5 Widespread Myths About Interracial Relationships

5 Widespread Myths About Interracial Relationships Interracial couples, marriages, and relationships are more common today than ever before in the United States. Marriages between people of different races reached a record high of 8.4 percent in 2010, according to the New York Times. Despite the rising rate of interracial marriage, mixed-race couples not only continue to face scrutiny and disapproval but sweeping generalizations from outsiders. Individuals in interracial relationships often are accused of entering such unions for less than honorable reasons. This review of the myths that shroud interracial couples indicate that romance across the color line remains a source of stigma. Interracial Means Black And White Arguably the biggest myth about interracial couples is that such pairings always involve a white person and a person of color. Interracial couples consisting of two people who belong to racial minority groups are largely overlooked in the mainstream culture. This is likely because discussions of race in general still are based on a black-white paradigm. Nonetheless, interracial couples of color have been the inspiration for films such as â€Å"Mississippi Masala,† in which Denzel Washington plays a character who falls in love with a South Asian woman. Moreover, the comedy â€Å"Harold Kumar Go to White Castle† paired the Korean-American protagonist up with a Latina love interest. Of course, a number of such couples exist in real life as well. Famous examples of interracial couples of color include musician Carlos Santana and his wife, Cindy Blackman, an African American; and Wesley Snipes and his wife, Nakyung Park, a Korean American. As the United States grows more diverse, interracial couples of color will only grow more common. Accordingly, discussion of interracial relationships should include pairings of Asian Americans and African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Arab Americans, and so forth. People in Interracial Relationships Never Date Their Own Race Strangers often assume that people in interracial relationships have long dated exclusively outside of their race. It’s undeniable that some people display strong preferences for a particular race. Indian-American actress Mindy Kaling, for example, essentially told Us Magazine that she favors white men.   â€Å"I embarrassingly love blond men - hot pinups like Chris Evans and Chris Pine,† she said. â€Å"I feel like people expect me to have an edgy choice, like Justin Theroux, and I’m just like, ‘Nope! I want Captain America!’† In addition, Kaling has been called out for casting solely white men as her love interests on her show â€Å"The Mindy Project.† Unlike Mindy Kaling, however, many people in interracial relationships don’t have a type. They have dated both intra-racially and interracially and just happened to end up with partners who don’t share their ethnic background. They don’t have a pattern of choosing solely white mates or solely Asian mates or Hispanic ones. Singer Rihanna,  journalist Lisa Ling and actor Eddie Murphy are all examples of people whove dated both within and outside of their racial group.  Ã‚   If you don’t know the dating history of a person in an interracial relationship, don’t assume that they have no interest in dating members of their own race. Unless you’re interested in dating the person in question, however, ask yourself why you care whom this person dates. If the person has bought into the idea that some racial groups are more desirable than others and date such people because they consider them to be â€Å"catches† or â€Å"trophies,† there’s little you can do to change their mindset anyway. They’ll likely excuse their dating patterns as being simple â€Å"preferences† rather than examine how our racially stratified society has influenced them to find some racial groups more appealing than others. Minorities in Interracial Romances Hate Themselves People of color who date interracially are often accused of suffering from self-hatred. While some minorities date whites in particular for social status, many minorities who date across the color line are proud of their heritage. They’re not dating interracially to dilute their bloodlines. They simply felt a spark with someone who doesn’t share their racial background. This doesn’t mean that they don’t identify with their minority group and are ashamed to be part of that group. A number of African Americans who married interracially have fiercely fought for civil rights and the uplift of their racial group, including the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, playwright Lorraine Hansberry, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and actor-singer Harry Belafonte. Whites in Interracial Marriages Are Rebelling While minorities in interracial relationships are often accused of hating themselves, whites in such relationships are often accused of rebelling. They didn’t marry interracially because they truly loved their spouse, outsiders say, but because they wanted to get back at their parents. Are there white people who bring home a person of another race because they know it will drive their parents crazy? Probably. But it’s unlikely that these people would have a sustained relationship with someone of a different race just to spite their parents, let alone marry interracially to do so.  Ã‚   Minorities in Interracial Relationships Date Down It’s a common belief that people of color in interracial relationships, especially with whites, date down rather than up. In other words, their partners aren’t particularly attractive, moneyed or educated. They are not dating â€Å"catches.† The rationale here is that whites enjoy so much privilege in society that minorities who pursue romances with them aren’t exactly picky. Any white person will do. This, of course, is a sweeping generalization. Unless the only criterion a person has in a mate is that she be white, it’s doubtful that this generalization applies. Rosie Cuison Villazor, a law professor and editor of Loving v. Virginia in a Post-Racial World, has found that the income of interracial couples tends to vary by the racial makeup of the couple. â€Å"Forty-two percent of white men/Asian women married couples both went to college, compared with 20 percent of white/Hispanic married couples and 17 percent of white/black married couples,† she found. â€Å"A look at earnings also reveals racial and gender differences: the median combined income of white/Asian couples is $70,952, compared with $53,187 for white/black married couples.† The fact that black-white couples earn less than white-Asian couples reflects the fact that blacks generally earn less than whites in the United States, while Asians tend to earn as much or more money than whites. Given this and the fact people of all races are more likely to romance those who share their economic and education background, it’s inaccurate to suggest that minorities in interracial relationships marry or date down. Sources Maillard, Kevin Noble. Loving vs. Virginia in a Post-Racial World. Rose Cuison Villazor (Editor), Cambridge University Press, May 16, 2012. Villazor, Rose Cuison. Marrying Across Racial Lines, but Still Seeing Lines. The New York Times, November 17, 2014.

Biography of Cleopatra, Last Pharaoh of Egypt

Biography of Cleopatra, Last Pharaoh of Egypt Cleopatra (69 BCE–August 30, 30 BCE) was the ruler of Egypt as Cleopatra VII Philopater, She was the last of the Ptolemy dynasty of Egyptian rulers, and the very last Pharaoh of Egypt, ending a dynastic rule of some 5,000 years. Fast Facts: Cleopatra Known For: The last dynastic pharaoh of EgyptAlso Known As: Cleopatra Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra VII Philopater; Cleopatra Philadelphus Philopator Philopatris Thea NeoteraBorn: Early 69 BCEParents: Ptolemy XII Auletes (d. 51 BCE, ruled 80–51 BCE except for 58–55 BCE) and Cleopatra V Tryphaina (co-ruler 58–55 BCE with their daughter, Berenice IV, sister of Cleopatra VII)Died: August 30, 30 BCEEducation: Studied with a tutor and at the Mouseion at the Library of Alexandria, medicine, philosophy, rhetoric, oratory, and many languages, including Greek, Latin, and AramaicSpouse(s): Ptolemy XIII, Ptolemy XIV, Marc AntonyChildren: Ptolemy Caesarion (b. 46 BCE, with Julius Caesar); and three children by Marc Antony, twins Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene (b. 40 BCE), and Ptolemy Philadelphus (b. 36 BCE) Cleopatra VII was the descendant of Macedonians who were established as rulers over Egypt when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 323 BCE. The Ptolemy dynasty was descended from the Greek Macedonian named Ptolemy Soter, whom Alexander the Great installed in Egypt, so much of Cleopatras ancestry was Macedonian Greek. There is some controversy about the possible African origins of her mother or her paternal grandmother. Early Life Cleopatra VII was born around the beginning of 69 BCE, the second of five children of Ptolemy XII and his wife Cleopatra V. Tryphania. Although not much is available about her early life, young royal women of the Ptolemaic dynasty were well educated, and although the Library of Alexandria was no longer the intellectual powerhouse of the Mediterranean, the facility and its adjacent research center the Mouseion were still a center for learning. She took medical studies- she was a medical writer as a young woman- and she studied philosophy, rhetoric, and oratory with a tutor. She was a gifted linguist: in addition to her native Greek, Plutarch reported that she spoke Ethiopian, Trogodyte, Hebraic (probably Aramaic or less likely Hebrew), Arabic, Syrian, Median, and Parthian as well as many others. She undoubtedly read Greek, Egyptian, and Latin, and perhaps others. During Cleopatras early years, her father Ptolemy XII tried to maintain his failing power in Egypt by bribing powerful Romans. In 58 BCE, her father fled Rome to escape the anger of his people for the failing economy. Cleopatra, about 9 years old at the time, likely went with him. Her oldest sister was Berenike IV, and when Ptolemy XII fled, she and her mother Cleopatra VI Tryphaina, and his eldest daughter, Berenice IV, assumed the rulership jointly. When he returned, apparently Cleopatra VI had died, and with the help of Roman forces, Ptolemy XII regained his throne and executed Berenice. Ptolemy then married his son, about 9 years old, to his remaining daughter, Cleopatra, who was by this time about 18. Rule and Political Strife On the death of Ptolemy XII in February or March of 51 BCE, the rule of Egypt was to go to Cleopatra and her brother and husband, Ptolemy XIII; but Cleopatra moved swiftly to take control, but not without issues.  Ã‚   When Cleopatra VII took the double crown, Egypt was still facing the financial issues that her predecessors had created- Julius Caesar was owed 17.5 million drachmas- and there was still scattered civil strife. Drought, failed crops, and food shortages were becoming more serious, and by 48 BCE the Nile flood was extremely low. Cleopatra set about restoring the bull cult; but the largest issue was the presence in her kingdom of Ptolemy XIII, only about 11 years old at the time. Ptolemy had the support of his tutor Potheinos and a powerful set of advisers, including many of the top generals, and by the autumn of 50 BCE, Ptolemy XIII was in the dominant position in the country.  At the same time, Pompey- with whom Ptolemy XII had allied himself- appeared in Egypt, chased by forces of Julius Caesar. In 48 BCE, Pompey named Ptolemy XIII the sole ruler, and Cleopatra went first to Thebes, then to Syria to gather an army of supporters among the opponents of Pompey, but her army was halted in the Nile delta region at Pelousion by Ptolemys forces. In the meantime, Ptolemys advisers were becoming alarmed at the rise in turmoil in the Roman Empire, and seeking to back away from that conflict, they had Pompey assassinated and his head sent to Caesar. Shortly thereafter, Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria. He sent messages to Cleopatra and Ptolemy, asking them to disband their armies and reconcile with one another; Ptolemy kept his army but came to Alexandria, while Cleopatra set messengers and then came herself to see Caesar. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar Cleopatra, according to the stories, had herself delivered to Julius Caesars presence in a rug and won his support. Ptolemy XIII died in a battle with Caesar, and Caesar restored Cleopatra to power in Egypt, along with her brother Ptolemy XIV as co-ruler. In 46 BCE, Cleopatra named her newborn son Ptolemy Caesarion, emphasizing that this was the son of Julius Caesar. Caesar never formally accepted paternity, but he did take Cleopatra to Rome that year, also taking her sister, Arsinoe, and displaying her in Rome as a war captive. That he was already married (to Calpurnia) yet Cleopatra claimed to be his wife added to political tensions in Rome that ended with Caesars assassination in 44 BCE. After Caesars death, Cleopatra returned to Egypt, where her brother and co-ruler Ptolemy XIV died, probably assassinated by her. She established her son as her co-ruler Ptolemy XV Caesarion. Cleopatra and Marc Antony When the next Roman military governor of the region, Marc Antony, demanded her presence- along with that of other rulers who were controlled by Rome- she arrived dramatically in 41 BCE and managed to convince him of her innocence of charges about her support of Caesars supporters in Rome, captivated his interest, and gained his support. Antony spent a winter in Alexandria with Cleopatra (41–40 BCE) and then left. Cleopatra bore twins to Antony. He, meanwhile, went to Athens and, his wife Fulvia having died in 40 BCE, agreed to marry Octavia, the sister of his rival Octavius. They had a daughter in 39 BCE. In 37 BCE Antony returned to Antioch, Cleopatra joined him, and they went through a sort of marriage ceremony the following year. That year of that ceremony, another son was born to them, Ptolemy Philadelphus. Marc Antony formally restored to Egypt- and Cleopatra- territory which the Ptolemys had lost control of, including Cyprus and part of what is now Lebanon. Cleopatra returned to Alexandria and Antony joined her in 34 BCE after a military victory. He affirmed the joint rulership of Cleopatra and her son, Caesarion, recognizing Caesarion as the son of Julius Caesar. Octavian and Death Antonys relationship with Cleopatra- his supposed marriage and their children, and his granting of territory to her- was used by the Roman emperor Octavian to raise Roman concerns over his loyalties. Antony was able to use Cleopatras financial support to oppose Octavian in the Battle of Actium (31 BCE), but missteps- probably attributable to Cleopatra- led to defeat. Cleopatra tried to get Octavians support for her childrens succession to power but was unable to come to an agreement with him. In 30 BCE, Marc Antony killed himself, reportedly because hed been told that Cleopatra had been killed, and when yet another attempt to keep power failed, Cleopatra killed herself. Legacy Much of what we know about Cleopatra was written after her death when it was politically expedient to portray her as a threat to Rome and its stability. Thus, some of what we know about Cleopatra may have been exaggerated or misrepresented by those sources. Cassius Dio, one of the ancient sources that tell her story, summarizes her story as She captivated the two greatest Romans of her day, and because of the third she destroyed herself. What we know for certain is that Egypt became a province of Rome, ending the rule of the Ptolemies. Cleopatras children were taken to Rome. Caligula later executed Ptolemy Caesarion, and Cleopatras other sons simply disappear from history and are assumed to have died. Cleopatras daughter, Cleopatra Selene, married Juba, king of Numidia and Mauritania. Sources Chauveau, Michel. Egypt in the Age of Cleopatra: History and Society under the Ptolemies. Trans. Lorton, David. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 2000.Chaveau, Michel, ed. Cleopatra: Beyond the Myth. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002.Kleiner, Diana E.E., and Bridget Buxton. Pledges of Empire: The Ara Pacis and the Donations of Rome. American Journal of Archaeology 112.1 (2008): 57-90.Roller, Duane W. Cleopatra: A Biography. Women in Antiquity. Eds. Ancona, Ronnie and Sarah B. Pomeroy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Relationship between christmas and religion Essay

Relationship between christmas and religion - Essay Example which were not directly related to Christianity, but were inspired from the former popular religion Pagan are Christmas tree, decoration on it and around it, gathering around it, stuffing stockings with goodies and hanging them on the top of fireplaces. Nevertheless, in the past exchange of presents and opening them on the day of Christmas was also not a part of Christmas tradition, but was supposed to be linked with New Year celebrations. In the contemporary world this occasion is not only associated to Christian faith only, but non-believers also celebrate it due to its global popularity, adaptability by the Western society, business and media publicity and promotion and eventually its acceptability by all faith holders. Now Christmas is a time of national holidays, time to bond with families, eat turkey, shop endlessly and exchange of gifts. It’s a time for which business entrepreneurs plan carefully and media gives full coverage to it worldwide. It gives a chance to job-tied people to relax and mingle with family and friends. Hence, Christmas holidays are celebrated around the globe with or without relating it to the Christian

Management Essay (Job Satisfaction; Hofstede's Dice Dimensions)

Management (Job Satisfaction; Hofstede's Dice Dimensions) - Essay Example However, a person’s job involves much more than performing the routine technical tasks such as accounting, marketing, researching, manufacturing, engineering, driving or sweeping. Along with doing the primary tasks related to their jobs, employees are also expected to adhere to the code of conduct of the organization, coordinate with colleagues, manage relationships with superiors and fine-tune themselves in compliance with the organizational environment. Consequently, the measurement of job satisfaction is quite an intricate summation of several components involved in a person’s professional life. Nevertheless, after years of experiments, the two most generally accepted measurement techniques are: Single Global Rating and Summation of Job Facets. In the Single Global Rating method, employees are asked to choose on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing highly satisfied and 5 representing highly dissatisfied. While in Summation of Job Facets method, employees are require d to express their sentiments with regard to their job in words. The two methods have their advantages as well as disadvantages and are believed to be helpful in their respective domains (Robbins, 2009). Over the years, different theories have been developed by management researchers to expound the concept of job satisfaction. ... Ambrose and Mr. Smith. Mr. Ambrose values variety in his job while Mr. Smith is indifferent about variety in job; then Mr. Ambrose will be more satisfied in a job which offers greater amount of variety and less satisfied in a job which is monotonous, in contrast to Mr. Smith. Another important theory related to Job Satisfaction is Dispositional Theory. It suggests that irrespective of their jobs, people hold certain in-born dispositions that result in them developing a certain type of job satisfaction. Research even suggests that identical twins who have not been brought up together exhibit analogous levels of job satisfaction. Consequently, attempts were made to discover the psychological mechanisms that bring about dispositional roots of job satisfaction. The outcomes have shown that people who have positive core self evaluations – who place confidence in their ability, have much higher levels of job satisfaction in contrast to those who have negative core self valuations (M artinko, 2004). Two Factor Theory (Motivator-Hygiene Theory) groups all the pertinent job facets under two broad factors - Motivators and Hygiene Factors. Motivators include facets such as appreciation, recognition, interesting work, etc. They yield positive feelings related to the job resulting in high job satisfaction. Alternatively, Hygiene factors comprise of job security, pay, work settings, etc. They do not yield affirmative satisfaction, however dissatisfaction emerges from their nonexistence. For example, an employee Ms. Laren would be motivated by challenging work and recognition of performance, resulting in high satisfaction; emanating from the intrinsic nature of the job, which stimulates personal development. While on another occasion, uncertainty hovering over her

The role of His Highness Shiekh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nhayan in the Essay

The role of His Highness Shiekh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nhayan in the formation of the UAE - Essay Example While the cities are growing at a rapid pace, the economies are also boosting, resulting in employment and social prospects for the people. Amongst the developed nations of today’s world, United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of it. United Arab Emirates is a legitimate alliance that came into formulation in the last quarter of 1971, consists of seven emirates that are â€Å"Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain, Ras al-Khaimah, and Fujairah† (Miller, pp. 35-79, 2004). UAE is located in Southwest Asia and its border connects with Qatar to its west side, Oman lies to its north and east and Saudi Arabia is at its south and west part. Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iran connect the sea boundary with UAE (Miller, pp. 35-79, 2004). Abu Dhabi is considerably the biggest city of the federation amongst all the other emirates and is the capital of United Arab Emirates, which is the focal point of political and industrial functioning. Ajman is the smallest emirate of UAE and su bsumes the nominal area of the whole. A mixture of topography is present in UAE. More than half of the entire area of it is a barren region and desert, nevertheless, this country comes under the category of one of the most urbanized, developed and beautiful places in the world. Distinct and divergent sceneries, overwhelming sandbanks, rich oases, sheer and steep rock-strewn mountains and fruitful prairie are all geographical factors that highlight the beauty of UAE (Miller, pp. 35-79, 2004). UAE is a state, which has made the use of the modern technologies to its fullest and has included its name in one of the world’s fastest growing states. UAE not only worked on expansion of the emirate but it paid scores of attention in developing its tourism due to its classy infrastructure, thus, putting efforts on building numerous shopping malls, high-class hotels and restaurants and holiday resorts. With its widespread and beautiful sandy beaches, diverse sceneries, deserts, diverse s ports activities, shopping, resorts and captivating customary traditional culture makes UAE a perfect and an ideal place for a holiday. Since bygone eras, geological location is of utmost importance as it makes UAE easily accessible to different parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. Indian Ocean has a brawny weight on the climatic conditions of UAE due to the reason that it touches the borders of Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, therefore, the atmospheric conditions of UAE comes under the dry, scorched, and parched tropical zone. Due to this reason, UAE experiences intense warmth and heat that comes with humidity in the summer seasons particularly in the coastal areas. The temperature deviations between the coastal regions, deserts, and hilly areas observe a clear and visible pattern. The nights of UAE to some extent are chilly than that of the daytime weather (Rashid & Nel, pp. 25-55, 2001). Despite of the fact that UAE is a country that has a president and has come into formation, it e ncompasses neither a lawful kingdom or absolute monarchy, nor a democracy. It comprises of seven separate kingdoms, which comes under governance by seven different authorities, each having its own supremacy and domination. Though the rulers of all the federations select a president, the ultimate power remains in the hands of these monarchs called emirs/sheikhs. A constitution of UAE do not guide the emirs as to

Impact of stakeholder management in the construction industry

Impact of stakeholder management in the construction industry INTRODUCTION This section of the report covers literature by several authors. A literature review: gives an overview of what has been said in the area of project stakeholders and project success , who the key writers are, what are the prevailing theories and hypotheses, what questions are being asked and what methods and methodologies are appropriate and useful (Emerald, 2010). This chapter seeks to investigate the impact of stakeholder management and its contributions to project success in the construction industry. Using the literature review mind map in Figure 2 below, this report will explore principles and concepts on the subject matter to satisfy its main objectives. Figure 1- Literature review mind map (Author) This literature review will satisfy the following project objectives: To explore the principles of stakeholder management and project success. To assess the benefits and challenges of stakeholder management. To correlate a relationship between stakeholder management and project success. To propose a framework for measuring the impact of stakeholder management on project success thereby assessing its impact on project success. To make recommendations for improved stakeholder management practices. Overview of the UK Construction industry The construction industry in the past 30 years has continued to evolve and expand (PMI 2008) and although changes within the industry are relatively slow (Kagioglou et al 1998), one cannot overlook what the construction industry has contributed to the UK economy (Bennett 2003 p.7). The UK construction industry is the sixth largest industry in the UK in terms of turnover (Adamson and Pollington 2006) and it accounts for 10% of the UKs GDP and employs 1.5 million people (Corporate Watch 2002). Recent studies such as Walker (2007 p.101) has shown that the: Construction process also has a challenging and vital task in defining and implementing the stakeholders requirements. This study considered this to be paramount. This was further asserted by McElroy and Mills (2007 p.758) clearly explaining the importance of stakeholder management. This report would discuss stakeholder management in the next section. Overview of Project Stakeholder A review of various literature and study on project stakeholder begs an explanation as to the origin of the word stakeholder. The word stakeholder was first recorded in text in 1708 according to (Ramirez 1999) from the word stake. Although the definition of a project stakeholder may remain debatable (Walker 2007 p.100), There is no consensus as to a common and widely used definition (McElroy and Mills 2007 p.760). It may be suggested that each author defines stakeholder(s) to suit the aim of individual academic research at that particular time. Below are some definitions of a project stakeholder from various literatures. Vollans (2006 p.50-15) defines a project stakeholder as a: person or organisation with vested interest (positive or negative) in the ultimate outcome of the project. According to Olanda and Landin (2005 p.321) it is: a group of people who have vested interest in the success of a project and the environment within which the project operates. While project management for development organizations (PM4DV) (2009 p.71) suggested that stakeholders are: people who have an interest in the project, whose satisfaction is the most critical element to define the success of a project. Other definitions include the ApmBok (2006 p.159) which defines project stakeholders as: all those who have an interest or role in the project or are impacted by the project. For the purpose of this report an alternative definition would be suggested, this definition would incorporate various definitions as seen above. Project stakeholders are: Group(s) of people /Organisation who have an interest in and who can also impact a project positively or negatively within the project life cycle and whose satisfactions are the most critical element to define the success of a project. (Olanda and Landin 2005; project management for development organizations 2009; Apm Bok 2006; Vollans 2006) Projects are made of different stakeholders with different interest in the project. This study would look at the different types of stakeholder next. Types of stakeholders When considering stakeholders types, it could be suggested that person or organisation is not self sufficient hence the word Globalization came into being projects consist of various stakeholders. This can be seen in studies undertaken by Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009 p.132), where the author suggested that identifying the various stakeholders in a project involves taking into account their wants and requirement. Project stakeholders as identified by Kloppenborg (2009); Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009) are divided into internal and external stakeholders. This can further be subdivided into primary and secondary stakeholders. Identifying both the primary and secondary stakeholders will help the project manager establish the project requirements and expectations, where the expectation is critical to project success (Kloppenborg 2009 p.362). This expectation is divided into three aspects: relationship, communications and lessons learnt. Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009 p.132) defined internal stakeholders as: those who are actively involved in the project implementation and this category of stakeholders usually support the project. The author also inferred that internal stakeholders are also called primary Stakeholders. Examples of primary stakeholders are the project owner, project sponsor and project manager. It could therefore be assumed that Stakeholder Participation specifically by primary stakeholder will increase the chances of success (Unruh 2005 p.413). While the external stakeholders are; members of the project that may affect or be affected by the project Aaltonen and Sivonen (2009 p.132). These are often called secondary stakeholders. Examples of secondary stakeholders are government agencies, suppliers and special interest groups. These classifications will be illustrated in a Figure 3 which shows the level of importance given to primary stakeholders below: Figure 2-Primary and secondary stakeholders (Author) Notwithstanding, neither primary nor secondary stakeholders can stand on its own given todays project environment. A typical example of a primary stakeholder is the project manager who would not be able to proceed if the legislative requirements are not met, this could be in form of risk management system put in place on the construction site. These requirements are set by the government bodies in charge of monitoring and control, they are also known as the secondary stakeholders. Principles of stakeholder management During its years of development, stakeholder management has documented more success than failures in the area of project management (Aaltonen and Sivonen 2009). Due to the diverse nature of this subject matter, stakeholder principle and theories have been sought in national and international policies (Reed 2008). Examples of such success can be seen in research done by Narayan (2007) on Fiji Sugar Corporation; because sugar is the major source of income of Fiji, the presence of many stakeholders in the cooperation is evident but it can also be argued that the effectiveness of the management of all stakeholders present in the cooperation was key to the organisations success. Atkin and Skitmore (2008 p.549) have suggested that project management in the constructions industry has a complex collection of activities required to deliver a construction project. It is therefore conclusive that stakeholder management within the project lifecycle is critical for the success of any construction project. Thus failure of a project manager to manage the concerns of a construction project stakeholder over the years has resulted in a countless number of construction project failures (Atkin and Skitmore 2008; Bourne and Walker, 2005). It must also be noted that stakeholder in the construction industry have the capability to terminate a construction project (Atkin and Skitmore 2008; Lim et al. 2005). A report to the House of Commons by the Committee of Public Accounts (2004) on the issues of Wembley stadium has shown that inadequate planning in the initiation phase of the project lifecycle has lead to stakeholder conflict. Managing stakeholders from the initiation phase of a construction project or any project is essential. Where there is effective stakeholder management, benefits are realised at the end of the project on time, within budget and quality. Due to suggestions made in the previous section by Walker (2007) and McElroy and Mills (2007) that the term stakeholder is difficult to identify, defining stakeholder management will still pose the same difficulty identified by the above authors. Stakeholder Management can be defined as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as the continuing development of relationships with stakeholders for the purpose of achieving a successful project outcome (McElroy and Mills 2007 p.760) It could be suggested that for stakeholder management to be successful, it must be strategic; various literatures have suggested a process called the Stakeholder management process; this approach is applicable to both internal and external stakeholder (OGC 2010),the stakeholder process(McElroy and Mills 2007 p.772) are listed below and represented in the figure below: Identification of project success criteria. Identification of Resources Requirement. Identify Stakeholders and level of interest Conduct stakeholder Analysis Develop Strategy for Each Stakeholder identified. Table! : Stakeholder Process Explanation Identification of project success criteria McElroy and Mills (2007) suggested that sponsors success criteria should be in terms of time, cost and performance. Identify Resource Requirement Resource requirement maybe classified as tangible item which could include materials and finance (Burke 2007) and intangible resource such as support and emotions (McElroy and Mills 2007). For a project to be successful it could be suggested that a project manager need access to all this resources both tangible and intangible. Identify Stakeholders and interest Levels To identify project stakeholders McElroy and Mills (2007) have suggested that brainstorming key stakeholders and recording all stakeholders and there level of interest into a stakeholder register. To Conduct Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder Attitude varies from one person to another. Some maybe in support and some in opposition of the project . Using a stakeholder commitment map the project team will be able perform a more effective assessment of current attitude of each stakeholder during the lifecycle phases. McElroy and Mills (2007) Develop Strategy for each Stakeholder After a stakeholder analysis has been carried out, the project team can build its strategies from the analysis. Such strategies can be the communication plan; this would include all the methods of communication to be used and frequency of the communication between the project team and project stakeholders. Stakeholder Management and Project Lifecycle The body of knowledge in project management (PMBOK) have suggested that: Because projects are unique and involve a certain degree of risk, companies such as the construction industry will generally subdivide their projects into several project phases to provide better management control Stakeholder management could be linked to project lifecycle, according to McManus (2004). Jawahar and Mclaughlin (2004) suggested that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦at any given stage in the project lifecycle certain stakeholders will be more important than other Turner (2007) suggested the following phases; the definition phase where the initial objectives are defined by various stakeholder; the design phase according to Turner (2007) would be the matching the objectives with resources; the execution phase, would involve implementation of the actual work and monitoring and controlling of the project by key stakeholders which also include the project manager and finally the closeout phase involves the commissioning and hand over to key stakeholder. Belout and Gauvreau (2003) suggested that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the effect of the critical factors on success varies as the project cycle stages change This can be seen in Figure used to link criterias for success and lifecycle by Belout and Gauvreau (2003) this is illustrated in the Figure below and can be linked to project success as seen below: Figure! : A Link Between Criterias for Success and Lifecycle PROJECT SUCCESS The word project success is an indefinite word to say the least; this has lead to a set of definitions and perspectives by different professionals and academic in the field of project management. According to McManus (2004), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The most successful projects always involve both direct and indirect stakeholders While Yu et al. (2005) suggests that a Project  is a success if its created product adds value to the client, considering the cost to the client at the point of acceptance Ika (2009 p.6) suggested that project success be defined in terms of concepts such as efficiency and effectiveness, Lock (2007 p.5) argues that project success should be defined using the three objectives listed below: Project Completion within the Budget. The project delivered or handed over to customer on time. Good performance, requiring all components of the project to meet the sponsors requirements. Source: Lock (2007, p.5) The author is invariably suggesting that we use the project management triangle seen below in Figure 4 to determine if a project is successful. Figure 3- Success triangle by Lock 2007 (Author) While Lock (2007) and Ika (2009) have presented various ways in which project stakeholders should be defined in the context of project management, Assudani and Kloppenborg (2010) have preferred to summarise their definition of project success in terms project stakeholders. It was suggested that for a project to be successful, it must meet the customers requirements and manage their relationships though effective communication. Accordingly Pinto (2004) went from the Iron triangle suggested by Lock (2007) in Figure 4 and linked it to the benefits gained by the organisation and the project stakeholder(s) at the completion of the project. In a study carried out by Sofia (2003) titled project success in relation with organizational roles and project managers skills and capabilities, the author identified the following in Table 3: Table 1- Project success definition, Source : Sofia (2003) Definition Of Project Success Percentage It meets the target cost, schedule, quality and functionality 88.5% It meet the customers satisfaction 85.9% It creates organisational improvement with the learning from failures and successes (lessons learned) 44.9% It was performed efficiently and effectively 43.6% It succeeds in executing the desired changes because one cannot expect every project to proceed exactly as planned 37.2 Others 7.7% The above table has indicated that studies carried out by Sofia (2003) are in accordance with Lock (2007) and Ika (2009) definitions. This report would define project success as: The satisfaction of stakeholders needs in teams of time, cost, and quality/performance (Lock 2007; Sofia (2003); Ika 2009; Assudani and Kloppenborg 2010; ApmBok 2009). The satisfaction mentioned in the above definition could be suggested to mean the benefit realised at the handover phase of the project. Since projects are unique endeavours (ApmBok 2009), it is right to suggest that satisfying stakeholders requirements using the criterias set aside by the stakeholder should be what success should be measured against. Critical Success factor (CSFs) for construction projects Achieving success is the goal of any project; the construction industry is not different from other industries in achieving success (Yu et al.200). The Apm Bok (2009, p.2) suggested that to satisfy stakeholders, one must have measurable criteria (OGC 2010) to measure success. Since Construction projects have been identified as having issues such as lack of trust, lack of cooperation and ineffective communication which have lead to adversarial relationship among all project stakeholders (Chan et al.2004), partnering with various stakeholders and identifying their view on CSFs using questionnaires (Jing et al. 2010) is important because it gives the project manager a clear view of each stakeholder expectations. Milosevic and Patanakul (2005) suggested that Critical success factors are correlated to a construct of an aggregate measure of  project success According (PMI 2008; Wang and Huang 2009); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Project success  criteria shall include the golden triangle and key  project stakeholders satisfaction of the  project The following CSFs have been identified from literature and can be employed in the construction industry (Yu et al. 2004; Lock 2007; Hill et al., 2008), these CSFs are listed below: Clear and agreed upon objective. Project requirement must be carefully thought out. Trusting relationship between all members of the project Support from top management Availability of sufficient funds and other resource Technical competence with the project team. Good communication Benefits and Challenges of Stakeholder Management Stakeholder management has both benefits and challenges to construction organisations which are determined by the role played by each stakeholder organisation during the execution of project (Zutshi and Sohal 2002, p.371). The benefits of effective stakeholder management can be linked to an organisation or a countrys financial success (Zutshi and Sohal 2002; Reed et al 2009). Since the construction industry is copious with a sizeable number of stakeholders across the political, social, cultural and economic sector (Moodley et al.2008), identifying those benefits and challenges faced by the construction industry will be a priority for any project manager. Benefits The benefits of stakeholders in the construction industry are explored below thus: Stakeholder Analysis Vollans (2002 p.50-15) suggested that a key benefit of stakeholder management is the principle of analysing stakeholder which simply put is: a technique used to identify and assess the importance of stakeholders Guarded with knowledge gained from analysing various project stakeholders, it could be inferred that the knowledge will be used to make judgement regarding how each stakeholder could help or hinder the project (McElroy and Mills 2007). This early assessment of stakeholders at the planning stage of the project life cycle would identify and improve quality (Vollans 2002) by increasing the level of support from stakeholders and reducing opposition (ApmBok 2009). By identifying each stakeholder and analysing their various interests it could be suggested that this would reduce conflict by resolving issues at an early stage of the project. This analysis must be reviewed throughout the project life cycle phase (ApmBok 2009). Monitoring and Control McElroy and Mills (2007) identified better monitoring and control as a benefit of effective stakeholder management. It is suggested that management of stakeholders with regards to their ever changing interest using project management tools such as change control process and configuration management in conjunction with stakeholder management theories, should enable the project manager manage changes (Zutshi 2004). In the area of cost management, stakeholder management has been able to reduce ambiguity, duplication and waste of resources as a result of conflicts and legal issues (Zutshi 2004; Atkinson 1999) Project Governance Turner (2007) have suggested that Project are governed on behalf of stakeholders which includes owners and contractors The above author also suggested two paradigms of project governance as it relates to organisations. This paradigm suggests that projects are governed on behalf of all stakeholders, which will include both primary and secondary stakeholders. The author suggested that the responsibility of managing this relationship is that of the project manager and project team. This relationship will be managed using the principles of stakeholder management. Challenges In discussing challenges facing stakeholder management in the construction industry the following were identified: Globalization Carson (2002) defined globalisation as: a multidimensional process whereby national resources become more and more internationally mobile while national economies become increasingly interdependent Moodley et al. (2004) in recent studies identified globalisation as a challenge faced by the construction industry and argues that with the ever changing construction industry, recent issues that exists in stakeholder management such as (Communication and Scope Management ) falls within a global context. Since major construction companies in the world including UK construction companies undertake projects in various parts of the world (Steger 2003) and source for materials globally (Moodley et al. 2004), adopting stakeholder management principles and strategies from one region into a new region or culture may lead to failure due to gaps in culture and communication (Tone et al. 2009 p.27). An example of this can be seen in stakeholder management practices adopted during the construction of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai (reference). Effective Knowledge Transfer Some professionals in project management discipline may refer to this as Lessons Leaned. The Ontario health care information (reference) described knowledge transfer as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a process of developing, identifying, and disseminating best practices, and planning, producing, disseminating, and applying existing or new research in stakeholder managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Senaratne and Sexton (2008) stressed the importance of sharing knowledge within the area of stakeholder management and also noted the role of knowledge in managing change in the construction industry. Egbu (2003) also went further to identify change as the key cause of knowledge production in construction projects. It could be suggested that though knowledge is been transferred in projects through journals in project management and the construction journals, key issues concerning individual project and stakeholder management issues and how this issues are resolved are still kept as confidential documents within various organisations resulting in a gap in the management of stakeholders within the construction sector. Organisational Policy Kamann (2007) suggested that; Organizations usually adapt or adjust their objectives and strategy in order to minimize strategic drift These objective and strategy may impact the project adversely (Aaltonen 2010), the stakeholder defines the scope of the work (ApmBok 2009), if this scope is adjusted or strategy changed as suggested by Kamann (2007) on a regular basis, the ApmBok (2009) has suggested that it would lead to what is known as a Scope Creep. The construction industry is known to be complex and full of different stakeholder with different level of power, the policy of organisation can either help to manage stakeholders more effectively or it may result in difference of option and invariably conflict. 2.7 Relationship between Stakeholder Management and Project Success A survey involving 109 professionals on how best to define project success, shows that 88.5% of respondents agreed that project success should be judged on the basis of cost, schedule, quality, functionality (Sofia 2003), the link between stakeholder management process and success cannot be overemphasised (Bones 2007). McElroy and Mills (2007) illustrated the various stakeholder management processes to project success as seen in the figure!!! below : Project Stakeholder Success Criteria Resources Requirement Stakeholder Identification Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder Strategy Project Success (Author) Figure!! : The Relationship between Stakeholder Management Project Success While (Wit 1988) suggested that: When measuring project success, one must consider the objectives of all stakeholders throughout the project life cycle and at all levels in the management hierarchy The above author also suggested that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is unlikely that a project can be a complete success for all stakeholders during the entire life of the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The above statement is reinforced by Aaltonen et al. (2008) when the author proposed critical success factors for stakeholder management in the construction industry. Although the depth of literature linking stakeholder management to project success in the construction industry is minimal, but a general literature into the link between stakeholder management and project success (McElroy and Mills 2007), the (ApmBok 2009; OGC 2010) suggested that to satisfy stakeholders, one must have measurable criteria to measure success.

Essay --

Middle Ages building all over the world, good number of them has captured the imagination of visitors throughout time like the Alhambra. Its average daily visitors reaches, 6,000 tourists visit the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Much grant has occurred with respect to the Palace of the Lions, one of two castles that made it throughout the original six or seven. What makes it such a rich mine for study is the ample improved way in decoration and styling, and additionally its abnormal floor arrangement and then the water fountain. While many differing viewpoints on the Palace of the Lions have been carefully noted and very well supported, all concur that the Alhambra is a sublime mosaic in which impacts from Europe, the Almohads, the Fatimids, and the Eastern Islamic world can be seen. Instead of giving just detailed, step-by-step description on of the floor plan and layout of the palaces (which abound in the literature), I will focus on an overview of the Alhambra, a few of the unique features of the Palace of the Lions that reflects Arabs cultures, and then examine how writers and schol...

Psychological Benefits of Fashion Essay

Fashion has been identified as one of the prevailing entities that can be observed all throughout history. It is an indication of styles and customs that are widely practiced at a particular time. Nonetheless, the usage of such term is always associated with clothing. However, in a greater sense, the concept of fashion encompasses more than clothing— it is something that pertains to a much bigger picture. The interest if humans in fashion are not just of recent origin. To prove such point, since the pre-historic many people have adorned their skins with colored clays and even tattoos, while clothing has been considered as one of the most absorbing yet was also treated as an important issue in life as it represents many things about life as a whole. However, while fashion from the past was regarded as an aspect only reserved for the wealthy populace, the influence of such entity can now be felt everywhere, anytime at this moment. Today, from the poorest to the richest, from the inhabitants of the most metropolitan areas to the inhabitants of the most rural places, many individuals indulge in extravagant fashion. From here, one can simply ask what is it with fashion that motivates people to recognize it as a powerful entity? While physically fashion posit lots of benefits for individuals following the latest trend, limited studies were centered in understanding the benefits that fashion can offer for those who follow it. In this respect, this paper sought to answer the question: What are the psychological benefits of fashion for individuals following the trend? What is fashion? In order to give depth to the subject being taken, it is therefore an imperative to discuss what fashion is. One researcher pointed out that fashion is â€Å"a series of recurring changes in the choices of a group of people, which though they may be accompanied by utility, are not determined by it†¦ Fashion is marked by rhythmic and innovation, by alternate uniformity and change, but neither of these phases obeys the principle of utility† (Ross, n. p. qtd. in Hurlock, 4). From the given perspective, it can then be assumed that fashion is a response to the ongoing cycle of change. Although it can not be widely utilized, fashion for many is a solution for the conventionality of life. Therefore, there is a greater element of luxury and lesser element of usability. Because of this, fashion has become an integral part of the social environment. Today, fashion affects almost all aspects in life. Fashion can now be seen in architecture, manner, automobiles, home furnishings, personal adornments, music, games and the likes. As the society tends to become an organized group that perceives fashion as something more, it is therefore possible that the chances of fashion to hold on for long is high, because fashions are transferable from one individual to another within the groups they belong because of the sense of imitation (Hurlock). So what is it that motivates individuals to follow such trend? The answer is simple; it benefits their psychological well- being other than the physical usefulness of such entity. Psychological benefits of fashion Sense of acceptance and belongingness Both ridicule and scorn are the sanctions that force people to embrace fashion, and in such case the dissenter is said to be powerless in such manner. When one refuses fashion that has been widely accepted by many, the dissenter is more likely to hurt himself, but rarely hurts fashion itself. Public opinion is a powerful entity which can persuade a person to accept fashion (Hurlock). Today, however, fashion is now more of a pavement that leads an individual to gain entry to a particular group. For instance, a group wears a certain memorabilia so as to indicate their allegiances to education. People follow fashion, most especially in the context of wearing clothes, in accordance to their age cohorts, ethnic backgrounds, social class and professional affiliations. It is noteworthy that every individual has the innate desire to belong to a system or an established group, thus recognizing fashion is one way of signaling membership within a relevant in-group (Baumeister and Leary, 1995 qtd. in Saad, 2007). There are numerous practices that are done in order to solidify the behavior of an in-group, one of which is their consumption choices that re-affirm the membership of individuals. The fashion industry is often seen as a group exercise of conformity and identification. In short, the innate need to belong is sufficed by the fashion industry. As an industry that is followed by millions of individuals; consumers are therefore repeatedly engaging in behaviors that ensure that they indeed belong to the â€Å"fashionable group. † Thus, fashion in itself has usurped the innate needs of humans to belong. Specifically, the overt signals of belongingness are labile in nature such as in order to become fashionable and to gain entry to a fashionable group an individual must continuously buy the continuously changing fashion, accessories and adornments. While some claim that fashion trends are mere representations of the pretentious life of wealth and are only made available to the privileged classes (Locke and De Chamfort qtd. in Saad), the popular fashion trends of today are now made available to the masses, thereby allowing consumers that originate from any social classes can now feel the cues of belongingness, most especially within the reference group through the fashion trends that they have come to adopt (Saad). The innovations provided by fashion, such as new clothing and the sole benefit of the adopter to such particular innovation, specifically that of belongingness and acceptance is just one of the many instantiated psychological benefits of fashion. Establishment of Identity Psychologically, identity is said to have two important dimensions, the personal and the social. However, both dimensions of identity are related in the psychological concept of â€Å"self,† â€Å"self-identity,† and â€Å"self concept. † Yet each of the said terms more often than not given complex and at time inconsistent meanings which makes it hard for identity to be defined. Therefore, the safest way to define identity is that it is the subjective concept or representation that an individual holds of who she or he really is (Vignoles, Regalia, Manzi, Golledge and Scabini, 2006 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). The said definition highlights two important aspects. First is that identity is in the position of a person’s subjective psychological experience instead of referring to it as an objective essence. Second is that, identity is inclusive, which often involves individual, relational and group level representation of the self (Sedikides and Brewer, 2001 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). This also implies that identity is multi-faceted in nature, and that it is made up of various self- representations that vary from each other which instead of making a unitary structure integrates varying aspects of the self (Donahue, Robins, Roberts and John, 1993, 834 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). Generally, the given definition means that every individual has multiple identities. Such perspective has been consistent from research findings, as people who are often asked â€Å"who are you ? † listed differing qualities and material objects that satisfy their needs (Gordon, 1968 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). From William James’s â€Å"Principle of psychology,† he identified that one of the many representations of the identity is the â€Å"material self. † He noted that an individual’s identity, aside from the body’s physical boundaries also includes material goods (James, 1890 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). In addition to personal identity, another domain that is manifested within its context is that of body image, which connote one’s thoughts and feelings about his or her physical body (Dittmar, 2005c qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). Traditionally, body image is not considered as a domain of identity. However, as body image constitutes a subjective concept, wherein a person sees this as the self-representation of their bodies to other, therefore it makes a lot of sense to hold such concept as a part of identity (Dittmar,Phillips and Halliwell, 2007; Halliwell and Dittmar, 2006 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). So, how are these this related to fashion? For the most of its followers, fashion may it be in the aspect of music, arts and the likes, is the gateway for them to develop and maintain their identities. Fashion, in most part, plays a significant role in the lives of many because it makes them view themselves in a different light; helping them define who they really are and how they really feel. By simply purchasing the things that they want and are in style, their specific needs are already met and they already feel secure about themselves, because they know that they look good in the eyes of others (Zborowski). In short, fashion is in touch with the identity domain of the â€Å"material self† and â€Å"body image,† as it satisfies the needs of material goods and the attention that one gives in his or her body as a whole. Fashion does not only create identity, but also changes it. One person can go from â€Å"hip-hop† to â€Å"goth. † Not at all times fashion have the same effect on everyone. For some, they are satisfied with their clothing’s comfort and versatility. They may not feel the pull that they have to follow the latest trends, but the fact still remains that they already established a social identity by allowing themselves to recognize that fashion is an on-going cycle. Take for example in clothing, whether an individual follows a trend or not, the effect of stating one’s own fashion through such medium can already serve as a code for people to believe that an individual is who he or she is by the clothes that he or she wears; the person may inculcate a political statement or just become one of the crowd. The multi-functionality of fashion as well as the contradiction it presents can be used as a means of impressing, rebellion or either to fit or stand-out of the crowd. As fashion is a personal choice, it gives its followers the liberty to decide on the how they can present themselves to the world (Zborowski). According to author Evelyn Brannon â€Å"fashion is both public—the impression we make on others—and private the way we explore our own personality and tastes† (Brannon, n. p. qtd. in Zborowski, 30). People are apt to think that as fashion meets the desire of an individual to differentiate oneself from the group, and at the same time to conform to the social norms, buying new styles are efficient means of establishing individuality. Soon enough, the styles they opt to use will be recognized by everyone else that, the same clothes and accessories they wear will eventually be paraded by other people. As such, in order to deviate people to like just like everyone else, most fashion designers recognizes the minute a trend is already plunging into the conventional level. So, they would release new styles because they understand that every individual’s need to express themselves. The cycle would then eventually flow once again: people will purchase unique and fashionable items in order to re-establish their identities (Zborowski). Sense of Positive Well-Being Historically, psychology has been pretty much concerned with the indicators of a person’s ill-health and unhappiness. Recently, the focus of psychology is on the explicit factor that promotes a person’s well-being, which is known as â€Å"positive psychology† (Csikzentmihayali and Csikzentmihayali, 2006 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). It has been noted that one of the most important aspects of a person’s well-being is his or her experience of happiness, which is truly subjective in nature. Apparently, the good and bad events in one’s life affect an individual’s happiness temporarily. However, it should also be understood that people can and do adjust with this happiness. For example, one study found out that lottery winners and victims of accidents that both ended in wheelchairs after their initial reaction to their good and bad experiences, have returned to their levels of happiness prior to experiencing such events (Brickman, Coates and Hanoof-Bulman, 1978 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwelll). However, happiness is something that cannot be easily measured; as such recent studies have focused more on the construct of a person’s subjective well-being (Diener, Suh, Lucas and Smith, 1999 qtd. in Dittmar and Halliwell). Such construct may include over-all cognitive evaluation of one’s life, sense of satisfaction, the â€Å"frequent experience of positive emotion and the absence of negative emotions. † From the said perspective, it can be said that self-evaluation, like dissatisfaction about life or body, the measure of positive experiences, such as high self-esteem and body-esteem, and the measure of negative experiences like depression and anxiety, can be clear indicators of positive and negative well-being. Additionally, in relation to an individual’s material and bodily well being, behaviors such as disorder eating patterns and compulsive buying of goods are also detrimental for the psychological and physical health of a person in order to identify whether their well-being is healthy or not (Dittmar and Halliwell). How does fashion fit in the big picture? As stated from the given perspective, some of the indicators of a person’s positive well-being are high self-esteem and satisfaction. Partaking in a shopping spree in order to buy and select the latest fashion is an exhilarating experience that promotes self transformation may it be in the physical and mental sense. Although, fashion is temporary at times, in the long-run it boosts an individual’s self-esteem, and provides them the confidence that perhaps they may have lost in some events in their life, allowing them to feel that they are special and unique (Zborowski). To prove such point, a shirt is just a shirt—until a designer logo is placed on it, and knowing the caliber of such things, its price is far higher compared to other goods. So, why do people pay for such large amounts just for the privilege of wearing it? For many the reason is within two perspectives. First, designer labels allow individuals to have a sense of self-worth by just the association of it. Personally, once individuals purchase fashionable stuffs with designer labels, the wearer’s self-esteem is temporarily boost because they somehow made a connection with well-known and expensive names that not all can experience. Although mass-produced, that fact that the purchase is not the same as others makes the buyers feel that they are special and unique. Likewise, designer labels also serve as the symbolical representation of who the person is and who he or she hopes to be. Parallel to this, the self-worth of an individual is further elevated by the society or maybe their peers that are brand conscious, making them happy temporarily as they feel that they already fit in the circle and they are already at ease in the situation wherein in a regular basis they often feel out of place (Zborowski). In addition to this, fashion followers tends to make connection with other individuals who have common outlook in life thereby reinforcing bonds that in a regular setting does not usually takes place. For instance, a mere inquiry about a certain design of a current home decor can catapult an individual to share what he or she knows about the said product. For the person who shared the idea there is a sense of fulfillment because within himself or herself, he or she knew that he or she already shared something significant to the individual, and this is something that is priceless. On the other hand, the person who inquired about the product can approve of such outlook, as he or she may perceived the same thing and it is quite a confirmation of what she or he feels. Meanwhile, fashion can also be a form of relaxation and an escape from the monotony of life. For one, shopping for fashion is not an easy task, but for many it is something that lifts their spirit as it is an indication that the person is in control of his or her personal environment. As stated, there are no laws that make an individual accept fashion. â€Å"No fashion is imposed upon an individual by force† (Hurlock, 8). Both the acceptance and rejection of fashion is in accordance to individual discretion. As such, person is free to make decision as to what actions he or she will take. Fashion is an invaluable tool that allows a person to move to through the world, may it be in the social or business setting. It serves as a communication where in an individual can freely move on top of things; persuading an individual to accept such freedom. More than anything else, freedom is something that allows an individual to gave a positive outlook about himself or herself, because there is no one to condemn his or her actions, and such perspective can be seen in fashion. As stated earlier, a high-self esteem and satisfaction are some of the key factors of attaining positive well-being, and this is provided by fashion through freedom of choice and the affirmation of an individual’s character and spirit. In other words, following fashion have become an imperative means of acquiring, attempting and establishing one’s well-being as it signifies the liberty to choose and symbolizes the ideals of happiness and a break away from the conventional. The association of individuals with the products that they feel are fashionable connotes that they are utterly re-evaluating themselves in order to know what type of particular trend or style they feel happy about. Moreover, a person’s inclination with fashion is one vehicle for them to escape depression, stress and anxiety because they know within themselves that on their life there is one thing that truly decreases their ill feelings, which is fashion. Conclusion From the given perspectives, it is safe to say that fashion is truly something that is inescapable. Since time immemorial people have been engaged in such aspect and over time it has developed into something that is far more reaching. It is a sign of change, as it is an on going cycle that allows a person the opportunity of following the trends or not. While many people claim that fashion is an indication of higher standards of living, current conditions today makes fashion available to everyone else most especially to the masses, making it more recognizable and diverse. For the followers of fashion, such word encompasses not only being fashionable; it is also a host of myriads of psychological benefits that makes it worth engaging to. Fashion is perceived as an avenue for individuals to feel a sense of belongingness and acceptance. It serves as the rights of passage for people to become comfortable and inclined with groups that share their same interests. Fashion is able to provide the innate needs of humans to be accepted and to belong through its continuous change of concept and availability to the public. It allows an individual to make allegiances with people they knew would understand them. One of the greatest benefits posted by fashion is its capability to establish and change and individual’s identity. Because it satisfies both the domains of material self and body image, a person is able to freely express himself through the fashion trend that he wears and practice. It creates a sense of individuality and promotes proper self-representation because in many ways fashion expresses the inner self of an individual. Establishment of a positive well-being is also another benefit that can be derived from following fashion. With the freedom it gives individuals in order to choose what they believe is fit for their personality, fashion promotes high-self esteem and satisfaction which spells an individual’s positive outlook in life and happiness. Although it is limited at one point or another, the happiness provided by fashion is just enough for individuals to see themselves in the light of who they wanted to become. Likewise, the ability to take control of themselves and their environment through fashion is something that inimitable as it provides them ground to realize the many good things that life has to offer. Generally, fashion is a clear manifestation of how trends, styles and changes, and in a greater sense the power of individuals to develop the sense of belongingness and acceptance, establishment of identity, and a sense of positive well being that greatly benefit their psychological well-being. Works cited Dittmar, Helga and Halliwell, Emma. Consumer culture, identity and well-being: The search for the â€Å"good life† and body perfect. New York, NY: Routledge, 2008. Hulock, Elizabeth. The psychology of dress: An analysis of fashion and its motive. Manchester, NH: Ayer Publishing: 1976 Saad, Gad. The evolutionary bases of consumption. New York, NY: Routledge: 2007 Zborowski, Megan. â€Å"The fashionable brain: Dissecting why fashion gas such a grip on the minds of the masses. † Colored Stone Magazine, vol. 17, No. 6 November/ December 2004

If You Could Hire a Screenwriter from Hollywood Whom to Steer Clear of

If You Could Hire a Screenwriter from Hollywood Whom to Steer Clear of If You Could Hire a Screenwriter from Hollywood: Whom to Steer Clear of? Imagine you are in a film school and have an idea for a movie so you want to hire a screenwriter from Hollywood to write your movie. You have always dreamed of directing a film and premià ¨ring in the Sundance festival. Which Hollywood screenwriter would you pick? We have compiled a list of 4 Hollywood screenwriters who we would avoid and why. Although these screenwriters are popular and accomplished, each has their own idiosyncrasies or over the top qualities that make them the wrong fit for your film. 1. Kevin Smith To the innumerable mob of followers, Kevin Smith is known and loved for his matchless style of lowbrow humor, bathroom jokes and obsession with comic books. Perhaps he is so popular because so many teenage boys can relate to him, pot heads feel validated by his films, or no deep thinking is needed to have a laugh at one of his movies. There is something to be said for making things very simple and easy to access, it is a formula that works. But, unless your dream film involves cheesy, try-hard antics and copious sex jokes, perhaps you should pass on Smith as your Hollywood dream screenwriter. 2. David Lynch David Lynch has a trademark style that is all his own. He is a great screenwriter, but having him write your screenplay would be like taking Michael Jackson’s moonwalk and passing it off on your own. Lynch has a great style, it’s just that it belongs to him alone. His technique involves mystery, oddities and at times, an element of the psychopath.   His films and shows sometimes contain open endings leaving the viewer free to make their own interpretations. 3. Quentin Tarantino Trarantino films leave us feeling disturbed, entertained, thoughtful and nostalgic all at the same time. Tarantino films often indulge in and glorify graphic violence that distracts from the film. The brutality leaves an impression, but, it is not favorable. Despite that Tarantino has another trademark quality. The dialog between characters in his films is hypnotizing. He makes the most banal subject read like poetry. It really is magic. But very few people can make this type of dialog work, so its best left to Tarantino. 4. Slavoj iÃ… ¾ek iÃ… ¾ek is a psychoanalytic  philosopher, Marxist, critic of  capitalism  and  neoliberalism, political radical and a film critic to name a few of the hats he wears. His views philosophy and beliefs are all over the place. While he is expressive and charismatic, his talk and ideas can be incoherent leaving the viewer, or reader overwhelmed. He utter opinions about psychological traits of films without offering references, and he descends into monologues without trying to be understood, and invents symbolism where none actually exists. You might look for a more coherent screenwriter if you want your movie to be well received. So, let us know what you think. Which Hollywood screenwriter would you choose, or pass on, and why?

Every AP Environmental Science Practice Test Available

Every AP Environmental Science Practice Test Available SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you preparing for the Environmental Science AP exam? One of the best ways to study for the test and figure out how well you’re doing is to take practice tests.Taking practice tests lets you see what kind of questions you’ll be asked on the exam, and they can help you figure out which subjects or types of questions you struggle with and need to review more.Finding practice tests can be time-consuming, and, unfortunately, not all practice tests are created equally. Luckily, we’re here to help. In this guide, I’ll provide links to all theAP Environmental Science practice tests available, point out which ones are the highest quality, and explain how you should be using them. Official AP Environmental Science Practice Exams Official practice materials, those developed by the College Board, are the best to use when preparing for an AP exam.This is because, since the practice materials are created by the same organization that develops the real AP test, you can be sure they’ll accurately represent the test and give you the best idea of what the real AP exam will cover. Unfortunately, the College Board doesn’t often like to release a ton of practice material, particularly multiple-choice questions (because they often reuse these for multiple exams). However, there are still official review materialsyou can use which I've separated into three categories. Complete Exams The College Board has released one completeAP Environmental Science practice test, from 1998. Complete 1998 AP Environmental Science exam This test is not super recent, but becauseAP Enviro hasn’t undergone any significant changes since then, it’s still useful and will give you a great idea of what the real exam will be like. This test also contains answers to all the questions, as well as scoring guidelines and sample responses for the free-response questions. Be aware though that, although the questions are still similar, grading guidelines have changed. As a result, the College Board has released a document with updated scoring guidelines for the free-response questions so you can get a more accurate idea of how questions are scored and what your rough score on the exam would be. Multiple-Choice Questions Besides the single complete released practice test, the only place to find official multiple-choice questions for AP Environmental Science is in the Course Description for the class. Beginning on page 12 of the document, you’ll find 17 multiple-choice questions. While this isn’t anywhere close to what you’ll see on the real exam (the actual AP test will have 100 questions), it’ll give you an idea of the topics the exam will cover and how questions will be worded. Free-Response Questions Luckily, there are tons of official free-response questions available for you to study and practice with. The College Board has released previous free-response questions from 1999-2017. Free-response questions 1999-2017 With four free-response questions included on the test each year, that means you have access to 68 official free-response questions! These questions each include scoring guidelines and sample responses so you can get an idea of what the graders were looking for. Possible Other Source: Your Teacher Your AP Environmental Science teacher may also have access to some additional official practice questions that you can use. Teachers are sometimes able to purchase official practice questions from the College Board which students don’t have access to. Now, your teacher may have chosen not to do this, or they may be saving those questions for class exams, but if you’re looking for more official practice materials, you may want to take a chance and ask them. Official practice tests won't come with a seal, but you can be sure they're the highest-qualitypracticematerials out there. Free Unofficial AP Environmental Science Practice Tests You have to be a bit warier when using unofficial practice materials because some of them don’t do a very good job of replicating what topics the AP test covers or how they word their questions. However, there are many that can still be very helpful. For each of the resources below, I’ll explain what material they include and how closely it matches the real AP Environmental Science exam. Barron’s Barron’s has created a high-quality, complete practice exam (with 100 multiple-choice and four free-response questions, just like the actual AP test). This test does a good job of replicating actual AP questions, and it also includes in-depth answer explanations for each question, including sample responses for free-response questions. You can take the test in timed or untimed mode.This is a particularly helpful resource that you should use wisely. (See below for how you should be using this and other resources.) Varsity Tutors Varsity Tutors has a complete multiple-choice section (100 questions). The test is timed and automatically graded for you. While it doesn’t include free-response questions, themultiple-choice questions are similar to those you’ll see on the AP exam.You can combine these questions with a set of official free-response questions and made a complete practice test. If you’d like to practice a specific topic, they also have 148 practice quizzes of varying difficulty for AP Environmental Science, however; the topics are broken down into such specific categories that many quizzes have only 1-2 questions, which can make it tedious to move from one very short quiz to the next.The quizzes can be helpful for more focused studying, but, in general, the complete diagnostic test is the best resource from this site. McGraw-Hill McGraw-Hill offers a 25-question AP Environmental Science practice quiz. This is shorter than many other practice questions and, additionally, the quiz is also untimed. However, the questions are generally well-written, so it’s still a good resource to use. Environmental Science Textbook Quizzes This site includes 20-question quizzes for each of the 25 chapters of the Environmental Science textbook chapters. To select a quiz, choose a chapter from the left-hand side of the page, then choose â€Å"Practice Quiz† on the new page.These quizzes are fairly surface-level, but they can help you study specific topics or prepare for in-class exams, even if you don’t use Environmental Science as your textbook.One frustrating thing is that you’ll have to click on each chapter individually to see what areasit covers if you’re looking to study a particular topic. ProProfs This is an -question multiple-choice quiz. This is quite a short quiz and, strangely, it provides definitions for some keywords you should already know, but it might be helpful if you want a quick study session. High School Test Prep This quiz contains 15 multiple-choice questions. Like ProProfs, its questions are more basic than the majority of those on the actual AP exam will be, but you still may find it useful to try out. Paid Unofficial AP Environmental Science Practice Tests These next resources will cost you a bit of money to use. Shmoop For people who pay its subscription free, Shmoop offers three full-length AP Environmental Science exams as well as a diagnostic test.Paying Shmoop’s fee of $24.68 a month gets you access to these practice tests as well as practice material for a wide variety of other tests forthe ACT, SAT, and other AP exams. Albert Albert has multiple-choice quizzes for each of the seven main ideas of the course. The quizzes are categorized by difficulty, are not timed, and will immediately let you know if you have answered correctly.While some of the questions are free (you'll need to set up an account), you won’t be able to see what the correct answer is if you answered incorrectly or answer any hard-level difficulty questions unless you pay $25 for full access. Full access gives you access to over 200 multiple-choice questions. As a whole, I found these questions to be more basic than actual AP questions.They focused primarily on definitions and basic factsand didn’t emphasize making connections between different topics as much as the real exam does. Review Books Another place to find practice tests is in AP Environmental Science Review books. Most review books contain 1-2 practice tests. These exams can vary in terms of quality, but, in general, Princeton Review and Barron’s are pretty safe bets when it comes to quality. Before you purchase a review book, you should read reviews online or ask students who have previously used the book how well they felt it prepared them for the exam. How to Use AP Environmental Science Practice Tests Now that you know where to find all those practice tests, how should you use them? Taking random tests haphazardly won’t improve your score much, if at all, so follow these guidelines to know which practice materials you should usewhen. First Semester First semester, you’re still learning most of the content you need to know for the exam, so taking a full-length practice exam won’t be very helpful because your score will likely be low since you haven’t covered certain topics yet. During this semester, focus on taking official free-response questions (you can look through them to find ones that focus on information you’ve already covered) and unofficial quizzes that focus on specific content areas (the Environmental Science and Albert quizzes are good places to start). Be sure to start your studying early (by the middle of first semester) and regularly review throughout the year. Doing regular review will help you stay on top of the material, be prepared for class exams, and make reviewing for the final AP test much less overwhelming in the spring.You may also want to consider buying a review book this semester; many of them have practice questions after each chapter so you can see how well you’ve learned the material. Second Semester Second semester is when you should begin really focusing on preparing for the AP exam.At this point, you should have learned the majority of information you need to know for the exam, so you can begin taking full-length practice tests. I recommended beginning with the Barron’s practice test. Take this test under realistic testing conditions (timed and in a quiet room). After you’ve completed it, review how well you did (follow their guidelines for grading your free-response questions). Your score on this test will help you know how well you’re doing and how much studying you need in order to meet your target score. If you’re close to the score you want, you may only need to do light review, but if you’re two points away or more, you’ll likely have to put in some significant time to meet your goal. After taking and scoring your first full-length practice test, look to see where you got questions wrong. The primary reason for taking practice tests is to find where your weaknesses are and then improve in those areas. Don’t just immediately move on to your next practice test, spend time strengthening areas you need to improve on. Perhaps you need to learn how to complete your essays faster, or you realized you really don’t know anything about the nitrogen cycle. Get these gaps taken care of before you take another practice test, otherwise; you won’t see your scores improve.After you feel you’ve reviewed sufficiently, take another practice exam, either the official released test or Varsity Tutors’ multiple-choice section with official free-response questions added to it. Here’s a brief recap of the process you should be following: Take and score your first practice exam (4 hours) Evaluate your mistakes (1.5 hours) Improve your weak areas by doing focused content study and completing practice problems (2.5 hours) Take and score a second practice exam (4 hours) Repeat the steps above as often as you need to in order to make sure you’ve eliminated all your weaknesses for the AP exam and are ready when it comes time to test day. Conclusion AP Environmental Science has the lowest average AP score of any exam. If you want to beat the odds, taking practice tests is one of the best ways to improve your chances of earning a high score.While official practice materials give you the most accurate idea of what will be on the real AP exam, there are high-quality unofficial practice tests out there as well. During your first semester in the class, you should use practice tests to get yourself familiar with the free-response questions and solidify your knowledge of specific topic areas.Second semester is when you can begin taking full-length practice exams toget an idea of how well you’re doing and where you need to improve. What's Next? The free-response sectionistypically the hardest part of the AP Enviro exam. Check outthis guide to learn more about what it'llcover and how to get a high score. Need help starting or continuing your review for AP Enviro? We have acomplete guide to reviewing for the AP Environmental Science exam that'll walk you through each step you need to follow. Wondering which other AP classes you should be taking? Learn how to plan out your futureAP classesby reading this guide. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Political significance of the Second Amendment Term Paper

Political significance of the Second Amendment - Term Paper Example When the issues are conflicting with each other, the highest court remained silent. The Supreme Court keeps silent about the issues and interpretation of the Second Amendment. It diverts itself to other issues such as adjustments in constitutional rules of criminal procedure and doctrines affecting obscenity, libel and time, place, and manner restrictions on speech, the Second Amendment are simply ignored (Lund, 1987). This paper will review the true meaning of the Second Amendment and the cases of the Supreme Court which illustrate the controversy of the topic. The Real Meaning The Second Amendment states that â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.† The controversy arise from the phrase â€Å"a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State† where one group of commentators treats the phrase simply as statement of purpose and maintain s that the Second Amendment individual rights to keep and bear arms (Lund, 1987). ... ) stated that the right to bear arms is a political right.  The time the Bill of Rights was proposed, British tyranny was fresh in everyone’s mind; hence, it was to fight tyranny that the second amendment was adopted (Noga, 2011). The Second Amendment was all about protecting liberty and countering the threat from a standing army (Noga, 2011). But still, in the pre ratification debate, both Federalists and Anti-Federalists agreed the federal government should not have any authority at all to disarm the citizenry (Noga, 2011). There are conflicting understandings of the phrase stated above. The laypersons or ordinary prudent men favour or understand the â€Å"individual right† interpretation of the Second Amendment. On the other hand, those who belong in the academe and court, the â€Å"collective right† interpretation is more dominant. The reason why this â€Å"collective right† interpretation is more dominant than the â€Å"individual right† is b ecause the leaders or those in the legal profession believe and favour the restrictive regulations on the ownership and use of firearms as a matter of social policy (Lund, 1987). According to Lund (1987), the advocates of the â€Å"collective right† interpretation focus almost exclusively on the text â€Å"well regulated Militia† which they argue that it implies the right to keep and bear arms is strictly restricted to officially organized military units. However, the term Militia was used. This is why until now there is no clear meaning of the Second Amendment because there is no clear and agreed meaning of the term â€Å"Militia." But there were arguments on what the term â€Å"Militia† protects. Some argued that the Second Amendment did not mention the right of state to regulate the militia (Lund, 1987). It is argued if the state

Industrial Relations in Australia College Essay

Industrial Relations in Australia College - Essay Example Strong economic performance and high standards of living in the life of Australia have owed their tribute to the significant legislative reforms of the work place legislation in the work place relation system. The reforms within the workplace relation has helped to achieve high productivity and a positive growth in wage. Lower rates of industrial disputation has also been an effect of work place relations act. More reforms to increase flexibility and choice for employers and employees in the workplace is a subject of current target. This is due to the fact that other work place relations reform are being preserved by the government as being vital to come up with a legislative frame work relevant to Australia modern work place and the changing nature of work. (Reams, 1994, 101-104). Essentially, this is aimed at increasing Australia economic growth and international competitiveness relative to other regions in the world. The governing role of workplace in Australia is an effort of both the federal and the state legislation. The government of Australia has been fully empowered to make laws about workplace relations governing a range of circumstances including in-relations to Saccos such as; preventing and settling interstate industrial disputes, foreign corporations and trading, alternatively described as financial corporations within Australia, commonwealth employees, interstate and commerce employees in Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. (Irwin, 2001, 106-109). Federal legislations is liable to prevail without inconsistence incase of a situation where the inconsistence is sited between federal and the state legislation in the past disputes between the employers and employees in Australia was a common occurrence requiring the intervention of the federal and state government. This situation at the current has been surmounted by the formation of the Australia Industrial Relation Commission. The positive contribution of this legislation and commission is immensely out spoken. It is at current automatic that Australia work force relation is no longer relying on external intervention in their deliberations but rather to the other side of encouraging employers and employees to reach agreements at the workplace level or at the business enterprise level, which is the principle target of the government. (Lengwwa, Flinterman, 1988, 22-25). The workplace relations' act (1996) played substantial role towards this target: there has been less reliance on wide ranging (Awards) by industrial tribunals for determining pay and conditions of employment. It has also encouraged agreements making at the work place level or business enterprise level and therefore it has become the main way to follow in deliberation towards the determination of the and conditions for the employees within the federal workplace relation systems. (Bischoff, 1985, 93-95). The effectiveness of workplace relations' act of 1996 as rendered Awards merely a sieve of minimum wages and employees' conditions rather than its initial role of determination and prescription