Theory of Ritualism by Robert Merton

Ritualism is a concept developed by American sociologist Robert K. Merton as a part of his structural strain theory. It refers to the common practice of going through the motions of daily life even though one does not accept the goals or values that align with those practices. Ritualism as a Response to Structural Strain Merton, an important figure in early American sociology, created what is considered to be one of the most important theories of deviance within the discipline. Mertons structural strain theory states that people experience tension when a society does not provide adequate and approved means for achieving culturally valued goals. In Mertons view, people either accept these conditions and go along with them, or they challenge them in some way, which means they think or act in ways that appear deviant from cultural norms. Structural strain theory accounts for five responses to such strain, of which ritualism is one. Other responses include conformity, which involves continual acceptance of the goals of the society and continued participation in the approved means through which one is supposed to achieve them. Innovation involves accepting the goals but rejecting the means and creating new means. Retreatism refers to rejection of both the goals and the means, and rebellion occurs when individuals reject both and then create new goals and means to pursue. According to Mertons theory, ritualism occurs when a person rejects the normative goals of their society but nonetheless continues to participate in the means of attaining them. This response involves deviance in the form of rejecting the normative goals of society but is not deviant in practice because the person continues to act in a way that is in line with pursuing those goals. One common example of ritualism is when people do not embrace the goal of getting ahead in society by doing well in ones career and earning as much money as possible. Many have often thought of this as the American Dream, as did Merton when he created his theory of structural strain. In contemporary American society, many have become aware that stark economic inequality is the norm, that most people do not actually experience social mobility in their lives, and that most money is made and controlled by a very tiny minority of wealthy individuals. Those who see and understand this economic aspect of reality, and those who simply do not value economic success but frame success in other ways, will reject the goal of climbing the economic ladder. Yet, most will still engage in the behaviors that are meant to achieve this goal. Most will spend most of their time at work, away from their families and friends, and may even still attempt to gain status and increased salary within their professions, despite the fact that they reject the end goal. They go through the motions of what is expected perhaps because they know that it is normal and expected, because they do not know what else to do with themselves, or because they have no hope or expectation of change within society. Ultimately, though ritualism stems from discontent with the values and goals of society, it works to maintain the status quo by keeping normal, everyday practices and behaviors in place. If you think about it for a moment, there are probably at least a few ways in which you engage in ritualism in your life. Other Forms of Ritualism The form of ritualism that Merton described in his structural strain theory describes behavior among individuals, but sociologists have identified other forms of ritualism too. For example, sociologists also recognize political ritualism, which occurs when people participate in a political system by voting despite the fact that they believe that the system is broken and cannot actually achieve its goals. Ritualism is common within bureaucracies, wherein rigid rules and practices are observed by members of the organization, even though doing so is often counter to their goals. Sociologists call this bureaucratic ritualism.

Bob Dylan An Influence for a Generation Free Essays

string(144) " and protest music in the early 1960’s then moved through to electrified folk-rock in the mid and late 1960’s and early 1970’s \(Kamin\)\." â€Å"A person is a success if they get up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between dose what he wants to do† –words spoken by the singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Being a man of success himself, yet a very humble and simple man, changed the way people view musical quality. Dylan was awarded with the number one song in the twentieth century with those lyrics from his masterpiece Like a Rolling Stone, by Rolling Stone Magazine. We will write a custom essay sample on Bob Dylan: An Influence for a Generation or any similar topic only for you Order Now His poetic words were heard all across the world, inspiring all who heard his voice. Telling tales of political and civil injustice, Dylan’s words brought normal everyday life a new sense of hope through tough times in a person’s life. Discussed will be the early era of Dylan from his unique musical talents during his childhood which drove him to his writing pieces, himself as an inspirational and motivated leader of the 1960’s and how his powerful music makes him one of the most influential musicians of all time. In the beginning, Bob Dylan was born Robert Allan Zimmerman on May 24th, 1941 in Duluth Minnesota (Heatly, 126). Dylan was raised in a middle-class family to his parents Abraham and Beatrice Zimmerman (Martin). His father owned Zimmerman Furniture Appliance Company in the small town of Duluth, but the family was forced to move to the nearby town of Hibbing after he lost the business due to him becoming ill with polio in 1946 (Kooper). Dylan was raised in Hibbing, Minnesota from the age of seven and lived there for most of his childhood (Heatly, 126). Raised in a small town, Dylan was musically inclined and had a great significance in music at an incredibly young age which brought him to learn many various instruments at the same time. He took piano lessons when first moving to Hibbing, but became impatient with the teacher so decided to quit lessons and began to teach himself how to play piano, guitar and harmonica; without surprisingly knowing how to read music (Martin). With his yearning for music, Dylan was largely influenced by the late-night radio broadcasts of the country, blues and rock-and-roll, during his mid-teens (Heatly, 126). Some of his favorites were the blues musicians, which included Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Jimmy Reed (Martin). Dylan’s favorite musical idol was Woody Guthrie, who was a socially-conscious singer/songwriter of â€Å"This Land is Your Land† and several other protest songs (Heatly, 126). Always knowing he wanted to be a musician, Dylan tried to play in many bands as possible during high school and throughout college as well. In 1959, just before enrolling in college, he served a brief stint playing piano for the rising pop star, Bobby Vee (Kooper). With some musical experience, Dylan participated in several high school rock bands while studying at the University of Minnesota with a high interest of American folk music (Heatly 126). While in college, Dylan discovered the bohemian section of Minneapolis know as Dinkytown (Kooper). An after Dylan explored the talent that came out of Dinkytown; Dylan was inspired to quit the University of Minnesota and became a full-time musician. Dylan traveled to the East Coast, playing at several Greenwich Village coffeehouses and was gaining rising fame (Heatly, 126). He went by the phony name of Bob Dylan, which was picked out after the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Dylan picked him because he liked many of Thomas’ poems (Kooper). During his travels between coffeehouses, Dylan was determined to meet up with musician Woody Guthrie. Guthrie, who was actually in a New Jersey hospital dying from a neurological disorder called Huntington’s Chorea. Dylan was able to speak to Guthrie, his idol, before he passed away†¦ but never explained in detail of their only and final conversation between each other (Heatly, 126). With his multiple coffeehouse performances, his career took off and still soars to this day. Bob Dylan became a common name and his skills of music and lyrics became widely known; which make you wonder what was said between him and Guthrie? Bob Dylan is a very skillful songwriter, usually expressing his ideas through his well known protest songs. His protest songs often dealt with problems caused by social and political injustice, which include â€Å"Blowin in the Wind and â€Å"The Times They Are A-Changin† (Martin). The Civil Rights Movement took very kindly to Dylan’s songs, so well that they wanted him to be a part of the cause for quality. His best known work of the 1960’s took on a musical shadow so large it shaped into a political influence. It was such a huge influence, the Civil Rights Movement adopted his song â€Å"Blowin in the wind† as their anthem for equality and peace (Ayoub). Dylan accepted his place in the Civil Rights Movement and gathered the attention of the people to the movement. Frequently performing at the Civil Rights rallies in the early 1960’s which included the March on Washington when Martin Luther King gave his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech on August 28th 1963 (Rathbone). Dylan became a powerful voice to all the working-class people in America during the 1960’s. He had several protest songs that had political content that both reflected and influenced the concerns of a generation of younger people such as the Civil Rights movement, anti-nuclear weapons campaign and the anti-Vietnam War movement (Rathbone). Dylan was a prominent part of the radical change during the 1960’s reform and was greatly recognized for his participation such as receiving the Tom Paine Award by The National Civil Liberties Committee for his contribution and achievements (Rathbone). All throughout Bob Dylan’s musical career, he has created and molded new types of different styles of music together. His inspiration was to intimidate the music of his own music idol, Woody Guthrie. He wanted to be a socially conscious singer/composer just like Guthrie (Heatly, 126). As the times changed, Dylan became a musical chameleon. He was able to conform to the changes in the popularity in music. Dylan’s career started with folk and protest music in the early 1960’s then moved through to electrified folk-rock in the mid and late 1960’s and early 1970’s (Kamin). You read "Bob Dylan: An Influence for a Generation" in category "Essay examples" After the Civil Rights, most fans found Dylan’s folk music more admiring and significant than anything he had ever wrote; popularity formed by creating the raw-sounding combo of vocals, harmonica and guitar. That mixture alone has kept his music career last him forty-seven years (Rathbone). Dylan did not want to stop there; he wanted to evolve into the new generation of music. Dylan cross-pollinated folk and country music with electric rock, creating an entirely new dimension of popular music (Heatly, 126). He liked to mix sounds and experiment different styles to meet his high expectations of creativity. He created the new style called â€Å"folk-rock† mixing his original folk sound but began to play electric guitar to embrace rock-and-roll (Dylan). Some Dylan fans did not approve of his switch but happened to still remained a musical sensation with a wider audience. Dylan and his band also caused an uproar at the Newport Folk Festival in July of 1965, when they began to perform with electric instruments instead of traditional acoustic ones. After being heckled by the crowd, they left the stage after only playing three songs (Martin). Dylan kept his optimism up with his fan-base and continued to play his electric instruments. To win back his fans, â€Å"Like a Rolling Stone† was a United States hit, cementing his reputation as a lyricist but added his new sound among the electrical instruments of guitars and organs (Ayoub). His musical career had its ups and downs, but his fans rolled through his many experimented musical styles. Dylan’s voice and songwriting were still raw but were mixed with the realms of traditional folk, country, blues, rock-and-roll and gospel (Kamin). A Bob Dylan song is more than just a catchy tune to whistle to. Dylan was possibly the most influential singer/songwriters of his era (Dylan). Not only did he create a respectable musical rhythm, his lyrics were his area of expertise. He wrote very poetic and sometimes even abstract but often-philosophical lyrics of astute commentary and therapeutic introspection that spoke to masses during an era of social unrest, political upheaval and radical change (Heatly 126). Dylan had many techniques to keep his audience engaged with his poetic lyrics, by performing his allusive, poetic songs with his nasal spontaneous vocal style and electrical bond. He enlarged pop music’s range and vocabulary while creating a widely limited sound. While accomplishing all of that, he still had the ability to challenge, influence and surprise his listeners (Wenner). In his earlier lyric writings, he focused on the societal issues during his protest era. The songs were broken down into a simple folk melody combined with lyrics questioning the social and political status quo. These songs were very native and unsophisticated in their nature, catching the attention of the zeitgeist of the 1960’s (Ayoub). All of his music was interpreted differently but he reached an elevated standard of lyric writing also the role of the singer/songwriter as well (Heatly, 126). While a fine interpreter of songs, Dylan was not considered a beautiful singer. Many of his own songs when first reaching the public were sung through other artists. Dylan’s fans could get past his singing, only because they were amazed how he could write such wonderful lyrics. Dylan’s music was also more popular though other artist that covered his songs such as Joan Baez, Pete Paul Mary, Guns n’ Roses, The Byrds and Jimi Hendrix, because adding an able singer to his wonderful lyrics made his music very popular to a wider group of fans (Ayoub). Dylan was hailed the Shakespeare of his generation, due to his intellectualism of classic literature and poetry that showed though his music; even if he was not the artist performing the song (Kooper). It was subsequently common for a band to cover Dylan’s songs in the mid-1960’s, that CBS started to promote him by saying â€Å"Nobody sings Dylan like Dylan. † Whoever sang his songs were immediately recognized as his and a good part of his fame rested not only on his lyrical excellence but on the underlying attitude of Dylan (Ayoub). Even though many artists covered his songs, Dylan had his own techniques to sing his songs. He sang in what he called the â€Å"taking blues† and story-telling format in most of his first few albums such as â€Å"The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan† and â€Å"The times They Are A-Changin† (Dylan). Dylan had many other trademarks and techniques that signified his music. One of his newer types of songs was a lengthy and impressionistic still retaining an element of social commentary but added dense metaphorical landscape like the songs â€Å"Chimes of Freedom† and â€Å"Mr. Tambourine Man. He exhibited his dry wit and inhabited by a sequence of grotesque, metaphorical character (Ayoub). Dylan’s many styles of lyrics have all contributed to his success as a musician. The music Dylan made revolutionized rock, as his lyrics were analyzed, debated, and quoted like no music before him. Dylan chewed up traditional folk and spat out literary and folk traditions still used today (Wenner). Bob Dylan was given a lot of recognition and praise for his achievements and gain throughout his musical career. There are so many musical facets he discovered and always pushed his musical talent to the limit. Not only had Dylan achieve a high musical status, but he is highly looked upon in society for his contribution for the Civil Rights movement. He gave a voice to the working-class to fight for peace and help give a reason for freedom to the minorities. Dylan’s musical talent is beyond any other, as being able to compose his own music and create a whole new genre of music for an ever-changing society of his time. Along with his musical style, his lyrical masterpieces gave his listeners a mass of different trademarks in his lyrics. Every song he has written, all the way from his first protest song to his upbeat electric songs along with his metaphorical and abstract songs, has changed the standard of a singer/songwriter. All throughout his career, Dylan has given a voice to the working people, by creating new genres of music and is the ideal singer/songwriter of the 1960’s. As the ambiguous man he was, he had more questions than answers. At the end of the day, Bob Dylan would always say â€Å"All I can do is be me, whoever that is. † He knew he was a man of radical change, but he did not know he could change the world with a piece of paper, a pencil and a guitar. How to cite Bob Dylan: An Influence for a Generation, Essay examples

Kahn artist Essay Example For Students

Kahn artist Essay Youve done a lot of lovely work on this scene since the last time. Tell me about it. Whats changed in your given circumstances? With this gentle invitation, Michael Kahn lets his young actors initiate the discussion about the Romeo and Juliet scene theyve just performed in his acting class at New Yorks Juilliard School. Romeo now thinks hes been up all night, fretting about his love life. Kahn prods himever so diplomaticallyto elaborate. Thats not saying this is the right or wrong choicethis is a good choice for you. Youve been up all nightwhat does that mean? Romeo-turned-student hesitates, then offers, in heartfelt actorspeak: I could have let that circumstance inform my body more. Kahn deftly slips into the breach, that dread gap between intention and action familiar to actors everywhere, and begins to work. He rarely moves from his chair, but looks perpetually about to spring out of it: legs crossed, body bent forward in a line led by his chin, hes amiably watchful, an animated owl with Jack Benny gestures and the compassionate habit of making regular eye contact with everyone in the room. KAHNS AT HOME IN THIS environment, which isnt surprising considering hes been a part of it since 1968, when the Juilliard Schoolalready known for music and dancefirst opened its doors to drama students. But his responsibilities at Juilliard, where he was recently named head of the drama division (succeeding Michael Langham), now extend beyond overseeing the welfare of his acting students to guiding the mission and future of one of the nations foremost acting conservatories. Thats in addition, remember, to his duties as artistic director of the Shakespeare Theatre (get the Folger off your tongue and out of your mental circuitry) in Washington, D.C., where he has just mounted Hamlet. No stranger to the scheduling nightmares of a commuter career (Ive probably had three jobs at a time my whole life), Kahn relishes the opportunity to provide Juilliard students with greater institutional links with the adjacent Lincoln Center Theatre Company as well as the Shakespeare Theatre. With Andre Bishop now serving as artistic director of the company next door, Kahn envisions Juilliard students as active participants in Lincoln Centers developmental work, with student actors involved in readings and workshops. He also hopes to create half-year internships for third-year acting students at Juilliards more remote campus, the one at the Shakespeare Theatre, and perhaps at other regional theatres as well. All this attention to professional theatre exposure is necessary, Kahn believes, in a culture where many fledgling actors havent even been to a play. The very idea of acting in the theatre is not a given anymore, Kahn laments. One of my goals here is to introduce the idea that training for the theatre is the best insurance for a career as an actor. Ive learned not to say too much about what Im going to doId rather wait until Ive done it. But I do want to find ways of getting students to think in a different way, and thats going to take a year or two to figure out. This is not to say Im not aware of the reality that film and television are, indeed, how you pay your school bills, nor do I think there isnt craft or even maybe art involved in sustaining a performance under those conditions. But its in the theatre that you can practice your art, be in control of your art. That for me is still the goal to strive for. I think weve taught people that process is a waste of time. We celebrate the cult of personality, we celebrate shortcuts, we celebrate a lot of things that are completely destructive to art. I think its the job of a school to get people to love process again, and thats hard. People are impatient. I get a lot of telephone calls from people in their thirties whove made other choices, and who are no longer young, pretty or box office, and who are rather desperate. The ones who have training have a chance. .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 , .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .postImageUrl , .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 , .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:hover , .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:visited , .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:active { border:0!important; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:active , .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39 .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ufe8cf2f80d278ba1b81d0f8258685e39:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Last-chance dance EssayINTRODUCING A NEW generation of actors to the rigors and rewards of theatre training is only part of the challenge facing Juilliard on the rim of the 21st century, Kahn believes. First he has to convince his students that acting is not about behaving naturally, not about playing a version of yourselfthe legacy of film and television exposure. This means theres more work to be done with incoming students than there was a generation ago. Getting an actor to ground zero, in Kahns view, is no longer just a matter of getting rid of bad habits. Its about introducing the very idea of transformation, the idea of a literature beyond the contemporary, the idea of being comfortable with worlds that are not immediately perceptible to you. There are any number of ways to provide that initial openness and to cultivate it once it sprouts, Kahn insists, refusing to be drawn into the methodological warfare that has traditionally characterized the actor-training arena. Im quite passionate about the need for training, he stresses, but I totally disagree with the guru approach to it. When I was growing up, the arguments were about the Method as opposed to the Other, which seemed to mean anybody who went to England to study at RADA. Calling such territorial in-fighting unnecessary and counter-productive, Kahn, in the spirit of the 90s, preaches tolerance. I think part of my job is to facilitate different ways of working toward the same goal, to encourage students to find their way almost dialectically through a variety of approaches. I think thats actually a pretty good definition of what the training at Juilliard is. What about what the training at Juilliard isnt? It isnt exclusively classical, at least not in the sense that raises cultural diversity alarms. A classically trained actor, according to Kahn, is one who is prepared to sustain a characterization for three hours at a time over six months, to play a wide variety of roles in which you are not really recognizable from play to play, to be as at home in Shakespeare as you are in Sam Shepard, and to work with avant-garde and traditional directors without losing your own technique. Kahn thinks of his students as future colleagues, a designation thats frequently proved prophetic: Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone and Kelly McGillis are all former students. And though he credits his proteges with enriching his own perceptions about the craft of acting, he has little use for the notion, current in some discussions about training, that teachers and students ought to dismantle hierarchical structures and collaborate as peers. Im not sure Id want to spend $20,000 to work with a peer, to be honest with you, he manages to spit out between hiccups of laughter. I tell my students, look, why dont you try to learn this, and then you can throw it out or change it. Im against the kind of teaching that is autocratic and unquestioned. I remember watching Lee Strasbergwho had a lot of very important things to give to peoplespend two hours answering a question. He ended up talking about Duse and Beethoven, but he didnt answer the question. I assume he didnt know the answer at that particular moment. I learned that day to say, I dont have the answer. I would have a nervous breakdown if I thought I had to be infallible. KAHN INTERRUPTS A LAID-BACK confrontation from American Buffalo. Are you playing something or are you feeling something? Feeling something, one of the actors responds. Can you turn that into something youre playing? Kahn hints, sounding for all the world like a parent whos had to make the suggestion once too often. And oddly enough, that most elementary distinction seems to catch this young man off guard, and to prompt a wandering but earnest confessionalmore Mamet-like in its intimations of hidden turmoil than the scene hes just performedabout his ambitions as an actor and the common wisdom that getting a job is all about how you look, anyway. Kahn tosses a gauntlet of his own. What if every young actor got out of school and said, Im not going to buy this? People change things. Including minds, once in a while.

Explanation of Management Diversity

Introduction Taylor Cox defined managing diversity as â€Å"planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized† (Cox, 1993, p. 11).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Explanation of Management Diversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The modern international firms have changed the approach to human resource management and the way in which the current employees management occurs. The increase in multinational firms also creates a diverse workforce in terms of ethnicity, race, age, gender, religion, and sexual orientations, among others. The idea of diversity in management in organisations originates in North America in the 1980s. Since then, researchers have developed dynamic work structures globally. It has also grown and gained popularity in the field of human resource m anagement due to dynamic social and economic circumstances. It has now become a part of any successful organisation in managing its workforce due to increasing competitiveness and realignment strategies organisations use to improve, and sustain their businesses performances and ever dynamic expectations of employees and society. These factors make organisations review issues which they have traditionally ignored in their practices. The current management challenge is that employees are no longer of the same race or gender, but rather a great combination of almost all races presents the modern structure of the labour market (Mathis and Jackson, 2011). Factors facilitating Diversity Management Corporations that tend to have workforces of diverse ethnicities, ages, and gender proportions must consider the methods of reconciling these diverse compositions of their workforces with minimal interruptions of their daily operations. Thus, management of workforce diversity is an essential par t of protecting organisational performance and possible legal tangles from the employees that feel dissatisfied due to issues of harassment and discrimination regarding their diverse characteristics in the organisation.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the 21st century, the composition of the labour market becomes more diverse with regard to sexual orientations, gender, race, ethnicity, and religion beliefs, among others. The demand for human labour is always on the rise globally due to an increasing number of global corporations. Though many women occupy managerial positions today, any single gender or race cannot meet labour force requirements. Thus, in a multinational organisation, workforce is likely to consist of people of different races and genders (Fernandez, 1991). Labour patterns’ demands are also influenced by the aging processes of the population. Chang es in demographic structures must present both opportunities and challenges to employers. Organisations will experience skills shortage, reduced incomes for old persons, increased life and health expectancies, and continued economic growth. Changes in demographic factors must also affect the labour market. This means that the traditional approach to workforce management may not be successful. Thus, employers have made changes in terms of recruitment, retention, rewards, and motivation, among the other factors. Likewise, they must address areas of organisational turnover rates and cultural change so as to include every employee. This implies that a traditional and fixed approach to managing today’s workforce may not succeed. Studies have identified the increased international movement of people which is also a factor that has resulted in workforce diversity and skills shortage in organisation. These movements have led to shortages of qualified workforce in other places. In the 1990s, the idea of equal opportunities’ policies took a central role in the developed nations of the world. This aimed at meeting the increasing changes in the competitive market environment for an organisation to survive. Critics also observed that uniformity in the workforce was on the decline. Thus, organisations had to develop management policies to cater for the diverse changes in the human resources.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Explanation of Management Diversity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was a move to retain experienced and skilled workers from different backgrounds so as to protect the company’s competitiveness in the labour market. Equal opportunity and diversity Regarding the current changing workforce compositions, the company has adopted the concept of equal opportunity in order manage its diverse workforce. Organisations focus on the business areas, such as compensati on, hiring, transfers, promotions, and terminations, with regard to its human resource management. For instance, in IBM, recreational or sponsored activities occur without any form of discrimination based on â€Å"race, colour, genetics, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or status as a special disabled veteran or other veteran covered by the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended† (IBM, n.d., par. 1). Organisations have ensured that these activities, their organisational structure and administration with regard to employees’ benefit plans are in line with the provision of local, state, and federal requirements. Organisations also insist on valuing and respecting difference among its workforce and business partners. In this context, most firms expect managers to ensure that their work environments have no any form harassment or discrimination. Organisations have introduced affirmative action and equal opportunity for all current and potential employees. The firms do this through conducting special programmes solely for minorities, women, people with disabilities, mainly, war veterans. The HR policies ensure equal chances for career growth and compensations. Firms consider effective management of their workforce using diversity policies as strategic business objectives. This is what most companies expect every senior executive to promote.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Importance of diversity Morrison identified that diversity in an organisation enhanced market share as well as customer relations, mainly in minority-culture masses (1992). This explains why customers prefer to make purchases on their own or from firms that have different workforce. This idea also reflects the fact that firms, which have diverse workforces, are sensitive to different needs of customers. Consequently, they handle customers’ complaints in a sensitive manner, thus resulting in satisfaction of the clients. This causes the customer retention as Bhadury notes. Thus, IBM is a good example in management of diversity in a global organisation (Bhadury, Mighty and Damar, 2000). Thomas found out that effective management of diversity at IBM resulted in increased revenues. The company managed to achieve this through partnering with vendors and resellers from the diverse backgrounds (Thomas, 2004). Diversity management in the workforce also enhances organisational performa nce and quality in terms of improving creativity, skills, flexibility, conflict management and problem-solving skills. Scholars have tried to understand how managing diversity in organisation results in improved performance, teamwork, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. However, their findings suggest mixed outcomes because of different environment and circumstances of the study. Morrison suggested that diversity management was responsible for increased job satisfaction, performance, commitment of employees, and productivity level. On the other hand, Fernandez observed that diversity management resulted in adaptable workforces in a changing demographic environment. This is responsible for the provision of competitive edge in the labour market (Fernandez, 1991). Diversity management also changed the sphere of trade unions movements and anti-discrimination policies as several authors indicated in Britain. Studies by McEnrue established that organisations, which had effect ive diversity management policies, had decreased cases of both individual and organisational level conflicts (McEnrue, 1993). This is because managers acquired the necessary skills of managing workforces of diverse backgrounds. Further studies indicated that teams with diverse management performed better than those of uniform compositions. Diverse members have diverse skills in various areas, such as decision-making and conflict resolution, which any organisation needs for a successful performance. Cox supported this idea in his additional works based on studies on individual innovation and creativity, which analyze problem-solving skills due to different perspectives each team member acquired (Cox, 1993). The concept of diversity in management made other scholars look at its effects in terms of different cultures using the basis interactions processes. A number of researchers have based their works on cultural diversity in relation to national and ethnic differences among diverse w orkforces in organisations. These studies show that in-group differences resulted in negative consequences on performance of new groups. Thus, performances improve better in culturally diverse groups than in homogenous cultural groups. Culturally diverse groups rely on abilities, and skills of different team members in handling issues. This observation indicates that organisations should have teams that consist of workforces from different backgrounds. If an organisation wants to realise the benefits of managing diversity, such organisations must put in place sufficient solutions to challenges facing the organisation. Organisation must take into consideration factors, such as different cultural patterns, external relations, objectives and strategies of the firm, to ultimately realize positive impacts of diversity management at the workplace. However, the challenge is that most organisations fail to carry out a thorough analysis of the above factors as most studies tend to concentrat e on individual, inter-personal and group factors. Furthermore, there are scarce studies based on studying different aspects and impacts of diversity on organisations. Workforce Diversity There has been a major shift in ethnic and race workforce in the US. These changes have affected multinational corporations around the globe. The US Census Bureau stated that by the year 2050, minority groups in the US would be over 50 percent of the total population. The growth will mainly affect Hispanic population at about 39 percent. This Hispanic minority will exceed the African Americans, and Asian population will raise to approximately 9 percent by 2050, which means a triple growth. The above figures show that HR management must prepare to handle ethnic and racial differences that become commonplace in a workplace environment, in order to meet the organisational efforts in achieving business targets. For instance, organisations have to deal with the issue of racial tensions between workers o f different ethnic groups. The companies introduced policies that provided for equal opportunities in participation in all social corporate-sponsored events. HR programmes must ensure training in multiracial workforce so as to reduce negative aspects of ethnic and racial differences. Training in diversity and other programmes should ensure that different workers of different races and ethnicity interact openly and frequently and work effectively in enhancing company’s growth. These are the positive consequences of having different racial and ethnic employees. It also shows why an organisation must strive to ensure that its workforce is a team which has a set target to achieve. Interaction of different employees helps most firms in conflict resolution. This is how companies are managing their diverse work groups consisting of Europeans, Asians, and African Americans, and Hispanics, among other minority groups. The issue of immigrant workers must be also managed in most workpla ces. Developed nations have experienced influxes in the number of illegal immigrants seeking for employment opportunities. At the same time, there are also cases of illegal immigrants who organisations must take into account when formulating workforce diversity policies. Issues dealing with illegal immigrants have resulted in political, employment-related, and social debates. This is mainly because some multinationals exploit cheap labour of illegal immigrants instead of hiring the country’s jobless populations. Industry observers believe that the number of illegal immigrants of diverse ethnic and racial origins will increase. This will lead to changes in immigrants’ laws. Consequently, the HR departments must also observe the changing trends and adjust their policies to agree with those of the company and industry. Studies have attempted to show the expectations of workforce including the generation and age groups’ differences. These are the diversities which e mployers must manage for their survival as they present both challenges and opportunities under the current prevailing social, economic, technological, and globalisation in the workplaces. These changes include mature, baby boomers, generation x, and generation y. Changes in the economy and industries and the aging workforce have presented issues of concern to employers. Hard economic times have seen aged work group delaying their retirements, taking part-time jobs, or phasing retirement. They exceed the normal retirement age of 65.13 years in the US. The baby boomers are approaching retirement age, and many of them will leave knowledge and experience gaps in their organisations after their leaving. The generational differences among the workforce are likely to present challenges and conflicts in organisations (Mathis and Jackson, 2011). For instance, in most organisations, most baby boomers have matured with the firms and have a lot of experience, thus their main concerns are job s ecurity. On the other hand, generation Y expects early rewards, asks questions and always protests against why seniors act the way they do and make certain decisions. They also prefer using technology. Such conflicts are likely to result in cases of management where one generation with diverse characteristics is under control of another generation. HR policies must harmonise these differences and ensure that the organisation works well. Mature workers offer the advantages of experiences which can only be gained through the work, whereas the new generations are normally technological savvy and provide useful IT knowledge to the organisation. HR manager and other managers should identify any possible opportunities and challenges that may occur due to the differences in the workforce because of multigenerational aspects in an organisation. Firms embark on activities for promoting effectiveness management and multigenerational engagement in the workforce. For instance, many organisation s have established their management of multigenerational through training and putting individuals of different generations to work in teams. Thus, teamwork and training are effective ways of reducing multigenerational tensions in an organisation. The number of working women is increasing in most multinational organisations. In the US, women workforce accounts for 46 percent of the total workforce. However, men still work more hours than their female counterparts. Economic changes in the labour market have created many opportunities for the female workers in the areas, which have been traditionally male dominated. However, the areas like agriculture, manufacturing, and industries are still under control of men. These are the spheres, which suffer severe economic challenges. On the other hand, women have dominated areas which are health care, accommodation and education, among others (Mathis and Jackson, 2011). There are gender-related issues that happen across all organisations. Most organisations have underpaid women because of their work hours and nature of their duties. Women have also occupied less number of senior management positions in most organisations than men do. However, the trend has changed significantly in the last decade as many females have obtained management positions. Differences in payment could be due to family responsibilities women have. Studies show that female workers would take pay cuts so as to spend more time with their families. Still, both the genders have challenges of caring for old family members; baby boomers start encountering health issues, disabilities and other health related conditions. Thus, the HR policies must focus on addressing the issue of work and family life balance. Managing diversity in an organisation Works by Hayes indicated that organisations could succeed at achieving effective management in diversity if the top executives had commitment and fully supported the initiative. Most successful outcomes of managin g diversity usually have their roots from recruitment, hiring, placement, and retention of the best workforce in an organisation. This shows that firms, which have strategies of managing their workforce diversities, must create a working environment that enhances satisfaction, commitment, and motivation of different people (Hayes, 1999). Any attempt at managing diversity at workplaces must establish clear objectives, effective communication channels and assessment criteria. These objectives should reflect the company’s aims and workforce compositions. The organisation should identify both undesirable and desirable workforce issues that influence diversity. Meanwhile, the organisation should take into account its human resources and culture that exist in order to create effective diversity management policies and practices. Organisations should focus on training and other policies programmes in order to handle cases of diversity. Management can also identify how different fact ors affect different workers of diverse background. This is particularly necessary where power relations could be the main cause of diversity conflicts. Another crucial element in diversity management is the issue of intercultural communication. Training in intercultural communication can enhance effective communication among employees of different cultural background. Thus, an organisation can avoid miscommunication and conflicts that result from communication challenges. Multigenerational workforce should have an appropriate mentoring policy that aims at assisting newly employed or different generation. Mentoring programme should focus on the organisational culture, and create conditions where employees can emulate the best practices in managing diversity and why diversity is necessary in today’s firms. Managing workforce diversity should also focus on assessment of an individual’s beliefs about self, work values, opinions of others’ cultures, and leadership a pproaches from a multicultural perspective. The fundamental idea is to identify the role of ethnocentrism among the workforce and how an individual can manage it. This will result into reduced cases of conflicts in the organisation. Effective management of diversity in a workplace also requires necessary support systems, and avoidance of discrimination. Instead, the management should focus on enhancing inclusion among different employees. Organisation can create both formal and informal settings where employees of different background can easily interact and build their networks. However, language barriers should not hinder such initiatives. Bagshaw noted that most workers at all levels misunderstood the concept of diversity, and why training programmes were necessary in it. On this basis, organisation must first explain why such programmes are necessary and what the organisation aims at achieving using them. Thus, diversity presentation should be clear and show changing issues and why continuous management and training are necessary (Bagshaw, 2004). Effective diversity management must cut across all management levels and subordinates. This aims at creating an open strategy where employees may show their experiences within the organisation. Issues of main concerns should be the basis on which diversity management focuses on, so as to bring a behaviour change necessary for managing diversity. Conclusion Organisational approach to managing diversity depends on how its senior executives understand its advantages and disadvantages. Workforce diversity has become mandatory for the survival of any organisation today. Thus, top executives have to take the initiative and study the compositions of their workers and recommended appropriate changes to enhance a creation of functional diversity environment. Diversity results in opportunities for both the internal and external competitiveness. Conflicts in organisations due to issues of diversity demonstrate that most orga nisations have no appropriate mechanism of managing workforce diversity. Thus, firms should look for the ways they can manage and exploit diversity in human resource. An approach gives a firm diverse workforce which will determine the outcome of the process. This is also crucial for enhancing useful workforce diversity management practices. Multinational corporations must also consider different cultures, legislation, and orientations and align them in their global business strategies in order to demonstrate the uniqueness of employees and customers. Reference List Bagshaw, M 2004, ‘Is diversity divisive?’, Journal of industrial and commercial training, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 153-157. Bhadury, J, Mighty, J and Damar, H 2000, ‘Maximising workforce diversity in project teams: a network flow approach’, Omega: The International Journal of Management Science, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 143–153. Cox, T 1993, Cultural diversity in organisations: theory, research and practice, Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA. Fernandez, P 1991, Managing a diverse work force: regaining the competitive edge, Lexington Books, Lexington, MA. Hayes, E 1999, ‘Winning at diversity’, Executive Excellence, vol. 3, no. 2, pp 3-6. IBM n.d., Equal opportunity – IBM Workforce Diversity Policy, https://www.ibm.com/us-en/. Mathis, L and Jackson, H 2011, Human Resource Management, 13th ed, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH. McEnrue, P 1993, ‘Managing diversity: Los Angeles before and after the riots’, Organizational Dynamics, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 18–29. Morrison P 1992, The new leader: guidelines on leadership diversity in America, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Thomas, D 2004, ‘Diversity as strategy’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 82, no. 9, pp. 98–108. This report on Explanation of Management Diversity was written and submitted by user Charley Parker 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.

Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Essay Example Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Paper Irony in Act 1 Romeo and Juliet Paper 1. Act 1 Scene 2 Line 39 The ironic event is between Capulet and the Serving man. Capulet gives the Serving man a list of names of people that are invited to his party. Capulet instructs the Serving man to tell the people on the list to come to his party. The irony is that Capulet doesn’t know that the Serving man is illiterate. The Serving man can’t read, so he can’t tell anyone on the list about the party. This ironic event actually leads to another ironic event. 2. Act 1 Scene 2 Line 61 After the one previously mentioned: The Serving man doesn’t know what to do.He has to give the list to someone who can read and have him or her read it to him. That is when Romeo and Benvolio stroll in. In desperate need of help, the Serving man gives them the list. The irony is that Romeo is a Montague, an enemy of the Capulets. This event also helps to progress the story. Romeo finds out that Rosaline, his one true love is going to attend that party. So he decides to c rash the party in order to meet her. Irony is being used as a way to progress the story. 3.Act 1 Scene 5 Line 48 (falls in love w/Juliet here) Romeo is in love with Rosaline at the opening of the story. He sees Juliet at a party and falls in love with her. Benvolio is unaware of this. An example of dramatic irony. 4. Act 1 Scene 5 Line 51 In this scene, Romeo falls in love with Juliet when he first sees her. The irony is that he came her to see his â€Å"true love† Rosaline, yet he fell in love with another girl. Also, Romeo says many times that Rosaline would be his only love, yet on line 60, he complete disregards his love for Rosaline.He says,† For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night. † He’s saying that he has not seen true beauty before, until he saw Juliet. This is also an important event because this is where Romeo and Juliet’s relationship starts. 5. Act 1 Scene 5 Line 148 Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed. This is said by Juliet to the nurse in regard to Romeo after first meeting him. She is stating that if he is married or unavailable to her, than she would just die in anguish because she has fallen completely and utterly in love with him.This is ironic because although she does not know it, Juliet will die if she DOES marry him. The audience are aware of this because the prologue states that they will both die- we have an insight into the ending of the play. This increases the irony and also touches on the idea of fate which plays a huge part in the play and in Elizabethan times. We know what is to happen, we can do nothing to change that. This creates numerous opportunities for dramatic irony as shown throughout the play.

Critical Appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Appraisal - Essay Example This is attributed to how knowledge and attitude of oncologists had an effect on fertility preservation in cancer treatment. This forms a foundation of the research question used in the study. In addition, the age and sex of the physicians were incorporated as independent variables to evaluate if they affected the oncologists’ knowledge and attitude towards fertility preservation. This would identify the need for further education among oncologists about fertility preservation. The analysis of this study and reveals that it tests a prior hypothesis made before the commencement of measurement phase. That is, there is a general conclusion and predictions about cancer and the oncologists current know how, attitude, perception, practices and barriers in relation to the preservation of fertility among the child bearing age populace in the UK. This course satisfies its design as confirmatory with oncologists perception of fertility as a women issue as another extraneous variable. This was however well controlled by re-accounting the study thesis. The study’s design was influenced by the pilot findings (Adams, et al., 2013). The pilot entailed an online survey of a few doctors via MedeConnect Company. The main adjustment done in the final study is increment of the allocated finance due to the pilots’ insight that the prior allocated one would not last the project to completion. The inclusion/exclusion or eligibility criterion for the study was that the oncologist doctors had to be registered members of the GMC doctor’s corporation and had the link of MedeConnect Company. The method used is probability sampling and mainly cluster sampling. The survey had to be carried out through UK in eternity that was the study’s sampling frame. Due to insufficient resources, only a few online oncologists had been chosen (Adams, et al., 2013). The sample size was 100 online oncologists. The

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management - Essay Example Like most economies, the UK practices a system where most critical social services are provided by the government (Engineers, 2008). Education and healthcare sectors are some of the areas where the government plays very imperative roles. However, with a growing budget deficit that continues to raise concerns, austerity measures become inevitable. The United Kingdom, with its expanding public sector coupled with a growing population, has been forced to borrow severally to finance its budget deficits. Such continued borrowing may have long-term impacts on the economy considering that the debts have to be repaid. In such a case, the austerity measures advocated for by most policy advisors become necessary. It certainly becomes a plus to the many private firms across the country as new opportunities will emerge in product and service delivery. However, in light of the recent street protests against the proposals to cut government spending, several considerations emerge. Several hospitals in the UK are already bogged down by numbers courtesy of the cuts that greatly impact on the quality of social services. The education system in the country has for several years been one of the best in the world (Al-Mazrouei, 2001). This attribute emerges out of the great support that the government allocates to the basic services like education, water and healthcare. It therefore becomes imperative that several considerations be made before any major government spending is practicated. In most cases, increased taxes are normally dreaded by the public. Nevertheless, a government that effectively uses the tax money on proper policies that impact positively on the masses certainly faces little antipathy towards its social reform policies. The UK’s situation in indeed one of the most notable cases in the entire world. It demands greater government intervention which can only be attained through proper spending policies. In its bid to exercise its mandate in the establishment o f the lending base rate that guides the interest rates in England, the Bank of England’s monetary policy Committee faces myriad challenges in its approach to the whole issue (Tennant, 2009). The essence of setting the base rate is basically to ensure price stability in the country and to limit variations in the various interest rates across the country. In light of the emerging economic challenges that continue to bedevil the world, it is inevitable that economic priorities too need to change with a view of addressing the whole issue. Currently, the Committee’s main focus is keeping the interest rates at the basement levels with a view of economic expansion. In the recent years, it is indeed true that an inflation overshot has characterized the UK economy as the Banks pretence that the situation will return to normalcy in two years only help to escalate the tensions that emerge in policy circles. However, in view of this challenge, the basic challenge that confronts th e Bank of England needs to be understood. The excess price and output volatilities are issues that must be addressed in tandem with the inflationary extremities (Giuseppi, 2008). The high inflation rates in the country have greatly influenced the performance of many firms. As the borrowing rates become unbearable, most commercial firms are reconsidering their