the factory to reduce the wages of the workers. This plus the previous factors agitated the women who organized for a strike. The strike did not work and the conditions worsened. They organized another which was successful leading to the reduction of house rent.   In 1845, the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association was started. The association was entirely led by the women who designated their own leaders and piloted their meetings.   They positioned other branches of the same kind in other mill towns. They also invited men in th eir meetings who were asked to treat the women as their equals.

Death of a Salesman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Death of a Salesman - Essay Example ican Dream† of making a safe and secure life for oneself through sheer dint of hard work and the consequent failure of the dream is at the heart of Arthur Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman†. Some of the plays important characters are Willy Loman, the protagonist who is an aging salesman. His wife Linda is a loyal and devoted housewife. They have two sons namely Biff who is elder and Happy who is the younger of the two. Both the brothers are very unlike each other in many ways and we are going to investigate these characters by comparing and contrasting them. Though Linda knows Willy’s faults yet she tries her best to stand by him. Speaking of her husband she says, Hes not the finest character that ever lived. But hes a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. (Linda Loman, Act 1) Biff is Willy’s elder son who is a 34 year old reckless and irresponsible person who finds it extremely hard trying to hold on to a job for a reasonable period of time. He is like the typical â€Å"rolling stone gathers no moss† type and this exasperates Willy his father who tries his best to make something of him, but to no avail. Happy who is Biff’s younger brother, is 32 years of age and is the opposite of Biff where jobs are concerned. He has a steady job and works on a steady and regular basis. However, unlike his brother Biff he does not have enough courage to take risks to improve his present status. He prefers to go on in the same way as when he started without making changes to better himself. Willy is quite envious of his successful businessman neighbor Charley who is a constant reminder of all that Willy is not. Moreover, Charley’s son Bernard was a very hardworking, intelligent and very successful person which proved to be Willy’s sore point because his son Biff Loman was no where near to him. In this context Willy once passed snide remarks saying – â€Å"Bernard is liked, but not well liked† showing his envious attitude. (Biff Loman, Act 1) Biff

Chapter 5 PhD Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Chapter 5 PhD - Literature review Example The robustness of the mathematical model presented before needs to be verified theoretically to ascertain the validity and reliability under various performance regimes. This chapter will look critically at the mathematical model presented before using sensitivity analysis methods that will target the various inputs to the mathematical model. The contention behind the sensitivity analysis is to vary inputs to the mathematical model as a means of measuring the change in the overall output. This would provide for the amount of variation that could occur in the output of the mathematical model in case that erroneous inputs are received. Firstly, a sensitivity analysis is carried out where perturbations are added to the input data (i.e. velocity, acceleration, and throttle position), and consumption is calculated during a drive cycle using the perturbed data. Then, artificial drive cycles are created, and fuel consumption is measured and calculated during the same drive cycle. In the artificial drive cycles, high and low velocities and accelerations are involved in order to study the limits until the mathematical relationship between fuel consumption and drive cycle parameters can be used. Sensitivity AnalysisSensitivity analysis is carried out in order to determine how any form of uncertainty in the output of a provided mathematical model could be traced back to the various inputs that are being provided. The apportionment of output uncertainty to input uncertainties in their respective contribution levels allows improvements on the mathematical model for bringing about greater reliability and validity (Saltelli et al., 2008). A sensitivity analysis may be performed for a number of reasons. Primarily, sensitivity analysis allows the determination of model robustness when faced with uncertainty in the inputs (Becker et al., 2011). In addition, sensitivity analysis allows gaining a deeper understanding of how various inputs are tied to the final output. As

Individual Critical Reflection on Event and Self Performance Essay

Individual Critical Reflection on Event and Self Performance - Essay Example The Dà ©jà   vu Charity Event was to focus on selling pre-loved second hand clothes donated by the community, to raise money to support the Hospice of St Francis. However, in the course of time, adding cakes sale to the event was found a viable addition to the event, since it would increase both event sponsorship and at the same time increase the amount of money that would be generated through the event. Thus, Tesco’s, Hatfield and friends and family donated the clothes and cakes that were sold during the event. Conducting research into similar models or events can help in determining whether an event is likely to be a success (Bowdin et al 2011). The Hospice of St Francis has nine ‘Love to Give’ charity shops, and thus adopting a similar ‘Love to Give’ charity shops’ model for raising money had a high likelihood of being successful. The event was conducted on Sunday 12th April 2015 at Shendish Manor Hotel, Hemel Hempstead between 10:00 and 1 2:00. The overall outcome of the program can be considered a success. We were able to organize and finally hold the event successfully. The tools that measure the success of an event come into two forms. First, there are the quantitative tools that measure the success of the event in terms of the number of attendants, how much money was contributed during the even t and how big the event was compared to similar events (Sumac, 2015). Secondly, the success of an event is measured in form of quantitative measures that cannot be expressed in numerical form, such the actual outcome of the event vis-à  -vis the targeted outcome is assessed. Thus, the success or failure of any project or event is assessed based on whether the core objectives of the event or project were successfully met (Nelson, 2006). The Dà ©jà   vu Charity Event had established two major objectives that it sought to accomplish, and the two objectives of the event were met.

Homeostatic Imbalances Essay Example for Free

Homeostatic Imbalances Essay High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways. Overview The condition itself usually has no signs or symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, HBP can damage your heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body. Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when youre feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, treatment may help prevent damage to your bodys organs. Blood Pressure Numbers Blood pressure is measured as systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-ah-STOL-ik) pressures. Systolic refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. You most often will see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure. ) Blood pressure doesnt stay the same all the time. It lowers as you sleep and rises when you wake up. Blood pressure also rises when youre excited, nervous, or active. If your numbers stay above normal most of the time, youre at risk for health problems. The risk grows as blood pressure numbers rise. Prehypertension means you may end up with HBP, unless you take steps to prevent it. If youre being treated for HBP and have repeat readings in the normal range, your blood pressure is under control. However, you still have the condition. You should see your doctor and follow your treatment plan to keep your blood pressure under control. What is diabetes? Diabetes is the condition in which the body does not properly process food for use as energy. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy. The pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, makes a hormone called insulin to help glucose get into the cells of our bodies. When you have diabetes, your body either doesnt make enough insulin or cant use its own insulin as well as it should. This causes sugars to build up in your blood. This is why many people refer to diabetes as â€Å"sugar. † Diabetes can cause serious health complications including heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. What are the types of diabetes?

Concepts of Disaster Myths in Disaster Research

Concepts of Disaster Myths in Disaster Research Disaster myth is one of the most component in disaster research. Disaster myth is a significant part of disaster research. It not only contains important characteristic of this field but also affects other element in disaster research. It merits the attention of many researcher. To have a deep understanding of disaster myth, a broad view of disaster research should be taken into account. Definition: The issue of devising a definition or assessing consensus on a definition plays an important role in not only theoretical but also empirical research. In Handbook of Disaster Research, Ronald W.Perry’s What is a disaster is a prominent research in dealing with this issue. He argued that in regard to definition, he tried to recount the efforts to define disasters by social scientist, instead of seeking a new definition. In this paper, he clarified the problem of definition by specifying its type, purpose, and audience. First of all, he set the type of definition as an area of study, not a concept, although these two dimension are not clearly separable. Therefore the definition that he proposed will address concerns of paradigm and do so by identifying critical features or characteristics of disaster (Perry, 2007) – which is categorized as real definition, more appropriate to define an area of study. Since disaster will always mean many things to many people, and the desc ription will serve many different purposes – thus there will be many definitions (Perry, 2007). He narrowed the scope of definition by following Quarantelli’s research to explain the definition under social scientist’s angle. Hence, the important aspects need to be concerned when defining disaster research is the social context and tradition. He divided disaster definition research into 3 main areas: the first is the classical approach, second is hazards-disaster tradition and the last is explicitly socially-focused tradition. In the first part, with the most prominent representative scholar as Fritz, who proposed a definition of disaster in 1961 and its impact has remained until recent time, the main characteristic of disaster definition is dealing with social order disruption (Fritz’s therapeutic community is a significant example) and the emergent norm thinking. The main image of disaster in these research is negative consequences. It was manifest on the definitions that were presented in the first three definition published (by Wallace, Killian and Moore) and also the following empirical researches. Until recent time, there are still many scholar follow Fritz’s premise, but they has added some variance to it. Through these researches, he claimed the evolution in classical approach of definition in contem porary disaster research. These research was inspired by Fritz’s definition, but they also focus more on the process, adaption and change in disaster, as a cycle of adjustment from the disruption of â€Å"non-routine event†. The second area of disaster research is captured from hazards perspective. As its name, despite the fact that they may be concern about social and other aspect, the main focus is still the target agent. In this perspective, disaster is viewed as an extreme event that arises when a hazard agent intersects with a social system (â€Å"the human use system†) (Perry, 2007). Although this approach is cticized as paying too much attention to the environmental aspect of disaster and neglecting or not giving enough attention to social aspect, it is still considered as an attempt to define disaster and provide a new angle to explore the field. The classic elaborations of this approach is Burton, Kates and White. From the basis of hazards-oriented studies, until now, research direction of hazards scholar slightly moved from what might be considered an â€Å"agent centered† approach to a greater focus on vulnerability (Perry, 2007). The scholar started to add the social nature as w ell as social consequences in their studies. It has gradually moved to vulnerability, the social side of research, in spite of hazard origins. As can be seen from the development of this approach, disaster research should be examined first at it social side. It led to the third approach: socially-focused approach. This third tradition see disasters as a social phenomenon. This definition has roots from classical approach and is developed as the changing focus of hazards approach from agent centered toward vulnerability. This premise focuses mainly on social origin of disaster. Some scholar must be mentioned is Barton, Quarantelli, and Dynes. They have published their typology of disaster. For example Barton used his typology to address the cross-classified dimensions of scope (national, regional, segmental, local) by concentration of time (Perry, 2007). He emphasized the focus of the studies is on social dimensions of events, not the events themselves. In Quarantellli’s typology, disaster (1) are sudden-onset occasions, (2) seriously disrupt the routines of collective units, (3) cause the adoption of unplanned courses of action to adjust to the disruption, (4) have unexpected life histories designated in social space and time, and (5) pose danger to valued social objects. This definition has been followed by many scholar, as can be seen from literature. Although it has root in classical period research, it has added it significant features and developed much more further. Another approach to define disaster in socially-focuses direction is focus on cross-national or cross-cultural aspects. It emphasized the social structure of the definiton. In brief, these scholars see the definition in social relations angle. The 2 things that make it different from classical period approach are it characterizes disaster as a social disruption that generated from social structure and might be remedied through social structural manipulation s (Perry, 2007); and social structure can be seen as social change â€Å"analytically frozen at one point in time† (Quarantellli, 2005a, p.340). By listing up the 3 main areas of disaster definition approaches, in the end, author tried to assess levels of consensus between them. He emphasized on Quarantelli’s paradigm of disaster research with two main ideas as follows: disaster are social phenomena, and disaster is rooted in social structure and reflects the processes of social change. This paradigm again reiterates that event itself is not yet a disaster, it have to based on social aspect. Furthermore, it lead to the vulnerability aspect. Beside this, another consensus is the magnitude of disaster should not be measured by the losses of people or property, but by the failure of the normative or cultural system. It also showed the consensus of issue of resilience. The consensus of social disruption and emergent norm thingking has still remained. Finally, effort on defining disaster also focus on its social time and space rather than physical time and space. Meanwhile, there are also disagreement about these definition, as what kinds of characteristics should be included, the problem of taxonomy, and other issues. In an efforts to solve the problem of categorizing, Quarantelli (2005a, p333) distinguished disasters, catastrophes and crises. Boin , Stallings, and Rosenthal differentiated disasters and crises. As Quarantelli aruged, attention should be paid for classification systems. The taxonomy is the significant issue that researchers need to deal with in order to effectively examine disaster phenomena. In the end of the paper, researcher proposed agenda for future research. Here again he reminded reader of how important the role that definition plays in the field. There are many of empirical work, but conceptualization still remains unsolved. Lacking of this important point, the field will be fulled of individual research but without a systematic view. He also mentioned the concern of taxonomy, as the classification systems still need to be examined carefully. In conclusion, author has fully synthesized the development and different approach when defining disaster – a basic and central part of disaster research. By providing 3 main traditions of research in disaster definition, the consensus in term of disaster’s characteristic has been explained thoroughly. Moreover, he also proposed the problem remains in the field, as further research should pay attention to conceptualization issue and classification systems. Only by doing this that research can solve the problem of definition, reach closer to the consensus in the field. This paper gave reader the insight into the field, since they can get the broader view of disaster research. The second paper we need to take a look at in order to have a general view of disaster research is The social science study of disasters and mass communications written by E.L. Quarantelli (1987). In this paper, the author has summarized the previous reseaches on social disaster research to depict the present overall state of knowledge. Therefore pointing out the focus of research field, analyzed significant themes of researches through the number and research orientation of studies. He also synthesized the studies related to mass communication in disaster research and finally proposed the way for future research Quarantelli (1987). Plagiarism As trying to provide a overall view of past and current research, he summarized the development of research field. Although the first systematic social science disaster study has ever been undertaken was started from 1920, until the end of World War II that social and behavioral research of disasterous events started to have any continuity and began to accumulate a body of data (Quarantelli, 1987). He chose it as a starting point to evaluate the pioneering efforts of research. At that time, there were 3 organizations that made great contribution to the establishment of fundamental basis. It was National Opinion Research Center (NORC), Disaster research group (DRG) and Disaster Research Center (DRC). Though there was a little discrepancy between research object of these organizations, caused by their differences in research orientation. For instance, NORC paid most attention to reactions of victims, while DRG focused more on group behavior. Despite of that fact, their shared the common feature at research entities that studied both natural and technological disaster and the reseearchers were mainly sociologists. Moreover, beside the victim, transmission of warnings message of potential disaster was also attracted attention from researchers, while little attention was paid to mass communication organization, both from theoretical and empirical studies. When conducting the research about warning message transmssion of media, warning process was the main purpose, not the operation of mass communication. The author emphasized on the unequal coverage of research, since it paid very little attention on institutional area. The reasons provided for this kinhd of dispropotionate research were the problem of methodology because it is hard to apply audiences quantitative method towards mass communication systems and the funding agencies. Another dominant feature of research at the pioneer studies was they did not recognize the â€Å"dual role† that mass communication plays in disasters. They just focused on the reporter role, furthermore, emphasized on the doubt of its validity when reporting disasters, known as disaster mythology. By doing this, they neglected another role that mass communication plays – the role of major organizational actors in preparing for and responding to disasters. Depart from the pioneering efforts, after 1960s, it marked a next stage of disaster research. It has been a remarkable development of both number and scope of research in compare with the earlier period. The author highlight some major themes found in research findings and observation to synthesize the knowlege gained by social science researchers in term of individual and groups’ behavior that mass media reports in emergency time. Therefore, pointing out the part remains little or unexplored, to suggest recommendations for further research. There are two main themes, covers individual and organiztional behavior. Individual behaviors are described as showing the strong ability to adapt to extreme situation of survivor, their actively behavior in rescure efforts, their stable mental health condition, their choice when choosing friend, family’s place rather than public shelters. Scholars (Fritz, Barton, Dynes, Drabek, Quarantelli and Kreps) concluded that victims absolute ly have ability to deal well with disaster. There is a very high consensus that these behaviors are very different from what media report about victim during emergency time. The image of victim behaviors depicted by media is panic, passive, go crazy, lose control, searching for public help. The discrepancy between reality and media report and audience belief is characterized as the â€Å"myths† of disasters (Quarantellli and Dynes, 1972). The second theme is also related to disaster myths, it is description of organizational behavior in disaster time. As conveyed from media report, organizational behavior can be seen as effective, almost indispensable, there is a strong emphasis on the critical role it plays in disaster situation. However, the actual behavior of organizations which was examined by the researchers shows a sharp contrast. In reality, orginizational behavior is ineffective, and even have negative effect in rescue process, as weak ability of managing effort and poor decisions made by public and private bureaucracies (Quarantelli, 1985a). In brief, these two research themes of individual and organizational behavior which relate to disaster myths show the discrepancy between actual behavior and image conveyed by media report. Hence, mass media is responsible for not framing the false image of behavior in emergency time. In searching for explanation, some researchers have stated that mass media personnel ten d to take a â€Å"command post† view of disaster (Quarantelli, 1987). Through looking closer to a series of specific studies, the author reiterated the limited number of researches about mass communication in disaster research. Although research in Japanese, French have a slightly higher focus on mass communication, in comparison with research in English langague, the quantity of research regard to mass communication remains small. He also listed some unexplored questions and research areas, such as research relates to operation of naitonal systems in disaster, functioning of cable system, disaster-relevant aspects of magazine productions (Quarantelli, 1987). The disproportion of focus between print media and electronic media is also a problem need to be examined. After listing the specific studies, he concluded that there is a prominent increase in number of empricial research on mass communications and theoretical formualtions efforts in term of mass media operations in the filed. The researcher also proposed the factors that contributes to this acce leration. (Perry, 2007) References Perry, R. W. (2007). What is a disaster? Handbook of disaster research (pp. 1-15): Springer. Quarantelli, E. L. (1987). The social science study of disasters and mass communications. Quarantelli, E.L. (2005a). A social science research agenda for the disasters of the 21st century. In R.W. Perry E.L. Quarantelli (Eds.),What is a disaster? New answers to old questions(pp.325–396).Philadelphia: Xlibris. Quarantelli, E.L. and Russell Dynes (1972) When disaster strikes. Psychology Today 5: 66-70. Quarantelli, E.L (1985a) An assessment of conflicting views on mental health; in C. Figley (ed) Trauma and Its wake (pp. 173-215). New York: Brunner Mazel.

Research on the aims and purposes of counselling

Research on the aims and purposes of counselling Counselling is an interactive learning process contracted between the counsellor and the client. The overall aim is to provide the client with the opportunity to work in self defined ways, towards living in more satisfying and resourceful ways as individuals and as members of the broader society [Hough 1998]. Clients need to feel safe and secure for them to explore and develop an insight to their issues and concerns. For the clients to explore and resolve their issues with the counsellor a strong therapeutic alliance based on trust, empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard needs to be established. The counselling environment needs to be comfortable and well suited to a range of client types so that the client can feel safe. Making a therapeutic contract, setting goals and targets, discussing confidentiality issues can help the client feel safe. This essay will discuss the aims purposes of counselling in some detail, followed by the importance and benefits of a safe counselling environment for the client in his or her exploration. Some limitations of the counsellor will be discussed and finally, referral issues will be considered. The European Association for counselling [in Hough 1998] defines counselling and its aims and purposes in the following way: Counselling is an interactive learning process contracted between the counsellor and the client, be they individuals, families, groups or institutions, which approach in a holistic way, social, cultural economic and / or emotional issues. Counselling may be concerned with addressing and resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, improving relationships, developmental issues, promoting and developing personal awareness, working with feelings, thoughts, perceptions and internal or external conflict. The overall aim is to provide clients with the opportunities to work in self defined ways, towards living in more satisfying and resourceful ways as individuals and as members of the broader society Further detailed aims and purposes of counselling as defined by McLeod [2003] are: Insight, relating with others, self awareness, self acceptance, self actualization, enlightenment, problem solving, psychological education, acquisition of social skills, cognitive and systematic change, empowerment, restitution, Generativity and social action. Insight refers the acquisition of an understanding of the origins and development of emotional difficulties, leading to an increased capacity to take rational control over feelings and actions. Relating with others means becoming better able to form and maintain meaningful and satisfying relationships with other people: for example, within the family or workplace. Self-awareness allows a person to be more aware of thoughts and feelings that had been blocked off or denied, or developing a more accurate sense of how self is perceived by others. Self-acceptance is important for the development of a positive attitude towards self, marked by an ability to acknowledge areas of experience that had been the subject of self-criticism and rejection. Self-actualization or individuation, a core impetus of the person centred theory allows the client to move in the direction of fulfilling potential or achieving an integration of previously conflicting parts of self Enlightenment is helpful in assi sting the client to arrive at a higher state of spiritual awakening. Problem-solving implies finding a solution to a specific problem that the client had not been able to resolve alone. Psychological education will enable the client to acquire ideas and techniques with which to understand and control behaviour. Acquiring social skills is related to learning and mastering social and interpersonal skills such as maintenance of eye contact, turn-taking in conversations, assertiveness or anger control. Cognitive change is also one of the aims of counselling. Cognitive change refers to the modification or replacement of irrational beliefs or maladaptive thought patterns associated with self-destructive behaviour and Behaviour change which is the modification or replacement of maladaptive or self destructive patterns of behaviour [McLeod 2003]. Person centred counselling focuses on the client. In person centred counselling, the counsellor does not direct or in any way manipulate the couns elling it is all about empowering the client to find and choose the best way forward Creating a warm and safe physical environment is an essential stepping-stone to building a strong therapeutic alliance. Paying attention to meeting, greeting and seating are all helpful in helping the client to feel safe. For counselling to be effective, the counsellor needs to work at building a relationship. This is very important especially in the early stages when the client may be feeling vulnerable and insecure, and bearing in mind that it is usual for the client to meet the counsellor on unfamiliar territory for example the counsellors consulting room. Striving to keep the room neutral, in other words free from personal belongings such as books, ornaments and family photographs, is a positive step that counsellors can take to reduce the equality gap [Sutton Stewart 2002]. Sutton Stewart [2002] writes that barriers such as desks should also be avoided, and chairs should be uniform and placed approximately three to four feet apart and slightly at an angle. Being in direct eye contact with the counsellor can leave some clients feeling very uncomfortable or embarrassed. Sutton Stewart [2002] mentions other details of the room for example, a small clock needs to be positioned where the counsellor can glance at it, and attention should be paid to the lighting, and room temperature. A box of tissues placed where the client can easily reach them is a must, and a vase of fresh flowers or a potted plant can add a touch of warmth and colour to the setting, and reflect something of your personality. With the clients permission, the counsellor may tape the sessions and this should be set up ready to use. However, it should be pointed out that emotional barriers are far more potent that physical ones. Even if all the physical surroundings are perfect, the client still might not feel at ease if the counsellor and client are not in rapport. Sutton Stewart [2002] argue that addressing clients by their first name can go a long way towards helping them feel comfortable and accepted. Introducing yourself by your first name can help to break down the barriers of inequality. However, do not assume that because you are feel comfortable being on first name terms that all people are. Ask the client how they want you to address them. The counsellors opening sentence should be empathic and your posture should demonstrate to the client that you are ready to listen: Some clients who seek counselling have been badly let down, hurt or abused by other people, and trust may therefore be a major issue. Trust is something that has to be earned by the counsellor and it can be hard work. However, developing the skills of active listening; accurate, sensitive responding; reflecting feelings; empathy; genuineness; and demonstrating that you are fully present for the client can help to establish a solid foundation of trust. Indeed, the more t he counsellor invests in the relationship, the stronger the trust and bond grows between client and counsellor. Trusting the counsellor will help the client feel safe and will aid him or her in self exploration and insight. Establishing clear boundaries [the ground rules for counselling] is another important stepping stone to building the therapeutic alliance and helping the client feel safe. Boundaries may include agreement over such things such as the duration of counselling, length of counselling sessions, limits of confidentiality, appropriate touching, number and duration of phone calls, sending and responding to emails, or strategies for managing episodes of self-harm or suicidal thoughts. The terms on which counselling is being offered should be made clear to clients before counselling commences; These may be agreed verbally, or they may be set out in a formal written contract between counsellor and client, and signed by both parties. Subsequent revision of these terms should be agreed in advance of any change. Clear contracting enhances, and shows respect for, the clients autonomy [Sutton Stewart 2002]. A contract helps to ensure the professional nature of the relationship and may, in addition to the ground rules already mentioned, include: Venue, fees, frequency of sessions, how counselling will be evaluated, process of referral, if and when necessary, broad details of the counselling relationship, duties and responsibilities of each party, details of the counsellors supervision, goals of counselling, means by which the goals will be achieved, the provision and completion of homework, the setting of boundaries and expectations, the terms of the therapeutic relationship, provision for renegotiation of contract [Sutton Stewart 2002]. It is important to end sessions on time. This helps the client feel safe. When a session is nearing an end, it can be helpful to say something like: We have about 10 minutes left of this session. Perhaps it would be helpful to summarise what we have talked about today. It can often prove beneficial to let your client summarise what has been discussed during the session. Something like, What will you take away with you from today? helps the client to summarise. Your closing sentences need to be clear, and should indicate that its time to end the session [Sutton Stewart 2002]. Just as a safe environment is important for the client to explore and share his or her issues, a strong therapeutic relationship based on trust, empathy and unconditional positive regard is as important. The counsellor must unconditionally accept the clients as whom they are in order for a trusting relationship to establish. Empathy and understanding is shown through careful listening. Egan [1986] explains the importance of empathic listening and says that a helper cannot communicate an understanding of a clients world without getting in touch with that world through empathetic listening. Therefore empathy centres on the kind of attending, observing and listening. Rogers defines empathic listening in the following way: It means entering the private perceptual world of the other and becoming thoroughly at home in it. It involves being sensitive, moment by moment, to the changing felt meanings which flow in this other person, to the fear or rage or tenderness or confusion or whatever he or she is experiencing. It means temporarily living in the others life moving about in it delicately without making judgments [Rogers p142 in Egan 1986 p88]. Limitations to the counsellor Counsellors face limitations in their profession as well as during the therapeutic process. Sometimes, the practitioner may feel a strong urge to help the person, by listening to their story and perhaps trying to help them to come to terms with what has happened. This is a very caring response, but there are times when it may not represent the best course of action. If a person has been assaulted in childhood, the resulting sense of lack of trust, and perhaps self-hatred, may permeate many aspects of the persons life. Talking through all of that may take a long time, may involve strong emotions, and requires a great deal of persistence and consistency on the part of the counsellor. Any practitioner faced with such a situation needs to consider whether they are capable, in terms of the time they can give, and their confidence and competence as a counsellor, to accompany their client on such a journey. Starting on such a journey, and then pulling back, clearly has the potential for hur t. At the same time, ignoring what the client has said about their abuse, for fear of getting in over my head also has the potential for hurt or harm [McLeod 2007]. Another set of issues around counsellor competence arises from what might be described as temporary impairment. For example, a counsellor who has recently experienced the loss of a close family member is unlikely to be much help to someone with a bereavement issue. A counsellor who is burnt out, stressed or tired is unlikely to be in a good position to offer ongoing help to someone. Being aware of ones limits as a counsellor is very important in these regards [McLeod 2007]. Counsellor competence, ability and experience are clearly some main limitations. A counsellor will be trained and experienced in psychodynamic or couple counselling but may not be able to help with a client suffering from recurrent depression or any other psychological problem, which is why counsellors need to have a list of contact to refer the clien ts should they need to. Referral issues There are specialist agencies working in the areas of mental health, marital distress, eating disorders, sexual abuse, and many others. If the counsellor cannot help a particular individual, he may refer them on. There may be various reasons for referring on. It may emerge that someones problem would be better addressed through couple counselling or in group therapy. It may become very clear that the client wants a particular kind of therapy. The counsellor may think of a colleague whose experience and/or orientation closely matches the needs of the client. The counsellor may feel that a counsellor of the opposite sex, or someone older, or someone who can speak another language may be more appropriate for the client. For example, the client may have clear signs of an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the counsellor may realize that medication and behaviour therapy may be appropriate for the client than psychodynamic counselling. A woman client may tell the counsellor that she is being beaten by her husband and the counsellor may suggest that she seeks a refuge. Since some people perceive counselling as a kind of befriending; the counsellor may have to refer this kind of person on to a befriending scheme. Some people, on the other hand, may be afraid of doctors and believe that counselling is what they need. The counsellor may have to encourage t hem gently to see a doctor [perhaps helping them to explore their fears but without trying to substitute for medical attention]. A client may not be able to afford services for very long and the counsellor may not offer a free counselling service [Dryden 2006]. In all of the mentioned circumstances, the client may be referred to an appropriate agency Being willing and able to refer individuals to other sources of help is an essential competence for any practitioner who is offering counselling. McLeod [2007] mentions some reasons why referral would be important the client may be referred if he or she needs more time than the counsellor is able to give or more frequent meetings; is primarily looking for practical information and advice, rather than an opportunity to talk things through; describes problems in living that the counsellor believes are beyond his or her capacity to work with; might gain a lot from making use of a specialist agency where there are practitioners available who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in relation to the type of problem the person has described; is involved in a prior relationship with the counsellor that would be incompatible with the creation of a secure and confidential counselling space [McLeod 2007]. When the counsellor is aware of his or her own particular strong feelings in the counselling situation, this may indicate feelings that the client has difficulty recognizing or dealing with, or the feelings may belong to the counsellor. The counsellor may need to work through his or her own issues and may need to refer the client on. Another reason why the client may be referred is because of avoiding dual roles and relationships. Dual relationships occur when counsellors assume two [or more] relationships simultaneously or sequentially with a client. Dual relations can be exploitative and do serious harm both to the client and to the professional. For example, becoming emotionally or sexually involved with a current client is unethical, unprofessional, and illegal. Forming dual roles and relationship is harmful as there is a potential for misusing power, exploiting the client and impairing objectivity. Therefore if the practising counsellor is in another relationship with the client, the counsellor will refer the client to another counsellor [Corey G 2009] McLeod [2007] also mentions the important aspects of referral. The key steps in the referral process, for a counsellor, are: [1] knowing what alternative resources are available; [2] engaging the person in a discussion around the possibility of seeing someone else; and [3] making the referral and managing the passing over stage. This essay has attempted to discuss some important issues in counselling and psychotherapy. The aims and purposes of counselling have been discussed including empathetic listening and its importance. The counselling environment must be safe for the client to feel comfortable in exploring and reflecting on his or her personal issues. Not only physical safety is important, psychological and emotional safety is also very important. For example, the counsellor must strive to develop a therapeutic relationship with the client based on trust, empathy, warmth and support conveying the core conditions. Limitations to the counsellor or indeed to its process is related to counsellor competence, how much is the counsellor is experienced, emotionally and educationally, to help and assist the client is a major issue. If circumstances occur when the counsellor is not competent, or the type of psychotherapy the counsellor is offering is not suited for the client the counsellor needs to refer the cl ient to an appropriate agency.

Fire on the Home Front - The Possessive :: Possessive Essays

Fire on the Home Front - The Possessive  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   General Douglas Macarthur said that "the best time to meet the threat [of war] is in the beginning. It is easier to put out a fire in the beginning when it is small than after it has become a roaring blaze" (qtd. in Urofsky, part 9). The mother in Sharon Olds' "The Possessive" undoubtedly feels the same way. War is a terrible time between two or more nations that fight to part from each other or for some other reason; nations fight over property rights and independence. In "The Possessive," Olds uses powerful images of war, such as helmets, blades, and fires to show how her daughter is similar to a warring country that has pulled away from her.    Sharon Olds states "In her bright helmet / she looks at me as if across a great distance" (Olds, 506). The helmet exemplifies the imagery that Olds uses to show the warlike tone in her poem. In modern day wars people see pictures of Cruise missiles and Stealth Bombers on CNN. However, when asked what they envision when they think about war, some will talk about guns, knives, helmets, and fires. As Olds talks about her daughter, she realizes that there is an impending battle yet to come. This battle, too, will be about possession. When her daughter sits in the barber's chair, Olds realizes that her daughter will soon reach her teens. The teenage years are a time when parents battle over cars, boys, and other rights with there children. The children and parents will fight over haircutting rights. As Olds reports, her daughter "has been to the barber, that knife grinder, / and had the edge of her hair sharpened" (506). Knife grinding and sharp objects are another image of war. Soldiers must be sure that their instruments are perfectly sharp if they want to win the war. The first time Olds things about the upcoming battle occurs during the warlike image of the haircut. These first warlike images set the tone of the rest of the piece.    The most vivid and important warlike image that Olds uses in "The Possessive" is the image of fire. The fire imagery appears more than once in the piece. Olds writes that "Distant fires can be / glimpsed in the resin light of her eyes" (506).

The Awakening :: essays research papers

In The Awakening Kate Chopin uses several symbols and motifs to reveal greater themes throughout the book. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, goes through a series of â€Å"awakenings† in which she discovers her independence and longing for a life which is less conformed. Yet Edna ultimately finds that independence and solitude come hand in hand, and that the expectations of women in the 1800’s conflict with her desire to be an individual. Several events and characters influence Edna’s awakening such as Robert Lebrun, Adele Ratignolle and even her several visits to Grand Isle. Yet there is one character who seems to be the most influential in Edna’s development and that is Mademoiselle Reisz.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mademoiselle Reisz is an unconventional and somewhat unpopular older woman but also an excellent pianist. She is unmarried, childless, and homely, devoting all her time to her music. Even her living style reveals her character; an apartment above everyone else, with a view, but often disagreeable and cold. Mademoiselle Reisz serves as a muse for Edna representing independence and freedom, and she is thus also a foil for Adele who represents everything an acceptable woman would have been in the nineteenth century. Even though neither Edna nor Mademoiselle Reisz can really claim to have been very fond of each other, Edna seeks her companionship as she begins to pursue her independence and is attracted to Mademoiselle because of her blunt manner. Mademoiselle Reisz is the only character who knows of Edna’s feelings for Robert and therefore serves as an important link between the two characters. Mademoiselle Reisz also realizes that Edna is the only guest who s eems really touched by her music, made obvious in a passage in which Edna first hears her play â€Å"Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth... she saw no pictures of solitude, of hope, of longing, or of despair† (chap.9 pg. 33). In this light Mademoiselle Reisz serves as a true confidant for Edna and these details bring these two contrasting personalities together.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Edna becomes increasingly aware of her sexuality and need to be independent she realizes that Mademoiselle Reisz is the epitome of artistry and female independence, one who lives in eccentric isolation. Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna that she must be brave is she wishes to be an artist, that artists must have a courageous and defiant soul, â€Å"Courageous, ma foi! The brave soul.