Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce

Abstract Cultural diversity entails the experiences and characteristics of different people within an organization. It includes the whole spectrum of human beings including ethnicity, race, age, gender, disability, religion and the sexual orientation. Most importantly, the focus upon diversity ought to be on individual work style, communication technique, the role level, level of performance and economic significance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction The main aim of diversity is to tap exceptional talents and unique qualities along these dimensions. It is an issue of the people focusing on the differences and similarities presented to the workplace. This influence over individual identity and perspective goes beyond legally specified dimensions to offer non-discriminatory opportunities and affirmative statutes within the wor k setting. The workplace ought to have non-discriminatory programs supported by the organization culture. This is the key element representing dignity and respect for all to encourage knowledge or experience gain and team work. This paper addresses the proactive measures required to deal with workplace cultural diversity and caters for ways of fostering the practice. Advantages and disadvantages of Cultural Diversity To begin with, cultural diversity boosts the company’s competitive situation in the market. Unlike the early days when marketers thought that a good or service was universally acceptable, cultural diversification enables today’s marketers to recognize that different cultures demand for different taste of the same product or service. Large chain stores like Wal-Mart or Woolworths are in a position to establish the best way of presenting their products depending on location (Deresky, 7, 2008). Today we see a business scenario where small and medium sized com panies are able to give big company a run for their money because they have understood the concept of managing trade in a multi-cultural setting. The twenty first century creates openings for engaging in technological aspects and resources such as the internet trading, which provides a wide world web that assists to overcome the physical boundaries. A culturally diverse company is rich in knowledge pertaining people from various vicinities, thus enough chances of enhancing trade (Lewis, 2, 1999). A business with ethnic diversity can easily serve a wide base of clients easily, considering the ease of workers relating with clients. The clients have a diverse representation in the firm thus sharing of a lot of common ground with their service providers.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is a wide and equally diverse and well-balanced pool of knowledge created by diverse cul tures in the workplace. According to Lewis (3, 1999), knowledge is power to gain experience, creativity, customer support or participation, lasting results and eventually long-term high profit margins. Denial and discrimination are the individual characteristics on the subject of the barriers to enhancing cultural diversity in the workplace. People from different background still have personal features hindering this form of development. The cultural diversity within an organization with such people can be the main source of conflicts, group-work failures and thus fall of business operations and eventually poor economical growth. The diversity issue can therefore be a negative aspect if it lacks proper implementation procedures. Proactive measures of resolving diversification related conflicts at the workplace Implementation of cultural diversity at the workplace should correspond to strategic planning. Execution or change management must entail employees’ inspiration through infusion or integration of aspects such as those involving diversification into the business procedures or requirements. Diversity ought to apply from the top executives, who should show commitment and importance of diversity. Having the employees understand the importance of diversity as a main pillar for workplace management since it reduces any possibilities of conflicts. The top leaders or managers must engage an upbeat measure of solving diversity related conflicts by regularly emphasizing on its benefits to the firm. The business cultural commitment to diversity requires legal gazetting with the external regulator body to emphasize on the consequences regarding those conflicts that break business rules. In relation to Cornelius’ writing (81, 2002), a company need to have programs for performing prior training to employees on how to deal with counterparts from different cultural setting. Arguably, it is impossible for employees to grasp various complex cultural nuances in one sitting, therefore the need for them to be careful on issues regarding stereotyping, language differences, time differences and individual versus collective mindset, as a measure of avoiding or resolving diversity related conflicts. Fostering cultural diversity at the workplace Promotion of cultural diversity in the workplace ought to take place before commencement of hiring. This means that one should include diversity in the business plan. In line with Kirton and Greene (183, 2000), discovery of strengths or benefits of an action occur well prior to proper planning.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These calls for the management to be responsive over recognizing, respecting and capitalizing on various aspects of the society mainly regarding ethnicity, race and gender. A good manager and leader should note that even outside the work setting; one finds exposure of various cultural practices. Practical Theories of Managing Culture and Cultural Diversity The Hofstede Theory Today the technological change has made the organizations to become more dynamic since companies are now investing in joint ventures, partnerships that span across borders and cooperation through unions such as the European Union partnership. This means that the leadership styles are also focusing attention to more vibrant, on-going and very important procedures. The leadership style that attracts the attention of others requires a leader who is focused on other’s attention. The leader’s values must therefore be of substantive worth. It is important for a leader to have good solid knowledge and approaches to combat the cultural differences as well as engage continuous and alternative choices that steers organization forward in terms of development (Dowling and Welch, 38, 2008). One of the most common theories concerned with c ultural diversity is the Hoftede Theory. According to Dowling and Welch (38, 2008), Hoftede’s Theory indicates that culture is a collective of intangible distinctions found between people in a group, firm, organization or nation. The four main commonly used values in management of cultural diversity include power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and femininity/masculinity. The theory divides culture into two groups through analysis of the internal values, which are invisible and external values that are visible such as the rituals that a certain group practices, symbols, language differences and procedures for solving a problem. Power distance involves a firm’s ability to come up with procedures for handling societal inequalities, while individualism or collectivism is concern with the procedures that a firm takes to control a group. The masculinity or femininity entails the firm’s managerial behaviours concern with gender differences . Lastly, uncertainties are the unknown situation and the company must have extensive procedures of avoiding or minimizing the amount of threatening experiences for a member of a firm. Hoftede Theory mainly focuses on issues concerning leadership especially the ability to address various differences through effective communication. A good leader must be in a position of convincing people from different cultural backgrounds on how to focus on the ideas perceived to be important and developmental for a firm. It therefore focuses on and caters for each group.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Cross-Cultural Communication Theory The methods and styles of communication lack good definition in most organizations. Every leader has a personal way of pronouncement, which varies from formal to casual in both written and spoken forms. The main aim eventually is the consistency and ability to attract awareness and command peoples’ actions. Today the successful leaders need to know how to transverse a multicultural environment. In line with The Cross-Cultural Communication Theory, He /she must realize that there exists no single method of controlling leadership procedures (Deresky, 287, 2008). The leaders must read a group’s situation and come up with the most appropriate leadership behavioral pattern to combat the situation at hand. This is the only right and most appropriate procedures for the leaders because it enables the groups involved to fit the competency level. Leadership styles have a close connection to behavior. In the assessment of a group’s l eadership needs, there is need to translate skills to communicate behavior. For instance, if a leader finds that a certain group needs strong guidance, it is then wise to suggest direction, make different assignments, and possibly vet unrealistic suggestions. Leadership skills calls for one to find and balance the member’s thought, support viable decisions, and give authority to act. All the leadership styles in a multicultural environment have a strong basis on communication, and not skills, experience, lack or personality. The connection between group members brings about cooperation, and unique leadership styles that solve group problem effectively thus making the group to become more effective regardless of the cultural differences that may exist (Deresky, 287, 2008). A good or efficient group made of multicultural communities only requires a small, early but strong guidance to become and remain productive. Social-Identity Theory The social-identity theory indicates that people exist in two distinct classes identified by analysis of group categories or group functions. By considering category, a leader utilizes the scientific definition of leadership in a process that involves interpersonal communication to influence an outcome. According to Schneider and Barsoux (43, 2003), leadership is symbolic to the human nature of modifying attitudes and behaviours of culturally different people in order to meet organizational goals and needs. The leadership styles therefore involve acts enacted through persuasion or communication as opposed to forcing people to abide to a certain categorized aspects or certain functions. Current Key Issues in the Service Sector Increase of culturally diverse people in the work force is a clear indication that firms or organization need to move out of the traditions that supported confinement to boundaries that were structured conventionally and hierarchically, to allow group work and team spirits. The developments mainly affe ct leadership to allow strategies that influence behaviours of others through communication. Today, a designated leader is appointed or elected to a position, but she/he need to be an emergent leader because of exerting influences towards achievement of group goals. Acceptance of culturally diverse groups supports the concept that every person in a group ought to be an emergent leader especially during various group tasks (Reynolds and Valentine, 13, 2004). A designated leader has to be acceptable in the group for better outcomes. Sharing of leadership among members in a group means that eventually, the cultural differences are put aside and everyone is responsible for coordination of communication among the members. Melting Pot theory Melting Pot theory is a procedure for enhancing active interaction among people to ensure utilization of cultural significance of diversity and smooth settlement. Ability to enhance and utilize diversity depends on influence of the leaders. The design ated or emergent leader has the ability or power to known the interpersonal influences. The power can be a reward, punishment, legitimate, referent and expert. Leaders can offer the followers the value for their need for them to exercise rewarding power. The reward value can be material or intangible products such as monetary resources, material goods, favours, acknowledgements, complements and special attentions. The administration of punishment power occurs through implementation of similar favours. Coercion forces compliance with hostile tactics but in most instances breeds to resentment especially when there are cultural group differences within the organization. Legitimate power enables the leader to perform certain tasks within the group setting, such as call for the group meetings, analysis of work by the other group members, or preparation of agendas. In order to manage diverse groups effectively, the leader must have referent power based on attractiveness, admirable and res pectable aspects of leadership. Admiration brings about influence and charisma as an extreme type of referent power, which instigates a feeling of royalty and devotion from others. The more the admiration and respect for the leader, the more influence on the behaviours and power to influence the group. Leaders experience and expert power, when others or the followers value their guidance or admires the leadership styles. Diverse group members have diverse experiences and therefore are in a position to offer expertise guidance in different groups setting. In such a scenario, members posses confidence to share expert power in guiding others, value them and one can easily influence their behaviours or acts because of the respect for the knowledge or experience. Regardless of the cultural differences, all members of an organization have various abilities to influence others. It is possible to assist others because the expertise does not only emanate from the legitimacy (Kirton and Green e, 183, 2000). A widely cultural diverse group means that there are diverse sources of leadership influences other then the legitimate power. All the members have some degree of influence over each other and the legitimate leader must make use of all the potentials or capabilities to lead. Democratic Leadership Styles and Approaches The democratic regulations standard for an organization fosters applicable employees’ self-management procedures. One of the most important procedures regards performance. Rewarding performance in terms of good workmanship or discipline encourage understanding among employees from different cultural groups because it shows them the importance of unity. The personnel policy and procedures ought to determine eligibility for performance appraisal and rating performance for satisfaction as a way of enhancing unity. Every employee has governing procedures for expectations specified in the job contracts; therefore, failure to meet demands or to manage t he personal duties could have a link to the group performance. Freedom of the employees may facilitate personal definitions and foster team spirit. In a combination of democratic and autocratic styles as a way of enhancing team performance from people of different cultural groups in an organization, the leader can implement capacity planning and control as an essential aspect. It entails the research techniques for addressing the issue of scheduling applications, planning the allocation of resources, controlling performance and, having the problem solving techniques in place (Cornelius, 83, 2002). The planning and controlling approaches include optimization techniques for diminishing or maximizing involved elements, to meet the objectives within the operating environment. Employees are thus encouraged to work as a team to meet certain goals. For instance, a big problem is broken down to ease complexity and thus speeds up computation. Decomposing a problem allow efficiency in and abi lity to handle the uncertainties adequately. Secondly, dynamic approach allows the management to make decisions sequentially in a multi-stage pattern. A conflict related problem is recursively mirrored into solutions to come up with the most effective conclusion. Teamwork involves decomposition of a complex problem into various sub-problems for individuals to handle. The solutions eventually enable creation of a sequentially dependent framework indicating the whole problem as one, broken into various parts to enhance unity among employees. Conclusion Today the issue of employee performance has a strong basis upon organizational policies and procedures as opposed to only the leadership qualities. The nature of these rules or regulations helps in establishing the significance of a task and the importance of ensuring good results. People are naturally opposed to rules that hinder their freedom and are strenuous during performance. Although an integral to effective part of performance, team leadership may be the root course of conflicts in a multicultural organization as opposed to the cultural differences. The most important element of performance is ability to resolve internal conflicts through the leadership styles because disagreements hugely affect team performance. Leaders have the role of facilitating the behavioural change that assists in moulding individual trails into teams to achieve the set goals (Schneider and Barsoux, 43, 2004). According to Reynolds and Valentine (13, 2004), a good system capitalizes on the employees strengths while minimizing on their weaknesses. The differences between employees’ culture should entail proper usage, to strengthen understanding and enhancing stronger bonds through team works as a measure to capture global clientele. An entrepreneur should know that diversity is something more than mare moral obligation or a necessity for a business but is a business opportunity. Bibliography Cornelius, N. (2002). Building Wor kplace Equality. Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion  London: Thomson Learning. Deresky, H. (2008). International Management: Managing across Borders and  Cultures. (Sixth Ed). London: Prentice Hall Dowling, P.J. Welch D.E. (2008). International Human Resources Management:  Managing People in a Multinational Context. Fifth ed. London: Thomas Learning. Kirton, G Greene A. (2000). The Dynamics of Managing Diversity. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Lewis, R. D. (1999). When Cultures Collide – Managing Successfully Across  Cultures. London, UK: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Reynolds, S Valentine, D. (2004). Guide to Cross-Cultural Communication. (2nd Ed) New Jersey: Prentice Hall Schneider, S.C Barsoux, J. (2003). Managing Across Cultures. London: Prentice Hall This essay on Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce was written and submitted by user Julie Cotton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

15 Tips for Getting Hired After the College Graduation

15 Tips for Getting Hired After the College Graduation You’re in a brave new world and searching to get a handle on getting hired after the college graduation. Let’s take a look at 15 tips you’ll be incredibly glad you came across. #1 Job Search Begins on Day 1 If you don’t have a job, then getting one is your job. What’s college for? Getting a job, which is reality means making money. The vast majority of college students are betting (with some serious leverage) on the idea that their education is going to equal a good job down the road. You should start looking for your ideal career on the first day of your freshmen year. Every move you make should be towards that goal. If you don’t know what the goal is, then you should put college off for a year and†¦get a job. Start looking right now. Heres the list of the best summer jobs which can be a good start if you need money right away. #2 Create on Online Presence If you do not have an online presence, even a free ultra-amateurish one, then get on it. No, you do not have to invest tons of time. Simply set up a free blog and a Facebook page. Start there. Online you’re connected to everyone and everything. At this point you need to have one, and being able to network online is a valuable asset. #3 Show Off Your Stuff Don’t be coy, but don’t be ridiculous either. There’s no time to waste. It’s like missing the opportunity to meet an amazing person because you were shy. Life’s too short. Make your move and let your skills sell themselves. #4 Pursue Internship with Clarity Internships are both incredibly worthwhile and hyper-competitive in most cases. Don’t wallow in misery for a year hoping for that ideal internship. Give it your best efforts, but know when to cash in your chips for more readily available career paths. #5 Apply Selectively Don’t shotgun your approach to job applications. Do your homework and only apply to those positions or companies who you can be of the best service to. #6 Hire a Freelancer to Create Your Resume Don’t even think about winging either your hard or soft copy resume. It’s almost an absolute waste of time and you’ll be burning bridges as you go. Instead, spend maybe $50-$100 to get help with your resume from a professional writer. Ideally, one who specializes in writing resumes for your specific career goals (nurses, lawyers, acupuncturists etc.). #7 You’re Always Networking 100% of the time, if you’re awake and breathing you’re networking. It’s a part of life. The difference is that once you’re aware of that, you can then better position yourself to benefit from it. #8 Fix Your Attitude First If you’re life’s not going so well and the job hunt is leaving you empty-handed, the first things you probably need to fix are your attitude and disposition. #9 Come Prepared Don’t show up unprepared if the destination could present potential networking opportunities. Furthermore, if you go to an interview, know everything there is to know so that you’re more likely to impress. #10 Develop a Personal Brand No matter who you are, or what you studied, there are probably lots of people with this knowledge. The ONLY thing that really sets you apart from other candidates is you. #11 Aim for Experience (Wisdom) If you’re alive and above water, then aim for the experience jobs or positions can give you. Not the pay. In today’s world results and experience are worth 100 x what a diploma or degree is worth on the open job market. #12 Sport an Entrepreneurial Mindset It’s an era of the entrepreneur. It really is! The #1 rule of the entrepreneurial mindset is that behind every problem or dilemma is an opportunity. The trick is being able to spot opportunity and needs, and then taking action. #13 Compile an Asset List Sit down and figure out everything you have to offer the world. Write it all down, each thing, no matter how simple. You’ll find that your education and the small amount of things you thought were your only assets, are only a small portion. #14 Optimize Your Efficiency Remember the 80/20 rule. 20% of what you do every day is responsible for 80% of the results you experience. Do you have free time? What else can you be doing? What can you do more of in less time? #15 Throw Conventional Approaches Out the Window Not altogether, just recognize that due to powerful technological and socioeconomic reasons, everything is changing. This includes not only how people look for work, but how they get hired. Use everything at your disposal because in the real world getting ahead is hard. So, how about it, would you alter this list or add to it in anyway? What other tips would you give to the grads that could really use a solid paycheck and a rewarding career?

Study skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Study skills - Essay Example To begin with, the report will analyze on the powers and responsibilities of the Great London authority and the mayor (Mayor of London, 2011). Secondly, the report will have a reflection on the policies that are related to the environment, as introduced by the mayor in the last five years. This will be a critical analysis of the policies and a critical evaluation of the evidence as provided by literature reviews. Thirdly, the report will include focus on the existing gap between policy, public policy initiatives and general practice. This will be in line with the London developments in line with the established policies during the time of governance by the incumbent mayor. Lastly, the report will direct its focus on the concerns about the effectiveness of the greater London authority. This will also reflect on the effectiveness of the mayor in making it a key success in executing all the stated policies. Similarly, the report will have information about the environmental developments that have been effected by the great London authority. The success of the policies will be used to evaluate the performance of the great London authority and the mayor. Therefore, positive accrual will refer that the great London authority has been successful, alongside the services of the mayor, which is a positive trait. Powers and responsibility of the mayor The mayor and the great London authority have various obligations in their mandate, which need to be executed while in office. The GLA is a considerable administrative tool that was incepted in London to take care of the developments. It has vast responsibilities in ensuring there is rapid development in the area. The body is vested with powers and responsibilities that used to execute the decisions. Therefore, the development of London is the initial responsibility of The GLA (Edwards and Miller, 2008). London is a city that needs exponential development with a rapid improvement over the years. Apparently, the GLA is consid ered the apt option that would deal with the development of the city. This is a vast responsibility that needs ample preparedness and stratification of strategies on the development. In the recent times, the GLA has been coming up with developmental programs that are functioning to the advantage of the city. Therefore, it has been responsible for most of in its functions in the city. This shows that it has been effective in implementing it responsibilities. In addition to this, the environment has record rapid improvement as the city generates better services to the people. In essence, the implementation of the strategies by GLA has been successful in the city with more progress recorded in the past five years. The first responsibility of the Great London Authority is social development. Social development is an initiative that is geared towards providing a social induction that makes all the people have a better social life. The people have to be contented with their residence in t he area. This is only done through the provision of highly rated social services. Therefore, it is in the best interests of the GLA to ensure the people have the best social services. The social services include recreational grounds, effective transport and social living. With ample provisions of these services, the GLA will have successfully executed its responsibilities. In actual sense, the GLA will have accrued an effective performance in accordance to its obligations. The second obligation of the Great Lond

Personal Branding and Social Media Literature review

Personal Branding and Social Media - Literature review Example ‘A personal brand is a perception in the minds of others’ which the brand owner creates and controls, and sends the message that nobody else exists in the marketplace who is quite like you (Vitberg, 2009, p. 10). While the brand is a perception, however, this does not mean that the perception is a contrived or false one (Banet-Weiser, 2012). Every person has his or her good and bad qualities; like any brand for a good or service, the personal brand highlights the best attributes of a person (Reddick, 2012a & 2012b) which must be grounded in truth (Canada, 2012; Madden & Smith, 2010; Millman, 2010). Necessity of personal branding Like Arruda, Rampersad (2008) does not see personal branding as an alternative, but as a vital asset in today’s ‘online, virtual and individual age’ (p. 34). He observed that the common misconception is that popular and successful people like Tiger Woods and Oprah Winfrey are those who can lay claim to having a personal brand. In truth, everyone has a personal brand, but because they are not aware of it, they are unable to use their personal brands strategically (Shepherd, 2005). Rampersad proposes the personal branding model which is shown below: Authentic personal branding model (Rampersad, 2008, p. 35) Rampersad’s model, though it may appear complicated, is built on what he describes as a four-step evolutionary and organic process: (1) Define and formulate your personal ambition; (2) Define and formulate your personal brand on the basis of your personal SWOT; (3) Formulate your personal balanced scorecard, which is the action plan into which your personal ambition and personal brand are translated; and (4) Implement and cultivate your personal ambition, personal brand, and personal balance scorecard (Rampersad, 2008). A personal brand is of little use, however, unless it is communicated to the target market (Martin, 2009). Jerry Wilson, senior vice-president of the Coca-Cola Company and preside nt of the Global McDonald’s Division, concurs that personal branding is crucial, and proposes that if one finds himself stuck in a certain job or position, that he/she should try to rebrand or reinvent himself (Jacques, 2009). This does not mean that people should make themselves into somebody else (Chase, 2011), but they may change their image and how people perceive them by highlighting those qualities they possess which have not been given much attention to (Colmerauer, 2012). This may be achieved by doing a brand audit, an assessment of where one is and what one has to offer. Wilson calls these attributes ‘transferable equities’ (Jacques, 2009, p 32) that a person may put forward to redefine him/herself. Personal branding and authenticity The key to success is having ‘an organic, holistic, and authentic personal branding model’ (Rampersad, 2008, p. 35). Arruda also perceives people as having the wrong view that personal branding is made up and ar tificial (Martin, 2009), and stresses that it must be honest and authentic. Morton (2012) likewise emphasizes the importance of authenticity, observing that a personal brand grows over time. This is significant, because if a personal brand is not solidly rooted in authenticity, then the

Reading Teacher Essay Example for Free

Reading Teacher Essay How should the proper balance between teacher freedom and responsibility be determined? Position 1: Fir increased Academic Freedom: * Schools are at the center of local debates about touchy subjects such as, morals, sex and sexual orientation, religion, politics, economics, racism, and a host of other social value controversies. * Censorship denies, defeats, or diminishes academic freedom! * Sex, Politics, and Religion: A few Cases * A parent in Loathe, Kansas, demanded that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men be banned from the school curriculum and classroom because the book is â€Å"worthless† and â€Å"profanity filled. † The Majority rejected the effort. * In Oakley, California, some parents wanted the same Steinbeck book banned for racial descriptions. * Schools use the popular Philip Pullman book The Golden Compass was protested by a group of parents and Christian leaders in Winchester, Kentucky; because Pullman was call â€Å"an atheist† and the book â€Å"anti-Christian. † * A high school history teacher in Denver Public Schools was dismissed because the city newspaper published his and other candidates’ views as they ran for congressional seat† the district thought his views were too controversial. He won the case but the district limited him to teaching Basic English and erased his teaching history. * A high school student paper in Bakersfield, California, was prohibited from publishing a story with interviews about gender identity, but a county judge ruled that student to have the right to exercise freedom of speech. * Most frequently banned books: Harry Potter, Diary of Anne Frank, Catch-22, Farewell to Arms, Deliverance, The great Gatsby, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Chocolate War, and Slaughterhouse Five. Even some comic books suffered censorship. * Most censored authors: Judy Blume, Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, Toni Morrison, R. L. Stine, Maurice Sendak, William Golding, and Rovert Cormier. * Quotes about censorship from famous figures: * Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: â€Å"Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. † * Historian Henry Steele Commanger: â€Å"Censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of real discretion. † * Actress, playwright, screen writer, and sex symbol Mae West: â€Å"I believe in censorship. I have made a fortune out of it. * Climate of Fear * Challenges to school and library books have been 400 to 500 per year over the past three decades. A lot of the challenges were mostly by individual parents. Organized efforts have joined. * Parents Against Bad Books in Schools (PABBIS) and safelibraries. org. * On safelibraries. org they have published the most shocking and inappropriate segments of each book. * A lot of schools try to limit controversy by passing strict policies that are even sometimes illegal. * Good school districts have splices and practices that promote academic freedom which doesn’t allow for parents, students, and the public to challenge or raise questions about what is taught and how. * What happens? Teachers lose jobs, students can be suspended, and teachers avoid controversy, and education suffers. * We need freedom: Intellectual freedom! * A Necessity, Not a Frill * Academic Freedom = Free Society, which is what our Nation was founded on. * It is increasingly important for teachers to become more active advocates for academic freedom in public discourse and in political arenas. * Democratic education requires debate and discourse – only with teacher freedom can this happen. * Freedom to teach and learn is basic to good education. * Arguments against Academic Freedom * Based on traditional ideas that teachers are not â€Å"scholars,† they have a captive audience, they can influence impressionable minds and they are public employees subject to the will of board and administrators. * The argument against those that believe in those traditional ideas is that our education system now requires teachers to have scholarly qualities; students are expected to inquire and challenge rather than just be a captive audience. * Mischief in Defining Academic Freedom * Zealots everywhere (Zealot being someone who believes their way is superior) has tried to use schools as agents to impose their views and values on the young. They don’t want schools to present opposing views or conflicting evidence and are against real critical thinking. * Academic Bill of Rights – is a bill of rights that demands neutrality for institutions and requiring a diverse faculty along political lines. This bill of rights is for colleges but is popping up in precollegiate schools. * Academic Freedom Petition – a single-issue document that argues that academic institutions should ensure student and teacher freedom to discuss scientific strength and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution. * The problem with these two laws/bills is that they contain seeds of censorship and self-censorship to avoid controversial subjects. This twisted use of academic freedom can cloud the more valuable condition needed for critical thinking in schools and colleges. * A threat to academic freedom – self-censorship – When teachers screen ideas from classroom use in order to avoid controversy. * Conclusion: Fear threatens academic freedom! * The Essential Relationship of Academic Freedom to Democracy. * Democracy states that people are capable of governing themselves. People can make knowledgeable decisions and select intelligently from among alternative proposals. * The Evolution of Expansion of Academic Freedom. * We have adopted German theory – Lehrfreiheit and Lernfreiheit – the freedom of teachers to teach and learners to learn without institutional restrictions. * Socrates – was said to be sinful and wicked because he and his students had the freedom to pursue truth. All wickedness, he argued, was due to ignorance; freedom to teach and learn would uncover knowledge, eliminate ignorance and improve society. The judges at that time did not agree and Socrates was sentenced to death. * Courts, in general, have exhibited an expanding awareness of the need for academic freedom in schools and have provided protection for teachers. * Educational Grounds for Academic Freedom * Where if not in schools will students be able to explore and test various ideas, new concepts, and challenge propaganda in a safe and guided environment? * The classroom serves as a â€Å"safe place† to explore without social condemnation or ridicule. * Education consists of ideas and challenges, increasingly sophisticated and complex. * Learning best occurs as people test new ideas against their own experiences and knowledge. – that testing requires academic freedom. * Not operating in this manor will risk conformity. Students will not examine controversial material in schools that students will not be challenged and participate in critical thinking. * The Center of the Profession * Basically we’re currently trained and we know what we’re doing. Professional Development and certification has equipped us uphold ethics and values. * A professional teacher must be free to examine controversial issues openly in the classroom. * Teacher jobs must not be at risk because they explore controversial material or consider ideas out the mainstream. * We need individuality. * Academic Freedom and Teacher Competency: the Tenure Process * Non Tenure Incompetent teachers do not deserve and should not receive that extra protection; they should be dismissed if a fair and evidential evaluation find them incompetent. * Teacher competence is a mix of knowledge, skill, and judgment. * Knowledge of the material. * Of the students in class * Professional skill in teaching. * Professional judgment. * Under tenure law teachers cannot be fired without due process and legitimate cause. The tenured teacher who is threatened with firing has a right to know specific allegations, a fair hearing, and an evidentially based decision. * Obstacles for Academic Freedom * Religious schools sometimes fired teachers for anti-moralistic requirements, sin, not attending religious services, and not exhibiting sufficient religious enthusiasm. * At the beginning of the nineteenth century teachers were fired for not remaining single, avoiding drinking and smoking, dancing, political views, etc. * At the first half of the twentieth century, political restraint and censorship replaced religious and moralistic restrictions on teachers. * John Dewy and other scholars founded the American Association of University Professors in 1915 which recognized that even then all teachers, not just those in colleges, needed academic freedom. * Some states have tons of censorship attempts each year by parents, school boards, administrators and parents. * The internet * Scare tactics are set up to block access to many â€Å"good† internet sites (our school, example). * Many teachers avoid significant topics to sterilize to the point of student boredom. * National Coalition Against Censorship has been created. Position 2: For Teacher Responsibility * Teachers use classroom for political platforms (especially in colleges). * Power and Responsibility in Teachers * Teaching is among the most influential position in society. Teaching is next to parenting in its power to carry values and ideas from generation to generation. * The influence of teachers goes will beyond the classroom doors, school grounds, and school term; teachers exert influence that can last for years and even lifetimes. Teacher’s ability to influence their students is a huge responsibility. * Parental Rights * If parents can be held accountable for their children, so should teachers. (Even though they don’t) * Schools must give supportive social and family values among our youth. * Public school teachers are even more accountable than private ones to the community and to parents for what they teach and how. * Teacher Responsibilities to Parents * Teachers must remain sensitive to parent interests. * Teachers have responsibilities for providing a safe, healthy classroom environment, and assume protective moral ethical and legal duties. * Parents sometimes don’t know what’s going on in the classroom until the damage is already done. * Parents have the right to monitor. * PABBIS lets parents see various pieces of literature and provides evidence to help them make rational judgment about the material. * Internet Access is becoming a huge problem. * There exists a serious problem in Internet usage when websites continue inhumane, anti-American, racist, Antiauthority, sexual, antireligious or other inappropriate material that can be accessed at schools. * Teacher Responsibility to Children. * Children are vulnerable * Children look to teachers for direction. * Children are immature and unformed. Teachers must be careful. * Teacher Responsibility to Society * Society trusts teachers to develop the young into positive, productive citizens. * Teacher Responsibility to Their Profession. * Teachers can be the key to good education, or poor education * Teachers have the responsibility to recognize children’s needs and academic development. * Teacher Irresponsibility * Tenure covers poor teachers and socially dangerous teachers. * Sometimes teachers will start to threat a school with atheism, Satanism, sicalism, communism, and take other extreme positions after they’ve been tenured. Deeming themselves as â€Å"untouchable. † * Tenure laws make it almost impossible to rid schools of poor teachers. * Academic Freedom of License * A license to teach is not a license to impose one’s views on others. * Sometimes teachers who â€Å"mind bend† for years and teach in an unethical manor gets by because administration is afraid to reprimand them. * Tenure teacher firing is rare. * Tenure laws create burdensome requirements that save teacher jobs even when those teachers have demonstrated a lock of respect for parents, students, and community values. * We need to make it easier to fire teachers. * 18 states have modified tenure regulations; the Education Commission of the States website shows current state approaches. Idaho has completely eliminated teacher tenure and other states are considering major reform. * Conclusion : * Teachers deserve respect and appreciation for their contributions to society, decent salaries, and comfortable working conditions.

Summary of The Pearl :: essays research papers

Kino, a young pearl diver in La Paz, enjoys his simple life until the day his son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion. The wealthy town doctor will not treat the baby because Kino cannot pay the doctor's fee, so Kino and his wife, Juana, are left only to hope their child is saved. That day Kino goes diving, and finds a great pearl, the Pearl of the World, and knows he is suddenly a wealthy man. The word travels quickly about the pearl and many in the town begin to plot ways to steal it. While the townspeople plot against Kino, he dreams of marrying Juana in a church, buying a rifle, and sending Coyotito to school so that he can learn to read. Kino believes that an education will free his son from the poverty and ignorance that have oppressed their people for more than four hundred years. The doctor comes to treat Coyotito once he learns of Kino's pearl, and although the baby is healed by Juana's remedy, the doctor takes advantage of Kino's ignorance. He convinces Kino that the child is still ill and will die without the care of a doctor. The doctor then manipulates Kino into unwittingly revealing where he has hidden the great pearl. Kino moves the pearl when the doctor leaves. That night, an intruder comes into Kino's hut and roots around near the spot where Kino had first buried the pearl. The next day, Kino tries to sell the pearl in town. The pearl buyers have already planned to convince Kino that the great pearl he has found is worth very little because it is too large. This way they can purchase the pearl for a low price. But when the buyers try to cheat Kino, he refuses to sell the pearl and plans to travel to another city to sell at a fair price. His brother, Tom Juan, feels Kino's plan is foolish because it defies his entire way of life and puts his family in danger. Kino is now on his own, although he doesn't know it yet. Juana warns Kino that the pearl is evil and will destroy his family, but he refuses to throw it away because it is his one chance to provide a different life for his family. That night, Juana takes the pearl and tries to throw it into the sea, but Kino stops her and beats her.

Credibility and Logic in Gregory Curfman’s “Diet Pills Redux”

1. Gregory D. Curfman’s piece â€Å"Diet Pills Redux† is an editorial; therefore, a reader must keep in mind that the content will focus on the author’s opinion(s) and perspective(s) about a particular situation. Having read Curfman’s piece, it does seem credible. The author is a physician, so his analysis of the situation can be reasonably assumed within his field of expertise, especially when one considers it is an editorial published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Dr.Curfman presents evidence for and against the use of fenfluramine and phentermine and seems concerned only with further exploration of a possible connection between the use of these drugs (separately or together) and heart disease (Curfman, 1997, passim).2. Curfman begins his piece with a summary of an outbreak of pulmonary hypertension that took place in Western Europe that was linked to the use of an appetite-suppressant drug. He goes on to reveal a European outbreak thirty years later which connected the use of an anorectic drug with more cases of pulmonary hypertension.Later, he discusses weighing the risks of using anorectic drugs against the individual’s need, and concludes that only those with no other recourse should be allowed to take the chance. Each of these is an example of logic without fallacy (Curfman, 1997, passim). There were fallacies in Curfman’s piece. To begin with, the events and studies he cited were missing control groups and assurances that exigent factors such as patient history had been taken into account. Technically, these might be construed as misleading statistics.Because the numbers of persons negatively effected by these drugs was so low, the potential that much of his point is perhaps a non sequitur—specifically an argument built on a slippery slope does exist. His closing remark that â€Å"succumbing to the allure of diet pills as a quick fix for excess weight may be courting disaster† presents a significant logical problem: the implication that those who suffered a cardiac crisis in connection with the use of one or more of the involved drugs fall into the â€Å"quick fix† category—this is a hasty generalization (Curfman, 1997, passim).The overall message in the piece was not that blame must be laid, nor was it a call to halt all availability of either drug, so coupled with this piece being an editorial, even fallacy did not necessarily weaken the strength of the article in my opinion as the point seemed merely to be to convince readers that there was more to be investigated. Based on what I read, I have to agree that further investigation is warranted and that consumers must be aware of the potential dangers listed by Curfman.