Racism and Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Racism and Stereotypes Essay â€Å"Sport provides a particularly public display of relations of dominance and subordination. The point of sport is to display publicly the processes of challenge and struggle between two sides alleged to begin in equal terms but determined to produce and sustain relations of dominance vis-a-vis one another. Moreover, sport as a meritocracy based on skill quietly reaffirms our national common sense; individuals who work hard and possess the right stuff will always prevail. Turned on its head, this lesson becomes even more insidious: those who are at the top must have risen to the top through fair means and thus deserve their position. In contrast, those not at the top do not possess the requisite talent for such privilege. Even the runner-up is a loser†(Wulfemeyer Rada, 2005). Sport provides an objective measure to evaluate the performance of a player and/or a team. There are countless statistics for athletes in every sport, which are evaluated on a daily basis. Statistics show how well an athlete performs and how good of an player they truly are. As an athlete, talent is all that should matter and be looked at when making a judgment of whether they are good or not, unfortunately this does not always hold true today. Stereotyping, racism, sexism and all those negative aspects of life, which were thought to have diminished over the years, are still prominent and portrayed through the media to this day. Stereotyping is the process of imposing characteristics on people based on their perceived group membership (Harrison, 2001). Based on stereotypical beliefs, we make social assumptions and make judgments on our knowledge of the perceived traits of those that fit into social categories. Viewing groups in terms of stereotypes is the brains way of filling in missing information about individuals we know little about by superimposing perceived traits of the group to which they belong. This is an efficient adaptation of the human mind to allow us to get out of â€Å"getting to know† everyone we encounter. Humans have neither the cognitive capacity, time, nor the desire to process all of the information available to us. We therefore use our cognitive space as efficiently as possible by categorizing and compressing information in an attempt to store more (Rose Christina, 2006). When stereotypes are based on a wealth of accumulated social and factual knowledge and are not used to make trait assumptions about individual group members, they are generally accurate and pose few problems. It is when stereotypes are based on false, misleading, or limited information that they become problematic. While most stereotyping, even the problematic variety, can be considered harmless it holds potential for quick activation if circumstances and situations present themselves (Harrison Jr. , 2001). Sport and physical activity provide an abundant ground for the development, utilization, and prolongation of stereotypes. Racial stereotypes regarding the abilities of African Americans and Europeans are very much prominent in the realm of sport and physical activity. These stereotypes have been fueled historically by theories developed to explain the perceived performance differences between African Americans and European Americans. Many years of theorizing and hypothesizing about the natural physical abilities of African American athletes have shaped the thinking of entire populations. These seemingly scientific theories and hypotheses have formed the origin of todays African American athlete stereotype (Armstrong, 2011). The former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan was quoted saying â€Å"sport is a universal language that can bring people together, no matter what their origin, background, religious beliefs or economic status† (United Nations, 2005) but this was not always the case. Major barriers have been conquered over the years to bring equality to this nation and validate the former Secretary General’s above statement. One of the biggest issues that was dealt with was racism. This is a topic many like to tiptoe around and believe is nonexistent in American, the so-called melting pot of the world. Ethnic groups are equal if not more dominant in professional sports today in their participation in sport but the same cannot be said for the coverage of the events that they participate in. Research shows that there are still priming racial stereotypes made by sport announcers (Westerfield, Johnson, Hallian). â€Å"African American athletes, once excluded from participating in professional and intercollegiate sports because of institutionalized discrimination, now participate in many sports at a rate that equals or greatly exceeds their representation in the population. This is especially true in the case of intercollegiate and professional football and basketball† (Center for the Study of Sport in Society, 2001). As equality became more evident in sport, especially football and basketball, so did the media coverage of these sports. The development of technologies, such as the television or Internet, allows people all over the world to watch a growing increase in the popularity of sport. Over the years sports coverage has given a larger viewing population to the networks and the sporting entities have used that coverage to increase their revenue. Even though both equality for the minority player and the media were growing at the same time they were not growing together. It was true that blacks were getting more rights to play but they were not being broadcasted out to a larger audience by the media. For years African Americans and the African American community have been underrepresented in television coverage. When African Americans did appear they were often pigeonholed into demeaning, stereotype ridden portrayals, showing them as â€Å"bestial, brutish, buffoonish, comical, criminal, dependant of government entitlements or support, ignorant, lazy, menacing, oversexed, and prone to out-of wedlock births† (Wulfemeyer Rada, 2005). The question of bias in sports coverage is neither new nor limited to race. To date, several research projects have uncovered bias across race, gender, and ethnicity (Wulfemeyer Rada, 2005). The presence of bias has not been limited by venue either. Research has found bias across a wide range of sporting events ranging from professional and intercollegiate sports in the United States to international events such as the Olympics. Research has also demonstrated that bias can take many forms, from what is heard from the spoken commentary on-air to what is seen from the game coverage (Wulfemeyer Rada, 2005). One form of racial bias that researchers have consistently uncovered is the brawn versus brains descriptions directed toward the players. It would seem as though complimenting an athlete for his or her athletic ability and physical attributes would seem positive and encouraging to a player but that is not always the case. Sometimes these seemingly positive comments have an underlying bias that is revealed by the commentary’s views of the players. This image that is made by the media that African Americans are naturally athletic and are blessed with God given talent can portray the negative creation and perception of the lazy athlete who does not have to work hard or at all at his/her craft. Many times it was also portrayed that blacks were more animalistic and farther away from being civilized than the rest of the population as well. These stereotypical expressions were put into the open in 1989 when Jimmy Snyder, an on-air personality for CBS Sports, openly told the public that the success of African American athletes was the result of selective and effective breeding on the part of the slave owners. Announcers negate not just physical and intellectual ability; intellect and character were also commented on, further negating the African American athlete. These stereotypes are not just targeted towards African Americans; they apply and are present for all races. Examples of these stereotypes are things such as blacks don’t feel pain, have no morals, are not team players have animal instincts, etc. Caucasian players can’t jump, they are hickish, and they are too loud or to opinionated and are very naive to everyday life. People of Asian decent are always good at math, cant drive well and are very strict with their children. Native Americans are lazy and sometimes alcoholics, and only live off the casinos. Hispanics are not patriotic, they all drive trucks; they are all-good at yard work and like to have a lot of children. All of these are examples of stereotypes that are out in society today and the list could continue to go on and on. These stereotypes that are portrayed by the media have prominent effect of the sports that athletes choose to participate in, in many cases it probably even effect what position they play. Since media has become such a big part of today’s society and is incorporated into our everyday lives young athletes watch sports on television and listen to what is being said about certain athletes and are likely to base what they want to do on the sport that they best fit into. For example if you are black you best fit in playing either basketball or football, if you are white you best fit in playing baseball or swimming, if you are of some sort of Hispanic decent you should play soccer or maybe even baseball. Even though racism is suppose to be a topic that was squashed long ago it still lives very much through stereotyping and is successfully denying full integration throughout the spectrum of sport. These same stereotypes that are made by the media towards the male roles of sport also apply to females as well. Even though woman around the world now participate in sport they are still not held to the same standard as males. â€Å"When female athletes transgress gender norms and boundaries, even in a â€Å"Post-Title IX† moment, they are still held to antiquated societal standards of emphasized femininity and feminine appearance by the mainstream news media† (Waches, Messner, Dworkin, Cooky, 2010). A great examples of this taking place is the Don Imus controversy in 2007 when he made stereotypical, sexist and offensive comments about the Rutgers University woman’s basketball team. Sexism is the belief or attitude that women are inferior to men, the application of masculine stereotypes to women or the hatred of one gender or sex (Griffin, 1992). â€Å"In collegiate sports, sexism can manifest itself in several ways including inequitable funding dedicated to women’s sports, media coverage of women’s sporting events, women’s college coaching salaries, views on elite female athletes and prejudice and discrimination against lesbians† (Whiteside Hardin, 2009). Sexist views on female athletes originated in the 1920s, from medical establishment concerns about the masculinizing effects of sport participation on women. From a contemporary standpoint, football, men’s basketball and most male college sports draw more interest and revenue than women’s college sports. This reality provides the foundation for beliefs about female athletic inferiority (Griffin, 1992). Sexism appears most often in women’s basketball, in part, because the game draws the most attention among women’s college sports and because women’s basketball is more similar to a men’s sport than any other college sport. In addition, women’s basketball is not one of the socially approved feminine sports like tennis or golf. Traditionally, prissy sports like tennis, golf and gymnastics are viewed as more feminine and these sports are, coincidentally, inundated with White women. Black women have customarily participated in basketball and track, which have long been considered as masculine sports. Sport controversies can alienate and oppress Black female student-athletes who already confront isolation, media criticism, prejudice and stereotypes. Neglecting race and gender controversies in sport can impact athletic department’s brand name recognition, alumni donations, corporate sponsorships and game attendance. More important, race and gender controversies also can negatively affect minority and female student-athletes’ recruitment, student-athletes’ social development and social justice for all student-athletes. â€Å"Inquires should uncover sociocultural implications that can be used to craft recommendations in instances when race, gender, and sport adversely intersect† (Waches, Messner, Dworkin, Cooky, 2010). It is said that racism is something of the pass and in today’s society it is non-existence but according to Gill (2011) there is a modern type of racism called new racism. New racism is based on the widespread belief that racism no longer exists and civil rights legislation created an equal playing field. New racism includes feeling a way of life is threatened by others and different cultures are assumed to be incompatible. The traits that truly distinguish new racism from historical racism are: racial ambiguity, blaming Blacks for their problems, and the use of the media to facilitate racism. Racial ambiguity refers to putting forth a non-prejudiced explanation for what might be considered as a prejudiced statement. For instance, when Don Imus was asked to explain his comments about the comment he had made about the woman’s Rutger team he stated that his comments were intended to be a joke. Present in new racism, unlike historical racism, is the belief that the problems Blacks experience are not a result of social disadvantage, but rather a result of some predisposed deviance in Black culture (Gill, 2011). It is evident that racism, sexism, prejudice, stereotyping and a lack of equality are still very much present it sport today. Even with all the equality acts and laws that have been passed the playing field has yet to be leveled amongst different races, ethnic groups, and genders. Even though many sports have been intermingled there are still many sports that are dominated by one specific minority and that is not how it should be. The media needs stop putting emphasis and specific aspects of certain people’s life because in doing this they are generalizing a group. Through generalization the media is implying that a certain group of people are all the same and thus should all be expected to act the same way. This brings a very negative aspect to sport. Since sport is such a big part of American culture I believe that the media should really begin to change their ways and stay as unbiased as possible to allow the viewing population to make their own judgments and opinions on people based on their talent, not on what generalized group they have been placed in. References Armstrong L., Ketra (2011). ‘Lifting the Veils and Illuminating the Shadows’: Furthering the Explorations of Race and Ethnicity in Sport Management. Journal of Sport Management 25, 95-106. Gill Jr, L. Emmett (2011). The Rutgers Woman’s Basketball Don Imus Controversey (RUINUS): White Privlages, New Racism, and the Implications for College Sport Management. Journal of Sport Management 25, 118-130. Griffin, Pat (1992). Changing the Game: Homophobia, Sexism, and Lesbians in Sport. QUEST 4, 251-265. Harrison Jr, Louis (2001). Understanding the Influences of Stereotypes: Implications for the African American in Sport and Physical Activity. QUEST 53, 97-114. Rose, J. Debra, Christina, W. Robert (2006). A multilevel Approach to the Study of Motor Control and Learning (2nd ed). University of North Carolina-Greensboro: Pearson. Wachs L. Faye, Messner Michael, Dworkin L. Sheri, Cooky Cheryl (2010). It’s Not About the Game: Don Imus, Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Media. Sociology of Sport Journal 27, 139-159. Westerfield R. Carl, Johnson L. Darrell, Hallinan J. Christopher. Picturing Success: Photographs and Stereotyping in Men’s Collegiate Basketball. Journal of Sport Behavior 22:1. Whiteside E. Erin, Hardin Marie (2009). The Power of â€Å"Small Stories:† Narratives and Notions of Gender Equality in Conversations About Sport. Sociology of Sport Journal 26, 255-278. Wulfemeyer K. Tim, Rada A. James (2005). Color Coded: Racial Descriptors in Television Coverage of Intercollegiate Sports. Journal o Broadcasting Electronic Media 49, 65-85.

Pros and Cons of Organisational Mergers

Pros and Cons of Organisational Mergers Abstract The purpose of this paper was to take a look at a topic of our choosing and determine how it relates to a human resource management issue. The topic that was decided to discuss was what the pros and cons are of organizational mergers. We also planned on looking at how organizational mergers affect both the success of the organization and the employees within the organization involved in the organizational merger. Lastly, we went on to look at whether this issue has an HR relationship of if it more of a management issue. Overview So for my topic project I came up with a proposal to investigate what the pros and cons are of organizational mergers. I also planned on looking at how organizational mergers affect both the success of the organization and the employees within the organization involved in the organizational merger. Therefore, we will start by creating an outline of what we will be looking for followed by the research needed to answer the questions asked by the outline. Once we have completed this we will look at a Q A from a human resource professional’s point of view. Lastly, we will conclude by determining whether the pros of organizational mergers outweigh the cons of organizational mergers and if there is any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees. Outline Now to begin the following is the outline we will use to start our topic project. WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF ORGANIZATION MERGERS (Moadhadi, 2015)? What are the pros of organizational mergers (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first pro of an organizational merger is a larger network of economies (Moadhadi, 2015). The second pro of an organizational merger is an increase in research and development (Moadhadi, 2015). The third pro of an organizational merger is all the other economies of scale (Moadhadi, 2015). The fourth pro of an organizational merger is that it allows for the avoidance of duplication (Moadhadi, 2015). The last pro of an organizational merger is that it helps with the regulation of monopoly for the industry (Moadhadi, 2015). What are the cons of organizational mergers (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first con of an organizational merger is that there can be higher prices (Moadhadi, 2015). The second con of an organizational merger is that consumers now have less choice (Moadhadi, 2015). The third con of an organizational merger is that there can be job losses (Moadhadi, 2015). The last con of an organizational merger is that the larger organization can suffer diseconomies of scale (Moadhadi, 2015). WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF MERGERS THAT ORGANIZATIONS CAN GO THROUGH (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first type of organizational merger is a horizontal merger (Moadhadi, 2015). The second type of organizational merger is a vertical merger (Moadhadi, 2015). WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF MERGERS ON THE ORGANIZATIONS (Moadhadi, 2015)? A merger can cause employees to display a new attitude (Moadhadi, 2015). Mergers may cause employees to disapprove of the new regulations (Moadhadi, 2015). Mergers may cause concerns with whether the current benefits and compensations for each of the employees will stay the same (Moadhadi, 2015). There may be employee resistance to the new integrations (Moadhadi, 2015). WHAT KIND OF RESISTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL MERGERS CAN EMPLOYEES HAVE (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first reaction is because they have a fear of control loss (Moadhadi, 2015). The second reaction is because there can be excess uncertainty (Moadhadi, 2015). The third reaction is because it may have been a surprise for them (Moadhadi, 2015). The fourth reaction is because the work environment is becoming different (Moadhadi, 2015). The fifth reaction is because there are changes in the way the work is completed (Moadhadi, 2015). The sixth reaction is because they may have competency concerns (Moadhadi, 2015). The seventh reaction is because there may be added responsibilities (Moadhadi, 2015). The eighth reaction is because the employee may have new risks on their company investments (Moadhadi, 2015). The ninth reaction is because the current work may be affect by unsettled matters prior to the merger (Moadhadi, 2015). The tenth reaction is because there may be a risk of the company downsizing due to economic losses (Moadhadi, 2015). Research Before we discuss what the pros and cons are of organizational merger we have to know what a merger is first. So what is a merger? A merger is a chosen fusion of two or more organizations with approximately equivalent stipulations into a single organization (Merger. 2015). Now that we know what a merger is so we can now begin to look at what are the pros and cons of organization mergers. We can begin by looking at what the pros of organizational mergers. There are five major pros to an organizational merger. The first pro to an organizational merger is a larger network of economies (Pettinger, 2012). Basically, this means that by merging the new company now has a much broader network to cater to. The second pro to an organizational merger is there is an increase in research and development (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that the new company is able to come up with better top of the line inventions or designs. The third pro to an organizational merger is all the other economies of scale (Pettinger, 2012). This is basically dependent on what type of merger has taken place. If it is a horizontal merger it will be much larger than if it was a vertical merger which will still expand, but it will be less than that of a horizontal merger. The fourth pro to an organizational merger is that tit allows for the avoidance of duplication (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that the market is no longer over populated and that the market is now only influenced by one company instead of two. The last pro to an organizational merger is that it helps with the regulation of monopoly for the industry (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that the government limits the new company’s pricing so that the consumers do not get hurt. The pros of an organizational merger do so much for the new organization so what do the cons of an organizational merger limit the new organization too? There are four major cons of an organizational merger. The first con to an organizational merger is that there are higher prices (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that now that there is only one choice in the market that they can make their prices less competitive which will make the new prices of the company become a little bit more expensive. The second con to an organizational merger is that consumers now have less choice (Pettinger, 2012). This is really straightforward in the sense that the consumer can no longer chose between the two rivaling companies now they can only chose the one company. The third con to an organizational merger is that there can be job losses (Pettinger, 2012). This is also straightforward in the sense that if the new company is considered as an aggressively merged take over than the employees may h ave to fear the loss of their jobs in under preforming departments. The last con to an organizational merger is that the larger organization can suffer diseconomies of scale (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that with the merger that the new company may not be able to maintain control and with such problem may lose the ability to motivate their employees. Now these are just a few of the pros and cons of organizational mergers. We will also look into two types of mergers that organizations can go through (Merger. 2015). Earlier I mentioned two types of mergers which we will now explain. The first type of mergers is an organization to organization merger known as a horizontal merger. The second type of mergers is an organization to supplier merger known as vertical merger (Merger. 2015). Now the last things we will look into is how these types of organizational mergers affect the individuals that work within these organizations. With a merger of organizations the employees may begin to show some new attitudes (Kokemuller, 2015). Another issue that may occur is that the employees may not approve of the new regulations (Kokemuller, 2015). There may be concerns with whether the current benefits and compensations for each of the employees will stay the same (Kokemuller, 2015). Lastly, there may be resistance with the integrations of each of the organization’s employees. These are just a few issues that could arise within a newly merged organization (Kokemuller, 2015). With more research we can understand this so much better. Now the last issue is slightly inevitable but there are ways to make the resistance to these changes a little bit more manageable (Bolognese, 2002). By keeping in mind these top ten reasons why the organization’s employees are resistant the organization can limit the amount and length of their employee’s resistance to the new merger (Kanter, 2012). The first reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because they feel they have loss control (Kanter, 2012). The second reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because there is a new excess uncertainty (Kanter, 2012). The third reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because it may have been a surprise for them (Kanter, 2012). The fourth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because everything seems to becoming different (Kanter, 2012). The fifth reason an organization’ s employees might be resistant to the merger is because the way things used to be done are gone (Kanter, 2012). The sixth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because they have concerns about their competence (Kanter, 2012). The seventh reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because there may be more responsibilities (Kanter, 2012). The eighth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because it may affect their organizational investments (Kanter, 2012). The ninth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because not everything from before the merger was settle appropriately and may cause issue for everyday work (Kanter, 2012). The final reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because the new organization might be downsizing due to a loss of funding instead of expanding (Kanter, 2012). With this in mind we can better understand how mergers impact the organization and their employees (Kanter, 2012). Now that we know what the pros and cons are of organizational mergers and how they can affect the newly established organization and their employees let us look at how a human recourse professional is made. Interview of an HR Professional The follow Q A is of my interview with Judy Whimmer an HR professional of 15 years. With CSL Plasma 1) How did you meet the requirements for a human resource administrators status? Answer: The function of a human resource administrator requires somebody that is able to relate with others on a private level and aids them in meeting their goals, while at the same time obeying the companys guidelines (Whimmer, 2015). With that said, I believe that with my 15 years of skills I am more equipped to interact with both employees and consumers (Whimmer, 2015). Since my previous job allowed me to understand what the guidelines of a human resource administrator are (Whimmer, 2015). I now know that human resource administrators have to remain aware of these guidelines while operating (Whimmer, 2015). 2) What are your strong suits and weak points as a human resource professional? Answer: As I deal with an employee’s dilemmas I have a tendency to get overly involved in their problems (Whimmer, 2015). Yet, I believe that this aspect has allowed me to understand their dilemmas better (Whimmer, 2015). After understanding their problems I am able to suggest to them possible solutions while remaining within the company’s limits (Whimmer, 2015). I have come to understand that experiences like this have helped shaped my attitude towards problems that my staff has had in the past and has allowed me to help them while remaining loyal to this company (Whimmer, 2015). 3) According to you, what are the qualities that a human resource administrator must have? Answer: I feel that an administrator has to have understanding, instinct, adaptability, elasticity, concentration, and above all an employee needs to be in touch with what has to be done on a daily bases (Whimmer, 2015). 4) Why did you choose a human resource career? Answer: It was because I enjoyed being involved when new employees are hired (Whimmer, 2015). The reason I enjoy this because human resource administrator are able to help recognize the right people and how they will fit in the company (Whimmer, 2015). It was as a recruitment officer that I found that I enjoyed the human resources field and adopted a human resource profession (Whimmer, 2015). 5) What are the major roles and responsibilities of a human resource administrator? Answer: The role of a human resource administrator is to care for the strategic and functional responsibilities of all of the human resource disciplines they work with (Whimmer, 2015). 6) What are the responsibilities of a human resource administrator? Answer: The responsibilities of a human resource administrator can include, but are not limited to staffing, education, structural progress, interaction, operation progress and administration, income and benefits, crew development, developing staff relationships, forming directions, motivational trainings, evolving company rules and processes, and handling health care programs for employees (Whimmer, 2015). 7) Why did you decide to get into HR after you graduated? Answer: I was looking for a job when I got my first opportunity as a human resource administrator (Whimmer, 2015). I picked it up and gradually realized that I had a liking for it (Whimmer, 2015). I improved my skills by remaining up to date on any new advances in the field (Whimmer, 2015). I also went and acquired a professional degree in the human resource field. It was one of the best choices in my life (Whimmer, 2015). Conclusion So now we have looked at an outline of what we will be researching, we have conducted our research, and we have even chatted with a real life HR professional we will now take the time to determine whether the pros of organizational mergers outweigh the cons of organizational mergers and if there is any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees. To begin the amount of pros to an organizational merger are much more significant than the amount of cons an organization merger has. I also feel that what an organization gains from a merger is much more rational than what may potentially occur to both the consumers and the employees. I also feel that the pros to an organizational merger are better than the minimal issues that may come from the cons of an organizational merger. Now with this said we also have to look at if there is any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees. To answer th is it solely depends on a few things. The first thing is to determine what kind of merger we have on our hands. For example if the merger is horizontal than the success of the merger is dependent on whether the merger takes well by the employees and the consumers. So let us say we have two hospitals that merger this is a great example of a horizontal merger and can have some major recourse in the sense that the doctors may now fear the loss of their jobs and may even resent the new changes or even management and their decision to merger in the first place. We will now look at the other side. For example if the merger is vertical than the success of the merger is dependent on whether the merger takes well by the consumers. So let us say we have a retailer and a third party soda vendor that decide to merger. The retailer now has to make sure that the inventory of their newly merger supplier takes well versus that of the sodas of other non-merged vendors. With all of this said the succ ess of a merger is really dependent on a handful of situations and if they are not the right situations than the successfulness of an organizational merger tanks rapidly. Therefore, I have to conclude that the pros of organizational mergers do outweigh the cons of organizational mergers and the any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees is dependent on situational factors and depend on how well the merger is taken by all the parties involved. I also feel that the effects of organizational merger can be controlled by HR Professionals such as the one we interviewed. References Bolognese, A. (2002). Employee Resistance to Organizational Change. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://www.newfoundations.com/OrgTheory/Bolognese721.html Kanter, R. (2012, September 25). Ten Reasons People Resist Change. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from https://hbr.org/2012/09/ten-reasons-people-resist-chang.html Kokemuller, N. (2015). Post-Merger HR and Cultural Issues. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/postmerger-hr-cultural-issues-14400.html Merger. (2015). Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/merger.html Moadhadi, S. (2015). Merger Proposal. Retrieved June 6, 2015, from https://api.turnitin.com/dv?o=545723293u=1007168898s=3student_user=1lang=en_ussession-id=e954f4cc236d3d4b1434f6533eb8d641 Pettinger, T. (2012, February 22). Pros and Cons of Mergers. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5009/economics/pros-and-cons-of-mergers/ Whimmer, J. (2015, June 5). Human Resource Professional Analysis [E-mail interview].

What I Learned from Mark Twain Essay examples -- How Education Has Chan

A multiplicity of books changed my life, connecting me with minds from many nations and ages, making me a citizen of the world and the universe, instead of a person bound by the horizons of a village and the flickering light of the living room TV. As a young person four books influenced me most-the meditations of Marcus Aurelius, the dialogues of Plato, Thoreau's Walden, and Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. The first two books made me an idealist, believing in the power of the mind to improve one's life and give it order and meaning. I loved the stylistic power of Walden, the exactness of its description. Often Thoreau writes as if giving tongues to leaves and riverbanks, as if rather than speaking himself, he let them speak. "Simplify! Simplify!" Thoreau said, and following his advice I tried not to encumber myself with too many possessions, or trade leisure and the time to think for things I didn't need. It may be because of Thoreau that I write mostly about people who don't have much in the way of consumer goods, but whose minds and spirits reach out to each...

Human Perceptions

As Human beings we are blessed to have five senses. These senses are sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. These senses make â€Å"normal† life manageable for us. All five are equally as important as the next. However it is not impossible to live without one or two of them. Sometimes losing one our senses can enhance the rest. Human beings thrive on their ability to detect what is happening around them and make sense of the changes. Essentially, a human being cannot be able to do without the ability to sense and get the meaning behind the senses.Sensory properties are perceived when our sensory organism interacts with stimuli in the world around us. There are several senses which are fundamental in the human well being. These senses include vision, gestation, olfaction, touch, audition and multimodal perception. For humans, experience, of the world is generally stable, and the ability to perceive it is easily taken for granted. Objects have positions, shapes and colors that seem to be perceived instantly, and we can reach for them or move to where they are, without any apparent effort. It is worth oting that sensory perceptions inform the thinking process. Essentially, thinking is a process which entails and interplays of many facets. Furthermore, what is thought about proceeds from what has been acquired through the senses. Hence, faulty perceptions influence the quality of the thinking process. There are three reasons to believe that our senses are fallible. Seeing should not always be believing. Once we realize that our senses can be fooled, then we can begin to adjust to surface appearance and personal distortions. Sometimes our senses can be deceived.Our senses do not always deliver accurate data to our brain. Our senses do not operate effectively when we are sick, drowsy, or tired. Our sensual perceptions, such as sight, can deceive our brain in three major ways. It can be limited biologically, we see the superficial; corralled by custom, we see the habitual; and blinded by language, we see the general. Our five senses are generally part of nature and as we get older, wiser, and mature we tend to nurture our senses to perceive things better. We are born with vision, smelling, hearing, taste, and touch.These are innate sensory perceptions. A child does not know the smell of smoke or certain food items being cooked. As they get more mature, their senses become stronger and by nurturing these senses they can distinguish the different smells. In conclusion, our five senses are innate and part of nature. As a child, our senses are immature and as we get older our senses improve. We continually return to our senses to refresh the data, to seek new data, and to use specific instruments to justify and sharpen our senses so that we don’t perceive fallible information.Citations: Kirby, G. R. , & Goodpaster, J. R. (2007). Thinking. Prentice Hall. Chapter 3 Advances in Consumer Research – North American Conference Procee dings; 2009, Vol. 36, p127-130, 4p Kirby, G. R. , & Goodpaster, J. R. (2007). Thinking. Prentice Hall. Patterson, J. , Owen, C. , Frank, D. , Smith, R. , & Cadusch, P. (2004, May). Flavour sensory qualities and consumer perceptions – a comparison of sensory and brain activity responses to flavour components in different populations. International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 39(5), 481-490.

Critique Freud essays

Critique Freud essays Critique Freud - Strengths and Weaknesses. The study of the human mind will always have its complexities and its doubts on certain subjects. Like all psychoanalytical theories, it is impossible to prove beyond a doubt, and much easier to uncover its strengths rather than its weaknesses. Freud, like many psychologists that explored new theories, had much more room for criticism However, there are strengths that are very agreeable, since to many people he exhibited brilliance, and was a founder of many psychological theories. The low point of Freud which seems to stand out is that he only studied upper middle class women in the early 20th century. Many would argue that his conclusions were taken from a narrow point of view. All of his theories could never be proven, because there is no way to form any sort of concrete experiment. All of his terms were inferred as apposed to proven. There is also the thought that, since he is studying so much of the unconscious, isn't it true that he might unconsciously overlook something, or unconsciously focus too much on one aspect? After all, he is a human being with a mind just like the human beings in which he studied. Was it true that Michelangelo was unconsciously painting his mother in the Mona Lisa, or was Freud himself interpreting it this way because he unconsciously wanted it to be his mother? All of these ideas pose a problem in proving Freud's theories, and all have endless room for elaboration. It is true, however, that Freud's theories do make sense in observation. If you were to look at a young boy going through the Phallic stage, you would most likely find that he is very close to his mother. Freud himself put a lot of time into all of his studies, and was an observer himself. He inspired many others to follow in his footsteps, elaborate on all his theories, and use ...