Harmful Effects and Implications of Accent Discrimination

Harmful effects and implications of accent discrimination Harmful effects on ESL learners As concluded by Munro (2003), accent discrimination has played a negative effect on many situations. Some of the most common cases include discrimination in hiring process, in employment, and even resulting in harassments. As a harmful result, second language users are facing negative forces that may cause them to question beyond the issue. One example is these learners start questioning their own characteristics.Aspects such as skin color, dress, and other behaviors fall into the category, and soon, these second language users will show decrease in self-esteem, questioning if the issue is more than just accent. When this happens, most people with low confidence and unwilling to confront issues, will chose to avoid situation that requires oral communications, resulting the stage of avoiding contact with native speakers. The second stage starts when these low self-esteem learners seek companion.A nd because their lack of effort in talking with their ESL teachers, it is more likely that they find people with similar situations. These second language learners, who have experienced accent discrimination, will form a self-protective group. Inside this group, they are free to communicate in their first language and regain self-confidence. Unfortunately, as a result, they begin losing interest in improving their English and focus their social lives within the group. This can be summarized as lose of motivation.If no one interferes with this group of people, sooner or later, the group of people will start to feel isolated and disconnected with the native Canadians, leaving the accent discrimination issue unsolved, and even causing reversed effects, such as hostility and more discrimination towards the nation. This is the end of the cycle where people lose faith in believing Canada is an equal opportunity country that welcomes diversified culture. As we can see, the issue has turned from an accent level into a national prejudice level.Implication Despite some people are experiencing the process described above, more and more people with accent issues are taking their steps to reduce the problem. To speak with a more accurate and understandable language, many learners are investing both their time and money so they might have a better future. Over the past few years, enrollment in classes that help reduce accent has increased significantly (Gorman, 2007). In some situations, poor second language speakers are being placed responsible for their oral English ability.In the US, it is consider that graduate teaching assistants must achieve a certain level of proficiency in spoken English, as this is a developing policy by the Institutions of higher education (Thomas, 1993). For some institutions, teaching assistants with low oral English teaching skills are required to first successfully complete courses in English before they can serve as a teaching assistant. Acco rding to Statistic Canada, it is predicted that a steady increase in the number of immigrants to this country will occur throughout the decade. By 2006 there are over 1. 4 million Chinese in Canada (Stat. ca, 2006). The size is projected to double within 20 years. As Canada becomes a globalized country with increasingly multicultural exposure, the notion of an â€Å"accent† may change and increase in types. As a nation, only by becoming increasingly skilled in our ability to understand English spoken with various accents and be warm in attitudes toward all accents, can we live up to the reputation of welcoming diversity. Communication is a two-way process. Both the speaker and the listener have a responsibility for the act of communication.While different or foreign accents can sometimes interfere with the listener's ability to understand the message, accents can conjure up negative evaluations of the speaker, reducing the listener's willingness to accept their responsibility in the communication process. Sometimes, it becomes easy to say, â€Å"I simply can't understand you,† placing full responsibility for the communication process on the speaker. We all have standards and preferences about the spoken language; and certain accents can take more effort to understand.It is to be hoped, though, that we can make an effort to hear the content of the message and look beyond the stereotypes associated with the way the message is being spoken. Friedman (2004) suggests several steps for ESL teachers when working with someone who is difficult to understand. First, don't pretend to understand. Ask the person to slow down a bit because you are having difficulty understanding them. Second, don't rush. Slow down yourself. Third, resist the temptation to shout. The speaker is not hard of hearing. Fourth, avoid being rude. Ask for help from others if you need it.As a global citizen, we interact with newcomers to the communities, with businesspersons from aroun d the globe, and with individuals and families who are at various stages in the process of developing Standard English speaking skills. I believe respect for diversity can be extended over language and speech. Modeling supportive behavior ourselves is an important step. Further, we can encourage others to confront the stereotypes and prejudices that are often associated with specific speech patterns. ————————————————- Bibliography Friedman, N. (2004).How to handle foreign accent. Networking Today. Retrieved Nov 3, 2012, from: http://www. networkingtoday. ca/articles/foreignaccent. htm Gorman, A. (2007). Accenting the ‘American' in their speech. Los Angeles Times, Retrieved Nov 3, 2012, from: http://mobile. latimes. com/detail. jsp? key=57283&rc=null&p=1 Munro, M. (2003). A primer on accent discrimination in the Canadian context. TESL Canada Journal, v20, n2, p38-51 Thomas, C. F. , & Monoson, P. K. (1993). Oral English language proficiency of ITA's: Policy, implementation, and contributing factors. Innovative Higher Education, 17 (3), 195-209.

Charlemagne Robert Folz

Frannzen Linares Thursday, October 14, 2010 Knowledge Summary of Source. Report #1 – Charlemagne Robert Folz. The Coronation of Charlemagne(Book), first written in french in 1964, this book is now available in English translation. Robert Folz is well known for his monumental studies of the legend of Charlemagne in the Middle ages. Robert Folz was a French medievalist and a specialist in the Carolignan era; for this reason he is better qualified than most historians to convey a deep understanding of the efforts and signifance of Charlemagne for France and Europe.Folz concentrates on the growth of Frankish power, starting with Clovis and leading to Charlemagne. The focus is on political and religious developpments that explain the imperial coronation, rather than on social and economic history. Folz presents all this with brevity and clearly; the elegance of style shows his familarity with the source material. He wrote numerous books all related and similar to Charlemagne such a s: * (French) Le souvenir et la legende de Charlemagne dans l'Empire germanique medieval. (1950) * The concept of empire in Western Europe from the fifth to the fourteenth century. 1953, translation published 1969) * The coronation of Charlemagne. 25 December 800. (1964, translation published 1974) * (French) Les saints rois du Moyen Age en Occident, (VIe-XIIIe siecles). (1984) * (French) Les saintes reines du Moyen Age en Occident (VIe-XIIIe siecles). (1992) This book also uses extraits and portions of the book â€Å"Life of Charlemagne†(Vita Karoli Magni) which was written by a man named Einhard who actually was a dedicated servant of Charlemagne which adds to the reliability of this book.At the same time, he uses extraits from letters written by a man named Alcuin to Charlemagne himself and books written at the time and date back to Charlemagnes reign. Book written by Robert Folz and translated by J. E Anderson, the publisher of this book is London : Routledge and Kegan Pa ul, 1974 and is a Translation of: ‘Le Couronnement imperial de Charlemagne (trente jours qui ont fait la France : 25 decembre 800)'. Paris : Gallimard, 1964 The company has also published a book with a small portion of the life of charlemagne, The Philosophy of John Scottus Eriugena: A Study of Idealism in the Middle Ages By Dermot Moran.

Ice Mountain Water Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Ice Mountain Water - Term Paper Example The current paper successfully achieved its objective of presenting a marketing plan to evidently show a more in-depth understanding of marketing, the strategic planning process, and the key elements involved in developing and implementing a marketing plan. From the presented information, it was disclosed that Ice Mountain Water needs to implement the proposed marketing strategies to correct the weaknesses and thwart the risks brought about by the identified threats in the external environment. The tactical actions would ensure that the suggested marketing mix strategies would be undertaken effectively through the provided rationalization and justifications. Likewise, monitoring would ensure that Nestle Waters would determine the progress of the proposed strategies in meeting the identified goals.The current discourse aimed to present a marketing plan for Ice Mountain Water which would enable presenting an assessment of its present condition, as to propose areas of improvements based on the results. As such, one proposed that Ice Mountain Water should address the negative image and EWG rating that has been generated by Ice Mountain Water to achieve the following goals: (1) to increase preferences of consumers to purchase the product and to be included among the top 10 bottled water brands in the United States in 2016 and onwards; and (2) to increase the market share for Ice Mountain Water to at least 5% in 2015. Several marketing strategies according to the marketing mix for two (2) types of target clientele were likewise suggested.

Micro1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Micro1 - Essay Example The cost is nil as well for attendees whose higher degree provides upward revision of earnings. The components of opportunity cost include fees paid for tuition purposes, foregone earnings, book prices, leisure time. The percentage of opportunity cost and the money value is closely correlated. Tuition fees of colleges can be treated as the greatest cost of attending college. Answer 2 Decisions taken at the margin are one of the key factors in decision making processes. The marginal cost accrued to a decision is taken into account by the decision maker at the margin. The decision maker judges whether the cost is greater than the benefit when the decision will take effect. An example is as follows: an employer judges the additional cost of recruiting an extra employee with the benefit the organization gains from recruiting that additional person. If it is analysed that benefit exceeds the salary, then the employer decides to recruit the person. Average cost is used while determining de cisions on investments and tax. Answer 3 The statement is as follows: â€Å"HSBC in Talks on Possible Sale of Ping An Stake†. The statement is a positive statement as it can be accepted or rejected depending on the available evidences (The Wall Street Journal, 2012a). The statement is as follows: â€Å"Sahara Feeling heat over bond sales†. ... The statement is a positive statement as it can be accepted or rejected depending on the available evidences (The Wall Street Journal, 2012d). Answer 4 The scenario under assumption is seamstress decides to produce more dresses in an hour than the seamstress usually does. The incentive behind such action of the seamstress can be listed as follows: 1) Subsidy on dress prices from the part of the government; 2) Fall in price of raw materials; 3) Reduction in transport prices necessary for supply of goods to the market; 4) Rise in demand conditions; 5) Possibilities of exports opening up. There may also be some disincentives like fall in the export possibilities of the goods, uncertainty getting accrued to the production process, and sudden fall in demand expectations. The scenarios based on political, legal or cultural aspects are unavoidable. Answer 5 It is assumed that the farmer uses the available land in efficient fashion. The following diagram denotes the total amount of corn and beans he can produce. The farmer has the luxury to produce 150 units of beans if he chooses not to produce any corn. On the other hand, he can produce 300 units of corn if he chooses not to produce any beans. In economics, such an action is defined as efficient use of resources. The opportunity cost of corn at each level of production is 25 units of beans. The marginal cost of the farmer at each level of production is the cost of 25 units of beans. The slope of the line is 25. The slope of the line is same as the marginal cost. Answer 6 The costs of producing corn and beans are needed to determine the level at which the farmer should produce. Answer 7 Answer 8 The skills that have been taken under consideration to be compared are

What is democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

What is democracy - Essay Example A popular definition of democracy is government of the people, by the people, for the people. Elections are held periodically (usually every 4 or 5 years) that determine ministers who would take part in state’s operations. Every adult (usually above 18 years) has the right to vote and decide on the ministers who would actively represent their country Even after election, there are checks and balances so that those who hold offices are kept on their toes. If people are not satisfied with the performance of a particular minister or party, they can show their dissent through petitions, marches, blogs, or other peaceful means. There are rooms for diverse opinions and multiple parties exist to represent different ideologies. Some countries under British model of democracy can have any number of parties, like in the parliamentary form of democracy. The number of parties is restricted to three or four in some democracies like US and UK because of administrative reasons, ensuring that democratic tenets are not compromised in the process. It is only natural that under democratic system, which promotes diverse views and opinions, there are multiple parties competing with each other. The head of state is either designated as ‘president’ or ‘prime minister.’ As democracy takes into account majority view while taking collective decisions, the basic concept right from formation of ruling council (parliament) to any minute issue regarding its operation remains the same. A country is divided into a number of regions or provinces. A candidate is selected as winner for a particular region if he or she has secured the maximum number of votes for that region. A candidate either represents a party or can stand independent. If a candidate stands independent, depending upon the constitution of that country, he or she may or may not be allowed to support a political party later on during the elected tenure. Parliament consists of group of ministers who have all won maximum number of votes from their respective regions. Ministers represent different parties, if not independent. The party that has sufficient amount of majority will be the ruling party from which key ministerial post of president or prime minister is determined. The ruling party’s members together determine who their president or prime minister would be. President or prime minister, as the case may be, allocates responsibilities to other ministers in the party, such as defense minister, finance minister, etc. This is the main concept behind any democratic form of government, which is tailored in context of a particular country. When democracy is in pure form, one can expect that there will be no distinction made on account of religion, caste, language, or culture. In democracy, there is a right for everyone to live with whatever small or big aspirations they have. Democracy gives an opportunity to all to progress, without making distinction on personal issues like sexual orientation, believe or disbelieve in reincarnation, etc. The terms democracy and civil society come side by side. While defining civil society, Jane Morse states that civil society comprises â€Å"individuals like you and me.† Interesting to note is the statement, ‘democracy depends on civil society’ by Morse. What Morse perhaps wants to highlight through this watchword is overwhelming importance of citizens. Democratic government is there to serve its citizens. Democratically elected government is not an end by itself, but means to an end of serving its citizens. According to America.gov, â€Å"Governments alone cannot build strong democracies, thriving economies, or stable societies; it is the people themselves — especially the civil society organizations — that bring people together.† While democratic government is given a mandate by citizens to run state in the best interest of citizens, civil society absorbs citizens in a m ore direct way. If there is threat on civil society, then it reflects that the problem is perhaps with the true implementation of

EUROPEAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT second one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

EUROPEAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT second one - Essay Example It brought about a vast expansion of the market. Moreover, this act established uniform rules throughout the EU in respect of trading practices. Some of the areas affected by this act were first, qualifications obtained in one Member State were accorded recognition in all the other Member States; taxation methodology and control over governmental assistance to domestic industries (ley Berry). In July 2006, the British Pound performed dismally in respect of the euro. This was in conformity with the general expectation that the difference in interest rates between the EU and the UK would adversely affect the UK currency. The European Central Bank or the ECB and the Bank of England or the BoE did not allow the interest rates to change and in a survey by Halifax, it was clearly revealed that house prices had reduced by 1.2 percent in June 2006 (Sterling slips on UK/euro zone rate expectations, 2006). Further, in May 2006, there was a spurt in manufacturing and in the first quarter of 2006, the mortgage equity withdrawal increased to approximately twelve billion pounds sterling. In this context, the president of the European Central Bank, Jean-Claude Trichet stated that the interest rates would not be altered (Sterling slips on UK/euro zone rate expectations, 2006). However, he hinted that the ECB was likely to increase the interest rates. In the month of July 2006, the forward exchange rate for one euro was 69.51 pence, however in comparison to the US Dollar there had been a 0.3 % increase in the value of the Great Britain Pound (Sterling slips on UK/euro zone rate expectations, 2006). The UK was not willing to make the euro their currency. On the 9th of January, 2005 the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, stated that on account of economic considerations, the UK was not in a position to change its currency to the euro. In the BBC programme Breakfast with Frost, Blair stated that it was essential to consider what was

Hospital pharmacy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hospital pharmacy - Assignment Example The hospital consisted of two categories of patients. The categories are inpatient and outpatient. Most services offered in the hospital are meant for inpatients. The hospital is spacious enough and consists of four floors. The sections of the hospital are well distributed among the floors in a manner that maximizes service provision (Stephens, 2003). I observed that hospital pharmacy never had cosmetic and gift section. Community pharmacy had a close relationship with clients. On the other hand, hospital pharmacy deals with clients professionally and not considering personal relationship. The hospital pharmacy is best suited for inpatients because it has the necessary facilities for the services. Pharmacists are located at strategic points in the hospital. Every section had a pharmacy. The pharmacies are designed to have windows from where the pharmacists serve their clients. They provide medication through the windows. For special cases, there were rooms meant for handling patients I a specialized manner. Drugs are mainly supplied to patients through pharmacists. Other people authorized to supply drugs are nurses (Stephens, 2003). They usually provide medication orally to patients. However, nurses have limited types of drugs that they can supply. For example, nurses are not allowed to supply antibiotics. Nurses are always in contact with patients and, therefore, are allowed to orally administer drugs to patients. That implies that, there are special cupboards for keeping drugs to be used by patients.

Transportation and Distribution Management - Discuss the importance of Essay

Transportation and Distribution Management - Discuss the importance of air transportation to global trade. Cite a real-world ca - Essay Example Air transportation is now considered as one of the major facilitators of global trade. It offers enormous benefits to the consumers. Some of the major benefits offered by air transportation are wider coverage, fastest means of communication, and high security among various other advantages. The purpose of the study is to uncover the importance of air transport or aviation in the process of facilitating international trade. The importance of air transport in the global trade will be further supported by real world examples. In this context some real examples will be provided to depict the importance of aviation. Apart from that the report will also shed light on various areas, pertaining to the importance of aviation in cross border transaction. The advantages of making use of air transport will be also highlighted. Finally the report will conclude highlighting the extant up to which air transport acts as the facilitator of international trade. Discussion This section will mainly high light the relevant theories and practical examples of air transport to depict its importance in the world trade. Air Transport and Economic Growth Like any other means of transportation, Air transport is allied with global trade in two different ways. First, air transport is used as a service mechanism, and secondly it is being used as a crucial intermediate service provider for a number of trading activities such as tourism. Numerous studies have illuminated the fact that it is important for every country (mostly developing countries) to focus on ensuring an effective, efficient and consistent air transport to gain maximum, from the activities of international trade. With rapid globalization and increased cross border trade activities, the importance of air transport got a greater boost. In addition, the significance is expected to further enhance due to rapid technological innovation, increased market access of multinational companies and deregulation (WTO, 2005). Despite the incr easing importance, the industry has passed through difficult times. The industry constantly struggles in order to survive and sustain in the market place. Whenever a big carrier gets into problem, they make headline and if they collapses the economy of that country gets highly affected. This depicts how air transport is important even for the national economy. Air transport is thus considered to be one of the most important industries of the world. Besides its service and technical achievements makes it as a supreme contributor towards the growth and advancement of modern society. The growth is also unmatched with any other form of transportation. The rising demand of air transport is also for the reason of increasing cross border trade activities. It facilitates rapid movement of people from one place to the other and also makes possible to transport goods worth billions of dollars to several markets throughout the globe (Air Transport Action Group, 2005, p.4). Air Transport and Gl obal Trade The most important economic benefit offered by air transport on the global trade is the ‘spin-off effect’. It plays a crucial role towards the promotion of financial growth in countries around the world. Air transport offers

How do the HRM practices at Great Wall fit together strategically Case Study

How do the HRM practices at Great Wall fit together strategically - Case Study Example For starters we are informed that Great Wall organized itself functionally. This implies that the organization is then better placed to accurately define its recruitment, training, rewards and staff retention policies for each area of concentration. Also, using the functional divisions Great Wall is able to utilize a decision-focused approach which is based on the three decision making levels, namely operational, managerial and strategic. Recruitment We are informed that staff that was recruited was chosen based on their experience and interpersonal skills. Experience enables them to add value immediately to Great Wall and this is important for the organization as it seeks to rise to the pinnacle of Asian golf resorts. Furthermore, unlike their competitors Great Wall hired senior managers from Asia who had a better understanding of the culture and social practices of the Chinese target market. Training Great Wall knew that for the organization to raise its profile to world class it w ould have to invest in training its staff to meet those world class standards. From Exhibit 4 in the case we can see how Great Wall differentiated the training offered to its staff based on their level. There was the mandatory training required for all staff and additional training offered to staff that was at supervisory level and above. This is in line with the decision-focused approach to HRM. ... Great Wall’s HR thus devised various informal and formal reward systems for managerial staff as well as rank and file employees. For example reward systems for rank and file employees included â€Å"Employee of the Month† which gave employees recognition as well as one month’s salary as financial reward. On the other hand, the best caddies would receive both monetary and non-monetary rewards for superior service and performance, with the monetary rewards being issued quarterly. Staff retention Another major challenge that Great Wall faced as an employer in China stemmed from the migrant nature of the workforce. Even though its staff turnover was lower than the industry average, it was still higher than Great Wall’s desired level. The company knew that its ability to retain staff that had long-standing relationships with members was a key competitive advantage thus it had to lower its staff turnover. With this goal in mind, the organization used a combinati on of incentive plans such as putting in place both formal and informal reward systems, trainings, comfortable housing, medical plans and so on. How do the HRM practices at Great Wall support Great Wall's strategy? Corporate strategy is about what a company wants and how the company should go about to satisfy this want. To achieve its main goal the company employs a grand strategy. Grand strategies fall into three general categories which reflect what a company’s overall goal would be namely: growth, stability or retrenchment. From the context of the case Great Wall’s grand strategy was to grow. The organization aimed to achieve this growth through placing emphasis

Analysis of the Film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge Essay

Analysis of the Film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - Essay Example The mother who is well aware that the father is set in his views and is unlikely to change his mind encourages the young lovers to elope. This is the stage where the story deviates from the general trend because the young man is determined that he will only marry the girl he loves with the approval of both her parents, irrespective of the cost and irrespective of how long the process takes. He then embarks on a persistent campaign to win the father’s approval and at the end of a period of sustained suffering, he is able to finally achieve the desired objective. One of the important aspects to be considered in film analysis is the historical context within which the film story is set. For instance, as Hogan states, an essay that examines a film like Mildred Pierce should of necessity, analyse the changing sociological position of women which occurred during the post world war period, because the historical events of the war resulted in women being forced to participate more act ively in jobs that were formerly restricted to men only but were falling vacant because they were being drafted into the armed forces to fight the war (Corrigan,88). Similarly, DDLJ is a significant film when assessed using a historical perspective. This film can be compared to another Hindi film titled Bobby that was produced and marketed in the 70s. In this film, the spoilt young son of a rich man falls in love with a poor girl belonging to a different religion. i.e., Christianity. The young lovers solve the problems arising from the rich-poor chasm existing in Indian society by eloping. This film reflects the prevailing mood in Indian society during that period when a love marriage was viewed as a near impossibility since arranged marriages were the norm and viewed as the ideal condition for marriage and one which was also socially acceptable.

Dream Analysis Essay Example for Free

Dream Analysis Essay John [customer may change/remove his/her name here] has a military background and has spent his childhood in a boarding school. Overall, his childhood was happy and content and his favorite toys to play were trucks which he sometimes even wanted to build out of stray wooden logs and old tires. For the past couple of days John has been having a few recurrent dreams. In the following discourse of dream analysis and analysis on the basis of psychoanalytic personality theory, it will be examined how the fascinating world of the unconscious portrays to the conscious world a glimpse of that infinite universe that resides within each and every one of us. Every night John dreams that he is being chased by a figure in a hooded cloak and long hair that suddenly fades into a door which he cannot open. Bizarre as it may seem, John walks into the door and there is darkness everywhere – but as soon as there is enough light for him to see, he realizes that he is walking on water and there are ships all around him. Without furtherance, the dream ends and John wakes up confused and worried. John can neither comprehend the worry he has nor can he understand the odd turn of events in his dream. It is often said that each human being is a tiny universe within himself or herself. Each person has within him/her a great constellation of ideas, feelings, emotions, wants, needs and many other such aspects which make the person unique and individual and thus even a single case study can prove to be a study of a lifetime. â€Å"The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul, opening into that cosmic night which was psyche long before there was any ego-consciousness, and which will remain psyche no matter how far our ego-consciousness extends. † These words belonged to this very noted and lauded psychoanalyst, Carl Gustav Jung, a proponent of Analytical Psychology and the inventor of the famous terms of today such as ‘collective unconscious’, ‘archetypes’ and ‘persona’. In the therapy, Jung’s methodology of treatment worked on the profound principles of word associations, free associations, dream analysis, transference and counter-transference. Dreams remained, however, one of the most significant works of Jung since there had been little work done on it since Freud. Jung’s therapeutic techniques and analysis of dreams provide a much more culturally rich and avid interpretations that cover a great breadth of subjects and ideas. Whereas Freud would interpret dreams as a ‘royal road to the unconscious’ that mostly leads to sexual discussions of a male-dominated structure, Jung’s discussion would profit the reader more in terms of how rich his theory is with motifs from all across the world. He had the cultural and cognitive openness to absorb ideas and patterns from cultures which belonged to distant lands as well as to designs which were close to his own religion, nation and race. His theory of personality speaks of not simplistic desires of sex and aggression; rather it takes a comprehensive look at the various types of personality in terms of their functions. According to Jungs theory, personalities are categorized in both extroverted and oriented toward subjective experiences (Miller 2004). Dreams are not looked up by a codebook, dictionary or even an almanac. You cannot have a standard glossary of dreams (Coolidge, 2006) which can simply pinpoint to you the exact source and destination of your dream. Even the most simplest of psychoanalysis would require a complete case study of the person and delve into the backgrounds and relationships of the dreamer rather than arbitrary guesswork. â€Å"Nobody doubts the importance of conscious experience; why then should we doubt the significance of unconscious happenings? They are also the part of our life, and sometimes more truly a pert of it for weal or woe than any happenings of the day† (Jung, 1970). Jung wrote a variety of articles, developing and perfecting his theory over a period of time (Adams 2004) which led to the collection of all his articles under a book called Dreams (1974). For John’s case we will discuss the two basic categories of dreams given by Jung: (1) Reactive (2) Compensatory Reactive dreams are coming as a reaction to some kind of trauma or repression faced by the individual. Most dreams fall, however, in the compensatory category, where the present moment attitudes or compromises of the ego are reflected back. Compensatory dreams present alternative perspectives that have been repressed, dissociated or otherwise defensively excluded by the ego (Addams 2004). Jung’s theory of personality suggested that there exists the ‘collective unconscious’, a set of influences that we inherit from our own particular ancestors, the whole human race, and even animal ancestors from the past. This collective unconscious is shared by everyone and is displayed by behavior that is shown as common across all cultures. Loving your mother, belief in a supreme being, fear of dark, cold places, and perceiving certain images as positive and certain images as negative are all results of the collective unconscious of which the entire race is a part of. Jung believed that the collective unconscious has ‘archetypes’ which were the universal symbolic representations of a particular person object or experience (Feldman, 1993). One of these archetypes is the ‘mother archetype’, a symbolic representation of a mother-figure present across all cultures, religions, literature, myths and even fairy tales (Virgin Mary, Mother Hubbard, Kali, fairy godmother etc. ). In John’s case the dreams seem to be of the second kind, which is the most common kind. Owing from John’s history that was taken prior to analysis (as per rule of psychoanalysis itself), it is seen that John has not been in any kind of traumatic experience lately which could lead to show that his dreams are in any way a reactive phenomenon to some event. It seems as if the ego, which is conducting the job of maintaining the deep secrets of the collective unconscious which tries to seep through our dreams, feelings, premonitions and behavioral idiosyncrasies. John’s history reveals that his favorite passion as a child was building tracks, as mentioned before, and he would often use his mother’s stray clips and pins while trying to make trucks. Once, he recalls, during his free association sessions, that his mother had gone out for the afternoon for a little while and he was left alone with his toys. John had sneaked into his mother’s room and taken all the clips and pins he could find to build a tiny engine for his truck out of the old cardboard boxes lying around in the attic. It did not thus struck as odd to the therapist when John responded with the word ‘road’ with the word ‘pins’. Word association technique, also propounded by Carl Jung, was a technique where the individual is given a list of words. To these set of words, the individual is asked to respond to the first response that comes to the mind. In modern day interpretation, reaction time and expressions are also noted. In Jung’s original version the main practices were focused on the response the individual gave to the words. In John’s case, the response to the word ‘road’ came as ‘pins’ which could have explained his recollection of his childhood methodology of building trucks through borrowing the pins from his mother’s dresser. John also remembers being scolded by his mother very sternly regarding the stealing of pins. He remembers his mother telling him that although what he stole was not of much significance, it did however matter that he stole something which was wrong on every account. John remembers crying and repeating the word ‘sorry’ many times and considers this to be one of his more memorable events in his childhood. The military set up, of which John is a part of, also establishes a certain emphasis on rule-abiding and a formidable outlook on immoral practices. Discipline and control are a big part of John’s life, so it is not surprising that such an event in childhood where his moral qualities were called into question continue to remain vivid in his memories. Although John’s energies have been channelized constructively, he does report feeling more inclined towards construction and manual labor oriented tasks, which speak of his childhood pastime of building trucks. In his dream John is chased by a figure which has long hair and a cloak, easily represented by an evil mother archetype. John may be harboring feelings in his personal unconscious, which is different from the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is the combination of the residue of the personal events and experiences of the individual’s life, whereas the collective unconscious is the collective residue of the events and lives of the ancestors’ of the individual which is shared by all members of the society. Here since the archetype is professed as the evil mother archetype (given in the form of various myths and religions such as Kali, the Death Goddess, Evil Enchantress, Vivien and the Witch in Hansel and Gretel (Fox, 1994), we can understand John’s residual and unconscious fear of his mother. The dream can be further interpreted in terms of his fear and overall overpowering sense of moral code and ethics which guides his childhood memories as well as present day ambitions. This fear of childhood and present day fear of judgment may be symbolized as the evil mother since the ‘shadow’ may have a will of its own. The concept of ‘shadow’ by Carl Jung is synonymous to the concept of ‘id’ by Sigmund Freud, which represents all the carnal and basic desires of the person. The Greeks separated the mother archetype in both good and bad ways, whether it was the sexual version of Aphrodite, the virgin Artemis, the motherly Demeter and the dominating Hera (Fox, 1994). The mother figure symbolized as evil in John’s dream does not necessarily mean that John hates his mother or considers her as evil. It is simply a symbolic representation and interpretation of ideas and themes that are considered as overwhelming or powerful which have taken the connection of childhood memories, themes and ideas. The door and the sea both represent an initiation into a world that is unknown and thus a voyage into the unknown is found in this particular sequence of the dream. The sea has various interpretations in terms of archetypes and expresses a vast majority of meanings including an initiation, a voyage, an uneasy division between order and chaos, the eternal mother, etc (Carlson, 1986). A study was conducted on the archetype of doors and it was found that doors represent safety and keep bad things from getting in or help in escape if danger threatens. A door may represent a way out, a way to safety (Hatala, 1992). This dream could possibly mean that the door symbolizes a certain escape and balance that was brought from the uncertainty in life. The uncertainty that could have arisen from the difference in ambition and the difference in the current profession is absolved through the doorway of channelizing the energies into a positive way, for example, by joining the military. For the process of deindividuation, which Jung called the process of discovering the deepest of potentials of a person, dreams provide as powerful tools and cues in order to discover and fulfill the calls of the inner psyche. In John’s dreams the call of the unconscious seems to be towards the ego and the persona (synonymous to the Freudian ‘ego’ or reality principle) which absolves the conflicts of the ego. John seems to doubt his ego which the ego in turn does not want it to do. It wants John to make peace with the investment of his energies. The dream starts with the evil mother archetype and seems to end with the ‘sea’ or the eternal mother archetype. This means that there is peace within the system of John’s unconscious, yet this peace needs to be maintained, accepted and realized by the individual himself. Works Cited: Addams, M. V. (2004). The Fantasy Principle: Psychoanalysis of the Imagination. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Carlson, P. A. (1986). Literature and lore of the sea. Costerus, new ser. , v. 52. Amsterdam: Rodopi. Coolidge, F. L. (2006). Dream interpretation as a psychotherapeutic technique. Oxford: Radcliffe. Feldman, R. S. (1993). Psychology. [New York]: McGraw-Hill. Fox, R. (1994). The challenge of anthropology old encounters and new excursions. New Brunswick, N. J. , U. S. A. : Transaction. Hatala, L. J. (1992). Incredibly American releasing the heart of quality. Milwaukee, Wis: ASQC Quality Press. Jung, C. G. (1953). Psychological reflections an anthology of the writings of C. G. Jung. London: Routledge and K. Paul. Miller, C. A. , Miller, C. A. (2004). Nursing for wellness in older adults: theory and practice. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins.

Media In The Vietnam War

Media In The Vietnam War Throughout Americas history, the United States has won the majority of all of its major conflicts. Up until the Vietnam War, America was seen as invincible and unbeatable. At the time, television and personal audio recorders were becoming more mainstream. News by television was growing for the first time, people were turning to TV rather than the newspaper or radio to learn about current events.  [1]  The news was uncensored, and citizens, for the first time, were able to view the reality of war. Although the Vietnam War initially had the publics full support, uncensored anti-war news coverage on the newly developed commercial television influenced popular sources of entertainment, like music artists, which in turn led people to protest the war; the protests, combined with the major losses and defeats in the conflict, prompted the government to withdraw from Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a Cold War conflict that officially started on the first of November, 1955. President Lyndon B. Johnson took full advantage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which occurred in 1964; the resolution allowed the President to use conventional military power in south Asia without the approval of Congress. President Johnson used this incident as a reason to escalate troop levels in Vietnam, thus escalating the conflict.  [2]  The escalated conflict, which turned into a full-scale war, was fought between North Vietnam and its Communist allies and South Vietnam supported by anti-communist nations. The larger strategy at hand was the containment of communism. Started as a Russian revolution, the Soviets had started spreading Communism throughout the world. Although the war technically started in 1955, it wasnt until the early 1960s that US troop levels began to grow rapidly.  [3]  In 1968, the US launched the infamous Tet Offensive, an operation in which there were many casualties on both sides.  [4]  The Tet Offensive marked the period in which approval for the war started to rapidly decline which would later cause the U.S, five years later to start a peace process in which the US would eventually withdraw from Vietnam.  [5]  This peace processes ended two years later in 1975 with the capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese forces.  [6]   Although veterans sharing their experiences of war happened in any previous war, the Vietnam War was exposed much more through new technology such as television, and personal audio recorders. At the same time the Vietnam War was starting, citizens started switching where they would get their news information. A series of surveys conducted by the Roper Organization for the Television Information Office from 1964 until 1972 demonstrates the growing power of television; multiple answers allowed, respondents were asked from which medium they got most of their news, 58 percent said television; 56 percent, newspapers; 26 percent, radio; and 8 percent, magazines.  [7]  By 1972, 64 percent said television while the number of respondents who primarily relied on newspapers dropped to 50 percent.  [8]  TV was more attention-grabbing than newspapers and radio the visual element allowed user to feel as if they were in the middle of the intense battles and death. Additionally, intense vis uals helped explain the complex nature of war to Americans who might not understand the militarys technical language. Furthermore, anchors, who hosted the news programs quickly became famous in fact, Walter Croncrite, a major anchor at the time was often cited as the most trusted man in America.  [9]  This trust in the media led people to quickly believe their word as fact, clearly spreading the medias bias throughout Americas culture. When footage of the Tet Offensive started coming out in early 1968, the dominant view that the war was just was quickly flip-flopped. The media started showing more anti-war footage, with a focus on critics of the Johnson administration.  [10]  Most importantly, the footage of the My Lai massacre, where hundreds of Vietnamese were killed in cold blood by Americans, acted as a main example of why peace needed to be established.  [11]  Later on, the media focused on domestic anti-war movements, which further exemplified how the Vietnam War was unjust. Not only were Americans seeing the war in a new way, they were also seeing more casualties coming back from the front. All the way from the beginning of the war to the end, the casualty rates were rising at a constant rate. By 1968, there was an average of 1200 men who died per month in Vietnam.  [12]  Correlating with the increase in deaths at the front, more and more American soldiers were sent to Vietnam, and by 1968 over half a million troops were stationed there.  [13]  At the same time, naturally, the approval rating for then-President Lyndon B. Johnson plummeted to an all time low even as low as 35% during the Tet Offensive.  [14]  Because American approval for Johnson went steadily lower over time, it can be inferred that it was because of his actions during his time as president. Since there were so many casualties and little progress was being made in Vietnam, most people thought the war was unwinnable, which was later confirmed in 1968 by the top news anchor o f the time, Walter Cronkite.  [15]  This notion that the war was unwinnable furthered the American publics cause to end the war and bring the remaining soldiers home. This general feeling of an American demise in Vietnam eventually spread to popular entertainment and popular culture. Although the media generally spread the anti-war message, music artists picked up its caused and spread the message of peace to the younger generation. Artists such as Edwin Starr, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen were incredibly popular in the 1960s and early 1970s. Much of their work consisted of anti-Saigon lyrics which displayed the harsh realities of war, and explaining why our soldiers should come home. These songs and artists sparked the counter culture of the time generally knows as hippies. These peace loving people carried out the messages of these artists peace, love and respect; their main goal was the end the Vietnam War and to create peace.  [16]  This counter-culture spread rapidly, especially among young people. Because of its amazing popularity, the media covered most of youth rallies and protests, such as draft card burnings and Human-Be-Ins.  [17]  This excessive media attention spread the counter-culture even further, spreading its ideas across the Unite d States. Because more people were being aware of these acts of civil disobedience, more people were tempted to follow the crowd. As more people got caught up in the movement the number of people at the protests rose, from as little as 700 participants in 1964 to 500,000 total in 1967.  [18]  This primarily shows how an anti-war bias spread by the media found its way into popular culture, which then caused many citizens to protest the war. Even those who did not go out and protest, which was the majority of the country, regarded the Vietnam War as a mistake.  [19]   Throughout the 60s and early 70s time, American citizens were constantly fighting against American involvement in Vietnam. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated every year to bring American troops back home. The number of people demonstrating kept rising as the approval rating for the war lowered exponentially every year.  [20]  As more people started demonstrating, pop-culture heavyweights, such as boxer Muhammad Ali and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. publicly endorsed peace. Not only did this lead to an increase in media coverage of the issue, but it also lead those who were fans of those public figures to become active in the fight for peace in Vietnam. Civil disobedience was on the rise more than 16 million American citizens dodged the draft by the end of the Vietnam War.  [21]  Also, in 1967, a group of flower power hippies marched on the Pentagon where they were blocked by National Guard troops, and subsequently they put flowers in their gun barrels (Appendix A).  [22]  A photographer, Bernard Norman Boston took a photo of the incident, and it became the runner up for the Pulitzer Prize that year, further broadcasting the strength of the counter-culture movement in the United States. The more media converge there was, the more people decided to join the movement for peace. The media even had a profound effect on the soldiers stationed in Vietnam; some GIs decided to resist the commands of the US army. The army in Vietnam, according to Marine Colonel Robert D. Heinl Jr., a veteran combat commander with over 27 years experience in the Marines, and the author of Soldiers Of The Sea, was on the verge of collapse: By every conceivable indicator, our army that now remains in Vietnam is in a state approaching collapse, with individual units avoiding or having refused combat, murdering their officers and non commissioned officers, drug-ridden, and dispirited where not near mutinous. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Sedition, coupled with disaffection from within the ranks, and externally fomented with an audacity and intensity previously inconceivable, infest the Armed Services  [23]   Not only was the army mutinous, but there were also many fragging incidents that occurred on bases. Fragging, is where there is a bounty placed upon a commanding officer, and that man is to be murdered, and whoever does it gets a monetary reward. These bounties were placed in underground army newspapers which majority of the army read.  [24]  In the year of 1970 alone, there were 209 reported fraggings.  [25]  The people responsible for the fraggings mostly got away with it too, as the armys justice system was quite corrupt: The Armys Judge Advocate Generals Corps estimated that only 10% of fragging attempts resulted in anyone going to trial..  [26]  Although there were those who took action against their superiors, there were also those who ran away. By 1970, the U.S. Army had 65,643 deserters almost four infantry divisions worth of troops.  [27]  In 1966 the desertion rate was 14.7 per thousand, in 1968 it was 26.2 per thousand, and by 1970 it had risen to 52.3 per thousand; absence without leave was so common that by the height of the war one GI went AWOL every three minutes.  [28]  From January of 67 to January of 72 a total of 354,112 GIs left their posts without permission, and at the time of the signing of the peace accords 98,324 were still missing.  [29]  The army also resisted politically, releasing underground news papers to solders. By 1972 around 300 anti-war and anti-military newspapers, with titles like Harass the Brass, All Hands Abandon Ship and Star Spangled Bummer had been published by enlisted men.  [30]  Hundreds of GIs created these papers, but their influence was far wider with thousands more who helped distribute them, and tens of thousands of readers.  [31]  They were also those determined to stop the war based on the act of sabotage; in June of 1972 the USS Ranger was apparently disabled by sabotage, and it had to return to its home base for repairs.  [32]  A movement that embodied this ideology wa s SOS Stop Our Ship. They used petitions to try and get their superiors to ground naval operations.  [33]  Even the troops, who may have had a lack of media knowledge, knew the war was wrong, and they decided to do something about it. They did all of this not only because they were saving themselves from being killed unnecessarily, but also because they knew the war which they were fighting was either not worth the fight or it was unjust. The media was the most decisive factor that drove the United States to end the war. Indirectly, they caused the public to accept that the war was unwinnable and that it would keep taking up the time and resources of the U.S. By conveying their message to popular culture artists, the media was able to target a larger audience, which was also coincidentally more active group socially. These people led protests which were both seen and heard by the national government. The media instigated these protests, displaying primarily anti-war protests on the daily news. Not only was the war being lost overseas, a battle against the government was being fought at home to end the war. Because of the constant pressure from Americas citizens and the North Vietnamese Army, the U.S decided to withdraw from Vietnam, letting Saigon fall into enemy hands, but at the same time, sparing many American lives. Although the media may have ended up tarnishing the honor of the United States with its first major loss since its creation, it stopped a cycle that would have ended up killing more American soldiers. Without the media causing an end to the war in Vietnam, the US would have been in a much worse place than it is today. Word Count: 2101

Nature and process of communication

Nature and process of communication Explain the Nature and Process of Communication 1.1 COMMUNICATION IS INTEGRAL TO HUMAN LIFE. Communication is deeply intertwined with the human existence. It is an integral part of it. One cannot think of human life without communication. Can you imagine what would happen if you are not allowed to talk for a long time? You would feel suffocated. In personal life, we need to communicate to deal with various concerns and problems of daily life. In professional life also, it is communication that helps us to build healthy relations and credibility with co-workers. Only speaking/talking is not communication. Communication can take place in many forms. Sometimes, we communicate by talking about our ideas, thoughts or emotions; at other times, we may wish to communicate through the written word or even non-verbally. Whatever form we choose, getting the message across is what communication is all about. Communication is a process that is dynamic, continuous, and irreversible but at the same time, it is reciprocal in nature. It is an ongoing process. Roughly, we can define communication as a shared meaning between two or more individuals. The shared meaning arises out of the individuals experiences, background, education and training. Similarity in experiences, background, training, etc. makes communication successful between individuals. Communication helps us to understand others. The inability to communicate can lead to a lot of problems both personally and professionally. Imagine a day without communicating! We can instantly feel the void it would create. Can we ever forget that it is our ability to communicate verbally that distinguishes us from animals? Communication helps form a powerful bond among people and makes us social beings. Besides, knowledge is not the sole requirement for the achievement of success. A person may possess good knowledge, but his/her performance will be evaluated largely on the basis of his/her ability to communicate. Therefore, if you are a good communicator, you have better chances of success in life and in business. 1.2 COMMUNICATION FOR BUSINESS Communication has become indispensable today. Human activity will come to a standstill if there is no communication. All human transactions become possible only through communication. It is the life-blood of every business organization. Especially in todays globalized market economy, effective communication is vital to the success and survival of any organization. Businesses need people with good communication skills because communication is an essential part of the kind of work that is done in business organizations. It extends across all areas of business, including managerial, technical, clerical and social positions. In present times, several factors have contributed to the significance of communication. They are- faster means of communication because of scientific and technological advancements shrinking geographical boundaries because of the availability of faster means of transport growth of the multinational companies that has resulted in the creation of a globalized market economy generation of highly advanced management techniques as a result of the growing importance of professionalism in the management of business the information revolution that has brought with it highly sophisticated networking technologies multiplication of systems of communication at all levels of organization because of specialized knowledge that has lead to departmentalization advancements in the field of social sciences such as in psychology and in sociology that have created an awareness about the human mind and behaviour and how they influence communication Communication undertaken by a business organization with the purpose of achieving certain specific goals is known as business communication. In fact, business communication is a special type of communication undertaken to meet the needs of the organization. Powerful concepts in modern management like participation, motivation, involvement revolve around communication. According to R. Ludlow, Business communication is a process of transfer of information and understanding between different parts and people of a business organization. It consists of various modes and media involved in communication interchanges. Effective communication is needed for growth and development of any organization. H.G. Hicks has rightly pointed out- Communication is basic to an organizations existence from birth of the organization; when communication stops, organized activity ceases to exist. Improving communication skills improves the chances for success of a business. Effective communication brings progress and prosperity to it. Moreover, in this age of specialization, planning, production, sales, advertising, finance, welfare, etc. are handled by different departments. In absence of effective communication, there would be a serious problem of co-ordination among these departments and there would only be chaos and confusion in the organization. Communication is also quite significant keeping in mind the growing importance of human relations and human resource management in todays world. Communication helps a manager in developing meaningful relationships with the subordinates, changing their attitudes, boosting their morale and soliciting their cooperation. Communication links people together to achieve common goals. It is also required to maintain good public relations. Thus, executives are often expected to give speeches and interviews to the media in order to project a favourable image of the organization. Effective communication is required to handle various crises and conflicts of interests in an organization. It is also needed in order to impart adequate training to the employees in handling latest technology. Subordinates often resent the introduction of changes in the methods of working. This poses a challenge to the management to educate the employees so that they can smoothly adapt to the dynamic character of the organization. They also have to work at alleviating the fear that these changes are likely to generate unemployment. Thus, effective communication can help in changing the negative attitude of the employees towards technological advancement. It facilitates meetings which play an important role in the functioning of an organization. Effective business communication depends not only on the skills of the sender of the message but also on the skills of the one who receives that message. Thus, one may say that communication is not an end in itself; rather, it is a means to achieve an end. (For more details, refer 1.6 Objectives of Communication) 1.3 PRE-REQUISITES OF COMMUNICATION Now the question is- What is communication and how it can be accomplished? What do we require to carry out communication? Hence, prior to looking at the meaning of communication, it would be helpful to know how we prepare for it. For instance, you want to write a letter. What all do you need for it? A piece of paper. A pen. A desk for support. Is there anything else that you require besides these things? Certainly you do. You need to dwell on three important things- 1. Purpose 2. Content 3. Skills These three precede all speaking or writing. WHAT TO COMMUNICATE- CONTENT Information Observation/ Receive by Select/Reject Think and Understanding Attention listening or as per your evaluate results into by reading interest, need the information knowledge or expectation This is how information is processed in to being knowledge. Knowledge generates in you the confidence to communicate. If you are well prepared with the content, then half the work is done. It is the urge to express something that begins communication. It can be an idea, an emotion, an opinion or some information. Without this basic idea/need, there can be no communication. However, we do not communicate whatever comes to our mind immediately. There is a need to plan- what to communicate, how to communicate and whom to communicate it to. We do not communicate without a purpose; therefore, it is essential to answer these questions before actually communicating. This helps us to communicate effectively and to get a desirable response from the person with whom we are exchanging our ideas. WHY TO COMMUNICATE- PURPOSE Speakers/ will hear/see Purpose of Writers Listener/ Communication Expectation Reader will listen/read will understand will act/respond THE PURPOSE IS FULFILLED Purpose is the primary pre-requisite of all meaningful communication. The sender initiates communication with some purpose i.e. expectation. S/he expects the receiver to hear/see his message, to listen/read it attentively, to understand it and to act/respond to it. When the receiver gives feedback or performs the expected action, then communication is said to be successful. However, the response would depend on various factors like concentration, physical surroundings and psychological makeup of the receiver. The next question is- how do we communicate? Communication does not just mean speaking or writing. We are communicating even when we smile or shrug our shoulders. However, when we decide to communicate, we need some medium through which to transfer that idea to the other person. HOW TO COMMUNICATE- SKILLS You may possess good knowledge and may be ready to convey it but if you do not know how to do it, it would not be effective. Poor speaking or writing skills is a real hurdle in communication. Speaking Skills Read aloud: Take a small piece of writing from a newspaper, magazine or a book and read it out loud. This will help you to know how you speak- your voice tone, pitch, etc. Observe: Observe how people speak- their pronunciation, accent, intonation, stress, style, rhythm, etc. Try to emulate the speaking style of good speakers. This will help you to improve your own style of speaking. (For a detailed note on speaking skills, writing skills and non-verbal communication, refer Chapter 2 Types of Communication.) Just the idea/information that the communicator has, the media of transmission available and the presence of the receiver are not enough for communication to take place. We need a proper context and an atmosphere where there are no hindrances in the communication process. Does communication end after the idea is communicated? As stated earlier, we communicate with a purpose. Expression of the idea/information is half the work done. But communication is considered complete only when there is some response from the receiver. Only then we can say that the purpose of communication is fulfilled. Communication involves three basic activities on the part of both the participants i.e. the sender and the receiver. On the senders part, they are- Thinking to develop the content to form a message Speaking/Writing to convey the message to the other person Feeling to make the message persuasive On the receivers part, the activities include- Listening/Reading to absorb the idea/information contained in the message Interpreting to understand the meaning of the message Responding to convey the acceptance or the disagreement with the message Communication has always been an important part of human life. Language and the ability to express ourselves using that language come to us spontaneously. And the need to communicate is so inherent in human nature that we hardly realize that effective communication skills can be acquired and honed. There are four basic communication skills- speaking, writing, listening and reading. They always work in the following adjacency pairs- Speaking/writing is handled by the sender of the message and listening/reading by the receiver of the message. Mastering these four skills is very essential if one wants to become an effective communicator. As children, we learn to speak by listening first. Thus, listening is the first skill that we acquire as we develop the language instinct. Then follows the reading skills once we start schooling and lastly we learn the writing skills as a part of our formal education. Thus, learning language/s and the related communication skills follow a systematic process. It does not happen accidentally and instantaneously. Despite of this, people often turn out to be poor communicators as most of us tend to take its importance for granted. Most of the time, we fail to achieve our objective while we communicate. This happens because of our failure to convey our ideas in a precise and clearly understandable manner. There may be a lack either in the content of the message or in the way in which it is conveyed to the intended audience, or both. The point is we do not normally focus much on what to communicate, when to communicate and how to communicate. Also, we need to consider another equally important aspect why to communicate i.e. the purpose. Thus, it is very important for us to recognize and study the essential elements involved in the process of communication in order to become effective communicators. Every aspect of life, whether personal, social or professional, involves communication. The basic meaning of the word communication is- an exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behaviour. The meaning of the word has not undergone much change. However, the ways and means of communication have changed greatly as a result of technological and other socio-cultural developments in recent times. Thus, these advancements have added numerous new dimensions to the communication process, which has become more complex over a period of time. It, thus, calls for a detailed study of the various components that are involved in it in order to be able to communicate effectively. 1.4 DEFINING COMMUNICATION In order to understand the term communication, it would be useful to have a look at some definitions given by the experts. The word communication is derived from the Latin word communis which means to transmit, to impart, to exchange, to share, or to convey. Communication means the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium. (Oxford English Dictionary) Communication is a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information but also create and share meaning. (Business Dictionary) According to Newman and Summer, Communication is an exchange of facts, ideas, opinions or emotions by two or more persons. Keith Davis states Communication is a process of passing information and understanding from one person to another. F.G. Meyer defines communication as the intercourse by words, letters or messages, the intercourse of thoughts or opinions. It is the act of making ones ideas and opinions known to others. In the words of Theo Haimann, Communication is the process of passing information and understanding from one person to anotherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it is the process of imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others. According to C.G. Brown, Communication has been defined as the transfer of information from one person to another, whether or not it elicits confidence or becomes an exchange or interchange. But the information transferred must be understandable to the receiver. William Scott defines communication as a process which involves the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions which will accomplish organizational goals. Louis A. Allen says, Communication is the sum of all the things which a person does when he wants to create understanding in the mind of another. It involves a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding. According to McFarland, Communication may be broadly defined as the process of meaningful interaction among human beings. More specifically, it is a process by which meanings are perceived and understanding is reached among human beings. These definitions explain communication as a process of passing information and understanding (Keith Davis) a two-way process of reaching mutual understanding (Business Dictionary) the act of making ones ideas and opinions known to others (F.G. Meyer) the process of imparting ideas and making oneself understood by others (Theo Haimann) the transmission and accurate replication of ideas ensured by feedback for the purpose of eliciting actions (William Scott) a systematic and continuous process of telling, listening, and understanding (Louis A. Allen) a process by which meanings are perceived and understanding is reached among human beings (McFarland) Thus, these definitions adequately highlight and express in concise form the important features of the process of communication. In short, we can define communication as a process in which two or more elements of a system interact in order to achieve a desired outcome or goal. (Larry L. Barker and Deborah A. Gaut, Communication; 2001) 1.5 FEATURES OF COMMUNICATION On the basis of the above discussion, let us now discuss certain important features of the process of communication. 1. It is an exchange of ideas. Communication is the process through which an exchange of information takes place. It is the sharing of information, ideas, concepts and messages. 2. Two parties are involved in it. In communication, the exchange of information takes place between two or more persons. This implies that there are minimum two people involved in the communication process at any given time. The one who initiates the exchange is the sender of the message (speaker/writer) and the one who receives and interprets it is the receiver of the message (listener/reader). 3. It is a two-way process. Communication is a two-way process of exchanging ideas or information. One person alone cannot carry out communication. When you communicate, there has to be a receiver or an audience that would reciprocate. Then only your communication can be complete. Thus, communication is a process of transmitting and receiving verbal and non-verbal messages. It is considered effective only when it achieves the desired reaction or response from the receiver. The response may be positive or negative. In case of absence of any response, communication is incomplete. Thus, communication is effective only when a concise and clear message is delivered well, received successfully, understood fully, and responded to promptly. 1.6 OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION There is no human action that is done without any purpose. Even the simplest and most natural action like breathing has a purpose- to stay alive. Communication is also always carried out with some purpose. (Refer 1.3 Pre-requisites of Communication) Communication begins with two-fold objectives or purposes that occupy the senders mind: Immediate or Primary to convey or to share Objectives information of Communication Ultimate or Secondary to convince or to persuade people To inform and to persuade are the two basic purposes (goals) that are ever present in the mind of a communicator. Sometimes, he seeks only to inform, as in scientific writings; sometimes, his goal is to persuade the reader, as in journalistic writings; and oftentimes, he wants both to inform and to persuade the reader, as in sales letters, advertisements, etc. Communication is vital to business. The communication activities of an organization fall into three broad categories: 1. Intra-organisational Communication FORMAL Business 2. Inter-organisational Communication Communication 3. Personal INFORMAL Communication 1. Intra-Organisational Communication It is communication within an organization. It is done to implement business plans. It takes many forms like orders, instructions, reports, emails, etc. 2. Inter-Organisational Communication It is communication that a business organization does with people outside the organization i.e. with other companies, customers, clients, general public, etc. It takes the form of planned publicity to improve its image and public relations with the help of business messages, advertising, displays, etc. The success of a business depends on its ability to fulfill the customers needs. Besides providing services, it must communicate effectively with outside people and groups for its success. 3. Personal Communication It is communication without a specific business objective i.e. without an ulterior motive or purpose. Man is a social animal, therefore we have a compulsive need to communicate even when we have nothing substantial to convey. Such communication also occurs in the workplace. For example, personal conversations, gossip, Grapevine phenomenon, etc. If one is not allowed to engage in such casual communication, it may lead to frustration and other such psychological problems. (For a more detailed discussion on corporate communication, refer Chapter 7 Formal and Informal Networks of Communication.) The primary objective of communication is to convey or share information. Business organizations have to deal with a large and varied amount of information on a daily basis in order to conduct various business activities. Thus, proper flow of information helps them to make right decisions. Another equally important objective of communication is to persuade people to accept a point of view or to change their attitude and accept a new or modified attitude. Persuasion is achieved through logical arguments or an emotional appeal to accept the change. Advertisements are an apt example of the persuasive nature of communication. Essentially, all communication is a deliberate and intentional act of persuasion. A communicator wants the reader not only to understand the message but also to be influenced as intended by him. (For a detailed discussion, refer 10.6 Persuasive Communication, Chapter 10 Nature of Attitude and its Influence on Communication) Communication helps to convey information from experts to trainees in an organization for the purpose of educating or training them to handle new technology or to adapt to the changes in the work environment. Communication is an effective tool in the hands of the managers to motivate and to boost the morale of the employees. This enables the organization to achieve higher productivity. Through advice and counseling, the management can help the employees in dealing with their emotional problems as well as problems pertaining to maladjustment and also to give career guidance. By means of letters of appreciation, special mention in reports, minutes of meetings, etc., the management can appreciate the work of the employees. In case of strikes, lockouts, and dismissal of individual employees or disciplinary action against them, the management uses communication channels to issue warnings. Communication also helps in co-ordination of intra-organisational activities, inter-organisational transactions, business transactions, and commercial transactions by means of conferences, meetings, advertisements, requests, suggestions, reviews, and discussions. Without communication, coordinating the activities of different persons engaged in running a business is a remote possibility. The management and the subordinates come closer through communication. Communication promotes cooperation and good industrial relations as it conveys feelings, ideas, opinions, and viewpoints of one party to the other party. The policies and programs formulated by the organization to guide the workforce have to be conveyed to those who are responsible for the execution of work to achieve the organizational objectives. Only effective communication can translate the plans into actions. It aids teamwork by enabling people to work together. It helps perform basic management functions like instructing, coordinating, staffing, planning, etc. Thus, these are the few important objectives of communication in the context of business organizations. So far, we have discussed what comprises communication and the significance of communication in our personal, social as well professional life. We have also highlighted some of the fundamentals of communication. Let us now analyse the process of communication and see how it is accomplished. 1.7 PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION Process is a series of things done to achieve something. Communication also follows a process. Communication begins when the sender/encoder identifies the need to communicate some idea/concept/information. He then encodes/formulates it into a message using a medium which can be understood by the receiver/decoder of the message who in turn processes it in his mind and responds to it. When the decoder understands the message completely, fidelity of communication is said to be 100% and the communication process is said to be complete. (Refer David Berlos Model of Communication) Thus, communication is a two-way process. Fidelity of Communication Idea Idea Concept Encoder Medium Decoder Concept Message Message Information Information Fidelity of Communication David Berlos Model of Communication If necessary, the receiver may send a reply or may respond or react to the message. This response or reaction is also known as feedback. But sometimes, there may be no response at all from the receiver even if it is required. Absence of feedback can be attributed to either of the following reasons- a) the message does not reach the receiver or b) the receiver fails to understand the message. Such situations may arise due to the presence of some factor/s that can- a) obstruct the message from being transmitted or b) distort the meaning of the message. The factors that hamper the flow of communication are known as barriers to communication. (Refer Chapter 4 Resolving Barriers to Communication) Communication occurs in five phases and it consists of the following eight components which are inter-related: Idea Sender/Encoder (Speaker/Writer) Encoding Message Channel and Medium Receiver/Decoder (Reader/Listener) Decoding Feedback Let us now discuss in detail the various stages and elements involved in the communication process. PHASE I- IDEATING: 1) Idea Every message whether oral or written has its origin in an idea that germinates in the mind of the sender of the message. Every idea refers to some context. Context is a common frame of reference within which the sender and the receiver communicate with each other. Thus, the idea or information that the sender wants to convey to the receiver is the source of the message in the communication process. 2) Sender/Encoder The person who initiates the communication process is referred to as the encoder. The process of communication begins with the sender who identifies the need to communicate. He may want to inform or to persuade or to influence or to make the receiver take a particular course of action. The sender must have a clear picture in his mind about what he wants to communicate and should accordingly select symbols, words, images, etc. that would best convey his ideas to the receiver. He must identify his audience and formulate the message in such a way that the receiver understands fully what he intends to convey and interprets it within the same context. PHASE II- ENCODING: 3) Encoding Encoding takes place when the sender formulates his idea into a message to be transmitted to the receiver, using a series of symbols- verbal and/or non-verbal, written or oral. The sender should encode his message keeping in mind the purpose of communication and he should select words or symbols so as to make the receiver understand the communication correctly and to achieve the expected feedback. The sender as well as the receiver should attach the same meaning to the symbols or words, otherwise communication would fail. Thus, proper encoding is essential for successful communication. 4) Message That which is encoded, i.e. the idea/concept/information, is the message. Message is an idea transformed into words. It can be expressed in different ways depending on the subject-matter, purpose, audience, personal style and cultural background of the sender. It can be transmitted effectively only when it is well-formulated, clear, and complete in itself. PHASE III- TRANSMITTING: 5) Channel and Medium An appropriate medium chosen to send the message is known as channel. It is the vehicle which facilitates the sender to convey the message to the receiver. Channel is the system used to transmit a message, whereas medium is one of the forms or types used under that system. For example, oral communication is a channel and telephone conversation (a form of oral communication) is a medium. There are three broad channels of communication and there are several media under each- Channel Medium 1. Oral face-to-face conversation, telephone conversation, audio-tapes, voice mail, etc. 2. Written letters, memos, reports, manuals, notices, circulars, questionnaires, minutes, email, fax, etc. 3. Audio-visual cinema, television, video-tapes, video conferences, video chat, etc. Thus, there is a difference between medium and channel. The sender should decide the best possible channel and medium to transmit the message. The selection of an appropriate channel/medium would be influenced by the following factors- a) the nature of the message, b) the urgency of the message, c) the number of receivers, d) the cost factor, and e) the relationship between the sender and the receiver. PHASE IV- RECEIVING: 6) Receiver/Decoder The person who receives the encoded message is referred to as the decoder. He is the intended audience of the message. The receiver may be an individual or a group of individuals. As communication is a two-w

Analysis of the UK Approach to Work Training and Skills Essay -- uk wor

Training and skills shortages have been a concern to industry and part of the national debate since pre-war years, resulting in many schemes and approaches by successive governments to confront these challenges over the years (Keep, 2012).Indeed political parties, trade unions and employers regardless of political affiliation agree that training and skills are essential components of economic success and competitiveness (Grugulis, 2007).Governance of the skills and training system in the UK is overseen by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, (BIS) which is a government department, partnered with the Skills Funding Agency, whose role is to fund and promote adult further education and skills training in England. Although, the Government Department aims to improve the Quality and efficiency in training and skills there are no regulations to support the actions. This essay will analyse the UK approach to work training and skills in view of current data and in comparison t o specific countries Despite the various frameworks and initiatives by successive Governments, the UK has traditionally led a voluntarist market based approach to training, hence, it is left to individual employers whether they train their staff or not, with Governments attempting instead over the years to address skills shortages by policy innovation and the provision of infrastructures for the supply of skills (Gold et al, 2013). This approach favoured by the UK is based on assumptions of free market principles, that organisations are more competitive and efficient and can target training needs effectively to their needs. (Redman et Al, 2009).Although, it could be argued that the UK in setting up frameworks and initiatives are seeking to influence... ... (2013), UK Commissions Employer Skills Survey Results 2013, [Online] Available: http://www.ukces.org.uk/assets/ukces/docs/publications/ukces-employer-skills-survey-13-executive-summary-81.pdf [Accessed 20/02/2014] Saks, A. M. & Haccoun, R. R. 2010. Managing Performance Through Training and Development, Nelson Education. Simon Smith, Peter Stokes, John Wilson, (2014) "Exploring the impact of Investors in People: A focus on training and development, job satisfaction, and awareness of the Standard", Employee Relations, Vol. 36 Iss: 3 Stewart, J. & Rogers, P. 2012. Developing People and Organisations, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Telegraph, (2014) Apprentices are for life, not just for this week. [Online] Available:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10679733/Apprentices-are-for-life-not-just-for-this-week.html [Accessed 01/003/2014]

Comments on Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau :: Civil Disobedience Essays

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau    Thoreau's essay entitled "Civil Disobedience" i was an excellent way of educating the public on why people should not settle for a less than perfect government. His belief in demanding a better government was a great reminder that Thomas Jefferson insisted that it was our "duty, to throw off"(2) an unsatisfactory government in the "Declaration of Independence" ii Thoreau's essay also explained why people choose not to do anything about it. Thoreau stated that people "cannot spare the protection of the existing government, and they dread the consequences to their property and families of disobedience to it" (25). So it makes sense that most people would not be willing to risk losing their property, family, or their life. However, we should not feel this way because Jefferson also stated that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed."(2) Jefferson then went on and stated "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute new Government" (2). It is not as if people do not have problems with the government. We protest the same things that Thoreau did: paying for wars, services that we personally do not use, corruption in our government, etc. Yet our society today does not use productive means to invoke our "Right of the People" and demand a "better government". There are people who actually do choose to abide by some of Thoreau's suggestions for dealing with our government. Many people refuse to pay taxes. Jefferson did claim that "imposing taxes on us without our Consent"(19) was grounds for a request for new government. Is there actual anyone who enjoys paying taxes? Thoreau did not have a problem with paying "for no particular item in the tax-bill"(36). He just did not want to show "allegiance to the State"(36). He believed that he did not join the "incorporated society"(25) that is the State so why should he pay its debts. The people who refuse to pay today simply prefer to keep their money. So according to Jefferson, that is technically ok. There are others who truly believe that there is a need for an improved government. Comments on Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau :: Civil Disobedience Essays Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau    Thoreau's essay entitled "Civil Disobedience" i was an excellent way of educating the public on why people should not settle for a less than perfect government. His belief in demanding a better government was a great reminder that Thomas Jefferson insisted that it was our "duty, to throw off"(2) an unsatisfactory government in the "Declaration of Independence" ii Thoreau's essay also explained why people choose not to do anything about it. Thoreau stated that people "cannot spare the protection of the existing government, and they dread the consequences to their property and families of disobedience to it" (25). So it makes sense that most people would not be willing to risk losing their property, family, or their life. However, we should not feel this way because Jefferson also stated that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governed."(2) Jefferson then went on and stated "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it and to institute new Government" (2). It is not as if people do not have problems with the government. We protest the same things that Thoreau did: paying for wars, services that we personally do not use, corruption in our government, etc. Yet our society today does not use productive means to invoke our "Right of the People" and demand a "better government". There are people who actually do choose to abide by some of Thoreau's suggestions for dealing with our government. Many people refuse to pay taxes. Jefferson did claim that "imposing taxes on us without our Consent"(19) was grounds for a request for new government. Is there actual anyone who enjoys paying taxes? Thoreau did not have a problem with paying "for no particular item in the tax-bill"(36). He just did not want to show "allegiance to the State"(36). He believed that he did not join the "incorporated society"(25) that is the State so why should he pay its debts. The people who refuse to pay today simply prefer to keep their money. So according to Jefferson, that is technically ok. There are others who truly believe that there is a need for an improved government.

catcher in the rye :: essays research papers

Holden’s True Love Children: spirited, loveable, cute, and something that a society could not live without. But when ones life is so rotated around children like JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye character, Holden, one loses all conscious and can only find happiness when with children or thinking about them. Holden can only find genuine love in children, for they have not learned the dreadful prerequisite of life, â€Å"phonieness.† He hates the artificiality that adults eventually acquire because all his good memories remain in his youth and his life with young children his age. This characteristic of Holden is shown throughout the book, particularly with his love for Phoebe, his helping the innocent children who are unable to help themselves, and his love for Jane at their age of serenity and ignorance! Holden shows his love for Phoebe by continuously thinking about her and requiring for her company. The only gift we have ever seen given by Holden was his record purchase for Phoebe. â€Å"Besides, I wanted to find a record store that was open on Sunday. There was this record I wanted to get for Phoebe, called ‘Little Shirely Beans.’ It was a very hard record to get (114).† This is one example of Holden’s thought and love for Phoebe. We can believe that he only views Phoebe as one who deserves gifts in all the people that he knows. A great example of his love for Phoebe is how he risks showing himself at his own home just to see his sister. â€Å"Anyway, I went into D.B’s room quiet as hell, and turned on the lamp on the desk. Old Phoebe didn’t even wake up†¦ My mother, she has ears like a goddam bloodhound (159).† Holden takes this risk, a risk that could cost him much more then a week of hell. His love for his sister’s com pany is obvious by this and there is no denying that he would have never taken this risk if he found himself having a phony and older sister. What separates Phoebe from all of the rest of the phony people is by how â€Å"straight-up† she is. She gets to the point and she doesn’t try to squiggle out of the situation. This is proven when she says, â€Å"’How come you’re not home Wednesday?’ ‘What?’†¦ ‘How come you’re not home Wednesday?’ She asked me, ‘You didn’t get kicked out or anything, did you?

The Attributes of a High Quality Accounting Standard

What are the attributes of a high quality accounting standard? Globalization is a fact of life in today’s worldwide economy. They are many barriers to achieving a true global market; one of these barriers has to do with accounting standards or the presentation of accounting information. Various users have diverse needs for financial information. Companies in different parts of the world had their own methods in preparing their financial statements. Trying to compare the accounting rules of these different companies would have been difficult.As a result, accounting bodies were created in order to standardize the accounting principles in order to avoid any difficulties in the future and make these methods comparable and uniform. As a result, this is how accounting standards were evolved. There are two major standard setting bodies in the world. These are the U. S Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) – the standard they created is called the US GAAP (Generally Accept ed Accounting Principles). American companies create statements that follow the US GAAP and the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) – the standard they create is IAS or IFRS.As far back as 1967 the Accountants International Study Group (AISG) began a foundation to publish papers on important topics. This led to an agreement in March 1973 to establish an international body writing accounting standards for international use. This is how International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) came into existence. The objectives of the committee were to formulate and publish, in the public interest, standards to be observed in the presentation of financials statements and to promote worldwide acceptance.Also to work generally for the improvement and harmonization of regulation accounting standards and procedures relating to the presentation of the financial statements. The IASC survived for 27 years, until 2001 when the organization was restructured and the International A ccounting Standards Board (IASB) replaced the IASC, and that any standards to be published after that would follow a series known as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).Some of the Characteristics of high quality accounting standards: †¢Transparency: The information presented should be to be economically significant and an investor should be able to tell what is happening at the company by looking at the financial statement. †¢ Comparability: The information provided should have common framework to enable review, analysis and interpretation of financial information across entities, countries and regions. The information should also allow an investor to compare the financial results for this year versus last year or the year before that within the given company. Credibility: With standard the companies produce financial reports that disclose similar results, which gains credibility. There is Uniformity in financial reports. †¢Discipline: Mandatory ac counts impose systematic on going regulations – others can rely on information for making loan, credit and investment decisions Financial information should be as useful as possible for many different types of users for example investors, analysts, tax authorities and many more.An investor who wants to understand what is going on at a company will be able to look at the financial statement and come to a decision or develop an understanding of the company. Financial statements also allow an investor to compare across different companies; if they are looking to invest to two companies ideally, they should be able to look at the financial statement of the two companies and make a comparison. Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) has 30 standards and International Accounting Standards (IAS) has 41 standards.FRS 15 and IAS 16 have to do with Plant Property and Equipment (PPE). The accounting standard FRS 15- PPE ensures that tangible fixed assets, with the exception of investment pr operties, are accounted for in a consistent manner. In order to recognize the PPE in IAS 16 as an asset, it will have to receive the risks and rewards of the ownership transferred to the company and expect future economic benefits, for instance revenue. The cost of the asset must also be reliably measured. These two conditions apply for both initial cost and subsequent cost.Some assets that don’t bring future economical benefits still qualify for recognition as an asset. For instance assets that are required by law for safety or environmental reason to operate other resources. In relation to subsequent cost, some assets require regular major inspection, over hauling, replacement of major parts. All these should be included in the carrying amount of an item although incurred subsequently. This principle has conditions that are mandated worldwide which includes high quality standard by allowing fixed assets between any companies.An item of PPE qualifying for recognition shall b e measured on the cost basis, which is purchase price and any directly attributable cost for example delivery, legal fees and any sort of testing cost that might occur. If they are any expected removal costs at the end of the ownership or before disposal of the assets, the company may be obliged to account for the removal costs. You normally find that this will occur toxic industries. High quality standards come into play in this section by allowing the results to be credible.If the rules were not set out world wide, then the final amount for different companies would differ, as some might include the attributable cost and some not. Subsequently there are options on how to measure the PPE, one of them is that you can use cost model or the revaluation model. If a company use’s the revaluation model, it should revalue it regularly. Depreciation is the reduction values of the asset due to wear and tear, normally done over time, or on a use basis.The three things a company needs for depreciation is depreciable amount, useful economic life of the asset, and this is either based on time or usually based on the amount of units it is going to produce. Lastly, the company will have to apply it on a systematic basis, by basing it on units produced, a diminishing value or on a straight-line basis. Sometimes components of the asset can depreciate separately. Derecognizing an asset is usually because that company has disposed of it, sold it or realized there is no future economic benefit left in the asset.Any gain or loss where the asset is derecognized is sent to the statement of comprehension income, not as revenue but as a sale of PPE. For investorsto make a decision to invest in a company, they would need high quality accounting standards to compare and decide which company to invest in, whether it may be in China or the UK. High quality accounting standards play a big role in all companies world wide, they provide useful, relevant information where the standard s are comparable and result in full disclosure. Without them investors would not be able to make their decisions.