Negotiation and Culture: Case Study

Culture and Negotiations Why do Japanese negotiators behave in the manner they do? How does culture affect negotiating behavior and outcomes? MASTER THESIS Author’s name: Patrycja J. Krause Student’s number: 258891 Academic advisor: Soren O. Hilligsoe Faculty of English Aarhus School of Business May 2006 I would like to thank my Mom, Barbara, for her understanding, encouragement and eternal support, as well as my advisor, Soren O. Hilligsoe, for his academic help, advice and faith in me keeping my deadline! Patrycja J.Krause Aarhus, May 2006 In loving memory of my Dad, Wladyslaw, for showing me the world – this one is for you. 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 5. 1 5. 2 5. 3 5. 4 5. 5 6. 7. 8. INTRODUCTION METHOD WHY JAPAN? DEFINITION OF CULTURE AND VALUES HOFSTEDE’S VALUE DIMENSIONS POWER DISTANCE UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE COLLECTIVISM VERSUS INDIVIDUALISM FEMININITY VERSUS MASCULINITY LONG-TERM VERSUS SHORT-TERM ORIENTATION CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HOFSTEDE EDWARD HALL CULTU RAL DIMENSIONS 4 6 7 9 11 12 13 13 14 15 15 16 19 20 21 23 25 26 28 30 40 43 47 59 61 64 65 . 1 CONFUCIANISM 8. 2 IE 8. 3 THE WA-CONCEPT 8. 4 ISOLATION 8. 5 UNIQUENESS 8. 6 WESTERN INFLUENCE 9. 9. 1 10. 11. 12. 13. JAPANESE NEGOTIATOR THE NANIWABUSHI STRATEGY BRETT & USUNIER CASE STUDIES CONCLUSION SUMMARY REFERENCES APPENDIX 3 1. Introduction This paper wants to provide a culture-based explanation, examination and analysis as to why Japanese negotiators behave in the manner they do in negotiation, as well as how culture affects negotiations and their outcome.The paper is, due to the focus on cultural differences, solely dealing with international negotiations. This paper is focusing on the cultural aspect of the negotiation, which is only one piece of a larger puzzle, but it is a crucial and decisive piece. It is now widely accepted that culture indeed has an affect on negotiation and its outcome, which reflects a given culture and the underlying values and beliefs that are central and fundamental in a culture.The culture can be defined as being both behavior, a meaning system and a communication style, and there is a link between the dominant world view present in a given culture (Japan), and the negotiating style that appears to be characteristic of that culture. This paper is not to depict a stereotypical image of a Japanese negotiator, but merely to show that culture indeed does influence the behavior, negotiations and their outcome. It should also be kept in mind that (a) the negotiation is a universal process, and (b) there are a number of contextual factors that too have an impact on the cultures’ impact on the negotiation – e. . the nature of the other party (member of an in-group or an out-group), and the individual difference, although a member of a collectivistic culture tends to suppress his personality and individuality in order to maintain group harmony. This paper is to focus on a Japanese negotiator, who is dominated by his cultu ral values, and his interaction (in a negotiation) with a member of an out-group (foreigners and people that do not have a long term relationship with the Japanese negotiator), and a member of the in-group (fellow Japanese with established long-term relationships).Several studies and surveys (e. g. Brett and Usunier) have shown that culture does affect the negotiation process and the final agreement or outcome of the negotiations. Nevertheless, while there have been a number of studies that have explored the behavior of negotiators from different cultures, only very few have dealt with the underlying reasons – why people from a given culture behave the way they do.Additionally, most theorists and scholars have relied on the value dimensions index, depicting the differences between cultures, developed by Hofstede between 1968 and 1973. Hofstede’s research has undoubtedly helped people understand other cultures, but there is also a need to understand the underlying reaso ns why people from a given culture behave the way they do – the so-called mental frames that are shaping the behavior of Japanese negotiators. 4Otherwise, negotiators tend to create their own interpretation of the behavior of the other party, which without the necessarily cultural knowledge may lead to prejudices and ultimately lack of trust (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003: 125-160). For instance, trust in individualistic societies is based on the fact that a promise that will be implemented on a specific time or day, whereas trust in collectivistic societies is based on emotions and relationships as well as on sacrifice.The other party may thus think the Japanese negotiator do not want to reach an agreement within a week because they are difficult and want to sabotage the negotiation or untrustworthy, rather than the Japanese are relationship oriented rather than task oriented. They thus want to establish a relationship before they reach an agreement and need more time in order to re ach an agreement because it is based on group consensus. The paper starts by giving a definition and an analysis of culture and values in general in order to delimit and define the cultural framework that is the fundament of this paper.The culture and values of Japan are then to be described and discussed in order to show which cultural factors and dimensions in Japan determine and influence the Japanese negotiator, as well as serving as a an introductory guide to Japanese culture and society – hopefully, the guide will present both useful and interesting knowledge to all those interested in cross-cultural negotiations and intercultural communication. Two frameworks are presented and used in order to gain deeper behavior knowledge of culture: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension and Hall’s Silent Language and Beyond Culture.Next, the paper discusses and analyzes Japanese negotiating styles and techniques 1 , and how they are influenced by the Japanese culture and cultu ral values. For this purpose, different aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication are to be discussed as well, and the paper is to analyze the meaning of these aspects in the context of negotiations. Finally, the paper is to take a look at two real life cases involving Japanese negotiators in order to illustrate behavior patterns and negotiation styles and techniques of Japanese negotiators.The author of this paper would argue that in an increasingly interdependent world, the ability to negotiate successfully is an important skill, and understanding the mindset and the behavior of the Japanese negotiator is essential and fundamental for successful negotiations. 1 Mainly focusing on the male negotiator, being the dominant player during negotiations in Japan. 5 Being aware of the reasons why the Japanese negotiator behaves and communicates they way he does, one may be less surprised or shocked by Japanese behavior, and may be better at focusing on, and handling, the negotiation i tself.Knowledge of culture and cultural values of the other party works as an uncertainty avoidance in negotiations, and helps building trust in stead of tarnishing it with prejudices, which ultimately leads to a dead lock or even break downs. 2. Method The research concerning this paper was mainly carried out in the form of a desktop study method – all the data were carefully collected mainly from secondary sources, such as, studies, surveys, as well as statistics and articles.The paper is culture-based, and the chosen data depict this approach – all the scholars referred quoted and referred to are specializing in culture, intercultural communication, as well negotiating. In order to give a general overview of the Japanese culture as well as to determine what type of values are predominant in Japan, the paper refers to and applies Hofstede’s five value dimensions index – masculinity/femininity, collectivism/individualism, uncertainty avoidance, long-term versus short-term orientation and power distance.Additionally, the paper is also to refer to Hall’s theory on the difference between high and low context and cultures, and the concept of Chronemics, in order to identify the Japanese culture and how these differences and concepts influence a negotiation. Also, several historical concepts (e. g. the ie-concept, geographical isolation, Western influence, etc. and Confucianism, which is one of the cultural dimensions that have influenced the Japanese worldview, are to be described and discussed in order to explain why the Japanese negotiator behaves in the manner he does, and how the historical events and Confucianism affect the culture and the behavior in Japan. Hofstede’s work has been criticized over the years for being incomplete, static and too narrow. The paper is thus to discuss the critical perspectives on Hofstede in order to show that the author has been aware of the possible disadvantages, when using Hofstedeâ €™s five value dimensions index. Additionally, Brett and Usunier are also discussed in the paper when dealing with the connection and interaction between culture and negotiation – how does culture affect negotiations. Both Brett and Usunier argue that in order to reach an agreement, the negotiators need to be aware of each other’s culture and cultural values, as well as understand the reasons for the way the other part behaves during negotiations. Finally, two real life case studies have been analyzed in order to depict the culture-based theory described and discussed in this paper.The reason for using case studies was to give a more holistic portrayal of a Japanese negotiator, while analyzing the contents by seeking patterns and themes in the data while referring them to the culture-based theory (e. g. culture and values and how they influence ones behavior and negotiating style) in this paper. Additionally, using case study is the best way to obtain data for anal ysis when one is not able to make actual field studies by observing Japanese negotiators in action. Both case studies depict the Japanese negotiators interacting and negotiating with members of an out-group, the Americans.This is due to the fact that the author of this paper would argue that when observing two different cultures one observes reactions that may not be present when both parties had the same cultural background, which would ultimately result in a smoother negotiation. Additionally, this paper deals with international negotiations and the importance of knowing and understanding the other party’s culture and cultural values. The case studies are thus used to highlight the focus of the paper – why Japanese negotiators behave in the manner they do in a negotiation, as well as how culture affects negotiations and their outcome. . Why Japan? The author of this paper has chosen to focus on Japan and the cultural values and behavior of a Japanese negotiator due t o the following factor: Japan’s consumer market. In order to know how attractive Japan is as a business associate, and thus how important it is to know the Japanese culture and negation behavior in order to win the market and succeed in the country, a brief description of the Japanese consumer market will now be given – its size, its consumers and its products.Japan is a closely populated and highly urbanized country with one of the most powerful economies in the world, currently amongst the top three economies in the world, although still rebounding from the collapse of the country’s economy back in 1991. 7 According to the Statistical Handbook of Japan, consumption expenditures increased by approximately 0. 5 percent in real terms due to such factors as the indication of an economic recovery and improvement in consumer sentiment (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005 2 : 158).Statistical Handbook of Japan states: As of May 2005, the excellent performance of the corporate sector is continuing, and overall business is recovering gradually. Recovery of employment is lagging slightly. However, the unemployment rate, which was 5. 4 percent in 2002, recovered to 4. 4 percent in May 2005. As seen in this state of affairs, there is some improvement, although harshness still remains. The growth of consumer spending, which slowed between the end of 2004 and early 2005, is showing signs of a resurgence (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005: 33 3 ).Due to its geographical nature, Japan cannot supply all its needs for raw material for energy and fuel, metal products, and foods from indigenous resources, and is thus dependent on overseas supplies. In 1996 Japan had an overall deficit in food of about 30 % – in 2003 it was approximately 40 %. According to Statistical Handbook of Japan, the present food self-sufficiency rate of Japan is the lowest among major industrialized countries, so Japan has thus become the world's largest food importing natio n (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005: 69 4 ).This makes Japan an attractive market with its 127 million consumers, where women are a majority and retired people outnumber the youngest age strata, and are thus the most significant consumer group (Reischauer, 1995: 25). Additionally, the Japanese are well educated and households have a fairly disposable income, in which the majority of it is spent on food. According to the 2004 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, monthly consumption expenditure averaged ? 304,203per household with two or more family members excluding single-member households (Statistical Handbook of Japan, 2005: 158 5 ). Appendix 1 – Household 3 Appendix 2 – Economy 4 Appendix 3 – Agriculture 5 Appendix 1 – Household 8 Japan is the world’s largest net importer of agriculture and food products (in 2003 alone, the country has imported over 60 % of its food supplies), amounting to US$ 40 to 50 billion annually. Thus, the Japanese fo od market is powerful but demanding (Agri-Food Country Profile: Japan, 2003: 1 6 ). Needless to say, it is a relatively difficult task to target a foreign, and rather remote, market as it may require extra resources and special cultural knowledge.Therefore, it is valuable to study the values and the culture of Japan before entering the country’s market in order to promote and sell a product. 4. Definition of Culture and Values This chapter is to describe and define culture and values in general in order to delimit and define the cultural framework that is the fundament of this paper. At first glace, the human race behaves more or less alike – we smile, laugh and cry. We talk, gesticulate, and perform actions. Nevertheless, our behavior is influenced by our cultures – through the norms and rules existing in our society.Our cultures also affect our communication through the individual characteristics we learn when we are socialized into our culture. In short, our culture provides us with a system of knowledge that generally allows us to know how to communicate with other members of our culture and how to interpret their behavior. Culture can thus be defined as an underlying framework that guides an individual’s perceptions of observed events and personal interaction, and thus directly influences what people will do and what they can do. In short, knowing and using culture and its many dimensions is a must know negotiating with foreigners.Culture includes all learned behavior and values that are transmitted through shared experience to an individual in a society. According to Sir Edward Taylor, a classic definition of culture is as follows: â€Å"Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by (individuals as members) of society. † (Taylor, 1871: 1). Culture is thus everything that people have (objects), think (ideas, values, attitudes, b eliefs), and do (behavior) as members of a particular society.Culture is made up of material objects, ideas, values and attitudes, and behavior patterns (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003: 14-19, Yokochi & Hall, 2001: 193). 6 Appendix 4 9 Additionally, according to Hall, a culture must have the following three characteristics: 1. It is learned; people over time transmit the culture of their group from one generation to another 2. It is interrelated; one part of a particular culture is deeply interconnected with another part – e. g. religion with marriage, or education and work with social status 3.It is shared; the basic concepts of a particular culture are accepted by most members of the group. In other words, culture develops through recurrent social relationships that form a pattern that is eventually adapted by members of the entire group, and transmitted to new members through the process of learning and interacting with ones environment and other members of ones culture (Hall, 1977 : 16). The most fundamental aspect of our culture consists of values. Values are acquired in the family, during the first years of our lives, further developed and confirmed in school, and einforced in work organizations and in life within a national cultural environment. Values determine what we consider to be good and evil, beautiful and ugly, natural and unnatural, rational and irrational, normal and abnormal (Ghauri & Usunier, 2003: 97-100, 137-138). Values too are a major influence and determination factor when it comes to behavior and communication during a negotiation. Values are defined by the particular culture, hence the importance of understanding the value concept and culture when negotiating with foreigners. One of the early U. S. esearches of values, Milton Rokeach, defines a value 7 as: â€Å"An enduring belief that one mode of conduct or end-state of existence is preferable to an opposing mode of conduct or end-state of existence†. According to Rokeach values are thus both guiding principles in life, and preferences for one mode of behavior over another. Values are depicted in the general norms of a culture (what is right and wrong), and they are depicted in what we want and what we consider important for ourselves. Values are also among the very first things children learn – implicitly – by observing the community, kyodotai in Japanese (e. . parents and people around them). 7 An attitude, on the other hand, refers to an organization of several beliefs around a specific object or situation. 10 According to the American development psychologist, Daniel Yankelovich, most important traditional values will remain firm and constant over time, and are thus stable and enduring through generations (de Mooij, 2004: 22-26). It is thus essential to remember that the intercultural communication and negotiation are never far from cultural considerations (Roth, 1982: 6).This assumption was mistakenly conceived from the converging technol ogy and the spread of the English language that was taking place globally (de Mooij, 2004: 1-18). One has to remember though that globalization is not an entirely new phenomenon. In fact, some would argue that it even dates back at least to the Marco Polo’s voyages in the 1300s, and the fundamental values of the many different cultures have not changed significantly since then. People still live in the local. We define ourselves by our differences.It’s called identity – self, family and nation† (de Mooij, 2004: 16). Human behavior is learned and growing up in a culture, a person is taught values, perceptions, wants and how to behave from the family and other institutions (Lasserre & Schutte, 1995: 49-59). For instance, in today’s Japan, group harmony is still dominating the nation's behavior, seniority by age is still respected, and promotion in most public and private organizations is based on the length of service, which is usually connected to th e age of the individual.Reciprocity is emphasized in social relations in order to maintain a long-lasting relationship. Values and traditions do not easily change in a society. 5. Hofstede’s value dimensions This chapter is to describe and discuss the Dutch professor, Geert Hofstede’s, value dimension index, which is based on the first international survey taking place in IBM in more than 50 different countries from 1968 to 1973 (Hofstede, 2001: xv), mainly focusing on Japan in order to determine what type of culture is present in Japan.According to Hofstede, the way people perceive and interpret their world varies along five dimensions, and are as follows: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism/individualism, and masculinity/femininity. Finally, Hofstede added a fifth dimension called long-term orientation in life versus short-term orientation. Each of the countries in Hofstede’s study has been ranked according to their scores in each dimension. 11 According to Hofstede a dimension is: â€Å"†¦an aspect of a culture that can be measured relative to other cultures. Additionally, Hofstede defines culture as: â€Å"The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another† (Hofstede, 2001: 9). 5. 1 Power distance Power distance refers to the inequality among people, which the population of a country considers acceptable. There is inequality in all societies, and thus there will always be some people who have more power than other. In some cultures power is concentrated among a few people at the top, who make all the decisions, whereas people at the other end simply carry out these decisions.Such cultures are associated with high power distance levels. In other cultures, on the other hand, power is widely spread and relations among people are more equal. These are low power distance cultures. (Hofstede, 1991: 23) According to Hofstede’s value dimensio ns Japan scores 55 points – placing it in the middle of the index (Hofstede, 1991: 26). In countries which have a high power distance employees dislike to disagree with their superiors. Superiors are seen as paternalistic, and subordinates expect to be told what to do.There is also a large emotional distance between subordinates and their superiors (Hofstede, 1991: 28). When it comes to family and school, parents will teach children to be obedient and the children will treat their parents with respect, just as students will treat their teachers with respect. In high power distance societies inequalities among people are in general expected and desired (Hofstede, 1991: 37). In Japan this inequality is especially expressed in the oya-ko concept (literally meaning parentchild), which originally refers to a leader or a work group and its members.As work and home began to separate during the beginning of modern period of Japan oya and ko began to have a strictly kinship meaning â €“ with no economic aspect – such as it had until the Tokugawa period where the ie (extended household) was more than just a family or a kinship unit – it was an economic organization in which each of its members (not always related to each other by blood or marriage) contributed towards it (Harumi, 1971: 38-39). 12 5. 2 Uncertainty avoidance Uncertainty avoidance describes the need or lack of need a society has towards written or unwritten rules and how it deals with structured or unstructured situations.At the organizational level, uncertainty avoidance is related to factors such as rituals, rules, and employment stability. People in less structured cultures face the future without experiencing unnecessarily stress. The uncertainty associated with future events does not result in risk avoidance behavior. On the other hand, in cultures where people experience stress in dealing with future events, high uncertainty avoidance cultures, various steps are taken to cope with the impact of uncertainty: e. g. long-time planning in order to minimize the anxiety associated with future events.Japan scores 92 points and is seen as a country with high uncertainty avoidance, where there are many regulations and a strong etiquette in order to avoid uncertainty (Hofstede, 1991: 113). 5. 3 Collectivism versus individualism According to several researchers within the field of culture, individualism versus collectivism is one of the basic pattern variants that determine human action. It is a pattern that is visible in every day life, as well as being present in the interaction between people. Individualism indicates the degree to which people of a particular culture learn to act as individuals rather than as members of a group.It is essential to remember that all people and cultures posses both individual and collective traits, but at the same time one of these traits is always more dominant or more visible than the other (Samovar & Porter, 2004: 59). A typica l collectivistic culture distinguishes between in-groups (relatives, clans, and organizations), and out-groups (the rest of ones network). Ones’ in-groups can be defined as ones’ extended family – like the one found in the Japanese society throughout the history; also known as ie.People from individualistic cultures are self-centered, and feel relatively little need for dependency on others. They seek the fulfillment of their own goals over the goals over the groups. Additionally, people from individualistic cultures are competitive, and show little loyalty to the organizations for which they work. 13 People from collectivistic cultures, on the other hand, have a group mentality (with e. g. joint decision making), where they suppress and subordinate their goals for the sake of the group. They are interdependent on each other and seek mutual accommodation in order to maintain group harmony.People in a collectivistic culture expect that their in-groups will take c are of them and in return they owe the in-groups a great deal of loyalty and submission (Samovar & Porter, 2004: 61). Children who grow up in collectivistic societies are expected to show lifelong loyalty to the group (Hofstede, 1991: 50-51). In short, individualism versus collectivism, deals with the degree to which one thinks in terms of I versus we – either ties between individuals are loose or people are part of cohesive ingroup throughout their lives (Samovar & Porter, 2004: 61).Contrary to the stereotype, Japan actually ranks in the middle of this dimension, with 46 points – but is still defined as being a collectivistic culture (Hofstede, 1991: 67). An interesting theory stated by Kumon Shumpei, a Japanese anthropologist, characterizes Japanese as contextualists rather than collectivists, as is the case in both Hofstede and Hall’s studies. A contextualist retains a personal identity, which the collectivist probably loses, but this personal identity is vir tually inseparable from the contextual identity.Thus, the individual changes, depending on the context he is in or the people he is with. One of the arguments Kumon makes to support the theory is that most Japanese belong to in-groups in order to reach a self-realization. But one could argue that even in these â€Å"self-realization in-groups† the members strive to maintain harmony and act for the benefit of the group, making them predominantly collectivistic (Hendry, 1998: 22-39). 5. 4 Femininity versus masculinity One of the main differentiations between masculine and feminine cultures is how gender roles are distributed in cultures.Thus masculine cultures create clearly distinct gender roles; men are supposed to be self-confident, tough and concerned with the material aspect of life, whereas women are expected to be modest, tender and dealing with the quality of life. Thus according to Hofstede Japan is a highly masculine culture (Gudykunst & Kim, 2003: 77), whereas in mas culine countries both people are taught to be ambitious and competitive. It should be mentioned though that females’ ambitions are sometimes directed towards the achievements of their brothers and later in life their husbands and sons.According to Hofstede’s index, Japan is one of the more masculine countries, scoring 95 – ranking as number one (Hofstede, 1991: 96). 14 5. 5 Long-term versus short-term orientation Michael Harris Bond originally found the fifth dimension in the answers of student samples from 23 countries in 1985 in Hong Kong, and later it was incorporated by Hofstede in his value dimensions index. The reason why this dimension was not found in the original IBM data was due to the fact that the IBM questionnaires were composed from the minds and values of Westerners – whereas the fifth dimension was composed from the minds and values of Easterners.The fifth dimension, nevertheless, is present across all 23 cultures taking part in the survey (Hofstede, 2001: 71-73). Long-term orientation, also known as Confucian Dynamism, is composed of the following values: being determinate or firm, prudent, arranging relationships by status as well valuing interpersonal relationships, as well as having a sense of shame, saving ones face, having a great deal of respect for tradition and reciprocation of greetings, favors and gifts.Japan ranks as number 4 on the Long-term Orientation Index Values, with 80 points (Hofstede, 2001: 351356). 6. Critical perspectives on Hofstede There has been a great deal of critique of Hofstede’s value dimensions when dealing with culture analyses, which this paper will shortly discuss – simply to show that the author of this paper is indeed aware of the advantages as well as disadvantages when using Hofstede’s value dimensions in order to analyze a specific culture.One of the most recent Danish critical analyses was performed by Susan Baca at the Aalborg University where it is being argued that Hofstede’s IBM-based rapport which is supposed to depict characteristic traits visible in cultures cannot be used simply due to the fact that IBMemployees from a specific culture cannot be representative for the culture in question as a whole (Baca, 1999: 11). One can argue that since Hofstede published his IBM-based rapport several other culture-analytics (e. . Triandis, Brislin and Bond) have made further analyses, which do not exactly contradict Hofstede’s value dimensions. These analyses both support Hofstede’s dimensions, as well as having reached the same conclusions. One can also add that since the amount of IBM-employees amounted to hundreds of thousands it is only logical to conclude that one did find enough traits, which can be viewed as characteristic for the cultures in question. 15Another aspect of Hofstede’s survey-based value dimensions, which is being criticized is the fact that his model is static, and can ultimately not be u sed because surely the cultures in question studied by Hofstede must have changed over the time since he performed the survey from 1968 to 1973. This is one of the reasons why the paper is looking at the cultural and historical influence on Japanese behavior over time – in order to see if Hofstede’s value dimensions are still valid in the Japanese culture that this paper is dealing with.Susan Baca is also criticizing Hofstede for actually separating a given culture into several, isolated dimensions, strongly supported by Turner and Trompenaars. For instance, Hofstede is depicting the American culture as highly individualistic, but does not describe the interaction people have with each other among the different in-groups – and if one can categorize this interaction as being highly individualistic as well or not (Baca, 1999: 15). To this, the author of this paper can only say, using Hofstede’s own words that this paper’s main task is to study cultur es, and not individuals. (Hofstede, 2001: 15).Additionally, in order to back up Hofstede’s theory, this paper is also to refer to Hall’s theory on Chronemics as well as a more general cultural analysis of the Japanese culture. 7. Edward Hall Another cultural framework used in this paper in order to gain deeper behavior knowledge of the Japanese culture, is Hall’s concept of Chronemics as well as his theory on low-context and high-context cultures. According to the American sociologist, Edward Hall, the world is divided into monochronic and polychronic culture, also known as the concept of Chronemics. It is a nonverbal behavior that speaks to how people use time to communicate.Lateness, for example, can communicate messages of power (waiting in the doctor's office), attraction (arriving early for the first date), or identity (being â€Å"fashionably late†). Chronemics, like all other nonverbal behavior is culturally based. Different cultures have different rules governing the use and meaning of time. Hall's distinction between monochronic and polychronic cultures highlight the different ends of the cultural spectrums of how culture's view time. A culture’s conception of time can thus be examined from Hall’s monochronic and polychronic classifications. 16Monochronic cultures see time as a measurable, quantifiable entity, which is linear. Thus, being punctual, scheduling, planning tasks to match time frames are valued behaviors. In the monochronic culture time becomes a concrete and segmented reality where only one thing can be done at a time without interruptions. Additionally, in negotiations, monochronic people’s main focus is on goals, tasks and results, rather than relationships. Polychronic cultures, on the other hand, tend to view time as nonlinear – almost as a general guideline, which has no substance or structure. There is thus a circular or cyclical quality to time.Punctuality and scheduling is do ne but rarely found in monochronic cultures. Additionally, people from polychronic cultures are able to do many things at one time, and do not mind interruptions. Because time is not linear or segmented, matching specific activities with specific time frames is not done. Times and activities are fluid. Finally, in negotiations, polychronic people’s main focus is on relationships and people. Japan belongs to the polychronic cultures. In a negotiation context, the Japanese want to get to know their business counterparts, and they feel that the best way to do so is by engaging in long conversations with them.This reflects the fact that the Japanese culture is long-term relationship oriented. Negotiators from polychronic cultures are thus relationship-focused. Monochronic and polychronic time orientations tend to produce two other significant cultural phenomena: the difference between high and low context cultures, which refers to the fact that when people communicate, they take for granted how much the listener knows about the subject under discussion. Negotiators from monochronic cultures are thus deal-focused. Although Edward T.Hall classified Japan as a polychronic culture, Gesteland argues that the Japanese business people expect strict punctuality in meetings and close adherence to schedule. Punctuality in Japan might be ruled by the high level of uncertainty avoidance and the maintenance of group harmony, which is essential for the Japanese culture. Hall also discusses and distinguishes between high-context and low-context cultures. He views meaning and context as being interconnected. The difference between high and low context cultures depends on how much meaning is found in the context versus in the code. 17One can think of â€Å"code† as the message, and of â€Å"context† as setting or circumstance, including the people, in which the message appeared. In low-context communication, the listener knows very little and must be informed about every detail. In high-context communication, on the other hand, the listener is already ‘contexted', and does not need to be given much background information. According to Hall, low-context cultures, such as the American culture, tend to place more meaning in the language code and very little meaning in the context. Communication tends thus to be specific, explicit, and analytical.In analyzing messages, low-context cultures tend to focus on â€Å"what was said† and give literal meaning to each word. Low-context cultures tend to use a direct verbal-expression style in which the situation context is not emphasized, important information is usually carried in explicit verbal messages, people tend to directly express their opinions and intend to persuade others to accept their viewpoints, and self-expression, verbal fluency, and eloquent speech are valued. In high-context cultures, on the other hand, such as the Japanese culture, meaning is embedded more in the conte xt rather than the code.In this case, â€Å"what was said† cannot be understood by the words alone – one has to look at who said it, when they said it, where they said it, how they said it, the circumstances in which they said it, and to whom they said it. Each variable will thus help define the meaning of â€Å"what was said. † Hall states: People raised in high-context systems expect more from others than do the participants in lowcontext systems. When talking about something that they have on their minds, a high-context individual will expect his interlocutor to know what's bothering him, so that he doesn't have to be specific.The result is that he will talk around and around the point, in effect putting all the pieces in place except the crucial one (Hall: 1977, p. 98). This is also the case with the behavior of a Japanese negotiator – he expects the other party to know exactly what he wants to obtain from the negotiation, and what type of a deal he i s looking for. 18 In short, the difference between high and low context cultures depends on how much meaning is found in the context versus in the code, or, in high-context exchanges, much of the â€Å"burden of meaning† appears to fall on the listener.In low context cultures, the burden appears to fall on the speaker to accurately and thoroughly convey the meaning in her spoken or written message. Conclusively, according to Hall, Japan and the Japanese negotiator belongs to the polychronic culture type. Thus, in a negotiation context, the Japanese want to get to know their business counterparts by engaging in long conversations with them. This again reflects the fact that the Japanese culture is long-term relationship oriented. Additionally, Japan is a high-context culture, where meaning is embedded more in the context rather than the code.Japanese negotiators expect thus more from the other party and when something is bothering them, they tend to express this indirectly (fo r instance by using silence) (Cohen, 1997: 159-160, Rowland, 1993: 68-69). Finally, although Edward T. Hall classified Japan as a polychronic culture, Gesteland argues that the Japanese business people expect strict punctuality in meetings and close adherence to schedule. Punctuality in Japan might be ruled by the high level of uncertainty avoidance and the maintenance of group harmony, which is essential for the Japanese culture (Hall, 1973, 1977, Gudykunst & Kim, 2003: 69, 179-180). 8.Cultural Dimensions This chapter is to discuss and analyze which values and cultural dimensions that are present and dominant in Japan in order to understand the behavior of a Japanese negotiator: Confucianism Ie The WA-concept Isolation – geographical & political Uniqueness Western influence 19 8. 1 Confucianism The cultural perspective has for some time provided the dominant paradigm in comparative studies management, organization and cross-cultural negotiations. Even before Hofstede’ s survey on cultural values, international studies of organization generally regarded culture as the key explanatory factor for cross-cultural differences.One of the most important influences on Japanese everyday life, culture and behavior was, and still is, Confucianism, which entered Japan via Korea in the 5th Century. Japanese culture and behavior reflect the values of collectivism and harmony, and are highly inspired and influenced by Confucianism. Confucius (Kongzi, 551-479 BC) writing around the time of Socrates but a while before Jesus Christ, based his ideas on absolute respect for tradition, on a strict hierarchy of primary relationships between family-members, and then again between the people and their rulers.His philosophy was intended to guide people’s everyday life, to regulate social behavior, and it established a mode of thought and habit that has persisted and that blended well with other belief systems that were and still are present in Japan, such as Buddhi sm and Shinto. The central concepts of the Confucian ethic were summarized in the Three Cardinal Relationships: ruler guides subject, father guides son, and husband guides wife), five constant virtues (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity, and the doctrine of the mean (harmony). In this teaching, emphasis is on the obligation of the inferior to the superior.The assumption is that society needs a hierarchical order in which every individual has his or her own place, and the peace and harmony prevail if everyone follows the proper manner of conduct. These concepts are the fundament of the Japanese society to this very day. Also, the Confucian teachings emphasized uprightness, righteousness, loyalty, sincerity, reciprocity, and benevolence as personal virtues. The principle of filial piety was especially useful during the Tokugawa period when family was the social and economic unity of society. Occupation and property belonged to the family.Continuation of the fa mily line was thus a primary concern because it was a necessity for keeping ones position and income. Individuals often sacrificed their happiness to ensure survival of the family. After Japan was centralized under the Meiji government in the 19th century, the concept of filial piety was expended to embrace the idea of loyalty to the emperor, who was regarded as the father of the nation. 20 The Confucian concepts of hierarchy in human society and respect for age were useful in the feudal society, also during the Tokugawa period, which was structured hierarchically.Its stability rested on individual’s dutiful fulfillment of obligations to their superiors and maintenance of proper conduct in daily life. The general rules of conduct were respect for seniors in social rank and age, and acknowledgement of the superiority of man over women. Additionally, Confucius laid down that Ren or benevolence was the supreme virtue the follower can attain. As a strictly natural and humanistic love, it was based upon spontaneous feelings cultivated through education. In order to attain Ren, you have to practice Li, which represents social norms.The latter can be interpreted as rituals, rites or proprieties and includes all moral codes and social institutions. As Li is a term for moral codes and social institutions, one could assume that the practice of Li is to enforce social conformity at the cost of the individual. However, an individual personality is not an entity cut off from the group. According to Confucius, in order to establish one self, one has to establish others. There is interdependence between the individual and the group that is essential in order to create harmony.The strong Japanese cultural preference for basing business transactions upon the quality of inter-personal relationships and for settling disputes through mediation rather than relying upon contracts and legal process can be seen to stem from this philosophy (McGreal: 1995). According to Confuci us, all societies deal with survival, production, distribution, and consumption – yet they all develop different systems in order to survive and obtain their ultimate goals and aims. Things have changed in the Japanese society when it comes to material and technological development.As far as human relations and communication with foreigners are concerned, things have not changed. One can say that Japan has modernized, but it has not westernized just yet (Kodansha, 1994: 202-218, McGreal, 1995: 5-7, Cohen, 1997: 159-160, Gudykunst & Kim, 2003: 80, 119, 217, Samovar & Porter, 2004: 213-217). 8. 2 Ie Japan is a Shinto, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism inspired culture, Confucianism being the fundament, where everything and everyone is connected and relies on each other in order to exist. 21The concept of ie, or extended household/kinship unit in traditional Japan, thus containing more than close family members all living under the same roof – and under the authority of one m ale, describes this way of thinking, or the Japanese values, the best. The main focus in ie is on in-group benefits, harmony and family – where interdependence and togetherness is essential (de Mooij, 2004: 100-1003, Harumi, 1971). Although the ie-concept does not formally exist in the original form 8 , as it did during the pre-modern or feudal Japan, one still finds it in the underlying values of the Japanese people.The ie-concept 9 became dominant and visible during the Edo or Tokugawa period (16001867), where a strict political regime was introduced by the Tokugawa family, who, besides retaining large estates, also took control of major cities, ports and mines in Japan. Under Tokugawa rule, Japan entered a period of national seclusion (sakoku), where the Japanese were forbidden to travel to or return from overseas or to trade abroad. Only the Dutch, Chinese and Koreans were allowed to remain and they were placed under strict supervision.Additionally, to ensure political se curity, the daimyo were required to make ceremonial visits to Edo every other year, and their wives and children were kept in permanent residence in Edo as virtual hostages of the government. The cost of this constant movement and the family ties in Edo made it difficult for the daimyo to remain anything but loyal. At the lower end of society, farmers were subject to a severe system of rules, which dictated their food, clothing and housing. Social mobility from one class to another was blocked – social standing was determined by birth.Additionally, women in the Japanese society were fully submitted men 10 . Women were submitted either their fathers, husbands or in the case of widows, their eldest son – with no legal rights. Ie means extended household – thus containing more than close family members all living under the same roof – and under the authority of one male. Ie was formally abolished in 1947 with the introduction of the New Constitution, which p rescribed a more â€Å"Democratic† family system based on equal rights of husbands and wives. Inspired by Confucianism. 10 This submission was further supported by the Civil Code of 1898, which placed women in the family under the authority of men. 8 22 The patriarchal family structure, ie, was officially abandoned in 1947, but one can still sense its presence, in a revised form, in today’s Japanese society – both in the corporal system where the chief executive is the male, who has been working for the company longest time, and in family life where women take care of children and men provide for the well-being of the amily. Nevertheless, the rigid emphasis of these times on submitting unquestionably to rules of obedience and loyalty has lasted to the present day. Today the ie-concept is still visible in that Japanese businessmen do not entertain their business associates at home. There is both a practical and a social reason for not doing so. First of all, the typical Japanese home is small and a larger group of people simply cannot fit in. Second,† Home† for the Japanese is very private.It is generally only open to relatives, long-time friends, children’s friends and their own family – the so-called in-group. Additionally, salary has for many years been linked to the age of employees until they entered their forties to fifties age – a male worker had thus a lifetime-employment guarantee until they reached their fifties. However, this system does not operate in small-business sector. The seniority system is one of the special characteristics of Japanese employment practices.Since the 1990s, however, there has been a substantial increase in the number of companies, who are reconsidering this type of employment system, and progress is being made in introducing a new compensation system based on employee’s performance rather than their age and the amount of time they have worked for the company in ques tion (Sugimoto, 1997: 80, Kodansha, 1994: 117-118, Hendry, 1998: 22-39). In short, ie puts an emphasis upon continuity, succession practices, and some of the socioreligious (e. . volunteer organizations such as environmental movement groups) functions that still occupy an important place in Japan today (Refsing, 1990, 11-25, Bando, 1980: 27-29, Hendry, 1998: 22-39, Harumi, 1971: 38-39, Sugimoto, 1997: 80, Kodansha, 1994: 117-118) 8. 3 The Wa-concept According to Wierzbicka, cultural values and behavior of a particular culture can be found in a core concept. For Japan this core concept is wa, which means harmony, unity or the desire to be one with those of your in-group.The wa-concept illustrates the concept, with several aspects (please see below), that although people have differences, it is the most convenient when people want the same thing at the deepest level. 23 This deep level of sharing underlies the desire for harmony at the interpersonal level, as well as a high level of c onsideration of others within ones group, and creates a unity among members of the in-group. In Japan, individuals are thus expected to act in ways that protect the unity or wa of the in-group (Wierzbicka, 1992).The several aspects, which the Wa-concept consists of, are described and discussed below: Enryo is an aspect that is encompassed in wa, illustrates the effort of avoiding explicit opinions, assessments, or other displays of personal feelings. It is thus a form of self-restraint that proscribes the brining of attention to oneself and ones personal desires in order to avoid having others think badly of one. Japan has been categorized as a high-context culture, and in a communicative context, the meaning is often implicit. The focus is thus on the listener and his or her ability to understand implicit messages.Sasshi refers thus to the ability to guess or intuit another person’s meaning without that person having to express it directly. Implicit communication is essentia l in a collective culture where maintaining harmony and avoiding conflicts is essential. Amae refers to a form of mutual dependency, or a relationship in which one person is in a protective stance toward another (Wierzbicka, 1992). The desire for amae motivates one to belong to a group and depend on another person. Amae emphasizes thus a protective relationship and a mutual dependency between the members of the in-group.Giri refers to a type of obligation felt toward others who have done something good for the person. According to Befu, it is a â€Å"moral imperative to perform ones duties toward members of ones group† (Befu, 1986: 162). It is also a long-term relationship and a sense that one will be forever in the other person’s debt. This sense of obligation is very typical in a culture that stresses the wa-concept as well as in collectivist cultures, where members of the in-group are closely tied to each other. Awase refers to the ability to always be able to adjus t to the situation or the circumstances.The self is thus constantly changing and moving with the situation, whereas the group is constant and needs to be maintained. Thus, maintaining wa equals being flexible in situations, and not on consistently following ones principles. 24 Kenson involves discounting ones abilities and to avoid standing out in order to maintain the status quo of a relationship. Kenson is sometimes manifested in a verbal apology, and it demonstrates a desire not to disturb the nature of the relationship, and a desire to maintain group harmony.For instance, a speaker may begin his or her speech by apologizing to the audience for his or her low status or insufficient knowledge on the topic – this depicts humility. Kata refers to the constant and familiar way something is done. In Japan, there is a kata or form for almost everything – from the way one plays ball to the way one performs a tea ceremony. The Japanese thus value form over function and proc ess over outcome – an important element to remember when involved in negotiations with the Japanese.This again refers to the uncertainty-avoidance that is present in the Japanese culture, which illustrates itself in the form of strict rules and regulation (Wierzbicka, 1992, Gudykunst & Kim, 2003: 5354). 8. 4 Isolation Another dimension characterizing Japan is the historical separateness of Japan from the rest of the world 11 , and the strong belief in the uniqueness of the Japanese culture and society. Its distance from the Asian continent and from the rest of the world had a crucial influence over the formation of the Japanese society and culture.The isolation began during the Tokugawa period when the Tokugawa government was trying to create relative peace and security. Instead, the government was facing stagnation, corruption and isolation. Famines and poverty among the peasants and samurai weakened the system even further. Additionally, foreign ships (from Russia, Britain and the USA) started to examine Japan’s isolation with increasing insistence, and Japan realized that their defenses were outdated and ineffective. In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry of the US Navy arrived with his famous â€Å"black ships† to demand the opening of Japan to trade, followed y other countries. This resulted in a stream of antigovernment feeling among the Japanese due to the fact that it failed to defend Japan against foreigners and of neglecting the national reconstruction and modernization. 11 The first contact with the West occurred about 1542, when a Portuguese ship, blown off its course to China, landed in Japan. 25 After 200 years of total isolation from the outside world – due to the fear of Western and Christian invasion or superiority, Japan agreed to open the country to the outside world.Nevertheless, 200 years of isolation has resulted in a rather great amount of regulations, etc. (one may argue that this is a hidden form of protectionism) that are there in order to adopt an e. g. Western product to the needs and circumstances of the Japanese culture. This separateness, or isolation, has also caused the Japanese to be extremely aware of anything that comes from outside, and they thus strongly distinguish between foreign and native culture, as well as its products and innovations (Reischauer, 1995: 32, Kodansha, 1994: 32-37, 131-132, Wakaba, 1996: 4-12). 8. 5Uniqueness The Japanese people have long believed that they are the children or descendants of gods, living in a divinely land. In the 18th century, the scholar, Motoori Norinaga, was responsible for resurrecting ancient myths about Japan and the Japanese. Before Norinaga’s time, Japanese scholar viewed China and its civilization as the most important in the world. Norinaga attacked this view, claiming that Japan was superior to any other country in the world. According to him, Japan was the country where the Sun Goddess was born, making it the epicenter of all other nations.With the appearance from the early 19th century of Russian, British, and other foreign ships in the waters of Japan, there was an intense debate on how to react, since the country had had a policy of isolation from the rest of the world for two hundred years. The military government thus attempted to promote hate and fear of foreigners by law 12 . In 1825, Expulsion Edict was implemented, prohibiting all barbarians and Westerners from entering Japan. If a foreign ship was seen, it was fired upon and driven off. If foreigners went ashore, they were captured and their ship destroyed. 2 Antiforeign attitudes in Japan have generally been limited to the official level. 26 The belief in superiority and uniqueness of all things Japanese have weakened but not entirely disappeared in the present-day Japan. Although this extraordinarily chauvinistic mentality was temporarily restrained after the defeat in WWII, the post-war â€Å"economic miracle† has reawakened the feelings once again. Nevertheless, the rigid, exclusive world view that has been present in pre-1945 Japan, no longer dominates the country.Ultra-nationalism has been discredited – at least in mainstream social, political, and intellectual life. The ideology that has its place is a set of rules by which society generally has learned to operate efficiently. The set of rules are learned from parent, the authority figures, the educational system and the mass media, and contain among other things social solidarity, or collectivistic behavior and thinking, hierarchical social structure, or power distance, role playing, or tatemae, reciprocal obligations, or group harmony.Although this set of rules is far weaker than the pre-war ultra-nationalistic ideology, it is still more rigid and omnipotent than those of e. g. Western societies. In Japan, the rights of the group are thus prioritized over those of the individual, and there are rules for most activities, creating a dependency on others and on group, which again reinforces an ideal of rules, group harmony and collectivism. The Japanese ideal portrays men and women behaving modestly, speaking prudently, and avoiding offending others and maintaining in-group harmony. For them, the deal of individualism is un-noble, risky and illogical. The Japanese desire people to be polite, courteous and indirect with each other. The Japanese are only frank on rare occasions, striving to put the best face, as well as save face, on themselves and situations (Cohen, 1997:146147, 184-186, 224). To express what one really thinks or feels in Japan is regarded as uncultivated and vulgar. The Japanese do not see themselves in first place as individuals, but as group-oriented members. The social group gives them approval, identity and companionship, status, and meaning as such with their lives.All the group members are interdependent. Matsumoto used a food model in order to describe human relations in Japan, calling it natto (ferme nted soybeans). Fermented soybeans sit in sticky glue of starch, and it is impossible to extract one without pulling out the others – they are all connected by the same glue. According to Matsumoto, the beans represent the closeness and interdependence present in the Japanese culture (March, 1996: 15-34, Kodansha, 1994: 32-37, 131-132, Wakaba, 1996: 4-12). 27 8. 6 Western InfluenceThe Japanese culture has been greatly influenced by Western cultures throughout the years, such as the British, the Prussian (e. g. in 1889, Japan created Western-style constitution greatly influenced by Prussia), the Portuguese, and the American. The Western influence entered the shores of Japan through trade, Christianity (missionaries) and war (WWII and the American occupation), as well as through cultural and business exchanges (e. g. through travels and international business). During the mid-16th Century, the Europeans made their first appearance on the shores of Japan.The first Portuguese to be shipwrecked in 1543 found an appreciative Japanese reception for their skills in making firearms. The Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, arrived in 1549, and was followed by more missionaries who converted local lords to Christianity (several hundred thousand converts particularly in Nagasaki) – keen to profit from foreign trade and assistance with military supplies. Initially, the Japanese emperor saw the advantages of trading with Europeans and tolerated the arrival of Christianity as a counterbalance to Buddhism.However, this tolerance gradually turned into suspicion of a religion, which he saw as a threat to his rule. This suspicion resulted in rulings against Christianity and the crucifixion of 26 foreign priests and Japanese believers in 1597. The prohibition and the prosecution of Christianity continued under the Tokugawa government until it reached its peak in 1637 with the brutal suppression by the authorities of the Christianled Shimabara Rebellion. This put an e nd to the Christian Century although the religion continued to be practiced secretly until it was officially allowed at the end of the 19th Century.Additionally, in order to eliminate Christianity's presence in Japan, it was required for every family to register a Buddhist temple, becoming a familiar scene in every community. Because of this religious policy, all Japanese today are Buddhist by default. The Western influence continued during the Meiji period (1868-1912) when the Japanese economy underwent a crash course in westernization and industrialization. An influx of Western experts was encouraged and Japanese students were sent abroad to acquire expertise in modern technologies.During the Meiji period, the process of modernization and industrialization took place in Japan, inspired by Western philosophers. An almost obsessive admiration and adaptation of Western ideas and culture had taken place during this period. 28 By the 1890s, the Japanese government leaders were concerne d by the spread of liberal Western ideas and encouraged nationalism and traditional Japanese values. Japan was becoming more confident and an equal player to the Western powers, resulting in the abolition of foreign treaty rights and, in the years to come, in nationalism.This continued till Japan’s defeat in WWII, and the American occupation. The main aim of the occupation was to reform the Japanese government through demilitarization, the trial of war criminals and the removal of militarist and ultranationalists from the government. Additionally, a new constitution was introduced, which dismantled the political power of the emperor, forcing him to publicly reject any claim to divine origins. Once again, Japan was influenced, if not ruled, by Western powers. Finally, in the late 19th century, Western Europe became its model for modernization.

Donor services department Essay

The Donor Services Department is an organization that seeks out sponsors to help with the funding of underprivileged families. They must do their best to maintain a constant flow of donors as well as keep track of their work. There are various components that keep this system at bay and it must be kept under control especially since they are planning on expanding. Prior to their expansion, the Executive Director of Donor Services, Sam Wilson, hired a consultant, Joanna Reed, to help him with the restructure of the company internally. There were issues and concerns on who should run the department and how the employees’ work would be delegated. Through Joanna’s observations and the various instances throughout the case analysis it is apparent that there is not a strong leader in the department. The employees’ work is also suffering from lack of supervision and training. The vertical structure that is illustrated for this company is not working for them. Employee morale is also suffering greatly because of this and is causing them to not stay on task. Recommendations on appointing the proper supervisor and the restructuring of this company will surely help it expand. Once there is a clear vision and roles are more defined the Donor Services Department is likely to improve. Employees will be willing to perform their duties assigned with ease and with the proper feedback can excel even more. Problems Identifications The Donor and Community Services Departments are rapidly growing and it is apparent that this is starting to have a large impact on the deterioration of employee morale. The lack of supervision, training and disbursement of work is causing the company to not perform at its best. The many factors that contribute to these issues can easily be solved if proper action takes place. The absence of a strong supervisor in the Donor Services Department is the main reason as to why the department is performing so poorly. The company has a vertical structure, which does not work in their favor. Jose Barriga, who is the head of this department, as well as Community Services, does not spend enough time there. He will occasionally stop in on a weekly basis and check the employees’ daily production figures. He does not give any sort of feedback, which can make the employees feel as though they are performing well, when in reality this is not the case. Jose appointed Elena  as the department supervisor, but she does not have a strong skill set to be a supervisor. She does not enforce any sort of order in the department, which causes the employees to not stay on task. It appears the hierarchy of the company is more vertical, but the linkage is not strong because Elena and Jose do not communicate about the behavior and performance of the employees. They have not come to a problem consensus, which would help out the current situation. The consultant Joanna Reed also observed that the employees have very little training in the various tasks the department performs. They do not have any sort of direction or true knowledge on what they are assigned to do. As mentioned before there is no sort of feedback, which only leads the company to become disorganized. In addition to not having proper training, several of the employees are not even able to use the skills that they were told are vital to their positions. There are six translators in the department, but only one employee named Magdalena is able to use her English speaking skills. The others are busy working on tasks that leave them a lot free time during the day, while others are have an overwhelming workload. One translator is assigned the mundane task of preparing files for new clients and doing the filing for all the departments. She is not able to use her English speaking skills or show any other valuable skills that she may possess. Solutions and Recommendations The donor services needs to better commit themselves to their department. The case touched on how two supervisors both seemed to concentrate more on the community services side of the organization, while leaving Joanna to fend for herself on the supervisor of donor services side of things. The management in this organization needs to be better spread out amongst all sides of the organization. Another idea to consider is that Joanna needs to have her role defined a little more clearly within the company. She is unsure what kind of authority she has over the translators, and the translators don’t respect her very much. If her role was better defined and she was given a range of bureaucratic policies she could enforce on the translators that would make the entire department run more smoothly, and the translators would understand that they need to respect Joanna and if not action will definitely be taken against them. An overhaul in the bureaucratic policies in the donor services department is something the  organization should consider. Right now there is no clear job definition for anyone in the donor services department, so it has become a free for all about what gets accomplished within the department. There needs to be a clear set of visions, goals, rules, and policies to give the department something they can follow, and aim for success. The new bureaucratic policies will also alleviate some of the trouble from the perspective of Joanna. The translators will have a better understanding of what will be expected of them if there is a clear set of goals and policies set in place for the workers to refer to. The donor services organization should also consider establishing a more mechanistic design approach to their department. A mechanistic design is an organization defined by clear goals, rules procedures, a clear authority, and centralized decision making. The donor services department is not succeeding by their existing hands off approach, so they need to change to a mechanistic approach in order to see better results. Mechanistic design has been proven to be successful in other organizations that have a routine job, like the translators do in this case. So this change in the design in something that could bring great success for the entire department. Bringing in a scorecard to the donor services department is an idea the organization should definitely consider. The case touched on how their is now real grade or measurement for the translators, so they don’t have feedback on their work. If there was a quarterly review or scorecard out in place by the management the translators would be able to get feedback and ideas of what they’re doing right and what they can improve on. Feedback is always important to any career and I think in this case it would help out the entire organization if the translators had a clear understanding of the management involved and feedback that would he given. Another recommendation is the possibility of bringing in a new employee who can work with Joanna to supervise the donor services translators. Both of the existing management in place seek to concentrate more on the community side, so if they don’t want to become more involved in this aspect than the organization needs to bring in someone who is bilingual and has management skills. This new person will bring in their skills to establish a bureaucracy amongst the translators, and work with Joanna to teach her the knowledge to become a better supervisor on her own in the future. Right now it seems like Joanna is not equipped enough to run the  department, but if she could learn from someone else she could eventually develop the skills needed. The importance work the workers knowledge and being properly trained is important to any good organization. This organization may also considering retraining their donor services translators. It seems that all of the current employees have started in the organization at different times, and they all have different background training. If the organization dedicates some time to come up with a standard set of training skills for all the translators it will in turn bring a common understanding of what is known and expected from each donor translator. This training will set a standard for the organization that all employees can look to when they have questions or concerns. The donor services department has some bright employees and can be a strong department within the organization. If they become more committed to giving feedback, establish a stronger bureaucracy, and consider adding some additional management in place they could be a very successful and promising department within the organization. Conclusion After the analysis by Joanna it seems like The Donor Services Department is part of a strong organization that is doing a lot of good for the less fortunate, but unfortunately they have come on some tough times. With the supervisors both concentrating more on the community services side of the organization and leaving the donor services department to be run by undertrained Elena it has caused some issues. The organization could bounce back for this successfully by recommiting themselves to the donor services. They can do this by bringing one of the two existing supervisors over to manage the donor services on a more immediate level. They can also establish a bureaucracy amongst the department so everyone has a clear understanding of the standard set of rules and procedures, as well as the vision for the organization. If neither supervisor is willing to move over to the donor services department than they need to consider hiring an outside source to monitor the translators in the depa rtment. They need someone who is bilingual and could give feedback and evaluate the translators. These small changes will go a long way in getting the donor services department back on track to helping the less fortunate.

Asian Horror in Movie A Tale of Two Sisters

Asian Horror in Movie A Tale of Two Sisters The genre of horror has been one of the popular genres that have started developing in the movie business. This has been harnessed by the free access of television and cinemas across the world. Various causes can be attributed to this sudden change of events; however, no one can explain why most of the individuals in the society tend to appreciate it despite being unrealistic and fictitious (Corrigan 6).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Asian Horror in Movie A Tale of Two Sisters specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Though most of its contents are fiction, it is a mistake to assume that horror movies are primitive and plain. Naturally, horror movies are known to exemplify traditional and uncouth characteristics, and the directors of the films are perceived to non-conversant with the changes in the society. In my opinion, I would argue that all the sectors of the art cinema have majority of mediocre crews and minority bein g good crews, and horror genre is no exception. Among the very few intriguing and genius horror movies, the focus will be on The Eye (Gin gwai; dir. Pang Brothers, 2002, Hong Kong), Tell Me something (dir. Chang Yoon-Hyun, 1999, South Korea), and A Tale of Two Sisters (Janghwa, Hongryeon; dir. Kim Ji-woon, 2003, South Korea). The three films denote a classic horror genre, and the directors have undertaken a massive work when it comes to editing, cinematography, and sound design of the films. A Tale of Two Sisters is a true ploy of horror movie, which is denoted by the use of framing. Ideally, inventive framing has been used to enhance attentiveness of the audience, drawing goose bumps, and eliciting stifled gasps. The movie commences with a short scene describing psychiatric ward. The doctor is preparing to interview his patient, who in turn happens to be an ugly and scary young woman, and her faced has been covered by long hair. The doctor wants to know what happened to her, but th e scene fades and directs the audience to a view inside a car that is travelling to the countryside. Kim’s disorienting positions and broad-view, reveals pans that aims at generating fright in the movie. It parades out the Korean horror themes that are familiar to the viewers. This includes haunted children, children’s bonds that are strong enough to challenge death, oppression on women, neurotic stepmothers, excessive femininity, and ineffectual fathers (Corrigan 56). The two teenage sisters, Mun Geun-Yeoung and Im Su-Jeong arrive at their opulent situated in the countryside home after they had visited a psychiatric hospital. Su-Jeong undertakes a commanding performance while her sister is meek and on the receiving end. The whole scene portrays Yeom, their stepmother, as anxious and restless. She tries her best to make the two girls comfortable, although they had been involved in frequent confrontations.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's se e if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Im believes that their stepmother had a dark past that she is hiding from them, and does not trust her house either. The truth, which encompasses the family’s relationship, is tangled and cannot be resolved quite easily. Kim’s remedy is a muddled montage that aims at re-dressing the final scene; however, it does not solve the issue but complicates them further. The act may be disappointing given the unusual over-the-head and behind-the-head shots that are accompanied by the fresh blocking in necessitating a horror scene. The shots generate a deafening moments that frightens the audience and moves toward realizing a rational conclusion. The movie is successful as it does not demand explanations on some amazing acts; thus, allowing the directors to gently incorporate fear and guilt on the characters and viewers. In positing these characteristics, A Tale of Two Sisters is successfully in en hancing the character’s anxiety throughout the movie. This ensures that the horror acts denotes reality, and is able to haunt the viewer, several days after watching the movie (Corrigan 18). Despite the movie’s impact and creation of horror themes by Kim, there are minor criticisms that have been subjected to the movie. The movie is slow, and the audience may find it difficult to follow the film. It takes a long time for it to reach climax and build the steam on the audience. Although, slow films cannot be disputed if the subject matter is realized at a given period, horror movies need not have to involve many issues before instigating the theme of horror in the scene. In addition, the information provided is not enough for the audience or viewer to understand the exact acts that happened- it is full of suspense. Though guessing and speculation is part of the stylistic devices that movie writers employ, some of the aspects would have been simplified in an attempt to re duce or minimize the puzzle. As the film is a success in harnessing the horror atmosphere, some of the scenes do not necessitate narrative when they are reviewed. They are solely there to generate tension among the viewers. For instance, the scene where Su-yeon is seen hanging her feet in water while something is prowling below her feet, the scene where Su-mi comes across bloody thing in the refrigerator, and where the duvet of Su-yeon is pulled off (Maxted 124). These few examples tend to exemplify a direct fiction on the viewer, as most of these acts are not real- they are exaggerated.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Asian Horror in Movie A Tale of Two Sisters specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Eye, on the other hand, owes some of its success to its canny tapping in both local (Hong Kong) and Hollywood horror texts, but it succeeds by partaking of an ascendant contemporary pan-Asian discourse of horror. The Eyeà ¢â‚¬â„¢s most immediately identifiable shared generic element is, of course, the protagonist’s ability to see ghosts, which she has in common not only with the young protagonist of The Sixth Sense, but with many other horror protagonists. Sydney Wells (Helen) was blind since her childhood life. She receives corneal transplant that restores her vision, which she had lost during her childhood period when Helen, her sister, shot her on the face using a firecracker. After undergoing surgery, Sydney is able to see blurred images. However, it may be perceived to be normal phenomenon when one undergoes a cornea transplant after a long period without an eye. However, the shadowy figures, in which Sydney sees, are ominous and quite different from the images of real people. In one occasion, she saw two shadowy figures, whereby the first one was leading an elderly woman away at night; the elderly woman was sleeping next to her bed in the hospital. The following morning, when she wakes u p, she found out that the woman has died. After the death of the woman, Sydney continues seeing the woman though the images are blurred, and she cannot figure out what she is doing. Cinematography plays vital role in this scene. The camera lens is smeared with Vaseline to make the images blurred, and this is done for the half-an-hour footage shot that is undertaken. A significant twist here is that she is not at first aware it is ghosts she is seeing; this is narrative made possible in that she has not been able to see since the age of two years (Choi and Wada-Marciano 23). The theme of unresolved issues from the past is also naturally common to many films with ghostly themes. The Eye primarily features spirits who just happen to be in transit and those needing to tie up emotional loose ends that just happen to have died in Helen’s vicinity. However, on one level, it does evince some of the sense of personal guilt of indebtedness or connection between the haunter and the haun ted present in ghost films of the more vengeful variety. Still another broader thematic repercussion of the narrative device of having the dead visible amongst the living is a heavy emphasis on the existence and close interrelationship of the past and the present. This idea resonates at numerous levels in The Eye, not least in settings themselves.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The initial setting of Hong Kong is imaged much as it is in reality as at once a city of modern high-rises and highways and of disused public spaces, where a ghost would feel perfectly like home. Hong Kong’s architectural variegation is even alluded to in dialogue at one point, when a waiter at an older and indeed haunted roast meat restaurant explains the situation in Hong Kong. The emphasis on multilinguality points to another distinctive and central theme in The Eye, which links motives of transnationalism and haunting, to that of confusion over identity. Helen’s interest in her own identity can be seen from the moment her new vision begins to come into focus. Her first request is to be taken to the bathroom so that she can gaze herself in a mirror. This curiosity and interest turns to mystification and alarm; however, she realizes that some of her visions may be someone else’s. Though the horror scenes are cheaply incorporated into the movie, it makes the au dience jump more than once. In addition, the slicker look and the bigger budget boost some of the scenes despite being mere copies of the scenes of Hong Kong movie. In particular, one of the scenes involving a restaurant belonging to a Chinese is modified to a nice effect, therefore, displaying originality of the movie. Palud and Moreau are keen to ensure that the movie does not become one of the scenes of Ghost Whisperer. Tell Me Something is one of the South Korean thrilling and horror genres. In 1999, the movie was dubbed hard-gore thriller due to its magnificent horror traits that is imminent in the whole episodes of the movie. The success is attributed to the slick trailer, big budget on marketing campaign, and the drawing supremacy of the two leaders. As such, with the movie’s rich cinematography, Tell Me Something was in high demand during the late 20th century. The movie commences with mouth-gaping scene. A number of garbage bags begin to appear, in Seoul, totally fi lled with human body parts of the victims of murder. The case falls in the arms of Detective Jo, one of the disgraced soldiers who have subjected to brutal acts by their senior counterparts. Jo collaborates with Oh, and they quickly analyze the cases presented to them with an aim of getting a clue of the incident. The two cops learn that the bodies were of three friends who worked at Chae Su-yeon museum. The film uses neon-drenched settings in an attempt to enhance the effect. Director Chang understands the need to create a requisite atmosphere, as he inculcates Tell Me Something with tension and creepiness associated with horror movie. The sound effect demonstrates the demonic and war-like atmosphere and the audience feels that they are in that ‘dark’ atmosphere characterized by evil spirits and war (Choi and Wada-Marciano 48). The scenario is also boosted by Shim and Han’s underplayed performances, and the low-key script that gradually unveils as the movie cont inues. The script is well choreographed especially on the visualizations of sporadic killings, where Chang includes severed limbs, dissections, large amounts of blood, and decapitated heads. Indeed, for the viewers with faint heart, the movie should be viewed on an empty stomach. For its two-hour running time, the movie engages the audience through suspense, and drawing them closer on the mystery surrounding the episodes. However, the last scene Tell Me Something falls apart. The scheme that embodies the killer is overwhelming and is overly elaborated leaving the audience with confusion. Though the movie ends in a climax, orchestrated by great soundtrack and well-focused shots, the scene does not make any sense. It is hard to link the events that led to the final episode. More upsetting is the postscript of film, which introduces logic-defying scene that twists courtesy of the mysteries of murder. Although some of the scenes prompt for viewing of subsequent episodes, others require motivations from the characters in order to make the movie cohesive. Ideally, numerous discussion groups in the internet, have been instigated in an attempt to discuss and unravel the mystery behind the movie’s convolute d narrative. In my opinion, the confusion might have been brought about by the negligence of the crew and directors, omissions of some of the scenes that would have made the movie cohesive. The most obvious logical gaps that exist in the film are on the way Detective Oh can link unrelated scene that denotes crime to the murders that took place. Indeed, if the ending had been characterized by lack of confusion, Tell Me Something would have gained wholehearted recommendation from the viewers. However, when the audience pardons the directors missteps and non-inclusion of some scenes, then there are more positive attributes to the film than the negative ones. The film posits all the stylistic devices embodied by an artwork including suspense, entertainment, and v isual thriller. In conclusion, the three films are the real works of the horror genre. The films should not only be recognized on the face value of its antique but intention of the developers of the films. Although, the essay has focused only on three films; most of the horror films have implied meaning in the contemporary society, and should not be taken lightly. The themes and devices used such as sound design, cinematography and editing have been observed by the directors of the film in an attempt to fit into the market. Therefore, the films are a classic of a horror genre. Choi, Jinhee and Wada-Marciano Mitsuyo, eds., Horror to the Extreme: Changing Boundaries in Asian Cinema. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2009. Corrigan, Timothy. A Short Guide to Writing about Film. New York: Longman, 2009. Maxted, Anna. A Tale of Two Sisters. New York: Dutton, 2006

Looking At Social Work Theories And Methods Social Work Essay Essay Example

Looking At Social Work Theories And Methods Social Work Essay Essay Example Looking At Social Work Theories And Methods Social Work Essay Essay Looking At Social Work Theories And Methods Social Work Essay Essay This essay will dwell of four chief parts. In portion one the essay will give a brief debut and history to societal work theories and methods. Traveling frontward the essay will look at the importance and value of theories and methods in relation to societal work and how it informs pattern. Throughout, mention will be made to the most popular theoretician. Part two will see how societal work theories and methods can be successfully applied in the drug and intoxicant field. Given an overview of this, it will be necessary to show how two societal work methods are chosen, and applied, in the intercession of an illustration instance survey. Where applicable, parts from service users will be used to convey more insight and balance to the essay. Part three will be an analysis of a societal work method used in the illustration instance survey. From the method, the essay will research and measure, in deepness, the manner it underpins anti-discriminatory pattern. Part four of this essay will reason with a contemplation on how the pupil has gained a valuable cognition base throughout the faculty and assignment. This contemplation will besides demo how the pupil will utilize this cognition base in pattern. No contemplation would be complete without a concise expression at how brooding pattern can play a critical portion of future societal work pattern. An initial hazard appraisal was carried out by the referral worker, in the vena of a oppugning theoretical account to place possible hazards and dangers to staff and other service users, nevertheless as discussed by Smale, Tuson and Statham ( 2000 ) taking a strengths based attack would let referral workers and cardinal workers to work as confederates, easing service users to place demands and results. During intercession with Mr AB Sessionss, in the signifier of an exchange theoretical account, were carried out endeavouring that farther appraisal became a procedure of duologue instead than merely a fact happening mission with the exchanging of thoughts and information. This attack is compatible with the model of undertaking centered pattern, appropriate with this intercession ( Ford A ; Postle, 2000 ) Key work Sessionss started with Mr AB and from the beginning the procedure was explained and the aims made clear, it was besides explained to Mr AB that due to company policies, and his footings and conditions of stay in the dark shelter, these Sessionss were clip limited so a positive stoping to the professional relationship was hoped for. It was besides considered that this attack would cut down the power instability in the relationship ; nevertheless the power will neer be to the full balanced when working within legislative and multi bureau processs ( Parker A ; Bradley, 2008 ) However as stated by Dalymple A ; Burke ( 2000 ) it is necessary to endeavor to authorise instead so disempowere with the demand to equilibrate power relationships. In this case this can be evidenced by the written understandings in the signifier of the appraisal and support program . Weekly key worker Sessionss agreed to by Mr AB provided farther support as required and chance to reexamine whether coveted results were being achieved, as in the National Occupational Standards Key Role and outlined by Supporting Peoples and the bureau policy and processs ( ODPM, 2004 ) . ( Walker A ; Beckett, 2007 ) . It is besides necessary to non merely cod information as portion of the cardinal worker Sessionss but to equilibrate findings in order to bring forth an overall analysis of hazards and demand ( Walker A ; Beckett, 2007 ) . Throughout the assessment process it is necessary to be cognizant of the influences of moralss, power, and professionalism along with anti- oppressive pattern. Middleton ( 1997 ) states that in order to authorise, it is necessary to esteem the person, heighten their strengths and get bying abilities. It is hence critical that cardinal worker Sessionss be conducted with a non judgmental attitude. While admiting the key worker has different values and position to Mr AB demoing credence to people in all state of affairss can be hard nevertheless as stated in by Carl Rogers ( 1951, 1961 ) the human psychologist the individual should demo they are echt, and portray empathy and heat. It become evident as cardinal worker Sessionss continued that Mr AB was loath to prosecute with this service as he was in pre contemplation ( Denial ) ( Prowchaska A ; Di Clamentis 1996 ) . However, the menace of eviction if he did non adhere to his conditions of stay was a considerable concern to Mr AB as was the idea of going homeless and holding to kip rough. It is really of import to retrieve that as cardinal working intervenes in the lives of vulnerable people these people have the right non to be victims of unseasoned and possible harmful intercessions. This confirms the demand of understanding how theory relates to pattern and larning from research and grounds based pattern ( Rutter, 2006 ) This confirms Maslow ( 1970 ) who shows in his hierarchy of demand, that before higher demands can be met basic demands are required to be in topographic point. Therefore to let Mr AB to travel frontward in his life he requires support to get down a procces to set these demands in topographic point ( Giddens, 2006 ) . Mr AB during his cardinal work Sessionss discussed his feelings and it was felt by him that no chances were unfastened to him and that he was fighting against a society that was oppressive and maintaining him down. It was pointed out to Mr AB that his place in society was that of a lifestyle pick, that society is altering to back up people to come on and that picks were unfastened to him ( Giddens, 2006 ) ) . It is nevertheless necessary to admit as stated by Bronfenbrenner ( 1979 ) that different degrees of society will act upon the persons life class. Besides stated by Jack and Jack ( 2000 ) persons are merchandises of their environment and can neer be to the full understood individually from one another. As stated by Crawford A ; Walker ( 2005 ) passages have the possible to be nerve-racking even those that are planned and welcomed. As the intercession procedure progressed and the support program auctioned positive results including edifice on ego assurance which led to Mr AB seeking and procuring portion clip employment Doel ( 1994 ) states that service user motive may weaken and it was hence of import to go on back uping and promoting Mr AB S involvement and committedness to work. By following a theoretical account that worked with service users strengths helped to guarantee that an anti oppressive focal point was maintained. . Using undertaking centered pattern as discussed by Ford A ; Postle ( 2009 ) ends were set which would back up the researching and attention of classs which provide basic computing machine accomplishments, with the attainment of each end aimed to advance assurance and farther motive ( Rooney A ; Larsen, 1997 ) . Subsequently in this case the planned stoping and results have non been realized, with events finding an alternate class of action ( Walker A ; Beckett, 2007 ) . The first portion of this essay will lookA at the relationship between societal work methods and substance maltreatment Denial can besides be explained as a defense mechanism mechanism whichA is establishedA by aA individual when there is aA dangerA that heA or she will go cognizant of or actA onA unconsciousA primitive urges that areA unacceptableA ( Freud, 1967 ) . ) . Knatz ( 1999 ) states that denial is a defence mechanism by which persons are able to get by with unpleasant worlds. Be cognizant that the term alcoholism implies disease/condition.A IfA youA use the term alcohol addiction in assignments, be certain toA establishA that youA meanA to state alcoholism and non alcohol dependence ) . IfA youA useA generalA mentions around statistics on intoxicant, seek to mention to British statistics, you could utilize National Treatment Agency website studies, Office of National Statistics ( ONS ) , NICE guidelines on intervention of alcoholA dependencyA for British/UK informations, all available on line LetsA giveA theA wordA relationshipA a different definition from the lexicons, forA unlocking theA meaningA of theA wordA frequently leadsA to greater understanding.A -A tooA colloquial, would be better to province, The word relationship has varied definitions from different beginnings of literature. Conflict is aA partA of most every interpersonal relationship.A ThereforeA it could be stated that pull offing struggle, A is importantA if the relationship is to beA long-lastingA and rewarding.A Jason and Beth have legion struggles and barriers which prevent them from holding a more effectual relationship.A Interpersonal relationships and communicating ( is a bipartisan street ) , excessively conversational, say have mutualness Beth and Jason seemA to seldom communicateA between each other, aA furtherA factor which appears to lend to the decomposition of their relationship. It can give rise to greater anxiousness, depression, A insomnia, and general hurt, reducedA self-esteemA andA assurance, and sometimes disrupted household relationsA ( ( Fryer,1992 ; Jahoda,1982 ) . Bibliography Barber, G ( 2002 ) Social work with addiction.A Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire Berger, G. ( 1993 ) , Alcoholism and theA family.A New York: Franklin Watts Conville, Richard ( 1998 ) The significance of relationship in interpersonal communication.A Praeger Publications.A Califonia. Heider, Fritz ( 1958 ) The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations.A LawrenceA ErlbaumA associates Jahoda, M ( 1982 ) Employment and Unemployment ( The Psychology of Social Issues ) .A Cambridge University Press Knatz, H ( 1999 ) Geting on Oxford Books.Oxford Levinger, G. ( 1983 ) .A Development and change.A Freeman and Company.San Francisco. Manstead, Antony S. R. and Miles Hewstone ( 1996 ) .A The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Psychology.A Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Maslow, Abraham. ( 1954 ) Motivation and personality.A Harper and Row, New York. Steele, CM ( 1985 ) TheA psychologyA of bibulous excess.A London Press, London. West, Robert ( 2001 ) TheA theoryA of addiction.A Blackwell publication, Oxford. The rule countries of societal, disposal and societal workstudies include wellness issues and disposal, employment services, community attention, lodging demands, offense bar, disablement cheques, unemployment concerns, mental wellness, old age every bit good as societal issues of raceor gender and poorness ( Drake, 2001 ) . Social work pattern focuses on covering with the jobs of service users. The care and betterment of their societal, physical, and mental provinces is frequently dependent upon the effectivity of societal work intercession. ( Miller, 2005 ) A Supplying appropriatesocial services is an of import mark of societal attention policy and societal policyin general ( Adams, 2003 ) . Welfare is general good being of individualsand when provided by the State, refers to a signifier of societal security or societal protectionthat aims to protect people from conditions such as illness, sick wellness, diseases and poorness ( Malin et al 2002 ) Social work pattern has, over the old ages, become built-in to Britain s working life and current estimations put the figure of active societal workers in the state at significantly more than one million. ( Parrott, 2002 ) Social work pattern focuses on covering with the jobs of service users. The care and betterment of their societal, physical, and mental provinces is frequently dependent upon the effectivity of societal work intercession. ( Miller, 2005 ) Users of societal work services are mostly economically and/or socially disadvantaged, and the exposures, which arise from these fortunes, often contribute to the nature of their relationships with service suppliers. ( Miller, 2005 ) Social work makes usage of a wide scope of cognition and incorporates information obtained from several subjects ; it empowers societal workers in pattern to utilize their acquired cognition and accomplishments foremost to prosecute service users and so to convey about positive alterations in unwanted emotional provinces and behavioral attitudes, or in places of societal disempowerment. ( Miller, 2005 ) A Social work makes usage of a scope of accomplishments, methods, and actions that are aligned to its holistic concentration on persons and their environments. ( Harris, 2002 ) Counselling, whilst being a catch-all term, used for depicting of assorted professions, is, an of import constituent of societal work pattern. ( Rowland, 1993 ) Specific reding attacks have been developed to help people with jobs related to substance maltreatment, gluttony and for giving up smoking. ( Pease A ; Fook, 1999 ) In some countries of guidance, which deal with dependence, for illustration, with users of difficult drugs, counselors engaged in societal work pattern, map side by side, with sets of legal limitations and moral issues. ( Pease A ; Fook, 1999 ) A

Southern Turkey city of Bodrum and Cradle of Ancient Civilization, Essay

Southern Turkey city of Bodrum and Cradle of Ancient Civilization, Egypt - Essay Example Bodrum was much more than a tourist spot for me – it was where I spent most of my childhood, a place that reminds me of many nostalgic experiences, feelings, and emotions. Egypt, even after my visit, didn’t create much lasting impression in me, as it was an alien land with monotonous desert; but I could see a common strain of traditional Islamic culture in both countries. It was a wonderful, thrilling experience to sail down to the city of Bodrum, as we used to visit there by car, bus or plane before. The other two were Berk, my best friend, and Erdem, another good friend of mine. Besides, we were childhood friends who knew each other for quite a long period. Our destination was not the Marina of the Bodrum but the bay where our houses were. We decided so because we wanted to go to our favorite restaurant there and eat the traditional Turkish food ‘Manli’. The restaurant meant a lot to us, as the delicious taste of the ‘Manli’ always fascinated us. It was really refreshing to sail through the Aegean Sea that looked endless blue. The soothing cold breeze, the murmuring sound of the water movement and the mild sound of the engine all provided us something to cherish for our future. Both of them were good at sailing and operating boats whereas I did not have any experience of sailing even though I had a certificate of yachting. The Boat we traveled belonged to Beck’s family and it had three cabins, a kitchen, and a sitting place. We scheduled our voyage in early May. After summer, the weather got colder and we had to resort to our sweaters for protection. Whenever there were light winds, we turned our engine down which helped us to see the happy curious dolphins come nearby. At night, we reached the small bayside city called Ayvalik and for dinner, we cooked fish that we brought with us from Istanbul.

Interview with a professional social worker Ali Haider Ali Essay

Interview with a professional social worker Ali Haider Ali - Essay Example AHA: Also, growing up in inner city Delhi, I saw the disparity between the have's and the have-not's and somehow I felt that it was important to be involved in making a difference and making a change, so that there would be a greater degree of social justice for everyone involved. So that's actually when I first began some interested in it, although I'll tell you honestly, that I think that it's something that Allah has called me to because it seems to be a really natural fit for me. AHA: Yes, more specifically I want to do my paper on social work and Muslim youth, or the social concerns of the Muslim youth. I want to do an ethnographic qualitative study that gives us a chance to hear from Muslim youth and what they see their experience of being Muslim in a secular country though demographically dominated by non-Muslims-specifically Hindu. I think some of the implications of this on social work, both Islamic social services or in the Muslim community and mainstream social services, would be how to better understand how to relate to Muslim youth, to identify areas of strength as well as areas of challenge that they face. AHA: Also, sometimes Muslim youth experience different social problems family problems, identity problems, a variety of issues that the Muslim community is not well prepared for, nor do they develop sufficient prevention programs for it, nor is the mainstream social services community prepared. Interviewer: But is it not true for the Muslims living in so called first world AHA: It is. Say, US or UK authorities should look into this, especially their social workers. Interviewer: However, coming back to India, should we get around to involving the rest of the community in social work, such as Imams, how should we train them What