Prejudice and Discrimination Essay

What is social psychology? Social psychology is defined as the scientific study of how a person’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human beings. As we look back over the past few years, we see that some form of prejudice and discrimination still exist today in society. I want to elaborate on and define the types of prejudices and how people discriminate, how they are learned, and how to overcome prejudice. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived judgment or opinion that is usually based on limited information about a group or groups of people. Some people would commonly agree that prejudice is stereotyping. Discrimination is prejudicial attitudes that cause members of a particular social group to be treated differently than others in situations that call for equal treatment. There are many kinds of prejudices or attitudes, but discrimination is a result of prejudice. Several ways in which people are discriminated upon include age, race, and sex. People are often prejudice toward those form different ethnic groups, those form different religions, those from different economic levels, those who are overweight, and those who are too thin. Prejudice vary in two different types of groups called the in-groups and the out-groups or the â€Å"us† versus â€Å"them†. These groups are formed early in childhood. The in-groups are considered to be the particular person for whom they are identified with and the out-group is to be considered everyone else. Soon after the in-groups are established, the prejudice and discriminatory treatment of the out-group or groups soon follow. Then the out-groups are stereotyped based on the color of their skin or color of their hair and can be difficult. There are many laws that are in place to minimize or control the discriminatory behavior, but there is no law against having a certain attitude. The realistic conflict theory in prejudice is the increase of prejudice and discrimination by a degree of conflict between in-groups and the out-groups over limited resource, such as land or a job. A current example not related to land but religion would be, according to, â€Å"Neal Broverman, of The Advocate, Virginia’s lower house passed that would allow student groups at public universities to deny members because they conflict with the groups’ religious beliefs. This bill would prohibit discriminating against a student organization or group on the basis of the religious, political, philosophical or other content of the organization or group’s speech. † The bill also allows religious or political student organizations to determine who will not be allowed in their membership â€Å"in furtherance of the organization’s religious or political mission. â€Å"

Dai Sijie’s book ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’ Essay

In Dai Sijie’s book, ‘Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress’, the two main characters are brought together to experience the hardships of re-education but even then they manage to stay ‘hopeful’. Dai Sijie focuses on the survival and the power of human spirit and imagination to endure of Luo and the narrator, Ma. The boys stay ‘hopeful’ by finding solutions to their problems during the re-education. Luo feels physically tired and so turns back the hands of the clock to get some extra sleep so he can get through the day. The Little Chinese Seamstress tries and cures Luo of his disease even though she doesn’t have the proper medical equipment. Four-Eyes on the other hand continues to try and impress the peasants by risking the chance of getting caught with all the banned books by leaving his door open just to display his trust in the peasants and by hiding away meat and pretending that he doesn’t eat meat to please them. The boys can be viewed as ‘hopeful’ in the ways in which they adapt to and find solutions to the hardships of re-education such as manipulating the start of the working day with the alarm clock. The boys confess a few days after getting to the mountain and carrying the buckets of shit up and down the mountain, ‘in the end we had changed the position of the hands so many times we had no idea what the time really was.’ The boys take advantage of the peasants’ ignorance of technology to cheat the village of their labor. But they are only doing this because of the harshness of re-education that led them to be this physically drained out. They were being forced to turn into cheaters but for them this wasn’t deceiving, it was merely how they believed they could bring their bodies back to normal and start adapting to the change. By saying losing track of ‘what the time really was’, Dai Sijie also symbolizes their fear of never returning to their families and leading their old lives. Besides Luo finding a solution to the hard working conditions during the re-education, the Little Chinese Seamstress found a solution to curing Luo’s malaria and stayed ‘hopeful’. Although during the time of the re-education, there were no proper medical care and due to that Luo may have suffered from malaria for a long time. On the way to the Little Chinese Seamstress’s house for the oral cinema in her town, another attack struck Luo and when they arrived at, Luo looked really sick so the Little Chinese Seamstress used a natural medicine on him and hoped that it worked. She didn’t panic and act irrationally. The remedy that used was a natural paste made of the leaves of a plant called ‘Broken-bowl-shards.’ This shows that the Seamstress believes in nature and tries her luck wherever she can. She says ‘In my opinion you can’t believe in them totally, but you can’t deny them either.’ This just proves that whethe r or not the results are going to be as desired, it is definitely worth a shot. Four-Eyes is a representation of a character who would do anything to escape re-education and his continuous tries are what make him seem ‘hopeful’ that one day he will succeed. Ever since he has been living on the mountain, he doesn’t lock the doors of his house. When the readers first hear from him about this he claims that he is ‘so anxious to demonstrate his trust in the revolutionary peasants that he never used to lock his doors.’ This just proves how desperate he is for their trust. He leaves his door unlocked even though he has a hidden suitcase of books that if found, can get him into serious troubles but he is willing to take that risk. He is also abstaining from meat. ‘He would spring to his feet, quickly hide the pan in a corner as if it were contraband, and put out a dish of marinated vegetables.’ This not only portrays his fear, but the use of the word ‘contraband’ by Dai Sijie is interesting as it brings up other suggestions. Contrabands are illegally smuggled goods and the comparison between the meat and the contraband shows how scared Four-Eyes is. To Four-Eyes, ‘eating meat struck him a crime typical of the bourgeois class to which his family belonged’ so he decided to sacrifice eating meat. Four-Eyes stops at nothing to gain his pleasures. This single-mindedness in the face of adversity (when he breaks his glasses and the boys find him trying to carry the rice sacks alone) could be viewed as a form of hopefulness. To conclude, I have to say that the boys need to be credited for having dealt with their situations so optimistically. They only had a ‘three in a thousand chance’ of returning home but even then they have stayed ‘hopeful’ through the novel and took things as they came their way. I believe that the characters’ main way of staying ‘hopeful’ is by finding solutions to the problems and hardships of their life currently during the re-education at the Phoenix Mountain. What the two boys have taken from this experience definitely has been the ability to be independent and solve situations they are faced with and most importantly learnt that success can be achieved by staying ‘hopeful’. Also the books and their passion for literature has indeed played a part in this as the books is what has kept them going for this long and they work so hard all day only knowing that later at night they have the book to go back to and relax. Their hope to keep them going through the day is the thought of knowing that this means they can go home to reading. Four-Eyes on the other hand has this obsessive pursuit of freedom and his hope is what is keeping that driving force in him going but in this battle, he has lost his temper and feels agitated as his results are not coming out positive.

An Analysis of Araby in James Joyces Dubliners :: Joyce Dubliners Araby Essays

There are many statements in the story "Araby" that are both surprising and puzzling.   The statement that perhaps gives us the most insight into the narrator's thoughts and feelings is found at the end of the story.   "Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger. (32)"   By breaking this statement into small pieces and key words, we can see it as a summation of the story's major themes.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At this point in the story, many emotions are swirling about in the narrator's head.   His trip to the bazaar has been largely unsuccessful.   He was late arriving, was unable to find a gift for Mangan's sister, felt scorned by the merchants, and suddenly found himself in a dark room.   These surroundings left him feeling both derided, and with a sense that this eagerly anticipated trip had been in vain.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many other situations caused him to feel driven and derided by vanity.   His reflections of the "charitable" life of the priest who occupied the narrator's house before the narrator make us wonder if the priest led a life of vanity.   His early obsession with Mangan's sister now seems in vain.   "I had never spoken to her ... and yet her name was like a summons to my foolish blood. (4)"   He feels ashamed and ridiculed by his earlier inability to communicate with Mangan's sister.   He sees how distracted he was by his anticipation of the bazaar.   He recalls that he " had hardly any patience with the serious work of life. (12)"   The narrator is embarrassed by the time he had wasted, and the ease with which he became distracted.   The near total worthlessness of the bazaar at the time the narrator arrives is an extreme example of vanity.   Not only does the narrator feel ridiculed by the vanity involved in this situation, he also feels driven by it.   The simple conversation he carries on with Mangan's sister regarding the bazaar drives him to direct all his thoughts toward the glory that will be the bazaar.   A sort of irony can be found in the fact that something that he devoted all his "waking and sleeping thoughts"

The Yom Kippur War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Yom Kippur War - Essay Example The decision of Israel was to be handed over by the U.S, government to the Arab states. The U.S. was informed about the decision but not to hand it over to the Arabs. There was no evidence of receipt neither Egypt nor Syria, who in fact never received the offer. It was kept closely guarded within the government of Israel, which was withdrawn in October 1967. Like anyone who lost a property, Egypt and Syria craved to regain the land they lost during the Six-Day War. Nevertheless, a summit issued the â€Å"three no’s† resolving there will be â€Å"NO peace, NO recognition and NO negotiation with Israel.† This is the Khartoum Arab Summit. (2) Convincing allies and non-allies to join you in war is not an easy thing to do not to mention the consequences these entail. The Iraqis turned down the idea of joining the preliminary attack. Syria had a tensed relationship with Iraq, so getting Iraq’s aid was unsuccessful. Lebanon was not expected to join the war since they share a border with Israel, not to mention the small army they had. (3) But nevertheless, Sadat did not lose hopes in getting aid from other countries. A few months before the war, Sadat was engaged in a tactful, diplomatic, and suave offensive to try to win support for war. He claimed the support of more than a hundred states. These countries were mostly of the Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement, and Organization of African Unity. He also got the support of Europe and for the first time, Britain and France sided with the Arabs against Israel on the UN Security Council. II. Pre-Event Actions The suave offensive of Sadat, which won the aid of other countries, materialized. Long before the war broke out, the Iraqis transferred a squadron of hunter jets to Egypt. A division of 18,000 men and hundreds of tanks were deployed in the central Golan. Their MiGs began operating on the third day of the war. (4) Kuwait and Saudi Arabia committed their men to battle aside from serving as financial underwriters. A brigade from Saudi of approximately 3000 troops was sent off to Syria where it engaged in fighting to Damascus. Libya sent Egypt a number of Mirage fighters and from 1971-1973, President Muammar Qadaffi gave Cairo more than $1 billion to support their thirst for regaining Egypt and for payment to the weapons delivered by the Soviets. (5) Support came so overwhelmingly. North African countries responded to the thirst of Egypt. Soviet commanded an aid for the frontline states. An armored brigade and 150 tanks were sent by Algeria together with three aircraft squadrons of bombers and fighters. Almost 2000 Tunisian soldiers were deployed along the Nile Delta, 3500 troops from Sudan in southern Egypt and 3 brigades to the front lines from Morocco including 2500 men to Syria. III. The Event On the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, October 6, 1973, Egypt and Syria opened a coordinated surprise attack against Israel, which was named "The Yom Kippur War." The warships at par with those of NATO's in Europe were mobilized on the borders of Israel. Israel with approximately 180 tanks surprisingly faced an onslaught of 1400 tanks from Syria and their almost 500 defenders were attacked by 80,000 Egyptians. (6) The Israeli Intelligence, known as one of the most aggressive and successful intelligence networks in history seemed to fail this time. The Arabs had more time in planning the war against Israel. They incorporated a fine use of deception and disinformation to disguise their furiously deadly intent. On the other hand, Israel had been

Compare and contrast the roles of memory and remembering in Arendt and Essay

Compare and contrast the roles of memory and remembering in Arendt and Nietzsche - Essay Example Her position towards the unsettled nature of power grounded on the commemorations suggests the requirement to be careful in mining her thoughts for potential property to adduce to the philosophical problem of the foundations. However, considering the memory as a vigorous capacity, as per the analysis of Arendt where it indicates that we should, advocates that we might prolifically view rationalization in comparable terms. To begin with, Arendt’s description of the link between the reminiscence of a collective chronological narrative and action bears an affinity that is descriptively intriguing to Nietzsche’s story of the course that moral and norm values take after their first creation. Both highlights that the original act is creatively essential, and frame this aptitude to form as one of the vital humanity capacities. They deviate, of course, in their evaluation of the impact that the remembrance of the resourceful act has on the later generations: Nietzsche observes the seamless morality naturalization as one of the main obstacles to moving beyond the prevailing norms whereas Arendt views memory as the political power gatekeeper. In considering the philosophical foundations problem, however, it is their parallel appreciation of the value of creation and action that matters. This means that the foundational normative claims authority comes, not from their essential correctness, but slightly from the actuality that in understanding that the origin of those claims lies in a human ability to bring forth new beginnings, the memory of those claims might encourage future action and more political freedom active exercise. If, following Arendt, theorists accept a justification of initial normative claims grounded in the ability of the claimant to advance a unique set of claims, it would be wise to borrow other aspects of Arendt’s theory of authority and foundation, as well. Chiefly, her belief that action, freedom, and politics itself require pub licity also applies to the advance of initial normative claims. The same emphasis on the plurality that is necessary for political life allows Arendt to redirect her revolution study away from violence. In addition, it claims instead that the defining feature of successful revolution is â€Å"the interconnected principle of mutual promise and common deliberation.† A process of public justification applied to normative claims, complemented by the memory of the initial discovery of that claim, would meet two needs. First, it would fulfill a requirement implicit in the search for more solid foundations: the requirement that we be able to enact a theory upon that foundation that carries weight in a practical context. Second, and crucially when taking a contextual view of political norms, by subjecting foundational claims to the scrutiny that the memory of their active creation yields, we encourage theorists to dynamically maintain coherence between their foundational claims and t he world they seek to describe and affect. The theoretical limitation on foundational claims that accompanies this view of justification introduces a much higher level of fallibilism and contingency than the old met narratives allowed. Foundational claims supported through an ongoing process of justification relinquish any claim to objective truth or universal applicability. Thus, the

History and development of international law Essay

History and development of international law - Essay Example Despite existence of the political, global and territorial differences the whole world is considered as a global village and such concept mainly enhances the idea of universal brotherhood. At the same time in the context of trade, cultural intercourse, the idea of globalization plays a major part. In this context it needs mentioning that no matter how much the globalization aspect seems positive and flawless but at the same time it includes several lacunas. In this global society also the superior nations are finding an opportunity to show their aggression, to inflict oppressive approaches towards the other nations, their people and their economy. The rate of crime has also increased to a great extent and most of the criminal, after committing the criminal deeds flee to other nations to seek shelter. As administrative system of a particular nation does not have the power to exercise the hold over other jurisdictions, the fear of being caught is reduced to a great extent for those cri minals. At the same time economic aggression is also taking a brutal shape. According to modern international treaties in the post World War II situation it has not been possible for the nations to exaggerate the power of politics to express their imperialistic mentality. Thus, those nations have adopted the procedure of economic aggression through which a superior nation can enjoy economic hold over the other nation through trade relationship. Thus, the importance has also been realized by legal scholars that there must be some kind of restraints that prevent one nation to become havoc over the other. These are some of the typical situation; rather problems at the international level that generated the emergence of this new discipline of legal jurisdiction: International Law. Legal and scholars of jurisprudence have attempted to provide definition of the International Law in different

Research about the realtionship between Mausoleum of the First Qin Paper

About the realtionship between Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Great Wall - Research Paper Example Other than the Burial Army, the Great Wall is another miracle initiated by the Qin Emperor. All those heavy constructions required thousands and hundreds of people sacrificing their lives to finish this masterpiece. The Emperor of Qin has always emphasized on his wealth and kingdom, so not only is the burial army represented as his guard of his kingdom afterlife but also the Great Wall, which supposed to prevent the Xiongnu from invading China. Especially since Chinese emphasized so much on their afterlife. We can see the Emperor of Qin has great plans for his afterlife or death for both of these constructions started building since he first became the King and was young (O'Connor 13). In this essay, I am going to investigate the relation between the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of Qin and the Great Wall and the importance of the army to the Emperor by going into details of the inside of the tomb. The Relationship between Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the Great Wall After he got to power, around the 246BC, Emperor Qin’s main aim was to unify the city-states of China into one kingdom. He was indeed successful in his aim to unify China. After the unification of China, he joined the separate walls of china to form the Great Wall of China, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Wall of China was a way of protecting his kingdom. The huge number of life sized terracotta warriors that were found in his mausoleum are believed to be a symbol of his ability to protect the newly unified China even in death the same way he could protect it by building the wall in life (Turnbull 30). The complexity and technicality that were used in the construction of the mausoleum of the first emperor of China is both a wonder and a mystery. From the life sized and uniquely made terracotta armies, bronze chariots and horses, the underground pits to the yet to be discovered tomb. All this shows the advanced technology that the emperor used that beats th e modern day technology. The mausoleum is considered the eighth wonder of the world. The same advanced technology was used in the building of the Great Wall of China. The scientist has tried to find the technological mystery behind it in vain and ended up calling it a wonder (Ferrante-Wallace 83). The mausoleum of the emperor Qin of construction began as soon as he ascended the throne around the year 246BC at the age of 13. He wanted his afterlife to be a replica of his life and wanted to assure it is prepared before he dies. The construction of the Great Wall of China started around the year 220BC. The wall and the mausoleum of the emperor were hence built around the same time, when the emperor was in power, and this could be evidence that the emperor of china is the one who ordered its construction. The Chinese believed in after life and regarded it with great importance. According to them, one would need most if not all of the things that they needed when they are alive in their afterlife, life after death. They really took time preparing for the afterlife and took with them all that they thought they might need in their next life after death. They would hence be buried with their pottery, slaves, horses, livestock, farming equipment, and everything they thought they

Professional international business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Professional international business law - Essay Example Wally Solar Manufacturer hereinafter referred to as â€Å"Principal†; a corporation organized and registered in accordance with the laws of _________, having a registered address at ____________ and herein represented by ___________. Japan Sun Power Ltd., herein after referred to as â€Å"Agent†; a corporation organized and registered under the laws of Japan, having a registered address at ____________ and herein represented by ______________;† There are many ways of arranging the sections of an agreement to make in understandable and coherent. I propose that this agreement will be divided into sections with headings and subtitles for easy references. Statement of Purpose. The draft agreement you provided me has no statement of purpose. This provision is important as it will define the whole document and will guide the reader as what purpose it will serve. This should appear as section 1 in the agreement. Definition of Terms. In an agreement, as well as any other contracts, it is highly desirable to define the terms we use in the provisions thereof. There are words, which may have dual meanings or connotes a deferent interpretation when conjunct with another word or phrase. My recommendation is that we include a definition of terms in the agreement and put it as Section 3. Appointment and Territorial Coverage. A clear provision appointing the Agent and defining the territory upon which the agent shall have authority to operate should be included. This should be included as Section 4. I would like to suggest that provisions for this section should read as follows: The Principal hereby appoints the Agent to serve as its exclusive sales agent and representative in Japan and shall act in accordance with the terms of this agreement. The appointment should limit the coverage of the Agent within the Japanese territory as you already mentioned that the Agent is a small company with no capability of handling transactions outside Japan. Non-Transferability

The Knights of Columbus Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Knights of Columbus - Case Study Example According to the research findings, the Knights of Columbus has over 1200 employees and a revenue turnover of over $1.2 billion.The services provided are insurance and financial services that are aimed at supporting the families that are affected by the death of their loved ones. The organization has over 1.7 million members and over 13000 councils in countries such as the Philippines, Canada, Mexico, Guam the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Cuba, the Poland Dominican Republic amongst other states. The main purpose of its existence is that of instilling practical Catholic discipline on its members so that they can understand the norms and beliefs of the religion. Knights of Columbus also promote Catholic education and charity to its members so that they can learn how to carry out their activities in the future. The core values of this organization are charitable work, Catholicism, and acts of volunteering. For example in the year 2003, over $130 million efforts were contributed and over $ 6 0 million hours were contributed to the church and other projects. They promote the intellectual and social integration to its members through the provision of education, charitable work, social welfare and relief in both the war and the public domain. With time Knights of Columbus was able to venture into the insurance industry whereby they were to offer financial compensation to its members in case a financial loss occurred. According to Anderson, the main mission of the Company is to protect the interests of the Catholic families with life insurance. A service refers to the work done by people on behalf of their customers so that they can derive some benefit from it. The management of the organization issues insurance policies to its customers in form of thousands of dollars who are of ages 18 to 60 years so that they can benefit from the services provided to them within the stipulated period of time. It also ensures that its members do not have financial difficulties when they f ace problems that are related to death or illness. The service interaction refers to the process of identifying a service that can allow a provider to question the principal concerning pertinent information so as to clarify principals' preferences of different kinds of information that can improve on their living standards. These services are provided to the customers so that they can fulfill their needs and desires within a stipulated period of time. The management of Knights of Columbus is expected to compensate the members who incur losses since they contribute on a monthly basis to cover for any uncertainties that occur during their stay in the organization. Service Chain analysis is a strategy that is used by a business organization so that they can have a competitive advantage over their customers.

The Longest River in Asia Essay Example for Free

The Longest River in Asia Essay The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for 6,300 kilometres (3,915 mi) from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world. The Yangtze drains one-fifth of Chinas land area and its river basin is home to one-third of Chinas population. [5] Along with the Yellow River, the Yangtze is the most important river in the history, culture and economy of China. The prosperous Yangtze River Delta generates as much as 20% of Chinas GDP. The river is an important physical and cultural dividing line between North and South China. Chinese living north of the Yangtze speaks varying dialects of Mandarin. Most of the provinces south of the river have native Sinitic languages that are unintelligible to Mandarin-speakers. The Yangtze River flows through a diverse array of ecosystems and is itself habitat to several endemic and endangered species including the Yangtze River dolphin, Chinese alligator, and the Yangtze sturgeon. For thousands of years, man has used the river for water, irrigation, sanitation, transportation, industry, boundary marking and war. The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is the largest hydro-electric power station in the world.[6][7] In recent years, the river has suffered from industrial pollution, agricultural run-off, siltation, and loss of wetland and lakes, which exacerbates seasonal flooding. Some sections of the river are now protected as nature reserves. A stretch of the Yangtze flowing through deep gorges in western Yunnan is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History The Yangtze River is important to the cultural origins of southern China. Human activity was found in the Three Gorges area as far back as 27 thousand years ago, initiating debate over the origin of the Chinese people.[14] In the Spring and Autumn Period, Ba and Shu were located along the western part of the river, covering modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and western Hubei; Chu was located along the central part of river, corresponding to Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, and southern Anhui. Wu and Yue were located along the eastern part of the river, now Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. Although the Yellow River region was richer and more developed at that time, the milder climate and  more peaceful environment made the Yangtze River area more suitable for agriculture. From the Han Dynasty, the region of the Yangtze River became more and more important to Chinas economy. The establishment of irrigation systems (the most famous one is Dujiangyan, northwest of Chengdu, built during the Warring Stat es period) made agriculture very stable and productive. By the Song dynasty, the area along the Yangtze had become among the most wealthiest and developed parts of the country, especially in the lower reaches of the river. Early in the Qing dynasty, the region called Jiangnan (that includes the southern part of Jiangsu, the northern part of Zhejiang, and the southeastern part of Anhui) provided 1/3-1/2 of the nations revenues. The Yangtze has long been the backbone of Chinas inland water transportation system, which remained particularly important for almost two thousand years, until the construction of the national railway network during the 20th century. The Grand Canal connects the lower Yangtze with the major cities of the Jiangnan region south of the river (Wuxi, Suzhou, Hangzhou) and with northern China (all the way to Beijing). The less well known ancient Lingqu Canal, connecting the upper Xiang River with the headwaters of the Guijiang, allowed a direct water connection from the Yangtze Basin to the Pearl River Delta.[15] Historically, the Yangtze became the political boundary between north China and south China several times (see History of China) because of the difficulty of crossing the river. This occurred notably during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Southern Song. Many battles took place along the river, the most famous being the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD during the Three Kingdoms period. Politically, Nanjing was the capital of China several times, although most of the time its territory only covered the southeastern part of China, such as the Wu kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms periods. Only the Ming occupied most parts of China from their capital at Nanjing, though it later moved the capital to Beijing. The ROC capital was located in Nanjing in the periods 1911-1912, 1927–1937, and 1945-1949.

Intercultural communication- individual reflection

Intercultural communication- individual reflection Intercultural Communication- Individual reflection The essay looks at the reflection of the group work exercise. In doing so it looks at firstly what is meant by culture. On the basis of defining culture, it further looks at the communication barriers within intercultural teams when working within groups. Based on some theoretical models, the essay tries to identify the issues that arose during the group work. Some analytical view has been given to these issues based on the theoretical concepts to try and give some recommendations and guidelines for effective intercultural group work. Definitions and Special terms: Culture can be defined in many ways. A historic perspective of culture accentuates on traditions being inherited and amassed over time focus on fleeting down the culture. According to Gibson (2002), culture is not used in the senses of literature, music and art; it is more than in the sense of a shared system of attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviour. The way people greet each other, dress, negotiate and resolve conflict, and even the way visual information is seen and perceived. Moreover Gibson (2002) illustrates the concept of culture by using various models such as iceberg model, onion model and tree model. The iceberg model reflects the tangible expressions of culture and behaviour are above the surface of the water, and the attitudes, beliefs, values and meanings underlie the water. The onion model is a layer of culture, which can be peeled away to reveal underlying basic assumptions. For instance, the out layers are behaviour, products, rituals and symbols, under layers are f undamentals, such as attitudes, beliefs and values. Furthermore, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997) describe this is explicit and implicit level of culture. Gibson (2002) describes, the tree model contrasts visible and hidden culture, with the roots providing an image of the historical origins of culture. Moving between cultures is like transplanting a tree—to be successful, the roots have to be protected, and support will be needed in the new environment. The main difference in conditioned assumptions and preferences which is seen between cultures stems from what Hofstede calls the collective mental programming, which differentiate member of one group from another (1980:21). This process as per many researchers has resulted in cultural values (Kirkman Shapiro, 1997). The Values , stated as a broad capability to prefer certain states of affairs to others (Hofstede, 1980: 19), shows significant influences on individual capabilities (Geletkanycz, 1997; Shackleton and Ali, 1990). In this regard cultural values, assumptions and preferences, build the underlying main structure of culture, whereas methods of activity and behaviours are the cultures only visible manifestation (Schein, 1985). As a result, the values associated within a culture are reflected in the conditioned assumptions and preferences, which helps members during the daily actions. Indeed there may be cultural differences within different countries (Locke, 1995), National cu ltural values are found to vary in a systematic manner more across cultures than within them (Adler, 1997; Hofstede, 1980). Within any group work, communication is vital. Then again within different members of the group from diverse backgrounds the communication tends to be diverse as well. What actually is meant by such intercultural communication? According to Stoner (2009), communication is a verbal statement meant by one person. However, Littlejohe (1992) argues communication to be the transmission of information or symbolic communication such as language, signs, imagers by means of which they are often transmission. Mehrabian (1981) identified, there are three ways of human face of face communication such as body language, voice tonality, and words. Rosengren (2000) describe, communication is a combination of nonverbal, visual and understanding the field of communication. According to Tian (2000), Communication is one of the most important functions to master in order for any business to succeed in todays increasingly competitive markets, particularly for firms doing business internationally. Gudykun st (1994: 129-136) suggests three ways of interpreting other persons behaviour: Perception checking Listening effectively Giving feedback According to Gudykunst (2005), theorizing the communication within culture has had a tremendous progress within last 20 years. Initial attempts of theorizing the subject had been based on the values and assumptions of the cultures, but over the time most theories are supported by the researches. In order to reflect back on the intercultural issues that came up during group work, these have been addressed based around the theoretical models of cultural dimensions developed by researchers and explained within the model definitions in an analytical manner. Collectivism versus individualism: Looking at the cultural dimension of collectivism versus individualism, it can be said that there was a sense of social connectedness (Earley Gibson, 1998) within the team. It can be said that in contrast to individualism, whereby individual team members tend to look after themselves, there is a sense of collectivist efforts towards the team putting their interests towards the group work (Hofstede, 1991). There is a sense of collectivist team effort of finding pleasure in working together like a social group (Chen et al., 1998; Cox et al., 1991; Earley, 1998). Being in a collectivist culture the team members feel closely connected and committed to the project (Boyacigiller Adler, 1991). There is emphasizes on harmony and cooperation within group members (Kim et al., 1994) and reciprocal cooperation of each member to assist in each tasks (Cox et al., 1991). Yet there was a sense of lack of direction by the group leader. For e.g. the leaders authority or instructions were not adhered to which led to many tasks being unaccomplished. The carefree attitude of the group members was evident throughout the project. As mentioned by Hamden-Turner Trompendaars (1993), Hofstede, 1980 and Triandis, 1983, the group members considered themselves as independent self-controlling entities and emphasized their identity as unique, independent individual. There was a more of an individualistic orientation whereby; individuals focussed on personal gain in combination or regardless of others often taking a competitive stance so as to maximize ones own gain, while hurting those of other team members (Pruitt, 1981; Graham, 1986; Graham et al., 1988). Power Distance: The dimension of power distance reflects a cultures acceptance of social inequality. In different words, power distance refers to the limit that those in lower social groups accept as a given the power and status of those in higher groups.In societies where power distance is at higher side,there is mostly a universal acceptance of notion ,that those with higher status deserve the respect they are afforded without any question Unquestioning tends to greater levels of loyalty in organizational context and the taking of actions only after total approval of the superior. In high power distance cultures, policy of centralized decision making is followed rather than exception (Hofstede, 1980), presenting formidable barriers to teams that are highly interdependent (Shane, 1993). Thus, this should not be taken as a surprise that research suggests that members with a high power distance orientation will o seek approval before initiating any action, since they are accountable to having those at the top of the hierarchy make final decisions (Ueno and Sekaran, 1992). Generally, individuals with high power distance orientation are uncomfortable in determining authority and having decision-making powers given to them (Adler, 1997; Hofstede, 1980, 1991). Within the group, team members at times were with a sense of low in power distance and inclined to be more of egalitarian in nature. These group members largely (though not completely) viewed each other as equals. Specifically, members within this cultural dimension interacted vertically within the group work and always seeking for approval and resources from those in power of other teams (Katz and Tushman, 1983). However, it is argued that the method of equality diminishes hierarchical power in organizations and further it encourage acting without full sanction from ones superiors in low power distance cultures. Hence, these members followed agendas of their own and were bypassing the leader (Howell and Higgins, 1991). That said these practices did not preclude those individuals from helping, when needed. Such member were always on wait for those in power but only if the need arose (Howell and Higgins, 1991). Consequently, members low in power distance orientation were more effectiv e in supportive of team actions requiring upward interactions, while members high in power distance were less effective and indeed reluctant to do so. Uncertainty avoidance: Uncertainty avoidance has been defined as the limit to which the members of a culture feel afraid by uncertain or unpredictable situations (Hofstede, 1991: 113). Individuals from high uncertainty avoidance cultures feel uncomfortable dealing with uncertain situations, and therefore look for clarification when theey are in doubt (Hofstede, 1980). Cultures high on uncertainty avoidance prefers for structure and clarification, which results in an increment of formal rules and regulations in those cultures. In contrast, individuals from low uncertainly avoidance cultures tend to prefer a less regulated or strict organizational structure, hence opting to deal with ambiguous situations rather than seek clarification (Hofstede, 1991). In terms of uncertainty avoidance, it can be said the group members were threatened by the unknown situation of a group member leaving the team. In such there was a breakdown of the project events, which led to some low confidence within each members as this member was the group leader and also had strong characteristics. As per Hofstede such situation leads to not only less confidence and less motivation, but also lacks innovative thinking. Thus the uncertainty avoidance led to a resistance in innovation and creativity by the team members. It was this uncertainty avoidance, which led to a threat situation for the whole team. Avoidance/Addressing behaviour Another dimension, which was noticed during the project work, was avoidance / addressing behaviour. The group either denied there was a conflict existing or even acknowledging that a conflict exists. The team members tended to change the subject, when someone tried to discuss thereby involving avoidance behaviour cultural dimension. Avoidance tactics included topic shifting to avoid the specific issue of conflict, avoiding a member altogether, postponing discussion, talking about abstract things rather than the conflict on hand, silence and denying that a problem exists (Canary, Cunningham Cody, 1988). Avoidance behaviour as per Weldon et al., (1996) exists when members do nothing to deal with the situation. As previously mentioned the group had a more of a collectivist approach. Hence research suggests, collectivists are more of avoiding a conflict than individualists who address it more likely (Adler et al., 1992, Barnland, 1975, Cupach, 1982, Graham, 1984, Graham et al., 1987). Recommendations Guidelines: Addressing the above issues, it can be said diverse cultures within a team tend to correspond to basic assumptions preferences and highly influence them to move towards a cultural dimensions addressed above. Let us look at some recommendations based on the theories surrounding these dimensions to provide guidelines for future project. It is important that within a group the collectivist approach seems apt when working towards a project (Trompenaars Hampden-Turner (1997:52). They further add the manager or leader to be seriously affected by individualist approach. It is important to note certain areas of vital importance like negotiation, decision-making and motivation. As a leader there should be incentive based projects. This should relate to the achievement be it in academic terms or in a company project in monetary terms based on performance. Based on the empirical studies, the issue of power distance relates more towards individualism (Bochner Hesketh, 1994; Bond, Wan et al., 1985; Franke, Hofstede et al., 1991). It is this individualistic approach at times, where there should be focus on equality among team members versus hierarchical structure. This is based on the assumption that treating members within a group as equal individuals is the best way to motivate them (Hampden Turner Trompenaars, 1993). Research suggests that interaction with outside constituents enables members to deal with any external threats or opportunities, which might confront them by allowing members to understand the ambiguities within their environment (Ancona Cadwell 1992a; Lyonski et al., 1988). It is the acquisition of information, which reduces the ambiguities and avoids uncertainties. Members should not rely on one team member and should look for support either within themselves or look for outside support from their tutors and avoid ambiguities or uncertainties (Hofstede, 1991). As for avoiding conflict by not addressing it, it is best to move towards a direct behaviour dimension of culture. This should include acknowledging conflict and overt actions in contrast to not acknowledging it (Chua Gudykunst, 1987). 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