Best Practices Manual for New Supervisors Essay Example for Free

Best Practices Manual for New Supervisors Essay Communication is a multi-faceted term in the realm of management and employee relations. It can apply to the individual’s ability to interact in general terms (supervisor to employee) or literal language skills (e. g. clearly speaking the domestic language). When language is the concern, supervisors must work to ensure all employees can effectively communicate within the organization as well as with the client or customer. In an era of diversity, most organizations employ individuals from all ethnic backgrounds and conduct business with a diverse clientele. Having clients of different cultural backgrounds does not have to pose communication barriers. In fact, with a little research and training, both the international employee and client can enjoy a mutually prosperous relationship. One of the most effective methods in communicating is in understanding. Understanding in the context of internal relations involves the supervisor’s ability to interact with employees at a level that encourages positive behavior and productivity. In terms of clientele, the best strategies and techniques in communicating with clients of different cultures would be know as much as possible about the client’s cultural background. Supervisors must be aware of the uniqueness of individual needs and how they relate to different aspects of life. While adapting to various levels of communication may seem difficult, it is possible and encouraged for the overall success of an organization. Determining Effective Orientation and Training Methods Effective orientation and training methods are similar to recruitment and selection methods, whereby selection tools prove beneficial to managers in determining which applicants are best suited for a particular position. Regardless of the industry, methods recommended include various forms of testing (personality tests, cognitive ability tests, and biographical inventory tests), combined with interviews and evaluations at both a team and individual management level. The most common indicators of training needs are when workers consistently fail to achieve productivity objectives and excessive customer complaints. These issues are best identified through organization analysis, task analysis, and person analysis, including a variety of specific training options. Specialized technology training uses the systems model of training whereby asserting the needs assessment followed by design (objectives, readiness and learning principles). After determining the needs of each individual employee, supervisors must then work toward implementation with on-the-job or other applicable training methods. If faced with a report of increased customer complaints, supervisors must first look at the organization as a whole, investigating areas that seem to be lacking and narrow down results from there. All aspects of the needs assessment can be useful: organizational, task and person analysis. Once the source of the problem has been identified, the next step is to design a training program that will address the issues while teaching employees better customer service skills. While most employees detest mandatory meetings, such gatherings work to encourage employees in maintaining good performance records and motivate low performing employees. Training to increase employee participation in pep meetings would be designed to motivate individual employees through incentives. It is important that employees feel valued and that each is an essential member of the collective team. Positive training methods must also include a level of encouraging traits, allowing each to feel he or she gains valuable knowledge from these meetings versus a feeling of dread. Improving Productivity for Teams In all levels of business, it takes teamwork to achieve the result of productivity, whether the team is part of human resources, production, shipping, or in executive management. All members of an organization must work together to attain a desired result. An effective means of encouraging and improving productivity for teams is in the use of team-based incentives. This type of incentive encourages employees to continue working as a team and thus creating a cooperative environment within the company. To the credit of individual incentives, often times individual employees put forth more effort than others and are not rewarded according to their actions when applied under a team-based incentive program. However, positive aspects of the application of team-based incentives indicate such action works toward achieving the desired result: teamwork. There is no doubt that employee incentives promote better performance. Team-based incentives are more economical in many ways. By allowing employees to work as a team, there is a greater chance of attaining a better productivity level. Offering incentives under this premise offers each employee to work well with others to ensure that final goal is attained, and therefore creating the certainty of receiving such incentives. When team-based incentives are geared toward individual teams, the results are more apt to be to the executive department’s satisfaction. For example, if X department understands that it must be the monthly requirements for Z department to complete its end of month reporting and that there will be no incentives given in the event of missing a specific deadline or goal, each respective department team will be more likely to work harder to achieve the end goal. Team-based incentives also give the appearance of â€Å"fairness† in the type of incentives offered. For example, as referenced through an article by Nancy R. Katz (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, June 2000), although incentives lead to enhanced motivation, effort, and performance, â€Å"in the real world, however, incentives can have dysfunctional effects† (2000). Katz writes that the most common dysfunctional effect an employee’s expression, â€Å"It’s not fair! † When incentives are contingent on performance, Katz explains that workers give greater concern to the issues of fairness. â€Å"When the distribution of rewards that is perceived as even slightly unfair can lead to significant problems† (Katz 2000). Team-based over incentives provide positive points including economical benefits, encouraging teamwork, giving the feeling of fairness, and reduction of employee absenteeism. Clearly, when employees work together cooperatively the outcome requires an understanding of what makes cooperation work. Such traits include positive interdependence, individual accountability, positive interaction, social skills, and group processing. The discipline structure of these traits includes the growth of group commitment and an increased dedication to the company as a whole. While each employee must be held accountable for his or her own actions, they must also work to meet and promote each others productivity. Team settings also provide a setting whereby each employee has the opportunity to participate in explanations and discussion, problem solving, present ideas and feedback, receive group support and encouragement, and be held accountable by coworkers which leads to an individual putting forth a greater effort for a satisfying end result.

Use of the path-goal theory

Use of the path-goal theory Use of the path-goal theory The Reasoning for the Use of the Path-Goal Theory in the Jeanne Lewis Case Jeanne Lewis, by any measure of the imagination is any prospective employers dream team member. She was committed, articulate, productive, smart, sensitive, motivated, and responsive to challenges. According to Peter Drucker (1998), â€Å"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes† (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 2008, p. 109). Lewiss team tripled direct product profitability (DPP) and invigorated sales of under-performing stores. All these and much more were demonstrated time and time again throughout Lewiss career at Staples. The Leadership Behaviors that Lewis Used with Her Employees Lewis engaged in different types of leadership behaviors depending on the situation at hand. Her approach to situations and the type of behavior she used further supports Marian Andersons statement that â€Å"Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it† (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 2008, p. 108). Shortly after Lewis assumed the position of the marketing manager at Staples, she assessed the situation regarding low performance of the stores, and she quickly came to the conclusion that strong leadership was lacking. As a result, she substituted 25 store associates over a 12-month period, which turned around the stores performance for better. Achievement-oriented leadership behavior was what Lewis utilized to achieve this result. Secondly, the tripling of the direct product profitability (DPP) by Lewiss team was another area where Lewis demonstrated a different type of leadership behavior-participative. Lewiss direct report s and peers appreciated her thoroughness when it came to getting her to support their position. The fact that her team members understood this much about her indicated she carried her team along while making decisions. Another way Lewis demonstrated a different type of leadership behavior was duringthe time she tried to foster relationships between the marketing organization and the in-house advertising agency. Her bimonthly meeting was met with stiff resistance. Realizing this was not a good strategy, Lewis changed the meeting to a one-on-one type that yielded results. Here, Lewis demonstrated a supportive type of leadership behavior, since this is what appeared to be desirable to the team members at this point. Also, Lewis used a directive leadership style when she warned her staff she would want to â€Å"ride shotgun† with them. She made it clear to the team what her expectations were. This leadership behavior typically results in improved satisfaction and performance. The director of marketing administration was satisfied with Lewiss strategy to such an extent that she set up one-on-one meetings between her team members and Lewis. Lewiss Leadership Behavior as it Relates to the Characteristics of Path-Goal Theory Path-Goal theory was premised not only on explaining which leadership style was effective, but why the leadership style was effective. House and Mitchell (2008) described path-goal theory as how a leader influences a followers perceived work goals, personal goals, and path to goal achievement. House and Dessler (1974), described path-goal theory as the effective leadership behavior needed in any instance which depends on the characteristics of the situation and the followers characteristics. Theresult Lewiss team was able to achieve as a result of her strategy change could have influenced her team members work goal, thus prompting them to perform well. Secondly, the tripling of the direct product profitability (DPP) by Lewiss team was another area that showcased path-goal theory. Lewiss team members and peers appreciated her thoroughness when it came to getting her to support their position. The fact that her team members had this level of understanding about her clarified the path to their goal, which then showed on the DPP result. Another way Lewis demonstrated characteristics of the pat-goal theory occurred duringher initial days as the vice president of retail marketing, where she set up several one-on-one meetings with her direct reports so that she could understand what part of the marketing puzzle each of them constituted. The marketing administration director saw something in this strategy, which led her to make a move to setup one-on-one meeting between Lewis and each of her own team members. This could have been as a result of the fact that Lewiss behavior was motivating to the extent that this director saw it could influence the attainment of her goal. Furthermore, the productivity that ensued after Lewis changed her strategy to be having a one-on-one status meeting with her team members after her initial bimonthly meeting approach flopped exemplified path-goal theory in that her team members could have gotten their work done due to the fact that th ey saw a clear path to them achieving their goal. The Behavior of Employees in Relation to Lewiss Leadership Style Several of Lewiss direct reports commented on her behaviors. One of them said: â€Å"Jeannes charm could be disarming. She worked really hard, and her personality motivated you. She tended to manage tightly at first, then loosened the reins. She challenged us a lot, and invited us to challenge each other†(Suesse Hill, 2005, p. 86). The directive leadership behavior Lewis used when she warned her staff she would want to â€Å"ride shotgun† with them was well accepted-as shown by the reaction of the marketing administration director. She was so satisfied with Lewiss strategy that she setup one-on-one meeting between her team members and Lewis. Employeeswarmlywelcomed Lewiss supportive leadership style as depicted with her change in strategy after the time she tried to foster a relationship between the marketing organization and the in-house advertising agency. Even though her bimonthly meeting was met with stiff resistance, her one-on-one meetings yielded good results. Thirdly, the participative leadership style used by Lewis during the tripling of the direct product profitability (DPP) was received well by employees. Initially they had mixed feelings about Lewiss leadership behavior, which one of them first felt was micro-managing before realizing that Lewis was just someone who liked to promote dialogue and debate to ensure that the best decision was arrived at. The fact that Lewis and her team in marketing while she was a manager there were able to invigorate sales performance within a 12-month period was an indication that she carried them along well and they were pleased with the things that they were able to archive together. This is consistent with achievement-oriented leadership behavior. Aspects of the Relationship of Employee Behavior as it Relates to the Characteristics of the Path-Goal Theory Path-Goal theory explains leaders effectiveness and the impact that leaders have on the followers motivation. The framework of instrumentality theory and path-goal theory suggest that the effectiveness of any leader at any given point depends on the characteristics of the situation and the characteristics of the follower. Several instances of this were observed throughout Lewiss carrier at Staples. It was repeated time and time again that Lewis had a personality that many may have misconstrued because of its confrontational nature. During her early days at Staples, Lewis herself acknowledged that she might not be able to work across the organization. At this point, she had barely been appointed a leader. One could then infer that all the zeal and the willingness to get things done was as a result of the belief that her hard work would someday get her into a management position, which she highly valued. The rejection that Lewis received when she started a bimonthly meeting was not a result of the ineffectiveness of the new structure she was trying to put in place; it was due to the fact that this did not influence her team members expectations, and their work and personal goal perhaps did not hinge on this. The same structure when changed to a one-on-one status meeting yielded the desired results. According to the observation made by one of the managers about the one-on-one status meetings, â€Å"She asks the kind of questions that provoked real interaction, so it really is a joint discussion† (Suesse Hill, 2005, p. 86). The South Africa studies around participation, individual differences, and job satisfaction among black and white employees results are better explained by the path-goal theory. Contrary to the expected conclusion that participative leadership is positively related to the individual differences, the theory concluded that participative leadership actually depends on the attributes of the task regardless of the predispositions of the subordinates. In the same vein, a study of the subordinates achievement (NACH) and affiliation (NAFF) needs as moderators of leader path-goal relationship conducted in Pennsylvania State University, drawn several interesting conclusions. One of the findings is that high NACH individuals prefer leaders with good strategies, policies, and rules who clarify paths to achievement (Orpen Ndlovu, 1977).

Theories on Conflict

Theories on Conflict Introduction Conflicts today abound which demand explanation. Understanding the roots of conflict is especially true now given the rise of populism which catapulted controversial leaders like President Donald Trump of the United States and President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, each of their own right riding onto the wave of either anti-immigration or anti-crime sentiment. Trump has sparked numerous protests due to his contentious Muslim travel ban (Thrush, 2017) while Duterte has earned international condemnation for the spate of extrajudicial killings arising from his all-out war on drugs and criminality (Al Jazeera, 2017). Each of these leaders claim to be resolving root causes of conflict in their respective countries Trump, restricting immigration in order to address the imminent security threat that the liberal immigration policies of erstwhile US administrations have posed, while Duterte, clamping down on the drug trade which he considers to be a top cause of underdevelopment and n ational degeneration. The theories on conflict discussed and learned over the course of three weeks helped me frame a deeper understanding as to why both Trump and Dutertes analysis may be critically attacked and in what instances, they are either correct or fall short. A school of theories under the systems theory consider how the roots of violence are all interconnected and are products of social, political and economic interactions. New emerging theories such as the human needs theory consider the deprivation of basic human needs to be a direct cause of conflict and suggest that addressing the same would eradicate conflict. Lastly, various social theories from Karl Marx to Franz Fanon provide me with lenses to be used in studying social disruption for these theories really enunciate what causes societal fractures and what can be done about it. This paper is a critical reflection of the following body of conflicts theories. Discussion of Conflict and Social Theories Systems Theory Simply stated, the systems theory considers conflict to be the whole of many problematic parts of society which are inextricably linked. Conflict therefore arises not due to individual or micro-level differences and contradictions but of a general system. Systems theories seek to understand conflict by looking at how several elements located in a social system interact with one another. Violence, according to systems theorists, should be viewed from the level of (1) individuals (2) dyads; (3) subsystems (family, community, religious groups and general society). Subsystems are organized in a manner which could either encourage or deter or regulate violence. Direct efforts at changing elements of the system will not prosper since the system will immediately provide a replacement for the missing element. Hence, ending violence, which is a systematic problem requires a coordinated and comprehensive approach. The general systems theory is useful in uncovering relationships and interaction s which contribute to violence from different levels. However, its weakness lies in the fact that it is a value-free theory which requires theoretical directions. Structural violence Structural violence, according to John Galtung, pertains to a form of violence arising from a social structure or institution which harms people by deliberately depriving them of capacity to satisfy their immediate human needs. This kind of violence does not take a physical form or image but consists of avoidable impairment of fundamental human needs (Galtung,ÂÂ   1969, p. 32). The notion of structural violence impels one to look for inequalities within social structures may it be inequalities in wealth, power, privilege, access and opportunity which breed injustice. In the same light, structural violence also compels one to look at the connections between what might be falsely considered as mutually exclusive worlds. In essence, the theory of structural violence as a way of addressing conflict encourages people to proceed with moral outrage and critical participation where previously our reflexive response would be passive acceptance of these inequalities. Institutionalized ra cism, classism and sexism are forms of structural violence which are usually considered as inherent characteristics of society. Galtung however encourages to look beyond these inequalities and to find connections in order to dismantle structures which permit these injustices. In my view, structural violence is a timely method of deconstructing conflict in todays world. For instance, the notion of viewing refugees as a potential source of conflict is a worldview tacitly accepted in global policy. Acceptance of refugees is viewed to potentially open the floodgates for terrorism, crime, and other degenerate activities that threaten national security. However, when viewed from perspective of structural violence, we can proceed to view the refugee crisis more critically and conclude that instead of treating refugees as potential threats, they should instead be viewed as people who deserve to be treated with dignity. Relative Deprivation Theory This theory assumes that social conflict arises due to peoples perceptions of inequality. When people perceive that there exists a disparity from what they deserve to enjoy from what they currently enjoy, they became discontented with their situation (Walker Pettigrew, 1984). The relative deprivation theory hypothesizes that conflict arises when the gap between two groups within a particular population is too wide, the possibility of rebellion becomes more likely. The assumption is that people are bound to perceive that they enjoy certain entitlements from society and when they are deprived of this while a number of other people belonging to the same population enjoy the same, dissent comes into being. Relative deprivation theory focuses on value expectations which need to be met within a certain society. Thus, when a society has a relatively high rate of economic inequality, the more likely it is that people will rebel. While the origin of the deprivation is economic, a state of po verty does not necessarily translate to violence. However, when individual expectations of poor people become transformed as a group identity, they become a political force that will not hesitate to use violence in order to combat their perceived discrimination. In other words, relative deprivation theory considers that violence stems from a persons judgment of his or her economic circumstances in the community. To a certain extent, an individuals subjective evaluation of his or her community status is essential to their conduct. Theory of cooperation The theory of cooperation proceeds from the notion that conflicts are generally characterized by cooperation and cooperation as twin motives. Deutsch (1949, 1985) formulated this theory in order to comprehend the conflict process better and how to come up with more effective conflict resolution methods. Deutschs primary thesis is that in order to resolve conflict, it is a key step to understand the nature of interdependence of both parties in conflict. Interdependence could be negative or positive. When the goals of both parties are negatively interdependent, a partys success automatically means the others failure. Upon the other hand, when the goals of both parties are positively interdependent, one partys success is correlated with the other partys success while one partys failure is also correlated with the other party failure. In the latter form of interdependence, cooperative relationships can be had in order to secure a win-win outcome for both parties to a conflict. Cooperative relationships are considered to demonstrate several positive features such as effective communication, openness, a friendly atmosphere and commitment to mutuality. In contrast, competitive relationships bring about the opposite results such as closed communication, lack of coordinated activities, an atmosphere of suspicion and a sense of domination. Based on Deutschs research, constructive conflict resolution is more linked to cooperative processes rather than competitive processes which he considered destructive. In order to foster cooperative relationships towards constructive conflict resolution, Deutsch likened it to friendly social relations. This is marked by empowering gestures and a reframing of attitudes. Thus, he recommends that both parties agree to commit to adherence to norms in the conduct of talks and negotiations. Among these norms include respect, honesty, responsiveness, forgiveness, and acknowledgment of responsibility. These values, due to their universal value and acceptance, can pose as common grounds for both parties to stand on. Emerging Conflict Theories: Human Needs Theory An emerging trend in conflict theory shifts the focus from the political economy to basic human needs. This perspective is anchored on the fact that human beings need to acquire essentials in order to live with dignity. Human needs theorists place the cause of conflict to unmet human needs. In this light, they argue that violence happens when certain groups or individuals are deprived of basic human needs (Burton, 1979). Theorists however have disagreed on what human needs means. In Burtons (1979) view, human needs that need to be addressed in the context of conflict go beyond the basic biological or subsistence needs. Instead, unmet needs related to social conflict include identifiy, recognition, security and development. As Burtons human needs theory progressed, he highlighted how existing state systems have miserably failed to provide a sense of identity thereby fueling ethno-linguistic separatist movements. If certain ethnic groups are deprived of their freedom to express their own national identities within the status quo, they will tend to establish parallel revolutionary systems in order to achieve the same. Burton provides as concrete examples the ethnic nationalist struggle in Kosovo in 1989 as well as various gang subcultures. Burton opined that human need theory can help explain conflict and pave the way for better conflict resolution because Rubenstein (2010) considers the human needs theory as providing a better explanation to social conflict compared to theories which focus only on the errors of a few manipulative leaders or institutions, as embodied in Samuel Huntingtons clash of civilizations theory. Echoing Burtons view, Rubenstein views the human needs theory to provide the study of conflict with a more objective basis which goes beyond local or cultural differences. The needs-based approach to understanding social conflict defies traditional notions of conflict and instead uses unsatisfied human needs as the independent variable to explain why elite dominance or cultural differences lead to conflict. However, Park (2010) critiqued Burtons positivist framework of needs theory and encouraged a more critical definition of needs to mean that there are needs that do not directly bear upon material sustenance like recognition and freedom from coercion that must also not be obstructed lest there be undesirable consequences (p. 1). Park took issue with Burtons reliance on the biological explanation for Needs Theory to support protection of rights and universal freedoms. Instead, she advocates for a psychoanalytic view to suggest that not needs are not universal. According to her, needs are essentially socially constructed. The needs which people pursue are socially engineered and they may even pursue false pleasures. In sum, Park considers with caution the use of the black box that is human needs. The definition of human needs is not simple but very complex and difficult to understand. Conflict from the Lens of Social Theory Equally relevant to the study of conflict is the development of social theory arising from social disruption. In Charles Lemerts (2016) book, multiple social theorists and their viewpoints on conflict are critically discussed. From the classical Great White Men theories arose alternative views on social relationships and social conflict which can be applied to the contemporary context. Among the most notable of these social theorists include of course, Karl Marx, publicly voted as the worlds greatest philosopher (BBC News, 2015). Marx wrote Das Kapital as well as the Manifesto together with Friedrich Engels at a time of extreme economic discontent. Marx focused on his critique of political economy which obscures the internal relationships of labor and capital and discussed a pivotal feature which is the workers alienation and estrangement. What is the most striking and palpable among these types of alienation is what fuels labor unrest: that of labor commodification and the reduction of the worker to a mere object. Simply stated, the more a worker produces out of his labour power, the cheaper he or she becomes as a commodity. Because the worker is paid at a fixed rate, more and more profit is being gained by the capitalist due to his work but unfortunately the worker does not earn additional wages for it. Marxist thought has gained traction especially with the cris is of global capitalism, environmental destruction, and global poverty. Until, his theory of class as the root cause of contradiction in society remains very relevant. However, many theorists developed a more expansive construction of his view on social classes. Max Weber, another classical theorist, came up with an alternative approach to the study of classes. For Marx, ones class is defined and determined by ones ownership of the means of production. Thus, Marx considered historical class antagonisms and identified these two groups in contemporary capitalist society as the proletariat and bourgeoisie. The contradictory relationship that the classes have pushes social development forward. Weber considers social groups and classes as determined through the distribution of power. Social stratification then, occurs through overlapping means and not only through economic differentiation. Other social theorists also focus on micro-level analysis to understand conflict. Sigmund Freud uses psychoanalytic theory to understand inner conflict among human beings. Freuds treatise laid down the anatomy of the self as made up of the interaction between three components dynamically interacting: the id, ego, and superego. All of these components of the self develop with socialization hence constructing the social self. Biology interacting with socialization shapes a human beings personality. When one of the three elements is allowed to dominate the other two, social problems may arise. Also developing Marxs theory of alienation, Horkheimer and Adorno criticized the use of cultural goods in order to project false consciousness. Cultural goods are appropriated into transforming humans as passive and docile objects of a system which was actually oppressing them. Aside from creating a false consciousness, they also suggested that popular culture is geared at creating false needs in order to engineer human beings into consuming in a massive scale. This cultural appropriation in turn heightens humans alienation and creates possible sources of conflict. The readings also tell us that social theories do not stay static. Even among key capitalist thinkers, there have been different approaches to address economic problems. For instance, John Maynard Keynes challenged the neoclassical economic paradigm advanced by Adam Smith and disciples which advocated for minimal to no government interference in favor of full-out control of the invisible hand of the market to attain equilibrium.ÂÂ   Instead, Keynes suggested implementing government regulation and intervention in order to arrest the economic recession. Social theories also help us understand racial conflict. Martin Luther King, Jr. called for an end to racial discrimination which he considered a ghastly reality America must face as a nation. In describing the horrendous social conditions which African Americans and other colored peoples are subjected to, King claimed that America had manacles of segregation and chains of discrimination which breed chronic poverty and injustice for certain segments of the population. Franz Fanon provides a stirring account of decolonization as a form of liberation. His work remains relevant especially in light of the fact that many of todays underdeveloped countries are former colonies of imperialist nations which have not completely been unshackled from their former masters economically, politically and culturally. It is only through liberation, which is necessarily violent that the colonized thing becomes fully a man. C. Wright Mills teaches the student to develop the sociological imagination which is a way of looking at themselves as the result of both biology and history and in always looking at the world through fresh eyes. One is challenged to go beyond looking at ones self as well and instead consider ones development as product of several processes occurring within a system. Conclusion Given the reality of global conflict today, conflict theories and social theories enable one to look at the phenomenon with renewed understanding and critical outlook. There are classical and alternative approaches of looking at conflict and conflict resolution processes. There are also classical and alternative ways of interpreting social conflict throughout history. Having a steady grasp of these theories assist the student thoroughly by providing him with several lenses to look at the problem and identify solutions. References Al Jazeera (2017). Thousands march against Dutertes war on drugs. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/thousands-march-duterte-war-drugs-170218034827033.html Deutsch, M. (1985). Distributive justice: A social psychological perspective. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Galtung, J. (1969). Violence, Peace, and Peace Research. Journal of Peace Research, 6 (3), 167-191. Lemert, C. (2016). Social Theory: The Multicultural, Global and Classic Readings (6th ed.) Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Park, L. (2010). Opening the black box: reconsidering needs theory through psychoanalysis and critical theory. International Journal of Peace Studies. Retrieved from https://www.gmu.edu/programs/icar/ijps/vol15_1/PARK15n1-IJPS.pdf Rubenstein, R. E. (2010). Basic Human Needs: The Next Steps in Theory Development. The International Journal of Peace Studies, 6 (1), 51-58. Thrush, G. (2017). Trumps travel ban blocks migrant from six nations, sparing Iraq. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/us/politics/travel-ban-muslim-trump.html?_r=0Deutsch, M. (1949). A theory of cooperation and competition. Human Relations, 2, 129-151.

Life Under the Taliban Essay -- Taliban Afghanistan Middle East Essay

Life Under the Taliban Afghanistan is one of the poorest and most troubled countries in the world. The land that occupies Afghanistan has a long history of domination by foreign conquerors and strife among internally warring factions. At the gateway between Asia and Europe, this land was conquered by Darius I of Babylonia circa 500 B.C., and Alexander the Great of Macedonia in 329 B.C., among others. In recent years, war and lawlessness had destroyed much of the country; millions of people went into exile and brought its economy to a standstill. This paper looks to explore the recent history of Afghanistan, how the Taliban came to power, and the impact their Islamic laws had on the Afghanistan society including their treatment of women. Brief History During the imperial days Afghanistan became a buffer zone when both Britain and Russia agreed that an incursion into Afghanistan would be considered a declaration of war against each other. Both respected this arrangement. After Britain's departure from the region, Russians increased their influence in Afghanistan with help and support from India, which wanted to keep Pakistan carved out of British India in 1947. Meanwhile, the Russians believed that the Americans, who replaced Britain as the new superpower, were too far away from this region to get physically involved. So in 1979, when the pro-soviet communist regime in Kabul showed signs of weakness, the Soviet Union sent its troops into Afghanistan. They faced no resistance and captured the entire country in a few days. However, the Soviets were mistaken about the United States response to their invasion. The Americans did not like the Soviet presence in Afghanistan as it could have allowed the Soviet Union to have undue influence in South Asia and the oil rich Middle East. In engaging the Russians in Afghanistan, the Americans also saw an opportunity to avenge their defeat in Vietnam. The Pakistanis were equally keen to prevent the Russians from strengthening their position in Afghanistan, particularly because of the theory, which was popular at the time, that Moscow wanted to reach the warm waters of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Many in Islamabad believed that after consolidating themselves in Afghanistan, the Russians would make a move to take over Pakistani city of Karachi, the nearest seaport for the former soviet Central Asia. Pakist... ...essed 08 February 10, 2004. ?A Job Half Done In Afghanistan?.The New York Times, May 15,2003, Baldauf, Scott. and Tohid, Owais.?Taliban Appears to be regrouped and well funded?. Christian Science Monitor, May 8,2003, Baldauf, Scott. and Tohid, Owais.? Where taliban go to find warm beds and results?. Christian Science Monitor, December 11,2003, Black, Andrew.?Talibans Rise Was Fueled By International Community?.The Press Association Limited, September 30, 2003 Goodson, P. Larry. Afghanistans endless war.United States of America:Univeristy of Washington Press, 2001. Hilton, Elizabeth.?Just Poppycock?.The Guardian, December 11, 2003 ?How The Taliban Erased History; One Year After Taliban Forces Savaged Afghanistan?s Two Celebrated Buddahs, The Story Of Their Destruction Has Emerged?. Washington Post.March 16,2002 Kramer, Martin.?The Camera and The Burqa?.Middle East Quarterly, March 1,2002 Nojumi, Neamatollah.The rise of the taliban in afghanistan.New York,NY:Palgrave, 2002. ?Taliban Comeback in Afghanistan?. Mideast Mirror October 10, 2003 Tompkins,Richard. ?Analysis:Afghanistan 2 years later.? United Press International, September 14, 2003,p8 Life Under the Taliban Essay -- Taliban Afghanistan Middle East Essay Life Under the Taliban Afghanistan is one of the poorest and most troubled countries in the world. The land that occupies Afghanistan has a long history of domination by foreign conquerors and strife among internally warring factions. At the gateway between Asia and Europe, this land was conquered by Darius I of Babylonia circa 500 B.C., and Alexander the Great of Macedonia in 329 B.C., among others. In recent years, war and lawlessness had destroyed much of the country; millions of people went into exile and brought its economy to a standstill. This paper looks to explore the recent history of Afghanistan, how the Taliban came to power, and the impact their Islamic laws had on the Afghanistan society including their treatment of women. Brief History During the imperial days Afghanistan became a buffer zone when both Britain and Russia agreed that an incursion into Afghanistan would be considered a declaration of war against each other. Both respected this arrangement. After Britain's departure from the region, Russians increased their influence in Afghanistan with help and support from India, which wanted to keep Pakistan carved out of British India in 1947. Meanwhile, the Russians believed that the Americans, who replaced Britain as the new superpower, were too far away from this region to get physically involved. So in 1979, when the pro-soviet communist regime in Kabul showed signs of weakness, the Soviet Union sent its troops into Afghanistan. They faced no resistance and captured the entire country in a few days. However, the Soviets were mistaken about the United States response to their invasion. The Americans did not like the Soviet presence in Afghanistan as it could have allowed the Soviet Union to have undue influence in South Asia and the oil rich Middle East. In engaging the Russians in Afghanistan, the Americans also saw an opportunity to avenge their defeat in Vietnam. The Pakistanis were equally keen to prevent the Russians from strengthening their position in Afghanistan, particularly because of the theory, which was popular at the time, that Moscow wanted to reach the warm waters of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Many in Islamabad believed that after consolidating themselves in Afghanistan, the Russians would make a move to take over Pakistani city of Karachi, the nearest seaport for the former soviet Central Asia. Pakist... ...essed 08 February 10, 2004. ?A Job Half Done In Afghanistan?.The New York Times, May 15,2003, Baldauf, Scott. and Tohid, Owais.?Taliban Appears to be regrouped and well funded?. Christian Science Monitor, May 8,2003, Baldauf, Scott. and Tohid, Owais.? Where taliban go to find warm beds and results?. Christian Science Monitor, December 11,2003, Black, Andrew.?Talibans Rise Was Fueled By International Community?.The Press Association Limited, September 30, 2003 Goodson, P. Larry. Afghanistans endless war.United States of America:Univeristy of Washington Press, 2001. Hilton, Elizabeth.?Just Poppycock?.The Guardian, December 11, 2003 ?How The Taliban Erased History; One Year After Taliban Forces Savaged Afghanistan?s Two Celebrated Buddahs, The Story Of Their Destruction Has Emerged?. Washington Post.March 16,2002 Kramer, Martin.?The Camera and The Burqa?.Middle East Quarterly, March 1,2002 Nojumi, Neamatollah.The rise of the taliban in afghanistan.New York,NY:Palgrave, 2002. ?Taliban Comeback in Afghanistan?. Mideast Mirror October 10, 2003 Tompkins,Richard. ?Analysis:Afghanistan 2 years later.? United Press International, September 14, 2003,p8

Good Advice :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Good Advice Good advice is different for everyone and is distinct each time you receive it. Sometimes I receive advice and don’t realize what it is until I actually need to apply it. This occurred in Andrea Kunze’s paper. Her dad had always warned her that boys were the devil and on her first day of school the advice he had been giving her all along suddenly could make sense. Some advice I’m given allows me to ponder over options I hadn’t thought of before. Other times who ever happens to be helping me envisions a solution that is a variation of what I had contemplated. This goes with the theory that two heads are better than one. The way I think differs from everyone else’s conceptions. When two people work on the same problem they’re able to come up with variations on how to solve it. By listening to what someone else has to say about a situation, they bring in an objective opinion that might shed a different angle of lightening on a possible solution. An example of this is when I had to make a model of the human heart out of clay for biology. I was trying to mold the outside of the heart while still showing the parts of the inside. My dad noticed me struggling on this project so taking it from me, he restructured it by cutting the heart in half so you could still see what the outside looked like on one side of the model whil e the other side showed what the heart looks like in the inside. Whenever I seek guidance I turn to my friends, parents, acquaintances, and teachers because I respect their judgment. Given a difficult decision to make, even though I know what their response will be, I still look to them for help. I search for their understanding to reinforce what I already know I need to do. It’s easier for me to make a decision because when I hear the same solution being said by someone else I know someone is behind me, supporting my choice even if I mess up. They can show me options that would work for my situation and they won’t try and mislead me by giving advise that could cause me to get hurt. Like Douglas Crane wrote, â€Å"The advisor doesn’t have secret plans to use the advise for their personal gain, the advisor had respect and in most/all cases, love for the advisee.

Leadership styles in greek mythology Essay

In ancient Greece, certain leadership qualities were seen as more desirable, and by reviewing Greek mythology it is possible to understand what these ancient people valued in their leaders. The tales of Uranus, Cronus, and Zeus show which characteristics were prized by the Greek people, and which were despised. Uranus, son and husband of Gaea, was tyrannical, and fearful, casting his offspring into the underworld. He was obsessed with absolute power. It did not concern him that his children, the Hundred-handed giants and the Cyclopes, burned with rage at him from their Underworld prison. It did not concern him that his mother-wife Gaea suffered dearly knowing the fate of her children. He was a wicked ruler, and his Titan sons and daughters were fearful of him. Even when Gaea urged them to join her in a plot to overthrow Uranus, the Titans, terrified, could not reply. It was only when Cronus, the youngest Titan, finally agreed to help Gaea that Uranus was finally and violently defeated. Cronus dismembered his father and scattered the body parts. The Titans then freed their siblings and made Cronus king. Cronus, however, turned out to be as wicked a king as his father Uranus. Gaea warned Cronus that like his father, his child would overthrow him. Obsessed with avoiding Uranus’s fate, Cronus devoured each of the children born to him and Rhea, his wife. Eventually, Rhea deceived Cronus to keep him from eating the newborn children. Cunningly, Rhea his one child, Zeus, and fed her husband a rock in the place of the shining child. When Zeus grew up, joined with his brother Poseidon and the other children of Cronus in a war resulted in Zeus’s overthrow of Cronus. At last, overpowered, the Titans retreated into Tartarus, where they were bound, imprisoned, for eternity. With the Titans in the depths of the earth, the rule of Zeus began. Unlike his father and grandfather, Zeus ruled the world justly. He assigned each of the deities their respective functions. He created a system of laws, and punished those immortals that broke their sacred word. Zeus also allowed the immortals to benefit mankind. Out of chaotic destruction, Zeus’s rule began and he established such order that no Olympian god would question his authority. Even when the Titans would try to return and overthrow Zeus, they could not defeat him due to the loyalty he had earned from the other Olympians. A reading of these tales shows that the Greeks looked for the qualities of strength and authority in their leaders, along with courage and wisdom. However, these alone were not enough. In order to be a great leader or king, one needed to establish a system of justice and fairness, where those who did wrong would face punishment, and where order would be maintained instead of chaos. Zeus was the model for earthly kings because of his ability to bring order, fairness, and justice along with his great strength.

Positive Attitude Essay

As we all know people love to be around positive people. Negative people always bring you down and usually do not accomplish goals they have set. In the work world, you do not want anyone on your team be negative. It can rub off on anyone in the group, or the whole group. However, it is also true for a positive attitude and self-concept. Those who are positive tend to be more driven and have a better self-concept. This paper discusses the importance of having a positive attitude and self-concept as a leader. It discusses steps and way to develop these traits. How to Develop a Positive Attitude and Self-Concept as a Leader Attitude is a mental position relative to a way of thinking or being; a leaning toward that which you believe (Purkey, 1988). A positive attitude is the inclination to generally be in an optimistic state of mind. Positive attitude, positive thinking, and optimism are all characteristics that will make a leaders life more positive and increase their self worth. A leader will most likely be more successful when using all of these characteristics to their full potential. Let’s focus on how a positive mind-set can help leaders overcome life’s challenges. There are just some people in the world that cannot look past all the negative and start looking at the positive things in life. If you cannot get past the negative and start concentrating on the positive you cannot succeed as a great leader because your mind will be elsewhere. To accomplish a task a leader must have full concentration on the objective. Any dev iations can hinder the team and objective (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). A positive mind set gives the leader the ambition and drive to accomplish the goals your organization as given you. Everyone has goals. Some may be bigger and more advanced than others but every leader has a goal. To accomplish these goals, a leader must â€Å"focus on putting their life out there and risking it for success† (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). To have a positive way of thinking you must have healthy self-esteem or self confidence. â€Å"The self-esteem is the part of you self-concept that determines your self-worth† (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). Websters dictionary define self-esteem as â€Å"a confidence and satisfaction in oneself† (â€Å"Self-esteem,† 2010). Many leaders have low self-esteem due to many  reasons. Some leaders compare themselves to other leaders. You cannot compare yourself to another leader because their motives and objective are usually different than your own. Some leaders allow the people who surround them influence their ideas. For example, if you are developing a new concept for a company. However, your team mates do not like the concept or idea you probably will give in due to peer pressure. You have allowed others to influence your decision. This is neither good nor bad, just depending on the situation. When you receive support and encouragement from signi ficant people than that is when you start to appreciate yourself (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). You may be thinking â€Å"no one ever appreciates you,† however, may be you should be the first to complement others. You are the leader, so lead. The author believes everyone is created for a special reason. We all have different talents and a way of thinking. You also have the choice on who you hang out with as well as who influences you. Not hanging around people who have bad influences in your life will likely be the first step to having a better outlook on life. You are more likely to succeed in a leadership position if you surround yourself with supportive people (Campbell & Martinez-Perez, 1977, pp. 455-459). The author believes there are two types of self-esteem. You have positive self-esteem and negative self-esteem. Positive self-esteem is having an ‘I can accomplish this task.’ Positive self-esteem people are usually fun to be around because they have a ‘cup half full’ outlook on life. A negative self-esteem person has a â€Å"cup half empty’ outlook on life. They are always down and can even have a negative influence on the people they surround themselves with.