Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Human Resource Management Woolworths Limited - Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Human Resource Management for Woolworths Limited. Answer: Introduction HRM practice is referred to as the governance of employees of an organization that is responsible to create and implement the behavior of employees. The goal of HRM team is to balance the assets in a well organized manner. Due to certain management oriented problems the organization faced massive loss in the competitive business market; those HRM gaps are also going to be analyzed in this paper. In order to mitigate these gaps from the overall analysis, a conceptual model has been developed. The literature review firmly focuses on the best of Human Resource Management Practices that are perceived to be applicable by different organization. Here the best HRM practices maintained in an organization namely a WOOLWORTHS LIMITED are discussed. The norms and regulations of HRM practices are different in every organization. These will demonstrate different HRM business models and theories. Conceptual model of the Key factors of theories is also illustrated in this literature review. Literature Review on Best HRM practices perceived to be Applicable for Woolworths Limited Numerous best HRM practices are there, adopted by different organizations, these applicable practices are as followed: Structure development and business case development: Most of the known companies are evaluating this HR practices in order to develop the performance of the team as well as of the organization. Fan, Zhang and Zhu, (2013) stated that the business development is completely or somewhere partially dependent on the structure of the HR model. On the other hand, said that, impact of HR opportunity in structured governance and business case development, the level of efficiency is about 39%. At the same time, HR functionalities and the measurement of strategic people are interrelated to each other. Thus, from the discussion it can be concluded that the development of the HR structure leads the organization to massive growth. Development of workforce planning capabilities: The workforce planning is another vital approach that is defined in the field of HR practices. If the advanced approaches are not developed then, it will move the organization to competitive loss (Ali, 2012). From different approaches an argumentative outcome comes out that is, there is a major pitfall which is closely related to HR functions. At the same time, HR functions play the most important role in management of the entire organization. According to Howard, (2013) proper training and development programs are incorporated to the known organizations as these helps the organization to plan for the capabilities. Development of appropriate HR philosophies: Klikauer, (2012) stated that, the strategies planned for the HR management team of an organization must have appropriate philosophies regarding workforce of the organization. In order to develop an organization, massive and dynamic changes are needed to be incorporated by the HR practices. An organization has some of the best HR practices but recently the number of employee disengagement is increasing in a rapid manner. Lloyd-Smith, (2013) opined that, HR teams concentrate on the working environment of the employee. Jamali, El Dirani and Harwood, (2015) stated that the most effective philosophy regarding HR management firmly focuses on innovation and creation in the workplace. Thus, it can be concluded that this strategic implementation is vital from the organizational aspect. Flexible HR design: It takes around 20% of the total efficiency regarding HR practices in organizational development (Thite, Wilkinson Shah, 2012). HR success model is also referred to as a predictor and it allows several adaptive movements in the ground level of the organizational HR management. Mitchell, Obeidat and Bray, (2013) stated that all the HR staffs are capable to adopt the features of the models. Thus, from the argues it can be concluded that the HR design should be modeled in such as way that all the staffs including the management level employees should be able to access the flexible model (Parry Tyson, 2013). building of a perfect project plan regarding HRM is very crucial as the HR team of the organization is not enough efficient in their application fields (Rouditser McKeown, 2015). The employment management team basically helps to increase the knowledge management capabilities by analyzing different key factors. Development of HR skills: According to Price, Bailey and Pyman, (2014), the skills of the HR management team are the most important thing to develop the performance of the organization. Not only this, but also a training and development program should be incorporated for the HR management team of an organization as the most important role is played by the HR team (Mertens et al., 2016). While developing the project for an organization, human resource management team, the attributes will collaboratively make the possible and successful outcome of the company (Rangoato, 2013). The factors of the HRM team of an organization provide different options to the company and its consumers. Thus, proper management is very important. Improvement in line management capabilities: In order to develop the management capabilities all the employees working under the management team must be capable to do their job role in a proper way. An organization should improve their decision making power in terms of focused relation along with the employees and with the consumers of the company. Improvement of the capabilities of the manager: the manager of the organization should have to capable of their job role so that they can take an appropriate decision for the benefit of the company. The manager is an asset of the HRM team therefore; the decisions should involve the requirements of the employees also. Outsourcing HR strategies: In order to enable the internal teams to focus on particular set of factors outsourcing of strategic goals are important to be adopted by different organizations. Improvements of the outsourcing areas are possible by developing the economic scale, global coordination and rapid HRM growth. Measurement of HR operations and business metrics: In order to ensure the efficiency and business alignments an organization should focus on the HR operations and business strategies. These strategies implements strategic HR functionalities and crucial commercial decision making power to the organizations. These approaches provide secure connection between the HRM and employees efforts. Employee facing HR system: An organization should improve their HR system towards employees facing system. It means that, the system should have to be employees friendly in nature. Figure 2: HR practices (Source: Mertens et al., 2016, pp-194) Industry Best Practice HRM Models Woolworths Limited is one of the largest and popular retail industries having around 3200 stores throughout Australia and New Zealand (woolworthslimited, 2016). The literature focuses on the HRM of different organizations functionalities and different ways through which it deals with the supplies quality and inventory management as well. According to Zhang et al., (2015), HRM team plays a paramount role to manage the employment of an organization. Mitchell, Obeidat and Bray, (2013) stated that, as it is a manpower resource center, thus, it focuses on recruitment, selection of right people to set a precise objective for the organization. Sawang and Kivits, (2014) opined that, in order to accelerate the dynamic changes in a proper manner HRM team must concentrate on the strategic objectives and the individual employee need in the workplace. There are some HRM practices perceived that are effective from the organizational perspective. These strategies itself will reduce the gap occurred in Human Resources team of an organization. The practices are as followed: Recruitment and selection: Thite, Wilkinson and Shah, (2012) stated that, managerial styles and organizational culture based on HRM policies, highlights the appropriate structure development and skills measurement of every individual. At the same time, Blackwood Bentley, (2013) said that proper person should be recruited for appropriate job profile. It can be concluded that, HR practices need more attention to develop and maintain the competencies and behavior of every individual those are recruited and selected for the organization. Training and development: According to Jamali, El Dirani and Harwood, (2015) training and development in the organizational level outcomes always different in terms of functions and those can be identified as HR outcome, Overall performance outcome, financial outcome, changes in share market. Again, Mitchell, Obeidat and Bray, (2013) opined that HRM practices are used to develop firm specific competencies to create organizational knowledge for sustainable competitive advantages. From both the statements it can be concluded that the HRM practices in contemporary organizations should implement training and development programs. Klikauer, (2012) stated that, the strategies planned for the HR management team of an organization must have appropriate philosophies regarding workforce of the organization. In order to develop an organization, massive progression in employees carrier and dynamic changes are needed to be incorporated by the HR practices. Woolworth Limited organization has some of the best HR practices but recently the number of employee disengagement is increasing in a rapid manner. Lloyd-Smith, (2013) opined that, HR teams concentrate on the working environment of the employee. Pay and benefit: Thite, Wilkinson and Shah, (2012) stated that, key contents of the HRM approaches are designed and managed in such a way that, control all the necessities of organization from economical context. Parry and Tyson, (2013) opined that, executive pay and remuneration depending on the performance of every individual provides necessary benefit to the organization. Thus, it is concluded that motivation including reward functions are needed to be incorporated to accomplish the HRM practices of the organization. Performance appraisal and feedback: Blackwood and Bentley, (2013) opined that, HRM team motivates the employees for their positive performance. IN addition to this, Rouditser and McKeown, (2015) stated that, the organization which engages efficient staffs for higher performance should provide appraisal as per HRM norms. Therefore, it can be concluded that the requirements to redefine the HR strategies and practices are essential to enhance the performance of the organization. Labour relation: According to Sawang and Kivits, (2014) open communication is the most efficient thing to maintain the relationship among the HR management team and the employees working for an organization. Again, Mitchell, Obeidat and Bray, (2013) argued that, massive involvement to HR practices put positive impact to the organizational performance. Thus, it can be concluded that positive labour relationship maintenance is important to improve the organizational performance. Jamali, El Dirani and Harwood, (2015) stated that the most effective philosophy regarding HR management firmly focuses on innovation and creation in the workplace. Thus, it can be concluded that this strategic implementation is vital from the organizational aspect. FY14, the measurable objectives: From a survey report it is found that most of the organizations are strictly committed to the regular review and updates of the measureable objectives in order to ensure the continuous enhancement in the diversity profile that can support their business strategies. In the development of organizational strategies classical approach is the most efficient approach (Jamali, El Dirani Harwood, 2015). Most of the well known organizations follow the classical organizational model in order to understand the appropriate corporate strategy. The components of the model are as followed: cost leadership, differentiation and focus (Cooke, Wood Horwitz, 2015). This is another gap defined in WOOLWORTHS HRM practices. Conceptual Model of the Key Factors of Theories There are different HRM theories such as trait theory, behavioral theory used by various organizations. Woolworths Limited adopted different practice theories in order to increase the organizational HRM culture. The theories are as followed: Great man theory: The great man theory is referred to as the inborn leaders and not the made talent (Sawang and Kivits, 2014). In this case, leaders born with a talent and does not gain it from any outsources. Trait theory: The trait theory is referred to as the great man theory but after proving his or her talent. The employees working for the HRM of Woolworths Limited inherits certain unique qualities (Parry and Tyson, 2013). These lead them to behave like a leader of the company. It is capable to identify unique personalities and employees characters. It is one of the naturally pleasing theories and it provided constructive data about the leadership. These are all personality traits such as abilities, personal traits and motivational traits. Behavioral theory: This theory is based on the leadership characters that possesses by some of the employees. In Woolworth this feature can be obtained while working for the company and it is not is an inborn feature (Thite, Wilkinson and Shah, 2012). A leader leads the other employees and motivates them to give their best for the organizational improvement. Via learning and teaching one common employee can become a leader. Contingency theory: Contingency theory is referred to as the environment which helps to develop a leader within an organization. The surroundings of the leaders are effective for Woolworths limited (Mitchell, Obeidat and Bray, 2013). The relationship between the leaders and subordinates help to establish an effective communication. Situational theory: The level of confidence, respect rust and influences among the employees are stated as the situational theory (Blackwood Bentley, 2013). All the employees from the top level managerial team to the lower level management employees working for Woolworths limited are dependent on the situation theory. The Woolworths Company maintains the traits theory and contingency theory in order to develop their overall working structure. Figure 2: Conceptual Model of Theories for Woolworths (Source: Blackwood Bentley, 2013, pp-97) Critical Analysis of the HRM theories adapted by Woolworths The Woolworths organization follows both the Trait Theory and Contingency Theory for their human resource management. The trait theory has its disadvantages as most of the time; the physical characteristics of the leader are taken into consideration like weight, height, etc. The application of the Trait theory is not affective for Woolworths as subjective judgment is bound to it. On the other hand, the application of the Contingency theory is most suitable for the Woolworths Limited. The contingency theory allows Woolworths to ensure that the right people are available for the particular project. Through the application of the contingency theory, Woolworths exercise complete control over its employees throughout its all the locations. Summary After analyzing the overall Human Resource Management oriented factors of WOOLWORTHS LIMITED, a developing project plan is provided to the HR management team of the company in order to develop the existing strategic business structure. The existing strategic plan is needed to be analyzing first so that one could able to understand that what are possible changes might add to it. After the addition of certain factors the developed project plan is found to be efficient enough. The revenue of the company also mentioned in this assignment so that one could be able to understand the previous situation and the current situation of the company. Among all the Australian industries the rate of employee disengagement is found to be less in this organization. References Ali, A. (2012). Leadership and its Influence in OrganizationsA Review of Intellections.International Journal of Learning and Development,2(6), 73-85. Blackwood, K., Bentley, T. (2013). Out of Step? The Efficacy of Trans-Tasman Law to Combat Workplace Bullying.New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations (Online),38(1), 27. Cooke, F. L., Wood, G., Horwitz, F. (2015). Multinational firms from emerging economies in Africa: implications for research and practice in human resource management.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,26(21), 2653-2675. Fan, D., Zhang, M. M., Zhu, C. J. (2013). International human resource management strategies of Chinese multinationals operating abroad.Asia Pacific Business Review,19(4), 526-541. Howard, T. (2013).High commitment human resource management and employee wellbeing(Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Town). Jamali, D. R., El Dirani, A. M., Harwood, I. A. (2015). Exploring human resource management roles in corporate social responsibility: the CSR HRM co creation model.Business Ethics: A European Review,24(2), 125-143. Klikauer, T. (2012). The ethics of employment relations and human resource management: Kohlberg's seven levels of morality.New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations (Online),37(2), 1. Lloyd-Smith, M. (2013). A discussion on whether Employers should always adopt a High Commitment approach when making employees redundant.Unpublished Paper,20, 11. Mertens, W., Recker, J., Kummer, T. F., Kohlborn, T., Viaene, S. (2016). Constructive deviance as a driver for performance in retail.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,30, 193-203. Mitchell, R., Obeidat, S., Bray, M. (2013). The Effect of Strategic Human Resource Management on Organizational Performance: The Mediating Role of High Performance Human Resource Practices.Human Resource Management,52(6), 899-921. Parry, E., Tyson, S. (2013).Managing People in a Contemporary Context. Routledge. Price, R., Bailey, J., Pyman, A. (2014). Varieties of collaboration: the case of an Australian retail union.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(6), 748-761. Rangoato, S. J. (2013).Discrimination based on HIV/AIDS status in the workplace(Doctoral dissertation, University of Limpopo). Rouditser, D., McKeown, T. (2015). The rhetoric realities of HRM evolution in SME growth. Sawang, S., Kivits, R. A. (2014). Greener workplace: understanding senior management's adoption decisions through the Theory of Planned Behaviour.Australasian Journal of Environmental Management,21(1), 22-36. Thite, M., Wilkinson, A., Shah, D. (2012). Internationalization and HRM strategies across subsidiaries in multinational corporations from emerging economiesA conceptual framework.Journal of World Business,47(2), 251-258. van Eeden, D. (2014).The Role of the Chief Human Resources Officer: Perspectives, Challenges, Realities and Experiences. Knowres Publishing. woolworthslimited,. (2016).woolworthslimited. Retrieved 6 August 2016, from https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/icms_docs/182381_Annual_Report_2015.pdf Zhang, M. M., Bartram, T., McNeil, N., Dowling, P. J. (2015). Towards a Research Agenda on the Sustainable and Socially Responsible Management of Agency Workers Through a Flexicurity Model of HRM.Journal of Business Ethics,127(3), 513-523.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Controversies of Racism free essay sample

The subject of racism is a continual controversial issue within everyday society. It’s inevitable. Everywhere you go, you’ll come across some sort of discrimination or racism. It’s like we’re programmed to judge instantly, it’s in our human nature. Religion, age and racial discrimination literally surrounds us and we can’t do much to stop it until we change ourselves, and let’s face it that’s probably not going to happen. So the main questions I normally ask myself are: Why are we prejudiced? Is being different that bad? And are we really that different? Hitler definitely seemed to think that we were. So did America back in the 1600’s where the first of racism and black slavery began and half the world’s population in the 21st Century think so too. It was said for many years that Hitler was obsessed with racial â€Å"purity† and spread his beliefs in speeches and writings pronouncing that his race needs to remain pure in order to rule the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Controversies of Racism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What was his definition of pure? To have blue eyes, fair skin and blonde hair. Who is to say that makes you the perfect being? Absolutely no one. When Hitler and the Nazis came to power, these beliefs became the government motto and were spread publicly in posters, on the radio, in movies, in classrooms and in newspapers. After Hitler took power, Nazi teachers in school classrooms began to apply the principles of racial science. The teachers measured skull size and nose length and recorded the colour of the student’s hair and eyes to determine whether students belonged to the â€Å"true race†. This constant negative message that was being sent out influenced the younger students to continue with racism. The Nazis also began to put their ideology into practice with the support of German scientists who believed that the human race could be improved by limiting the reproduction of people considered inferior† such as Jews, people with disabilities, gypsies, black people, and people with skin diseases, Jehovah’s Witnesses and any other flaws humans are born with. Hitler viewed the Jews not as a religious group, but as a poisonous, disgusting â€Å"race†, which â€Å"lived off† other races and weakened them. And so began the Holocaust. Hitler threw innocent Jewish people into concentration camps letting them starve to death, gassing them, burning them alive and countless other torturous acts because they weren’t what he saw to be the ‘’perfect being’’. That may have been around sixty years ago but why does genocide still happen? After the Jewish Genocide, the cold war genocide, Rwanda genocide and just recently the genocide in Darfur occurred. Slavery is a black eye on the soul of America’s history. There has never been an excuse for one human to own another. We humans as a species should always have been treated equally. Why should people own other people? Are human beings animals? How can you hate someone so much by the colour of their skin? There simply is no answer. Slavery began around the 1600’s when the first black man was used as a servant. The slavery continued on, all the way through to the 1900’s where the servants were used to clean, cook food, babysit and do the dirty work around the house while a racist extremist group called the Ku Klux Klan that believed in Hitler’s message abused them with hate crimes and acts of domestic terrorism. Black people were treated like they were the scum of the earth; they were abused, spit on, beaten and in worst case scenario, murdered. They weren’t allowed to go to the same stores, schools, diners, and churches as the white people in America which was a huge disadvantage to the African-American race. When the racial segregation happened, which was a big milestone in history, the African–Americans were allowed to have the same facilities as everyone else, much to Americas disdain. Their freedom was limited; the African-Americans resorted to sitting at the back of the bus, or were only allowed to go to certain public areas. So why it is that racism still exists? What will it take for mankind to realize that despite the colour of a persons skin, we are all amazing, complex people, who have wonderful characteristics that should be admired and loved? But people also need to realize that some people that were born black didn’t CHOSE to be black. I mean, I’m a black girl but that doesn’t make me hate the whites and love the blacks. Both races are the same to me. I guess equality is such a new concept within everyday American society that many raw emotions still cloud their judgment. Now in the 21st Century, racism still exists and in varying forms. Not only is there racial discrimination, religion is discriminated against also. When you see a Muslim man walking down the street or a woman wearing a burka, do you cower in fear? There is this new phobia called Islamophobia where there is hatred, prejudice or fear of a Muslim person and this term came to use fter the September 11 terrorist attack. But why be scared of only Muslim’s? Everyone is capable of causing great harm to society and just recently the Norway attack occurred and this attack wasn’t done by a Muslim. It was by a Norwegian citizen that no one suspected. This man, Breivik planned the attack to annihilate multiculturalism in Norway and to preserve a Christian Europe. His political views were to conserve his culture and promote Islamoph obia, he also urged Europeans after this attack to restore the â€Å"historic crusades† against Islam as in the Middle Ages. You could say that Islamophobia is the new form of black racism as it is a practice of discriminating against Muslims by excluding them from the economic, social and public life of everyday society. The new law that was passed down in France of not being able to wear the burka is an example. French police arrested two veiled women just hours after the country’s new ban on wearing the burka in public came into force. This law is the first of its kind to be enforced in Europe, and the French police said they will be extremely cautious as there are fears of Muslim women provoking violence while the burka. The law should not push minorities around. I believe that people should be allowed to wear what they want, free of coercion. The burka is a Muslim practice and I do not see the big deal, it is not a security risk. It is believed that Islam has no values in the Western society and is an inferior and violent religious belief. On the contrary, the violent belief is this new phobia. What do you think? Far too many of us speak of equality and hope, yet secretly have hate. Most people will tell you, that they are not racist individuals. Many of these people though, are either fooling themselves, or just don’t want to make a bad reputation for themselves. Everyone is based on little more than stereotypes and stories of that what happened years ago with Hitler and the black slavery. So we need to put aside all the things that happened generations ago. It happened out of ignorance and right now what we need to be doing is unite as one race, stop the negative attitudes and beliefs that permeate around us and try to make the future brighter. Some people believe that racism is in our human nature. Do you think so?

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Two Sided Argumentative Essay Sample

Two Sided Argumentative Essay SampleA two sided argumentative essay sample is a powerful way to allow an essay to make a statement, without you having to delve into the minutiae of detail in the body of the essay. Of course, one must always keep in mind that your audience is looking for something more substantial than what a simple essay can offer. You need to get as close to the point as possible, while also making sure you're not losing sight of the main point of the essay.The most commonly used two sided argumentative essay sample is the inverted pyramid. As the name implies, it is a style of writing where the topic at hand is addressed from the top, and everything else is stated in the main body of the paper. Everything that comes after the introduction is addressed in the body of the paper, as well. Here are some examples of how this works.A second advantage of using the inverted pyramid is that it makes the entire argumentative essay sample easier to read. While there are some who will argue that the text can be hard to read, this style does an excellent job of showing the main points clearly, while also providing just enough information for the reader to grasp the main idea. You'll find that the entire essay is short and to the point, with no unnecessary details or infodumps.One disadvantage of using the inverted pyramid is that it can become boring if the topic being written about is never touched upon again. For example, if you start your argumentative essay about plant anatomy, but then move on to another topic, you'll run the risk of losing the main theme of the essay. There is no easy way to solve this problem other than to continually change topics or to have a new idea at the beginning of each section.On the other hand, if you use the inverted pyramid in conjunction with an original essay sample, you can maintain a fresh and lively tone all throughout the entire paper. The inverted pyramid is, as I mentioned before, a great style to use when writi ng an essay, but you do need to keep in mind that it can become monotonous at times. This is especially true if the paper contains some long passages of technical jargon that doesn't require much explanation.It is, however, possible to provide an inverted pyramid two sided argumentative essay sample in the form of a thesis statement. A thesis statement is a statement at the very end of the essay that is very powerful but is also very brief. In fact, many thesis statements begin with the line, 'But what exactly?'This is where the important phrase has to be described, and the focus should then be placed back on the main ideas of the essay. Many writers feel that a thesis statement is important because it is in the final section of the paper that the essay is designed to last the longest, so that it is able to capture the attention of the reader for the duration of the paper.Remember, keep the thesis statement in the right side of the paper, while keeping the rest of the paper simple a nd engaging. You should aim to address as many of the important ideas as possible in the final sections of the paper. The key to writing an appealing, argumentative essay sample is in setting up a structure that will eventually lead to the conclusion.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

The Execution of Maximilian and The Execution of Christ Essay Example For Students

The Execution of Maximilian and The Execution of Christ Essay In this essay, the painting-The Execution of Maximilian I and the sculptural installation-The Execution of Christ have been selected to demonstrate how two artworks in different periods can have many similarities yet still hold true to their own beliefs, their relationship with the subject and his or their intended viewing audience to create a definitive style. A French impressionism artist, Edouard Manet’s painting, The Execution of Maximilian I (fig. 1),1868–69, oil on canvas, 99 3/16 x 118 7/8 (252 x 302 cm), Kunsthalle, Mannheim1 and Beijing-based artists, the Gao Brothers’ sculptural installation, The Execution of Christ (fig. ), 2009, bronze, life size, have been selected to represent the historical and contemporary works respectively. We will write a custom essay on The Execution of Maximilian and The Execution of Christ specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In The Execution of Maximilian I, Manet depicts a contemporary event of political significance the fatal moment when the idealistic but naive archduke of Austria, Maximilian, Emperor of Mexico, was executed alongside two of his generals by Benito Juarez’s Mexican forces in 1867. Clearly, he draws on the model of Goya’s earlier painting, The Third of May (fig. 4), 1808 in which2 the massacre of Spanish nationalists by invading French under the orders of Napoleon I. Hundred years later, the Gao Brothers appropriated from Edouard Manet’s The Execution of Maximilian and created The Execution of Christ (fig. 3). Both works show the executioners at right, the executed at left. But how the scenes are depicted, the tone and mood set by Manet and the Gao Brothers, are distinctly different. The reasons why both artists create the artworks: Before comparing the visual compositions of two artworks,I am going to discuss what causes them to create such works. Firstly, though not generally a politically motivated painter, Manet paint was inspired to make a statement about Maximilian’s execution. As a republican, he disapproved of Napoleon IIIs actions including the controversial French intervention in Mexico3. 4Maximilian, a member of the Hapsburg family of Austria, had been installed in power in Mexico by Napoleon III of France as a ‘puppet emperor’5 with aim of forcing Mexico to pay its foreign debts and establish a European presence there. 6 However, it became a failure miserably, ending with the execution of Maximilian and two of his generals by firing squad on June 19, 1867. It seems Manet was irritated and started work on the depiction of Maximilians execution soon after the first reports of it had reached Paris at the beginning of July 1867. Correspondingly, impact from their horrible family’s 7experience during China’s 1966-1967 Cultural Revolution8 and grievance towards Mao Zedong and the Chinese government, the Gao Brothers create works, notably The Execution of Christ, which ‘ranges from the political and satirical to questions of material and spiritual spaces, and takes a humanitarian stance that questions the role government and the individual play within contemporary Chinese society since 1985. ’ Thus, it can be seen that both of them are critical of the dark reign of the role governments and express their disdain for brutality of significant political incident or war through visual methods ironically, even though they are of different origin and in different period. Similarities and differences in visual compositions and tone: Since the composition of The Execution of Christ is a direct echo of The Execution of Maximilian as noted above, both depicts the firing squad and the condemned men. In The Execution of Maximilian I, there are 3 victims, who are the Emperor Maximilian (fig. ) in the center and his two Mexican ally-generals, Mejia on his right and Miramon on his left facing 7 firing squad, and the former – in a show of dignity and loyalty – movingly clasps his hand in their final moment. Also, to a certain extent, the way Manet has set the scene seems oddly detached from the dreadful violence it implies. This is most obvious in the figure of the sarge on the right, who glances away indifferently and checks his musket while the shots are fired, and the line of rather apathetic spectators (fig. ) and greenery make up a fairly narrow slice of background, separated from the foreground by the high, cool-colored gray wall. To a certain purpose, the wall behind the execution is a bit like the scene of a bullfighting stadium10, suggesting Maximilian and the generals associated with another kind of ritual death. The implication is that Maximilian’s dea th, like his emperorship, was merely a spectacle. Figure 5 Maximilian and his generals, Mejia on his right and Miramon on his left Figure 6 The spectators peers the execution over a high, cool-colored gray wall In other hand, in The Execution of Christ, a portrayal of Jesus replaces the figure of the emperor and it is the only victim placed in the scene. Also, the firing squad are re-made as 7 life size identical Chairman Maos. Meanwhile, the Gao Brothers retains the special setting from Manet’s painting- one of the firing squad stands on the far right checking his rifle, but without spectators over the wall. Instead, we,the appreciators are the spectators to look through the scene, the installation 11. .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 , .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .postImageUrl , .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 , .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:hover , .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:visited , .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:active { border:0!important; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 { 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; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:active , .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .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; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7 .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua692fc4130f88cb7ffc2f578fb49c3d7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Comparing "Arts of the Contact Zone" EssayEvidently, to a great extent, the above differences between Manet’s Execution and the Gao Brothers’ Execution lies on a simple change of medium, a painting to a piece of sculpture. Having said that, both works depict an similar execution scene, based on their own imagination, the tone of them are slightly different. Despite their aesthetic claims to objectivity, while Gao Brother’s work includes absolute heroes and villains, the tone of Manet’s work remains coolly ambiguous and implicitly critical of Napoleon III. The painting functions almost like reportage as Manet seems to resist taking a definitive stance on the controversial events surrounding Maximilian’s execution. Scholar, Bataille saw it was out of the sentiments,notably the indignation that Manet,a republican artist felt towards his emperor’s colonial machinations12. Scholar, George Hamilton also saw ‘nothing whatever’ to stir ‘our sympathies’13. Unlike Manet’s work, Gao Brother’s work functions as an ‘allegory of human emotions14’. Additionally, The Execution of Christ is more dramatic. Knowing the nature or story of Jesus Christ and Chairman Mao, we, viewers may find interesting in what the Gao brothers convey in their work, s a conflict of God verses a ‘pseudo-God’,a space between life and death, the secular and the religious, but also between presence and absence. What’s more, Manet’s work, it looks like a depiction of the instant of execution at first. Yet only General Mejia, to Maximilians right, seems to have been hit with his head bent backward since across his body, the smoke of the muskets is compacted in an ugly, dark grey to convey the thud of the bullets. Maximilian himself still alive, while the other general, Miramon, remains alert and was about to be the next executed . 15Beside him, the smoke drifts, dispersing in time, transparent in places to the wall behind. Manet shifts temporal as well as spatial relationships, showing us not only the instantaneous moment, but also the moment extended in slow motion, which is quite dynamic. Just the reverse, in Gao Brother’s work, the victim, Jesus hasn’t been executed yet. Whether Jesus will be executed depends on the far right Chairman Mao (fig. 7). As the firing squad pointing their rifles towards Jesus maybe deemed as deterrence to Jesus and Jesus peers down the barrels of eight rifles, it implies that death is present as a kind of sill and crux in which there is a potential for transition, rather than a end violence. Besides, the victims in both works look fearless. In The Execution of Maximilian, although Maximilian and two of his generals are clearly identifiable, comparing to the firing squad, their facial expressions appear vague and hazy. Yet, from their body languages, they seemed fearless facing towards death. Particularly, Maximilian stands slightly frontward his generals as if he is protecting them and his hat cocks upward to frame his head almost like ‘a martyr’s halo16’. Likewise, in The Execution of Christ, the protrusion of the disconcerting pain and sorrowful sadness arises through details of the scars and wrinkles on the face of Jesus (fig. 8). He is petite and barely clothed, stands with his eyes closed and his palms are facing out to expose stigmata wounds (fig. 9) on his hands as if he is explicitly dauntless and ready to be executed â€Å"again†. In addition, both of them are bare-handed, which bring out an image of innocent and defenceless. Apart from that, the Gao Brothers highlighted the proportion of the figures, which Manet did not. In The Execution of Maximilian, all objects are in same size and eye-level. Contrarily, in The Execution of Christ, the figure of Jesus is slightly smaller than those of the Chairman Maos and projects a visual distortion relative to the power relationships suggested in the formation. It also implies that despite Jesus Christ and Chairman Mao are perceived as sacred and grand icons, it is emphasised Chairman Mao is nobler and more powerful and the drama of overwhelming forces and threats imposed upon the victim. Appreciators experience feelings of panic and shock as they place themselves beside Christ and witness a massive crowd aiming rifles at the viewer at eye-level. Similarities and differences in connotations: Both artists achieved dark humour through utilisation of visual political puns by dressing the soldiers. In The Execution of Maximilian, Manet was inspired by Goya, giving a suggestion to implicate France as the executor. With his reference from a report and photographs in Le Figaro, he set the soldiers uniform to resemble the French uniform and the bullet-riddled clothes that Maximilian had worn. In sheer provocation, he also painted the facial features of the sergeant (fig. 10) holding his musket to resemble those of Napoleon III. On the other hand, in The Execution of Christ, the Gao brothers replaced the soldiers by identical Chairman Maos and implicated the soldiers as identical robots, which were incapable of independent thought and mindlessly following commands, in jest a reflection of the Red Guards17 during the Cultural Revolution. .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe , .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .postImageUrl , .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe , .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:hover , .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:visited , .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:active { border:0!important; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe { 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; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:active , .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .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; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9d6f1d467b09fd6ae70717bb695a57fe:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Charmion von Wiegand on Mondrian"s New York studio EssayFurthermore, he dressed the Mao soldiers in waggish civilian attire with their belt and pants worn high to mid-chest. Although the Gao Brothers’ cynical humor is portrayed, they accurately show how the real Mao looked during his reign. Interestingly, it seems the awful and violent nature of the firing squad is moderated by the Mao soldiers’ waggish civilian attire as well. In actual fact, based on his self-assuredness and authoritative character, Mao Zedong believed he was the only legitimate leader in China and no one should dare to oppose him. He insisted that the citizens did not have a need for religion and suppressed any public religious practices as well. Suppression of religion was part of the country’s unification plan and one’s need for religious focus was fulfilled with the image of Mao. Therefore, the images of Chairman Mao alluded to not only individually Mao Zedong, but also the cruelty of the Chinese communist government. Similarly, the image of Jesus Christ emphasized and symbolized the martyrdom of the innocent in Cultural Revolution, but not only the particular religion-Christian. By recreating the scene of the crime through The Execution of Christ, the Gao Brothers focused on Mao’s nature-‘malicious cruelty’18 and murder of the innocents in their sculpture, The Execution of Christ and wants to bring Mao back from history into the view of the public for what he really was because some wrongdoings of the Chinese government in the past are still censored. Most important thing is that the Chinese citizens deny those wrongdoings and dont even know the sheer of the history and keep holding on to the Mao’s reign. In addition, compare to Manet’s Execution, The Execution of Christ has the ability to connect with audiences outside their culture in their origin, due to the fact that the Gao Brothers interpreted human emotions through portrayals of expressive facial and body language, a universal language that surpasses all cultural barriers. Regardless of whether an observer had a knowledgeable background in religion or art history, the Gao Brothers provided enough evidence for any observer to postulate the narrative or allegory portrayed in The Execution of Christ. Conclusion To conclude, The Execution of Maximilian and The Execution of Christ both depicts the firing squad and the condemned men and have similar visual compositions based on the fact that they are inspired to one another. Also, they both created their works historically and politically provocative ,even though they did not know for certain what, precisely, happened at that time. Due to their own experiences and thoughts, their works appear a different tone and connotation. To a great extent, they look very contemporary is not only the obvious simultaneous with our turbulence society-the malicious consequences of a regime change and military intervention, exacerbated by ignorance of the government. Bibliography: Books Angremy, B. 2006, Photography as an Allegory of Human Emotion, Le Passage du Temps, Galerie Guislain Etat d’Art, Paris, p.130 Bataille, G.1955, Manet., Skira Inc., New York, p.51-53 Hanson, A.C. ,1977, Manet and the modern tradition, Yale University Press, Ltd., London, p. 52,110-114 Hamiliton, G.H. , 1966, Is Manet still Modern?, Art News Annual, p. 111 Hamiliton, G.H. , 1969, Manet and his critics , W.W. Norton Company, Inc. New York, p.81-85 Reff, T., 1982, Manet and modern Paris:, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London W.F. Wong, 2009, New Horizon History: Theme A Modernisation and transformation in Twentieth-Century Asia, Hong Kong Educational Publishing Co., p.233,236 Newspaper Articles Online (Anon), 2013. Brothers in Arts,Guernica . 15 November . https://www.guernicamag.com/art/brothers-in-arts/ (Anon.), (n.d.), Conflict and residence: The Execution of Emperor Maximilian. Annenberg Learner . . Available from: http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/44/index.html (Anon.), (n.d.), In the line of fire: Manets The Execution of Maximilian’ . National Gallery , pp. 3. . Available from: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/learn-about-art/paintings-in-depth/in-the-line-of-fire/*/viewPage/3 (Anon.), (n.d.), The Execution of Maximilian, Literal Magazine. . Available from:http://www.literalmagazine.com/english_post/the-execution-of-maximilian/ Elderfield, J. , 2007. Soldiers of misfortune. theguardian News . 6 January . Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2007/jan/06/art.art Gietmann, Gerhard. 1911, †Nimbus. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New Advert, . Available from: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11080b.htm Exhibition Catalogues Kejun, Xia. 2010, Losing Mao: The Gao Brothers? Miss Mao Works.The Gao Brothers Grandeur Catharsis. , Kansas City. Field,J, Elderfield, J., Bodinson, S. , 2006, Manet and the Execution of Maximilian, MoMA, . Available from: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2006/Manet/ Sound recording Kemper Art Webcast. 2010. Gao Brothers: Grandeur and Catharsis Part 1. Interviewed by Arthur Hwang. Kansas City, Mo. Online Podcast. 3 min. Available from: http://kcur.org/post/interview-artists-gao-brothers-part-1 Kemper Art Webcast. 2010. Gao Brothers: Grandeur and Catharsis Part 2. Interviewed by Arthur Hwang. Kansas City, Mo. Online Podcast. 6 min. Available from: http://kcur.org/post/interview-artists-gao-brothers-part-2 Website Gao Brothers. Gao Brothers, n.d. ,n.p., Biography and news . , Available from: http://www.gaobrothers.net Image Figure 1, 5 , 6 and 10: Lessing, E., (n.d.), The Execution of Maximilian . . Available from: http://www.learner.org/courses/globalart/work/44/zoom.html Figure 2, 3, 8 and 9: Showstudio, 2012, The Execution of Christ , published in Huffingtonpost. . Available from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/the-gao-brothers-the-exec_n_1720743.html Figure 4: Museo Nacional del Prado,(n.d.), Galerà ­a online, . Available from: https://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/galeria-on-line/galeria-on-line/zoom/1/obra/el-3-de-mayo-de-1808-en-madrid-los-fusilamientos-en-la-montana-del-principe-pio/oimg/0/ Figure 7: The Execution of Christ ,(Anon.), (n.d.), published in Ozartsetc News. . Available from: http://www.en.ozartsetc.com/2012/07/10/gao-brothers/

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

The Effects of Divorce on Children Essay

The Effects of Divorce on Children Essay The Effects of Divorce on Children Essay Example The Effects of Divorce on Children Essay Example The effects of divorce can differ depending on many factors, among which the most important are the behavior of parents and the age and gender of children. It is   essential for children to maintain a contact with both of the parents afterwards. The absence or existence of such a contact usually depends on the relations, on their experience and education in the sphere of children’s psychology. Married and Divorced Parents Therefore, the assumption of the research paper is that those children, whose parents pay attention to children’s interests more than to those of their own, and stay cooperative regardless their separation, feel less negative impact from the divorce than those, who get a possibility to communicate with only one parent. The school children aged 13 to 18, who could communicate with both of their parents were compared to those, who were sensitized against the non-custodial parent, were interviewed for the following research. The following spheres of life were analyzed: sociability, intimate relations, educational achievements at school, parent-children relations. According to the statistics more and more families suffer from divorces each year. Regardless the further behavior of the parents and their relations, for children this is loss of the family that they knew. Numerous research findings prove that divorce negatively affects children on both psychological and physiological levels. However, the scholars research the impact of divorce on psychological adjustment of children in majority of cases. Consequently, the psychologists have investigated the influence of divorce on relations with parents, quality of intimate relationships in future, achievements in various spheres, alcohol and drugs abuse etc. and have proved that the impact of divorce can become a long-term psychological trauma for children (e.g. Ahrons, 2007; Amato, 2001; Allison, 1989; Kruk, 2010; Moon, 2011; Mustonen, 2011; Velez et al., 2011). Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the situation from different points of view considering the attitude of the parents and reaction o f juveniles   to it. These effects are closely interconnected; that is why both can help to find the way to avoid the possible negative consequences of divorce or at least minimize them. Paying attention to the change of the children’s reaction depending on their age, it is necessary to emphasize the work of Demo (1988). For his research the children, who participated in the investigation, were divided into groups according to their age: infants, toddlers, 3-5 years old, 6-9 years old, 10-12 years old, 13-18 years old. Consequently, it was proved that the reaction of children on divorce can be different: they can feel sad, guilty, angry, anxious or even physically sick. Their gender and age are the factors, which contribute a lot to their reaction. For instance, the adolescents from 13 to 18 years create a group, where the reaction is usually filled with the feelings of anger, sadness, and anxiety (Demo, 1988). Since the period of adolescence is associated with growing up, formation of morality and experimentation, it is important that the parents are those, who show an example of the adult behavior. The rules and limits set by the family in this period are ve ry important for the teenagers’ behavior and development. Consequently, lack of a parent can for different reasons make these rules unclear or changeable and cause moral or psychological health violations. Children regard the divorce as a great change, which means the loss of a parent. Consequently, it is important for a child to keep contact with both parents. Gindes in his article proves the idea of both parents’ importance on the example of relocation of parents (Gindes, 1998). Divorce lowers children’s sense of security and stability; two closest people become not equally accessible to a child anymore.   Gindes (1998) states that after the divorce â€Å"the foundation of the child’s world is splintered†. Therefore, in his article he proves that for the proper further child’s development, it is necessary to have a strong positive relationship with both parents, who are not hostile, but amicable towards each other. The best possible after-divorce scenario includes regular communication with a non-residential parent and cooperation of mother and father. Gindes (1998) shows that relocation is important in the mobile society and to what the divorced parents should pay attention in case it is needed. Another example presenting the importance of spending time with a non-custodial parent is provided in the article of Eymann et al (2009). The findings of this research acknowledge that the life of children from intact and divorce families differs and is influenced significantly by the child’s sex, time spent with non-residential parent, who is more often a father and the parents’ education. Since the participants of the research were mothers and children from divorced families, it showed that the time spent with fathers was significantly lower. At the same time the quality of family relations, social emotional functioning and behavior, self-esteem, mental health and behavior were significantly lower. Consequently, the above mentioned findings prove again that psychosocial quality of children’s life at school-age is significantly influenced by parent’s education and attitude towards their child’s interests. The next   research based on the interview of 118 married and 114 divorced parents provided by Moon (2011) is also worth attention for in the given research paper and supports Eymann’s hypotheses. Moon (2011) proves that the behavior and experience of parents are of great importance by handling the divorce effects for children. Having analyzed the attitude of parents towards the influence of divorce on psychology of their children, Moon came to the conclusion that married parents believe that their divorce would have more negative effects on children than divorced parents do. Consequently, they pay more attention to their children’s interests and problems than to those of their own. In order to lessen the negative effects of divorce, it is important to find out the reasons evoking them. Hence, Amato in his article (2001) presented an updated research of the impact of divorce on children in the 1990s. His hypothesis was that the effects of divorce had lessened in the 1990s, and some factors, which are responsible for that change, are as follows: sophistication of the studies in the sphere divorce; as it got easier to divorce, less troubled families were being included in the divorced population; more extensive interventions. Explaining the adjustment problems in adolescence between children of divorced and two-parent families Simons et al. (1999) emphasized such factors as parental conflict, family income, psychological adjustment of the custodial parent, practice of a custodial parent, as well as the non-custodial parent involvement. His research was based on the series of questionnaires defining parental factors, among which the following were marked: income, parenting practices, parents depression and conflict, and childrens adjustment problems. As a result, the findings showed a close connection between the children’s adjustment problems and the divorce of their parents. In the case of the boys conduct problems, the research showed a significant relationship with parenting practices, which were likely to be impaired because of the divorce. In the case of girls conduct problems, a parental conflict had a significant impact. Paying attention to children’s depression, it is necessary to ma rk out that according to Simon et al. (1999) the boys were not affected by the mediating variables. At the same time the girls’ depressive states were   influenced by the mothers. Therefore, it is obvious that the divorce and the parental conflict have a significant negative impact on children’s behavior in the period of adolescence. The impact on girls differs from that one on boys in long-term perspective. Mustonen et al (2011) in the article described how the parental divorce influenced the quality of intimate relationships and psychosocial resources in the future. The research was based on questionnaires of children from the divorced families at the age of 16 and later of 32 years. Consequently, the scholars concluded that men and women from the divorced families more often separated at the age of 32 than those from the intact families. However, the parental divorce affected daughters more than sons. Women, who suffered from the parental divorce in childhood, had poorer relations with their parents in adolescence. Moreover, they were characterized by lower self-esteem and social support satisfaction.   The gender divergence can be caused by the fact that after the divorce, in most cases, the mothers are the residential parents. Consequently, the daughters absorb their negative attitude towards marriage. Ano ther possible reason is the difference in psychosocial resources. It such case, it is possible to state that men are less impressionable by the negative impact of parental divorce than women. The next research, which proves the inappropriateness of bringing children into parental conflicts, was held by Ben-Amy (2012). The research was based on the survey of 118 individuals, whose well-being was analyzed according to 5 domains: self-sufficiency, alcohol abuse, depression, attachment, and self-esteem. Consequently, it was found out that the attempts of one parent to turn a child against another one caused lower self-sufficiency, lower self-esteem, a lack or low level of secure attachments, and more frequent lifetime depressions. The domain that, according to the provided research, was not influenced by parental post-divorce disputes was alcohol abuse. As a result, the psychological amicable atmosphere between two parents is obviously contributing much to the health of children. Taking into consideration another point of view, not only children’s gender difference, but also the parents’ one is important in divorce studies. Therefore, it is important to regard not only the relations of parents between each other, but the attitude of fathers and mothers towards children. The mothers become the residential parents more often than the fathers. They usually   participate more in the children’s upbringing than fathers. Hence, the warm and positive relations with mothers have a positive impact on the   development. The research described in the article of Velez et al (2011) shows that child-mother relationship are connected with the processes and improves coping efficacy and active coping. Nevertheless, the relations with fathers are not less important. The assumption that fathers stay indifferent to the loss of relations with children or to the usual to them atmosphere is erroneous. For instance, Kruk in his article (2010) provided the exp erimental evidences that fathers’ psychological reaction to   a possible loss of child-father relations is quite strong.   As in most cases mothers become custodial parents after the divorce, fathers can feel lonely and depressed. The suicide rate after divorce among fathers is much higher than among mothers. The article also emphasized the psychological perspectives of father-child bonds, which determined their participation in child care (Kruk, 2010). The responsibilities are divided between both parents, and during the last decade the fathers have become more involved into it. Consequently, father’s influence to child’s sex-role, intellectual, moral development, achievements motivation, social competence is very essential. The relations of the parents after the divorce, such as parents’ remarrying and cohabiting also have an impact on the further life of the children, not only right after the divorce, but also in the long-term perspective. Ahrons (2007) in his research of such influence interviewed the children twenty years after the divorce and has reported the evidences that children, whose parents were cooperative, had better relations with parents and other family members. This is an important fact for the future success in life and less negative emotions during the lifespan. Indeed, the researches mentioned above provide numerous evidences that a family plays a great role in children’s psychological development on all levels. The divorce is a negative event, which destroys the friendly atmosphere between the parents and, therefore, influences the further child’s behavior. In order to prevent the negative consequences, which can result in deterioration on the level of   academic achievements, conduct, psychological adjustment, self-concept, and social relations, it is necessary to provide a child with necessary for them mother-child and father-child relations, which are obviously equally important. Therefore, even if divorce took place in the family the image of the parents, who stay happy, support friendly relations and discuss their children‘s problems, should become helpful to avoid the negative consequences of divorce. In the current research children from the divorced families were interviewed, and the influence of parents’ relation on their behavior in the society, intimate relations, educational achievements, self-evaluation were researched. The participants were divided according to their parents’ post-divorce relations and gender. They were interviewed with the help of closed-ended questions, which indicated how the absence of communication with one of the parents influenced different spheres of their lives. Therefore, taking into consideration the previous researches of the divorce negative effects on children, it is necessary to investigate how they can be minimized. The findings show which sphere of children’s life is influenced more; and why parents should stay cooperative and amicable towards each other after the divorce. Participants In order to test the hypothesis that the post-divorce communication of parents has an impact on children’s psychological state, the age group of adolescents aged 13-18 was interviewed.   The children from the divorced families (10 persons, whose parents were cooperative and amicable, 10 persons, whose parents were struggling against each other, age range: 13-18) were found with the help of social networks and asked to participate in the research. The interview was anonymous, confidential, ethical, private, and the response rate was 100%. For testing of the second hypothesis that the gender of children is influential for the results, each stratum of 10 persons consisted of 5 male and 5 female representatives. Research design To gain the evidences of the influence of the parental conflicts or communication after the divorce on their children, and uncover the spheres of the strongest influence on children, a qualitative research based on the analysis of twenty interviews was held. Materials and Procedure To collect data for the research, all the participants were provided with the same questionnaire lists of eight closed-ended questions, which investigated children’s mental state on the level of behavior in the society, educational achievements, intimate relations, child-parents relations. The list for the observatory groups included a total of eight questions, each of which had two possible answers defining high or low levels of the events or feelings accordingly. The sampling method chosen for the research was a probability stratified sampling method, which reduces sampling error. As it was mentioned above, the questions were closed-ended, aimed to compare the levels of intimate relations, child-parental relations, educational achievements, and confliction society position of the children of divorce, who were treated in different ways. The answers were sent through the e-mail and afterwards grouped according to 2 strata and analyzed according to 4 spheres of influence. After wards, as the previous researches of the scholars proved that there exists the difference between male and female reaction on the divorce (e.g. Allison, 1989; Simons, 1999; Velez, 2011; Kruk, 2010), it was necessary to compare the answers of the gender subgroups of both strata. The results of the research were depicted in the diagrams presented in attachment (see Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3). Measures According to the data analysis, the average age of all the participants was 14, 5 years. This age group is referred to as adolescents, and, in general, is characterized by high emotionality and the main norms and aims establishment, which is important to take into account for the further discussion. The calculations showed that regarding the behavior of the first stratum of the society, 90% of the participants were bent to conflicts and rarely took part in the social school life while the index for children from the second group was only 20%. The education achievements were average for both strata and got 8 and 7 points out of 10 possible accordingly. Regarding the intimate relations it was calculated that the children of those parents, who struggle after the divorce feel lonely 40% more often than of those, who cooperate with each other and have a lower index of friends’ number, which was calculated as 2 for the first group and 5 for the second one. 100% of the interviewed ch ildren from the first stratum stated that they lacked the communication with a non-residential parent. Only 10% of the second group participants answered positively to this question. Comparing the data considering gender differences it is important to mention that 100% of girls from the first stratum appeared to be bent to conflicts and did not take part in social events, and only 80% of boys answered the questions in the same way. The points for education achievements for boys and girls were not very different and were calculated as 8. The index of loneliness was higher among girls, 100% of answered that felt lonely often. 80% was the index of the boys, who answered the same questions. The number of friends among both genders did not differ. 100% of both male and female participants lacked communication with their non-custodial parents (see Figure 2). Regarding the difference between male and female participants from the second stratum, the indicators of three spheres were different: education achievements, intimate relations, lack of parental attention (see Figure 3). Results The findings of the research show how the behavior of the parents influences the children’s life after divorce. It is obvious that sensitizing the children against a non-residential parent and inter parental conflicts after the divorce have a negative influence on the child’s development. Comparing two strata, the difference between which lies in the parental behavior, it is necessary to emphasize that the sphere of relations between a child and is influenced the most. 100% of the participants, who did not have the possibility to communicate with a non-custodial parent, felt the lack of attention and communication with them. Among those, whose parents were amicable and cooperative, only 10 % of the participants answered the question positively. All of them were female representatives. This can be explained by girls’ higher level of emotionality and sensitivity. The next sphere dealt with difficulties in intimate relations. The participants of the first stratum we re obviously less communicative and had fewer friends. Again the index for the female representatives was higher than the male one. The educational achievements of the children were not influenced by the parents’ behavior. Proneness to conflicts among children from the first group was much higher. It means that children from the divorced families lose the ability to avoid and soothe the conflicts and do not tend to participate in the social life. Comparing to the second stratum, the representatives of the first one were less communicative and bent to loneliness and conflicts. Finally, the communication between children and their parents, usually non-custodial ones, is the sphere, which is influenced the most. It is more difficult for them to adjust in the children’s group and they are more introvert. Discussion The results of the research present the evidences of the negative effects of divorce on children. Though the divorce itself appears to be a psychological trauma for the parents as well, its effects can be minimized with the help of influence on their post-divorce behavior. That is why it is necessary to make the parents aware of the peculiarities of the child psychology and importance of communication with both of the parents. As the adolescent age group needs to be investigated, the research was based on the answers of children, whose average age was 14,5. The parental conflicts and behavior in general obviously have an impact on the mentioned spheres of children’s lives. The parent-child relations are influenced the most and the educational achievements of children are influenced the least. Nevertheless, the indexes can be not accurate. It is important to mention that judging the influence of parental behavior on such spheres as adjustment in the society, educational achievements, intimate relations, lack of parental attention for the adolescents’ group should take into account the peculiarities of their age. The number of the participants was not high. Consequently, it is difficult to calculate the accurate percentage. Moreover, it is necessary to question the parents of the participants to get more precise results. To sum it up, regardless the inaccuracy of some indexes, the research contributes to the studies of the divorce effects on children and gives evidences that parents should put the children’s interests prior to those of their own. Moreover, educating parents about the effect of divorce on their children should influence their decisions and post-divorce behavior positively.

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Securing the Land Borders and the Coastal Waterways from International Research Paper

Securing the Land Borders and the Coastal Waterways from International Terrorism - Research Paper Example What is clear is that international terrorism is on the rise as many extremists continue to propagate their course. This may be economic, religious, political or even social (Schmid, 2008). The main strategy that will aid in reducing chances of terrorism is by securing the land and all water borders. This paper will look at the benefits that accrue from securing land borders and coastal waterways against international terrorism (Young, 2006). The act of terrorism is carefully articulated by a group of individuals who have targets, goals and objectives. This means that they will go to exceptional heights and extremes to accomplish their motives (Schmid, 2008). The land, water and sky, which represent the open space, are factors that work in favor of terrorist activities, if they are not tightly secured. It is crucial for each country to ensure that they have secured their land borders and their coastal waterways. Many countries have been caught in security breaches that have cost the country lives, destruction of property and the general attempt on the country’s sovereignty (Schmid, 2008). Land borders are secured by screening every person that uses the border as a means to travel from one area to the next. This is accompanied by any supporting document approved by law to represent eligibility of entrance (Young, 2006). Each and every person entering any said country by sea must be screened at the water way or harbor for purposes of screening and confirming their presence in the country, legally. The security of the sea and its ports is represented by the travel initiative that has been adopted in the country in question. In the US, any person entering the country using the sea must have certification that complies with the (WHTI). This is the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which is a representation of many other documents and certificates of travel (Schmid, 2008). It ensures that the person trying to enter the country using

Friday, February 7, 2020

Addiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Addiction - Essay Example Supporters of this model feel that drug abuse is a crime which should be heavily punishable as the individual who chooses to do drugs, does so by his own free will (Rose, 2010). According to the disease model of addiction, drug addiction can be seen as a progressive disease which is irreversible and unique in nature. The supporters of this model can be seem to be of the view that addiction and alcoholism is some thing that cannot be cured. However, they do argue that a limit can be placed onto such activities by making the addict stay away from the drug or substance that he is addicted to. The psychological model of addiction on the other hand argues that being dependent on drugs and other substances comes from having abnormalities or certain negative characteristics in the nature of the addict himself. Supporters of this view argue that such druggies are owners of what is referred to as an â€Å"addictive personality†, having no control over their own wishes and their personality, having extremely low self esteem and being unable to cope up with tension and stress (Society for the Study of Addiction to Alcohol and Other Drugs,