Successful Leadership in Management Essay Example for Free

Successful Leadership in Management Essay Successful Leadership in Management = Training Scott Miller Principals of Management Abstract Although leadership and management are two different things, it takes both in order to be a truly good manager. Leadership is described as the process by which an individual exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates, and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals whereas management is described as the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of human and other resources to achieve organizational goals efficiently and effectively (Jones George, 2009). Maslow states that â€Å"To understand and motivate people, you must know human nature. † Human nature is the common qualities of all human beings. People behave according to certain principles of human nature (Mazlow, 1986). Managers, in general, have the ability to do one or the other of these things but a good manager will be able to do both successfully. According to Sam Allman, leadership changes the world and management maintains it (Allman, 2009). Sometimes it is not enough to simply manage to make a company succeed and a person can be a leader but they can fail without proper direction. Training is plays an important part for any manager because the more they learn the better they can do their job. Taking a look at both leadership and management may help to improve a manager’s skills and make them a better all around manager. According to Allman, leadership changes the world and management maintains it. Successful Leadership in Management = Training First, we take a good look at leadership, which is considered a critical management skill. A leader needs to be able to inspire their workers to achieve higher levels of teamwork. There are certain things that a leader must know and be able to do. These things do not always come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills; they do not rest on their laurels. Unfortunately, according to an article by Bill Joiner, only about ten percent of managers have mastered the level of agility needed for consistently effective leadership in today’s world economy. The leadership reference guide that Mr. Joiner uses in his article shows four levels and three types of agility (Joiner, 2009). Although this is only one perspective of leadership, a lot of work and research was done to obtain the results shown. It suggests that there is still much training needed for about ninety percent of managers in the business community today. A good leader will know how to motivate their employees so that they can get the most out of them. Through positive reinforcement such as positive feedback, incentives, bonuses, or even company events a manager can improve employee morale and production greatly (Jones George, 2009). Since leadership is not always a natural thing for managers, it is important for most major companies to train them. Leadership training can be done through seminars, retreats, workshops, or even motivational speakers. Even those who are in the office and never deal with customers need to deal with co-workers or employees. Now we can take a look at the importance of good management. In every large organization, theres a hierarchy of management that keeps the whole operation running smoothly. As with leadership, there are certain things that a manager must know and be able to do. Management is also a skill that can be learned. Many managers learn their trade on the job. They work their way up the corporate ladder. A manager can be good at planning, organizing, and leading effectively but not efficiently or the other way around. Training sessions or going back to school, help the manager improve their skills so that they may do a better job for their company (Jones ; George, 2009). In my opinion, managers should be like children, always curious to learn something new. As the world of business changes the manager does also. One example of bad management was shown by Avon when their stocks plunged in 2006. At the same time we can show good management by the way that Andrea Jung took action to correct the problems and got Avon back on track (Jones ; George, 2009). Although a company can grow to worldwide proportions, there still needs to be strong management team in place to keep things going with all members around the globe focused on the same organizational goals. This case shows that no matter how large a ompany gets, it needs to train all of its managers to follow the same path toward the company’s overall goals or it could collapse. U. S. businesses now have too many leaders who are detached from the messy process of managing (Mintzberg, 2009). There are many ways to be a successful manager but it all starts and ends with training. Leaders may know how to lead but not know how to manage. The same goes for managers. They may now how to ma nage but have no idea how to lead. The key to great management is to find a balance of both skills. Every manager needs to learn to lead their employees properly to achieve the most efficient and effective organizational goals. Managers need to be able to adapt to any situation without alienating anyone or losing sight of the company’s goals. With more and more companies changing the way they do business it will benefit any manager to become a people person. For years, managers went in to work and barked out orders or directions but today they must have more finesse. They need to know how to act and speak with their employees so that they can get the most out of them. It is my opinion that the best way to do this is to keep the employee happy and that managers can improve their ability to empower others by focusing on their own personal development. These things can be accomplished effectively and efficiently through proper training. As Stanford University emeritus professor James G. March put it: Leadership involves plumbing as well as poetry. Instead of distinguishing leaders from managers, we should encourage all managers to be leaders (Mintzberg, 2009). References Jones, G. , ; George, J. 2009). Contemporary Management, SIXTH edition. Magraw-Hill/Irwin, New York, NY 2009. Allman, S. (October 2009). Leadership vs. Management, Retrieved December 11, 2009, from

Underdetermination, Instrumentalism and Realism

Underdetermination, Instrumentalism and Realism Understanding Underdetermination in conjunction with realism and instrumentalism The present essay is about the understanding of under determination thesis in conjunction with the realism and instrumentalism. As we know that realism and instrumentalism are two opposite views in philosophy of science, so by explaining the two it would be much easier to grasp the concept of under determination thesis, which is one of complex doctrine. The intended audiences of this essay are science students and people who are interested to know about the philosophical issues in science. I divide the essay into four of parts. The first part explains the realism and instrumentalism concepts, second part explains the under determination thesis in detail and then the third part will state the views of different philosophers about three schools of thoughts. The fourth and the final part conclude the whole argumentation Realism The word realism in the dictionary means the tendency to view or represent things as they really are. [dic]. In philosophy of science it can be defined as â€Å"the philosophical doctrine that abstract concepts exist independent of their names†. It can be explained as an approach in philosophy that considers objects as they are in the universe as real things and their characteristics as a secondary thing. The advocate of realism are called realist and it is important to differentiate the realists. A person can be realist about the different kinds of things i.e. mountains, physical objects, numbers, universe etc. but in the case of a philosopher, it is required to specify that for what object/thing the philosopher is realist [book]. An American philosopher name Hilary Putnam stated that â€Å"A realist with respect to a given theory holds the following: What makes them true or false is something external that is to say, it is not in general our sense data, actual or potential, or the structure of our minds, or our language, etc. Furthermore he says that the positive argument for realism is that it is the only â€Å"philosophy that does not make the success of science a miracle†. [Book]. Generally, in science established scientific theories are treated as a true fact, but according to realist these theories would be treated as a successful explanation of the whole scientific process or its relation to an object, and not as a whole truth. [Book] An example is that sun, mountains, building etc. exists in this world, but the attributes like length, width, colour etc. are either dependent or independent of the environment. For example the sun is spherical in shape, so it is independent from any material thing of this universe. But in case of a building, its shape and size, all depend upon the person who designed or built it. So it can be said that reality is related to mind and environment. In general, Realism is supposed to be a term that relates to number of subjects i.e. ethics, aesthetics, causation, modality, science, mathematics, semantics etc. When we talk about the realism in the context of science then the intention is to elaborate the scientific realism which has a number of dimensions i.e. metaphysical, epistemological and methodological. Besides this it is also the truth that there is no single version of scientific realism which is being accepted by all the scientific realists. The doctrine of scientific realism states that â€Å" the world studied by science exists and has the properties it does, independently of our beliefs, perceptions, and theorizing; that the aim of science is to describe and explain that world, including those many aspects of it that are not directly observable; that, other things being equal, scientific theories are to be interpreted literally; that to accept a theory is to believe that what it says about the world is true, and that by continually replacing current scientific theories with better ones. Science makes objective progress and its theories get closer to the truth†. Realism has two schools of thought, first one is called Extreme realism, represented by William, a French philosopher; according to him â€Å"universals exist independently of both the human mind and particular things†. The second one is moderate realism and according to which â€Å"universals exist only in the mind of God, as patterns by which He creates particular things†. The main proponent of this view was St. Thomas Aquinas and John of Salisbury. According to epistemological view of realism, things exist in this universe, independent of our understanding or perception. This point is totally opposite to the theory of idealism, which states that â€Å"reality exists only in the mind†. By having a brief explanation of realism, instrumentalism will be discussed, which is the opposite view of realism and most of time called Antirealism. Antirealism is a doctrine that rejects realism, and includes instrumentalism, conventionalism, logical positivism, logical empiricism and constructive empiricism. Instrumentalism Instrumentalism is treated as a doctrine that states â€Å"theories are merely instruments, tools for the prediction and convenient summary of data† [Book]. In other words it can be defined as â€Å"concepts and theories are merely useful instruments whose worth is measured not by whether the concepts and theories are true or false, but by how effective they are in explaining and predicting phenomena†. The point is that in order to make predictions from theories, logic is required, so it can be hard to say theories have no truth values. In view of this instrumentalists admit that theories have truth values, but do not accept this argument that theories should be treated as accurately true. In view of this T.S. Kuhn said that â€Å"Theories may have truth values but their truth of falsity is irrelevant to our understanding of science†. [Book] In other words instrumentalism evaluates the significance of a theory with respect to empirical evidence and did not require the understanding of the actual phenomena. For example Newton gravity model is understandable and working fine, but it has no theoretical foundation [Answer.com] The another aspect of instrumentalism is that it relates closely to pragmatism and this point of view opposes the scientific realism because according to this, theories are more or less true in nature. Moreover, instrumentalism refutes that theories can be evaluated on the basis of truth. Theories will not be perceived as air plane black box which gives output on the basis of observed input. The point is that there should be a clear distinction between theory and observation that further leads to a distinction between terms and statements in each type. Like in science for statement of observation there is a specific meaning for an observable truth, for example if the litmus paper is red, so the observation terms have their meaning fixed by their referring to observable things or properties, e.g. red. Theoretical statements have their meaning fixed by their function within a theory and arent truth evaluable, e.g. the solution is acidic, whereas theoretical terms have their meaning fixed by their systematic function within a theory and dont refer to any observable thing or property, e.g. acidic. Though you may think that acidic refers to a real property in an object, the meaning of the term can only be explained by reference to a theory about acidity, in contrast to red, which is a property you can observe. Statements that mix both T-terms and O-terms are therefore T-statements, since their totality cannot be directly observed†. There is some criticism of this distinction, however, as it confuses non-theoretical with observable, and likewise theoretical with non-observable. For example, the term gene is theoretical (so a T-term) but it can also be observed (so an O-term). Whether a term is theoretical or not is a semantic matter, because it involves the different ways in which the term gets its meaning (from a theory or from an observation). Whether a term is observable or not is an epistemic matter, because it involves how we can come to know about it. Instrumentalists contend that the distinctions are the same, that we can only come to know about something if we can understand its meaning according to truth-evaluable observations. So in the above example, gene is a T-term because, although it is observable, we cannot understand its meaning from observation alone. The explanation of realism and instrumentalism above has provided us the capability to understand the topic with much insight. Now, I switch to under determination thesis. From the above discussion we have the knowledge that instrumentalism is related to pragmatism and this point of view is in contrasts with the scientific realism, which states that theories are often more or less true. Here, I refer to Quine, who said that theories can be underdetermined by all possible observations [23], and Newton Smiths, treat this as a threat to realism. He said, realism in his sense has to be rejected if there can be cases of under determination of theories. Under determination As we know that under determination is a thesis that is â€Å"used in the discussion of theories and their relation to the evidence that is cited to support them†.[1] Arguments from under determination are used to support epistemic relativism by claiming that there is no good way to certify a theory based on any set of evidence. A theory is underdetermined if, given the available evidence, there is a rival theory which is inconsistent with the theory that is at least as consistent with the evidence. Moreover, under determination is treated an epistemological issue about the relation of evidence to conclusions. Historical background The subject gets its first attention by Renà © Descartes, a French philosopher and mathematician in the 17th century. He presented two arguments related to under determination. â€Å"While dreaming, perceived experiences (for example, falling) do not necessarily contain sufficient information to deduce the true situation (being in bed)†.[2] As we know that it is not always possible for a person to separate dreams from reality and the theory that what is real or dream at a certain time is underdetermined. The second argument of Descartess is called demon argument â€Å"which is a variant of the dream argument that posits that all of ones experiences and thoughts might be manipulated by a very powerful being (an evil demon) that always deceives. Once again, so long as the perceived reality appears internally consistent to the limits of ones limited ability to tell, the situation is indistinguishable from reality, one cannot logically determine between correct beliefs from being misled; this is another version of under determination†.[2] The second person who talks about under determination was David Hume, who does not use the word under determination specifically but an argument about the problem of induction. I will discuss the induction later in the essay while explaining the under determination types. The Under determination thesis gets the recognition in the twentieth century through the work of Thomas S. Kuhn, who is a famous theoretical physicist and philosopher. He was very much prominent due to his work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions that offered an alternative to linear models of scientific progress. According to Kuhn the under determination has a place to for argumentation against theories in the philosophy of science, and scientific realism. According to Khun the under determination can be divided into two types the weak and strong under determination. The both could be stated in the following words: Weak underdetermined is that the currently available evidence is not sufficient to prove the argument, but some evidence that will be available in the future might do this. Strong underdetermined is to claim that it is principally impossible to get evidence that could fully resolve the argument between the opponent theories. Besides strong and weak underdetermined theory there are two other attributes called deductive and inductive under determination. The two rival theories could be deductively underdetermined when the available evidence does not completely deny either theory. The theory is inductively underdetermined when theories are compatible with the available evidence, but still tries to determine, which theory could be a better failure A weak under determination can turn to a strong one if it avoids the attainment of future evidence that turns it into deductive under determination. A counter argument is that it is not possible for a theory to be accurately strong and inductive. In general weak under determination arguments are focused on the availability of evidence for an explicit set of theories, and strong under determination mostly entails common epistemological arguments that relates to the type of evidence and its viability for a particular or general theory. Furthermore, it is generally acknowledged that all theories are weakly underdetermined, but in case of some specific purpose all theories are strongly underdetermined. Explaining the types of under determination thesis, Ludan said that â€Å"for any finite body of evidence, there are indefinitely many mutually contrary theories, each of which logically entails the evidence†. So in other words it can be said that deductive under determination is under determination of selecting theory through a logical method. Finally, the term under determination as thesis is associated with two respectable names Pierre Duhem and W.V. Quine in philosophy of science, â€Å"that neither the truth nor the falsity of any scientific theory is determined by evidence†. According to Duhem-Quine Under determination is a â€Å"relation between evidence and theory. More accurately, it is a relation between the propositions that express the (relevant) evidence and the propositions that constitute the theory. Evidence is said to underdetermine theory†. From the above it can be said that evidence is not enough to prove the theory, belief or truth. Moreover, only the availability of evidence is not enough to make the theory a credible one. In view of this we can call the first argument a deductive and the second inductive under determination. Hence, according to under determination thesis, both arguments have required some definite epistemic proposition, and belief in a theory could not be justified on the basis of evidence. For under determination types, Duhem, also said that â€Å"logic alone cannot take us from the falsification of a prediction to a refutation of an isolated hypothesis. Importantly, deductive under determination does not mean that theory choice is underdetermined, nor does it mean that there is more than one reasonable conclusion given certain experimental evidence†. Up until now we have a basic understanding of the under determination thesis, so now I will discuss what realism actually is, the theoretical frame and the origin of the concept. Another argument against scientific realism, deriving from the under determination problem, is not as historically motivated as these others. It claims that observational data can in principle be explained by multiple theories that are mutually incompatible. Realists counter by pointing out that there have been few actual cases of under determination in the history of science. Usually the requirement of explaining the data is so exacting that scientists are lucky to find even one theory that fulfils it. Furthermore, if we take the under determination argument seriously, it implies that we can know about only what we have directly observed. For example, we could not theorize that dinosaurs once lived based on the fossil evidence because other theories (e.g., that the fossils are clever hoaxes) can account for the same data. Realists claim that, in addition to empirical adequacy, there are other criteria for theory choice, such as parsimony. In particular, it must not be confused with what Newton-Smith takes to be a minimal common factor among the wide range of philosophers who in recent years have advocated a realist construal of scientific theories. This common factor consists of the following theses: (1) Scientific theories are either true or false and which a given theory is, it is in virtue of how the world is, (2) If a theory is true, the theoretical terms of the theory denote theoretical entities which are causally responsible for the observable phenomenon whose occurrence is evidence for the theory, (3) We can have warranted beliefs (at least in principle) concerning the truth values of theories, (4) The historically generated sequence of theories of a mature science may well be a sequence of false theories but it is a sequence in which succeeding theories have greater truth-content and less falsity content than their predecessors. We may refer to (1) as the objectivity, (2) as the causality, (3) as the decidability, and (4) as the convergence of scientific theories. Newton-Smith uses the name realism for the combination of these four theses, and he also seems to hold that this is the standard use of the term. It is clear that theoretical realism in the weakest sense entails neither objectivity, nor causality, nor decidability, nor convergence. In particular, some theoretical propositions may be true even if no scientific theory as a whole is either true or false. Moreover, it is doubtful whether realism in Newton-Smiths sense entails theoretical realism. For example, if all theoretical propositions are false, then theoretical realism is false, but realism in Newton-Smiths sense might still be true. In any case, one of Newton-Smiths main theses is that realism in his sense has to be rejected if there can be cases of under determination. In particular, he claims that either objectivity or decidability has to be weakened if under determination can occur to give up decidability is what he calls the ignorance response (to under determination). This involves embracing the possibility of inaccessible facts facts concerning whose obtaining we could have no information. To give up objectivity is what he calls the arrogance response. This amounts to holding that if we cannot know about something there is nothing to know about. 36 Notice, that this holds only for under determination in Newton-Smiths sense, i.e. under determination by all possible data. It does not hold for the other kinds of under determination mentioned above. In other words, it is only when an underdetermined theory is empirically viable that we cannot know that it is true or that it is false (either because it is neither true nor false, or because we cannot know, even in principle, what its truth value is). In general, we cannot have under determination (of any kind) together with empirical viability, objectivity, and decidability. If a theory is underdetermined, we cannot know that it is true. This I accept. At first, it appears that Quine would not accept this. He holds that there may be two best total theories which are empirically viable and incompatible, but that we may know, at least in principle, that one of them is true and the other false. However, it seems that Quine is then using true and false in a non-realistic sense; according to him, to call a statement true is just to reaffirm it. He does not seem to assume that there is some objective reality, the world, such that the truth of a statement consists it its correspondence with this reality. Hence, presumably he would reject the objectivity thesis which is part of realism in Newton Smiths sense. Realism/Anti-realism Given the various epistemological difficulties (under determination, problem of induction, rationality, social forces), and the lack of a consensus on these issues, why should we think that our theories are actually describing reality? The apparently large gap between observational and theoretical knowledge inspires worry about realism Metaphysical difficulties come into play here as well—we do not have good understandings of the nature of laws and causation, explanation, so how can we claim that we are discovering the nature of the universe?

Communication process and the correct message

Communication process and the correct message Introduction Communication is a very day routine communicating that can be whether it is talking to people on the telephone or in person ,talking dictation and transcribing business correspondence , listening with colleagues and staff ,writing letter, faxes, reports and e -mail .It is essential to learn from our communications, from our successes and our failures ,and to develop and enhance our communication skills . Communication involves the sharing of ideas and information. While many people think of communication primarily in oral or written form, communication is in fact so much more. A knowing look or a gentle touch can also communicate a message loud and clear, as can a hard push or an angry slap. So, what is communication -an interaction between two people in which something is exchanged. Thus, communication has two important functions in an organization as it enables people to exchange necessary information, and It helps set members of the organization apart from non-members. Communication may be defined as giving, receiving or exchanging information, opinions or ideas by writing, speech or visual means, so that the message communicated is completely understood by the recipient. Communication is the process of sharing our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with other people and having those ideas, thoughts, and feelings understood by the people we are talking wit. When we communicate we speak, listen, and observe. The process of communication is successful only when the receiver understands an idea as the sender intended. Effective communication is the result of the most accurate exchange of information, full understanding of the message by hoth the parties, and appropriate action taken upon completion of the information exchange. The basis of effective communication, whether. oral or written, is clarity about · the subject matter. Since communication is the act of creating understanding, therefore, the message should be communicated in such a way that it is received as the communicator intended, without any misunderstanding. Effective communication requires a thorough knowledge of the communication process, the environment in which it is taking place and an awareness about the possible barriers that may hinder the flow of communication. Understanding between the communicator and the receiver of the message is also very important. Define Question 1: To answer this question I need to know more details about the communications process. After get the knowledge about the communication process then only I can explain the process that a communication undergoes. For this question I need to draw the communication process. From the figure I will explain the five steps that is involve in the communication process and the function of each steps. Finally, after describe the steps, I need to know the method and process to ensure that the audience has received the right message. I also get to know about the speaker and listener attitude and purposes and channel that can be used to ensure the right message received. Answer for Question 1: Communication Process Sender Message Channel/ Medium Message Audience Encoding Decoding Feedback to sender of possible or appropriate Process of communication and familiarize ourselves with the elements involved in the process. Communication is a five-step process: The sender has an idea, the idea becomes a message, the message is transmitted, the receiver gets the message, the receiver reacts and sends feedback. Misunderstandings can arise at any stage of the communication process and when that happens, the process breaks down. The transmission of the senders ideas to the receiver and the receivers feedback to the sender constitute the communication cycle or process. This process involves five step: Sender has an idea: Conceive an idea and want to share it .The form of the idea may be influenced by the senders mood, frame of reference, background, culture, and physical makeup, as well as the context of the situation . Senders are individuals who react to situations from a unique vantage point, interpreting ideas and filtering experiences through their own perception. The sender encodes an idea or feeling in words or signs that the receiver will recognize and transmits this message to the receiver. Sender encodes the idea in a message: When we put idea into a message that we receiver will understand ,we are encoding. Encoding means converting the idea into words or gestures that will convey meaning is translation or conversion of the idea or intention or message into words or signals so that receiver would reconvert the same as intended by the sender. A major problem in communicating any message verbally is that words have different meanings for different people .Thats why skilled communicators try to choose familiar words with concrete meaning on which both senders and receivers agree. Message travels over a channel: The medium over which the message is transmitted is the channel. Message may be sent by computer, telephone, letter, or memorandum. They may also be sent by means of the report, announcement, picture, spoken word, fax, or other channel. Because both verbal and nonverbal message are carried, senders must choose channels carefully. Anything that disrupts the transmission of the message in the communication process is called noise. Channel noise ranges from static that disrupts a telephone conversation to spelling errors in an e mail message. Such errors damage the credibility of the sender. The channel we choose depend on our message , the location of audience , need for speed and the formality of the situation. Receiver decodes message; The person for whom a message is intended is receiver. Translating the message from its symbol form into meaning involves decoding .Successful communication takes place only when a receiver understands the meaning intended by the sender. Such success is often hard ton achieve because no two people share the same background .Success is further limited because barriers and noise may disrupt the process. Decoding is what the receiver does to reconvert the received words or signals into the idea or intention or message as originally intended by the sender. The problems associated with encoding or decoding are due to the fact that words or signals have multiple meanings and thus there is a possibility of either use of wrong words or wrong signals or understanding them in a way different from what is originally intended. Feedback travels to sender : Feedback can take place immediately or over a long period of time it may be the desired outcome of a series of communication which will take place over several months. Both communication and audience can responds to the feedback. The verbal and nonverbal responses of the receiver create feedback, a vital part of the entire communication process. Feedback helps the sender known that the message was received and understood .Senders can encourage feedback by asking question. Senders can further improve feedback by delivering the message at a time when receiver can respond. The sender would be communicating back to the sender his or her evaluation or how he or she understood about each part of the message or word before the sender goes further in acting on the message. Here in the present example the secretary did not give her feedback about what she understood and thus the intended message failed. The communication process is repeated until both are parties have finished expressing themselves .The process is effective only when each step is successful.. In order to send our message it is clear that we need an understanding of the role of the communicator and audience, and then we can select the appropriate channel of communication .That why communication process is important in our life. How to ensure the intended audience receive the right message? When we send a message, we intend to communicate meaning, but the message itself doesnt contain meaning. The meaning exists in your mind and in the mind of the receiver. To understand one another, the receiver and I must share similar meaning of words, gestures, voice, and other symbols. There a few way to ensure the intended audience receive the right message : Now who is audience An audience is a group. My audience might be my instructor, classmates, t the president of an organization, the staff of a management company, or any other number of possibilities. Communication will also be determined by the status of the audience. It different context each of us has a different status and may represent different market segments. We need to consider audience Audience has separate in many way like initial audience is the first audience to get the message .Sometime this audience tells to write the message. A gatekeeper has the power to stop you message instead of sending it on other audience . The primary audience will decide whether to accept or will act on the basis of the message .The secondary audience may asked to comment on the message or to implement idea after they been approved . Finally watchdog audience , though it does not have the power to stop the message and will not act directly on it .This audience pays close attention to the transaction between the sender and the primary audience and may base future actions on its evaluation of the sender message. Determine intended audience. We wont be able to construct the right message unless you identify the consumers you want to reach. A sharply defined target audience aids the development of a sharply focused and effective message to deliver. We can now from body language .Body language can divide into facial expression , eye contact , posture and stance , physical contact ,and gestures or gesticulation. Facial expressions is one or more motions or positions of the  muscles  of the  face. The subtlety of facial expressions is determined by the types of eye contact we encounter .It is important to look people straight in the eye when talking to them .Looking up ,down, or to the side indicates that they are not worthy of our full attention and therefore lack significance . Posture and stance physical position or bearing while standing .Consider the attitudes that the postures is leaning forward on desk ,perching on edge of seat , fiddling with pens, and paper and biting nails. Physical contact is much more than firm handshake. finally gestures and gesticulation is like shaking head indicates disagreement or collaboration . The same message may be addressed to different audiences using differing language and channels of communication and you will require the feedback to be different for your own internal communication. Keep the Audience focused You can also help your audience by eliminating any information that doesnt directly contribute to your purpose. Many business messages contain too much material. The sender, in hopes of being thorough, tries to explain everything there is to know about a subject, but most audiences dont need everything. All they need are a few pertinent facts, enough information to answer their question or facilitate their decisions. By keeping your messages as brief and as clean as possible, you make them easier to absorb. Message conditions Make sure your messaging is clear. If you are delivering a message that is too vague, it will impact how well any channel delivers it. Especially with multiple channel integrated campaigns, you need a message that is obvious and apparent enough that it comes across to your target audience regardless of the interactive channel where they encounter it. The message can be unclear. If the messenger uses words unknown to the receiver, expressions typical of an area, slang or too many acronyms for example, the receiver might have trouble to decode the message. So the sender need to used simple languages with simple words and can be understand by the receiver. Mind of the messenger The state of mind of the messenger can influence the message. Anger, frustration, joy can all change the way the message will be perceived. The tone used to say a simple sentence can lend tons of meaning, as well as the body language accompanying the words. These play a role at the receiving end of the process as well. If in a bad mood, the receiver might perceive what is being said in a different way than when in a good mood, for example. Channel used It is important to ensure that the sender use an appropriate channel to communicate with a target audience. There are various channel of communicating with a target audience such as face to face , oral , written , and visual. If the wrong channel is used for the content and intent of the message the might get lost. For example, when a supervisor asks one of his employees to come and see him in his office, the message might not be perceived the same . If communicated in person or through a note left on the employees desk. Demonstrating Empathy The audience must be able to decode the intent of the messenger. It is necessary to . Understand the reasons as well as the reasoning behind the message. Empathy is one of the first characteristics of a good receiver. To respond appropriately, the Audience must try and read the messenger. Body language, facial expressions, Voice and intonation are all clues that can be used in decoding the messenger and his true message. Shutting Out the Environment In order to centre his attention on the messenger, the sender must try to shut off the rest of the world and avoid distraction Listen to the conversation taking place at the next table and text a friend. With all the solicitation that the world offers, it might prove to be difficult, but a genuine conversation cannot happen without real involvement. A successful audience will learn to withdraw from it and give deliberate attention to the messenger. Just as one cannot expect to do quality work in a room full of distraction, one cannot expect to have a real conversation surrounded by noise and other stimuli. It might be as simple as retiring to a quiet room or as involved as practicing shutting out outside distractions. One of the greatest sources of communication problem is noise. Make the Messages Meet Conversation occurs when each one of the participants is trying to say something different. Like the messenger, the receiver comes to a conversation with a specific intent. Both intents might meet, contradict or be in conflict with one another. The problems start when the receivers intent is different from the messenger and his messages intent. It is as if there are no receivers, just two messengers trying to get something across to the other. Having a conversation is a two way process. Both participants must come to it with the same openness and availability. The receiver may apply all the rules and tricks possible, but if the messenger is not willing to become in turn a good receiver, the communication process become broken and no real conversation can take place. Communicating, really communicating cannot take place without commitment from both participants. If one of them is not really available, it becomes a bit like talking to a wall, a wall that might provide all the right ans wers at the right time, but that is not really listening. Facilitate Feedback In addition to minimizing noise, giving the audience a chance to provide feedback is crucial. But one thing that makes business communication difficult is the complexity of the feedback loop. If we are talking face-to-face with another person, feedback is immediate and clear. However, if we are writing a letter, memo, or report that will be read by several people, feedback will be delayed and mixed. Some of the readers will be enthusiastic or respond promptly; others will be critical or reluctant to respond, and revising our message to take into account their feedback will be difficult. When we plan a message, think about the amount of feedback that we want to encourage. Feedback is not always easy to get, even when ours encourage it. In some cases we may have to draw out the other person by asking question. If we want to know specific things, ask specific questions, but also encourage our audience to express general reaction, we can often learn something very interesting that way. Conclusion, effective communication and conversation more particularly requires an open mind and an availability that the modern world does not always permit. It is the task of both the messenger and the receiver to create conditions that make real communication possible. This can be done through empathy, availability and an open-mind. the communication process is the perfect guide toward achieving effective communication. When followed properly, the process can usually assure that the senders message will be understood by the receiver. Although the communication process seems simple, it in essence is not. The communication process is made up of four key components. Those components include encoding, medium of transmission, decoding, and feedback. There are also two other factors in the process, and those two factors are present in the form of the sender and the receiver. The communication process begins with the sender and ends with the receiver. Define Question 2: In this question I need to explain more about the methods, the mediums, and the vehicles that I would use in my products and to communicate with my target audience. This is to make sure them attract with my company product and to persuade them to buy this products. The products that I will choose is laptop, Ferrari One this is because nowadays laptop are getting popular and used by teenager in college . So to promote my laptop products I need to do a advertisement and explain it. Answer for Question 2: As the Product Manager of a soon to be launched the Ferrari one laptop branded product, will use some effective methods, mediums and vehicle to communicate with my company target audience so that I can persuade them to buy my products. The medium or channels that I will use are Internal Channels, External Channels, and individual contact. For the internal channels, the processing of immediate information to individuals within an organisation will include telephone message, internal memoranda or messages which will probably be written on headed paper to be kept as records of the correspondence later. These will be immediate responses to other information received and be required by specified individuals in a very short time-scale. The communicator can make use of memos, house journals, bulletins, notice boards, meeting formal and informal, and telephone calls or closed circuit television. The recipients will be familiar with the context, background and language used in the communication. Effective internal communication can seen in various instances such as communicating with superiors, communicating with sub-ordinates, communicating with colleagues and communicating between departments. External channels of communication need not restrict information exchange to an external organisation. Corporate brochures, sales literature or any paid-for advertising is also accessible to those within the organisation .Besides that, we dont want our internal market to gain information in second hand . In terms of organisations success , briefing internally via journals , magazines , staff meetings or newsletters should form part. If external communication take form of the letters, telephone calls or reports then it wont be necessary for everyone within ours organisation to have copies , but key personnel in project need to be briefed as to ongoing communication external. Effective communication with those outside a company bring in order build goodwill, and ensures the continued existence and growth of the business such as interacting with costumers, dealing with government agencies and department ,handling suppliers and dealing with the public. Individual contact with an organisation can be more effective than broadcast media, where the message is diluted and standardised to suit many rather individuals. Newspapers are out-of-date almost as soon as they are printed, ready for the next news item. Clearly the time-scales of the communication will also determine the channel. As a starting point, here is a brief description of what are probably the most popular methods for business communication used today. Some of these are universally familiar, others recent arrivals on the scene, but for completeness and to ensure a common understanding. The method is Letters , memos , reports because there is no e-mail link between the parties, because a hard copy is required to meet audit or legal requirements or because the recipient prefers to read from paper than from a screen . E-mail because E-mail means for delivering short text messages within organisations that are networked or exchange of computer-stored messages by telecommunication. As e-mail between organisations becomes more common, the medium will increasingly take the place of fax, particularly as whole documents can be sent as e-mail attachments. Intranet also method because intranet uses the same technology as the Internet, and private network that is contained within an enterprise . It may consist of many interlinked local area networks .Normally an intranet is used to deliver text and images, although the technology is capable of audio, animation, video and real- time 3D graphics sometimes called virtual reality. Radio is used almost exclusively for public broadcast channels and has few uses for business communications. And the Phone. Phones are universal and, with the advent of voice mail and mobile phones, it is now possible to reach people practically anytime, anywhere. Finally, the communication vehicles that use are E-newsletters. E-newsletters are a simple way to proactively reach to our neighbours. Seven reasons for E-newsletters are complement our website, Email newsletters are more cost-effective than print newsletters, E-newsletters are interactive, we can test its effectiveness, E-newsletters encourage word-of mouth advertising, our preaching to the choir and Starting today will help build our subscriber base. Besides that, Websites also are communication vehicles. Websites allow organizations an opportunity to passively reach their audience. Websites allow neighbours access to organization without attending meetings. In addition, minutes, and files easily uploaded through a fairly simple interface. Print Newsletters is easy to underestimate the value of a newsletter. But a newsletter allows you to connect with neighbours on an ongoing basis and create a greater sense of community. For a newsletter to succeed it must provide accurate and current information. The information must be relevant to the recipient and the format must be pleasing and readable. A print newsletter can take many forms. They can be in the form of a brochure or pamphlet. Finally , the are six ways in communication vehicles that is keep it simple ,use metaphors and analogy , use many different forums to spread the word , repeat key messages , lead by example and listen and be listened to. This is the method , medium and vehicles that I will use to communicate with my audience to persuade them to buy my product. Conclusion , As the product manager of a soon-to-be-launched product , we need to use the mediums , and the vehicles that I would use to communicate with my target audience to persuade them to buy my laptop product . It will help me to sell my product . The advertisement for my product. The laptop market is being flooded everyday with new and newer laptops arriving in the market almost every hour. If you are a serious gadget geek like us, you would want to keep track to all of them which is why we have complied a list of the latest laptops in the market and are happy to present them before you. Have a look at these brand new laptops. Ferrari One Display : 11.1 Inch 1366 X 768 pixels Processor : Dual Core 1.2 GHz Athlon X2 L310 ATI Radeon 3200 graphics Wi-Fi Bluetooth Windows 7 This is my product Conclusion and Recommendation Understanding communication process is very critical to the managers of the organization. They should understand that communication is rarely understood as it should be. The distortion of the message can happen at any of the stages in communication process-sender, receiver, encoding, decoding, channel, message and feedback. In order to send our message, it is clear that we need an understanding of the role and function of the communication and audience, and then we select the appropriate channels of communication .there will also be feedback from us, as communication, to the audience . Communication within and between organisation is dependent on human relationship and organisational context which influence manner, tone, and style. Information must be appropriate to the context and medium, accessible, clearly presented and attract attention because individual receive so many messages and communication. The credibility of an organisation is dependent on the communication style of the individuals who are its representatives. Successful communications do not usually take place in a hostile environment. We can summarise the key factor in successful and effective communication as relevance , accessibility , precision , attract attention , congeniality , and credibility.

Paul the apostle :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wycliff was a theologian and early proponent of reform in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. He initiated the first translation of the Bible into the English language and is considered the main precursor of the Protestant Reformation. Wycliff was born at Ipreswell, Yorkshire, England, between 1320 and 1330. He died at Lutterworth December 31, 1384.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wycliff’s family was of early Saxon origin, long settled in Yorkshire. In his day the family was a large one, covering a considerable territory. 1324 is the year usually given for Wycliff's birth. Wycliff probably received his early education close to home. It is not known when he first went to Oxford, with which he was so closely connected till the end of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He was at Oxford in about 1345, when a series of illustrious names was adding glory to the fame of the university, such as those of Roger Bacon, Robert Grosseteste, Thomas Bradwardine, William of Occam, and Richard Fitzralph. Wycliff owed much to Occam. He showed an interest in natural science and mathematics, but applied himself to the study of theology, ecclesiastical law, and philosophy. Even Wycliff’s opponents acknowledged the keenness of his dialectic. Wycliff’s writings prove that he was well grounded in Roman and English law, as well as in native history. A family whose seat was in the neighborhood of Wycliff's home, Bernard Castle, founded Balliol College, Oxford to which Wycliffe belonged, first as scholar, then as master. He attained the headship no later than 1360. When he was presented by the college (1361) with the parish of Fylingham in Lincolnshire, he had to give up the leadership of Balliol, though he could continue to live at Oxfor d. His university career followed the usual course. While as baccalaureate he busied himself with natural science and mathematics, as master he had the right to read in philosophy. More significant was his interest in Bible study, which he pursued after becoming bachelor in theology. His performance led Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury, to place him at the head of Canterbury Hall in 1365. Between 1366 and 1372 he became a doctor of theology. In 1368 he gave up his living at Fylingham and took over the rectory of Ludgershall in Buckinghamshire, not far from Oxford, which enabled him to retain his connection with the university.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was not as a teacher or preacher that Wycliffe gained his position in history; this came from his activities in ecclesiastical politics, in which he engaged about the mid-1370s, when his reformatory work also began.

Political Activism in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece :: Essays on Politics

Political Activism in Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece Welcome to yet another speech, through the past four reports or 137 I have studied student political participation and activism and I hope through my speeches you have learned at least a little on the topic. As well as the role it plays in culture as we defined it way back in Turkey. In Turkey we defined culture as a dynamic social construct both exhibited and defined by beliefs, traditions, values, history and language. Now, as I go through my speech I'll cover a little bit about my learning plan and what that outlined in this study, compare and contrast my observations and assessments of Turkey, Morocco, Egypt and Greece, analyze the cultural impact of the student movement through out these countries and conclude with what I have taken from this study especially in regards to the 5 th country represented in our travels, that being the US. I'll begin with my learning plan. In reviewing my learning plan I am surprised by how accurately it explained and represented what I came to study in the past few months. Especially given it was conceived August 8 th the night before our picnic with Pat, with absolutely very little background for understanding the topic. In looking at my plan, it outlined studying student political participation and activism and students relation to political institutions in each country. All the while, allowing for a redefinition of political participation according to the culture being studied. This added an objectivity which I really tried to maintain throughout. The main components that I have studied throughout all of the countries are to analyze the different views placed on ideals such as freedom of speech, movement and association, study the history of student political participation in each country and the form that participation has taken, define the inflammatory issues in each country and lastly, gage the level of political participation. As I was rereading my speeches the other night I was pleased to see all of my speeches remained focused on these questions. So hopefully today's speech is going just as well. Now I am going to compare and contrast my observations and analysis of each of the four countries. To do this I decided that I wanted to have a bit more of a quantitative method. Therefore I went online to Freedom House and look up a little extra information.

Literature Summative Assesment

Rules of the Game Pre Reading: A. Read the cartoon and answer the questions.1. What country do the mother and daughter live in? They live in America.2. Was the mother born there? How do you know? No, she wasn’t born in American. I know because in the cartoon the daughter asks the mother if she means America and the mother says no where we are from original, our mother country.3. Why is the mother angry? The mother is angry because the daughter doesn’t know her and her mother's origins.4. Why is the daughter angry? The daughter is angry because her mother keeps nagging her.B. The mother and daughter in this cartoon do not understand each other. In your opinion, which of the following factors are to blame for this lack of understanding? Explain. The different in their †¦. Language : the mother was born and raised in another country so her English isn’t as fluent as her daughter's, who was probably born in the USA, this may cause a â€Å"shortage† in com munication or embarrass the daughter. Culture : the mother probably comes from a more traditional culture, which may cause a conflict between her and her daughter. C. Do you think the same types of conflict between parents and children are common in our country? Why or why not? I think that the same types of conflicts exist in our country because it consists of different ethnic groups and minorities. Every generation differs from the one before it, especially when the parents are born and raised in other countries. For example, the Russian immigrants who have trouble learning the Hebrew language and their children who adjust more easily. Basic Understanding Part 1What lesson does the narrator learn from her mother? The narrator learned from her mother that she can get what she wants without nagging.What hopes does the narrator's mother have for her children? The narrator's mother hopes for her children that when they grow up they will learn in a University.Is the family poor? Does narrator think so? The narrator's family is poor because she lives above a bakery with two bedrooms flat, but the narrator doesn't think that her family is poor because she says that her bowl was always full and that she ate five meals a day.Do you think the narrator's memories of her childhood are pleasant or unpleasant? All in all, I think the narrator's memories of her childhood are pleasant. She fondly remembers her life in San Francisco's Chinatown, which were filled with games in back alleys, fragrance of Chinese food and the different shops in the area.Why do the children prefer the alley to the playground? The children prefer the al ley to the playground because its’ darkness gives a sense of mystery and adventures.Why is the narrator scared of the sanddabs? The narrator is scared of the sanddans because it reminds her story that her mother told her about a careless girl who ran into crowded street and was crushed by a cab.What joke does the narrator play on the tourist? The tourist asked the narrator and her brother to pose for a picture in front of the â€Å"scary† restaurant, and after he took the picture, she told him to have dinner in the restaurant. The tourist asked what they served, and she shouted: â€Å"Guts and ducks and octopus gizzards! † and ran off.How did the narrator get her name? What does this tell us about her parents' desire to adapt to their new culture? The narrator was named after the street that her family lived in, and it tells us that†¦What is the tone of this passage? The tone of this passage is deductive and defensive , the mother explains the many abilitie s Chinese people have.Vocabulary practice: Write a sentence about the story using each pair of words/ phrase. 1. Invisible / strength: Waverley's mother taught her the art of invisible strength. 2. Strategy / arguments: Waverly learned from her mother the strategy for winning. 3. Rise above / circumstances: Waverly’s mother wanted her family to rise above their circumstances. 4. Two bedroom flat / Chinese bakery: Waverly lived in a two bedroom flat that sat above a small Chinese bakery. 5. Alley / playground: the best playground for the Chinese children was the dark alleys. 6. Playmates / adventures: The playmates always find adventures in the dark alleys. 7. Named after / official: the narrator is named after an official name of a street. 8. Wicked / Chinese torture: the wicked people should be tortured in Chineseculture. Understanding the poem: Answer the questions. 1. Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. Whose point of view is rules of the game told from? The story is told by the narrator's point of view. 2. How did Waverly get her name? She was named after the street that her family lived in. 3. Where does the story take place? Copy and complete the chart. The setting City| San Francisco. | Neighborhood| China town. | Home| Jong family home| 4. What do we learn about Waverly's family? Waverly's family is a Chinese poor family that lives in Chinatown in San Francisco and in her home there is one girl named Waverly and her two brothers. Basic Understanding Part 2 1. What do we learn about Chinese culture from this incident? we learn from this incident that Chinese people attribute great importance to modesty and humility. It was shameful for the mother that her son was disappointed with his chip gift. 2. Is Waverly happy with her gift? How do you know? Waverly was happy with her gift which is life savers candy because she says that she kept eating them all the night because they were her favorites. 3. Why does Mrs. Jong tell Vincent to throw the chess set away? Mrs. Jong told Vincent to throw the chess set away because it was used before and he knows that because there are missing parts. 4. What is it about chess that attracts Waverly? She sees that the chessboard seems to elaborate secrets waiting to be untangled. 5. How does Waverly convince her brother to let her play chess? She uses the Lifesavers (her gift from the Christmas party) as a bribe to be let into the game. 6. Why do you think Mrs. Jong tells Waverly not to rely on other people to explain the rules? Because there is a sentence which says: â€Å"better you take it, find out yourself†. This means that it's better to find the answer yourself because Waverly has to learn to go forward alone without any help. 7. Why do Waverly's brothers lose interest in chess? Waverly's brothers lose interest in chess because they become more interested in roaming the streets in their Hopalong Cassidy cowboy hats. Vocabulary practice A. Which word in each group has a different meaning from the other two?donated / given / receiveddecent / poor / fineroken / lacking / missinggraciously / impatiently / politelyextra / replacement / substitutetactic / strategy / foresighthide / reveal / showadversary / partner /opponentB. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words from exercise A. There may be more than one possible answer. 1. The gifts at the Christmas party were given. 2. It would have been a decent chess set- except that it was obviously used. 3. Several of the chess pieces were missing, but Mrs. Jong accepted the gift politely. 4. Vincent wouldn’t let Waverly play until she offered her life savers as replacement for the chess pieces. 5. Waverly studied the instruction book and learned some important strategies for winning at chess. 6. She learned that chess is a game of secrets which she must never reveal. 7. Soon, Waverly wasn't losing any games -but she lost her adversaries! Understanding the story: Answer the questions. 1. Which gift does Waverly choose at the Christmas party? The gift that Waverly chose was heavy and compact one that was wrapped in shiny silver foil and a red satin ribbon. 2. Who gets the chess set? Vincent, Waverly's brother gets the chess set. 3. What is wrong with the chess set? The wrong thing about the chess set is that it was used before and there are missing parts. 4. How is the problem solved? The problem was solved by putting a buttons (Lifesavers) instead the missing parts. 5. How does Waverly learn to play chess? She learns the rules of the game and goes on to continue playing chess. 6. How old is Waverly at this time? Waverly is six years old. Basic Understanding Part 3 1. Why is the man surprised by Waverly's question? — 2. What are these the names of? â€Å"These† is the names of strategies in chess which Lau Po taught Waverly. 3. What do we learn about Chinese culture from Mrs. Jong behavior? We learned about Chinese culture that it is built on modesty. 4. What strategy does Waverly use to convince her mother to let her compete in the tournament? The strategy that Waverly used to convince her mother to compete in the tournaments is the art of invisible strength 5. Why do you think the boy wrinkled his nose? Because he is 15 years old and she is 9 years old and he thought that she is young to play chess. 6. What does the wind represent in this passage? The wind represents the thinking power of Waverly. 7. What does Waverly silence tell us about accepted codes of behavior in the Jong family? It's tells us about the respect and listening to elders and for what he says because he has more experience than us. 8. How does Mrs. Jong justify Waverly's special treatment? Mrs. Jong justified Waverly's special treatment by telling Vincent:† Waverly squeezes all her brains out for winning chess. You play, worth squeeze towel†. 9. How does Waverly behave at chess competitions? What does this tell us about her character? It tells us that Waverly is very smart because she made for her opponent a good measure and that will make him think less because he is thinking that he is going to win and then Waverly will win. Vocabulary practice: A 1. Form as many phrases as you can by combining words the box. You may use words more than once, but use each word at least once. *champion *game *regional *chess *grand master *smile *child *local *status *etiquette *national *tournament *exhibition *prodigy *triumphantnational championchess national championlocal championlocal tournamentchess gamechild prodigyhess etiquetteexhibition gametriumphant smilegrand master statusregional tournamentA 2. Complete the sentence with the words combinations you formed. You may use words more than once, but use each word at least once.Waverly learned the fine points of chess etiquette from Lau Po.After watching an exhibition game, a man suggested that Waverly should play in local tournament.Waverly said that she didn't want to play in the local champion, but she really did.After Waverly won an important national tournament, shop owners in the neighborhood decided to sponsor her in national champion.By her ninth birthday, Waverly was a national champion, but she was still 429 points away from grand master status.6Waverly had become a child prodigy and her picture appeared in life magazine.At the end of a game, Waverly would flash her opponent a triumphant smile.B. Match the words from A and B to form verb phrases. Use each phrase in a sentence about the story. Make any necessary changes. A B 1. Attend 2. Want desperately 3. Defeat an opponent 4. Display trophies 5. Do chores Understanding the story: Answer the questions.Who helps Waverley become a better chess player? Lau Po, an old man helped Waverley to become a better chess player.Who watches Waverly exhibition games in the park? Some of Chinese people and tourists watch Waverly's exhibition games.Why does Waverly think her mother will not allow her to play in chess tournament? Waverly thinks that her mother will not allow her to play in chess tournament because she thinks that her mother will not let her play with strangers.What does Mrs. Jong give Waverly at her first tournament? Why? Mrs. Jong gave Waverly a small tablet of red jade which the sun's fire to give her luck in the tournament.How do people in the neighborhood show their pride in Waverly's achievements? The Chinese bakery beneath their home displayed her growing collection of trophies in its window, a flower shop, headstone engraver, and funeral parlor offered to sponsor her.What concessions do her parents make to allow her practice? Her parents allowed her not to clean to allow her practice .At what age does Waverly become a national chess champion? Waverly became a national champion in age nine.How does Waverly dress for competitions? Waverly wears a crisp pink and white dress with scratchy lace for the competitions.Basic Understanding Part 4 1. Why does Waverly find it difficult to practice at home? Waverly finds it difficult to practice at home because her mother who stands beside her while she is trying to plan her steps in the game. 2. How do you think Waverly's brothers feel about her special treatment? I think that he feels so angry about that, because they do all the work in the home when she is practicing all the time. 3. Why do you think Mrs. Jong insists that Waverly accompany her to the market? Mrs. Jong insists that Waverly accompany her to the market because she wants to boast and show that Waverly is her daughter. 4. How does Waverly feel about her mother's boasting? Waverly feels embarrassed when her mother boasted her. 5. What do you think Waverly wants to escape from? I think that Waverly wants to escape from her mother's nagging. 6. How does Mrs. Jong react when Waverly finally arrives home? She says calmly:† we not concerning this girl. This girl not have concerning for us. † 7. Who does Waverly see as her opponent? Waverly sees her mother as her opponent in the chess game. 8. What do you think Waverly's daydream symbolizes? The imaginary game could symbolize the transition from childhood to approaching adulthood. Vocabulary practice: A 1. Match the sentence beginnings in A to the endings in B. 1. Mrs. Jong thought of herself as –Waverly's protective ally. 2. She had a habit of – standing over Waverly while she practiced. 3. Waverly's parents made many concessions – to allow her practice. 4. Waverly had to accompany her mother – to the market on Saturday. 5. Waverly thought her mother was using her – to show off. 6. She thought her mother's behavior – was embarrassing. 7. Waverly pulled away from her mother – and knocked into an old woman. 8. The woman's bag of groceries – spilled to the ground. 9. Waverly fled from the market – looking for escape routes. 10. When she finally returned home – the door was locked. 11. Waverly stood there and – waited for her punishment. B. Complete the paragraph with the correct form of the words and phrases from the list. Advance * alone * angry black slits * chessboard * disappear * fly out* grow light * rise up * scream * triumphant smile. Waverly lay on her bed. In her mind she saw a chessboard her opponent was opposite her – two angry black slits on her face was a triumphant smile. As Waverly's opponent advance Waverly's pieces scream, retreated and fell off the board. Waverly felt herself grow light and she rise up into the air. She flies out of the window and over the city until everything below disappear and she was alone. Understanding the story Answer the questions 1. Why is it difficult for Waverly to concentrate at home? Waverly found it difficult to practice at home because her mother who stands beside her while she trying to plan her steps in the game. 2. What further concessions do her parents make to allow her to practice? She doesn't have to eat all the food that her mother made for her, she doesn't have to wash the dishes, and she doesn't have to tidy her bed. 3. What is Waverly's one obligation at home? The only thing that Waverly does at home is practicing chess. 4. How does Mrs. Jong show that she is proud of her daughter? How does Waverly react? Mrs. Jong shows her daughter that she is proud of her by insisting that she accompanies her to the Saturday market days walk with her proudly between the shops and saying â€Å"this is my daughter wave-ly Jong† to anyone who looked their way. One day Waverly tells her mother that she wishes she wouldn’t do that, and reproaches her mother that If she wants to show off, she should learn how to play chess. 5. Describe the scene that Waverly imagines at the end of the story. Waverly imagines a chessboard and her mother standing in front of her as her opponent and Waverly sees her white pieces falling off the board one by one and her mother's pieces are approaching her. Analysis and interpretation A 1. In this story the game of chess is used as a metaphor for life. Rules of the game† refers not only to the rules of chess, but also to the rules of life. Do you think this is a good comparison? Why or why not? It is a wonderful comparison; the rules of chess that Waverly learns are similar to the life skills for achieving success. This is the art of invisible strength. Examples: 1. Self control –†Bite back your tongue† â€Å"Vincent at first refused to let me play, but when I offered my Life Savers as replacements for the buttons that filled in for the missing pieces, he relented. â€Å". 2. Hiding your desires –†strongest wind cannot be seen† 3. Withholding knowledge – â€Å"I also found out why I should never reveal â€Å"why† to others. A little Knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use†. â€Å"It’s a game of secrets in which one must show and never tell. † 4. Foresight – â€Å"see the endgame before the game begins† â€Å"†¦ It is essential in the endgame to have foresight, a mathematical understanding of all possible moves. â€Å". 5. Planning –† the one who plays better has the clearest plans for both attacking and getting out of traps. † A 2. Answer the following questions, keeping the chess – life metaphor in mind. 1. When Waverly is six years old, her mother teaches her an important rule of life:† The art of invisible strength†. By this she means remaining silent, hiding her desire in order to get what she wants. How does this lesson help Waverly get what she wants from her mother? Give two examples from the story how does it later help her succeed at chess? Thus it is that Waverly, the protagonist and narrator of this short story, possesses a strange hybrid mix of values and lessons she has learned, some from her Chinese heritage taught to her by her mother, and some from her American heritage: her birth country. The art of invisible strength, then, is part of Waverly's Chinese heritage: â€Å"I was six when my mother taught me the art of invisible strength. It was a strategy for winning arguments, respect from others, and eventually, though neither of us knew it at the time, chess games†. This â€Å"art of invisible strength† is described by her mother as not confro nting others openly. Instead, you must seem to go along with them whilst subtly leading them in the direction that you prefer. 2. Waverly says of chess:† A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use†. Do you think this is true in life as well? Explain. Yes, I think this quote is true in life as well as in chess. I think it's true because the more knowledge we have, the more we can make use of it in the future knowledge can be a weapon for the future. 3. At the end of the story, Waverly imagines a game of chess in which her mother is her opponent. Who is wining this game? How does Waverly react when she understands that she cannot defeat her mother? How does this imaginary game reflect what is happening in Waverly's life? In the game Waverly visions in her mind that her mother is her opponent and she is winning. When Waverly understands that she cannot win this game, she felt herself growing a light and suddenly flies out the window. This game reflects Waverly's life in the sense of the on-going conflict with her mother, in which she feels she cannot win, and prefers to run away. 4. When Waverly says at the end of the story † I closed my eyes and pondered my next move†, do you think she is talking only about chess? What else might she be referring to? What do you think her next move will be? I don't think that Waverly is talking only about chess; I think she is also talking about her next move at home if to apologize to her family or to keep on not talking to them, but I think at the end she will apologize to her family because she is still young and she still needs her parents. B 1. Conflict is the struggle between opposing forces. One of the main themes of the story is the culture conflict between American- born Waverly and her Chinese- born mother. The chart below outlines some main differences between the two cultures. Read the chart and answer the questions that follow. Chinese people value †¦| American people value †¦| group cooperation | Individualism and personal freedom| maintaining â€Å"face† by showing respect and avoiding open confrontation or criticism | Open discussion and self- expression, even if it means direct confrontation and criticism| modesty, humility| Assertiveness| A formal social society in which status is based on age, gender and family| an informal society in which status is based on personal achievements, with equal opportunity for all| Respect for elders; obedience| Self- determination; independence| Mystery and magic| Rational thinking and logic| 1. What are some of the main differences between Chinese and American culture? The differences between Chinese culture and American cultures are: The Chinese culture in built on modesty, humility, Reciprocity and understanding between each other and also to give respect to elders. The American culture everyone has to go in his own way and to be assertive, to do the maximum to get to his/her goal even to â€Å"Run over† people. 2. Which aspect of each culture do you prefer? Explain. I prefer the American people's values because their cultures and values are liberal and are similar to the values that I was brought up on. 3. How is your own culture similar to / different from Chinese and American culture? My culture is similar to the Chinese culture in the aspect of giving respect to the elders and to be modesty. B 2. Which thinking skills did you use to answer the questions in B1? Explain. * Comparing and contrasting: finding similarities and differences and drawing conclusions. I used the thinking skill Comparing and contrasting because I was asked to find similarities and differences between a different cultures and the best way to finds differences between two categories are Comparing and contrasting. C 1. Now apply this thinking skill to the story. Copy and complete the diagram below with words from the list. How are Waverly and Mrs. Jong similar? How are they different? Support your answers with examples from the story. Waverly: mischievous, competitive, Americanized, independent and selfish. Mrs. Jong: modest, boastful, proud and superstitious. Both: strong-willed, traditional, clever, stubborn, determined, hard-working, confident, ambitious. Examples:Mrs. Jong is determined to teach Waverly the â€Å"art of the invisible strength†.Waverly is determined to learn how to play chess.Mrs. Jong is modest because when Waverly won her first game she said that it's luck.C 2. We often compare and contrast in our daily lives. Give one example of how you have used this thinking skill in the past few days. I used this thinking skill of compare and contrast that happened a couple of days ago between the choices of buying a new acoustic guitar or to continue practicing on my old guitar and when I will get better in playing the guitar I will buy a professional acoustic guitar. D 1. Imagine that a student from another country has joined your class recently. Although he seems bright, he doesn't pay attention in class, doesn't do his homework and doesn't interact with the other students. Which of the following might be connected to his behavior, in your opinion? Explain. He doesn't pay attention in class and he doesn't do his homework though he seems bright because he might have difficulties with the language and with new students whom he didn’t know. D 2. We can also use this thinking skill to gain a fuller understanding of people and events in literature. How is the characters' behavior in this story connected to their cultural backgrounds? Discuss the following, keeping in mind what you have learned about Chinese and American culture. (Page 78) 1. Mrs. Jong is showing her modesty by attributing Waverly's success in the chess game to luck rather than her excellent skill in playing chess. 2. Lao Po teaches Waverly to be humble and not announce the end of the game with arrogance and pride because she may be mistaken, and her opponent may still make a move and win the game. This saying also reflects a belief in mystery and magic, rather than logical reasoning. 3. Waverly cannot say anything to disagree with her mother, because in Chinese culture children show obedience and respect for their elders and do not contradict their parents. 4. When Waverly tells her mother that she can't practice when her mother stands over her, she is expressing her own feelings and asserting herself. This is an example of how her behavior has become Americanized. 5. Waverly is being impolite to her mother. She is showing her disrespect to her elders. This behavior contradicts the values of respect and obedience to the elders that is valued in the Chinese culture. Here Waverly shows the influence of the American cultural values of assertiveness and independence. D 3. Find additional examples in the story of how the characters' cultural backgrounds are reflected in their behavior. . One of the mothers at the Christmas party slaps her son because he did not show appreciation for her gift. His mother has to apologize to the crowd for his bad manners. 2. Waverly talks back to her mother and criticize her. She expresses her opinions openly- a quality values by the American culture. 3. Mrs. Jong gives Waverly a small tablet of red jade for luck before the chess tournament. This is an example of the importance of magic and mystery in Chinese culture. D 4. Tell your classmates about a time when you used the thinking skill of making Connections to help you to understand something better. Two weeks ago I saw a friend that Is walking and his leg is broken, I asked him what happened to him and he said nothing, two hours later other friend told me that they lost the football league game and his friend was quit the game after 30 min, then I understood that he was hurt in the game. E 1. Because of the cultural differences between them, Waverly and her mother view things from different perspectives. Decide whether each of them would agree or disagree with the following statements. Explain your answer. 1. Mrs. Jong would probably agree. Waverly would probably disagree. Waverly would think that children need to adopt the values of the culture they live in. 2. Waverly would probably agree. Mrs. Jong would probably disagree. Mrs. Jong would believe that cultural values should be passed on from generation to generation. 3. Mrs. Jong would probably agree. Waverly would probably disagree. Respect for parents and obedience is part of the Chinese culture. Waverly would think that children should express their own opinions openly and not have to behave as their parents wish. E2. Discuss the statements above with a partner. Whose perspective do you identify with- Waverly's or her mother's? My partner disagree with this statement because he think that if the children will obedience for everything which his parents says to him the boy will not be wrong and he will not learn from his mistakes. F. thinks back over the story. Answer the questions. 1. How is the theme of cultural conflict reflected in the story? The theme of cultural conflict is reflected in the conflict between Chinese-born Mrs. Jong and American born Waverly. Waverly and her family live in Chinatown in San Francisco. They live above a Chinese bakery, shop in a traditional Chinese stores (like the medical herb shop and fish market), go to the First Chinese Baptist Church and get presents from a Chinese Santa Clause. The Chinese immigrant parents want to preserve their traditional culture, whereas the children want to integrate in American society. Waverly's mother emphasizes traditional Chinese values of self-control and obedience, whereas Waverly wants to assert her independence. The young Chinese American fined them pushed away not only from American society but also from their Chinese parents and heritage. 2. How is the theme of conflict between mothers and daughters reflected in the story? This story is really one big struggle about independence between Waverly and her mother. Waverly, as the story progresses, becomes more aware of her talent, shows embarrassment at the way her mother takes pride in her and wants to exploit her gift and talent to bring attention to her: â€Å"My mother would proudly walk with me, visiting many shops, buying very little. â€Å"This is my daughter Wave-ly Jong,† she said to whoever looked her way. One day, after we left a shop I said under my breath, â€Å"I wish you wouldn't do that, telling everybody I'm your daughter. While the narrator enjoys the challenge of winning at chess for its own sake, clearly the mother enjoys the success of her daughter for the admiration it brings to her. At the end, the imaginary of the chess board in Waverly's dream is used to symbolize the conflict between Waverly and her mother, as each struggles for mastery over the other. The way that the story ends, with Waverly closing her eyes and â€Å"pondering my next move,† shows Waverly's desire to escape her mother and treats her conflict as a game of chess. Although Waverly has lost this round, she is considering how to ventually beat her mother and gain the independence she so desperately desires. 3. in the beginning of the story, Waverly is more in touch with her Chinese culture. How has this changed by the end of the story? In the beginning of the story, Waverly is more in touch with her Chinese culture because she is younger and her mother has more control over her. She lives and plays in a Chinese neighborhood. By the end of the story, Waverly is older and has been more exposed to American culture. She has attended chess tournaments, each one further away from home. As a result she is less in touch with her Chinese culture. 4. Mrs. Jong is upset because Waverly is becoming Americanized, but she herself adopts certain aspects of American culture. Find examples in the story. Mrs. Jong names Waverly after the street they live on. She takes her children to a Christmas party. She allows Waverly to play in the chess tournaments and she gives Waverly special privileges (according to the American rules). 5. Waverly sometimes sees her mother as her opponent. Are they â€Å"playing† by the same rules? Explain. How does this affect their relationship? Waverly learns the Chinese rules of behavior and uses them to get what she wants. For example she uses self-control and manipulation to get her mother to allow her to play in the local chess tournaments. However, as Waverly gets older, she and her mother don't always play by the same rules. Mrs. Jong plays by the Chinese rules of behavior, whereas Waverly has begun to reject these rules in favor of the American values of self expression and independence. This causes conflict in their relationship. 6. Explain the ending of the story. What does Waverly's daydream symbolize? Do you think it could be metaphor for growing up? Explain. At the end of the story Waverly imagines a chess game with her mother as her opponent. Mrs. Jong sits opposite from her, winning the game of inner strength. The chess game is a metaphor for her struggle and rebellion against her mother, and therefore for growing up. In her imaginary game, Waverly breaks free from her mother's influence. She leaves the safety of her home and neighborhood and floats above the city. She is free but also alone with no one to guide her or tell her what to do. She must now make her own decisions. Waverly has to plan her next move at home concerning her relationship with her mother. The imaginary game could symbolize the transition from childhood to approaching adulthood. G. Like the United States, Israel is a country of many immigrants. Have you, or has anyone you know, ever experienced a cultural conflict similar to the one Waverly experiences in the story? Share an example of this with your classmates. I had a Jewish friend that his parents came to Israel from Russia, but he was born here and was raised up on the Israeli culture. His parents want him to be surgeon so he could make the Russian community proud but he wants to be musician so he had many fights with his parents until they give up. Bridging text and context A. Read the background information. To what extent is the information reflected in the story rules of the game? (Page 79) The two stories is very similar because the two stories are about the Chinese immigrants families. and both families has one girl and two boys, in both stories the girls have Arguments with their mothers and there are conflicts between the American culture and the Chinese culture. B. How does reading biographical information about Amy Tan add to or change your understanding of the story? The author's difficult relationship with her mother is reflected in Waverly's difficult relationship with her mother, whom she sees as her opponent in the imaginary game. The culture's conflict that Chinese Americans experience is another theme that is reflected in the story. Waverly does not entirely identify with the American mainstream or with her parents' Chinese culture. C. Compare and contrast the fictional character of Waverly Jong with the author, Amy Tan. The character Waverly Jong is both similar and different from the author Amy Tan: 1. Both were the only daughters of Chinese immigrant parents and both had difficult relationship with their mothers. 2. Amy Tan became a successful writer, while Waverly became a successful chess player. Reflection 1. Did you enjoy reading the story? Why or why not? I enjoyed reading the story because it reminds me of myself, even though I am not an immigrant, but still there are many things that happened to Waverly that happened to me also, and it's good to see how people from different cultures react to similar situation, because if this kind of situations will return in the future, I will know how to deal with them. 2 . What did you found interesting or memorable about the story? What I found interesting in the story are the conflicts between Waverly and her mother because it happens to everyone, not only them but it's memorable because they have a different culture which will make them look differently from myself in a similar situation. What interest me is the comparison between their culture and my own.

Latina

The Myth of Latin Woman Throughout life people may be involved in racial abuse, especially if they are Latin women; discrimination by people that believe they are superior just because they have born in a different or best country. In â€Å"Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria† by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the writer tries to show part of her life and how people in different countries acts in the situation of having someone in front of them with a different culture or skin color, in this case Latin woman.In the essay, she had to fight with three situations of discrimination: (1) Stereotypes, (2) Culture Clash, and (3) media. First of all, the term stereotype is used as a negative sense. Throughout the essay, Ortiz writes about the experiences she passed through her childhood, her experience as a Latina woman and the stereotypes that involved a Latin woman. In paragraph 2, she is upset about how her Hispanic appearance called forth from many people she met from diff erent countries. Ortiz thinks that a Latin woman is seen as a sex object as a result of her way of dressing.She declares that her mother taught her how to do it. Our parents influence us in our way of dress. For example, if our parents are from an Indian region and they use Indian clothes, they are going to influence us to wear the same clothes. Also, she narrates about her experience on a bus trip when a white man started reciting the lines of â€Å"Maria† because she appeared to be Latino. Secondly, culture clash carries a big influence. She explains in her essay how hard it is growing up in a country with a totally different culture.Even, one day when she went to school to the Career Day, they had gone â€Å"dressed as if for a job interview. † She went dressed the way a Puerto Rican dresses. The way she dressed with too much jewelry made her a victim of mockery. Furthermore, some people who move to another country are victims of discrimination by people who believe that bringing their culture and traditions from another country is wrong, they think that if you move to a their country you need to adapt to their culture, and forget yours. These people not even think about mix cultures.Thirdly, the media plays a role not only in this essay, but in the real world too. The media have influenced the white people about Latina’s concept especially, those who see a TV series in which a Latina is inferior. In this case, she writes about her Chicana friend who worked at a major university. Even her incredulous doctor questions himself about how she knows â€Å"big words. † Regarding how the media sees Latina as inferior workers, Ortiz writes about her experience in Miami in one of her poetry events. When she was walking in, an old lady called her to her table to order for a cup of coffee.If Judith Ortiz Cofer was a white woman, it would not happen. In addition, the media nowadays influences everyone a lot about Latina women and their cultu re. In another way, she explains how people think about what jobs the Latina women can do, because white people believe that a Latina’s brown skin; white people think that they came from an inferior culture, a culture of servitude. For this reason, some people cannot believe when they see a Latina woman succeed in a country with their backward culture about Latinas.In conclusion, it is sad to see how people feel superior over others, chiefly because their skin color is different. It is also sad to see how others want to humiliate a Latina just because her culture is completely different to ours, or simply because they watch how the TV denigrates Latina women, regardless of their feelings. Ortiz focused her essay on how Latina women can be successful in this country regardless of stereotype, culture, or what the media says about them.