Human Resource as Most Important Essay

The importance of human resource (HR) can be explained through the analogy of a motorcycle. A motorcycle can’t run on its own without the function of its many parts. It needs to be serviced regularly, the parts oiled and sometimes, talking to it, helps in running of your motorbike. Trust me (I myself, own a Vespa). Ignorance of its squeaky brake pads, almost thread less rear tyres could hamper the motorbike’s performance on the road or worst; the death of its rider! These same principles apply for a company. An organization cannot unction without its employees as they are essentially its driving force. Patty (2010: 15) described employees as the ones that make decisions, negotiate and execute plans. An organization exists to deliver value for people, either as a single person or whole fully as a team (Mayo, 2001). As stated by Lawler (2003: 17), some organization’s market worth is in its intangible assets, such as its reputation, brand and human capital, are extremely vulnerable to sudden death spirals. These intangible assets wouldn’t exist if not for good performing employees. A company offering bike towing services wouldn’t be reputable anymore if its mployees start to not achieve its target of 30 minutes arriving at scene upon despatched. Alternatively, a cosmetic shop selling facial products when their sales assistant themselves do not have good facial complexions. As Mayo (2001: 26) states, â€Å"everything depends on people; their capability, motivation, creativity, passion and leadership. People manage the tangible assets, and they also maintain and grow the intangible ones. † Humans possesses unique feelings and emotions and when they are correctly identified and managed with the correct strategy, an organization is able to seamlessly attain its target without much problems. As Kant (1781) mentions, â€Å"Treat people as ends unto themselves rather than as means to an end. † Armstrong (2009: 14) then elaborates, ‘productivity is directly related to job satisfaction and the output will be high if they like their co-workers and are given pleasant supervision. ’ Employees share their personal human capital with their company as they believe they will be getting something in return. As a result, an employee in an organization becomes both the stakeholder and shareholder (Mayo, 2001). Employees are merely lending their personal human capital to their company and may switch so if they are not being treated right. Meanwhile, other assets of an organization do not have an emotional element attached to them. This refers to state-of-the-art technology that manufactures excellent, ‘clean’ products for mass selling. Companies such as Apple, Sony and Philips are all well renowned for their IT products. Big touch screen tablet computers. Bigger ‘LED’ Television screen and the list go on. However, it is by the use of the human resource that we are able to come out with such ideas and thinking on how our future daily products are to be like. Machines can never be exact substitutes for humans. It is the action of our own mindless workers in those factories hat we can control the technology to be turned on or off for exact made-to-order production figures. Those same workers will be the one to diagnose and repair the machines once they break down. The same applies to the rest of the assets. The organization’s financials, materials, and methodology couldn’t be derived without the help of the human resource. It is only through people that these factors could be idealised and generated. Stewart (2005: 3) defined intellectual capital as: ‘Intellectual material –knowledge, information, intellectual property, experience – that can be put to use to create wealth. An organization may start with zero capital but with honest, experienced and resourceful employees, their company might still be successful in the end. As highlighted, no other asset is as important as human resource in any organization. An organization needs the directives of its own staff as nothing else will drive the company forward. Employee actions are the mirror image of their organization. A good responsible, reputable and polite bike technician will give customer the same impression of the company. Good impressions will drive up the company’s monthly sales target. A bad reputation will lowly dwindle down sales targets and force customer to look for other better workshops. However, most companies think of fast super fast and easy methods of cutting down costs in times of crisis by letting go of their employees. It would only be common sense to cut down on your own staff as you’re now dealing with technologies and machines for your business but we are wrong. This perspective is also being supported by various accounting principles. Mayo (2001: 4) states that ‘They are much more likely to see the company being driven by efficiency and by minimizing costs. ’ This is largely due to the fact that human resource costs re easier to monitor, while the intangible values that they generate is not. So, human resources alone will not entail in good endings. It has to be nurtured properly from the start by a good human resource management (HRM). Only with good HRM will the company be recruiting the best talent for the job. With the proper strategy and fit in line, these ‘people’s managers’ will be the change agents for their employees and only then will their approach be fruitful. As stated by Armstrong (2009: 15), ‘the overall purpose of human resource management is to ensure the organization is able to achieve success through people’. As you can see, human resources are the most important asset in the organization. They are the one that drive the organization forward in making a significant contribution to their company’s success. The rest of the assets stated above are in pale comparison to human resource. However, only with a good HRM will the organization prosper. Given the proper infrastructure, high investment and even huge manpower but without a proper HRM, there is no way that organization could run successfully. Thus, human resource is the most important factor in determining the success and failure of any organization.

Grolier International Dictionary

As defined by the Grolier International Dictionary, Weaknesses is the state or quality of being weak; it is a personal defect or failing. When one encounters an opportunity and weaknesses penetrate him in same time, he shouldn’t choose any other way but to manage do overcome or minimize it. One of the weaknesses I think most people do possess while he’s on his way of achieving his goal, which also should be controlled of is ‘being so self-centered’. This makes a person so sure of himself not thinking of the consequences his actions might cause.Too much proud of one’s self may bring him forget the others by whom he gets his strength from. He’ll attempt to throw away the reliable assets on his crap because he thinks that he is above all and doesn’t need help to anyone else. This could also make him so focused on looking ahead; embracing the forward successes he might get in with his strength, capability, and knowledge. But forgetting from whom, where, what he has been back in his life could also lead to something which is hard to avoid from, too hurtful when it strikes on, the karma.Another weakness is to be ‘hesitant’, afraid to gamble in reaching for his goal. This could be another threat in one’s ambition of success for he can be under perspective in carrying out his plans. While he lacks his confidence to continue improving himself and work, he may likewise lose track of his point of view. On the other hand, if there could be one weakness which is somehow helpful to one’s career, by balancing and setting off the whole situation for the moment. Resisting the desire of winning a certain race may cause a person to self-pity and lose his hope.By putting his heart, to be ‘irresistible’ in a better way , controlling as well as weighing every technique to be accurately performed are the thumbs-up characters a venturer should possess while attaining his aim or goal. When a person learns to practice ‘patience’ and fight for his belief, principle, and stand, he could kill the time from ticking so fast and focus on the better outcome of his objective. Since he got an effective and strategic planning technique, the SWOT Analysis is a great help to one’s own success.

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

Bullying - Essay Example It is the interest of this discussion to inform the reader on the aggressive and harming instrument of work place bullying (Field, 1996). This discussion will study ways of handling bullying, consequences of the employees involved in bullying, and the effects of bullying in the organization they work. Discussion Bullying is closely associated with learning institutions, but a growing number of reported cases of work place bullying is worrying and shifted the focus. Work place bullying is defined as any negative conduct that shows little or no regard for the workers by their employers or colleagues. This humiliating misconduct may be generated by a worker against another worker or worse still, by a person of higher authority in the work place to the workers. According to Douglas (2001), the reason as to why managers bully their workers is presumably to hide their inadequacies from the board and the workers. He reiterates that only inadequate managers bully their workers. 80% of workpl ace bullying occurs between a manager and an employee. Managers or senior workers are said to engage in bullying to hide their inadequacies and weaknesses. ... Some of them also think that by bullying others, they will hide their lack of skills in doing things, by blaming it on others (Field, 1996). However, bullying among colleagues is not as common as bullying among senior workers to the employees. The fear of losing one’s job makes many of these employees never report cases of bullying (Douglas, 2001). How to Deal With Work Place Bullying It is often extremely hard to prove bullying as a form of criminal activity. Many perpetrators of bullying behavior often go unpunished because there lacks enough evidence to prove that their behavior causes harm. Nonetheless, the best way to deal with bullying in the work place is to be informed on how to protect oneself from any acts of abusive conduct perpetrated either from a co-worker or the manager. Maintaining substantial personal boundaries with your seniors and bullying co-workers is perhaps the best way to self-protection (Adams & Crawford, 1992). When one is being bullied especially by a co-worker, the best way is to stop them from their actions and explain how one feels about their harassing behavior. This action, as he reiterates, invokes in them the consciousness of their behavior prompting a change from their actions. Keeping calm is another way of dealing with a bully. This helps in preventing a confrontation if one were to react towards the bullying behavior. Keeping calm helps someone from getting upset, thereby avoiding a collusion that would otherwise project the whole situation (Field, 1996). Consequences and Effects of Bullying on the Employees There are numerous consequences of bullying to the employee affected. There have been cases of reported health problems to

White Collar Crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

White Collar Crime - Research Paper Example The essay aims to proffer pertinent issues that detail the foundations and enforcement of white collar crime. The paper would hereby contain definitions of white-collar crime, the laws that regulate them, and their impact on society. Various studies have acknowledged and attributed the origin and foundation of white collar crime to Edwin H. Sutherland, a known criminologist and sociologist, who presented its theoretical relevance in his reported presidential address in 1939 at the American Sociological Society Meeting (Barnett, n.d., Strader, 2002). Both Barnett and Strader have cited the definition from Sutherland’s (1949) book, as he averred that white collar crime â€Å"may be defined approximately as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation† (Sutherland, 1949, p. 9). Due to the controversial nature that the definition has elicited from various criminology experts, it was deemed â€Å"outdated for student s of the criminal law† (Strader, 2002, p. 1) and regarded as a misnomer. Thereby, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has presented their official definition as â€Å". . . those illegal acts which are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence. Individuals and organizations commit these acts to obtain money, property, or services; to avoid the payment or loss of money or services; or to secure personal or business advantage† (USDOJ, 1989, p. 3). ... qualified the elements that are needed to classify the criminal activity within the white collar category to include: nonviolent crime; committed for financial gain; by persons and organizations with occupational status belonging to the professional, semi-professional and entrepreneurial status; with illegal acts characterized by deceit, concealment, and violation of trust. The Legal Information Institute (2010) provided a simpler definition acknowledged from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary as â€Å"a variety of nonviolent financial crimes, generally committed by businesspeople or public officials, involving commercial fraud, consumer fraud, swindles, insider trading on the stock market, embezzlement, bribery, or other dishonest schemes† (Legal Information Institute, 2010, par. 3). Accordingly, the offenses most commonly committed within the white collar crime definition are as follows: â€Å"antitrust violations, computer and internet fraud, credit card fraud, pho ne and telemarketing fraud, bankruptcy fraud, healthcare fraud, environmental law violations, insurance fraud, mail fraud, government fraud, tax evasion, financial fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, bribery, kickbacks, counterfeiting, public corruption, money laundering, embezzlement, economic espionage and trade secret theft† (Legal Information Institute, 2010, par. 1). Laws that Regulate White Collar Crimes As indicated in the Legal Information Institute cite, laws that regulate white collar crimes are governed by the â€Å"Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution (which) gives the federal government the authority to regulate white-collar crime, and a number of federal agencies (see sidebar), including the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, the Secret Service, U.S. Customs, the Environmental

Political Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Political Morality - Essay Example t of knowing whether the public require to know about politician’s private lives only during the time when this information is important for assessing their capability to be elected into office. Consequently, I do not agree with this claim. In fact, the public require knowing the private lives of politicians all the times. Even such things as the politician’s sexual relationships and private finances have to be known to the public especially when they have a connection with the management of public resources. Dimensions of privacy and publicity Social practices and activities of public life versus private life have a wide range of domain. There are however, three broad dimensions of these forms of life. These are access, agency, and interest. Access refers to visibility of resources and information. Agency refers to the control and capacities, which political agents enjoy while interest refers to the relevance of resource utilization (Benn and Gaus, 1983). Access, also known as visibility involves many things. First, it involves the people physically accessing such spaces as beaches, theatres. If the access is public, then it means that anyone has the right to space. On the other hand, if access is private, it means that group, or someone has access right. In this case, such a person can allow or deny others access. Access to space does not come in as far as the need to know more about a politician is concerned. In any case, the politician does not wait until the public is aware so that he or she can get into such spaces as theatres or beaches. These are recreational places and politicians have the right to get entertained. This right does not affect the management of public resources in any way. In fact, it is considered in remuneration. This is why every employee has entertainment allowance (Benn & Gaus, 1983). Secondly, it involves people accessing social activities like public meeting. For public meeting, anyone has the right of

Psychological treatment plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychological treatment plan - Case Study Example There are signs for a variety of trauma that she is experiencing and for brief therapy it would be important to find out the type of trauma; she may be suffering from PTSD or the experience of her fathers abuse. The Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) is a level B instrument and it would be an important part of her work because it could generate information on why she is attempting suicide at regular intervals. (Briere, n.d.). There are so many challenges for Jane that she is unable to express so the second test I would use would be the House Tree Person Test because it may bring out reference to her "true" sexual orientation as well as other challenges that are affecting her now (Fredman and Sherman, p. 20). This test is usually used on children but I get the impression that Jane is "child-like" in her approach to life and since it may be difficult for her to respond within the therapy session verbally, tests that have her drawing or making up stories would be best. Currently Jane is already a possible danger to herself. If she continues the way she is going a psychiatric evaluation may be necessary. Although she is on medication it does not seem to be doing well for her and this may also be part of the reason why she is having problems with suicidal tendencies. Much of her problem may be due to her sexual orientation and the inability to express what she is feeling. Her relationship with Susan was a positive one for her and had it is not clear whether she had episodes of cutting herself while she was with Susan. According to Suzuki and Ponterotto, a thorough multicultural assessment should be done which would give another piece of information about this client. Because her case is so volatile, there may come a time when she is showing symptoms of psychosis though she is not showing them now. In this case, Jane would be better served by a psychiatrist. In the event that I needed to make a

Framework for K-12 Science Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Framework for K-12 Science Education - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that professional development opportunities are being offered with a view to equipping the teachers with the resources required to implement the NGSS in their classrooms. Not all teachers, however, have been able to successfully incorporate NGSS practices in their respective classrooms. It can be said that standards and performance expectations aligned with the framework should consider that students cannot completely comprehend scientific and engineering concepts without being involved in the inquiry practices and the discourses that lead to the development and modification of such ideas. This is suggestive of the state and significance of science today in the K-12 educational curriculum.Teachers should have a vast knowledge of and expertise in research methodology and must be skilled in scientific research to pave the way for authentic scientific inquiries in the classroom. The National Science Teachers Association recommends the teachers o f science to demonstrate their comprehension and understanding of the tenets, process, and assumptions underlying the different methods of inquiry related to scientific knowledge and also to encourage students’ participation in inquiries that are developmentally appropriate and that impact the need for the students to scientifically develop relationships and concepts using data, inferences and personal observations. A potential way in which teachers can acquire such knowledge and understanding is through participation in the Research Experience for Teacher (RET) programs. The purpose of RET programs is to equip the teachers with fundamental knowledge in the conduct of practical research for ongoing application in their daily experiences in the class.

Canadian Politics - Senate Reform in Canada Essay

Canadian Politics - Senate Reform in Canada - Essay Example Senate reforms are also looked at from a positive outlook based on the comprehension of their connection with democracy and the legitimate establishment of representative institutions that are linked with democratic processes such as electing Senators rather than relying on an appointment procedure upon the discretion of the prime minister. The essay also aims to shed light upon the effectiveness of Senate reforms by analyzing whether a direct electorate process is applicable in the Canadian political structure and what alternatives can be explored to enhance the legitimacy of the Canadian Senate by using the reforms applied by the Australian Senate as a primary model, so that the Canadian Senate reforms can be categorized as legitimate, democratic and most of all applicable to the nation of Canada. The essay follows an assessment on the prospects of senate reform in Canada to conclude both the negative and positive aspects of its implications and impact to conclude whether Senate reforms would prove to be favorable for the Canadian democracy. Carbert suggested that the possibility of senate reform has always been such that its implications on minorities do not often come under discussion. Understanding the effects of a senate reform whether negative or positive becomes even more important when acknowledging the fact that women constitute of a significant percentage in the Senate compared to any other legislative body in Canada. The Senate Appointment Consultations Act postulates that the Prime Minister no longer holds the authority to appoint Senators rather a voting process should be put into place which allows a democratic placement of Senators (Carbert 1). The proposed elements of the Bill C-20 stand on four crucial tenets which are of a preferential voting system, funding for campaigning, a board of nominations and regional magnitude. A scrutiny of these components of the bill suggest that women in the proposed situation could be at a

The differences in business systems in Asia and the West Essay Example for Free

The differences in business systems in Asia and the West Essay When researching the differences in business systems between Asia and the West it is very difficult to find any material that does not attribute many of these disparities to cultural influences (Davidson, 1987; Ferguson, 1993 and Blackman, 1997). This is due to the fact that it is generally believed that intercultural awareness does contribute to successfully doing business in another culture. However, establishing how and where culture affects business systems is by no means an easy question to answer and many western businesses are in fact currently trying to answer this question in order to successfully integrate into the Chinese marketplace (Dayton, 2006 and Journal of Intercultural Learning, 2006). Therefore, in this essay I will analyse exactly what role culture has in explaining the distinctions between business systems in the West and China and argue that in many cases these discrepancies are incorrectly attributed to cultural reasons when in fact these variations can be explained by using far more obvious economic causes. Harris (2006) notes the eagerness of business journalists to attribute the differences in Western and Asian business systems to cultural factors by stating: the airport newsstand best-sellers and glossy news weeklies are packed with admonishments to preserve face and build relationships and local Chinese writers have jumped on the bandwagon, poking fun at the clueless westerners blundering towards failure in China because they dont understand the local culture. Graham and Lam (2003) concur stating that Western and Chinese approaches to business often appear incompatible. Graham and Lam (2003) also believe that these differences in business systems and attitudes stem from deep cultural origins and in order for western business to successfully interact with their Chinese counterparts they must understand the cause of these differences is in fact their cultural differences. However, Maidment (2006) argues that western Multi-National Companies (MNCs) are succeeding in China because they place little value on the role of culture when conducting business in China, but rather focus solely on business issues when conducting business. Maidment (2006) states that MNCs succeed because they hire the best local talent, pay the highest salaries, and invest the most. They have no culture, no beliefs, and no  predispositions. They are machines. It does seem that too many western businesses are too concerned with recognising cultural differences in China, which often provide no explanation to the difference in business systems. Instead they should just focus on implementing successful business strategies in China, rather than becoming fixated on cultural differences (Harris, 2006 and Dayton, 2006). Recognising that China has a different culture to that of western countries is not a universal explanation to explain the differences in business systems (Baird et al, 1990). In fact, Maidment (2006) argues that traditional Chinese culture is changing so fast that no one understands it. It is therefore debatable whether or not culture plays any part in the difference in business systems, this is due to the fact that the current generation of Chinese professionals has very little in common with the previous one (Maidment, 2006). One could therefore argue that analysing cultural differences to explain the business ones carries very little weight in China (Asian Business Law, 2006). However, Maidment (2006), Harris (2006) and Dayton (2006) all concede that knowing Chinese history and culture is a benefit to conducting business in China but also state that cultural knowledge should not be solely relied upon in order to understand these differences. Given the rapid changes that are occurring in both the Chinese marketplace and Western economies it would seem that understanding the economic forces of the here and now would provide far greater insight into understanding the differences between China and the West, rather than mulling over traditional cultural influences. In contrast the Journal of Intercultural Learning (2006) when contrasting Chinese and Western businesses argues that culture shapes our values, attitudes and our behaviour. It affects the way we communicate with each other, the way we expect to lead and to follow, the way we negotiate, the way we buy and sell, and the way we work together in teams. Nevertheless such a broad statement provides little insight into which specific aspects of culture affects business systems in both Asia and the West. In order to better understand this, a contextual background is needed rather that just  providing stereotypical cultural tips, such as those that are regularly found in many business magazines. Anyone who thinks reading a few books on Chinese culture gives them the measure of the individual Chinese person with whom they are dealing is mistaken (Maidment, 2006). When examining the current differences in business systems between the West and China, differences in educational systems and levels in different localities, the rate of change, the intricacy of different systems in different locations, geographical factors and the widening gap in economic development between Chinas rich and poor provinces all affect business developments to a greater extent than any cultural factors would (Harris, 2006, Dayton, 2006, Ferguson, 1993 and Maidment, 2006). Burton and Scott (2008) do not however share such reservations when glorifying the role of culture in explaining the differences in business systems. Burton and Scott (2008) argue that the Chinese have been conducting business for thousands of years, and their system of business ethics has been shaped by the culture in which it developed — as was the business system in the West. At the centre of these differences is the fact that Chinese culture is far more relational than Western culture, and this difference is especially pronounced in business culture (Burton and Scott, 2008). Indeed, Miles (1999) also recognizes the stark differences in business relationships between the West and China and maintains that this is at the heart of potential differences between the two systems. The type of relationship and networking structure that is referred to by Burton and Scott (2008) and that is such a crucial part of conducting business in China is of course, guanxi. Despite the various definitions relating to guanxi, there appears to be a common consensus that guanxi has its own cultural base and meaning in Chinese culture (Lee, 2006 and Yang, 1994). In order for guanxi to be established between two or more people there needs to be a cultural base and many candidates for guanxi bases are unique to the Chinese culture (Chen, 2004: 308). Therefore, while social networking is important when conducting business in any country throughout the world, the type of networking referred to as guanxi appears to be  exclusively Chinese as it can not be separated from the intricacies of Chinese culture. In fact, Burton and Scott (2008) argue that because of Chinese culture, guanxi defines not only relationships but also how business is done in China. Given these circumstances an d the importance that many scholars place on the role of guanxi in explaining the difference in business systems between the West and China, it would appear that culture is the dominant factor to explain these discrepancies (Backman, 2001 and Chen, 2004). Therein however lies the problem in establishing exactly what role culture plays in explaining the difference in business systems between the West and China. While Backman (2001), Chen (2004), Burton and Scott (2008), Yang (1994) and Lee (2006) all argue that guanxi is inextricably linked to Chinese culture and that culture is the root of the differences in business systems between the West and China, Dayton (2006), Harris (2006) and Maidment (2006) contend that these universal business tips such as guanxi and preserving face are in fact not cultural specific. This is best summarized by Harris (2006) who states there is just hardwork and guanxi, which is good networking, a pretty universal essential to doing business anywhere. Good networking therefore is an interpersonal skill that needs to be used to cross many cultural divides, not just those between the West and Asia. Simply defining the different ways that Chinese businessmen interact as guanxi and attributing this to culture is far too simple, as there are many other factors rather than just culture that are the source of these differences in business systems. Furthermore, Maidment (2006) argues that understanding Chinese culture is is a lot like learning chess. The basic rules are easily memorized; responding to every situation that can arise is very, very difficult. Given the speed that the Chinese economy is moving at, businesses are often searching for answers to explain the differences in business systems and are increasingly falling back on the broad generalization that it can be explained because China simply has a different culture. The truth of the matter however is that these so called predetermined  cultural differences that are so often spouted by western business magazines have huge variations in many Asian countries, particularly China where business and cultural philosophies vary greatly among the rich and poor provinces, the educated and the uneducated and the young and old business generations (Harris, 2006, Maidment, 2006 and Dayton, 2006). Understanding Chinese history and culture is beneficial for understanding Chinas business system, however because circumstances in China change so quickly, staying abreast of Chinas current situation is far more important than knowing its past (Maidment, 2006). There is no doubting that culture does play a role in determining the differences between the business systems of the West and Asia, but all too often these cultural influences are over-exaggerated, and current regional and international economic influences more often than not dictate the differences betwee n Asia and the West. Bibliography Asian Business Law. (2006) Do The Top Ten Cultural Tips For Doing Business In China Really Help? (Online) http://asiabizlaw.blogspot.com/2006/04/do-top-ten-cultural-tips-for-doing.html Accessed [30th April 2008]. Backman, Michael (2001). Asian Eclipse: Exposing the Dark Side of Business in Asia. Singapore: John Wiley and Sons Inc. Baird, I.S., Lyles, M.A. and Wharton, R. (1990). Attitudinal differences between American and Chinese managers regarding joint venture management. Management International Review, Volume 30. Blackman, Carolyn (1997). Negotiating China: case studies and strategies. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen and Unwin. Burton, F and Scott, S. (2008). China: Guanxi and Corporate Security (Online) http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/china_guanxi_and_corporate_security [Accessed 3rd May 2008]. Chen, Xiao-Ping (2004). On the intricacies of Chinese Guanxi: A process model ofGuanxi development. (Online) http://www.iacmr.org/XP_APJM_2004_3.pdf [Accessed29th April 2008]. Daniels, Jack (2007) China is a great place to do business if you know the rules (Online) http://www.chinasuccessstories.com/2007/08/28/tips-for-doing-business-in-china [Accessed 30th April 2008]. Davidson, W.H. (1987). Creating and managing joint ventures in China. California Management Review, Volume 29. Dayton, David. (2006) Culture Wars China Law Blog (Online) http://www.chinalawblog.com/2006/05/chinese_culture_wars_truce_dec.html [Accessed 27th April 2008]. Ferguson, T. C. (1993). Joint ventures in China: when West meets East and encounters the great wall of differing management thought. Journal of Management Inquiry, Volume 2. Graham, John and Lam, Mark. (2003) Negotiating in China Harvard Business Review, Vol 81, No. 10, October, 2003. Harris, Dan. (2006) To Succeed in China Know the Now China Law Blog (Online) http://www.chinalawblog.com/2006/04/to_succeed_in_china_know_the_n.html [Accessed 27th April 2008]. Journal of Intercultural Learning. (2006) Cultural Knowledge is a Plus to Business Success (Online) http://www.interculturallearning.net/2006/05/21/cultural-knowledge-is-a-plus-to-business-success [Accessed 26th April 2008]. Lee, Joseph (2006) The Importance Of Guanxi (Relationship) When Doing Business InChina (Online) http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Lee [Accessed 29th April2008]. Maidment, Paul. (2006) The Real Deal on China Forbes Magazine (Online) http://www.forbes.com/columnists/2006/04/20/china-yuan-hu_cx_pm_0420notes.html [Accessed 29th April 2008]. Miles, Michael (1999) Power and Relationship: Two Elements of the Chinese/Western Divide (Online) http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/JCIM/bin/get.cgi?director y=vol3_1/filename=miles.htm [Accessed 2nd May 2008]. Yang, M. M. (1994). Gifts, Favors And Banquets: The Art Of Social Relationship inChina Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Conflict and Functionalist Theory Differences Essay Example for Free

Conflict and Functionalist Theory Differences Essay Introduction The conflict theory originated from Karl max, the famous sociologist, during his original development of the theory and his fine-tuning work, he included the qualifications of other sociologists like Georg Samuel and Max Weber which he considered were necessary (Cliffs 1971: 12-16).   According to the theory, positivism does not necessarily answer everything contrary to believes of functionalists. In general, the conflict theory states that everything happens for reasons other than a general believe that it was just supposed to happen; there are causes and influences which cause such things to happen and the responsibility lies solely on the people and there main purpose is not to gain knowledge only as a functionalist but the transformation of the gained knowledge into action (Durkheim 1915: 23-27).    According to the theory even scientists should be activist with regard to their theories, not only explain why such things happen, instead, they are supposed to instigate the necessary changes in their theories in order to help resolve these issues (Cliffs 1971: 17-20). Read more: Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives The theory differences The believers of conflict theory and functionalist theory have clear differences in their beliefs, because when functionalist say that they do everything they do because ‘we love to do it’, the conflict theory belief that our societies are not guided necessarily by stability or anything of the sort, but it is possible to transformed the whole society into something totally new (John Simpson 1951: 16-20). Karlmax, Simmed and Weber, and the believers of conflict theory belief that anything that can cause a difference has the capacity to cause a conflict also, be either in areas of competition, opinions, interests and even power, but to a functionalist these issues do not have any serious problems even though conflict theorists do believe that they exhibit other unseen reasons other than the issue of just because â€Å"we like it† (Merton 1968: 10-15). The way functionalists see the world All functionalists believers emphasize on the importance of value consensus in society and they do not expect any conflict to occur and if it occurs it is seen as being temporal which will be simply counteracted as the society continues to become better and their main concern of these conflicts is to accept them as small issues when compared to the need for consensus and stability in the society (Cliffs 1971: 20-26). An example of a functional analysis; Shils and Young notes how ceremonies and rituals are meant to serve the purpose of promoting social integration in their society; the rituals concerning monarchy, church, government leaders, are mainly involved in public promise while the family is seen as the role it plays for members of society, like personal stability and socialization (Parsons 1951: 19-23). Comparing it with conflict theory by Marx According to Marxists and his believers of the conflict theory, there exists a fundamental conflict between different groups in our society, because, the conflict continues to increase and persist and therefore it is not temporal as functionalists clam it to be:   For example, according to Marx analyzing the conflict theory, all societies are constructed in order to survive, and we enter into relationships with the sole purpose of production (Parsons 1951: 21-25). Therefore the combined forces of production and social relationship form basis for economic or infrastructure of any society, while other aspects, like superstructures are shaped by infrastructure, for instance education system is shaped by economic factors and therefore any changes in infrastructure will lead to eventual changes in the superstructure (Simpson 1964: 21-23). The Marxist theory states that all societies have contradictions; this means there is exploitation by one social group, which leads to the creation of conflict of interests because of the main reason that this one social group owns all the factors of production which only benefits them at the expense of others who are mainly the workers (Parsons 1951: 25-28).   They therefore, propose that this trend should be stopped.   For example; the society is comprised of classes, and in its simplest form, there are two main classes of classification. The main determination of an individual to these classes is their relationship to the means of production, which are land, labor and factories (Merton 1968: 16-18). This means that this class that owns the factors of production and therefore, the most powerful. The least powerful class is therefore the one which sells its labors in order to make a living out of it. To be more specific, let us consider wages versus profit achieved by the Bourgeoisie; according to the theory, all societies operate through class of conflict as mentioned; and in a capitalist society there are oppositions between bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The real wealth is only created by the labor power of workers, but low wages are paid to the workers below the profits made the owners and this creates the major contradiction (Durkheim 1915: 29-31). Conclusion In the recent past, workers have become more differentiated and this has eliminated homogeneity in terms of class-consciousness and thus they have increased their awareness of differences between themselves and this has made the above class groups to be split and not united (John Simpson 1951: 21-23).   It is not important therefore for the society to be characterized by the competing interest groups who are in conflict; therefore we should have ties of the following; economic power and social and secondly political ties to the ownership of means of production (Simpson 1964: 24). Work cited Cliffs, E. (1971). The System of Modern Societies. NJ: Prentice-Hall: pp12-26 Durkheim, E. (1915). The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life: A Study in Religious  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sociology. Translated by Joseph Ward Swain. New York: Macmillan press:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   pp.23-31 John, A. S. and Tr. Simpson, G. (1951). Suicide: A Study in Sociology: New York IL:    Free Press: pp.16-23 Merton, R. K. (1968). Social Theory and Social Structure; New York: Free Press: pp.10-18 Parsons, T (1951). The Social System; Glencoe, IL: Free Press: pp.21-28 Simpson, G. (1964). The Division of Labor in Society; New York: Free Press: pp.21-24

The Moroccan Goums In The French Army International Relations Essay

The Moroccan Goums In The French Army International Relations Essay Linguistically speaking, the term Goum comes from the Arabic word (قم) pronounced with a Maghrebi accent which means stand up. This term is going to define a military unit that was formed by the French army to be used first internally for pacification purposes and then externally for fighting the Axis powers in World War II. The Goums were predominantly Berbers from the region of the Middle as well as High Atlas, their simple lifestyle and isolation from the lowland in Morocco distinguish them from the other Moroccans mainly the Arabs and Arabized Berbers. Their way of fighting made them fierce warriors that were admired by the French militarily and feared by the Germans and Italians, in addition to the fact that they condoned many barbarous acts that they were doing to their enemies. They regard war as a way of living to the extent that they were assiduous in their missions by perfecting their fighting methods. The Goums made a reputation as redoubtable warriors both in Moro cco, North Africa and Europe with the testimony of many military officers. This research papers will analyze the emergence Goums by dividing the papers into three parts. The first one is devoted to the origin of the Goums, the second to the contribution of the Goums within the French Army in World War II and the last to the fate of the Goums after the end of World War II. The Origin of the Goums and the Pacification of Morocco The Goums were first recruited from the Berber tribes that were objected to the French army such as Ait Warayn, Ait Seghrouchn, Imermuchn, Ichqirn, Izayyan, Ait Yahya†¦The origin of the Goums goes back to the area of the pacification of Morocco; they were used against the resisting Berber tribes in the Atlas Mountains until 1934, the end of the pacification. The birth of the Goums is going to be in 1908 when the French General D`Amande recruited six Goums in the regions of Chaouia to fight the resistance against France in tribal area. The first resident general in Morocco was General Louis-Hubert Lyautey who intended to rule Morocco indirectly by using the Moroccan elite that would govern the country for the benefit of France. However, his idea of indirect rule did not prove to be successful as the Makhzen under the sultan was not able to control the regions outside its realm (Blad Siba) such as the Atlas Mountains, where tribal societies were either with the central power or a gainst themselves. Lyautey realized that diplomacy is not working with the tribes in the mountains therefore he resorted to organizing North African French troops such as the Tirailleurs and Spahis to fight insurrections. Under these circumstances le Service Des Affaires Indigenes et Renseignements (AIR) came into being, the service divided auxiliaries recruited from the tribes into three distinct groups: Partisans, Mokhaznis and Goums. The Goums were the elite of the French colonial force and their assigned mission was to police the rebellion areas among their tribal areas and was used as â€Å"Groupes Mobiles,†pacification soldiers that performed the task of inspection as they know their areas more than the French. The Atlas Mountains attested to be a tough mission for Lyautey due to the harshness not only of its mountains but also of its inhabitants, to the extent that the French Morocco was separated from the Atlas Mountains by the River of Oum er Rebia, thus deemed a region off the French Control. When Lyautey started his military campaign against the tribes in the Atlas Mountains staring from the city of Khenifra, he encountered a fierce resistance from the Zaini tribe mainly from Moha o u Hammou, Moha ou Said and Ali Amhaouch. Lyautey relied on Goums as well as Algerian and Senegalese Tirailleurs to get Moha ou Hammou.But the price was high as the French military was subject to many defeats with its pinnacle in the Battle of Elhri in 1914. Regarding the ethnic composition of Goums, when they were first formed in 1908 in the region of Chaoia they were a mix of both Arabs and Berbers. However in the late 1920s, the French are going to confine the recruitment of Goums to be mainly from the Middle as well as the High Atlas. From this perspective the Goums were distinct from other colonial troops such as tirailleurs and saphis by being distinctly Berbers, a reason that made France to use them as police officers against any resistance. The Berber tribe ofAit Seghrouchn is going to be the most favored by the French to recruit the Goums. The tribe was attacked by the French and many of its inhabitants decided to enlist in the French army due to the death of their family. The Berber name of the tribe â€Å"ouchn† means wolf. The way of their fighting is derived from their attribution to this animal. According to Barbara Ehrenreich, the Scandinavian warriors were leaving their human form and assuming the form of a bear when they go to fight, from which the origin of the word berserk came. Consequently, when the Goums of Ait Seghrouchn went to fight they assume the form of a wolf and leave behind their human form. The Goums were noticeable for their quality of loyalty to the extent that they remained faithful to their officers during the dissents in Morocco. As it is stated by Edward L. Bimberg, â€Å"during all these turbulent years the Goums remained steadfast. While the tribes of their origin vacillated loyal to the French one day, fighting them the next the Goumiers remained faithful, not to France, but to their officers, the Frenchmen to whom they owed their fealty.†The tribes proved to be a difficult task for the French, but â€Å"Eventually, it was nature that defeated the tribesmen. The French dammed the streams that ran through the Berber positions, cutting off their water supply.† And by 1933, â€Å"the last of the dissident tribes, the AÄ ±Ã‚ ¨t Abdi, the AÄ ±Ã‚ ¨t Sokhlman and, toughest of them all, the AÄ ±Ã‚ ¨t Haddidou, came down out of their mountain strongholds and submitted to the French generals. The pacification of Morocco was complete.† After the e nd of the pacification, the Goums became obsolete and there was the idea of discharging the Goums as they were no longer needed. However, due to their ferocity and trustworthiness the French agreed to keep them as gendarmerie (police officers) in case new dissents aroused and by the start of World War II the Goums were going to have a new mission where they built a reputation of being fine warriors. Tunisia In 1939 Germany invaded Poland ushering the start of the Second World War and it is obvious that France will be using its colonial troops such as Tirailleurs, Spahis and Zouaves to fight the Axis powers. The Goums were also on the picture, however they were used as a police rather than military force but eventually they were sent to Tunisia to fight the Italian and German forces in its border with Libya. unlike the French, the Berber when they were fighting the Germans had no natural or historical animosity towards them, on the other hand they just fought for the sake of fighting and the fact of being paid for their service was a motivation for them to fight savagely against the Germans.] When the French realized the power of the Goums they organized them in tabors to be used in military missions, the tabor came to be used in hand with the word irregular. The Goums were deployed in Tunisia two times. First, In 1940 Tunisia was menaced to be attacked by Italians from its East-South border with Libya. Therefore, in May 1940 the Goums were deployed to Tunisia to fight against the Italians. However, when France lost in the Phoney War, it negotiated an armistice that allowed the Vichy government to head the country of France. It is worth mentioning that in contrast to the Italians who were being wary of the Berbers as a threat the German did not regard the Berber as a menace but rather a band of peasants. Additionally, France pointed to the Germans that they were used as gendarmerie. Thus they were allowed for their continuation in Vichy France; in the meantime the Goums were the resort of France to build its army without any interference from Germany.The fact of being situated in the mountainous region of Morocco made the action of French officers unnoticeable. What made the Berbers to be highly admired by the French was their loyalty to the extent that they remain loyal even during their defeat by Germany and under Vichy France. As it is stated by Moshe Gershovich, â€Å"this manifestation of Berber loyalty towards the France`s worst moments in history was celebrated as shining proof of the common bond which had been forged between the two peoples, the ultimate fruit of colonial genius and benevolence.† Second, in 1942 the Goums were redeployed in Tunisia where they acquired a reputation as brave and fearsome warriors who showed to the allied forces their skill in infantry They helped capture the city of Bizerte and Tunis, to the extent that British General Brian Horrocks described the Berbers as â€Å"the toughest of all†¦on whom pain and discomfort seem to have no effect whatever. The Goums fighting performance in Tunisia made them the suitable candidate to fight the Axis powers in Italy. The Mission in Italy After their participation in Tunisia which showed to the allied forces the fierceness and warrior quality of the Berbers they were taken to Sicily on what was called operation â€Å"Husky,† the 4th tabor that went was composed of 58 French officers and 678 Goums. Sicily did not prove to be a hard terrain for the Goums as its rugged and mountainous terrain were similar to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Nevertheless, they did found the Island â€Å"hellishly hot, unbelievably dusty and malarial besides.† The 4th tabor was essential at helping the American 1st division that was heavily attacked by Italians. The Sicilian campaign ended after the capture of Messina, which proved to be a crucial battle for the Goums as it is proposed by Edward L. Bimberg: It was their first adventure overseas, the first time in their history they had fought outside Africa†¦they had overcome what may have been some- thing of an inferiority complex, a sense of being ‘‘country bumpkins† fit to fight only in African wars. One way or another, for the Moroccan irregulars Sicily was an important breakthrough. The fall of Sicily paved the way for the fall of Sardinia and Corsica. The French were aware of the power of the Goums and their competence in war and after their deployment in Tunisia the French army added a metal unit insignia in which it was written â€Å"Who Laughs Last Laughs Best†which served as a reminder for its enemies about the glorious victories of Goums against Germans. In 1943, due to the success of the Goums in Tunisia and Sicily with four tabors being under the command of the allied forces, a new position was created under the name of the Commandment des GoumsMarocains (CGM) with Colonel Augustin-Leon Guillaume as its commander Its role was to maintain communication between those four tabors. The American relied on CGM which would be a part of the fifth army of Clark to invade Italy under the codename of Avalanche.The Goums did not find the new invasion to be hard for as the allied forces did not like the terrain the Goums find an advantage in it, as it is stated by Edward L. Bimberg: â€Å"as far as mountain fighting was concerned the Goumiers were at no such disadvantage. The Italian peaks and ridges†¦meant nothing to the Moroccans.†And while the Germans regarded the mountains as a barrier for defense against the allies, the Goums did not find difficulty in their specialty as mountain warriors. While the Goums did a remarkable job of fighting the Axis powers, a new element of their charater was revelaed by their misconduct that was noticeable by Italians. As it is declared by Edward L. Bimberg: They were not popular with the Italians. This was the result of the off-duty conduct of some of them in the mountain villages and isolated valley farms†¦certain elements among the Moroccans had engaged in a wild spree of rape and pillage across the Italian countryside when they were not busy killing Germans. In the movie La Ciociara which is based on the novel La Ciociara by Alberto Moravia, the group rape of two women by the Goums after the Battle Messina was portrayed. These brutal events were engraved in the memory of Italians as an Italian word marocchinare came to describe those events. Moreover, In 1964 a monument was erected in the city of Roca di San Pietro, named Mammai Cioria to remind Italians of the atrocities committed by the Goums. The reasons behind the misconduct of the Goums has to do with the fact such things as rape and loot can be explained through the isolation of the Berber tribes in the Atlas Mountains. The reason why the people went to war in the first place was to rape and loot, to the extent that Alexander the Macedonian was portrayed as being gay for not indulging into rape during his conquests.Barbara Ehrenreich stated that â€Å"war not only depart from the normal; it inverts all that is moral and right: in war one should kill, should steal, should burn cities and farms, should perhaps even rape matrons and little girls. † She even pointed out that â€Å"rape has been endemic wherever warriors rule and was even legalized in medieval Europe as the feudal lord`s droit de seigneur.†Edward L. Bimberg stated that: Not that they had anything against the Italians†¦Their origins, however, can-not be forgotten; to the Moroccan tribesman, that was the way war was waged. To the victor belonged the spoils, and the Goumiers were somewhat puzzled by the restraints put upon them by their officers. This misconduct of the Goums was used as justification by the French authorities for its brutal policies when dealing with tribal people in Morocco. The Moroccans indulged in rape, theft, pillage and murder, consequently Clark, the head of the Fifth American division under which the Goums were supervised, ordered the execution of law transgressors. Accordingly, 15 Moroccans were executed while 54 were imprisoned to various sentences. The action committed by the Goums came as a surprise to the French officials Alphonse Juin, commander of the French Expeditionary Corps (CFE), and Guillaume. Therefore, the French decided to bring Berber women to Italy through the US Navy LST to prevent future misconducts by the Goums, to the extent that they were the only soldiers in WWII that brought their women with them.Surprisingly, the policy did help in quelling rape and pillage but the disgrace did not disappear. Apart from their misconduct in Italy, the Goums were also known for the fact that during the night they would sneak in the American tents and steal their stuff. Additionally, their way of fighting involved also the process of cuttin g throats and ears which was reminiscent of what the Trojans did to their enemies,the basic aim of these practices was to take souvenirs. The Goums succeeded in chasing the Germans down and reached the cities of Rome and Siena where they fought their last battles in Italy. After that, the Goums have to go to Naples to be embarked directly in southern France to fight the German in what was called Operation Dragon. Italy was an opportunity for Berbers to distinguish themselves again after Tunisia as worthy warriors who can survive under any conduction. As it is pointed out by Edward L. Bimberg: The Italian campaign was the supreme testing ground for the Moroccan Tabors. Could these lightly armed primitive tribesmen survive in modern warfare? Their officers maintained that they could and did, that their performance in the mountains of Italy was proof of their value, even in the most difficult circumstances†¦Supply alone, with one air drop and 4,000 mules, was in itself an almost magical accomplishment. When the Goums were preparing to be embarked in Southern France, the French`s inspector general`s department published a report about the Goums, which mentioned their strong points as well as weak points. It pointed to the qualities of Berbers in warfare such as â€Å"scouting and patrolling† particularly in Mountains, Overflowing or swarming, or what is called by French as â€Å"de`bordement† which means being fast to attack with the element of surprise, in addition to Adaptability, endurance and cleverness in making booby trapsThe major weak points of the Goums tend to be lack of inventiveness especially in the absence of French chiefs,the fact of taking orders instead of improvising is a constant characteristic of the Goums, In addition to their reluctance to attack a well-equipped target as they prefer â€Å"war of movement to a sedentary siege.† Another interesting fact that is mentioned in the report is the Goums` dislike and contempt of the tank, which is normal as any warrior society fears new weapons because not only do they menace their life but also the survival of their groups as fighting elite that is redoubtable and in need of in addition to the fact that a man who fights through a tank is hiding in a machine. For instance, the samurai had the same feelings as they were abhorred by the invention of guns to the extent that they banned it.The report was made with the intent of finding solutions to the weak points as well ameliorating the strong elements of the Goums, for instance by equipping them with anti-tank rifles. The Mission in France The participation of the Goums in operation dragon (also known as Anvil) was at doubt not because the French doubted the warfare power of the Goums, but out of fear from their reputation as being prone to rape and plunder like in Italy, to the extent that Pope Pius XII in Vatican had protested against the use of Goums in Europe. However, General Guillaume defended the Goums and asked for their participation in the French soil.In France, the Goums were going to be under the command of General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny who unlike Giraud, Juin and Guillaume was neither African nor having an experience of fighting in North Africa. Another issue that was an obstacle for the deployment of the Goums in southern France is the military nature of Operation Dragon which was gigantic as it included â€Å"five battleships, nine escort carriers with 216 aircraft, 122 destroyers and escort vessels and 466 land- ing craft, all from five navies American, British, French, Australian and Greek and a n imposing fleet of transports and supply ships as well.† Finding room for the Goums among this vast military along with their mules and horses was a cumbersome one. Many officers showed their opposition to the inclusion of the Goums in the ships as well as undermining their capacity as warriors based on their looks. For instance, General Alexander Patch of the American force was against their deployment. Nevertheless, the need for Goums attested to be vital for the Allied forces as General De Lattre convinced the officers that opposed the Goums Deployment in the operation, mainly the Americans. He pointed out to their specialty of mountain warfare which would be useful in getting along the mountain ranges surrounding the two cities: Toulon and Marseille, in addition to the Alps and the Vosges in Alsace. To put things differently, regardless of their look or reputation as rapist and plunderers, the Goums were crucial for the success of Operation Dragon. Moreover, regarding the issue of rape and pillage De Gaulle agreed to the deployment of Goums in France as long as they were not used in cities. Eventually, 6000 Goums along with 1200 mules were embarked in the ship heading towards the shores France. The German forces that were stationed in France to defend the South were the 19th army under the control of General Friedrich Wiese. The major German power was stationed in two major French cities Marseille and Toulon. In the former, it was the 244th Infantry Division as well as naval and Luftwaffe ground units and the latter it was 242nd Infantry Division and the Kriegs-marine.The cities captured by Germany such as Marseille were used as fortresses while the leading roads to the city were fortified by artillery, machine guns, mines and wire. What made the invasion more difficult is due to the fact that the Germans followed Hiller`s rule of fighting to the last man. Regardless of the way the German fought, the Goums had the advantage of identifying war as a reason for their life therefore making the best of it. What was noticeable regarding the Goums in contrast with the allied forces is their Berber character that can be seen from their clothing: djellaba, rezzas and mule-riding. T o the extent that De Lattre described their march toward Marseille as â€Å"trotting along in single file with their mules, bare footed, their hob-nailed boots hanging about their necks or slung at their belts with their tin helmets. The endless striped djellabas gave the landscape an African appearance.† The Goums proved to be worthy of their reputation as fierce warriors, they were mostly used in areas that involved inhospitable terrains such as the Mountains of Alps where the Goums were stationed to guard the eastern border of France with Italy, their mission was to prevent any infiltration of Axis powers to France from the Alps to the Col de Larche while the allied forces guarded the less harsh border between Col de Larche and the Mediterranean Sea. The Alps proved to be a strenuous terrain for the Goums, as it is acknowledged by Edward L. Bimberg The Alpine terrain in that area was particularly difficult, even for the Goumiers. They found the footing around the Col de Larche and the Plateau des Bouchieres extremely unstable. It was all shale, a rock made of densely packed clay that split easily into layers, of a type unique to the territory and strange to the Moroccans They had never before experienced this kind of stone that sheared off underfoot as they marched, making the uphill going doubly difficult and the down- hill even more dangerous. The fight in Alps was an arduous one that generated many casualties from both sides. However, as the German received heavy losses in Southern France mainly by losing Toulon, Lyon, Grenoble and Marseille†¦ Hitler ordered his troops to evacuate Southern France. The next mission of the Goums in France after the Alps is going to be in the Vosges Mountains. The new terrain was different from the Atlas Mountains as it was â€Å"heavily forested, dark and dank,†to put it in other words â€Å"Its terrain was perfect for defense, and the Germans had made the most of it.†So, De Lattre expected a long battle in the area which was hindered by the weather as well as the harsh terrain, however the general relied on deceiving the German to think that their aim is at the Vosges instead of Belfort Gap, an aim in which he succeeded at. In order to do that, the Goums were kept busy by fighting the German on the mountains, and eventually the victory paved the way to freeing Alsace and getting the Colmar Pocket. The Mission in Germany Obtaining Alzace was not enough for the French, for that reason De Gaulle urged his army to go further, beyond the Alsace in the Rhine to capture the capital of Wà ¼rttemberg and Baden province, Stuttgart. However, there was an obstacle as the other bank of Rhine is settled by â€Å"the mountainous, wooded terrain of the Black Forest.† But that was not obstacle for the Goums whose reputation did not stop at Italy and Tunisia but arrived to Germany too as the people were more fearful of the Goums than the regular allied forces. As it is affirmed by Edward L. Bimberg, â€Å"The German civilians were, understandably, totally cowed, and the white bed sheets of surrender were displayed everywhere. They were particularly fearful of the Goumiers, whose hooded djellabas and scraggly beards made them seem like some avenging medieval monks.† As the French army occupied such cities as Karlsruhe and Pforzheim, the next step is to invade Stuttgart. However, the American forces und er the command of General Devers were engaged in fighting the Germans in the north. De Lattre was recalcitrant to the orders of his superiors and preferred to go to the mission without informing the Americans, his plan was to surround the city by isolating it like a siege and the Goums were used effectively in that matter. Just like Alsace, getting Stuttgart was not enough for the French but they sought something further which is Ulm, the basic interest of French is based on its pride, it wants to be known in history that France reached as far in Germany as the Danube River.Another city that De Latter was after is Sigmaringen, the headquarters of the French Vichy government in exile, under the command of Marshal Petain.Although the two cities were missions for the American Seventh Army De Latter made it a personal mission to get the honor of France as well as capturing the traitors: Marshal Petain and Pierre Laval. Once the Allied forces captured German cities, there was a task that the Goums were skillful at that it was always performed after the fall of each German city, the task was mopping up or what is called in French ratissage. The final place where the Goums along the allied forces fought the German is in the Voralberg Massif in the Austrian Alps. After the End of World War II The Goums fought with the French army in the World War Two with loyalty and efficiency however Germany was not the last mission where the Goums served but they also went as far as Indo china in 1948 1854. Until where they severed a heavy defeat in the Tonkin Region in the north, ten tabors were sent to the area, the reason for the defeat is due to the guerrilla warfare tactic employed by the northern Vietnamese as well as the terrain that was unprecedented for the Goums. In the process many left were given to the Goums including other North African soldiers to join the Vietnam military by referring to them as comrade. When the Goums were discharged from the French army due to the end of World War II and the changing time in Morocco as Moroccans ask for Independence under the PI, The Goums preferred to support the Pasha of Marrakesh, El Glawi in contrast with the supporters of Mohemmed V. the king went into exile and Mohammed Ben Arafa became the sultan for a short period and by the independence. Conclusion The Goums were good at fighting and helped the allied forces in their war against the axis power, they were used under the command of French officers, and they proved their warrior spirit in Tunisia, Italy and Germany. To the extent that only four of the Goums have become prisoners of war during their experiences in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, France , Germany and Austria. The Goums are specialized in mountain warfare however during their deployment in Europe they proven to be adaptable to other types of warfare. The Goums are not mercenaries but military unit under the international law and a basic evidence of that is the fact that the Goums were fighting in Europe for the sake of France to the extent that â€Å"When one Goumier was offered a monetary reward, he refused it saying, ‘‘It is for France.Their reputation seems to be tarnished by the brutal events of Ciociara and the defeat in but still they did a difficult work of helping the allied forces freeing Europe from t he Axis powers. 5,039 words Bibliography Maanouni, Ahmed El dir. Les goumiersmarocains(Moroccan Goums). with Eric Deroo and Alain de Sedouy. GMT Productions, 1993. Bimberg, Edward L. The Morrocan Goums: Tribal Warriors in a Modern War. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. Eisenhower, John S. D. They Fought at Anzio. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2007. El Merini, Abdelhak. L`armeemarocaine a traversl`histoire (Moroccan Army through the History). Rabat: Dar Nachr El Maarifa, 2000. Ehrenreigh, Barbara. Blood Rites: Origins and the History of the Passions of War. Henry Holt and Company: New York, 1997. Gershovich, Moshe. Collaboration and Pacification: French Conquest, Moroccan Combatants, and the Transformation of the Middle Atlas. Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 24.1 (2004): 139-146. Gershovich, Moshe. French Military Rule in Morocco: Colonialism and its Consequences. London: Frank Cass, 2000. Ilahiane, Hsain. Historical dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen).The Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland, 2006. Maghraoui, Driss. The Moroccan Colonial Soldiers: Between Selective Memory and Collective memory, in Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, ed., Beyond Colonialism and Nationalism in the Maghrib: History, Culture, and Politics (Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, New York: Palgrave, 2000): 49-69. Maghraoui, Driss. Nos goumiers Berbà ¨res: the ambiguities of colonial representations in French military novels. The Journal of North African Studies 7: 3 ( 2002): 79-100. Bouchareb, Rachid. Indigà ¨nes (Days of Glory). with Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem and Samy Naceri. Tessalit Productions, 2006. Van Creveled, Martin. The Tansformation of War. New York: The Free Press, 1991. De Sica, Vittorio dir. La Ciociara (Two Women). with Sophia Loren and Jean-Paul Belmondo.Compagnia Cinematografica Champion, 1960. Moshe Gershovich, French Military Rule in Morocco: Colonialism and its Consequences (London: Frank Cass, 2000), 187. Edward L. Bimberg, The MorrocanGoums :Tribal Warriors in a Modern War , 3.

Liberalization :: essays research papers

Is liberalizing Waynia in the best interest of the country I believe it definitely is. When you look at all the positives that come from being a part of a liberalized country, it is the clear-cut choice. Free trade is something that comes with being liberal. When you see how free trade can open up so many new markets to you and your country, you’ll see that it is the only choice. Along with free trade, you need to look at how conservatives think that input into political matters when you’re not a noble or king is bad. Liberal belief is that contribution of thoughts and ideas coming from all people is a good thing. If you have an idea about how you could reduce taxes, or how you could remove tariffs restricting your business then by all means, let it out. That is the great thing about liberalization; freethinking is encouraged to help better supply your country with your own opinions. The final thing I want to harp on is freedom from religious persecution. You no longer have to worry about who to worship, or how to worship, but rather take into account all religious thoughts and chose for yourself what suits you best.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From a financial point of view, now that you’re in an industrialized nation, wealth is no longer associated with only the land you possess. Now that a currency is used to represent your wealth, you’re going to want as much as possible. Liberalization preaches free trade, and free trade is the building blocks for a successful business. If you look at the second article in the Declaration of the Rights of Man, you’ll see that you have the right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. This means that you have the right to trade and barter with whomever you choose. With this freedom you have the opportunity to get the highest asking price when selling your product because you’re not limited to who you can and can not sell or trade with.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Article eleven in the Declaration of the Rights of Man states â€Å"The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such abuses of this freedom as shall be defined by law.† What that’s telling you is that your ideas and opinions are important to the country.

Social Psychology and the Stanford Prison Experiment by Philip Zimbardo

Social psychology is an empirical science that studies how people think about, influence, and relate to one another. This field focuses on how individuals view and affect one another. Social psychology also produces the idea of construals which represent how a person perceives, comprehends or interprets the environment. Construals introduce the idea that people want to make themselves look good to others and they want to be seen as right. It is also said that the social setting in which people interact impacts behavior, which brings up the idea of behaviorism. Behaviorism is the idea that behavior is a function of the person and the environment. The ideas of social psychology mentioned above can be applied to the Stanford Prison Experiment; in which the environment, the participants, and construals brought about behaviors that may not have been how the participants actually would behave in real life. The Stanford Prison Experiment was conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. The purpose of the experiment was a landmark study of the human response to captivity, in particular, to the real world circumstances of prison life. In social psychology, this idea is known as â€Å"mundane realism†. Mundane realism refers to the ability to mirror the real world as much as possible, which is just what this study did. Twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned to play the role of "prisoner" or "guard" and they were made to conform to these roles. Subjects became so entranced in these roles that the guards started to behave as if they really were the guards of a true prison. Zimbardo had told them to think of themselves in this way and it led to the guards mentally abusing the prisoners with their cruel and degrading ro... ...ion people based on the orders of Adolf Hitler and his henchmen. In reference to the two situations, one participant of the study said that â€Å"anybody can be a guard, but not every one becomes sadistic.† This saying can be applied to real life situations, especially that of the New Jersey incident. These occurrences can be analyzed using social psychology because the environment, the situation, and those holding the authority influenced the behavior of others. Due to these influences, prisoners and guards acted on the roles they were given, in the way that society sees them. The description, in itself, is the definition of social psychology. Works Cited Ratnesar, Romesh. July/August 2011. The Menace Within. Stanford Magazine, pp. 1-9. Smothers, Ronald. (1998, February 6). Asylum Seekers Testify on Abuse by Jail Guards. The New York Times, pp. 1A, 9A.

Film Editing and William Bell

Crabbe by William Bell ENG4C For:Mr. Hawkins Due: Monday December 17th 2012 I was very surprised when I began to read the novel Crabbe by William Bell, the theme of the book was very clear and delivered a distinct message. We cannot run away from our problems, we cannot run nor hide, for our dreams, mistakes and daily lives will always find a way to catch up to us. It was rather shocking to me how much I could relate to the novel, I once had the same mind set as the protagonist†¦ I was unhappy with whom I was, and began to believe that it was the fault of everyone around me.Throughout this summative task, I will deliver a plot summary about the novel itself, I will reflect on what I have learned after reading Crabbe and finally I will relate the novel to a personal experience. Franklin Crabbe, an eight-teen year old boy lived the life everyone dreamed of, he was raised in a very wealthy household, his father being a lawyer offered to provide him with everything he needed to prog ress in life as a successful young man. Franklin was intelligent, with a mind like no other. However, every family has their secrets. Franklin developed a drinking problem; he drank Silent Sam, a Vodka baring no scent to it.Franklin seemed to be a bright young man; he was supposed to attend University to become a lawyer just like his father. Throughout the years Franklin’s parents refused to allow him to make his own decisions. They chose his courses, they planned his future and they determined his career path for him. Franklin began to feel like he was useless, like his life had no meaning, due to the pressure he was put in by his family and those around him Franklin decided to escape the stresses of his everyday life, he decided to run away from home, to the woods and never look back.He wanted to be just like everyone else, he wanted to make his own decisions, he chose to run away to prove to everyone he was capable of living on his own. Upon running away, Franklin encounte rs numerous challenges and adventures, which shaped the way he viewed life. Unfortunately Franklin got attacked by a bear, causing him to fall down a waterfall, luckily for him a woman named Mary saved him from drowning. Mary, a married University student is also traveling through the woods, running away from her problems.Due to the injuries Franklin received, he spent the next few weeks in Mary’s care. She taught him the basics to being one with nature, she taught him how to use a compass, read a map and most importantly how to hunt. Throughout the weeks of being together, Mary taught Franklin how to successfully live on his own. With winter just around the corner, Mary and Franklin decide to part and go their separate ways. Franklin became very confused in the matter; throughout the weeks of being with Mary he developed an endless love for her.Trying to find out more about Mary’s past and why she decided to run to the woods, he started reading her journals, journals which he promised never to open. While reading, Franklin discovers that Mary murdered her husband and has a warrant for her arrest. Scared, he finds his way out of the forest. An ongoing vehicle stopped and picked up Franklin, when the driver noticed how badly Franklin’s fingers were frozen he rushed him to the clinic as soon as possible. At the clinic Franklin finds out the doctors must amputate his fingers; otherwise his whole hand might become infected.When he was admitted into the clinic, Franklin Crabbe refused to give the doctors his real name, after the long days that followed he gave in and proclaimed his identity; the doctors immediately contacted his parents. Franklin was devastated to see how much pain he brought to his family, eventually he broke down and explained to his parents why he felt like running away, he admitted to being unhappy and feeling useless. Sympathetic, his parents brought him home and they avoided any further talk about the woods. The emotional novel, Crabbe by William Bell taught me to always face my problems face on.It showed me that hiding from my fears is never the right option. In life we are constantly faced with obstacles that make us feel hopeless, where we feel like we don’t have anybody and we bottle up our emotions inside, thinking that they will dissolve. There are many times you feel alone, with no one to turn to causing us to feel empty and alone. The novel taught me to never give up on myself, when facing a problem it is best to do it with someone by your side, a family member or a friend. When life throws challenges your way, it is best to tackle them as they come instead of letting them pile up.Reading this novel I learned that there is always a better day, things will always be okay if you have faith in yourself. While reading a novel I began having flash backs to multiple challenges I faced, although not as extreme as those Franklin experienced, one stuck out to me. Earlier this year a very close friend and I got into a dispute. Neither of us knew the reason we were arguing but instead of talking and resolving our issues as friends we decided to run away from the conflict and not speak to each other.We have spent months avoiding each other, afraid of saying how we truly felt. After months of turning the other way when encountering each other in the halls I knew that we had been running away from our problems for too long. I didn’t know how to properly deal with the situation so I just stopped, I stopped avoiding him and I never tried to speak to him. The problem between us isn’t resolved, but after reading this novel, I might just give it another try and face my fears.William Bell is truly an exceptional writer; we tore at my heart strings and made me relate the novel Crabbe to my own life. While reading the novel, I was able to learn a lot when it comes to facing my problems. As I have reached the end of my summative, I really hope I was able to do the book s ome justice. When I began this process, I did not know where to start, but once I got into it the words just began to flow perfectly. The plot of the story taught me many valuable lessons, lessons that I will consider when encountering problems later on in life.

Goodner Brothers Case Study

Q1. Define SWOT analysis with appropriate examples using external resources (200 words) SWOT Analysis, technique credited to Albert Humphrey, is strategic planning method used to evaluate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved in business ventures. 1 It involves 1) Specifying objective 2) Identifying internal and external factors favorable and unfavorable to achieve objective 1 Example – Healthcare Software Company selling high value products 2 Strengths : Internal Characterisitcs of Business that give it an advantage 1 †¢ Highly experienced team, well established, reputable company †¢ High Percentage of Sales from Exports †¢ Knowledge of Advanced technology †¢ Very efficient Processes †¢ Top class service Weaknesses : Internal Characteristics that place it at disadvantage 1 †¢ Customers slow to Upgrade †¢ Complicated Products – need lots of Customisation †¢ Products innovative and market needs to be educated †¢ Technology emphasis within company rather than Marketing emphasis Opporutnities : External chances to impove performance 1 New competitors entering markets †¢ Government spending cut backs †¢ Technology changing fast Theats : External elements that could cause trouble 1 †¢ Population ageing †¢ Environmental issues increasing profile †¢ Healthcare costs rises rapidly †¢ Increased Safety and Risk awareness in healthcare Possible Strategy 2 Invest in marketing skills and knowledge to find new markets for specialist technical knowledge Increase export market to give buffer to Local Government initiatives in healthcare Add more value to customers outbidding new competitors. Emphasis in sales materials to offset new competitors entering market. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/SWOT_analysis & http://www. managementstudyguide. com/swot-analysis. htm Copyright  © 2008 – 2012 managementstudyguide. com. All rights reserved. (1) |http://www. rapid-business-intelligence-success. com/sample-swot- analysis. html  © Copyright Syd Stewart 2008 (2)| | |

Change in Male Role in the Home: 1960-Present

Change in Male Role in the Home: 1960-Present Traditionally the United States, along with the majority of the world has been a patriarchal society. The customary male role, specifically in relation to the home, has been the head of the household, the protector, and the provider. A male’s duty was unquestionably embodied in these three ideas, until the 1970’s. The growing feminist movement of that time began to question and displace these roles as solely belonging to a man, and the male role in society slowly began to shift.Instead of being the sole breadwinner for his home, families with two working parents have become increasingly more common. Women in the workforce have allowed father’s to spend more time at home with their children and helping out around the house. Over the last 50 years the male role has changed drastically, and while not all of the changes that have taken place are bad, the overall effect of these changes on society has been a negative one, creating a generation of fatherlessness, increased crime, and a general lack of respect for authority in any form.For generations it has been a man’s responsibility to provide for his family. Women were rarely even accepted into the workforce until after WWII. However, government encouragement for women to enter the labor force during the war, in combination with the rising feminist movement started a tidal wave movement of women pursuing higher education and careers. Women currently make up the majority of the workforce and 60% of all college graduates (Rosin). Donnalyn Pompper, a professor at Temple University, expands on this further in her article about the masculine gender role conflict theory.She explains that that after WWII, the increased female presence in the labor force â€Å"destabilized the breadwinner role as a basis for male identity, and now men must accept working wives and a more active parental role† (Pompper). And while it is true that the shift to equal opportunity in the workforce is almost universally agreed upon as a positive change, the balance and delicateness of the male psyche and ego are seldom taken into consideration. For many men, the ability to provide for one’s family is an integral part of the definition of masculinity.In interviews conducted by Dr. Pompper, when asked to individually define masculinity, a reoccurring theme in both the younger and older men interviewed was the ability to provide for one’s family. One of the young men interviewed said, â€Å"Being masculine means you are able to look at your wife and say ‘I got this’. To be able to look at your kids and say ‘I’ve got you’. That to me is the epitome of masculinity†¦being able, at the end of the day, to look at your family and say, ‘get on my back, I’ve got you the rest of the way’. Another man expressed similar feelings and said, â€Å"I think that every guy feels like itâ⠂¬â„¢s his place not to be the stay home Dad† (Pompper). Even in today’s forward thinking society, men are wired to be the provider. To take that role completely away is emasculating to him and leaves him feeling like he is unnecessary in the home. Although a family where, either both parents, or just the mother provide financially may be a little tough on the male ego, it is not detrimental. Provider is not the only established male role, protector and ‘head of the house’ are equally important to the equation.The traditional man of the 1960’s was indisputably the head of his home. There was a clear hierarchy, and while the husband and wife still often worked as a team, the culture of the time dictated that a man was undeniably in charge of his home, and his family. In many ways, this has been one of the most distinct changes between the 1960’s and 2012. Because men are no longer the sole breadwinner for their home, they are required to spend a larger portion of their time taking an active role in the home. No longer is the kitchen and house exclusively a woman’s domain, but rather shared by both parties.Men are expected to help out around the house and with the children, as much as women are. The idea of â€Å"team parenting† has evolved and taken root in today’s society, and has had excellent outcomes. Research has shown that children who are raised by two parents (a mother and a father specifically) have greater cognitive ability and success rates than children whose fathers are absent or uninvolved (Hofferth). This style of parents working together as a team to raise their children has been a great strategy, but looking at the big picture, it is shown that â€Å"Team parenting† has also unknowingly created some problems.Studies have shown that a child’s success throughout their life is largely dependent on the structure of their childhood (Hofferth). Given that men’s taking a more proactive role in the home and in the lives of their children is a good thing, the way that it has been approached has been problematic because it has undermined the hierarchy of the home. Similar to a man’s need to be the provider is the need to be the protector of his home. In addition, a man is not the only one who craves a distinctive hierarchy in the home, so do the children. According to Dr. David Bjorklund and Dr.Anthony Pellegrini, children need a clear authority figure. Often times by approaching parenting as a team and as equals, the mother and father undermine each other’s authority (Bjorklund, Pellegrini). Furthermore, without a specific and defined role, the position of father has been diminished as unimportant. For generations men have been noted as head of the house, and hailed for that important position. However, without that distinct role to play, it begins to seem like they’re participation is unnecessary as their wife is obviously much better suited to caring for and developing relationship with a child.These personal misgivings in combination with the media reinforcing the idea that the father role is superfluous, are huge contributors to why more and more fatherlessness is becoming the social epidemic of the generation (Pompper). This is an important issue that needs to be addressed, because Fathers are vital to the family unit. In their article about the role of fathers in children’s development, Amanda Quesenberry M. Ed. , Michaelene M. Ostrosky Ph. D. , and Robert Corso Ph. D. , note â€Å"Fathers are critical members of the family system who influence their children and their families in unique ways† (Quesenberry, Ostrosky, Corso).The article states that even in today’s society, father’s hold a huge amount of influence over society, enough that their presence and involvement is necessary to not only the success of the family as a unit, but also to the individual children. However, since the importance of fathers and fatherhood has not been stressed, and in fact the opposite has been emphasized, approximately one out of every 3 children does not have an active father or father figure in their lives (Hofferth). Acceptance and affection from a father or father figure is vital to a child’s cognitive development, and recent statistics how that behavioral problems among children, adolescents, and young adults with no active father in their lives are far greater than those of children living with both a father and a mother (Quesenberry, Ostrosky, Corso), and also tend to deal with one or more of the following issues: personality and psychological adjustment problems, behavioral problems (including aggression towards people and animals, property destruction, deceitfulness, and theft), delinquency, and psychopathology (substance abuse, depression) (Rohner).The rate of violent crimes have gone up roughly 300% since the 1960’s, and of the juveniles who ha ve been incarcerated for serious crimes 70% of them have been raised with no real father figure. In addition, 70% of all girls who become pregnant were raised without fathers (Lykken). These alarming numbers demonstrate the profound effect a father can have on the development, and therefore future of a child. The final issue that has come out of male’s displacement from his traditional roles is a generation with no respect for authority. Teachers are having increasing difficulties with classroom control.Students no longer have it ingrained in them to respect their elders, and as a result don’t care what the teacher or the principal say. Because school is no longer a priority to students like this, the drop out rate has increased significantly, with just over half of all dropouts being fatherless (Lykken). In today’s economy, it is next to impossible to find a job without at least a high school diploma, and employers no longer have to put up with any employee who cannot do what they are told, because there is someone who would be happy to take their place who most likely has more experience or education and can do what they are told.To conclude, while equal opportunity is beneficial and has helped to move our society forward, it has also drastically changed the traditional male role. And while some of these changes are good ones, they unfortunately have had negative effects due to people’s ignorance of the possible consequences. For example, it is good that women have been able to pursue their goals and passions in the workforce, and it is good that men are able to help out more at home. However, what is not good is that men have become completely displaced from many of the roles that, to them, define them as men.The way their roles have changed has slowly and subconsciously emasculated and caused them to doubt their importance and purpose in the family unit, which in turn has led to a growing number of fatherless children, increased crime rate, and a lack of respect for any kind of authority. Works Cited Bjorklund, David F, and Anthony D. Pellegrini. â€Å"Child Development and Evolutionary Psychology. † Child Development. 71. 6 (2000): 1687-708. Print. 05 Mar. 2012 Hofferth, Sandra L. â€Å"Residential Father Family Type and Child Well-Being: Investment Versus Selection. † Demography. 43. 1 (2006): 53-77. Print. 03 Mar. 2012. Pompper, Donnalyn. Masculinities, the Metrosexual, and Media Images: Across Dimensions of Age and Ethnicity. † Sex Roles. 63 (2010): 9-10. Print. 05 Mar. 2012. Quesenberry, Amanda, Michaelene Ostrosky, and Robert Corso. â€Å"Skilled and Knowledgeable Caregivers: the Role of Fathers in Supporting Young Children's Development. † Young Exceptional Children. 10. 4 (2007): 11-19. Print. 05 Mar. 2012. Rohner, Ronald P. â€Å"Father Love and Child Development: History and Current Evidence. † Current Directions in Psychological Science. 7. 5 (1998): 157-161. Pr int. 03 Mar. 2012. Rosin, Hanna. â€Å"The End of Men. † July-Aug. 2010. The Atlantic. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. Change in Male Role in the Home: 1960-Present Change in Male Role in the Home: 1960-Present Traditionally the United States, along with the majority of the world has been a patriarchal society. The customary male role, specifically in relation to the home, has been the head of the household, the protector, and the provider. A male’s duty was unquestionably embodied in these three ideas, until the 1970’s. The growing feminist movement of that time began to question and displace these roles as solely belonging to a man, and the male role in society slowly began to shift.Instead of being the sole breadwinner for his home, families with two working parents have become increasingly more common. Women in the workforce have allowed father’s to spend more time at home with their children and helping out around the house. Over the last 50 years the male role has changed drastically, and while not all of the changes that have taken place are bad, the overall effect of these changes on society has been a negative one, creating a generation of fatherlessness, increased crime, and a general lack of respect for authority in any form.For generations it has been a man’s responsibility to provide for his family. Women were rarely even accepted into the workforce until after WWII. However, government encouragement for women to enter the labor force during the war, in combination with the rising feminist movement started a tidal wave movement of women pursuing higher education and careers. Women currently make up the majority of the workforce and 60% of all college graduates (Rosin). Donnalyn Pompper, a professor at Temple University, expands on this further in her article about the masculine gender role conflict theory.She explains that that after WWII, the increased female presence in the labor force â€Å"destabilized the breadwinner role as a basis for male identity, and now men must accept working wives and a more active parental role† (Pompper). And while it is true that the shift to equal opportunity in the workforce is almost universally agreed upon as a positive change, the balance and delicateness of the male psyche and ego are seldom taken into consideration. For many men, the ability to provide for one’s family is an integral part of the definition of masculinity.In interviews conducted by Dr. Pompper, when asked to individually define masculinity, a reoccurring theme in both the younger and older men interviewed was the ability to provide for one’s family. One of the young men interviewed said, â€Å"Being masculine means you are able to look at your wife and say ‘I got this’. To be able to look at your kids and say ‘I’ve got you’. That to me is the epitome of masculinity†¦being able, at the end of the day, to look at your family and say, ‘get on my back, I’ve got you the rest of the way’. Another man expressed similar feelings and said, â€Å"I think that every guy feels like itâ⠂¬â„¢s his place not to be the stay home Dad† (Pompper). Even in today’s forward thinking society, men are wired to be the provider. To take that role completely away is emasculating to him and leaves him feeling like he is unnecessary in the home. Although a family where, either both parents, or just the mother provide financially may be a little tough on the male ego, it is not detrimental. Provider is not the only established male role, protector and ‘head of the house’ are equally important to the equation.The traditional man of the 1960’s was indisputably the head of his home. There was a clear hierarchy, and while the husband and wife still often worked as a team, the culture of the time dictated that a man was undeniably in charge of his home, and his family. In many ways, this has been one of the most distinct changes between the 1960’s and 2012. Because men are no longer the sole breadwinner for their home, they are required to spend a larger portion of their time taking an active role in the home. No longer is the kitchen and house exclusively a woman’s domain, but rather shared by both parties.Men are expected to help out around the house and with the children, as much as women are. The idea of â€Å"team parenting† has evolved and taken root in today’s society, and has had excellent outcomes. Research has shown that children who are raised by two parents (a mother and a father specifically) have greater cognitive ability and success rates than children whose fathers are absent or uninvolved (Hofferth). This style of parents working together as a team to raise their children has been a great strategy, but looking at the big picture, it is shown that â€Å"Team parenting† has also unknowingly created some problems.Studies have shown that a child’s success throughout their life is largely dependent on the structure of their childhood (Hofferth). Given that men’s taking a more proactive role in the home and in the lives of their children is a good thing, the way that it has been approached has been problematic because it has undermined the hierarchy of the home. Similar to a man’s need to be the provider is the need to be the protector of his home. In addition, a man is not the only one who craves a distinctive hierarchy in the home, so do the children. According to Dr. David Bjorklund and Dr.Anthony Pellegrini, children need a clear authority figure. Often times by approaching parenting as a team and as equals, the mother and father undermine each other’s authority (Bjorklund, Pellegrini). Furthermore, without a specific and defined role, the position of father has been diminished as unimportant. For generations men have been noted as head of the house, and hailed for that important position. However, without that distinct role to play, it begins to seem like they’re participation is unnecessary as their wife is obviously much better suited to caring for and developing relationship with a child.These personal misgivings in combination with the media reinforcing the idea that the father role is superfluous, are huge contributors to why more and more fatherlessness is becoming the social epidemic of the generation (Pompper). This is an important issue that needs to be addressed, because Fathers are vital to the family unit. In their article about the role of fathers in children’s development, Amanda Quesenberry M. Ed. , Michaelene M. Ostrosky Ph. D. , and Robert Corso Ph. D. , note â€Å"Fathers are critical members of the family system who influence their children and their families in unique ways† (Quesenberry, Ostrosky, Corso).The article states that even in today’s society, father’s hold a huge amount of influence over society, enough that their presence and involvement is necessary to not only the success of the family as a unit, but also to the individual children. However, since the importance of fathers and fatherhood has not been stressed, and in fact the opposite has been emphasized, approximately one out of every 3 children does not have an active father or father figure in their lives (Hofferth). Acceptance and affection from a father or father figure is vital to a child’s cognitive development, and recent statistics how that behavioral problems among children, adolescents, and young adults with no active father in their lives are far greater than those of children living with both a father and a mother (Quesenberry, Ostrosky, Corso), and also tend to deal with one or more of the following issues: personality and psychological adjustment problems, behavioral problems (including aggression towards people and animals, property destruction, deceitfulness, and theft), delinquency, and psychopathology (substance abuse, depression) (Rohner).The rate of violent crimes have gone up roughly 300% since the 1960’s, and of the juveniles who ha ve been incarcerated for serious crimes 70% of them have been raised with no real father figure. In addition, 70% of all girls who become pregnant were raised without fathers (Lykken). These alarming numbers demonstrate the profound effect a father can have on the development, and therefore future of a child. The final issue that has come out of male’s displacement from his traditional roles is a generation with no respect for authority. Teachers are having increasing difficulties with classroom control.Students no longer have it ingrained in them to respect their elders, and as a result don’t care what the teacher or the principal say. Because school is no longer a priority to students like this, the drop out rate has increased significantly, with just over half of all dropouts being fatherless (Lykken). In today’s economy, it is next to impossible to find a job without at least a high school diploma, and employers no longer have to put up with any employee who cannot do what they are told, because there is someone who would be happy to take their place who most likely has more experience or education and can do what they are told.To conclude, while equal opportunity is beneficial and has helped to move our society forward, it has also drastically changed the traditional male role. And while some of these changes are good ones, they unfortunately have had negative effects due to people’s ignorance of the possible consequences. For example, it is good that women have been able to pursue their goals and passions in the workforce, and it is good that men are able to help out more at home. However, what is not good is that men have become completely displaced from many of the roles that, to them, define them as men.The way their roles have changed has slowly and subconsciously emasculated and caused them to doubt their importance and purpose in the family unit, which in turn has led to a growing number of fatherless children, increased crime rate, and a lack of respect for any kind of authority. Works Cited Bjorklund, David F, and Anthony D. Pellegrini. â€Å"Child Development and Evolutionary Psychology. † Child Development. 71. 6 (2000): 1687-708. Print. 05 Mar. 2012 Hofferth, Sandra L. â€Å"Residential Father Family Type and Child Well-Being: Investment Versus Selection. † Demography. 43. 1 (2006): 53-77. Print. 03 Mar. 2012. Pompper, Donnalyn. Masculinities, the Metrosexual, and Media Images: Across Dimensions of Age and Ethnicity. † Sex Roles. 63 (2010): 9-10. Print. 05 Mar. 2012. Quesenberry, Amanda, Michaelene Ostrosky, and Robert Corso. â€Å"Skilled and Knowledgeable Caregivers: the Role of Fathers in Supporting Young Children's Development. † Young Exceptional Children. 10. 4 (2007): 11-19. Print. 05 Mar. 2012. Rohner, Ronald P. â€Å"Father Love and Child Development: History and Current Evidence. † Current Directions in Psychological Science. 7. 5 (1998): 157-161. Pr int. 03 Mar. 2012. Rosin, Hanna. â€Å"The End of Men. † July-Aug. 2010. The Atlantic. Web. 03 Mar. 2012.