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Definition of heroism

Introduction

Conceived in Brazil on December 15, 1944, Chico Mendes experienced childhood in a group of elastic tappers (otherwise called seringueiros). Elastic tapping has been drilled by families in the Amazon for eras. It is a procedure whereby one innocuously concentrates sap from elastic trees, which is then utilized as a part of such items as auto tires, pencil erasers, and even Tupperware. Elastic tapping is one of the numerous courses in which the assets of the Amazon are misused without for all time hurting the biological system. It is a reasonable farming framework, and Chico Mendes emulated his father’s example in turning into a seringueiro. For the dairy cattle farmers and mining hobbies in Brazil, “supportable horticulture” obstructs benefit making. Much cash can be made by tearing down the timberland as quick as could be expected under the circumstances and supplanting it with pasture land and strip mines. What the farmers and mineworkers desert is a smashed no man’s land, a destroyed desert where once stood a woodland more than 180 million years of age. Brazilian elastic tapper and area rights pioneer Chico Mendes spearheaded the world’s first tropical woods preservation activity progressed by backwoods people groups themselves. His work prompted the foundation of Brazil’s extractive stores secured timberland ranges that are occupied and oversaw by neighborhood groups.

Dolores Clara Fernandez was conceived on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, a little mining town in the mountains of northern New Mexico. Dolores Huerta is a union pioneer and a lobbyist for the privileges of ranch laborers and ladies. Alongside Cesar Chavez, she established the first effective ranch specialists union in the nation, the United Farm Workers, in 1963 (King, 2010).

Extended definition of heroism

Heroism comprises of activities that must help other people, regardless of the fact that it is a probability and danger of the partner s harm or even passing. Some individuals consider gallantry to be near charitableness, however it is distinctive. Where charitableness stresses denying toward oneself demonstrations that help other people, heroism implies an individual tribute. The part of valor pivots around of the commitment of the individual to an honorable objective and status to acknowledge an outcome of battling for this objective. Heroism is old as mankind itself. The human curved post remembering saints is an all-inclusive nature of human society. Saints are regarded in aged canvases, fables and myth. Social orders dispatched such stories in oral conventions and legends, and myths into epic lyrics. Present day social orders maintain the custom of respecting legends in actually showstoppers as well as in motion pictures and news-casting. Some of gallant thoughts are getting to be lost or changed by general society. Being a legend is not simply being an exceptional figure. We trust it has gotten to be needful to overhaul the verifiable faculties of the saying, and to compel it to land in current time periods. Verifiably, valor has been nearly associated with military administration, albeit social heroism additionally merits close research. For example, Achilles is the prototype war legend, whose qualities were strong to the point, that Socrates readiness not to be taken lightly it was likewise a heroism endeavor. Heroism that comprise a striking thought is generally not all that sensational like heroism that involves immediate physical danger. These diverse methods for urging with the heroism perfect mean a deeper, more tangled meaning of heroism. Activities considered as chivalrous are conventionally boded well that they are not urged by outside weights or at any rate go out the limits of the conduct usually provoked by outer weights. By understanding of chivalry as an issue normal for free will, not as a surprising gimmick, valor gets to be something that stands in the line of conceivable outcomes for everybody, conceivably moving us to answer that call. The pondered the cliché of heroism undresses the myth of the brave choose. It is a myth that reinforces two basic human inclinations: to trait exceptionally uncommon individual peculiarity to extraordinary individuals who do unique accomplishments – to see them as superhuman, contrasting with whatever remains of us and the trap of inertial some individuals call it as the spectator impact. Examination has demonstrated that this impact is frequently inspired by dispersing of obligation. Causes of Heroism

Researchers have long realized that both individuals and creatures are more prone to help those to whom they are hereditarily related, an idea known as tribe’s choice. By helping the individuals who impart our qualities, we help guarantee the probability that those qualities will be passed on to future eras. In others cases, we help other people with the desire that sometime they may help us as an exchange, a thought known as proportional unselfishness (Pilger, 2010). It is clear that that the family is one of the key causes of heroism.

Anyway shouldn’t we think about the sorts of selflessness that don’t rely on helping relatives or expecting some sort of payback? In such cases, situational, social, and identity variables can assume significant part is crafting heroism. After individuals take chivalrous activities, they frequently guarantee that they don’t see themselves as legends; that they were basically doing what anybody in that circumstance would have done. Notwithstanding prompt life and demise circumstances, the force and promptness of the circumstances can motivate some individuals to make a move. The cultural beliefs and taboos determine the heroism status of an individual.

These same situational constrains that electrify a few people to gallant acts can really obstruct others from making a difference. At the point when an emergency emerges in the vicinity of numerous individuals, we frequently fall into a trap of inaction by accepting that another person will offer support, a sensation known as the onlooker impact. Since moral obligation is diffused by the vicinity of others, we accept that another person will tackle the part of the legend.

Some individuals might likewise have identity characteristics that incline them to act in philanthropic and gallant ways. Analysts have recommended that the individuals who have a specific personality set that leads them to act certainly and ethically in troublesome circumstances have a tendency to demonstration instantly and unknowingly when a crisis happens.

Differences

It is clear that there is huge difference between the two leaders that lead to the actions they took for the people or the society. For example, Chico was there to save the environment while the later was there to ensure rights of individuals.

Similarities

The two heroes have a lot in similarities. They were they to help the people and the society. The ideal step to change the law in order to uphold rights of women can be considered as a gender rights such as that of Clara as compered to that of Chico that covered all gender by protecting the environment.

References

King, N. (2010). Heroes In Hard Times. Temple University Press.

Pilger, J. (2010). Heroes. Random House.

Notes any barriers to PR professional acquiring and demonstrating such capabilities in practice

Notes any barriers to PR professional acquiring and demonstrating such capabilities in practice

There are a number of factors that can hinder the PR professional from acquiring and demonstrating capabilities that are communicative and geared in the same direction as the CSR strategic agenda. One of these factors relates to how the organizational culture of the particular institution is driven in terms of its public relations. First, if the PR does not encourage or use interactive communication but rather only uses one way communication this can act as a barrier to achieving the communicative capabilities relevant to CSR agenda. Moreover, unethical activities intermarried with self-promotion can make it difficult for the professional to exhibit these capabilities. Rigidity can also deny the professional to realize the importance of flexibility in a dynamic world that changes with needs and interests of the stakeholders (Francesco 2010).

Meanwhile, if the professionals are embroiled in skeptic approach to the importance of CSR and merely look at it as an attempt for organizations to achieve positive publicity, this alone can act as a blocking veil to them (Sehic & Sabanovic 2008). In addition, there is tendency, as observed by Hart and Sharma (2004), to ignore some stakeholders that are basically non-human on the grounds that they are not central to the operation of the business and hence cannot help in achievement of the CSR strategic agendas. Yet, this point is intricately tied to the ability of the PR professionals to realize that flexibility in a dynamic environment is important such that every stakeholder is very important in determining the success of the strategic CSR agenda (Redington 2005). CEO leadership styles can also affect the end results of the strategies laid down in the organization-wide campaign to achieve CSR agenda. If the top-most management predominantly engages in short-term incentive based business approaches, this can deter them from seeing the bigger picture of a long-term approach that incorporates the strategic CSR agenda for the organization.

Reference

Francesco P. (2010) Developing Corporate Social Responsibility: A European Perspective. London: Edward Elgar Publishing

Hart, S. and S. Sharma: 2004, ‘Engaging Fringe Stakeholders for Competitive Imagination’, Academy of Management Executive 18, 8–18.

Redington I (2005). Making CSR Happen: the contribution of people management. London: Sage Publications

Sehic, D. & Sabanovic J (2008). Corporate social responsibility of B&H companies in globalization. – 5th International Scientific Conference in Business http://leidykla.vgtu.lt/conferences/BUS_AND_MANA_2008/soc-economical/598-605-G-Art-Sehic_Sabanovic.pdf

Note making on Diversity

Note making on Diversity

These are notes derived from the various sources of information we used in our research on diversity and other issues.

1] Notes on:

Brislin, R. W. (2008). Working with Cultural Differences: Dealing Effectively with Diversity in the Workplace. Westport, Conn: Praeger

Definition

Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status.

Adaptation of the workplace to suit diversity

Demographic changes (women in the workplace, organizational restructurings, and equal opportunity legislation) will require organizations to review their management practices and develop new and creative approaches to managing people. Changes will increase work performance and customer service.

Company profile and attractiveness

From the marketplace perspective, a company that promotes workplace diversity and an inclusive work environment adds to its attractiveness as an employer. A work place that is open to exploring new ideas and styles is especially appealing for the adventurous open-minded employees of Generation Y.

Competitive advantage

Diversity of the workforce is clearly here to stay. Business owners and managers, experts say, will still need to maintain or step up efforts to recruit and advance ethnic minorities each year. Essentially, because having a diverse work force a gives the company a lot more advantages to their competitors

Notes on:

Johnson, C. E. (2012). Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE.

Diversity is beneficial to both associates and employers. Although associates are interdependent in the workplace, respecting individual differences can increase productivity. Diversity in the workplace can reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image.

Notes on:

Cornelius, N. (2002). Building Workplace Equality: Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion. London: Thomson Learning

Globalization

The world’s increasing pace of globalization requires more interaction among people from diverse cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds than ever before. People no longer live and work in an insular marketplace; they are now part of a worldwide economy with competition coming from nearly every continent. It calls for the opening of non-traditional occupations to men and women of all creeds, colors, religions, races and social groupings and for making reasonable accommodations the workplace and work life for this to happen.

Dimensions of diversity

Diversity calls for diversity beyond just gender, race, or physical and intellectual abilities to include diversity in opinions, sexual preferences, social customs and mores, and other aspects of the variations in lives and lifestyles. There is a compelling generic business case for achieving and managing diversity in the workplace. There is also a model used to help organizations better understand diversity.

Four Layers of Diversity is used in many organizations across the country to frame the issue and encourage discussion and involvement in managing diversity. The multiple dimensions of diversity around which there is inclusion and exclusion are depicted in four concentric circles. Personality, relating to individual style and characteristics, is in the center. Whether a person is an introvert or extrovert, reflective or expressive, quick paced or methodical, a thinker or a doer, for example, all influence how the individual will be treated, get along with others, and progress in the organization.

The second layer, the Internal Dimensions, comprises the six aspects of ourselves over which we have little control. Our gender, age, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and physical ability are for the most part not choices, yet they influence our treatment in organizations, the roles we play in life, and the expectations of us, both our own and others. The third layer, External Dimensions, comprises those that are the result of life experiences and choices. Aspects such as religion, education, marital status, work experience, and recreational habits are areas around which employees can connect or disconnect, be valued or disrespected, depending on how these dimensions are seen and used. The last layer, Organizational Dimensions, contains those aspects of similarity and differences that are part of work in the organization. What difference might it make if someone is the CEO or an entry level employee, in marketing, manufacturing, human resources, or customer service, a manager or a union shop steward? These dimensions also affect both treatment of employees and productivity of the organization. All these aspects represent areas in which there may be similarity and common ground as well as differences. When well-managed, these differences have the potential to bring new perspectives, ideas, and viewpoints needed by the organization. However, if mismanaged, they can sow the seeds of conflict and misunderstanding that sabotage teamwork and productivity and hinder effectiveness. To maximize the ability to manage this complex set of differences, organizations need to have a framework and strategy.

Diversity as a tool for business enhancement

Having inside information on how to communicate and what a community wants in a product is a great asset. A multicultural company can penetrate and widen their markets with the knowledge of political, social, legal, economic, and cultural environments. Further, having someone within the organization who can negotiate and speak the language of the country is a very valuable asset to the corporation.

Diversity programs are considered to be good investments whose returns have been very beneficial to organization. Successful professionals are learning to demonstrate the contribution of diversity programs to the business on macro and micro levels.

The business case is about capturing talent, understanding markets, utilizing diverse perspectives for innovation, knowing how and how not to pitch products, and, ultimately, how to generate employee commitment. Executive leaders need to be role models and advocates for this strategic focus.

Effective management

Diversity is not a liberal ideological movement, to be supported or resisted. Rather, it is a reality in today’s business environment.

Managed well, diversity provides benefits that increase success However, when ignored or mismanaged, it brings challenges and obstacles that can hinder the organization’s ability to succeed. The right question then is not, do we have to deal with diversity, but rather, how do we manage it to reap its potential benefits? At its core, diversity is about inclusion and exclusion. The foundation for effectively leveraging diversity lies in defining it in a broad and inclusive way. Organizations that define it broadly, involving all dimensions of similarity and difference around which there are inclusions and exclusions that affect the business, find that there is greater buy-in and strategic relevance. There is also a stronger business case and less resistance when all in the organization can see themselves reflected in the definition and can identify inclusions and exclusions that play out in the organization every day through us-versus-them attitudes, stereotypes, assumptions, preconceived expectations, and differences in treatment. These dimensions also affect both treatment of employees and productivity of the organization. All these aspects represent areas in which there may be similarity and common ground as well as differences. However, if mismanaged, they can sow the seeds of conflict and misunderstanding that sabotage teamwork and productivity and hinder effectiveness. To maximize the ability to manage this complex set of differences, organizations need to have a framework and strategy. The following three areas of focus offer a framework. Understanding the Evolving Role of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace.

For an organization to get its arms around the complexity of diversity culture change, it needs to focus on three arenas:

(1) Individual attitudes and behaviors,

(2) Managerial skills and practices, and

(3) Organizational values and policies.

Not exactly considered a serious poet or author, Publius Ovidius Naso, or Ovid as he is more commonly called

Not exactly considered a “serious” poet or author, Publius Ovidius Naso, or Ovid as he is more commonly called, captured the spirit of Greek and Roman mythology in his most noted work The Metamorphoses. The stories told in this work are commonly thought of as not serious enough for adults. Therefore, many of these stories have been “dumbed down” and transposed into child book form. Though most of these stories are very serious, many do not see them as sophisticated literature. True as this is, his works are still great and reflect much of the attitude and culture of his time. Behind his fables, Ovid was a fantastic storyteller and a master at capturing the spirit of the ancient times as well as portraying his own life through his work.

Like many poets of that time, Ovid’s father wished him to be a lawyer. His father sent him from his home in Sulmo, where he was born, to Athens to obtain a legal degree and study rhetoric. “Indeed rhetoric was the core of Roman education in Ovid’s time, as it had been for almost a century before his birth as it was for centuries after his death” (Luce 785). When his formal training was complete, Ovid studied philosophy. Ovid then came home to start a serious career.

“It did not work. Fathers of poets seem to have a penchant for trying to turn their male offspring into lawyers, doctors, or engineers. Usually this stratagem is effective because most sons are not poets. Most fathers confronted with the problem of a versifying son, therefore, turn out to be right; Ovid’s father turned out to be wrong” (Luce 785).

Ovid sincerely attempted to satisfy the demands of his father, but failed horribly. He abandoned his law studies and he drifted off to book merchants and poetry readings. He also married, but swiftly divorced, the woman his father had chosen for him. He was clearly strong-minded and independent. Ovid became more interested with the world of poetry. He also became acquainted with most of the leading poets of the time. Thus, at approximately at the age of twenty, Ovid launched into his career as poet. Up to this point, the poet’s life was basically ho-hum.

“Until the catastrophe in A.D. 8, when Augustus exiled him to Tomis on the Black Sea, Ovid’s life appears to have been uneventful” (Luce 785). In the next years of his life, he married a total of three times.

“…This might suggest domestic turmoil of an unusual sort; but given social fragmentation of his time, even this apparent disorder may have been merely ordinary. In any case, the third and final marriage seems to have been an extraordinary one, and Ovid’s devotion to the wife he left in Rome when he went to Tomis is manifest to her in his final volumes” (Luce 785).

Soon in Ovid’s life appeared an adversary, though. Augustus Caesar, the grand nephew to Julius Caesar, took the empirical throne. Augustus was bent on reforming Rome in a time of spiritual freedom. He saw the “free love” attitude of Ovid’s time as wrong and demeaning to the family. He soon made laws against certain acts between two unmarried people. At this point Ovid was just discovering and enjoying this time of freedom.

“While Augustus was devoting himself to the reform of a social order that nearly a hundred years of cival war had left in ruins, Ovid devoted himself to the refinement of his craft and of his observations of Roman high society and politics” (Luce 786).

The difference between the two’s mind set is described by T. James Luce as

“…The confrontation between two irreconcilable visions of human life, the collisions of political necessity with poetic freedom, of pragmatic with a humanism that is grounded in religious intuitions, of the contingencies of history with moral imagination” (Luce 788).

Ovid found himself exiled to Tomis from Rome. The exact circumstances of this exile are unknown, for even Ovid himself shrouds them in mystery. He and his friends who practiced the same loose mindset did not take Augustus’s efforts seriously.

“What Ovid and his playmates did not understand, what would have appalled them had they been able to grasp it, was that Augustus was utterly, deadly serious in his efforts to purify and revitalize the social patterns of Rome” (Hendry 250).

Yet Ovid continued in his activities and his writings. He poked fun at the members of high society and publicly criticized the movements of the emperor and other politicians. “Ovid, whose eye is on the beautiful people and their foibles, glances at the emperor in these years (23 – 3 B.C.) occasionally, and his attitude is one of mild flippancy and tolerant good humor” (Luce 786). Augustus was not pleased, nor was he amused, with Ovid. He banished the poet to the island of Tomis with no explanation left in history. There are speculated versions of the story. “Ovid laments having seen something, but refuses to specify what it was for fear of reawakening the imperial wrath” (Luce 787). Ovid was banished, suspiciously, from Rome about the same time that Augustus himself also mysteriously exiled his granddaughter, Julia, from Rome. A connection between the two is plausible. It is thought that perhaps Ovid was a semi-innocent bystander in a scandal in which adultery was discovered. Ovid may have been a confidant to either Julia or to her lover, had sympathized, and had helped in the concealment of this scandal.

“Ovid discusses his banishment and its causes in a long poem, but though he fastens the blame for his exile directly on himself, the precise nature of his wrongdoings eludes us, for what seems an apology to his prince is in fact an elaborate self defense and self-justification” (785).

In his days in exile, Ovid spent his energy writing apologies and justifications to his “crime” in attempt to escape from exile along with love letters to his last wife. Despite his attempts to be released, Ovid died exiled from Rome.

“Ovid’s poetry falls into three divisions: the works of his youth, of his middle age, and of his years in exile. In the first period, Ovid continued the elegiac tradition of Roman poets Sextus Propertius and Albius Tibullus, both of whom he knew and admired. Ovid’s Amores are erotic poems centered on Corinna, but they display little real feeling and are characterized by artificiality and cleverness. Other works of his are didactic poems, including Medicamina Faciei Femineae, a fragment of writing on cosmetics; and Remedia Amoris, a kind of recantation of the Ars Amatoria. Ovid’s Medea, a tragedy highly praised by ancient critics, has not been preserved. His interest in mythology is reflected in his Heroides, or Epistulae Heroidum, 21 fictional love letters, mostly from mythological heroines to their lovers” (Redmond).

“The commentator of his day, he presented most of his findings in the form of love elegies on themes from seduction to abortion, and distilled his professorial wisdom into the witty and comprehensive art of love” (Godolphin xxvi). Ovid’s works reflected the issues of the time and the attitude of its people. His poems and writings left an impression in history that, maybe not completely accurate, was entertaining. In his middle period Ovid wrote The Metamorphoses in 8 A.D., his greatest poetic achievement. Using Greco-Roman mythology as the material of his 15 books and change as his theme, he particularly isolates love as the agent of change, love now seen in its more profound ethical dimensions. Among readers of the late Middle Ages, the Metamorphoses rivaled the Bible in popularity. The other work of his middle period is The Fasti, a poetic calendar describing the various Roman festivals and the legends connected with each. Of the projected 12 books, 1 for each month of the year, only the first 6 survived into the present. “Ovid is the storehouse of classical mythology” (Godolphin xxvii). The Metamorphoses provided extensive insight on mythology of the times. Melancholy and despair pervade the works composed during his exile. They include The Tristia, five books of elegies that describe his unhappy existence at Tomis and appeal to the mercy of Augustus; The Epistulae ex Ponto, poetic letters similar in theme to The Tristia; The Ibis, a short invective invoking destruction on a personal enemy; and The Halieutica, a poem extant only in fragments, about the local fish. The Nux and The Consolatio ad Liviam are usually considered wrongly attributed to Ovid. A poem written in Getic, the native language of Dacia, has not survived. With the exception of the Metamorphoses and the fragmentary Halieutica, both of which are in dactylic hexameter meter, all the poetry of Ovid is composed in the elegiac couplet. These works contained some history of ancient Rome and the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of Ovid himself. “Whenever the characters of an author suffer, they do so at the behest of their author- the author is responsible for their suffering and must justify his cruelty by the seriousness of his moral imagination” (Trilling 88). Ovid transposed his own pain and suffering to his characters.

The love elegy was one of Ovid’s trademark writings. He was one of the few poets who used this style of writing. “In classical Latin poetry there would be no more love elegy after Ovid” (Luce 792). Love was a small subject of his poems in the way that most of his major works did not involve it. His middle stage poems are characterized by a lack of caring and most of his exiled work is that of sorrow and melancholy.

“For although love will continue to haunt him throughout his career, the genre that Catullus began and that Propertius and Tibullus developed Ovid has let go of- because, in effect, he has demolished it” (Luce 792). So, basically, Ovid took out a style of writing with him.

“Ovid must be counted as a major figure in the making of modern literature. His ability to tell a story, as shown in the vast number of tales in the fifteen books of The Metamorphoses, and his keen interest in psychology…helped to bring about the shift from medieval to modern literature” (Godolphin xxvii).

Ovid was truly a writer of his time. He showed the mentality of the times of ancient Rome intermixed with his own feeling and views. Though much of his life is shrouded in obscurity, he still managed to adequately convey Rome and its mythological side. In addition to this he passed along a bit of history with his entertaining works.

Works Cited

Godolphin, Francis R.B. The Latin Poets. New York: Random House, 1949.

Hendry, Michael. “Ovid. Ex Ponto, III 8,6.” Museum Criticum (1995-1996): 249-252.

Luce, T. James. Ancient Writers: Greece Rome. New York: Charles Schribner’s Sons,

1982.

Redmond, Sean. “Island of Freedom.” Online posting: http://www.island-of

freedom.com/OVID.HTM. Internet. Date Unknown.

Trilling, Lionel. “A Gathering of Fugitives.” New York: Random House, 1973.

North Korea And US Relations

North Korea And US Relations

North Korea vowed to launch a nuclear strike which is to be pre-emptive against United States as a way of retaliating against new sanctions against rogue communist state which are currently under consideration by United Nations. The new sanctions will make it very difficult for North Korea to be able to finance and obtain the materials they need for their weapons program. They warned against a war they termed as thermonuclear on the aggressor’s headquarters since Washington is pushing for the launch of a nuclear war against the North. They accused the united states of being at the forefront in leading efforts to slap these sanctions on North Korea North Korea claim that Washington and other states are going beyond economic sanctions and they are now expanding into military acts and blunt aggression. Their aim is to launch surgical strikes at no specific target or time without being bounded by any armistice accord. This is because they view the United States as their enemies (FOX News Network, LLC, 2013).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has its main responsibility as protecting United States and its territories from any form of disaster that might strike .it responds to responding to any form of terrorist attacks, natural disasters and man-made accidents. Such kind of threats fall under the jurisdiction of DHS .the DHS is responsible for ensuring that United States and its territories remain safe under these threats. Therefore, DHS ensure that they tighten the security within the United States and its territories. They are always on the look out and prepared to retaliate against these threats that have been made by North Korea. The DHS is always alert in preparation for any attacks that might be launched. They also try to source for any information that will guide them in fighting these attacks. Therefore, we can say that the department of homeland security is doing all it can in its power to ensure that the situation is diffused.

I do not think that North Korea is making the right step when preparing to launch an attack against the United States .Despite this threats is till believe that North Korea can not live up to the threats. This is because eve though they boas of pre-emptive strikes and nuclear bombs they have not mastered the ability of producing warheads that are small enough for putting missiles that are capable of reaching the united states. Though they have enough nuclear fuel it can only be enough for crude nuclear devices. Therefore, North Korea can not successfully launch attacks on the United States since their nuclear devices are not capable of doing so (Homeland Security News ,2013).

Let us say they go ahead with their threats of the attacks many innocent people might end up loosing their lives. Furthermore, there are better ways of dealing with the situation other than declaring war against United States. If they are not contented with the decision the United Nations have made then they can peacefully deal with the situation. Leaders from North Korea can arrange for a meeting with United Nations leaders where they can state their grievances. I am sure the United Nations leaders can surely find time to listen to these leaders and come up with some form of agreement. Retaliation is not the way to go since it might not lead to the United Nation changing their stand.it will just lead to the death of people without a solution being found. I also feel that North Korea should not abuse the use of Nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are very dangerous and they have a potential of causing a lot of harm to many generations that come. Therefore, they should go out of their way in trying to peacefully come up with a solution to their problem.

References

Adams, B. (2013). North Korea Says It Has ‘Approved’ Nuclear Strikes On the U.S. Retrieved July 13, 2013 from http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/04/03/report-north-korea-says-it-has-approved-nuclear-strikes-on-u-s/FOX News Network, LLC. (2013). North Korea vows nuclear attack on US, saying Washington will be ‘engulfed in a sea of fire’. Retrieved July 13, 2013 from http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/03/07/north-korea-vows-nuclear-attack-on-us-ahead-un-sanctions-vote/Homeland Security News. (2013). North Korea vows nuclear attack on US, as UN prepares to vote on sanctions. Retrieved July 13, 2013 from http://www.nationalterroralert.com/2013/03/07/north-korea-vows-nuclear-attack-on-us-as-un-prepares-to-vote-on-sanctions/

North American Archaeology

North American Archaeology

Position Paper #1

Your first position paper focuses on the early settlement of North America during what archaeologists call the Paleoindian period (ca. pre-12,000 to 10,000 before present – B.P.). Many questions exist concerning when, where, how, and why the first people entered North America. Despite these issues, archaeologists agree that the first groups arrived no later than about 13,000 years ago, and probably considerably earlier. When the first groups arrived, the latest Pleistocene glaciation (Wisconsin) was retreating to the north, but environmental conditions were still much colder than today’s. Over the next 5,000 years, glacial conditions gradually ameliorated and by about 8,000 years ago, essentially modern environmental conditions existed throughout much of the North American continent.

Directions:Compare and contrast the ways of life associated with the Early PaleoIndian archaeological culture (Clovis – pre-12,000 B.P.) with those of Late PaleoIndian groups (ca. 8,000-10,000 B.P.). Address issues such as paleoenvironmental conditions, subsistence practices, population distributions and densities, group mobility and settlement strategies, and technologies. How have archaeologists interpreted evidence for greater cultural diversity among Late Paleoindian groups compared to earlier Clovis groups?

Your paper should be 2-3 pages long (double spaced) and include a bibliography of sources used for the assignment.

Normally, when we think of worlds, the planet Earth comes to mind

Normally, when we think of worlds, the planet Earth comes to mind. What we don’t often remember is that the word world can mean more than the Earth. Webster’s New World Dictionary states that the true definition of the word world is, “some part of the earth, or an individual experience, outlook..” Keeping that definition in mind, it is true to say that the boys in Lord of the Flies were in their own world, so to speak. And it is also true that every world has its problems. A contemporary psychiatrist wrote , “The problems of the world – and they are chronicled daily in headlines of violence and despair – essentially are the problems of individuals. If individuals can change, the course of the world can change. This is a hope worth sustaining.” This quote can apply both to the larger world of the Earth, and the smaller world of the island.

On the island, the boys had problems from the beginning. Both Ralph and Jack wanted to be chief and when the rest of the biguns and littluns voted for Ralph, it caused friction between Jack and Ralph. Ralph tried to deal with this problem by appointing Jack the leader of the hunters and keepers of the fire. He had hoped this would repair any damage that had been done to their short friendship. Ralph was doing his duty as the chief and tried to deal with their individual problems. However, this solution ended up doing more harm than good. The friction between Ralph and Jack flourished throughout the book.

Jack soon became obsessed with savagery and killing pigs. The only

thing he cared about was meat. And Jack does kill a pig; however killing that pig sacrificed the fire and the boys missed a rescue

opportunity because the fire went out. But Jack doesn’t seem to care.

“Jack, his face smeared with clays, reached the top first and hailed Ralph excitedly, with lifted spear.

‘Look! We’ve killed a pig-we stole up on them-we got in a circle-’

They seemed to share one wide ecstatic grin. Jack had too many things to tell Ralph at once. Instead he danced a step or two, then remembered his dignity and stood still, grinning.

Ralph spoke. ‘You let the fire go out.’

Jack checked, vaguely irritated by this irrelevance but too happy to let it worry him.

‘There was lashings of blood,’ said Jack, laughing and shuddering.

‘You should have seen it!’ Ralph spoke again, hoarsely.

He had not moved.

‘You let the fire go out.’”

Jack doesn’t care that he screwed up; all that really matters to him is that he killed a pig. Ralph is very upset that Jack let the fire go out because being rescued is his top priority. Having fun is Jack’s top priority, and his callousness towards things Ralph sees as important adds to the friction building up between the two boys.

As the book continues, more and more Jack tries to assert himself as the chief. He comes up with wild games that the boys can play after the kill. He became the leader in the forest, where it’s all dark and scary, and Ralph was the chief on the beach where there was order. Even here, it’s evident that Jack is the type of ruler who wants an absolute monarchy – he likes to give orders, not take them. Ralph is a more democratic leader who listens to other people and takes advice. Jack offers protection and direction; Ralph offers goals, steadiness. Even at the basic personality level, there is a wide difference between Ralph and Jack. And most importantly, Jack is very ambitious. Jack wants power and to be chief. All of these differences and anxieties come to head after Simon, Ralph, Jack and Roger try and slay the beast. Jack says:

“‘He’s not a hunter. He’d have never got us meat. He isn’t a prefect and we don’t know anything about him. He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing. All this talk-’

‘All this talk!’ shouted Ralph. ‘Talk, talk! Who wanted it? Who called the meeting?’

‘All right then,’ he said in deep tones of meaning, and menace, ‘all right. Who thinks Ralph oughtn’t to be chief?’

He look expectantly at the boys ranged around, whohad frozen. Under the palms there was deadly silence.

‘Hands up,’ said Jack strongly, ‘whoever wants Ralph not to be chief?’

The silence continued, breathless and heavy and full of shame…[Jack]licked his lips and turned his head at an angle so that his gaze avoided the embarrassment of linking with another’s eye.

‘How many think-’ His voice trailed off.

‘I’m not going to play any longer. Not with you. I’m not going to be a part of Ralph’s lot–’

He blundered out of the triangle towards the drop to the white sand.

‘Jack!!’

Jack turned and looked back at Ralph. For a moment he paused and then cried out, high-pitched, enraged.

‘–NO!’

It is at this moment that the group splits apart. Once they are not together and strong, chaos takes over. Jack becomes a tyrant, going more and more towards savagery, backing up his orders with physical abuse. Jack and his hunters kill two very good people and try to kill Ralph before all of this is stopped by the appearance of a naval officer. It is the problems that Jack causes that create the rift between the group of boys. Jack is the savage one, Jack is the problem maker. This whole book would have turned out differently had Jack thought about more than himself. If he had thought about the good of the group and what would benefit everyone, some of the problems would not have occurred.

Imagine if Jack had decided to accept Ralph as his chief for the good of the group. If he had taken it upon himself to be a good hunter and flame-keeper, the fire would have never gone out and the group would have been rescued. Piggy and Simon would still be living. The island would have been more than a dead rock. The psychologist said, “If individuals can change, the course of the world can change.” If Jack had changed, the outcome of the island group would have been

drastically altered.

I feel that the message in the book is that a society is never a sum of its parts. If there are savage people in a society, then the society will be savage. Maybe not outright, and maybe not right away, but the savageness is always lurking right beneath the surface. If a society was made up of all saints, it would be a purely good society where everything was beautiful (as Simon was) and nothing was vicious. If individuals would change, change their morals and their ethics, a society could become greater and stronger. However, if individuals refuse to change, society could degenerate into all violence and savagery, as it did in Lord of the Flies. If people are willing to change, the world (any world) will become stronger and “better”. And that is, indeed, a hope worth sustaining.

Normalization. To convert database tables to first normal for, you first of all attribute value in a relation has a single va

Normalization

Name:

Course:

Tutor:

Date:

To convert database tables to first normal for, you first of all attribute value in a relation has a single value only. Second is to ensure that all values for a given attribute are of similar dada types. Third step is to ensure that each attribute name is unique. Finally, you ensure that no two or more tuples (rows) in a relation are similar. All these steps ensures that the definition of a relation is met hence first normal form is achieved (Teorey et al., 2011, Singh, 2011).

To convert a database to second normal form, you list down the functional dependencies (FD) which may be FD1 and FD2 if a given relation is to be split up in to two relations. Then find out whether all non-key attributes are dependent on the entire key. If knowing one attribute in a relation can help you figure out other attributes, and then split the table further in to two relations. Then sample the data and functional dependencies for the two relations. You finally confirm whether the resultant two relations meet the definition of first normal form where each relation has well defined unique key field in addition to checking whether the relations meet the definition of second normal form where there is no partial key dependencies (Teorey et al., 2011, Singh, 2011).

To convert a database in to third normal form, you first check whether the existing relations are in second normal form. If they are, then check whether there is any transitive dependency existing between or among the relations. Next is to find out where there are anomalies in the second normal form relations. The split the relation in to functional dependencies, say FD1 and FD2, resulting to another two relations. Sample the data again and functional dependencies created. Finally, you check the resulting relations to find out if they indeed meet the definition of first normal and second normal forms. If they do, and there is no transitive dependency between or among the relations, then the relations are in third normal form (Teorey et al., 2011, Singh, 2011).

The illustration of bellow uses particular and course tables to explain why conversion of database to first, second and third normal form is appropriate in a college environment.

Particular (Name, course_Code->course_Number, department)

Course (course_Number, department->Lecturer_Room, Tutor)

In terms of first normal form, the two relations above must meet the definition of a relation as explained above in order for then to be safely stored in the database. In the second normal form, the two relations must meet the definition of a relation where each relation has well defined unique keys with no partial key dependencies. As an example, course_Number has partial dependency on Course_Code which in turn has a partial dependency on Name within particular table. A gainLecturer_Room has a partial dependency on department which in turn has a partial dependency on Course_Number within Course table. These dependencies must be removed in order to attain second normal form for easy creation of rules in the database for storage of student details. Assuming that the second normal form relation for the first relation is Particular (Name, course Code-> department), a transitive dependency is created between name and department which is again normalized too third normal form, resulting in to two other relations.

Denormalization table is accepted in situations where the process of updating a fact in the database is to be optimized by storing it in one place.. It is also accepted where performance is of the database is to be maximized as well as storing the past history. This can be justified in situation where accompany stores information of customers in project table and customer table where the company management may want to require customer name from the time a project was started. In this case, the database administrator will just maintain the current name only in the customer table. However he will have to add the customer_Name attribute to the project table in addition to the date itself when the name was valid. As a result more fields are added to the project table which optimizes future update process as well as maintaining past history of the customer in the customer table (Teorey et al., 2011, Bagui & Earp, 2011).

Business rules impact both database normalization and the decision to denormalize database tables in a significant manner in that normalization helps to create rules and patterns that can be applied to any changes in the database. This is very significant in business where the same rules are required to manage business changes in trends and patterns of seasonal sales. Denormalization helps to optimally update the day to day business transactions stored as facts in one place within the database.

References

Teorey, T. J., Lightstone, S. S., Nadeau, T., & Jagadish, H. V. (2011). Database modeling and design: Logical design. Elsevier.

Singh, S. K. (2011). Database systems: Concepts, design and applications. Pearson Education India.

Bagui, S., & Earp, R. (2011). Database design using entity-relationship diagrams. CRC Press.

Noodles & Company’s Operations Management

Noodles & Company’s Operations Management

Name

Institution Affiliation

Noodles & Company’s Operations Management

Today, the business environment is constantly changing, with businesses also diverting focus on operations management. Operation management is the administration of resources and processes needed by a firm in the production of products and services (Barnes, 2018, p. 5). In the business world today, corporations are keen on operations management to achieve the highest level of efficiency achievable (Kenton, 2019). An excellent example of a business that relies mostly on operations management is the Noodles & Company. It attributes its success over the years to excellent operations management. The fast-food restaurant focuses on business operations and functions to ensure it achieves quality services and efficient service delivery to customers.

Noodles & Company

Noodle & Company is a fast food restaurant based in America, having its headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado. The firm currently serves 29 states across the US and also has its operations in Europe, Canada, India, Asia, and Africa. Since being founded in 1995, the company has dedicated a vast amount of resources and time to ensure that its operations management ensures that it serves quality fast-foods fast and efficiently (Noodles & Company, 2020). Such actions on focusing on operations management have enabled the business to achieve tremendous success, expanding its operations to new markets over the years. The restaurant’s operations management was developed by focusing on the restaurant’s competitive priorities.

Competitive Priorities

The operations management currently possessed by the restaurant was developed through the use of an operations strategy. The strategy leads to the specification of the needs of the restaurant’s strategy to its operations by focusing on the competitive priorities. According to Jitpaiboon et al. (2016), competitive priorities refer to the crucial dimensions that a firm’s operations ought to possess to satisfy customers. Competitive priorities can, therefore, be regarded as a guidance of the business’ operations, since the various aspects of the operations ought to focus on supporting the competitive priority (Reid & Sanders, 2019, p. 35). At Noodles & Company, there are various competitive priorities that its operations focus on, such as quality, delivery, and customer focus.

Noodles & Company’s Competitive Priorities

Foremost, the restaurant prioritizes on quality of fast foods it serves its customers. Quality is among the restaurant’s competitive priorities, and it gives directions to the restaurant’s operations (Collier & Evans, 2016, p. 54). Through having quality as a competitive priority, the restaurant achieves align its manufacturing and service processes to serve fresh quality hot dishes. The various operations from the counter to the kitchen to the dining area, are all aimed at ensuring the serving of hot quality fresh fast-foods. The restaurant was founded on the principle that the customers should not sacrifice quality when they require speed, leading to the next competitive priority of time.

The second competitive priority that the restaurant’s operations are aligned with is delivery or time. Noodles & Company was founded to deliver fast foods at a fast speed without compromising on the quality of the meals. Such actions demonstrate the employment of lean manufacturing which is aimed at the elimination of waste while adding value to consumers (Davim, 2018, p. 70). The waste resource being eliminated is time resource as meals are prepared fast. The restaurant aligns its operations from the counter to the kitchen and finally to the dining room to be efficient to ensure that customers receive their ordered hot fast-foods at approximately 6 minutes or less, eliminating wastage of time. The restaurant prioritizes the fast delivery of food to a customer since it creates better service delivery and also customer satisfaction. Therefore, through aligning the operations to be focused on fast delivery, the restaurant achieves to ensure customer satisfaction.

Another competitive priority of Noodles & Company is customer focus. The success of the company over the years is because of the operations being aligned with a customer focus. Customer focus is about the fulfilment of a customer’s needs and includes several services such as product support and customer information (Awwad et al., 2010). Noodles & Company have its operations management focused on customer focus. An excellent example of how the restaurant has aligned its operation to customer focus is in the lobby. From the moment a customer enters the restaurant, there are pictures to engage the customer to know their preferred food instead of thinking of the food they want. Such measures ensure the restaurant is focused on customers, which therefore contributes to the operations management effective.

Processes

Moreover, effective operations management is also concerned with effective manufacturing processes. In Noodles & Company, there are various processes adopted to ensure efficient production. The first process in the restaurant is the guest interaction which lasts about 30 seconds. The entrance of the restaurant has a menu that engages the customer to make them aware of the dish they desire. After knowing the dish a customer wants, they will go ahead to place the order. A card is given to customers which they place on their tables, waiting for their dish to be prepared. Once the order is placed, the dish is displayed on a monitor where the employees in the kitchen can then prepare the ordered dish quickly.

The second process is at the silver bowl station, which lasts about 15 to 30 seconds. Under the process, the employees pick the recipes required to prepare the ordered dish. The next processes are through the sauté line and lastly through the garnish station. The entire process is designed to ensure that the dishes are prepared within 5 to 6 minutes, ensuring that the customer is quickly served quality hot dishes. The figure below is a service blueprint of the restaurant’s processes.

3583305425154Preparations

00Preparations

3931277-68834701901633428300Orderr

00Orderr

1679944339769-38227063913Customer

0Customer

-8506032960948985163500Guest Interaction

Guest Interaction

462494141419731789134145371989130170962Silver Bowl Station

Silver Bowl Station

3435527170608Sauté Line

Sauté Line

4988147172971Garnish Station

Garnish Station

4816017259863Serving

00Serving

5560680216195

4065920150200Customer

0Customer

42212594349754936623193601Dining

Dining

Operations and Processes Design

Firstly, the restaurant has design its operations to be fast through the division of tasks. Right from the lobby to the kitchen, the staffs are divided, having various responsibilities to perform. Some employees are concerned with the ordering process, which is then reflected in the two monitors placed in the kitchen; on the sauté line and the garnish station. In the kitchen, staff are divided into the two stations. Such division of tasks enables the preparation of order dishes within four to five minutes. According to Khanna (2015), time as a competitive priority is concerned with on-time delivery which Noodles & Company is keen on. Therefore, through divisions of tasks, the restaurant enables on-time delivery of the dishes.

The other way through which the restaurant designs its operations and processes to achieve quality meals is on fresh produces. There is a prepped inventory which ensures that the restaurant achieves the use of fresh vegetables and produces. The prepped inventory is updated every mornings and evening, and thus facilitates the use of quality fresh produce that enables the serving of quality dishes. Consequently, the Noodles & Company can achieve its competitive priority of quality and customer focus.

Noodles & Company Fail-safe

Noodles & Company fail-safe its processes by having job aides at every station in the kitchen. Having the job aides at the stations as fail-safe ensures that the employees in the kitchen use the right tools for success. Fail-safes are processes or mechanism instituted in the operations to mitigate the occurrence of disasters (Lee, 2016). The right tools in the restaurant include the measurements of the ingredients, the amount of heat, and the recipes, ensuring the quality of dishes and service. Thus, through having job aides at every station in the kitchen as fail-safes mechanism facilitates the serving of quality dishes to customers, smoothening the entire process of meal preparations.

Customer Satisfaction

On the other hand, the fast-food restaurant achieves customer requirements aligning its operations towards customer satisfaction. Foremost, Noodles & Company can achieve the customer requirements by having all procedures and process aligned to meeting customer requirements. The other way that the restaurant achieves customer requirements and satisfaction is through the use of fresh vegetables and produce. Noodles & Company is focused on serving quality fresh dishes quickly through the use of fresh produce which it stocks in its freezers. The quick serving and preparations of dishes are facilitated by the way the ingredients are lined up in the kitchen and division of tasks, among others. Such actions are aimed at customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, Noodles & Company uses lean operations that facilitate greater customer satisfaction. Lean operations are the use of minimum resources to improve customer satisfaction (Modi, 2017, p. 245). The restaurant ensures that the customers wait only for approximately 6 minutes or less for quality dishes to be prepared and served hot. Such actions save time, therefore, increasing customer satisfaction.

Smooth Flows

Operations management is also concerned with service processes where it is essential to ensure the smooth flow of customers, goods, and information, which is vital to the restaurant’s success. According to Parker (2018), businesses today are developing service processes aimed at improving service delivery, and such service processes are evident in the restaurant’s smooth flow of customers, goods, and information. The restaurant first achieves smooth flow of customers through interactions such as menu which assists them to know what they would like to order. During ordering, a number card is given to them which they would place on the tables for identification. Additionally, after ordering, there are soft drinks displayed which customers can take as they wait to be served. The restaurant also ensures the smooth flow of goods through the first in first out (FIFO) rotation policy.

The other way that the operations support the smooth flow of information is through the use of monitors and card numbers given to customers after ordering. Employing technology in changing services processes is efficient in achieving improvements while supporting customer service. The monitors are placed in the kitchen to display the orders, facilitating a smooth flow of information. Smooth flow of both people, goods, and information are contributing factors to effective operations.

Noodles & Company Layout

The layout of the restaurant is designed to facilitate a smooth and effective flow of operations. The positioning of interactions, including the menu, at the entrances, facilitates the choice of the desired dishes by customers. Instead of guessing which meal to take, the interactions facilitate the choice of the dishes smoothening the operations. Additionally, the positioning of soft drinks at the ready-to-drink cooler enables customers to conveniently choose their desired drink to take as they wait for their dishes to be prepared.

On the other hand, the kitchen’s layout is also designed to support the restaurant’s operations. The lining of vegetables, noodles, and other ingredients facilitate the easier and fast picking of ingredients. The restaurant has a specific line up where the vegetables flow, noodles, and sauté dishes. Such specific positioning of ingredients is vital as it helps the restaurant’s employees to prepare the dishes within the 4 to 5 minutes. The layouts adopted by the restaurant facilitates the services of operations to be smooth and effective. According to Slack (2018), getting the process details correctly is beneficial as it leads to effective operations. Therefore, the layout is a contributing factor that enables the effective operations of the restaurant.

Inventory Management

Noodles & Company manages its inventory through regular prepping. Inventory management is essential as it targets the equilibrium among customer service and investment (Ivanov et al., 2017, p. 347). In the restaurant, prepping is commonly used in the walking cooler where fresh produce and vegetables are kept. The vegetables are regularly prepped to ensure the smooth flow of goods and ensuring the use of fresh produce. Prepping is usually done in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Such inventory management is essential as it ensures quality dishes is served to customers, contributing to effective operations management.

Staffing Arrangement

For adequate and fast preparation of dishes, the restaurant employs the use of division of tasks. Back in the kitchen, the employees are divided into various roles with some being in the sauté line and others in the garnish station. The staffing arrangement at the restaurant is based on capacity management, where the restaurant exploits its prospective activities, achieving better results (McVay et al., 2017). Therefore, the productive capacity management of employees through the division of tasks enables the restaurant to achieve higher success.

Conclusion and Recommendation

In Summary, the Noodles & Company achieves its competitive priorities of quality fast-foods timely and ensures customer focus through having its operations being aligned to the priorities. Such measures by the restaurant have seen it grow, reaching new markets while ensuring customer satisfaction. The restaurant’s processes from guest interaction to the garnish station are all designed to ensure fast serving of quality fresh dishes. Noodles & Company’s operations management is, however, effective and requires little or less improvement. The operations of the restaurant can be improved by focusing on the counter by adding more counters to ease the flow of the line when ordering. However, the operations at the restaurant are effective in ensuring fast quality serving of fast-foods.

References

Awwad, A., Al Khattab, A., & Anchor, J. R. (2010). Competitive priorities and competitive advantage in Jordanian manufacturing. Journal of Science and Management 6(1), DOI:10.4236/jssm.2013.61008.

Barnes, D. (2018). Operations management. Macmillan International Higher Education.

Collier, D. A., & Evans, J. R. (2016). OM. Cengage Learning.

Davim, J. P. (Ed.). (2018). Progress in lean manufacturing. Springer.

Ivanov, D., Tsipoulanidis, A., & Schönberger, J. (2017). Global supply chain and operations management. A Decision-Oriented Introduction to the Creation of Value.

Jitpaiboon, T., Gu, Q., & Truong, D. (2016). Evolution of competitive priorities towards performance improvement: a meta-analysis. International Journal of Production Research, 54(24), 7400-7420.

Kenton, W. (2019). Operations management. Retrieved on June 17, 2020, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/operations-management.asp#:~:text=Operations%20management%20is%20the%20administration,the%20profit%20of%20an%20organization.

Khanna, R. B. (2015). Production and operations management. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..Lee, W. D. (2016). Fail-Safe 101: An introduction to failures in leadership and management. Spectrum Group.

McVay, G., Kennedy, F., & Fullerton, R. (2017). Accounting in the lean enterprise: providing simple, practical, and decision-relevant information. CRC Press.

Modi, A. A. (2017). Essentials of operations management. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..Noodles & Company. (2020). About Noodles & Company. Retrieved on June 17, 2020, from https://www.noodles.com/about-noodles/

Parker, D. W. (2018). Service operations management, second edition: The total experience. Edward Elgar Publishing.

Reid, R. D., & Sanders, N. R. (2019). Operations management: an integrated approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Slack, N. (2018). Essentials of operations management. Pearson UK.

Non-Verbal Cues in the Culture

Non-Verbal Cues in the Culture

Name

Institution

Date

Abstract

Non-verbal cues are an essential part of language and communication. They play a vital role in conveying messages to different parties. Therefore, understanding the elements of non-verbal cues is critical as it creates clarity, trust, and good rapport. Various non-verbal cues are incorporated in verbal speeches to facilitate communication among people (Xidirova, 2021). These are the body orientations or movements, facial expressions, movements and choice of objects, nuances of the voice, and dress details that intentionally make a statement or communicate a message. Different cultures embrace non-verbal cues to communicate and talk more about their culture. The handshake is a non-verbal cue incorporated by many cultures worldwide to communicate. More often than not, the handshake is used to pass greetings by most cultures and people. However, some cultures are quite different and unique in how they apply the handshake as a non-verbal cue and the message being conveyed. This paper focuses on the Islamic and American cultures, handshake as their non-verbal, how it’s incorporated in their respective cultures, and their meaning.

Introduction

Non-verbal cues are an inevitable part of human life. Individuals encounter non-verbal cues in their day-to-day lives, whether they realize it or not. Through interactions in different environments, people receive or send non-verbal cues to convey their desired messages to other parties. A handshake is a common non-verbal cue embraced by various cultures to facilitate communication and proper understanding. Since cultures have different beliefs and practices, the handshake as a body language has a different meaning and therefore passes different messages altogether (Labuza, 2021). The duration, grip, and handshake expectations also vary in different cultures. A three-second-long rhythmic pattern is the standard duration of a handshake and sometimes a handwave. The aggressiveness of a handshake might convey a powerful and extreme message, whether positive or negative. This paper will discuss the handshake in the Islamic and American culture, its significance, and the message it is meant to convey.

The Islamic culture is a fascinating culture to explore and learn from. Muslims have other intriguing practices and beliefs besides the handshake that gives them a shared understanding and unites them as a community. The controversy and misunderstanding surrounding the handshake among Muslims has spotlighted the non-verbal cue (Eesa, 2019). It is crucial to understand that Muslims use the handshake to show a greeting, an agreement, and farewell, just like in other cultures. Handshake is known as ‘salaam’ in the Islamic culture. Most Muslims, if not all, do not engage in a handshake between their opposite genders (Рожкова, 2019). People of the same gender are comfortable and allowed to shake hands to pass a message. Muslims prohibit physical contact between people of the opposite gender because they believe it is unnecessary and a violation of what they stand for in terms of a woman’s purity. They attach a deeper meaning to physical social contact and should not be indulged with everyone.

According to the Muslim culture, men and women who are not intimately related are prohibited from any form of physical contact.For greetings, agreements, and farewell, they substitute with other verbal and non-verbal cues to communicate correctly and still maintain their culture and principles (Eesa, 2019). Religious demands principles demand that society be inclusive and considerate by allowing space for difference. However, emerging trends beyond the handshake like kisses and hugs as greetings have made it challenging for Muslims to practice this aspect of their culture (Рожкова, 2019). It would be difficult and unfair to ask or force Muslims to change their norms and conform to a handshake between people of opposite genders. For this reason, it is advised that when one meets a Muslim friend of the opposite gender, they should always take their time, watch their movements and let the Muslim friend take the lead on the form of greeting they lean towards.

Unlike the Muslim culture, the American culture embraces and uses the handshake regardless of the gender in play. The Americans have embraced the handshake as part of their culture. They are used in the initial stages and introductions of interactions. It is the most common form of greeting in America when individuals meet for the first time or in a professional setting. They shake hands in different environments to signify acceptance or express their friendliness to other people in the same setup (Labuza, 2021). A standard handshake in America should be firm while the players maintain direct eye contact throughout the greeting. This type of handshake is mainly used in business contexts to express formality. However, a formal handshake may seem awkward or over-formal in casual settings. In the event that the players in a handshake are friends, family, or are in an informal setup, then the handshake standards may change. What matters is the relationship, comfortability, and the environmental setting of the parties in play during a handshake.

Americans also use the handshake between the same or different genders to symbolize an agreement. During formal setups, especially in business, individuals shake hands to show agreements or an affirmation of honorable and valid deals. Employees and management shake hands upon an agreement as a symbol of unity. They are used to show successful negotiations and a sealed deal among parties or individuals in play (Lindhardt, 2021). Handshakes are also used in America to bid farewell. Individuals shake hands to say goodbye when they are parting ways. In this case, the attached meaning of a handshake can be used in formal and informal settings. It means that Americans shake hands while bidding goodbye in the office, family gathering, and even between friends. It shows that the respective parties in the handshake parted ways in good faith or maintained a neutral relationship.

Conclusions

It is undeniable that non-verbal cues are crucial for any form of communication. The handshake is one of the non-verbal cues that has facilitated communication among so many people of different cultures worldwide. Many cultures new to handshaking find it interesting and incorporate it mainly as a greeting. It has become the statement of intent among many people and should be incorporated into different cultures. However, it is essential to acknowledge and appreciate other non-verbal cues besides the American and Islamic cultures. People put a different meaning to different non-verbal cues depending on their culture and upbringing. It is essential to respect that and not force them to conform to other practices considered universally acceptable.

References

Eesa, A. P. (2019). Islamic Greeting (of Salaam): A Religious, Historical, and Sociolinguistic Perspective. Journal of Al-Qadisiya University Vol, 22(2), 37.

Labuza, P. (2021). When A Handshake Meant Something: Lawyers, Deal Making, and the Emergence of New Hollywood. Enterprise & Society, 22(4), 950-961.

Lindhardt, M. (2021). In Denmark, we eat pork and shake hands! Islam and the anti-Islamic emblems of cultural difference in Danish neo-nationalism. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 13675494211035389.

Xidirova, M. (2021). NON-VERBAL EXPRESSION OF RESPECT IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK. Мировая наука, (1), 30-33.

Рожкова, Е. Ю. (2019). Non-verbal communication in different cultures.