Statistics case memo Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Use of Sports in The Blind Side Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Use of Sports in The Blind Side - Essay Example In the monolog, Leigh Anne infuses an illustration of sports as family unit spending plan: â€Å"As each housewife knows, the main check you compose is for the home loan, the second is for the insurance,† alluding to the quarterback as the most generously compensated football player, and the left tackle as the second most generously compensated. The left tackle ensures the quarterback on his blind spot, and accordingly goes about as protection. Michael Oher was changed by a mix of the adoration for his new family and his liking for his new game. He end up being the perfect left tackle as he had a 98 percentile defensive nature. Camera shots played on his unexpected change from calm accommodation to decisiveness in locking the vehicle entryway and requesting Leigh Anne not to leave the vehicle in a hazardous neighborhood. He made an interpretation of this defensive intuition to his group. He envisioned his relatives among his partners, and utilized this representation in his jo b as left tackle. This was appeared in the nearby shot of Michael’s face with the voice-over of Leigh Anne, and the tights shots and the amazed response of the rival players. The juxtaposition of sports and family existence (with his natural and afterward his supportive mother) further underscored family as the significant topic and incorporating sports into it. This message was conveyed forward when Leigh Anne had the option to show signs of improvement than even his own mentor can (â€Å"This group is your family, and you need to secure them. Tony is your quarterback. You secure his blind spot. At the point when you see him, consider me.†) (Scholastic Scope, 2009). Michael’s improved game was not because of an investigation of method as his mentor was instructing, yet by being given the correct inspiration by Leigh Anne. In the family, sports was a lifestyle with individuals from the family partaking seriously in helping Michael get his football grant. SJ†™s arrangements with the college mentors competing to draft Michael without anyone (counting the mentors) considering it odd that the choice concerning which college gets Michael requires prevailing upon the little kid. Despite the fact that the games in this film is an optional topic it is by and by fundamental to the story, and the couple of football scenes that were incorporated featured Michaels continuous turn of events. In the underlying game the moving shots and close ups gave the watcher the sentiment of being a piece of the activity. The nearby shots featured Michael’s beginning audacity, and afterward his adjustment in disposition after his defensive impulses have been activated. Shots quit for the day the responses of the onlookers, the explosions of cheers from the team promoters, and the communications of players and mentors in the two groups gave solid setting against which the transformation of Michael, from tentative softie to forceful blocker, was appeared. Likewise, the arranged plays indicated that even a full physical game like football ought not be unnecessarily brutal. The trailing shots indicated Michael â€Å"pulling his punches† †applying just enough exertion to stop his rival, and when his adversary was down his guidance for the last to â€Å"stay† so as to abstain from getting injured more than would normally be appropriate. Equals were drawn among sports and writing. Sean Tuohy drew a similitude between the Charge of the Light Brigade (creator: Alfred, Lord Tennyson) to football, and the inspiration of players compared to officers:

Why Do People Blame the Victim

Why Do People Blame the Victim Theories Social Psychology Print Why Do People Blame the Victim? By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on November 02, 2017 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on February 17, 2020 Alberto Ruggieri / Illustration Works / Getty Images More in Theories Social Psychology Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology Personality Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology Blaming the victim is a phenomenon in which victims of crimes or tragedies are held accountable for what happened to them.  Victim blaming allows people to believe that such events could never happen to them. Blaming the victim is known to occur in rape and sexual assault cases, where the victim of the crime is often accused of inviting the attack due to her clothing or behavior. A Well-Known Example of Blaming the Victim In 2003, a 14-year-old girl named Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah at knifepoint. She spent the next nine months held captive by her abductors, Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. After her rescue and details of her time in captivity become public, many people wondered why she hadnt tried to escape or reveal her identity. These types of questions, sadly, are not uncommon after people hear about a terrible event. Why, after such a horrible crime, do so many people seem to blame the victim for their circumstances? When news reports surfaced of a woman being raped, many questions center on what the victims were wearing or doing that might have provoked the attack. When people are mugged, others frequently wonder what victims were doing out so late at night or why they did not take extra measures to protect themselves from the crime. Why Humans Have a Tendency to Victim-Blame So what is behind this tendency to blame the victim? Our Attributions Contribute One psychological phenomenon that contributes to this tendency to lay the blame on the victim is known as the fundamental attribution error. This bias involves attributing other people’s behaviors to internal, personal characteristics while ignoring external forces and variables that also might have played a role.?? When a classmate flunks a test, for example, you probably attribute their behavior to a variety of internal characteristics. You might believe that the other student didn’t study hard enough, isn’t smart enough, or is just plain lazy. If you were to fail a test, however, what would you blame your poor performance on? In many cases, people blame their failings on external sources. You might protest that the room was too hot and you couldn’t concentrate, or that the teacher didn’t grade the test fairly or included too many trick questions. Hindsight Is 20/20 Another issue that contributes to our tendency to blame the victim is known as the hindsight bias. When we look at an event that happened in the past, we have a tendency to believe that we should have been able to see the signs and predict the outcome.??This hindsight makes it seem like the victims of a crime, accident, or another form of misfortune should have been able to predict and prevent whatever problem might have befallen them. And this isn’t just something that happens when we are looking at things such as rape or assault. When someone becomes ill, people often seek to blame past behaviors for a person’s current state of health. Cancer? They should have stopped smoking. Heart disease? Well, I guess they should have exercised more. Food poisoning? Should have known better than to have eaten at that new restaurant. Such cases of blame seem to suggest that people should have simply known or expected such things to happen given their behavior, while in truth there was no way to predict the outcome. We Like to Believe Life Is Fair When It Isnt Our tendency to blame the victim also stems in part from our need to believe that the world is a fair and just place. When something bad happens to another person, we often believe that they must have done something to deserve such a fate. Social psychologists refer to this tendency as the just-world phenomenon.?? Why do we feel this need to believe that the world is just and that people get what they deserve? Because if we think that the world is not fair, then it becomes more apparent that anyone can fall victim to tragedy. Yes, even you, your friends, your family, and your other loved ones. No matter how cautious and conscientious  you might be, bad things can and do happen to good people. But by believing that the world is fair, by believing that people deserve what they get, and by blaming the victim, people are able to protect their illusion that such terrible things could never happen to them. A Word From Verywell But bad things can and probably will happen to you at some point in your life. So the next time you find yourself wondering what someone else did to bring on their misfortune, take a moment to consider the psychological attributions and biases that affect your judgment. Rather than blame the victim, try putting yourself in that person’s shoes and perhaps try a little empathy instead.

The Khmer Empire Water Management System

The Angkor civilization, or Khmer Empire, was a complex state in southeast Asia between AD 800 and 1400. It was remarkable, among other things, because of its extensive water management system stretching across over 1200 square kilometers (460 square miles), which connected the natural lake Tonle Sap to large man-made reservoirs (called baray in Khmer) through a series of canals  and permanently altering the local hydrology. The network allowed Angkor to flourish for six centuries despite the difficulties of maintaining a state-level society in the face of successive dry and monsoon regions. Water Challenges and Benefits Sources of permanent water tapped by the Khmer canal system included lakes, rivers, groundwater, and rainwater. The monsoonal climate of southeast Asia divided the years (and still does) into wet (May-October) and dry (November-April) seasons. Rainfall varies in the region between 1180-1850 millimeters (46-73 inches) per year, mostly in the wet season. The impact of water management at Angkor changed natural catchment boundaries and eventually led to erosion and sedimentation of channels requiring considerable upkeep. Tonle Sap is among the most productive freshwater ecosystems in the world, made so by the regular flooding from the Mekong River. Groundwater in Angkor can today be accessed at ground level during the wet season and 5 meters (16 feet) below ground level during the dry  season. However, local groundwater access varies greatly across the region, with bedrock and soil characteristics at times resulting in a water table as much as 11-12 m (36-40 ft) below the ground surface. Water Systems Water systems were used by the Angkor civilization to cope with the vastly changing water quantities included raising their houses on mounds or stilts, building and excavating small ponds at the household level and larger ones (called trapeang) at the village level. Most trapeang were rectangular and generally aligned east/west: they were associated with and perhaps controlled by the temples. Most temples also had their own moats, which were square or rectangular and oriented in the four cardinal directions. At the city level, large reservoirs—called baray—and linear channels, roads, and embankments were used to manage water  and may have formed an intercommunication network as well. Four major baray are in Angkor today: Indratataka (Baray of Lolei), Yasodharatataka (East Baray), West Baray, and Jayatataka (North Baray). They were very shallow, between 1-2 m (3-7 ft) below ground level, and between 30-40 m (100-130 ft) wide. Baray were built by creating earthen embankments of between 1-2 meters above the ground level and fed by channels from natural rivers. The embankments were often used as roads. Archaeologically-based geographic studies of the current and past systems at Angkor suggests that Angkor engineers created a new permanent catchment area, making three catchment areas where there once was just two. The artificial channel eventually eroded downward and became a river, thereby altering the natural hydrology of the region. Sources Buckley BM, Anchukaitis KJ, Penny D, Fletcher R, Cook ER, Sano M, Nam LC, Wichienkeeo A, Minh TT, and Hong TM. 2010. Climate as a contributing factor in the demise of Angkor, Cambodia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(15):6748-6752.Day MB, Hodell DA, Brenner M, Chapman HJ, Curtis JH, Kenney WF, Kolata AL, and Peterson LC. 2012. Paleoenvironmental history of the West Baray, Angkor (Cambodia). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109(4):1046-1051. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1111282109Evans D, Pottier C, Fletcher R, Hensley S, Tapley I, Milne A, and Barbetti M. 2007. A new archaeological map of the world’s largest preindustrial settlement complex at Angkor, Cambodia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(36):14277-14282.Kummu M. 2009. Water management in Angkor: Human impacts on hydrology and sediment transportation. Journal of Environmental Management 90(3):1413-1421.Sanderson DCW, Bishop P, Stark M, Alexander S, and Penny D. 2007. Luminescence dating of canal sediments from Angkor Borei, Mekong Delta, Southern Cambodia. ​Quaternary Geochronology 2:322–329.

Women Are Becoming A Growing Epidemic Of The Prison System

Women are becoming a growing epidemic in the prison system even since the early nineteenth century. There has always been a lack of urgency and care for women that are pregnant behind bars. Women were still to do hard labor regardless of their certain circumstance. Pregnant women receive no consideration, lack of medical assistance, and are still in shackles are watched under by the prison guards while spending the little time that they have with their children after birth. There should be a change in the way the system treats pregnant women because they are not just hurting the mother but the child as well and they basically are the reason why most of the babies die because of the lack of care and medication. Although they have committed a crime pregnant women they should still have rights as parents. Such as not being shackled during childbirth which means they are still being punished in this joyous moment in their lives. Many if not all prisons are putting these women in shackles if not keeping them in handcuffs as they are in labor and delivering the baby which is completely unfair. Even if that were the case I’m sure they are guarded by at least three or four men. In California, state law formally provides that â€Å"at no time shall a woman who is in labor be shackled by the wrists, ankles, or both including during transport to a hospital, during delivery, and while in recovery after giving birth . . . .† (Ocen) These women are already experiencing pain and are not able toShow MoreRelatedThe, Deloria, Collins, And Mcclintock1712 Words   |  7 Pagesaims to disprove the myth that prisons are built by crime by focusing on the growth of California’s state prison system since 1982 and the accompanying grassroots opposition. Prisons are thought to stop crime through retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and incapacitation. The dominant explanation for prison growth is that crime went up, so prisons were created, and crime went down. However, states with fewer prisons have noticed greater decreases in crime. Prisons do not lead to increased stabilityRead MoreThe Issue and History of Illiteracy Among African Americans1510 Words   |  7 PagesInstructor Sydney Darby 27 May 2008 Illiteracy is a growing issue in America. The U.S. Department of Education funded the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) in 1992 that estimates over 90 million Americans fall well below an eight grade literacy level (Rome, 2004, pp. 84). Nowhere is this tragedy more prevalent than among the impoverished African Americans. Illiteracy has always been higher among African Americans now the gap is growing even wider due to a verity of reasons. According toRead MoreHow Gender Increases The Hiv Risk Of Women1987 Words   |  8 Pagesglobal scale, women are more susceptible to contracting HIV/AIDS than are men. Both statistically and logically, women experience higher incidences of HIV exposure than men for multiple reasons. Women engage in sex work more often than men, they also experience a higher rate of sexual violence, and simply by being the inferior portion of a domestically abusive relationship. Understanding how gender increases the HIV risk of women is crucial to winning the fight against HIV/AIDS. Women are the centerRead MoreObesity And Over Eating Habits1657 Words   |  7 Pagesand processed foods to children. Research indicates that although personal choices may lead to healthier habits, the influence government currently has regarding the obesity epidemic can have a heavier impact on reforming our culture of unhealthy lifestyle habits. Obesity and over-eating habits have become a growing problem among our society. Foods become addicting when they are high in salts, sugars, and fats. 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The Importance of Employee Engagement Free Essays

string(114) " a critical factor that should be considered; it is how people adapt and react to change that makes a difference\." Change is a constant in today? s modern business activity. As Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter wrote in Fujitsu? s `Fit for Change? report, â€Å"the current rate of change within businesses is faster than the rate at which organisations are improving†¦many organisations just can’t keep up with the speed of change. † (www. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Employee Engagement or any similar topic only for you Order Now theinformationdaily. com, 2012). This more and more complex and competitive environment inflicts a greater pressure on the employees; given that the employees are the heart of organisations not approaching them appropriately is one of the main reasons of corporate failure (Argenti, 2009). Although there is not a lot of research done in this field as it is a relatively new concept (Saks, 2006), understanding the importance of employee engagement and implementing a well-developed internal communications plan is crucial for success, especially during change (Dolphin, 1999). The organisation should be guided by experts through all this complexity if it wants to overcome all the tension that originates from the dynamics of change and survive. THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Many authors claim that an organisation? accomplishments, financial performance and employee outcomes may be predicted by the levels of employee engagement. However, it is surprising that even if it is a logical assumption, it appears that employee engagement is waning and that disengagement among the majority of today? s workforce is costing huge amounts of money to organisations in productivity loss (Saks, 2006). At present, workers are well educated, have greater expectations than those of past generations, and aspire to have a better understanding of the company they work for (Argenti, 2009). According to Argenti (2009), most companies? senior managers exclude lower-level employees from taking part in most decision-making. According to Dolphin (1999), employee communication is too often conducted by in-experienced and junior personnel. Therefore, it could be said that organisations do acknowledge the importance of employee engagement to some degree but are not following an appropriate and effective two-way communication strategy that will engage their staff. ORDER AND CHANGE Every organisation has a culture and identity of its own and these should be consistent, coherent, and clear. When an organisation suffers a big change, it might have the need to acquire a new identity and/or alter or even create a whole new corporate culture (Dolphin, 1999); to be able to direct this change effectively, there must be a well-defined vision. Most of the definitions of vision in this context make reference to an ideal or a future to which the organisational change should lead to (Palmer, Dunfard ; Akin, 2006). Without a firm vision and effective internal communications, the â€Å"changes introduced by managers may seem arbitrary and unneeded†¦ vision helps to motivate staff in working towards the change and engaging in what may appear to be daunting or risky actions† (For Kanter et al. , as cited in Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 245). Sutton and Khan (1986 as cited in Jimmieson et al. , 2004, p. 12) argue that when a deep change is about to happen, workers â€Å"go through a process of sense-making in which they need information to help them establish a sense of prediction and understanding of the situation†. Palmer, Dunfard and Akin (2006) insist in the importance of having their employees well informed about the situation and about what is expected from them, To the extent that the strategic intent is not complemented by clarity as to expected actions, the chances increase employees will fail to convert a change initiative into supporting action at their level of organisation. The Key point here is that the lack of supporting action is not due to overt resistance or even apathy; it is due to the lack of clear understanding of what such supportive action would â€Å"look like. (Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 149) Organisations must therefore aim to achieve a balance between order and change. For instance, they can only operate efficiently if members execute their roles consistently, perform everyday operations, and uphold ordered structures, but they also need to stay open and agile enough to react to and anticipate the fluctuating stresses of today? s changing commercial environment. (Jacobs , 2004, p. 382). Carl Weick (1979, as cited in Jacobs, 2004, p. 82) highlights in his relational perspective the role of communication when dealing with the tension that arouses between these two elements and suggests that organisations are in essence the outcome of communication collaborations. Lewin? s Three Stage Model of Change (Carnall,2007, p. 70) can be used to help the organisation better understand this process. It consists of three stages: 1. Unfreezing. It is related to cultural change. Identifying both present behaviours and required behaviours necessary to achieve the organisation? s mission and common goals and analysing the differences, with the participation of the company? s members, is the first step of â€Å"unfreezing† actual change. 2. Changing/Moving. Identifying the procedures and changes in the structure that will enable the execution of the new behaviours and the implementation and examination of accomplishments. 3. Refreezing. Instilling the new behaviours, attitudes, and values in the group. This is usually done by rewarding new behaviours, carrying out policies, implementing an effective communication, and educating members in order to support the new culture and behavioural principles; commitment to change is attained in this stage. However, as organisations and their environments are ever more uncertain and dynamic, many changes may occur at once and when one area is refreezing another might be unfreezing or moving. This has led Clark and Clegg to believe that `successful management in the future must be based on intelligence and creativity and the capacity to question and learn? â€Å"executives must learn how to combine continual change with the ability to sustain `business as usual? † (1998, as cited in Carnall, 2007, p. 78-79). An organisation is dynamic, it is persistently reinventing itself, and therefore must be monitored constantly. THE RISKS OF CHANGE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT A possible reason for failure could be that organisations simply do not dedicate enough time or attention to understand the psychology of change. Employees? xperience is a critical factor that should be considered; it is how people adapt and react to change that makes a difference. You read "The Importance of Employee Engagement" in category "Papers" Firstly, changes in an organisation are not linear by nature and thus uncertainty is the most common psychological condition that emerges as a result (Callan et al. , 2004); â€Å"much of what we refer to as resistance to change? is really ‘resistance to uncertainty’ meaning that the resistance originates from the process of dealing and handling change, not from the change itself (Carnall, 2007, p. 3). Secondly, Palmer, Dunfard and Akin (2006) argue that people? perceptions of how they believe that change will affect their personal interests will influence their readiness for it. People have a tendency to support changes that do not seem threatening to their interests and resist those that appear to be harmful. (Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 149). Managers should understand the potential risks of letting employees face changes on their own without a consistent support on behalf of the organisation. Doubt and uncertainty should be dissipated and substituted by safety, and mutual interests should be addressed to avoid feelings of threat. According to Argenti (2009) effective internal communications not only requires facilitating employees with relevant and sincere information but it should also reinforce their belief that they are significant assets to the company and that subsequently their matters are too. Listening to them and allowing their participation in conversations regarding organisational change will keep them â€Å"excited about their work, connected to the company? s vision, and in a position to further goals of the organisation† (Argenti, 2009, p. 84). An example that describes poor attention to how stakeholders react to change (whether they are predisposed to welcome it or reject it from the beginning) is Kodak? s announcement of its reduction in workforce to its staff, and of its dividend cut to its investors. They ignored the importance of setting an adequate strategy to promote a positive response prior to change and this basically resulted in resistance to change from both groups which led t he merger with Compaq Computers a failure (Palmer et al. , 2006, p. 1) REASSURING EFFECTIVENESS IN COMMUNICATION Before any action is taken, the organisation must have a sense of the present effectiveness of its internal communications. Argenti (2009) reveals that an excellent way to measure the effectiveness of its actions is by executing communication audits and systematic temperature checks to discover the employees? attitudes towards the organisation itself, their opinion about the quality of the communications they are getting, and whether the messages are being understood. Once this is done, an internal communication framework can be implemented to work on solutions to any communication deficiencies and satisfy those requests. The Strategic Employee Communication Model and Best-practice Definitions (Appendix A) can be used in a change programme as â€Å"benchmarks against which to measure a company? s employee communication strengths and weaknesses as well as a model of effective change†. According to Barrett (2004), both the model and its different elements were inspired by research done in numerous Fortune 500 companies on what actually works in employee communication. The best companies integrated many of these definitions in their practice scheme. This model links all principal factors involved in employee communication between them and to the company? s manoeuvres and strategy; it analytically breaks down communication into distinguishable and manageable portions and illustrates how interconnected and inter-reliant each portion is when employee communication is placed strategically within the organisation, a must in order to make change feasible. What moves this model from a tactical level to a strategic one is the direct connection to the firm? â€Å"strategic objectives and business planning process plus the overlay of supportive management with on-going assessment of individual and company communication. † (Barrett, 2004, p. 22). An example of a good communication in practice is what CEO Gordon Bethune did in Continental airlines. Every month, he held an open-house in his own office where employees were welcome to go and talk to him ab out any issues, suggestions, or complaints, and in numerous occasions he would go himself to meet the employees at their workplace. This platform for open, informal, and sincere discussion was his trait of leadership. He has been recognised for having significantly improved employee spirit and productivity as well as enhancing the global culture of the firm. This is illustrative of what should be done to have the organisation prepared in the eventuality of change. THE LEARNING ORGANISATION. FROM INDIVIDUALS TO A TEAM In order for the organisation to move as a whole it should behave and act as one. Organisations should provide the ground for individuals to move out of their sense of self, be flexible, and connect with and contribute to the group consciousness. Many authors emphasise the need of creating learning cultures within organisations in order to achieve success during change. â€Å"Teams, not single individuals, are the key to successful organizations of the future and†¦ individuals have to learn in the context of the team† (Appendix B). Hurst (1995, as cited in Carnall,2007, p. 65) for instance exposes that a performance organisation should evolve into a learning organisation when it faces complexity; â€Å"tightly defined tasks, control systems and rigid structures† should be replaced by â€Å"recognition, networks and teams†. His ecocycle model of eight stages points toward renewal through which the company reinvents itself, more explicitly, â€Å"in which people rethink what they seek to achieve, with whom and how, and thereby recreate the organisation†¦ it is certainly a learning process†. The complexity theory can throw some light on this perspective. As Darwin, Johnson and McAuley (2002, cited in Carnall,2007, p. 84) note, the basic idea that lies beneath the relevance of the complexity theory within the literature regarding organisational behaviour is that of a multifaceted adaptive organism described as a coherent network of agents interacting in parallel with no ? command and control framework? and who are ? adaptively intelligent? (Appendix C). This view links to the idea of ? self-organisation? (Carnall,2007, p. 84). Emery (2004, as cited in Carnall, 2007,p. 85) also presents â€Å"an analysis of open-systems theory-based action research as an enabler of learning and change†. She starts off by stating that learning is fundamental for viable change and then argues that practitioners must deal with all individuals at every level of the corporation and all practical areas must be implicated in some kind of practise that will enable them to take part in this learning process. However, she highlights that there are certain obstacles that might get in the way such as certain attitudes of the elite members, fail to use a common language throughout the organisation, and diverse framework and priority schemes. Another issue to tackle is the fact that individuals have different learning rates and they learn in different ways (Carnall, 2007). That is where the role of internal communications plays a significant role. Professional practitioners should be able to identify where communications fail and target unlike audiences with different techniques to be able to engage them appropriately. We therefore can determine that the objective of education in the long-run would be to create a â€Å"strong sense of listening and of responsiveness [that will] permeate(s) the organisation† (Macleod, p. 9) by: -Forming engaging managers that will know how to communicate cultures and values and treat their personnel with respect. As MacLeod ((Macleod, p. 79) ) states in his report, managers who engage â€Å"facilitate and empower rather than control or restrict their staff; they treat their staff with appreciation and respect and show commitment to developing, increasing and rewarding the capabilit ies of those they manage. †. -Giving employees a voice and tools to address management with their concerns. They must feel â€Å"they are listened to and see that their opinions count and make a difference†¦ [And that they are able to] speak out and challenge when appropriate† (Macleod, p. 79) CONCLUSION Employee engagement levels can predict an organisation? s accomplishments and performance as it is claimed by many authors. However, due to today? s complex environment it is more than necessary to build up a strong internal communications strategy. Employees should not be isolated from the organisation as a whole and should be informed and involved in it. The corporate culture should be coherent and the vision should be clear. If organisations fail to communicate all this properly and engage its employees into believing that change is not synonym of threat, resistance will appear. Resistance may lead to a break in the internal homeostasis and the consequences will show up as a failure when trying to move the organisation forward. REFERENCES Argenti, P. (2009) Corporate Communication. 5th ed. Singapore: Mc Graw Hill. Carnall, C. (2007) Managing Change in Organisations. 5th ed. Essex: Prentice-Hall. Dolphin, R. (1999) The Fundamentals of Corporate Communications. Butterworth-Heinemann. Jimmieson, N. t al. (2004) A Longitudinal Study of Employee Adaptation to Organizational Change: The Role of Change-Related Information and Change-Related Self-Ef? cacy. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology , 9 (1), p. 11-27. MacLeod, D. and Clarke, N. (2009) Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement. [report] Department for Business Palmer, I. et al. (2006) Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach. s. l. : Mc Graw-Hill Saks, A. (2006) Antecedents and Consequences of Employee Engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21 (7), p. 00-619. www. theinformationdaily. com (2012) Making your organisation fit to change. [online] Available at: http://www. theinformationdaily. com/2012/12/21/making-your-organisation-fit-to-change [Accessed: 4 Mar 2013]. Jacobs, G. (2004) Corporate creative thinking. In: Oliver, S. M. ed. Handbook of corporate communications and public relations. London: Routledge, pp. 382-384. Barrett, D. J. (2004) A best-practice approach to change communication. In: Oliver, S. M. ed. Handbook of corporate communications and public relations. London: Routledge, pp. 22-24. . APPENDICES Appendix A. Figure 2. 1 Strategic employee communication model (Barrett, 2004, p. 23) *Appendix B. Senge? s five disciplines: 1. Systems thinking: everyone must learn how to view things as a whole and that one set of events has impact on others 2. Persona l mastery: ? the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening†¦ personal vision, of focusing†¦ energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively.? 3. Mental models: ? learning to unearth†¦ internal pictures of the world, to bring them to surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny? 4. Build a share vision: leadership is the key to creating and communicating the vision†¦ the leader creates vision but is prepared to have it reshaped by others 5. Team learning: teams, not single individuals, are the key to successful organizations of the future and individuals have to learn in the context of the team (Senge, 1990, as cited in Carnall, p. 164) *Appendix C. Darwin, Johnson and McAuley (2002, Carnall, p. 84) describe a multifaceted adaptive organism: 1. It is a network of ? agents? acting in parallel, often interconnected, ways but without any ? ommand and control? framework 2. These agents are ? adaptively intelligent? ; constantly seeking and making sense of patterns, testing ideas, evolving and learning. 3. Change is achieved through learning, evolution and adaptation. 4. Control of the system is dispersed throughout the system. 5. Coherence within the system arises out of competition and cooperation among the agents as they see advantage in alliances and other arrangements for mutual support. This view links to the idea of ? self-organisation?. (Darwin et al, 2002, as cited in Carnall, p. 84) How to cite The Importance of Employee Engagement, Papers

The Theme of Middle Ground among the Algonquian Indians of North America

History indicates that the Algonquians were a large group of North American natives composed of several tribes. The Algonquian occupied extensive areas in North America, extending from the Atlantic coast towards the Great Lakes Region (White 21).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Theme of Middle Ground among the Algonquian Indians of North America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They occupied fertile lands along River St Lawrence and around all the Great Lakes. Although the group was composed of several tribes with varying tongues, their languages were related. Historians use the term â€Å"Algonquian† in reference to all tribal groups of Algonquian that spoke some related languages. Arguably, the Algonquians’ desire to own guns, clothing and utensils and the European scramble for America led to the establishment of a â€Å"middle ground† because each group needed each other’s help. Historically, most of the Algonquian tribes settled along rivers and lakes because their chief sources of food were hunting, gathering and fishing. However, southern groups also carried out farming, mostly cultivating native crops such as squash, beans and corn. Some groups such as the Ojibiwe also cultivated other crops such as wild rice to supplement their diets (White 26). History also shows that most of the Algonquian groups did not settle in a permanent position. Instead, they shifted with seasons due to seasonal availability of aquatic foods, wild animals and crops. However, they would recombine and settle as a large community at other times, especially in winter seasons. In addition, some framing groups in the south, especially those in New England, developed a culture of shift farming, which involved cultivating land for two years before relocating their villages to new and fertile land for agriculture. Middle ground is a term used by historians in reference to a state in w hich two different communities, with different traditions, languages and cultures, advance into a given geographical location and arrive at a common conception of suitable behaviours that benefit them in a certain way (White 32). A good example of how middle ground is created is presented by the interaction between the French and the Algonquian tribes in the Great lakes Region and along the Atlantic Coast. According to White (50), the first French traders and settlers arrived at the coast in the 16th century (White 52). Because the two groups were trading partners, their boundaries increasingly â€Å"melted away† as each accepted the other in its territories. White (51) argues that it is not easy to determine whether the process of interaction between the two groups caused the dominance of any of the two cultures. For instance, it is not correct to argue that the native Algonquians became â€Å"Frenchfied† or the French settlers â€Å"became natives†. However, t he historian argues that both processes might have taken place as each group increasingly accepted the other (White 50). The creation of the Middle Ground best explains the process through which the two groups came to co-exist with each other.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to White, a â€Å"middle ground† was established for a number of reasons. For instance, both the Algonquian and Europeans were looking for land to sustain their needs. It began with a massive immigration of native Algonquian from the north as they flee from the Iroquois in the south. This event took place between 1640s and 1660s. In fact, history shows that the Iroquois were dangerous because they had interacted with European traders earlier than the Algonquian. An expansive trade between the Europeans and the Iroquois made the natives obtain guns, which they used to raid other weaker groups, includ ing the Algonquian. As the Algonquian flee northwards, they encountered the advancing Europeans, especially the French. â€Å"†¦The two groups developed interaction through Intermarriages, exchange of gifts and ceremonies such as the calumet. In turn, this exerted force among groups of people living in a single refugee centre, but they lost their strength as they became part of a new society†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (White 22). The calumet, for instance, was popular among the natives in North America. â€Å"The calumet originated among the Pawnee tribes, who claimed to have received it from the sun†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (White 21). Since the French settlers were facing competition from the Britons, they were keen to develop close relations with the Algonquian in order to achieve their support. As a result, the French wanted to interact with the natives in all possible ways, which led to intermarriages between the two groups. According to White (18) â€Å"†¦Actual patrilineal organization in North America was heavily modified by some factors such as loss of the territory-based population, extensive intermarriage between different groups of people, and the creation of multiple ties of actual and symbolic kinship between neighbouring peoples†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In fact, the French needed the natives more than the natives needed the French due to the threat posed by the advancing British settlers and colonialists in the region. The Britons also did the same with some Algonquian groups, thus creating â€Å"the middle ground†. The process of creating a middle ground involved the intervention of the two groups, the Algonquians and the French. The process took several years to be completed and involved a number of stages. The first step involved a non-functioning state in which each of the two groups was suspicious of the other. In fact, being colonialists searching for minerals, raw materials and land, the French wanted to control all resources in the area. They wanted to obtain the rights to use land for both production and trade. However, the Algonquians were not willing to surrender their land.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Theme of Middle Ground among the Algonquian Indians of North America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The French captured or influenced some elements in the Algonquian groups and used them as porters and translators in trade. The French had the desire to use force to control the Algonquians, but they were careful because they depended on the inhabitants for their survival, including provision of native foodstuffs. The third stage involved a desire for the two groups to work with each other, especially in trade. While the French provided the locals with European clothing, guns, household items and drugs, the Algonquian had the biggest role in finding a middle ground because they had plenty of local food products. In addition, they were able to interac t with other groups and their populations were large. Therefore, although the French had guns and other war materials, they were not willing to involve the Algonquian in war. Therefore, each group had the obligation of engaging the other in mutual co-existence. In developing a â€Å"middle ground†, the French, the Britons and the Dutch leaders assumed other roles in an attempt to contain the Algonquians. For instance, they took the role of the patriarch, in which they distributed gifts, covering violent deaths and mediating conflicts between the Algonquian and the settlers or between the Algonquian and other natives. It is also worth noting that each group was also forced to drop some demands in order to establish and maintain the middle ground (White 64). For instance, the Algonquians lost some of their land to the settlers. They also embraced European laws, legal punishments, and style of authority (White 66). On the other hand, the Europeans had to cover death after confli cts between members of each group. For instance, in some instances, European traders were attacked and killed by Algonquian warriors, but the French rulers would cover the deaths to avoid conflicts. Moreover, the French was cautious when dealing with the natives because they did not want to interfere with the religion, culture and traditions, yet they wanted to introduce Christianity as a way of influencing the native mind-sets. Apparently, the desire to introduce Christianity was put on hold until the French settlers were sure of their dominance. In some instances, the Algonquian would allow some of their members to face punishment under European laws. Thus, a middle ground was achieved. In conclusion, White’s idea of developing a â€Å"middle ground† as a means of interaction between Europeans and Native Americans during the European invasion of North America is supported by a number of historical facts.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, history reveals that the process of interaction between the whites and natives took place in a different manner, depending on the prevailing circumstances. Evidently, the French- Algonquian interaction suits White’s ideology because it progressed in the exact manner the historian describes. From the invasion of the Iroquois to the development of trade and intermarriages between the French and the Algonquian, White’s ideas are applicable. Therefore, some major aspects of history are significant in this case. First, the natives wanted to protect themselves from Iroquois invasions. They also wanted household items. On the other hand, the French wanted to control trade routes, land and resources. Thus, this analysis reveals that the Algonquians’ need for guns, clothing and utensils and the European scramble for America led to the establishment of â€Å"middle ground†. Works Cited White, Robert. The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires and Republics i n the Great Region, 1650-1815. New York, NY: Cambridge university press, 2011. Print. This essay on The Theme of Middle Ground among the Algonquian Indians of North America was written and submitted by user Madison Sargent 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.