What Are the Qualities That an Ideal Person Should Cultivate?

What are the qualities that an ideal person should cultivate, possess, and practice according to Confucius? 1. Introduction In this paper, I will discuss what qualities should be cultivated, possessed, and practiced for an ideal person according to Confucius. Although Confucius regards humanness, wisdom, and courage as the basic threefold towards being a junzi (superior man/ideal person, ), there has been an ongoing disagreement among scholars regarding the qualities that are needed to become an ideal person or a junzi.I shall accomplish my purpose by first providing a basic background of information on the topic, then identifying two conflicting interpretations of the qualities that are required by Hosung Ahn and Ha Poong Kim, adding my own critical response, and lastly offering my resolution using Antonio S. Cua’s interpretation on the topic. I will use Confucian Analects (1895) by James Legge as my primary source, along with â€Å"Junzi as a Tragic Person: A Self Psycholo gical Interpretation of the Analects† (Ahn, 2008), â€Å"Confucius’s Aesthetic Concept of Noble Man: Beyond Moralism† (Ha, 2006), and â€Å"Virtues of Junzi† (Cua, 2007) as my secondary sources. . Background Information According to Chinese tradition, Confucius is one of the most outstanding thinker, political figure, educator, philosopher, and the founder of the Ru (? ) School of Chinese thought. Our textbook â€Å"The Eastern Paths to Philosophic Self-Enlightenment: An introduction to Eastern Philosophies† (2002) written by Professor Phan points out that Confucius’s thoughts are preserved in the Lunyu ( ) or the Analects, which is one of the Four Books. It is worth noting that the Analects was not written by Master Kong Zi (Confucius, himself, but complied by his close disciples when they recollected his â€Å"sayings† after Confucius’s death. Defined by Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Confucius’s teachings create the foundation on most of subsequent Chinese speculation on the education and comportment of the junzi ( ), and how such an individual should live his life, interact with others, and the types of society and government in which he should participate. On one hand, in 14:20, the Master said, â€Å"The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it.Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold; he is free from fear. † While on the other hand, scholars have attempted to interpret the qualities of junzi differently. In the next section, I shall examine the conflicting interpretations of Ahn and Kim. 3. First Interpretation by Hosung Ahn A. Background on Confucianism and Psychological Connotations of Junzi In Ahn’s article, he provides historical background information on Confucianism being the most efficient ideological means of medieval and modern authoritarian governments in China and Korea (Ahn, 2008).Yet, Ahn argues that in the course of quoting Weber (1968), Confucianism and Daoism could not be introduced into modern capitalism due to their â€Å"thisworldliness. † Ahn depicts Confucianism as one of the major hindrances in the road toward modernization and industrialization and considers Confucius as a stubborn and conservative moralist whose ethical codes were oppressive. By introducing Heinz Kohut, an Austrian-born American psychoanalyst, Ahn compares Kohutian psychoanalysis such as self-psychology with Confucianism’s ideal person in the Analects.Ahn provides the basic background information in the purpose of identifying Confucianism as being neither sophisticated nor systematized; yet, Ahn suggests that the Analects could be interpreted as a pre-psychoanalytic self-psychology owing to the abundant self psychological insights in the Analects. Ahn then defines junzi as â€Å"a prince literally and a gentleman ordinarily,† and that in Confucianism, â€Å"a junzi is a noble per son who attempts to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues in concrete human relationships at any cost.A junzi has often been considered a conformist or a conservative† (Ahn, 2008). Furthermore, Ahn states that Confucianism being established as an ethical and political orthodoxy in Korea was a rigid and authoritarian formalistic, and of which courtesy, rituals, and humanity were the fundamental standards of being a junzi (see Shun 2002). B. Ahn’s Thesis In this article, Ahn (2008) specifically points out that â€Å"a junzi is a tragic person in the Kohutian sense. Like a tragic person, a junzi follows his or her ideals with values deeply anchored in oneself even at the expense of one’s death. Ahn thinks the most important standards of being a junzi are courtesy and rituals; he states that, â€Å"Confucius himself severely criticizes the externalized beauty and grandeur without the internalized quality of character† (Ahn, 2008). Most importantly, Ahn address es that the core characteristic of the Kohutian tragic person is almost identically expressed in the Analects: humanity (ren, ? ), which is the ultimate virtue of Confucianism and that a junzi would rather die than giving up his or her ideals and values; which Ahn refers to as strikingly similar to Kohut’s definition of a tragic person.In terms of Ahn’s arguments for supporting his claim, he brings out the topic of xiaoren (small man, ) and defines it as â€Å"those whose ideals and values are superficially situated on the psyche as compared to junzi in the Analects† (Ahn, 2008). Ahn then identifies the difference between a xiaoren and a junzi employing Confucius’s saying, â€Å"The gentleman (junzi) is conversant with righteousness; the small man (xiaoren) is conversant with profit† (Analects, 4. 16). Ahn points out that because a xiaoren focus on what is beneficial to him or her only, he or she cannot but be vulnerable to the external vicissitud es.Similarly, according to Kohut, a xiaoren would â€Å"quickly and opportunistically adjust his or her convictions under the influence of external pressures† (cited in Ahn, 2008); whereas a junzi is determined to â€Å"adhere to the good (Way) until death† (Analects, 8. 13). Ahn then considers this determination as courage, and he quotes Kohut (1985) that â€Å"The culminate peace (in his death) achieved by the hero is†¦the ultimate ascendancy of a firm and life-affirming self† (p. 27).Ahn further proves that Confucius has expressed the same idea through: â€Å"If a man in the morning hears the right way, he may die in the evening without regret† (Analects, 4. 8). Thus, Hosung Ahn summarizes that a junzi, according to Confucius, is a person who searches for â€Å"the achievement of a psychological synthesis at all costs† (Ahn, 2008). In other words, Hosung Ahn interprets that Confucius thinks the quality an ideal person should cultivate, poss ess, and practice is the spirit of achieving a psychological synthesis or preserving his or her ideals and values at all costs. 4.Second Interpretation by Ha Poong Kim A. Background on Aesthetic Concept of a Noble Man In Kim’s article, he provides historical background information of the Analects being narrowly and moralistically interpreted. Kim points out that Confucius’s remarks such as from â€Å"the Book of Songs and Music† are commonly given an ethical meaning owing to the tradition of Confucius’s key term ren (humanness, ? ) as being an ethical term. Through offering a historical basis as a foundation, Kim attempts to broaden Confucius’s humanistic interpretation of ren as humanness or the human spirit.In details, Kim (2006) addresses that â€Å"while the word ren only rarely occurs in the pre-Confucian literature, it is used in works such as the Songs and the (Book of) History, essentially as a synonym of ren. † To demonstrate that C onfucius’s teaching ren for the first time as the supreme principle of human existence and that Confucius is the discoverer of the human spirit in Chinese civilization, Kim introduces and explains other meanings and definitions of ren used in other Confucius or Mencius materials.Also, Ha Poong Kim offers the background information of â€Å"one-dimensional image of the Confucian junzi as a rigid moralist, a man whose distinguishing mark is just a fastidious observance of li (rites, ? )† (Kim, 2006). With all the background information and explanation provided by Kim, he expresses the fact that some of Confucius’s sayings in the Analects are purely aesthetic and any attempt to moralistically interpret them distorts their meanings. B. Kim’s Thesis Kim (2006) agrees with the normativity of Confucius’s concept of ren, yet he argues that the ground of its normativity is fundamentally aesthetic.In supporting his claim, Kim applies Confucius’s teach ing: â€Å"Recognize beauty in abiding in ren. If one chooses not to stay in ren, how can one be considered to have attained wisdom? † (Analects, 4:1) Kim interprets this saying as Confucius stressing the recognition of the beauty of ren as a necessary condition of human wisdom, which is equivalent to the awareness of the human spirit. Kim defines this recognition as an aesthetic awareness. Then, through applying Confucius’s saying: â€Å"To become a junzi Ru (noble scholar, ), not a xiaoren Ru (common scholar, † (Analects, 6:11); Kim points out the difference between a junzi and a xiaoren ultimately comes from the noble man’s awareness of the beauty of ren, which the small man (xiaoren) lacks. Kim explains that since a junzi has this aesthetic sensibility of humanness, he naturally desires, loves, and delights in ren and every manifestation of it. For the purpose of backing up Kim’s claim, he states Confucius believes that by studying the Songs, one would be best awakened, which then explains why Confucius repeatedly urges his pupils to study the Songs.Kim argues that Confucius’s teaching is to help the students become a junzi, who is a lover of ren, through arousing humanness that is obtained through the study of music. In this particular main argument, Kim (2006) summarizes that â€Å"for Confucius’s spiritual awakening, specifically the aesthetic awakening to ren, is the presupposition of the education of junzi. Without this wakening, the learner or scholar will remain a xiaoren Ru, no matter how well versed he may be in ritual subjects, and regardless of how blameless he may be in his ethical conduct. Next, Kim offers another important argument that during Confucius’s years of wandering from state to state in search of a good ruler, he rarely parted with his lute. Sima Qian, an Ancient Chinese historian, revealed that once, surrounded by two hostile armies, Confucius and his disciples ran out of p rovisions in the wilderness between the states of Chen and Cai. With some of his disciples falling ill and being unable to get up, Confucius calmly continued singing songs and plucking his lute.Kim regards Confucius’s act as a man capable of forgetting everything else while enjoying music. Thus, in Kim’s point of view, what fundamentally separates Confucius’s junzi from the rest of humanity is the junzi’s aesthetic sensibility to ren. In other words, Kim believes that according to Confucius, the quality a junzi should cultivate, possess, and practice is the aesthetic awareness. Nevertheless, Kim mentions that through stressing the junzi as an aesthetic man, he is not denying a junzi’s many-sidedness. 5. CritiqueI agree with Hosung Ahn’s claim regarding junzi as a noble person who attempts to actualize Confucian cardinal virtues, and that courtesy, rituals, humanness, and courage are important criterions of becoming a junzi. Moreover, I agree with Ahn’s claim that a junzi would follow his or her ideals and values deeply anchored in oneself even at the expensed of death. However, I strongly disagree with Ahn’s opinion of Confucius’s teaching or his classification of a junzi as a tragic person. In my point of view, Ahn has made an inaccurate interpretation of one Confucius’s saying from the Analects.In 4:8, Confucius teaches that â€Å"If a man in the morning hear(s) the right way, he may die in the evening without regret. † Ahn interprets this saying as Confucius’s advocating of a junzi who must search for â€Å"achievements of a psychological synthesis at all costs† (Ahn, 2008), and this remarkably resembles a tragic person. As the exercise we conducted in our philosophy class on textual hermeneutics of the Confucian Dao in the Analects, this Confucius’s saying represents the importance of the Dao (way, ? ; which according to Confucius, with the experience of heari ng the Dao, one could die without regrets afterwards. Thus, this person or this junzi would be a happy person since he contains the very important factor â€Å"Dao†, and that he is absolutely not a tragic person as Hosung Ahn considers as. In terms of Ha Poong Kim’s interpretation of a junzi, I agree with Kim regarding the fact that Confucius repeatedly urges his disciples to study the Songs and Music because it would indeed help his pupils awaken and broaden their minds, enjoy the six arts, and commit to the Dao.I also agree with Kim that a junzi is many-sidedness. What I do not agree with Kim is his differentiation of a junzi and a xiaoren through aesthetic awareness. As I mentioned above, Kim (2006) summarizes in this particular main argument that â€Å"†¦without this wakening, the learning or scholar will remain a xiaoren Ru, no matter how well versed he may be in ritual subjects, and no matter how blameless he may be in his ethical conduct. † In my opi nion, apart from pointing out Confucius advocates his pupils to study the Songs and Music, Kim has not given sufficient evidence to support this claim.He has not shown any Confucius’s teaching that could demonstrate the fundamental difference between a xiaoren’s and a junzi’s aesthetic awareness, but rather Kim provides claims simply from his own exploration of Confucius’s thoughts. To further prove that Kim’s interpretation is inaccurate, there are numerous examples of junzi lacking of musical talents and xiaoren being extremely talented in aesthetic. In my opinion, Confucius does believe that music could change one’s mind, adjust one’s mood, smooth one’s qi (energy) and etc. , but Confucius certainly does not identify a junzi from a xiaoren based on aesthetics. . Resolution: Interdependent and Dependent Virtues of Junzi According to Antonio S. Cua, junzi is a paradigmatic individual who sets the tone and quality of the life o f ordinary moral agents, and a junzi is a person who embodies ren (humanness, ? ), yi (righteousness, ? ), li (rites, ?). In addition, unlike Ahn or Kim, Cua recognizes that except the basic, interdependent, and cardinal virtues of ren, yi, and li, a junzi also involves particular dependent virtues such as filiality (xiao, ? ), magnanimity (kuan, ? ), trustworthiness (xin, ? ), and courage (yong, ? ).Cua regards these as dependent virtues in the sense that their ethical significance depends on connection with the basic, interdependent, and cardinal virtues; and Antonio S. Cua further stresses that dependent virtues are not subordinate or logical derivatives of the basic virtues. In 14:30, the Master said, â€Å"The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear. † As we interpreted in class that according to Confucius, to become a junzi, one must be morally goo d, intellectually wise, and psychologically brave.In my point of view, I highly agree with Cua’s claim and I think although Confucius identifies humanness, wisdom, and courage as the superior man’s three core virtues, interdependent virtues and dependent virtues work together to form the junzi. To clarify, Antonio S. Cua borrows Xunzi’s distinction, a Chinese Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period and contributed to one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, the cardinal virtues ren, yi, and li are generic terms, and dependent virtues such as xiao, kuan, xin, yong are specified terms.In other words, â€Å"specified terms are terms that specify the concrete significance of the cardinal virtues in particular contexts of discourse† (Cua, 2007). To demonstrate further, in the Analects, we could find fragments of Confucius’s remarks that mention both cardinal virtues and dependent virtues in the same contexts. For example, â€Å"T here were four things which the Master taught: letters (wen, ? ), ethics (xing, ? ), devotion of soul (zhong, ? ), and truthfulness (xin, ? ). † —Confucius, The Analects, 7. 25And in 14:28 we could find Confucius’s teaching of ren, zhi (wisdom, ? ), and yong (courage, ? ); in 3:19 li and zhong; in 13:4 li, yi, and xin and so on. For heuristic purposes, Cua regards dependent virtues as two different groups: supportive and constitutive virtues. Cua explains that the distinction between are that the former are â€Å"genial or helpful, though not necessary, to the development of the cardinal virtues such as ren, yi, and li;† whereas the latter, are those that are â€Å"both supportive and constitutive of the quality of the cardinal virtues actualized† (Cua, 2007).Also, depending on the character and temperament, a constitutive and supportive virtue varies, that is, what is merely a constitutive attribute in one person may be a supportive merit for anoth er. Thus, Cua believes that Confucius’s idea of the junzi is flexible or adaptable, and I highly agree with him. To sum up, in my point of view, according to Confucius, what qualities a junzi should cultivate, possess, and practice is the unity of virtues that consists of ren, yi, and li as the basic cardinal virtues, and combining with other qualities such as xiao, yong, zhong, xin, kuan, etc.Depending on each different person and situation, the mapping of the virtues of junzi is in the distinction between basic, cardinal, interdependent and dependent, supportive and constitutive virtues, which may be referred to â€Å"the way of the superior man is unityfold. † 7. Conclusion On this paper, I provided background information of the topic; I discussed and dissected two interpretations made by Hosung Ahn and Ha Poong Kim. In response to Ahn’s and Kim’s argument, I have made a personal critique that a junzi is not a tragic person and that a junzi is not requ ired to possess aesthetic awareness.I then offered my resolution along with employing Antonio S. Cua’s interpretation of this topic. In short, by presenting a map of junzi’s virtues that consists of both interdependent and dependent virtues; it reveals that the Confucius’s conception of junzi is a unity of virtues with flexibility. Works Cited Ahn,  Hosung. â€Å"Junzi as a Tragic Person: A Self Psychological Interpretation of the Analects. â€Å"Pastoral Psychology, 57. 1/2 (2008): 101. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 1 Apr. 2012 Confucius (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). †Ã‚  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, CSLI, Stanford University, 3 July 2002. Web. 1 May 2012. Cua,  Antonio. â€Å"Virtues of Junzi. â€Å"Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 34 (2007): 125. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Mar. 2012 Kim,  Ha Poong. â€Å"Confucius's Aesthetic Concept of Noble Man: Beyond Moralism. †Ã‚  Asian P hilosophy, 16. 2 (2006): 111. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 28 Mar. 2012 Kohut, H (1985). Self psychology and the science of man.In Humanities and self psychology: Reflections on a new psychoanalytic approach (pp. 73-94). New York: Norton. Legge, James. Confucian Analects. In Vol. I of Chinese Classics. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1895. Print. Phan, Cha? nh Co? ng. The Eastern paths to philosophic self-enlightenment: an introduction to Eastern philosophies. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co. , 2002. Print. Shun, K. -L. (2002). Ren ? and li ? in the Analects. In B. W. Van Norden (Ed. ), Confucius and the Analects: New essays (pp. 3-72). New York: Oxford University Press. Weber, M. (1968). The religion of China (H. Gerth, Trans. ). New York: Free Press. ——————————————– [ 2 ]. The numbering of the book/chapter of a passage from the Analects follows James Legge’s in his translation of the text (1895). [ 3 ]. The cited phrase comes from The religion of China by Weber, M. [ 4 ]. Ren ? and li ? in the Analect. Confucius and the Analects written by K. Shun, as cited in Hosung Ahn’s article.

Nike Sweatshop

Trust Nikkei Inc. , the sports apparel multinational company has been under suspicion and scrutiny for their practice of the unfair treatment and negligent labor habits In their offshore factories. They have been criticized for human rights abuse, child labor law violations, as well as minimum wages and trade union relations violations within a number of Asian countries. They subsequently misguided the public in an attempt to make one believe there is no substance to the allegations of their involvement.The abusive and exploitative treatment and working conditions In these factories has been touted as Inhumane In nature as well as an Implored violation of worker's human rights (Figure 1). Some of the most common abuses being Imposed upon their workers were insufficient pay (Figure 2), inferior and hazardous working conditions, below standard living conditions and long grueling hours away from their families and home. In 2000 more than 11,000 sweatshops violated minimum wage and over time laws.This type of behavior brings to question their ability to gain trust thin their company amongst their employees, their investors, and the public. This hinges on one aspect of Interpersonal behavior found In Nine's sweatshops. By definition, trust is a culture of transparent communication which forms a foundation for building relationships. A sense of safety and the level of comfort when it comes to interpersonal interaction; this pervades a workplace that should developed and nurture a culture of trust (About. Com). NIKKEI Inc. Pays Tiger Woods enough money that he could purchase a house In the slums of Indonesia every second, while it pays heir factory workers low wages. It takes a worker In Indonesia work roughly 9. 5 years to make what Tiger makes In one round of golf Figure 3 shows the hourly wage for a Nikkei factory worker in Indonesia is $0. 34 an hour, which comes up to roughly $23. 80 a week per worker. This barely gives workers enough wages to cover their daily n eeds, versus $925. 00 per week for a comparable job in the United States. From an equity theory stance, this could lead to mistrust for Nine's underpaid workers.Nine's blatant unwillingness early on to be fair and Just In establishing equal pay for equal ark clearly would give their workers a sense of mistrust by taking advantage of not only the economic hardships within the country In which they've set up shop: but also by underrepresented what would be considered a â€Å"fair† wage if Nine's factory had been established in the United States. According to Greenberg the equity theory states, â€Å"People are motivated to maintain, equitable relationships between themselves and others and to avoid those relationships that are inequitable†.According to an AM Broadcast (201 3), unions In Indonesia say at least six Nikkei- contracted factories have applied to be exempt from paying an Increases to the minimum wage rate. According to Jim Keyed, founder of Educating for Justi ce, â€Å"this is a clear violation of Nine's code of conduct and in a more general sense; the minimum wage is a poverty wage alone. To pay less than the minimum wage I Just think absolutely runs counter to Nine's public claims that they care about the welfare of their workers and they want to see them have decent lives. Nikkei has also been accused of using deplorable tactics and coercion to force workers to produce Nine's defiant workers. If an employee doesn't do what is asked of them, they are whipped, eaten, killed, threatened at gun point, and subjected to search and seizure tactics within their homes. In any environment, work related or otherwise, where there is such brutality, an employee's emotional state and lack of positive motivation invites vulnerability, both internal as well as externally prohibiting those involved in any attempt at establishing trust.Typical in any relationship, as it applies to working conditions, when one person perceives that management and/or th e organization does not place a vested interest in their wellbeing equal to the organization itself, there is breach in confidence and trust. Corporate Responsibility: The pyramid of corporate social responsibility is composed of four types of responsibilities: Philanthropic, Ethical, Legal and Financial. According to Greenberg, â€Å"To be socially responsible, companies must meet the four types of responsibilities (2013).Nikkei has portrayed its sweatshop allegations as more of a crime against public relations rather than face that they've violated the factory workers' human rights. Their strategic decision has been to mislead the public. They have avoided addressing key issues regarding wages, forced overtime and suppression of workers' eight to freedom of association. This has led credence to civil and human rights groups to be Justifiably correct in treating Nikkei with suspicion. NIKKEI, Inc. ‘s code of ethics for all employees called, Inside the Lines, addresses the ex pectations of Nines' employees.It clearly defines the expectations of its employees to follow and include a range of topics regarding: employee activity, ethical behavior, product safety, legal compliance, competition and use of resources. Nine's code of conduct specifically addresses and places emphasis on the conduct of contractors that manufacture Nikkei-branded products. It directs them to respect the rights of their employees and promises to provide workers with a safe and healthy work environment. Nine's code of conduct states, â€Å"Nine's good name and reputation result in large part from our collective actions.That means the work-related activities of every employee must reflect standards of honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness, fairness, concern for others and accountability. We are expected to be sensitive to any situations that can adversely impact Nine's reputation and are expected to use good Judgment and common sense in the way we all conduct business. This Code of Ethi cs applies to Nikkei and its subsidiaries worldwide† (Nikkei, 2009). Yet, Nine's actions go completely against their policy regarding ethics and conduct.A clear violation of trust, as well as under- minding the responsibility of a reputable corporation to do what is morally and ethically right. It wasn't until the brutal working conditions, and intimidation tactics against these factory workers were exposed and Nine's corporate image was at stake. Price Waterholes Coopers (PWS), an independent monitoring firm hired by NIKKEI Inc to conduct interviews and surveys of the overseas factories. The interviews with Nine's factory workers lasted approximately 7 to 10 minutes each.The venue in which the interviews were conducted were not in a private setting where workers could express themselves openly, which was intimidating at best. In 1999, a worker in an Indonesia factory stated, that PWS or NIKKEI interviewed three line workers, the supervisors knew who the workers were and appro ached them after the interview to try to discover what they had disclosed. Clear violation of trust, workers could not workers to express themselves without reprisal. As you can see in the chart labeledFigure 4, Nikkei revenue sales were impact after the Nikkei scandal broke. While it appears revenue sales are beginning to incline there was a definite dip, which more than likely can be attributed to the scandal regarding Nine's business practices and treatment toward factory workers abroad as opposed to that of workers in the United States. NIKKEI sales are on the rise due to endorsements form Derek Jester ( New York Yankees), Eddie Jones (Miami Heat), Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) and of course, Michael Jordan.Also, they have almost fixed the labor problems worldwide that have bothered them for years. Therefore, Nikkei is moving in the right direction to regain corporate social trust. Recommendations: Build Trust & Improve Corporate Responsibility From an ethical and corporate res ponsibility standpoint Nikkei should understand that they have obligation not only to their employees but to consumers as well to live up to the ethos they embody. Building trust amongst and commitment amongst their employees is vital to improving their corporate image.Enhancing their social image could attract more customers and investors, therefore provide positive benefits while creating a working environment that where employees feel safe, expected and valued will promote productivity and positive cash flow for the company. For example, to improve its public image, Nikkei could do the following: Establish a team to perform audits or inspection of facilities. Actively invest in the education of their overseas workers and/or their children to ensure they are taught valuable skills to better themselves. Offer opportunities for upward mobility.Create scholarships for the children of these families who have demonstrated the want to better themselves (this will do wonders to build cre dibility between Nikkei and the employee). Provide better health care for offshore workers possibly for a minimal fee so that the coverage is equivalent to that which is offered to their counter parts in the United States. Directly invest money into the surrounding communities (this will foster a sense of goodwill as well as increasing the number of qualified applicants for positions that need to be filled).Connect employees to financial services that can aid in providing relief and resources to help with obtaining adequate and habitable housing. Establish partnerships with non-profit organizations that promote the embodiment of humanity. Would do well to implement lessons learned or post- assessment process to address or curtail future issues before they get out of hand. Conduct forums which allow for the exchanging of ideas between the workers and management (this will create a sense of commitment and belonging).Ensure that a percentage of the supervisors and managers come from th e host nation (this should help to establish trust and alleviate cultural tension). Nikkei has a corporate responsibility to all stakeholders. Engaging in one or more of these suggestions could position them well on their way to be viewed as a company that cares for its rockers, appreciates its customers, respects its shareholders and its workers, as well as, is committed to society. The majority of the recommendations listed here are feasible. It will require NIKKEI to invest in its employees.

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Hypertension - Essay Example This is not a condition which can be treated lightly. If you have Hypertension, you have to get it treated. You ignore it only at your peril. Doctors think that many things combine to cause Hypertension2. Hypertension can be caused by other illnesses and it is often cured once the original medical problem is cured Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition and the symptoms just show chronically high blood pressure. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of another condition, such as kidney disease or tumors, Being overweight, drinking too much alcohol, and eating too much salt, stress ,genetics, older age, family history of high blood pressure , chronic kidney disease and adrenal and thyroid disorders are risk factors because they raise your risk of having hypertension. They do not cause it directly but they can contribute to it and if not watched can aggravate it.. It is interesting to know, that while you cannot accuse a disease of being racist or sexist, if you are an African American you are more likely to get Hyperte nsion. If you are a pregnant woman you are again more susceptible to it. These are things which can't be ignored and many times these risk factors can add up and can be even more dangerous. A pregnant African American woman may need to look at the possibility of hypertension with that much more care. Now it does not mean that if you have any of these you are likely to get hypertension and that if you have none of these, that you won't get hypertension. It just means that if you have any of the above risk factors, you should make an effort to take precautions. Statistics on Hypertension The number of people suffering from Hypertension in the United States is staggering. In reports given by the department of Health, the percent of non-institutionalized adults ages 20 and over is 29% (2001-2004)3. That is more than one out of every four adults has Hypertension. This is a staggering number. And this is not some benign number either. This is a number which directly translates into fatalities. The number of deaths in 2004 was 23,076. In other words deaths per 100,000 populations are 7.9. These are real and frightening numbers. Symptoms of Hypertension Now, how would one know if they have hypertension There are usually no symptoms or signs of hypertension. In fact, nearly one-third of those who have it don't know it. The only way to know if you have hypertension definitely is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including, Severe headache , Fatigue or confusion , Vision problems , Chest pain , difficulty breathing , Irregular heartbeat Blood in the urine . People often think that High Blood Pressure is dangerous and while very often it is true, we deal with high blood pressure constantly on a daily basis. Blood pressure goes up in all people during periods of stress or exercise. But avoiding stress will not prevent high blood pressure. You can have High Blood Pressure even though you are usually a calm, relaxed person. High Blood pressure is fairly common and that is precisely why, everyone

Employee Engagement In The Global World And Its Challenges Essay

Employee Engagement In The Global World And Its Challenges - Essay Example These experiences are the processes that determine how much the workers desire to be engaged. If employers ensure that these experiences are positive, they will be successful in can stimulating a basic desire in their workers to consistently work to their greatest capacity. Employee engagement can actually be referred to as the opposite of an authoritative leadership that decides what work all workers should engage in, how they should do it, and with what attitude they should do it. The presumption in the business world is that a business’s engagement level forecasts the positive concentration as well as the collective effort that a firm can expect from workers within job confines. Many businesses have also observed that having workers with enormous talent, but who are not engaged for their opinions is poor value. The economic value of engagement can comprise of higher quality goods, lower direct supervision costs, higher customer loyalty, higher revenue per employee, more inn ovation events, a steady increase in stock price, and higher return on human capital. Significant engagement evaluation is resultant from attitude categorization psychometrics and is gathered through survey responses to a whole list of questions regarding workers’ experiences and feelings toward established engagement â€Å"drivers†. An employee study that correctly can measure employee engagement is empirically legalized to assess the 15 established drivers of engagement which deeply influence on-the-job effort and behavior.  ... The economic value of engagement can comprise of higher quality goods, lower direct supervision costs, higher customer loyalty, higher revenue per employee, more innovation events, a steady increase in stock price, and higher return on human capital. Quality Employee Engagement Measurement Significant engagement evaluation is resultant from attitude categorization psychometrics and is gathered through survey responses to a whole list of questions regarding workers’ experiences and feelings toward established engagement â€Å"drivers† (Castillo and Cano, 2004). An employee study that correctly can measure employee engagement is empirically legalized to assess the 15 established drivers of engagement which deeply influence on-the-job effort and behaviour. The responses as well as the intensity of the workers’ responses to these drivers should be contrasted against important ranges that give the results meaning. Many times, business’s seeking to measure emplo yee engagement will assess the wrong drivers and end up adjusting or altering the wrong things so that employee engagement levels continue to deteriorate. Engagement ratios indexes and are best calculated from workers’ responses to questions examining the 15 universal extrinsic and intrinsic engagement drivers (Berman, Bowman, West and Van Wart, 2006). This gives the basis for categorizing the engagement level, and every worker’s level of negative or positive emotional attachment to the business and its objectives. It is vital to automatically merge that information into different workgroup profiles to make sure that all respondents are guaranteed anonymity. Correct engagement profiles make it effortless to handle important opportunities for enhancement and give rise to valuable action

Specifying the components to build a PC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Specifying the components to build a PC - Essay Example Same is the case with other components. Let us consider that we want to buy a computer for our personal use. A personal computer (PC) does not need to have very high performance and costly components. The main components that should be the better ones are the processor and the RAM. Because these two components, if are of best capabilities, ensure the working performance of the whole system. A personal computer should be optimized for multimedia, gaming and application programs like word processors, spreadsheet programs, etc. It should be capable of running programs in parallel as most people like to listen to their favorite music while typing an email to one the best friends, etc. Computer games often contain a lot of transitional effects and animations, so LCD supportive to high resolutions will be a good choice. Budget is always the most important consideration in buying a computer. Always define a proper budget range in which you can easily afford to buy the computer. This will help you to decide the components that will be suitable to purchase within your budget range. After the budget is decided, make a list of the components that you want to be attached to your machine. In our scenario, let us consider that we have $800 budget in total. We will try to get the best possible components within this budget. Now we have to decide the components that are required for our computer. First we have to make a list of those components that are a must for the computer to work. These components are as follows: This is a list of all those components that are necessary for every personal computer to work properly. The system will have built-in VGA, sound card and an internal speaker. Now, we will try to take a look at these components in detail and try to get the best suited components within our budget and as per our requirements. If we look at the quotation given in the above section, it

Managerial Economics Week 7 Individual Work Assignment

Managerial Economics Week 7 Individual Work - Assignment Example The information asymmetry by the buyer will enable him/her to go for more quality tests on the product. An experience good is a good in which its prices and quality are in question by the consumers. After the consumption, the consumer will then be able to ascertain the quality of the product. Consumers then are more likely to pay higher prices for the product because lower prices by the notorious firm will raise the consumers’ eyebrows. Consumers will also be able to question whether there are some problems, which cannot be observed in the market but only upon consumption. Higher prices indicate how genuine the product can be thus consumers will go for the product at higher prices. Good branding of the products will also contribute towards higher prices by consumers (Holt, 2009). In the long-run, consumers will opt to paying lower prices. The decision to pay lower prices results from the fact that one gets to know the quality of the product after its

Management by Objectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management by Objectives - Essay Example By setting objectives and completing them - the employee can enjoy a sense of accomplishment. Assuming a company has clearly conveyed a mission to be an embraceable vision for all employees from top to bottom; setting objectives with the employee and then letting the employee execute them gives the employee a feeling of team work and belonging. Peter Drucker first addressed MBO in 1954 in his book The practice of Management He later readdressed MBO in updated editions, including, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices originally published 1973. In the book in Drucker is always careful to stress the human element of management. (Drucker, 21973) He stresses the combined power of teamwork when strengths are emphasized. We are all managed in some way, whether it is by our parents, our jobs or our rules of society. A concrete example of management by objectives is from the company where I am employed. The company requires the manager to sit down with each associate and set goals for the year. Some goals are individually driven and some are business driven. For example, an individual goal might be to learn (or job shadow) a different position in the company, whereas a company goal might be to complete audit reports within a 180 days of the start. The individual goal is set by the associate; sometimes with the coaching of the manager, if needed.

Instructional strategies and approaches Essay Example for Free

Instructional strategies and approaches Essay Introduction Careful monitoring of student learning is an essential component of quality education . It is a strong predictor of student achievement as well as a major differentiating factor between effective schools and teachers from the ineffective ones. Monitoring of student learning refers to the various activities pursued by responsible and competent teachers to keep track of student learning for purposes of making instructional decisions and providing feedback to students on their performance and progress in school. Strategies for Monitoring Students. Students have different learning styles which is why teachers should strive hard to find activities that will suit the needs of their students. One way of monitoring students to ensure learning is by asking them questions about the lesson presented to check if they understand it or not. Questioning is a highly effective strategy to draw students into the learning process from the very beginning of a class session until the end. It stimulates their interest in new subjects, ideas and challenges; and it encourages students to be reflective about their own beliefs, assumptions and comprehension of new topics. Questioning conveys to students what they are to learn, what they are to do, and how they are going to do it. Effective questioning involves planning and practice prior to conducting lessons. Questions, oral recitations and other means of calling upon students to demonstrate their understanding of lessons presented are some of the methods teachers used to find out if their instruction is working and effective or if it needs to be explained further or adjusted in some way to ensure learning of students. Another method of monitoring student learning and progress is by supervising their seat works. This activity involves the teacher to circulate or move around the classroom to check how well or how poorly the students are progressing in the task. This is also an opportunity for her to provide a one-to-one instruction to those who need it. Homework on the other hand can be beneficial, neutral, or detrimental depending upon the nature and the context of the homework tasks. When carefully monitored by the teacher, this activity can increase the student’s learning time, thus, may contribute to an increase in the student’s achievement. Homework also helps students gain a positive attitude towards school, toward the particular subject areas in which homework is assigned and toward the homework itself. Daily, weekly and monthly reviews can at the same time enhance the learning of new material if incorporated with questioning and other learning probes. In this manner, the teacher can identify those areas which needs re-teaching. Classroom testing also bear a positive relationship to later student achievement when administered regularly and frequently. Studies revealed that students who are tested frequently and given feedback immediately are found to have positive attitudes toward tests. They regard tests as a facilitating factor to the learning and studying process. Finally, teachers should frequently review student’s performance data to check on their performance and progress. This is conducted for the purpose of identifying who among the students are at risks, needs remediation or a one-on-one teaching. Effective Monitoring Systems Teachers should, before proceeding to the next lesson, determine first whether the students understood her lessons or not. It is very important that students should practice or perform skills in the right way first before introducing them to another lesson or sub-skill. One of the best and most effective ways of monitoring my students is by asking them questions during class discussions. This is not only to draw their attention towards the lesson presented to them, but to also to stimulate their interest to the next topic that I am about to introduce to them. Questioning accomplishes so many things in my students. First, it reinforces or corrects their understanding towards the subject being discussed to them. It also encourages them to engage in active learning. It provides them new information gained from the questions raised and it gives them an opportunity to clarify some points in the subject being discussed. Foremost, it prepares them to learn and apply new skill to new challenges, and thus, extends their way of thinking about life. Questioning does not only broaden my students’ focus on the topic presented to them but it enables me to identify their preparedness to accept new information. This learned information helps me to modify, restructure or change the lessons that I am about to introduce to them afterwards. I also believe in the importance of supervising my student’s seatwork. I see that this strategy initiates more interaction with my students than just wait for them to call me and ask for help. When necessary, I also give extension for those who need extra time to finish their tasks. This is to allow slow learners to cope with the rest of their classmates. Other than providing personalized or one-on-one instruction, time extensions is also helpful and effective as a means to ensure learning in students. When my students are through with their tasks, I always make sure to have them turned in for checking and grading purposes. Monitoring student’s homework is also a great help to ensure learning in students. To be able to reap its benefits, I always make sure that the homework I gave to them are those that are tied to the subject matter we currently studied in the classroom and are appropriate to their maturity level. I use this type of monitoring system as a means of extending student practice time with the new material presented to them. I also make sure that parents get involve in the process, and that they are aware of what needs to be done so that they themselves encourage their child to do the homework. Turned in homework are always graded, commented on and checked before being handed back to students as this would allow my students to review and correct their mistakes. Finally, to check whether my instructions were fully understood or not, I give my students a test or a short quiz to confirm their grasp of the lesson presented to them and to identify as well possible gaps in their knowledge and understanding of the subject area. This also helps me keep track of my student’s learning for the purposes of making instructional decisions and providing feedback on their performance and progress in school. All these strategies are used to be able to make adjustments in my instructions to ensure learning in my students; to determine if the methods I used in teaching them are effective or not and; to identify as well who among my students are at risks, needs remediation or a one-on-one teaching.

The first World War Essay Example for Free

The first World War Essay Part way through the Second World War Hitler occupied nearly all of Europe, including France. He decided to take Britain next. His first plan failed. So he resorted to the blitz. The blitz was the constant bombing of major cities in Britain, along with other targets such as food and railways. But this wasnt Hitlers ideal way to take Britain. But to understand why this and everything else previously occurred, we need to go back to the end of the First World War, when the allied countries, Italy, America, France, Britain and Belgium put together the treaty of Versailles. This treaty blamed Germany for the war, and made them pay compensation to the allied countries for the cost and damages expenses of the war. Their army was reduced to 100,000 men and 10% of their land was taken away. Soon after the end of the war came the Wall Street crash, this came as a result of the treaty of Versailles. The German people were in a mess, as was their country. They were looking for a strong leader who felt the same way as they did, and would promise them improvement. Hitler fitted the bill. In 1933 Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, and from then on he worked solely for war. He even went behind the backs of the allies to do so. He wanted to regain the land that had been taken from them, and he wanted to take extra to make room for his perfect race. So, in short, he built an army and marched to war. Hitler developed a tactic known as Blitzkrieg which means lightning war. This was a two way attack that surprised the enemy into submission. He would bomb the city he was advancing on at the same time as advancing on foot, then moving onto the next target very quickly. This resulted in a large amount of Europe being taken very quickly with these tactics. But the beginning of the Second World War was only signalled when Hitler decided to invade Poland, as Poland was allied with both France and Britain. The rest of Europe soon fell to the Germans, and now only two countries remained to be taken; Britain and Russia. Hitler chose Britain, as he had already made an agreement with Russia that stated that they would not attack each other. This meant that Hitler would only be attacking one country at once as Russia would not attack, just so long as he didnt invade them. Hitlers approach to invading Britain was slightly different to his approach with the rest of Europe, as the British channel separated Britain from him. So he decided to put into action operation sea lion. Operation sea lion required the Luftwaffe to bomb the British air bases, thereby gaining air superiority, and thus being able to cross the British channel safely. And so The Battle of Britain began. Over a period the Luftwaffe were defeated, due partly to the superiority of the British aircraft, such as the supermaire spitfire and the hawker hurricane. The invention of radar also played a big part, as it allowed British aircraft to see the Luftwaffe in advance. This forced Hitler to change his tactics and so he decided to use the blitz. On the 7th of September 1940 the continuous bombing of all major cities and some other targets began. On the first night alone over 2000 died or suffered from injuries. By doing this, Hitler aimed to shock Britain into surrender, as he believed that Britain didnt want a war. So his targets were designed to cause as much damage and unrest as possible, aiming for densely populated areas, such as cities, (but especially ones with ports) food supplies and factories. The blitz only stopped after the d-day landings, so Britain was bombed for 8 months. In which time many children had been evacuated, gas masks handed out, shelters had become many peoples second homes, and 40,000 men, women and children had died. 2 million were homeless. In bombing Britain, Hitler concentrated on several targets. A port, railways, food supplies, factories, etc. any city by the sea was heavily targeted, as they had every single one of the above. Coventry, Plymouth and Bristol were three heavily targeted cities. Coventry was bombed because it was the centre of Britains arms trade and machining industry. As it was quite a small city, the 450 German bombers in the raid caused enormous damage, totally demolishing the majority of the city centre. 554 people were killed and 865 were seriously injured. 30,000 fire bombs fell cut from the daily verald. This counter propaganda was released along with RAF Strikes Berlin and Coventry, Not a mortal blow. 450 bombers, and yet the factories were back to full production in only 6 weeks. Several other major attacks on Coventry took place, such as the one on November 14 1940. On this day, the Luftwaffe had pulled all the stops out. The raid was made by 515 German bombers, two thirds from Luftwaffe 3 and the rest from the pathfinders of Kampfgruppe 100. The attack, code-named Operation Moonlight Sonata, was intended to undermine Coventrys ability to supply the Royal Air Force and the British Army by demolishing factories and industrial infrastructure, although it was clear that the damage to the city, including monuments and residential areas, would be considerable. The initial wave was of 13 specially modified Heinkel He 111 aircraft of Kampfgruppe 100, which were equipped with X-Geri t navigational devices, accurately dropping marker flares at 19:20. The British and the Germans were fighting the Battle of the Beams and on this night the British failed to fully disrupt the X-Geri t signals. However, the cathedral was heavily bombed, which enticed Britain to retaliate by bombing Berlin, a very historical city in Germany. Plymouth was one of the United Kingdoms principal naval dockyards. The city was extensively blitzed during the Second World War, to the extent that approximately twice the amount of housing stock that existed prior to the war was destroyed during it (as a consequence of rebuilt houses being successively hit). Although the dockyards were the principal targets, civilian casualties were inevitably very high. The first bomb fell on the city on Saturday 6 July 1940 at Swilly, killing 3 people. The last attack came on 30 April 1944. Altogether 1,172 people were killed and 3,269 people were injured these figures do not include the many service casualties. At one point the population fell from 220,000, at the start of the conflict, to 127,000. Probably the worst single raid of the blitz was on a central area of the town called Portland Square. On the evening of the 22 April 1941 the communal air raid shelter took a direct hit, killing 70 people. As a result of one of the first raids, 26 people were killed, 60 houses demolished, 400 houses seriously damages and 2,000 slightly damaged. The citys electricity was restored in the afternoon, but gas was not available until 3 weeks later. After raids, locals teamed together and sang the national anthem as they dug out survivors. As this helped maintain and lift moral, it was strongly encouraged. On Monday 6th January meat rations were reduced from1s 10d to 1s 6d. Then on the Thursday of the same week, their majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited Plymouth and toured the service establishments. Then, the very next day, Mr Winston Churchill visited Plymouth and Britains reconstruction chief recommended they plan boldly, and plan now! To conclude, my answer to the question why did Hitler bomb British cities? is Hitler bombed Britain to try and force them into surrender. Because he couldnt risk sending his fleet across the British channel he tried to take out our air bases, but because he failed to gain air superiority he changed tackics. He was hoping that the British civilians could be so demoralised by the relentless dropping of bombs that they would force Churchill to surrender. But he failed. What effect did the blitz have on Britain? In the summer of 1939, the British government were making plans. Hitler was still making threats and war seemed imminent. And so they began to plan for the event of war, majoring on air defences. And so, when the attacks did come, the nation was prepared. Taking into account that aerial attacks would, undoubtedly kill many civilians, the government began to evacuate children out of the cities, thereby protecting the future generations. Many young children were evacuated prior to the first bombings. The government had portrayed the idea that when your children arrived in the country they would be brought into loving homes and would be looked after as if they were part of the family. They sent out propaganda films showing children running in and out of the woods and having school lessons on fields with butterflies. However, the real events were quite different. When the children arrived in the village they would be staying in, they would be lined up and hand picked. The larger, healthier children were picked first, leaving the scrawnier, dirtier children to be picked last. Many parents didnt like the thought of their children going to stay with strangers, and in many cases, quite rightly so. Some children received regular beatings from their new families and some were even sexually abused. And so, when the parents began to get letters from their children, or in some cases no letters came, the parents began to call their children home, but by that time, some had already run away. However, after the first air raid, many parents saw the sense in evacuation and sent their children back into the countryside. The blitz had another major effect on Britain: the government foresaw that if the Germans bombed them, then they would easily find their targets, as they would be lit up like a spot light, so they introduced the blackouts. At first, everything was totally blacked out. From street lamps to torches, everything was gone. However, this did cause a few problems, such as there was a large increase in the amount of Car crashes, so slits were introduces to help combat that. It worked too, as there were fewer crashes and the desired effect was still accomplished. The blackouts also had the effect of giving that illusion that the bombers were in the wrong place. In addition to getting rid of the lights in the cities, they also would place lots of lights on top of hills all around, giving the wrong impression again, and therefore minimise damage. For 8 months the blackouts plunged Britain into darkness, and the near constant darkness didnt help with moral. But is was necessary as it not only protected the cities, but airbases and in coastal regions a shore-side blackout of city lights would also help protect ships from being seen and attacked by enemy submarines farther out to sea. Overall, the blackouts played a vital part in keeping Britain in the war. War is notorious for causing civil panic, and as a result lower moral and more deaths. The government needed to educate. That way, when first raids did come, the people didnt simply run around like headless chickens, but they all knew exactly what they had to do, and proceeded to do it. To educate the people they introduced drills and news reels before films. The news reels acted as an education program, stating the procedure that would take place in the event of a raid. The drills were a practical procedure that everyone learnt. You were taught the different signals, stating the different type of raid (e. g. Gas, fire bomb, etc). These drills had a major effect in the long run, as they save many lives and helped to keep the country orderly when under attack. Rationing was another dramatic change for Britain. At the beginning of World War II, the UK imported 55 million tons of foodstuffs per year (70%), including more than 50% of its meat, 70% of its cheese and sugar, nearly 80% of fruits and about 90% of cereals and fats. One of the principal strategies Germany used was to attack shipping bound for the UK, restricting British industry and potentially starving the nation into submission. In order to deal with the extreme shortages the Ministry of Food instituted a system of rationing. It was introduced on the 8th of January 1940, with bacon, butter and sugar being rationed. Next then came meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, milk and canned fruit. Each person would register with their local shops, and was provided with a ration book containing coupons. The shopkeeper was then provided with enough food for his or her registered customers. When purchasing goods, the purchaser had to hand over the coupon as well as the money for the purchase. Strict rationing caused many people to buy food on the black market and thus having a negative effect on British society. Everyone was issued the same amount of food, (per person, so bigger families didnt go without). The typical weekly ration per person was Bacon 6oz Cheese 4oz Butter 4oz Eggs 2 Milk 1 pint Tea 3oz Sugar 12oz Dried milk 4 pints Dried eggs 12 per eight weeks Sweets 3oz Food like bread, fish, fruit and vegetables were not rationed, but the queues were very long. Initially, this benefited the poorer families, as they were entitled to the same amount to food and therefore ended up eating more than they had done prior to the war. The way the government ensured that people got their fair share was to issue ration books. Each was different, depending on you age, for instance, babies were blue, childrens green, and adults brown. The general public were also encouraged to convert their gardens into allotments, thus providing more food for each family. Clothes were also rationed from June 1941. Each person was issued with 66 coupons per year, with which they had to buy all their cloths. For example, a coat would cost 14 coupons and its money value. Petrol was very hard to come by, so most people cycled or walked, as fuel was used for emergency purposes or government needs. As the war developed, almost everything was rationed. Towels, cutlery, furniture, sheets were all in short supply. In 1942, even soap was rationed. Without rationing, Britain would have almost certainly have fallen to Germany. It was only because everyone knew that they were getting the same amount of food as their neighbour that a civil revolt didnt break out and Britain didnt surrender. In the 20th centaury, many houses were small, and fairly basic. They werent very sturdy either. And if a raid came, and a bomb landed on your house, then you would be dead.

Effects Of Co2 Emission Legislation Economics Essay

Effects Of Co2 Emission Legislation Economics Essay The global climate conditions are incessantly changing which has become a threat and one of the greatest challenges faced by the international community. Transport is amongst one of the main factor causing one fifth of greenhouse gas emissions and also a large share of air pollution and noise nuisance (Braithwaite and Drahos, 2000). Additionally it divides natural areas into small patches that lead to severe consequences on the landscape which makes it detrimental to environmental sustainability. The number of vehicles worldwide is projected to increase from around 700 million at present to 1.1 billion by 2020, so if anything, the problems caused by cars will get worse not better, unless dramatic changes are made (Burns et al 2002). In response to the mounting concerns and substantial evidences over global warning, a suite of climate change legislation has been introduced. According to the Kyoto protocol the European Union must reduce greenhouse gas emission by 8%. International manu facturing is dominated by car industry and the vehicle production is considered as the worlds largest manufacturing sector. With internationally integrated investment, production and sales; the automotive industry has the supremacy to manage environmental damage. The authoritative positioning of car industry spawns two contrasting viewpoints; (i) the industrys products are a major source of global environmental damage; (ii) industrys persistently determined to strike a balance between the imperatives of profitability and environmental sustainability. Safety measures have been introduced and legislations have been put forward by the traditional car producing countries for reducing the specific emission for vehicles and to increase fuel efficiency of cars. The study expounds on the various aspects that encompasses the need for CO2 emission legislation and its pertinent ambiguities. The study further investigates the response of EU car industry by critically analysing its strategic app roach to fight against the challenges it faces due to proposed legislation and constantly evolving economic conditions. 1.1 ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE BY AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY Transport industry is responsible for several activities that one way or another cause environmental damage and these may include; fuel extraction, processing and transport, manufacturing and 90 percent of all carbon monoxide emissions are also cause by cars. In addition to this, cars are also a major cause of acid rain. Following are some facts and figures compiled by examining the existing data that accounts for ample evidence of the environmental damage caused by cars; Amongst all land-based modes of transport, cars are the most energy intensive with petrol-powered cars consuming in aggregate more energy and producing more greenhouse gas emissions than any other type of vehicle (International Energy Agency 1993). Annually seven billion pounds of scrap and waste is produced by international car industry (Elster,1989) Cars are a prime cause of the depletion of the worlds resources (Freund and Martin, 1993). About 25 percent of total CO2 emissions are caused by transportation industry out of which up to 85 percent is caused by road transport (UNEP 2003). On average, road transport accounts for 48 percent of NOx emissions in OECD countries and around 60 percent of this is done by cars (Paterson, 2000). 1.2 ANALYZING THE NEED FOR CO2 EMISSION LEGISLATION The CO2 emissions in the EU grew by 32% between 1990 and 2005 unlike other sectors accomplished to reduce their emissions by 9.5% on average over the same period (World Values Survey, 2003). Earlier, the share of CO2 emissions by transport was 21% in the year 1990 which rose up to 27% by 2005 (UNEP, 2003). Passenger cars and vans are responsible for over half of the CO2 emissions. Kyoto indicates that transport is the worst performing sector that seriously jeopardises the achievement of the targets. Under Kyoto protocol the European Union is committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8 per cent by 2008-2012 compared to the 1990 level (UNEP, 2003). Approximately 20% cut in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 has been committed by the EU and around 30% cut provided that the other countries follow suit when a new climate deal is agreed. The EU has also adopted a target of improving energy efficiency in the European Union by 20% by 2020 (UNEP, 2003). The legal implementation of the se targets along with climate and energy package was adopted in December 2008. The package of emissions trading scheme contains laws for carbon capture and storage, renewable energy, transport fuel quality, and car emissions (Held et al, 1999). 1.3 ASSESSING THE LOOPHOLES OF LEGISLATION The enforcement of CO2 emissions legislation will take place through a system of fines. For every g/km a manufacturer exceeds its company target, it has to pay a â‚ ¬95 fine per vehicle sold, in principle. However, there have been some ambiguities in the commandment indicated in several studies and when all these ambiguities are put together in practice then it signifies that the target for 2015 is close to 140 g/km, rather than 130 g/km (Paterson, 2000). The detected loopholes in the law include: For currently unmeasured and undefined eco-innovations, up to 7 g/km credits that could be exchanged for measured reductions; For very low-emission cars there are super credits, which would count for more than one car and hence water down overall CO2 reductions which are based on fleet averages; Much lower penalties for small surpassing of the target until 2018. The penalties for the first, second and third g/km of surpassing are only â‚ ¬5, 15 and 25 per g/km respectively instead of â‚ ¬95; Exemptions for small-volume carmakers. 1.4 EU CAR INDUSTRY VS CO2 EMISSION LEGISLATION In accordance with the CO2 emission legislation it has been anticipated that its implementation would be fruitful enough to gain at least 20% cut in domestic EU emissions and at most 30% is the target to attain (The Economist, 2002). Scientists believe that about 40% targets are essential to hit the EUs maximum 2 degrees warming (The Economist, 2002). The climate policy is going off track where the substitution of reduction in real emission has been counterbalanced by the effort sharing and ETS laws and the renewable energy law on the other hand, allows bio fuels which could cause the transport emissions to intensify. Transport is also critical in the debate on Europes energy dependence. By mid-2008, approximately â‚ ¬1 billion worth of oil has been imported by Europe per day (Leveque, 1996). The noticeable fact is that EU recognises cars as the single biggest consumer utilizing around 4.4 million barrels per day and is also responsible for 40 per cent of imports which constitutes that car MNCs have a very strong and economically powerful position (World Values Survey, 2003). In order to put political pressure on governments against environmental regulations car MNCs have consistently lobbied governments against emission controls to reduce greenhouse gases on the basis that this would lead to severe economic impacts (Bradsher, 2002). PROPOSED STRATEGY FOR THE EU CAR INDUSTRY Despite of the strict regulations by European Commissions that may impose financial loss to the EU car industry, even then they could gain. In accordance with the strategy suggested by Porter, selling poorly performing, unsafe, or environmentally damaging products is not a route to real competitive advantage in sophisticated industry and industry segments, especially in a world where environmental sensitivity and concern for social welfare are rising in all advanced nations (Porter 1990). The proposed strategic model also supports this vision together with the UNEP, World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development; which sees competitive advantages for businesses that voluntarily adopt environmentally sustainable strategies (United Nations Environment Programme and World Business Council for Sustainable Development 2002). 2.1 PESTLE ANALYSIS European Automotive industry is greatly influenced by the global economic circumstances, political scenarios, changing market trends and revolutionizing technological conditions (Hutton, 2002). All these factors put an impact both directly and indirectly upon the subsistence of the industry. This PESTLE analysis is a significant instrument to illustrate the political, economic, socio- demographic, technological and legislative aspects for managers to develop a strategic approach in order to reduce CO2 emissions in compliance with the legislation. POLITICAL The automotive industry is greatly influenced by European Union that will continue to introduce new legislation and modify the existing ones. The political scenario of EU is exacerbated by the fuel tax which is ineffective to address the environmental issues rather working as a tool for governments to raise revenues (Ostrom, 1990). The European Commissions Auto Oil II programme illustrated in the Table 01, indicates the inefficiency of fuel tax CO2 savings if fuel duty was increased by 20% above 1999 UK levels by 2002 which are unlikely for political reasons; Table: 01 Finland -0.43% France -0,43% Germany -0,61% Greece -2,14% Ireland -1,52 Italy -0,54 Netherland -0,52 Spain -1,41 United Kingdom -0,55 Source: European Commission 2.1.2 ECONOMIC There is a vast scope for improvements in efficiency and environmental sustainability within the automotive industry. The increased use of low carbon technologies in accordance with the CO2 emission legislation creates value and offer secure jobs in the automotive industry. Furthermore, it reduces the â‚ ¬30bn fuel bill that Europes businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, currently pay every year to fill up their vans and this account for a net benefit to the consumer (OBrien et al, 2000). Small and medium sized enterprises in particular stand to benefit from the fuel savings resulting from this legislation. SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC In future, China and Latin America are expected to account for the bulk of new car sales worldwide and the ability of the EU to enter these markets is restricted. Most of the revenue generated by the big three American firms is through the sales of pick-up trucks and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) which are considered tarnished due to their size, load and high fuel consumption however, European and Japanese manufacturers are producing similar gas-guzzlers to compete for market share in this sector (Storm Clouds over Detroit 2002; Fords Troubles 2003; Bradsher 2002). TECHNOLOGY For developing a low carbon emission strategy for sustaining business competitiveness, the EU automotive industry must enable cost effective reductions in carbon emissions from production, distribution and energy use across the production process (Dicken, 1998). There is a need for well-timed investment in technologies which are eco-friendly and vital enough to minimise the cost of making the conversion and will provide the potential for business to get the most out of market opportunities. LEGISLATION A number of legislative directives and government policies followed by the growing awareness of climate change issues are aimed at reducing the negative environmental impact of the EU automotive industry. The End of Life Vehicles Directive (ELV) is a complex piece of legislation that aims to increase the levels of re-use and recycling of vehicles that are to be scrapped to improve environmental standards and also limit the use of material harmful to the environment in new vehicles (Martin and Raes, 2002). Moving to low carbon fuel will require a technology shift for both fuel and vehicle technology. 2.2 PORTERS FIVE FORCE MODEL To develop a wholesome model for competitive rivalry risk-adjusted rates of return should be invariable across the business. The structure of an industry explains how it may sustain different levels of profitability (Hasenclever, Mayer and Rittberg, 1997). Porters model is a helpful contrivance to develop a well thought out and a competitive strategic plan that congregates the opportunities and threats of the external environment of the organizations. For an ideal stratagem the understanding of industry structures and their ways of evolution is extremely important. The following Porters five force analysis of EU car industry is intended to propose a valuable strategic approach that is profitable and also tends to comply with the CO2 emission regulations. Potential Entrants Supplier Power Buyer Power Competitive Rivalry Substitute of Products 2.2.1 BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS A significant proportion of the total number of vehicles in EU will continue to be outside warranty age thus generating business for the maintenance and repair sub-sector of the automotive industry but cars are likely to be less efficient potentially damaging the industrys environmental agenda (OBrien et al, 2000). On the other hand the legislation consents for basing car taxation on environmental characteristics of the vehicle however, suppliers choice is equally important regarding vehicles for development and promotion. To gain an eco-friendly development and promotion policy economic incentives to suppliers is much more effective and the consumers can be framed to meet the required targets. The adapted version of tradable CO2 performance scheme proposed by California could be beneficial to European automotive industry (OBrien et al, 2000). 2.2.2 BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS Consumers help to encourage rivalry through their consumption decisions and switching behaviour however, they currently require the data about the environmental footprint of new and existing automotive products to make fully informed choices. Considering the consumers frame of mind a mixture of regulatory instruments and economic incentives should be launched by the automotive industry and attention should be drawn towards the trade of new cars as well as the usage of the vehicle supply. The public procurement directives could be a step forward to institute a lead market for EU automotive industry for environmentally enhanced vehicles. 2.2.3 THREATS OF POTENTIAL ENTRANTS The strict CO2 emission regulations do not unavoidably hinder competitive advantage against foreign rivals (Ordeshook, 1993). The EU automotive sector should situate determined environmental standards for its market as potential new entrants from Asia including China and India adopt EU car emission rules and hence progressive standards will put the EU automotive industry in a leading position to make the first move. 2.2.4 SUBSTITUTE OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Due to the highly technical environment of the automotive sector across the globe; the key challenge for European car industry is to introduce more inventive products in the markets. The revenues of electronics and catalyst firms of the automotive sector will be damaged if compromises are made over environmental standards for vehicles (Green and Shapiro, 1994). Moreover; it is not in the interest of the EU as a whole to become ever more dependent on oil imports. Dominance of the international players like US and China is often considered as a market barrier but the competitiveness of EU automotive industry depends on utilising its potential. It is also imperative to note that he demand for service and mechanical repairs has been evidently reduced due to improved reliability of cars which lead to cutting the labour hours by 32% and the total number of service and repair outlets has fallen by 5,500, to a total of 24,700 in 2004 (Paterson, 2000). 2.2.5 COMPETITIVE RIVALRY The interpretation of competitiveness in EU is heavily prejudiced towards creating monetary benefits for the car industry. The automotive sector of EU must recognise the significance of the soaring competition and rivalry and should adopt the norms of democratic society which demands self-confronting and integrates all stakeholders equally. The competitiveness of this knowledge-based economy can be improved if the car industry gives up its lobbying against the environmental regulations and develop an eco-friendly stratagem (Holliday, Schmidheiny and Watts 2002). CONCLUSIVE REMARKS The introduction of CO2 emissions legislation comes with both negative and positive externalities, information asymmetries and significant uncertainty that subsequently erect barriers. The strategic approach of EU automotive industry to persuade reduced carbon emissions in compliance with the CO2 emission legislation; needs to be addressed in a balanced and appropriate manner taking into account of relevant drivers of change such as market trends, consumer behaviour, the technological conditions and financial facet of the automotive industry. There is an evidence that strong environmental policy, indeed stronger than the rest of the worlds, does not hurt the industry and but improves rather than deteriorates its competitive position and this is illustrated by the voluntary commitments by EU car manufacturers to reduce fleet average CO2 emissions to140g/km by 2008 (ACEA 2002).

Improving Mother/Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club Essa

Improving Mother/Daughter Relationships in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club One day everything is going great, in fact things could not be better and then you say something and your friend turns to you and says â€Å"oh my god, you sounded just like your mother†.   That is when you freak out and think to yourself it is true I am turning into my mother.   This is every daughters worst nightmare come true.   When a young girl is growing up her mother always says and does things that the girl vows she will never say and do but she does.   Very rarely do we see cases of women wanted to be like their mother but it usually happens even if they do not want it to.   In the book The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan tells stories of four Chinese immigrant mothers and their relationships with the American born daughters.   In this novel, Tan shows us the struggle these mothers face in teaching their American daughters about their heritage.   Throughout the novel it becomes evident that the daughters feel it is important to learn about their history and dev elop stronger relationships with their mothers Throughout the novel the reader is introduced to the characters one by one learning about their past and their present lives.  Ã‚   Each chapter deals with individual stories of relationships between husband and wife, mother and daughter,   and even daughter and daughter.   Every story helps the reader learn how important the mother daughter relationship is in The Joy Luck Club. First, Suyuan Woo who is actually dead but story is told by her daughter Jing-Mei Woo.   Suyuan Woo started the Joy Luck Club when she came to America so she and other Chinese immigrants could talk about Chinese culture and how to carry on traditions and make living conditions better for her... ...ws us that for young women to understand themselves they must understand their mothers.   The mother daughter relationship in The Joy Luck Club is illustrated through a learning process especially in Waverly and Jing-Mei’s situations.  Ã‚   Each women has to learn though her mother and her own feelings what it is like to become Chinese because that is basically what this book’s theme is.   Through the novel the women are developing mentally through experience some positive and some negative.   Each women finds herself through her mother and comes to peace with themselves Work Cited Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Random House, 1989. Sources Consulted Do, Thuan Thi. Chinese-American Women in American Culture. 1992 http://www.ics.uci.edu/~tdo/ea/chinese.html Jokinen, Anniina. Anniina's Amy Tan Page. 1996 http://www.luminarium.org/contemporary/amytan/

Malcolm X Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley was published in 1965. It is national best seller about the life and times of Malcolm X. On May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a preacher who spoke out about the unity of black people. This caused several white racists to strike out against Malcolm’s father and his family violently. His family moved to Lansing, Michigan where Malcolm, his parents, brothers, and sisters were shot at, burned out of their home, harassed, and threatened. When Malcolm was 6 years old, his father was murdered by a white man. After his father’s death his mother had a nervous breakdown and the family got split up by welfare agencies. Malcolm was placed in a lot of different schools and boardinghouses. He was a good student and wanted to be a lawyer someday, but a teacher told him that because he was black he should take up carpentry instead. At age 15 he dropped out of school and moved to Boston to live with his half sister Ella. He quickly sees the fast pace life of Detroit. To get money he shined shoes, worked at a soda fountain, worked at a restaurant and on a railroad kitchen crew. Later he moved to the black Harlem section of New York City where he sold drugs, became a thief, and was involved with a lot of hoodlums and pimps. He moved back to Boston and got arrested for burglary. While he was in prison he learned about the Nation of Islam and later joined the Islamic religion. He was released from prison in 1952 and went to be with his brother in Detroit where he replaced his last name, Little, with X to symbolize his lost true African family name. The Islamic religion taught that white people were devils so Malcolm went around speaking out against whites at universities and other places. He returned to New York and became minister of the Harlem temple. For 12 years he preached that the white man was the devil and Muhammad was God’s messenger. In 1964 he left the Nation of Islam and said "I feel like a man who has been asleep somewhat and under someone else’s control. I feel what I’m thinking and saying now is for myself. Before, it w as for and by guidance of another, now I think with my own mind."(Haley 312) He was 38 years old when he left the Islamic religion and started his own group, Organization of Afro-American Unity. He went to Mecca, known as the Hajj, and this is a religious... ...t of drug addiction, self-hatred and poverty. He restored a sense of pride in our African heritage to millions of black Americans. He offered his own view of civil rights issues, and it was totally different from the views held by other leaders, who were thought to be more moderate. If he had lived, many people think that he would have become one of the most powerful political figures this nation has known. At the end of the book Malcolm said, "I know that societies often have killed the people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help to destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America then all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine." Book Report: The Autobiography of Malcolm X Chidima Keke April 13, 2004 African American History II Professor Lewis Works Cited Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Ballantine Books: New York.1965 D.Hine, W.C. Hine, Harrold Stanley. The African American Odyssey. 2nd edition. Vol.2.Perason Education, Inc: New Jersey. 2003

Counselor Confidentiality and Disclosure

The counseling process consists primarily of self-disclosure and self-confrontation on the part of the client, facilitated by interaction with the counselor. In order for counseling to take place, the client must disclose personal material to the counselor, who in turn tries to understand the client’s world in a context of what he or she knows about how people respond to life situations. Counselors are aware of their influential positions with respect to clients, and they avoid exploiting the trust and dependency of clients.Everyone has a primary obligation to maintain the privacy of both current and former clients, whether living or deceased, and to maintain the confidentiality of material that has been transmitted to them in any of their professional roles. Reasonable differences of opinion can and do exist among counselors with respect to the ways in which values, ethical principles, and ethical standards should be rank ordered when they conflict.Ethical decision making in a given situation must apply the informed judgment of the individual counselor and should also consider how the issues would be judged in a peer review process where the ethical standards of the profession would be applied. This paper adopts the main thesis that the clients’ confidentiality ranks number one in this ethical issue. By developing an oath of confidentiality, ethical considerations are not relegated to a secondary status, after business matters nor are they noted as afterthoughts.Without a clear directive, ethical oversight of the actions chosen through the strategic planning process lack this input. Counseling Values Values are enduring. They motivate behavior. Judgments about right and wrong or good and bad are moral judgments based on values. In the course of human interactions, there are many situations in which it is difficult to make a decision because values come into conflict. Values must be clarified if moral decisions are to be reached.These values are e asily seen during the counseling activity. While clients may reveal significant personal materials in their non-verbal behavior, the primary medium for counseling communication is verbal. Clients reveal their thoughts and feelings to a perceptive counselor by what they say, the affect with which they say it and by what they choose to obscure in their verbal material. The more fully self-disclosure takes place, the more fully the counselor can serve to help the client discover new ways of coping.Ethical practice may be defined as providing a helping service, for which one has been appropriately trained, with care and conscientious effort, Unethical practice occurs under three conditions: when the professional helper becomes involved with clients whose problems are beyond the scope of his or training; when the helper exploits his or her position to collect fees or salary for incompetent service; and when the helper fails to understand his or her obligation to respect a client’s rights to privacy and to free choice. It is fundamental for counselors to provide competent counseling service to clients.It is this trust that allows the client to share his or her personal concerns in a way that goes beyond casual conversation and which makes effective helping possible. As with all professions, it is a violation of trust to offer a service wherein one is incompetent to deliver or to exploit the public by offering less than the service one knows the children need. Some of the more practical solutions in maintaining confidentiality of the client’s background by the counselor are the following: I. ) Limiting Personal Information from Client’s FilesRespecting a client’s rights to privacy includes the maintenance of a confidential relationship within which the client is free to reveal important personal information as he or she is ready to do so. The client who hears his or her private thoughts revealed to another by his or her counselor has been betrayed, unless the nature of the words suggests a credible threat to life or limb. A child or the parents who is manipulated by a counselor to reveal information he or she is not yet ready to reveal has also been the victim of an invasion of privacy.The line between facilitative leading by the counselor and prying into personal matters can be a fine one, and the distinction is often in terms of timelines and context. Respecting a client’s right to choose freely is also troublesome to some counselors. If one begins with the assumption that rational persons will ultimately arrive at the same set of conclusions about a given problem or circumstance, it is easy to conclude that the client who does not arrive at an answer that the counselor values is thinking irrationally.At times that may be true, and the disagreement serves as evidence that help has not yet been carried to an appropriate termination. In other instances, the disagreement may signify that the client has values t hat differ from the counselor’s own set of values, and perhaps from those of the society at large. In such instances, the counselor can help the client to understand the logical consequences of the view he holds to be certain. In the case of information that is readily available, there must also be a limit to the information about the client that would be made available to counselors.There is a need to enforce an oath of confidentiality. At the Children’s Aid Society in Canada, there is not always a committee to decide on matters regarding ethics. Therefore, the middle ground approach must be taken. This involves the requirement that a counselor signs an oath of confidentiality. The organization’s philosophy statement may not be specific enough to guide the day-to-day making processes. The use of a combined mission-philosophy statement can lead to this problem. Alternatively, a written oath of confidentiality could be very specific but cover a limited scope of p otential circumstances.Indeed, every profession consists of human beings or individuals with objectives or goals for the attainment of specific purposes. These purposes may either be personal, profit oriented, or imbued with some public interest. In the attainment of every profession’s objectives, certain standards are observed, to ensure that the individuals play fairly and act with honest and sound independent judgment. Standards are also observed to make sure that the people within a profession observe proper ethics in terms of behavior, both in doing their work and in dealing with other people, in the course of the performance of their job.However, despite the rigid standards, set by law or regulations of the organizations where these professions are practiced, certain unethical behaviors are shown by various counselors. In an article entitled Clergy’s Image Recovering since Scandals, published last December 4, 2003, a survey reveals that in 23 different profession s, the nurses were ranked high or very high as to honesty and ethical standards. Doctors, veterinarians and pharmacists were next to the nurses, in said order, as the professionals who exemplified ethical behavior in the practice of profession.Those who were ranked lowest were the car salesmen, HMO managers insurance salesmen and advertising practitioners. The members of the clergy ranked higher than the previous years, but still behind policemen and engineers, though ahead of psychiatrists and bankers. What could be the reason behind the results of the surveys? It is the type of ethical or unethical behavior, which the professionals exemplify in their practice that leads to the results of the surveys (Denenberg, T. et al. ). Problem-solving processAs the conditions for therapy are established, a cooperative problem-solving process is conducted which results in more self-enhancing attitudes and behavior patterns and the development of the basic social competencies needed to build an d maintain cooperative relationships (Johnson and Matross, 1977). Objectivity refers to one’s ability to assess a situation based on its own merit and not based on personal biases or other influences external to the situation. Thinking and acting objectively pose challenges because preconceived notions influence a person’s judgment.In addition, humans are more emotional than they are rational in acting upon any given situation. All the more, a balanced outlook of confidentiality needs to be done by the counselor. What is confidentiality? Confidentiality involves the protection of sensitive information given by one person to another. It is based upon mutual trust between the giver and receiver of information. Protecting information about a person is important because its disclosure can make that person vulnerable.Because of this sensitive responsibility on the part of counselors, they must make sure that sensitive data is not recklessly divulge unless the patient allows the disclosure or if there is a need that this data be revealed for the benefit of the client (Code of Ethics). Accountability means being answerable to consequences of one’s action or inaction. This is not limited to big responsibilities but a daily occurrence that happens in day-to-day situations whenever one is given duties to perform. Counselors must take this view as they undertake counseling sessions, whether menial or complicated.These tasks are important components of a larger process. Counselors must take ownership of what they do and do not pass on to others this relevant but confidential information (Code of Ethics). Empowerment in counseling situations Empowerment, as a counseling concept, is considered an important tool to make an individual or group adapt to social change. It involves the principles of interaction with people and their right to self-determination. Empowerment requires that helper identify an individual’s strengths, share power and contro l with him, and motivate him to learn and to participate in a group.Both the counselor and the client must work together by allowing each other to contribute to the counseling process. Empowerment means acknowledging an individual’s capacity to face his problems and to make decisions on his own. The counselor’s role is to help an individual identify his strengths that he can use to help himself and make him feel that he is in control. Counselors also need to be of their clients (Empowerment). Empowered individuals can stand and decide on their own even after the supervision of the counselor is done.Empowerment is real because an individual draws his strength from within him, his uniqueness, his personal experiences, his values and beliefs. Counseling is not comparable to charity because of the concept of empowerment. Counseling does not only feed an individual but empowers him so that he may be able to feed himself. Purposes of Helping Most adult clients are self-refer red, that is, they arrive at the helper’s office with the hope that they may somehow improve their lives through involving themselves in counseling.More often than not, they have tried to sort out why they do not feel satisfied with their lives, but they have found themselves unable to control those things that create distress for them. Schlossberg (1976) stated succinctly that the purpose of counseling with adults is to return to them the locus of control over their own lives. It is true, of course, that many clients arrive at the counselor’s office convinced that their lives will be improved only if significant others or specific sets of circumstances are changed.It is important to remember that it is the client himself or herself who must change if counseling is to succeed. External circumstances may indeed be difficult, but if they are to change, it is most often the client who is in the best position to engender those changes. The adult who does not like his or he r job can decide how to improve it or how to seek a different job. The adult who is burdened with the care of an aging parent can seek help in bearing that burden. An adult who is angry at his or her children can learn to understand this anger and find more productive ways of accomplishing his or her goals with the children.A part of being in control involves not only being able to hold information in confidentiality but also in knowing what one wants and needs and being able to be satisfied with what one can reasonably attain. Being in control is being motivated by what is meaningful, not being driven toward undefined goals. Interactive Process Counseling with any individual will involve an interactive process based on certain fundamental principles of counseling. The content of counseling with adults will differ in certain respects from the content of counseling with children or adolescents.The adult client has more experience and typically is in a life position where there is gre ater pressure to assume responsibility for decisions, actions and interpersonal behavior. He or she would also be more cautious about the information given out for fear of being judged. The interactive process with adults can be based on a genetic model of helping such as that of Egan (1975). His model for counseling includes three stages wherein the client is expected to begin with self-exploration, move to deeper levels of self-understanding, and finally to develop a plan of action.Emphasis in the helping process will be related to the client issues identified and classified in the diagnostic process. A client who is experiencing a concern that is primarily situational will move fairly rapidly through Stages I and Stages II and will devote the majority of counseling time to considering the workability of various alternative ways of coping with the situation. Counseling is usually short term. The client whose coping skills are adequate for normal living may still experience stagnat ion in his or her development.In that instance, counseling will focus very heavily on Stage II, so that reachable new goals may be identified, and Stages I and III serve their usual functions of getting the problem defined and the development of strategies for implementing the new goals. Trust in a counseling environment Trust is not given but earned. In recognition of this, I strive to be worthy of other people’s trust by behaving in a proper manner and exhibiting good conduct at all times. I try to honor my commitments at all times and refrain from making promises that I cannot actually deliver.Trustworthiness is consistent with the principles of social work. One of the core values of social work is integrity. Integrity lies in the ethical and responsible conduct of a social worker in dealing with clients and in representing his organization to society. Counseling is a professional undertaking that requires discipline and a broad understanding of human relations and social dynamics. Counselors must be passionate about helping others. Counselors find strength in the areas of problem solving and human relations. Precepts of the American Counseling Association (ACA)According to the American Counseling Association, counselors need to respect the right of the client to privacy. It is important that they do not indulge in unwarranted disclosures of confidential data. The Section B1 of this right to privacy states that the only exception is when there is danger posed in the life of the client such as information that confirms that a client has a communicable disease and thus, the information needs to be relayed to a third party, who because of his close relationship with the client, may be at risk of getting that disease. (ACA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, American Counseling Association).