Organisational Behaviour Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Organisational Behaviour - Case Study Example ndividuals’ needs into two groups: needs arising from man’s nature to avoid pain from the surrounding and the need thought that comes from unique trait to grow psychologically. An organization’s main agenda is maximizing output at a minimum cost. To attain that, a manager must use motivators to achieve the goals of the business. Workers have difference characters thus attract different motivators. The company’s factors taken into consideration in an attempt to motivate employees are company policy and management, Supervision–technical relationship with supervisor, work conditions, and Salary. Other company’s factors are the relationship with peers, personal life relationship with subordinates among others. Most employees would like to grow in their jobs and develop their carriers more while doing their duties. Employees who are growth oriented get motivated if they feel that their respective workplaces are capable of advancing their specialization. Employers should take into account that some workers need only recognition to improve their productivity. The veterans prefer recognition as the best motivator to any other form of motivation. A good work would make some employees happier and motivated, and such people believe in the result as a motivator rather than anything else. Another group of persons has a philosophy of achievement and responsibility as their motivators (Frederick Herzberg theory). Organization culture refers to a particular pattern of shared assumptions values and beliefs that control workers in a given working environment about how they behave think and tackle their task (Bratton et al., 2010). Culture in an organization promotes work motivation. Senior management should abandon their bureaucratic control regimes to inculcate a common culture to unite and win the faith of employees. A high culture integrates several organizational values, which would stimulate corporation among workmates. A firm where people belief on a common

Role of Play in Enhancing Development

Role of Play in Enhancing Development Play is almost universally recognized as an integral factor in childrens learning and development. For example, Macintyre (2001, 4) quotes Isaacs 1933 description of play: Play is the crucial component in childrens development, and adds that everyone concerned with young children should recognise and value the different kinds of understanding developed through play (Macintyre 2001, 3-4). Although different play activities promote childrens in different ways, Keenan (2002) identifies a number of areas of development that are impacted or enhanced by play, including cognition, language and communication, social, and emotional. The recent Curriculum guidance for children from three through the reception year (Foundation Stage) ephasizes learning opportunities and experiences ; for example, the area of language and literacy was broadened to include communication and emphasized the importance of developing literacy through play and advocates play and exploration as a basis for literacy learning in the early years (Miller and Smith 2004, 122). Within the Early Years curriculum, role play is an excellent example of a play activity that promotes many areas of development. Before examining the ways role play promotes development in children, it is helpful to define both play and role play. Macintyre (2001, 3) defines play as activity that is enjoyable, gives pleasure, and undertaken by the player freely, that is, it can be abandoned at any time without blame. Play further has no preconceived outcome; the agenda can develop as play goes on (Macintyre 2001, 3). Additionally, play allows the player to develop skills which are important in non-play situations, such as development of social skills (Macintyre 2001, 3). Children around age three and four begin to enjoy imaginative role play in twos or small groups (OHagan and Smith 2004, 36). As a particular play activity, role play is a type of imaginative play, where children assume roles outside their real world place. Role play allows children to construct proximities between themselves and others in their lives. Piagets theory of development contends infants first engage in pretend play around eighteen months, acting out imaginary activities and using real objects to represent imagined objects, such as pretending a television remote is a telephone (Keenan 2002, 123). Children may participate in limited role play at this point if directed by an older person. However, cooperative role play, where children instigate their own roles and story line, are rarely undertaken by children before three years of age (Keenan 2002, 200). According to Vygotsky, children engage in pretend play roles beyond their current stage in life, such as taking on adult roles, such as a parent, teacher or doctor, or roles as adolescents or older children(Keenan 2002, 135). Through pretend play, children place themselves in a zone of proximal development, where they play at a level which is in advance of their real capabilities (Keenan 2002, 135) Cognitively, role play promotes development in several ways. First, it allows children practice in ordering their thoughts and develop understanding. Piaget believed that children were active agents of their own learning and that the major task for them was to develop an ability to organize experiences and learn from them in a way which enables them to make sense of the world (OHagan and Smith 2004, 10). Role play activities are the highest form of symbolic play, encompassing two types of cognitive operation which are necessary for conservation, namely reversibility and decentration (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Children are able to freely leave the roles they take on, as indicated in the free participation concept introduced in the definition of play above. This reversibility indicates cognitively children are awareness that they can abandon their assumed role and return to reality at any time (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). The cognitive ability of decentration involves childrens understanding that the person in the role play scenario is really them, yet is also simultaneously the role undertaken (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Cognitively, this means children must preserve the imaginary identity of toys or play materials despite the fact that they are perceptually and/or functionally inadequate (the issue being the conservation of identity) (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). In such pretend play, children learn that the objects they use can be separated from their normal referents, and that they can stand for other things (Keenan 2002, 135). This object will typically be similar in some way, such as size or shape, to the pretend object in the role play, causing the children to practice analogous thinking skills where they related an item not available to them to another available object (Keenan 2002, 135). The development of language and communication skills are recognized as closely linked to childrens thinking and conceptual development (OHagan and Smith 2004, 18). In addition to cognitive development, role play offers important development opportunities in the areas of language and communication. This can be intentional, such as when parents or other older players in the role play intentionally support vocabulary development by introducing names of things during the context of play (Keenan 2002, 154). However, the opportunity to talk and verbally interact with others in the role play further presents a powerful way of learning even when no intentional instruction occurs (OHagan and Smith 2004, 18). In role play, children learn to use language as a form of symbolic representation, and also communicate symbolically through dramatic play (OHagan and Smith 2004, 25). Such symbolic play encourages the development of language comprehension (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Fantasy role play encourages explicit and expressive speech due to its symbolic nature. Role enactment and the use of various objects have different functions in play and in real life, therefore the child-player-must define these symbolic transformations verbally, so that they have a clear (recognisable) meaning and are comprehensible to his or her playmates (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). In this way role play promotes the communicative skills of its players. The symbolic elements of fantasy play, like role and object transformations, enable the child to use lexicographic meanings and explicit speech (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Socially, role play typically involves several other children and/or adults. Keenan (2002) discusses Partens theory that such cooperative play is the most complex form of play, as it includes behaviours such as social pretend play where children take on pretend roles (Keenan 2002, 200). The children involved in the role play talk to one another as part of the play, developing their imaginative situations in a co-operative manner. Umek and Musek (2001, 56) report Smilanskys (1968) contention that role play activities promote the childs social development. When children use role enactment, they have to reach a consensus about the play theme, the course of events and the transformation of roles and play materials. This can only be achieved when individuals transcend their egocentrism and develop the ability to empathise (Umek and Musek 2001, 56). Children further build relationships with the other children or adults with whom they play. Although such relationships are often temporary, such play causes children to express a preference for certain friends and play regularly with them; during the Early Years period there is usually, but always, some preference for play with children of the same sex, but there is still a good deal of mixed play (OHagan and Smith 2004, 36). Role players share symbolic meanings with each other and assign imaginary roles in their pretend play, both providing opportunities for social development (Keenan 2002, 203). Co-operative pretend play also is usually based on the childrens understanding of the social rules of their culture (Keenan 2002, 135). Therefore, a child behaving badly in the role play will be punished by the child in the parent role. Vygotsky held that as such role play was an important context in which children learned about the social world (Keenan 2002, 135). Childrens play is constrained by the rules which guide behaviour in these roles, and, because of this, they learn about the social norms that are expected of people (Keenan 2002, 135). Role play can be an important component in childrens emotional development. Around eighteen months, the increase in language and symbolic thought allows some feelings to be expressed through imaginative play (OHagan and Smith 2004, 27). Prior to this childrens options were limited to physical displays such as crying, hitting, or facial expressions. This can promote childrens emotional development, as it allows them to learn to express their wants and needs, and become emotionally aware of the wants and needs of others. For example, role play can allow children to act out their fears, such as going to the doctor or being punished (OHagan and Smith 2004, 36). These fears might develop from an experience the child has had, such as having a painful injection at the doctors office, or a perceived fear, such as concern over anticipated punishment. Role play can also help chilren develop self-efficacy. Even young children have a strong desire to be right or successful, and will avoid areas where they expect to fail (Macintyre 2001, 4). However, if children can try things with no fear of failure they are more likely to stretch out and tackle things they might otherwise avoid (Macintyre 2001, 4). Since there is no defined end product, there is no fear or experience of failure. Children are empowered through the communication skills developed in role play, as they can express their feelings freely, can negotiate their wishes and needs and develop self-confidence and self-esteem (OHagan and Smith 2004, 18) This self-efficacy can both be encouraged in actions and in emotional expression; role play teaches children healthy and appropriate expressions of emotion. OHagan and Smith (2004, 38) studied groups of young children who viewed adults handling a situation, with each group seeing a different emotional response. One group viewed the adults as dealing with the issue by becoming angry and physically aggressive, and were later observed to emotionally deal with a similar situation in a similar manner, i.e. with anger and physical aggression. OHagan and Smith (2004, 36) contend this reinforces Banduras claim that children learn from models in their lives, particularly those they view as similar to themselves, who have a nurturing relationship with them, or who they perceive as powerful and competent (OHagan and Smith 2004, 39). Symbolic play, such as role play, should certainly form an important part of the preschool curriculum but preschool teachers should bear in mind that the quality of a childs play will be determined by general characteristics of development as well as by the play context (Umek and Musek 2001, 63). In the classroom, role play can be encouraged through the use of story and related play objects. For example, reading stories that include a kitchen and having a play kitchen available encourages children to first repeat the story through role play, then diverge and develop their own story lines. OHagan and Smith (2004, 58) present a typical classroom element, a home corner complete with dressing-up clothes and various objects for domestic play. Role play can be used for many learning purposes, such as to reinforce desired behaviour or assess childrens understanding of material. A teacher is trying to encourage sharing amongst her pupils. In this scenario, the teacher could role play with the children, demonstrating and reinforcing that sharing is a desireable activity. The activity could then be extended, with children being allowed to continue the play without teacher involvement, by later drawing pictures, and/or talking about the role play in a circle time or similar sharing opportunity. Finally, role play can also enhance a teachers evaluation of childrens attainments, as the children will demonstrate their abilities in a number of areas during a typical role play activity. In practice, children can achieve higher levels of individual cognitive functions (conservation, one-to-one correspondence, decentration) in their symbolic play than they demonstrate when the same mental operations are tested and measured in formal, non-play, situations (Umek and Musek 2001, 64). As such, observations and assessment based on role play can be highly valuable in the classroom environment.

Computer Viruses: Infection Vectors, and Feasibility of Complete Protection :: essays research papers fc

Computer Viruses: Infection Vectors, and Feasibility of Complete Protection   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A computer virus is a program which, after being loaded into a computer's memory, copies itself with the purpose of spreading to other computers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people, from the corporate level power programmer down to the computer hobbyist, have had either personal experience with a virus or know someone who has. And the rate of infection is rising monthly. This has caused a wide spread interest in viruses and what can be done to protect the data now entrusted to the computer systems throughout the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A virus can gain access to a computer system via any one of four vectors: 1. Disk usage: in this case, infected files contained on a diskette (including, on occasion, diskettes supplied by software manufacturers) are loaded, and used in a previously uninfected system thus allowing the virus to spread. 2. Local Area Network: a LAN allows multiple computers to share the same data, and programs. However, this data sharing can allow a virus to spread rapidly to computers that have otherwise been protected from external contamination. 3. Telecommunications: also known as a Wide Area Network, this entails the connection of computer systems to each other via modems, and telephone lines. This is the vector most feared by computer users, with infected files being rapidly passed along the emerging information super-highway, then downloaded from public services and then used, thus infecting the new system. 4. Spontaneous Generation: this last vector is at the same time the least thought of and the least likely. However, because virus programs tend to be small, the possibility exists that the code necessary for a self-replicating program could be randomly generated and executed in the normal operation of any computer system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even disregarding the fourth infection vector, it can be seen that the only way to completely protect a computer system is to isolate it from all contact with the outside world. This would include the user programming all of the necessary code to operate the system, as even commercial products have been known to be shipped already infected with viruses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, because a virus can enter a computer in so many different ways, perhaps the best thing to do is more a form of damage control rather than prevention. Such as, maintain current backups of your data, keep your original software disks write-protected and away from the computer, and use a good Virus detection program. Outline Thesis: Complete protection of a computer system from viruses is not possible, so efforts should be concentrated on recovery rather than prevention. I. Introduction, with definition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A. Define Computer Virus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B. Define interest group.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  C. Define problem.

Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction Essay

This thesis will be based on my current and previous practical experience combined with the theoretical basis that I have acquired through the modules on Academy business school. I have 8 years of management experience in retail, but in the last 3 years being employed as a personal assistant for my son who was born with a physical disability. 1 October 2012 I have been employed part-time as a sales assistant in the newly opened shoe Tops, located in Aalborg Mall. My point of view in this project will be from the perspective of the owner / management since my prerequisites for this are realistic and that in the future I have ambitions again to get a job at this level. Presentation of TOPS in Aalborg Shopping Eurosko a purchasing cooperative consisting of independent skohandlere working together on purchasing and marketing. These skohandlerer operated under the name TOPS. This cooperation is intended to give members a better overall economy to meet the increasing competition in the retail industry. The shops sells private labels and various brands of Danish suppliers. TOPS products are designed for the average consumer, and the target audience is the whole family. Product labels within private labels are as follows: Ralf Boston, Taxi, Adi, Mary B and Between. The new Tops store in Aalborg shopping center is located in the new extension which has the name Nygade (pink street). This street connects the input A (main entrance at the grocery store) and input B (input opposite Steak Jensen / Nibevej). Shoe store TOPS is funded by Thorkild Hansen, who every day is trade able boss in Aars. It is his daughter Camilla Hansen, store manager / owner of the new store. They both have a history from the hardware store industry. In the shop there is employed a sales manager, a full-time sales assistant and one part-time sales assistant. You are aware that you have to have some hourly paid sales assistants to cover crooked hours. However, one would first look for the urgent need before hiring more. The store is located in North Jutland most attractive retail area in the city south of Aalborg. The competition here is tremendous, from German Deichmann to skokà ¦derne Skoringen and PAW SHOES. Grocery store is also a major competitor, while the overall industry slippage, as retailers fierce competition is to blame in. The hard struggle with the center of Aalborg has been going on ever since opening in 1997, and it’s just a matter of time before one can proclaim City South and Aalborg Shopping Center as the victor. City Southern and Aalborg Shopping Center is marketplace for all over Gauteng. The clients who come to Aalborg Mall comes with the purpose to spend money. Unlike customers in the city center, where there are many â€Å"shoppers†. Problem Argumentation In a store like TOPS in Aalborg shopping center, there are many challenges for Camilla Hansen. Problem of the project will be based on one of the issues that are most central to the management, namely the motivation of the staff. Why is it such an important issue? One of the things that can explain the motivation question is the aforementioned competition as TOPS face. Is the sales staff not motivated to provide the best service when they meet customers, customers’ needs are met in one of the competing shoe stores. There are also other elements such as indirect challenge my question about motivation. These I will elaborate on below. The increasing competition in the retail and policies have been elements in the environment that have helped to pave the way for the long opening hours. This development is currently further escalated with the abolition of the Shops Act 1 October 2012. Another challenge is the union HP, which puts pressure on employers to their employees come to work under some decent conditions, with regard to working hours. At the same time include the cost structure in the retail industry, where labor costs and rent are the greatest. Since the wage cost is the only one who in a short time can be changed, it is here, it is very focused. Rationalisation and maximum benefits of the employees are daily challenge in retail. It obviously has not done better after the financial crisis in 2008. The demand for goods has fallen / stagnated and the demand there is, is not the same as before. At the same time discount concepts in many cases prospered due to the crisis. In the wake of these above mentioned elements have TOPS a need for the core of employees who are employed must be highly effective. Performance would with store personnel must be high, even in the long run. Therefore, it is important to achieve a sustained high staff motivation in TOPS. I therefore think it appropriate to make visible how the job should be structured so as to achieve a high intrinsic motivation of the employees. However, one must create a culture that supports the motivation. Succeeded this, then the employees will eventually provide the same high level. Problem Formulation It is a challenge for management that structures the right job design for the team in the shop, so to create a sustained high level of motivation. This will form the basis for the desired high level of performance. I therefore do the following: Explain the job characteristics model, in relation to the employees of Tops in Aalborg Mall. Provide an analysis of the elements to create a high MPS. Find out what basic assumptions that support a high MPS. Make suggestions for how to achieve sustained high MPS. The method Science Theoretical approach The knowledge / theory which I create in the project is based on social constructionism. My new preconception will therefore be formed by the auto poetry system for which the employee is in TOPS. The way in which the theory is formed on the deductive because my curiosity is based on a theoretical model and problem formulation. The method is the hermeneutical spiral, as my practical / theoretical presuppositions will be further developed through a qualitative method (depth interviews). This illustrates thanks to my depth interviews. First I ask my questions, then I ask detailed questions to their answers. This forms a new pre-understanding, which in turn contributes to a deeper level of understanding. This truth can be characterized as being causal explanatory. This provides functional explanations are operationalized through the quantitative method (questionnaire). Thus, I see the questionnaire as a hypothetical method. The hermeneutic process are processed through circular thinking. This theoretical system finally my deeper level of understanding will be provided by exploring patterns of attitudes of the individuals in TOPS. My interest is to see how employees and management mutually influence each other. This I find out each actor’s share in relation to the questions that my problem formulation contains. Selection of theory: Motivation Theory Motivation Theory is a very broad theoretical area. The models describe the area very differently from simple to concrete and detailed. Overall divided motivation theory for the following two areas: Process Theories Content Theories Process theories are based on the differences that applies to the employee’s behavior. The theory describes elements to be addressed in order to get employees to acquire a certain behavior. Content theory concentrates on the needs of the employee and that the behavior is the same from person to person. Need fulfillment creates the motivation that causes the employee to perform a particular behavior (Major intrinsic motivation = better sales performance). I have decided that my topic motivation must be based on job characteristics model, which is made by Hackman and Oldham. I do so because it is necessary to take into account the differences in employee behavior. Otherwise, I would not in practice distinguish between kinds of different factors that motivate employees to TOPS. So they just had the same external and internal work environment, to be equally motivated in their work. The theory will form the basis for the solution of the projects’ problem. At the same time it will be my starting point, to account for the motivation of employees through job design. Job characteristics model is to provide a common understanding of my explanation of how to design the job so that employees acquire the particular behavior (Major intrinsic motivation = better sales performance). Hackman and Oldham job characteristics model This thesis will be based on the version of the book â€Å"Motivation† is written by Helle Hein. This issue compared to the textbook is that there are some minor differences in how the moderators are defined. The model is based on some core job characteristics that form the basis for the ideal job design. Problem definition Question 1 deals with the exposition of the model in relation to the employees of TOPS. Presentation of the model will be done through in-depth interviews with employees. Based on depth interviews I will make a questionnaire to determine the factors that contribute to give a high motivation potential score (question 2). Model moderators will also be involved, as there are some providers elements that affect the fact that not all people react similarly to the job design. There are some barriers as a result of the fact that you do not get the best result, although job design is ideal. The moderators will also be explained through depth interviews (question 1). The model also contains the element of the critical psychological states, which will not be included in my project. This has no direct connection to my problem statement. I assume that when the optimal job design is achieved, as well as fulfillment of the moderators, so it will have a positive outcome (high motivation = good sales performance). Criticism of Hackman and Oldham In the book, motivation is a few points on which job characteristics model are criticized. I will only highlight the criticism points Helle Hein mentions in her book that influence in my project. The factors which constitute the core job characteristics are difficult to understand and distinguish between, for those who have to deal with any questions. This is one reason why I choose depth interview as my method of data collection. Respondent may help to understand the issues, which helps to strengthen the information collected. The theory does not affect factor of social relations. Therefore, I believe that the model has a major weakness in this area. The relationship to one’s colleagues is very important in a store like TOPS, where there are not many employees. It is important to feel like part of the community when you show up at work. Failure to do so, and you feel that is a bad mood, you will naturally seek new challenges. This will lead to an ideal job design does not work. Hertzberg theory takes high of social relations, and would have been better in this area. This theory, I squint a little in my statement (question 1). In my hypothesis, I touch on the concept of MPS. Helle Hein questioning whether one using a formula and theory can design the best possible job design to an employee. It is one of the concepts used in my project. Therefore, the same criticisms apply here. Hackman and Oldham theory is developed at the beginning of industrialization in the United States until the 1970s when the authors formulated the theory. As it developed it was the starting point for the theory not the retail industry, which means that in some cases, it will not always fit completely with the fact that I daily find myself in. Cultural Theory Theory scope of the concept of culture has many approaches. Here there are for example Hofstede. This theorist is based on civic culture. He believes that an organization’s culture is created on the basis of, for example, the country or region in which it is located in. The theory here is based on a number of opposing elements that help to characterize the culture. An example of this could be that the culture of TOPS will bear the mark of masculinity rather than the feminine. This is because you are very sales and performance oriented. Another theorists is Schein. This theory is built into a funnel model which is divided into 3 layers. The top are artifacts, which is a description of the physical conditions in which an outside person can see with the naked eye. The next layer is the values. This layer describes the employee proved doing to emphasize culture both internally and external. The last layer is called as basic assumptions, the conduct which they unconsciously without even thinking about it. The basic assumption being made by the leader. A third theory is the Deal and Kennedy’s cultural model. This theory is based on the market to which the organization finds itself in. The theory describes two dimensions, each with their opposing extremes. These being high risk / low risk or timely feedback / slow feedback. Here are TOPS in the dimension which is characterized by low risk and rapid feedback. In trade with each customer’s risk low if it failed. At the same time you get rapid feedback on sales because you can constantly follow it. Overall, it is appropriate to use the Deal and Kennedy to describe culture as the retail industry is very market specific. This will also be my approach. But to describe the culture internally, I will build on Schein funnel model, because this model is more up rational. At the same time, the shop is starting, and I therefore believe that it is the store manager, who through her actions and attitudes create culture. Furthermore, it is also the one who owns the shop and is the pioneer. In a pioneering company, it is usually the owner’s attitudes and opinions that characterize the corporate culture.

Fundamentals of Speech Chapter 7 Assignment

Fundamentals of Speech (Stiefel) CHAPTER 7 ASSIGNMENT Student Name: Below are arguments based on faulty reasoning. Identify the fallacy used (use a fallacy only ONCE): 1. Loaded WordsIt’s ridiculous to worry about protecting America’s national parks against pollution when innocent people are being attacked by terrorists. 2. Red HerringThe proposal is likely to be resisted by the business-as-usual bureaucrats on Capitol Hill. 3. Celebrity EndorsementQueen Latifah promotes Cover Girl Cosmetics, so they must be good quality. 4. HearsayMy friend heard on the news the other day that the U. S. will declare war on Iran. . Question BeggingSince I'm not lying, it follows that I'm telling the truth.6. Slippery SlopeIf we allow the school board to spend money remodeling the gymnasium, next year they will want to build a new school and give all the teachers a huge raise. Taxes will soar so high that businesses will leave and then there will be no jobs for anyone in this town. 7. In valid AnalogyRaising a child is just like having a pet: you need to feed it, play with it, and everything will be fine. 8. Personal AttackI can’t support Senator Smith’s proposal for campaign finance reform because of all that time he spent in rehab back in the 1980s. . Hasty GeneralizationFred, the Australian, stole my wallet. Thus, all Australians are thieves. 10. False DillemaIf you don’t support the war in Iraq, then you don’t support the troops. 11. Authority FigureNoted psychologist Dr. Frasier Crane recommends that you buy the TurboSpa Hot Tub.12. Either OrWe must either increase tuition or cut back on library services. 13. Arguing From IgnoranceSince you cannot prove that ghosts do not exist, they must exist. 14. Complex QuestionHave you stopped using illegal sales practices? 15. Prejudicial LanguageA godly person would agree that social programs must be maintained. 6. CoercionOnly those employees who want to keep their jobs should show up to the Saturday morning work session. 17. Straw ManSome people claim the â€Å"War on Drugs† is a failure, but I say they are wrong. 18. Unnamed AuthorityHealthcare insiders estimate there are more than 2 million needless surgical procedures conducted every year. 19. BandwagonI don’t see any reason to wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle. None of my friends do. 20. Cause and EffectThe Great Depression was caused by the Hoover administration. Herbert Hoover became president in March 1929, and the stock market crashed just seven months later.

Korean war essay

Korean war essay Korean War Essay Korean War EssayCounting the years, it is possible to mention that it passed more than sixty years since the beginning of the war on the Korean peninsula. But to this day in the West and in Japan there is a myth that North Korean troops attacked first. This â€Å"thesis† was also heard recently on some Russian TV channels. However, even a small excursion into the postwar 1945 shows that originally, the U.S. authorities and a group of Korean collaborators were very interested in the escalation of the conflict in the region. On the one hand, it can be explained by the fact that being located on the Korean peninsula, the U.S. government could control the entire Southeast Asia, including the eastern part of the Soviet Union and China, which were the main geopolitical rivals to Washington. But on the other hand, there is another point of view on the war, and Sandler stated that â€Å"it would seem that there could be little dispute of the basic fact that the Korean People’s Army of the Democratic Republic of Korea invaded the Republic of Korea. But as early as 1952 the â€Å"independent† journalist, I.F. Stone, claimed that the accepted version was really all wrong, that South Korea had actually invaded the North, or at the least, that the North Korean invasion was an exasperated response to southern provocation and cross-border attacks†.[1] Of course, there are as many opinions as there are many commentators on the events of the past. By the way, many historians often refer to the Korean War as something forgotten, even naming it â€Å"the forgotten war,† but none war should be forgotten because every war takes many people lives, influencing the course of the history and changing destinies; so, we are going to explore the Korean war with all the necessary details in the body of this assignment. The thesis statement is the next: the Korean War occupies its significant place between the World War II and the Vietnam War, and every co untry that was involved in the war has the own attitude to the events and protects the own version of the history; so, the war happened and the conflict existed, while the roots of its beginning and its consequences are interpreted in different ways.In the historical books the Korean War lies between the great drama of the World War II and the Vietnam War. Shortly describing the Korean War for the purpose to give the war a first description, we may say that it was the first armed confrontation of the Cold War, which lasted just over the three years (from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953). And the conflict erupted between the North Korea and the South Korea; however, it is quite often seen as a war between the U.S. and its allies against the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. To acknowledge this statement, we can use Brune’s and Higham’s words, who said that â€Å"finally, the Korean War brought direct conflict between U.S. and communist forces, a si tuation avoided in Europe throughout the cold war†. [2]The above made description can be explained by the fact that the Korean War was by its essence an armed conflict between the Korean Democratic People’s Republic (North Korea) and China (supported by the Soviet Union), on the one hand, and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and a coalition of several UN countries led by the U.S., on the other hand. So, it can be mentioned that not only Korea was involved in the own war because many other countries had their political and economic interests there. Moreover, the Korean War was a bloody three-year civil slaughterhouse between North Korea and South Korea in fact, a single country that was divided between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, while the country was also used as a testing ground for reconnaissance. As a result of the war, neither side achieved what it wanted, and the state border stayed on the 38th parallel. Informally, the war lasts even to this day, in the sam e form as the Cold War was hold.Observing the beginning of the war, it becomes obvious that small and modest Korea rarely could solve anything by itself in a world where it was everywhere surrounded by too smart neighbors. So, for the purpose to put a dominance over the country Americans had developed a secret plan for the outbreak of the war on the peninsula, which would also allow to discredit not only North Korea but also the ideas of socialism and communism in general, labeling them as aggressive. It was made by the reason that the United States was imperative to establish itself as the main fighter in the world â€Å"for the ideals of freedom and democracy,† which, naturally, facilitated their way into new markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America. There was an increase in sympathy for the Soviet Union: the rapid pace of reconstruction without any outside help testified about the benefits of a planned economy on the free market.In addition, to complete the work of NATO, established in April 1949, there was needed a precedent that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the new alliance. After that, the U.S. would be able to successfully manipulate the countries of the Western Europe by drawing them into long-term â€Å"strategy of containment.† Moreover, the U.S. has created a secret group on national security, which was led by a former banker from the Wall Street, and this group has been working on creating substantiation of future military aggression and determined the states that were appropriate for this aim. So, everything is not as simple with the Korean War as it very often presented in media and popular books on history because the United States being governed by very talented leaders was trying to provide the own dominance all over the world in all possible ways, including the use of special secret technologies and creating secret groups of the best professionals for these purposes. And finally, the result of successful advocacy camp aign of the United States can be seen in the fact that even today many people believe to the official reason for the war, which to this day hold in many countries: North Korea started the war.In addition, there is no necessity to blame the United States in all evils, including the beginning of the Korean War because every country protects its interests, and the United States is not an exception. It should be noted that North Korea with the Soviet Union’s support conducted reorganization of the army and also prepared for the conflict. Initially, both the Soviet Union and North Korea assumed that separation of the 38th parallel was temporary, and the two Koreas would be able to unite their territories and forces at the end. However, in 1948, South Korea proclaimed its independence. Those days leader really feared the growth of patriotic and anti-American sentiments, so he tried to usurp the executive power in the country. The United States went to meet these new steps because t hey believed such a policy to be productive to achieve their goals. In response, North Korea also had to declare its sovereignty.Incidentally, the theme of the Korean War is still an important fact of the history because this conflict can be considered practically the beginning of the Cold War (the famous Fulton speech of Winston Churchill sounded back in 1946). And as it was described above, in this war, the United States followed a policy of double standards which was characterized by a big portion of cynicism. The U.S. created a special force to conduct psychological operations especially for the Korean War.Thinking about the significance of the Korean War and its consequences in the broader context of history, we may say that firstly, the Korean War was really significant in the context of the Cold War. To explain, the war on the Korean Peninsula was the first â€Å"hot war† during the Cold War. Secondly, one of its main outcomes was that the Americans decided not to use nuclear weapons during the confrontation. When the Chinese entered the war, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur demanded a nuclear strike on China. But then the U.S. President Harry Truman did not accept the proposal, believing that it would be an unnecessary war at the wrong time against the wrong enemy. Then the only enemy against whom Washington considered possible to use nuclear weapons was the Soviet Union. Simultaneously, the U.S. wanted at all costs to hold back the spread of Soviet influence on Third World countries. As a result, from 1945 to 1991 there was unleashed about 150 local wars between two rival blocs across the planet.[3]Moreover, it can be also added that the Korean War played its own role in strengthening the relations and union between North Korea and China. When the leader of North Korea asked Stalin to support a unifying war on the Korean peninsula, the Soviet Union’s leaders said â€Å"yes†, but he also made it clear that in a case when the North Ko rean troops need help, they will have to apply for it in China. So, the Korean leader traveled to China and asked for a help there, and that help was needed as early as in October 1950, when the South Korean army and UN troops approached the shore of the river on the border with China. Moreover, the so-called Chinese people’s volunteers, despite their huge losses, helped the North Koreans regain their territory and push the front line below the 38th parallel. Disposing near the border, opposing sides ended hostilities after awhile.To continue, if not the Chinese intervention, the war would have ended in November 1950, and the regime of Kim Ir-Sen would not exist at all. Of course, the Soviet Union also helped Pyongyang, but the help was not so big, such as air support by fighters flown by Soviet pilots. But the decisive factor was the will to fight, despite the losses. By the way, the UN forces lost about 37,000 soldiers, the Chinese a few hundred thousand, and the North Kor eans millions.And finally, even today the Korean War left a trace in hearts of millions of Korean people, but the attitude to it has different manifestations in North and South Korea. For instance, even now in South Korea, the war is not a thing of the past. Everything that happens in the country has a direct attitude to the Korean War or is its consequence. If we go down to the border with North Korea, it is easy to find that South Korea is in a constant state of operational readiness, South Korea is always ready to defend its borders and citizens. Yes, today the debate died down a bit, but the conflict remains in everyone’s subconscious.In a case of North Korea, the Korean War is one of the myths that hold the state itself. According to this myth, the South Koreans, instigated by the Americans attacked the only legitimate regime in Korea and destroyed the country. That war is used to justify any military and political actions of the North Korean leadership, including nucle ar-missile tests, as Pyongyang considers that it is constantly threatened from outside. Ordinary citizens have to believe what they are told by the state media. And according to official version, in 1950, People’s Republic of China was attacked by the enemies, while the North Koreans were forced to protect themselves, and they won the war through military achievements of their leadership and allies.In conclusion, we have researched a lot of facts about the Korean War, beginning with the roots of the conflict, mentioning the interests of different countries in deadlock correction, and ending with the consequences of the war to both Koreas, and their allies. We have also proved that the war took away millions of lives, and it was a kind of â€Å"hot war† in the frames of the Cold War. So, we can not ignore the Korean War, naming it â€Å"the forgotten war† because the Korean War was the first local armed conflict between western and socialist blocks in the nuclear age, in which participation of superpowers was limited by the reason that it was extended to a limited area and not accompanied by the use of weapons of mass destruction.[1] Stanley Sandler, The Korean War: No Victors, No Vanquished (London: UCL Press, 1999), p. 47.[2] Lester H. Brune and Robin Higham, The Korean War: Handbook of the Literature and Research (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996), p. 35.[3] Brune and Higham, 136.

The cheapest custom essay writing service

The cheapest custom essay writing service College students have found refuge in online essay writing services. Once assigned that thesis, they no longer have a reason to lock it up. Writing services are very much willing to help and continue to do so throughout the world. The experience so far can however be rated as average as not all essay writing services have managed to deliver what customers want. There are some who have proven to be excellent while others not up to the task. But this has not stopped students from using essay writing service. In fact they have shifted to the cheapest paper writing service. Price is what defines cheap and expensive. The cheapest proofreading service is identified by its low price. Where the prices are a bit high, such a service ceases to be cheap. According to college students, price is the main factor. But price should not be everything; quality is what should come first. A paper can be cheap but its quality extremely low. With other services, a paper can be expensive but its quality worth it. Where you come across a cheap paper without its quality being compromised, term that as cheap. This is because you will no longer have to look for another essay writing service or request for further revisions. Cheapest essays are attracting a majority of college students. This is because they know how much they have to save and still get a high quality paper. Such are students who have consistently used this service and have identified it to be different. College students will always go for the best offers. The cheapest writing companies realize that by being genuine to customers, their ratings increase along with popularity. These companies testimonials page clearly show how the writers have left students satisfied with their services. Students who are yet to find cheap essay writing services should consider going through several testimonials page. The page is a good source when searching for a service to hire. Students have an opportunity to get in touch with previous users of cheap essay writing services. Find the cheapest paper, essay, proofreading services at our website that have ranked them by price. Choose the most proper one for you. By using these websites you will have no reason to complain in regards to the quality of your paper. You will have spent less for more: something that customers want.

General Jimmy Doolittle - World War II

General Jimmy Doolittle - World War II Jimmy Doolittle - Early Life: Born on December 14, 1896, James Harold Doolittle was the son of Frank and Rose Doolittle of Alameda, CA. Spending part of his youth in Nome, AK, Doolittle quickly developed a reputation as boxer and became the amateur flyweight champion of the West Coast. Attending Los Angeles City College, he transferred to the University of California-Berkeley in 1916. With the US entry into World War I, Doolittle left school and enlisted in the Signal Corps reserve as a flying cadet in October 1917. While training at the School of Military Aeronautics and Rockwell Field, Doolittle married Josephine Daniels on December 24. Jimmy Doolittle - World War I: Commissioned a second lieutenant on March 11, 1918, Doolittle was assigned to Camp John Dick Aviation Concentration Camp, TX as a flying instructor. He served in this role at various airfields for the duration of the conflict. While posted to Kelly Field and Eagle Pass, TX, Doolittle flew patrols along the Mexican border in support of Border Patrol operations. With the wars conclusion later that year, Doolittle was selected for retention and given a Regular Army commission. After being promoted to first lieutenant in July 1920, he attended the Air Service Mechanical School and Aeronautical Engineering Course. Jimmy Doolittle - Interwar Years: After completing these courses, Doolittle was permitted to return to Berkeley to complete his undergraduate degree. He achieved national fame in September 1922, when he flew a de Havilland DH-4, equipped with early navigational instruments, across the United States from Florida to California. For this feat, he was given the Distinguished Flying Cross. Assigned to McCook Field, OH as a test pilot and aeronautical engineer, Doolittle entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1923, to begin work on his masters degree. Given two years by the US Army to complete his degree, Doolittle began conducting aircraft acceleration tests at McCook. These provided the basis for his masters thesis and earned him a second Distinguished Flying Cross. Finishing his degree a year early, he commenced work towards his doctorate which he received in 1925. That same year he won the Schneider Cup race, for which he received the 1926 Mackay Trophy. Though injured during a demonstration tour in 1926, Doolittle remained on the leading edge of aviation innovation. Working from McCook and Mitchell Fields, he pioneered instrument flying and assisted in developing the artificial horizon and directional gyroscope that are standard in modern aircraft. Utilizing these tools, he became the first pilot to take off, fly, and land using only instruments in 1929. For this feat of blind flying, he later won the Harmon Trophy. Moving to the private sector in 1930, Doolittle resigned his regular commission and accepted one as a major in the reserves upon becoming the head of Shell Oils Aviation Department. While working at Shell, Doolittle aided in developing new higher-octane aircraft fuels and continued his racing career. After winning the Bendix Trophy Race in 1931, and the Thompson Trophy Race in 1932, Doolittle announced his retirement from racing, stating, I have yet to hear anyone engaged in this work dying of old age. Tapped to serve on the Baker Board to analyze the reorganization of the air corps, Doolittle returned to active service on July 1, 1940, and was assigned to the Central Air Corps Procurement District where he consulted with auto makers about transitioning their plants to build aircraft. Jimmy Doolittle - World War II: Following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the US entry into World War II, Doolittle was promoted to lieutenant colonel and transferred to Headquarters Army Air Force to aid in planning an attack against the Japanese home islands. Volunteering to lead the raid, Doolittle planned to fly sixteen B-25 Mitchell medium bombers off the deck the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, bomb targets in Japan, then fly through to bases in China. Approved by General Henry Arnold, Doolittle relentlessly trained his volunteer crews in Florida before embarking aboard Hornet. Sailing under a veil of secrecy, Hornets task force was spotted by Japanese picket on April 18, 1942. Though 170 miles short of their intended launch point, Doolittle decided to immediately commence the operation. Taking off, the raiders successfully hit their targets and proceeded on to China where most were forced to bail out short of their intended landing sites. Though the raid inflicted little material damage, it provided a massive boost to Allied morale and forced the Japanese to redeploy their forces to protect the home islands. For leading the strike, Doolittle received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Directly promoted to brigadier general the day after the raid, Doolittle was briefly assigned to the Eighth Air Force in Europe that July, before being posted to the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa. Promoted again in November (to major general), Doolittle was given command of the Northwest African Strategic Air Forces in March 1943, which consisted of both American and British units. A rising star in the US Army Air Forces high command, Doolittle briefly led the Fifteenth Air Force, before taking over the Eighth Air Force in England. Assuming command of the Eighth, with the rank of lieutenant general, in January 1944, Doolittle oversaw its operations against the Luftwaffe in northern Europe. Among the notable changes he made was allowing escorting fighters to leave their bomber formations to attack German airfields. This aided in preventing German fighters from launching as well as assisted in allowing the Allies to gain air superiority. Doolittle led the Eighth until September 1945, and was in the process of planning for its redeployment to the Pacific Theater of Operations when the war ended. Jimmy Doolittle - Postwar: With the postwar reduction of forces, Doolittle reverted to reserve status on May 10, 1946. Returning to Shell Oil, he accepted a position as a vice president and director. In his reserve role, he served as a special assistant to the Air Force chief of staff and advised on technical issues which ultimately led to the US space program and the Air Forces ballistic missile program. Retiring completely from the military in 1959, he later served as chairman of the board of Space Technology Laboratories. A final honor was bestowed upon Doolittle on April 4, 1985, when he was promoted to general on the retired list by President Ronald Reagan. Doolittle died September 27, 1993, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Selected Sources Doolittle Raiders: First Joint ActionCalifornia State Military Museum: General Jimmy Doolittle

Discuss the Pros the Cons of Police Discretion in Domestic Violence Essay

Discuss the Pros the Cons of Police Discretion in Domestic Violence Situations - Essay Example This is because in the sight of most couples, that would constitute betrayal of love (Easton, 2002). Because of this, females who are often the worse offenders in cases of domestic violence cases refuse to cooperate with the police in terms of issuance of authentic information that could lead up to arrest. Once the police detect distortions and inconsistencies with information that they gather from the victims (most commonly female victims), they become left with no other option than to resort to the application of discretion in the execution of their duty. In effect, until there come such a time that couples will stop looking at cases of domestic violence as private issues but as civil and criminal issues that demand the application of the full rigors of the law, the police will continue to apply discretion in cases of domestic violence instead of the issuance of arrest. Arrest of the breadwinner would hurt the family Another major factor that brings about the use of discretion amon g police personnel instead of arrest has to do with the fact that police personnel often judge that â€Å"arrest of the breadwinner would hurt the family† (Syllabus for JUS 205, 2004). Yet again, the fact that marriage is a private relationship between two people, one of which often acts as the breadwinner of the family and caretaker of the other one, police have often reasoned that applying arrest on the breadwinner would put the entire family in jeopardy (OECD, 2007). Due to this, the police would often look for alternatives other than arrest that would ensure that the case of domestic violence is catered for. As the saying goes, two wrongs do not make right. In this context, the police are often tempted to believe that arresting the breadwinner would create double trouble because... From the research it can be comprehended that the work of the police force is one of the most important and those that can never be done away with in any way. This is because the police system has been designated to be the law enforcement agency of society. The application of discretion by the police force in cases of domestic violence should continue to be applied in ‘discretion’. What this means is that, before police personnel uses discretion, he or she should be in a position to judge and determine the outcome of the particular case involved. This means that different domestic violence cases should be given preferential treatments. In cases where the cons would out weight the pros, the officer is advised to implement the normal provisions of the law rather than using discretion. On the other hand, in cases where the pros would outweigh the cons, the police should have the courage to go ahead with the use of discretion. In all of this, the police should be in a positi on to live above reproach in the jurisdiction of their duties. This is because when there comes such a time that the police force can be trusted on the grounds of professionalism and fairness, criticisms that often arise when they police use discretion would become a thing of the past. This is because the larger society would now be put in a position where they would embrace the police as always getting it right in the application of discretion and so criticisms against them would seize in this regard.

ASTR 123 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

ASTR 123 - Assignment Example It remains unclear what chain of circumstance led to the emergence of life on Earth. However, scientists believe that the long period of relatively stable climate originating from the stable orbit of the planet at the favorable distance from a proper type of star are necessary factors of complex life on Earth (Guangxian and Xiao 33-34). The Rare Earth Theory holds that few planets can support the kind of complex life that the Earth supports. It contradicts the mediocrity principle which assumes Earth is a typical planet and that there is not much that is special about humanity. Other analysis suggests that the only planet that is capable of supporting complex life is the Earth. Proponents of the Rare Earth Theory indicate the long list of circumstances required for the evolution of complex life on earth. The creation of life requires water, and no planet apart from the Earth if known to have liquid water in large quantities. Many other planets do not have the right temperature to keep water liquid. Therefore, complex life cannot be found in such planets (Guangxian and Xiao 36). Considering that the galaxy is a very thin circular disk of stars of radius approximately 50,000 light years with 2500 civilizations in our galaxy capable of communication, the approximate separation of these civilizations in light years will be the perimeter divided by the number of civilizations. Based on the suggestions and responses of people, humans do not have the right characteristics to foster sustainability. Many of the respondents suggested that humans are moral, selfish, and lazy. The respondents feel that majority of human beings seek their own personal interest, want power, and work for selfish gains. Even though many people remain moral, majority do not have the characteristics to foster sustainability. Guangxian, Xu, and Xiao Jimei. New Frontiers in Rare Earth Science and Applications: Proceedings of the International Conference on Rare Earth Development and Applications

Texas Attorney General Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Texas Attorney General - Research Paper Example Secure confinement indicates that the court has committed a juvenile into the secure juvenile correctional facility’s custody for duration of a specific program that can run over a few months or many years. The detention of juveniles does not intend to be punitive; rather, they receive care that is consistent with that of the parent in the secure custody. The local jurisdiction or the state have the responsibility of providing recreation, counseling, education, assessment, health services and other required services in a youth’s maintenance and well-being in their custody. Reservations in the secure detention are for the juveniles who pose a threat to the safety of the public. Status offenders like juveniles who are charged with alcohol possession or running away from home may be held for only 24 hours or less. There are five types of residential programs in which juveniles are detained. These programs include camps, detention, corrections, residential treatment and community based. The wide placement variety options are because there is no uniform in these programs (Lissitz, Green, 1975). The youths are supposed to be accorded the appropriate services either in confinement facilities or in the detention centers. The services available differ from the different facilities but generally, the services and programs provided are geared towards the juvenile needs. The function of the facilities is to rehabilitate the youth. The service that offers primary rehabilitation is education and it is mandatory to the detained youth (Marx, 1998). The juvenile facilities that run schools, which are highly effective, provide general equivalency diploma preparation, high school curriculum, special education and opportunities of vocational training. The issues of major concerns in these centers are ineffectiveness and overcrowding. The facilities can create instability regarding simple logistics and become unstable and it becomes

Is Inclusion a failed ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Is Inclusion a failed ideology - Essay Example Teachers must have enough training such that they can teach children with disabilities without any problems. On the other hand, parents must work hand in hand, with teachers to ensure the smooth learning of their children (Gray and MacBlain 2012). However, according to a report released by the House of Commons education and skills committee, the government’s policy of inclusion has been criticised for its confused and unclear definition of special schools. This has forced some children into wrong mainstream schools, something that result into distress for both children and their parents. According to the report, the government should concentrate on not just putting up special schools, but how the whole system should have high quality and well resourced to meet the needs of every student. While the world is advancing and normal people continue to enjoy education and other facilities at their disposal, disabled youth are left behind. Norwich 2008 argues that this is not only soc ially wrong but also ethically inappropriate. Including students with disabilities in our education system where they will get their special needs, in addition to what their able, peers are getting is a big step towards achieving the aim of better education for all (Atkinson and Claxton 2000) With reference to Sage (2004), many people have never been able to differentiate between mainstreaming and integration from inclusion. Mainstreaming tries to bring people with disabilities to regular classrooms so that they can grow with their peers without giving them support. Conversely, integration gives these disabled pupils a part time interaction with their peer, and this denies those students an opportunity of feeling that, they are members of that class. Never the less, inclusion gives equitable education and training opportunities for all young people. This help to prepare all young people to a productive life ahead. Therefore, those who have various disabilities can be able to live th eir lives to the fullest (Wilkinson and Ahmed 2007). Special Education Needs (SEP) are the principles that govern sustainable inclusion, and outline several practices that various shareholders are required to do to ensure that the project succeed. Norwich 2008 argues that, if inclusion is to be successful, early intervention and involvement of children is required. Many parents don’t give their children time to develop among their peers. Schools do not have special facilities to cater for the needs of these children. Later in life when these young people are introduced in the normal classrooms at their secondary or more advanced stage, they cannot co-exist with other children. This limits the effectiveness of inclusion (Byers and Rose 2004). Is Inclusion A Failed Ideology? The idea of having inclusion in the education system was a smart move and although this idea has not been fully realized. For example, a study conducted by Blazzard 2011, evidenced that some teachers displa yed negative attitudes towards pupils with special needs. This, according to Blazzard, affected school’s commitment to commitment. In addition, parental resistance to inclusion, lack of funding, training and resources were also among the identified barriers. However, students with disabilities are likely to have high self-esteem when they attend classes with other student than when

Sex and Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sex and Sexuality - Essay Example No 'good' woman should or would explore her sensuality or sexuality, nor ever imply a sexual need. Men too, were expected to conform to 'gentlemanly' ways, not giving in to lust, honoring the purity of their womenfolk. The hypocrisy lies in the fact that these same gentlemen considered it acceptable to use prostitutes, after all, such women were neither Madonna nor virgin, merely tools to ease their discomfort Both pieces of writing are powerful revelations as to how this repressive state affected both men and women. They go far in providing insight into the minds of both sexes as people try to deal with the universal and timeless truth of human sexuality. Fowles devotes a whole chapter to the matter (Chapter 35). In these pieces, it is almost as though a lid is taken off a shining box, clean and perfect on the outside (the facade of moral Victorian society); the truth exposed shows us On reading Browning's powerful, dramatic monologue, the words "snuff movie" came to mind. I read and re-read, then examined it in the light of the Victorian era. Here is a lonely, miserable individual, on a rainy, windy night, no fire in him or his surroundings - then Porphyria comes: 'She shut out the cold and the storm And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm.' (Browning, Lines 7-9) The actions of then removing her garments, showing him her bare skin, putting his arm around her, all contain elements of seduction; she is teasing him, behaving like a prostitute, not the lady she is. 'And spread over all, her yellow hair, Murmuring how she loved me.' (Browning, Lines 20-21) ... 'She shut out the cold and the storm And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm.' (Browning, Lines 7-9) The actions of then removing her garments, showing him her bare skin, putting his arm around her, all contain elements of seduction; she is teasing him, behaving like a prostitute, not the lady she is. 'And spread over all, her yellow hair, Murmuring how she loved me.' (Browning, Lines 20-21) He thinks she is too proud or concerned with another to give herself to him, but she does. 'But passion sometimes would prevail.' (Browning, Line 25) I confess that in reading the following lines, I considered Porphyria to be behaving in an overtly sexual manner and the meaning translates to me that her love is sexually aroused, not just surprised but shocked and somewhat disgusted. 'So, she was come through wind and rain. Be sure I looked up at her eyes Happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshipped me: surprise Made my heart swell, and still it grew While I debated what to do.' (Browning, Lines 29-34) I would contend that not only his heart swelled, seeing her happy and proud eyes and the physical effect on him, her wanton behavior, caused him to either respond in deep disgust at both of them, or 3. made him lose his sanity at the 'horror' of what they were doing. Put in the context of Victorian morality, these two are committing a grievous sin against society and God. She has become like a whore, a temptress, and the cause of his downfall, so he must punish her, remove the cause of his guilt. Porphyria has dared to express and act upon her sexuality; doing so has destroyed her lover's illusions, even

Cost Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cost Accounting - Essay Example The budget is not only the widely used instrument for managements planning but is also the fundamental accounting model of management control. The development of the budget requires the participation of many individual who are made responsible for the control of their planned costs within a company. The ever increasing use of standard cost provides a necessary measure of what cost should be. These standard costs permit an early preparations and presentation of short run cost reports to operating management and summary statements to executive and middle management, highlighting the deviations from planned goals. Standard cost should ideally be the integral part of budget in its preparation as well as its use as a control device. Cost accounting can assist management's levels in planning and control duties by providing information via analytical tools that express more vividly and forcefully multidimensional aspects of managerial problems. Break even analysis offers another method that permits managements to judge the over all plan on a pragmatic and convenient bases. The budget is one method of securing reliable and prompt information regarding the operation and control of an enterprise. When manufacturing are based on standard for material labor and overhead, a strong team of possible control and reduction of costs is created.

Sex and Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sex and Sexuality - Essay Example No 'good' woman should or would explore her sensuality or sexuality, nor ever imply a sexual need. Men too, were expected to conform to 'gentlemanly' ways, not giving in to lust, honoring the purity of their womenfolk. The hypocrisy lies in the fact that these same gentlemen considered it acceptable to use prostitutes, after all, such women were neither Madonna nor virgin, merely tools to ease their discomfort Both pieces of writing are powerful revelations as to how this repressive state affected both men and women. They go far in providing insight into the minds of both sexes as people try to deal with the universal and timeless truth of human sexuality. Fowles devotes a whole chapter to the matter (Chapter 35). In these pieces, it is almost as though a lid is taken off a shining box, clean and perfect on the outside (the facade of moral Victorian society); the truth exposed shows us On reading Browning's powerful, dramatic monologue, the words "snuff movie" came to mind. I read and re-read, then examined it in the light of the Victorian era. Here is a lonely, miserable individual, on a rainy, windy night, no fire in him or his surroundings - then Porphyria comes: 'She shut out the cold and the storm And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm.' (Browning, Lines 7-9) The actions of then removing her garments, showing him her bare skin, putting his arm around her, all contain elements of seduction; she is teasing him, behaving like a prostitute, not the lady she is. 'And spread over all, her yellow hair, Murmuring how she loved me.' (Browning, Lines 20-21) ... 'She shut out the cold and the storm And kneeled and made the cheerless grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm.' (Browning, Lines 7-9) The actions of then removing her garments, showing him her bare skin, putting his arm around her, all contain elements of seduction; she is teasing him, behaving like a prostitute, not the lady she is. 'And spread over all, her yellow hair, Murmuring how she loved me.' (Browning, Lines 20-21) He thinks she is too proud or concerned with another to give herself to him, but she does. 'But passion sometimes would prevail.' (Browning, Line 25) I confess that in reading the following lines, I considered Porphyria to be behaving in an overtly sexual manner and the meaning translates to me that her love is sexually aroused, not just surprised but shocked and somewhat disgusted. 'So, she was come through wind and rain. Be sure I looked up at her eyes Happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria worshipped me: surprise Made my heart swell, and still it grew While I debated what to do.' (Browning, Lines 29-34) I would contend that not only his heart swelled, seeing her happy and proud eyes and the physical effect on him, her wanton behavior, caused him to either respond in deep disgust at both of them, or 3. made him lose his sanity at the 'horror' of what they were doing. Put in the context of Victorian morality, these two are committing a grievous sin against society and God. She has become like a whore, a temptress, and the cause of his downfall, so he must punish her, remove the cause of his guilt. Porphyria has dared to express and act upon her sexuality; doing so has destroyed her lover's illusions, even

A Possible case of Sexual Harassment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Possible case of Sexual Harassment - Essay Example "Sexual harassment means unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, or other conduct based on sex affecting the dignity of women and men at work. This can include unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct (para 2.1). Thus a range of behaviour may be considered to constitute sexual harassment (para 2.2). The essential characteristic of sexual harassment is that it is unwanted by the recipient, that it is for each individual to determine what behaviour is acceptable to them and what they regard as offensive. (para 2.3)" (Barry) Once the situation is taken at the level of seriousness it merits, the idea of B refusing to approach you because she does not want to be called "a tattletale" would be dismissed. Here is a situation where action of some sort is warranted. Now, you might be tempted to pull up C immediately. This is to be entirely avoided, since there is no reported evidence-a private conversation is not evidence enough-neither is there a formal complaint. On top of that, one cannot be sure that what A is saying is true: It is unverified even if she has reported that several people were witnesses to the sexual advances she mentions. Finally, it is again improper to call a meeting of those present at the roll call to ascertain the facts. At this point, it should be realized that something needs to be done soon, since the harassment seems to be repeating. If what A is saying is true, and if B is indeed troubled by what is happening, it must be made official as soon as possible, and punitive and/or remedial action must be taken just as soon. The obvious idea now is to speak directly to B. However, there is a danger in this direct course of action-B might get upset with A for having reported the incident. Requesting that A ask B to speak to you directly is a solution that suffers from the same problem: B will know that A has reported the incident. We have not yet analyzed whether B wants the incident reported, but it is incorrect to assume that she does. A possible workaround is to ask A to make up a story. She could say to B that she approached you about a problem, and that you were sympathetic and helpful-and that you assured her you would keep the matter in strict confidence. This might give B the required confidence to approach you directly. We must now speak about the protagonist himself. You might have developed a reputation of being unapproachable, or it might be generally believed that you cannot handle a situation in the appropriate manner-which could be why B is afraid of approaching you. If you trust your capabilities, you, as sergeant, could call a general meeting before attempting to resolve B's issue, reassuring everyone in your team that they can approach you with whatever issues they may have, that information will be kept in confidence if required, and so on. Your image in the team needs to be bolstered, and perhaps the most straightforward way to achieve this is to address all team members publicly. We now turn to officer B. What is

Importance and factors involved in marital adjustment

Importance and factors involved in marital adjustment According to Alfred Adler (1978), marriage is part of the three tasks (i.e., work, friendship, and love) that the human community sets for every individual. Relationship importance Over the course of life, people learn to establish different relationships, with different values, expectations and commitments. One of those relationships is the marital relationship. For A good marital relationship marital adjustment is essential. Sinha Mukerjee (1990) defines marital adjustment as The state in which there is an overall feeling in husband and wife of happiness and satisfaction with their marriage and with each other. Locke Wallace (1959) defines marital adjustment as: accommodation of husband and wife to each other at a given time According to Spanier and Cole (1976), marital adjustment is a process, the outcome of which is determined by the degree of: a) troublesome marital differences, b) interpersonal tensions and personal anxiety, c) marital satisfaction d) dyadic cohesion, e) consensus on matters of importance to marital functioning. There are a number of factors that define a healthy marital adjustment. Some of these factors are Factors involved in Marital Adjustment: Wife employment and Marital Adjustment: Blumstein and Schwartz (1983) had earlier found that individuals, particularly wives, reported increased levels of self-esteem, self-concept, and self-worth were positively correlated with employment. Previous research on the relationship be- tween wife employment and marital adjust- ment has produced conflicting results: some investigations report a positive relationship between wife employment and marital adjust- ment (Burke Weir, 1976; Hartley, 1978); others suggest a negative relationship (Bean, Curtis, Marcum, 1977; Gover, 1963); other studies show no relationship (Bahr Day, 1978; Blood Wolfe, 1960). Nathawat and Mathur (1993) did a study in India about marital adjustment and subjective well-being in Indian-educated housewives and working women. Their results indicated that working women had better marital adjustment and subjective well-being. Working women reported high scores on general health, life satisfaction and self-esteem measures lower scores on hopelessness, insecurity and anxiety whereas the housewives had lower scores on negative affect than the working women. Trust and marital adjustment: Relationships are composed of trust, and sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings. They are built upon trust and sharing and they get stronger from these things (Finkenauer, Kerkhof, Righetti, Branje, 2009). According to Regan, Kocan, and Whitlock (1998) Trust is one of the most important component of a loving relationship. Also international studies have found trust to be a critical factor in the success of long-term marriages (Roizblatt et al. 1999; Sharlin 1996). In a longitudinal study, Kristina Moeller and Hakan Stattin (2001) report that adolescents with trustful parental relationships experienced greater satisfaction with their partner relationships in midlife. Quality of life and marital adjustment Psychological Factors: Depression stress (psychological well being) Lower psychological well-being is a major risk factor for relationship distress. Higher rates of relationship problems have been consistently linked to persons suffering from severe psychiatric disorders, including depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders (Bradbury, 1998). Many studies link marital conflict to depression (Beach, Arias, OLeary, 1987; OLeary and Beach, 1990). Although the authors propose a bidirectional causal relationship between marital conflict and depression, they suggest that marital conflict is typically a more powerful contributing factor to depression. Marital satisfaction appears to be an important factor of psychological well being. Marital distress has been linked with many psychological difficulties especially depression. (KAUSAR ANSARI.. thesis) . Belongingness and Marital Adjustment: According to Baumeister Leary (1995) Belongingness might have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of belongingness or attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. In a close relationship there is a need to belong and if that need isnt fulfilled then problems may occur. One of the universal institutions is marriage which is accepted to satisfy the need for belongingness. Economics and Marital Adjustment Education and income have also been linked to marital satisfaction and marital conflict, with greater levels of education and income predicting greater marital satisfaction and less conflict. Economic stress has a negative effect on marital satisfaction and a positive influence on relationship dissolution (Johnson Booth, 1990). Economic strain is directly linked to increased couple disagreements and has direct impact on marital adjustment (Kinnunen and Feldt, 2004). Many researches haves been conducted on economic factor in relation to marital adjustment e.g Zedlewski (2002) studied economic factor in relation to family well-being , he found that low family income and limited benefits have negative influences on child and family well-being. Voyandoff (1990) studied economic distress and family relations.   Ross Mirowsky (1992) and Yadollahi (2009) studied that employment of spouses  and the sense of control in various types of stressors of marital life. Diener and Diener (2001) investigated that wealth is related to many positive outcomes in life. Gudmunson, Beutler, Israelsen, McCoy Hill (2007) found that financial problems significantly contributed to lower reported marital satisfaction among married couples. In a study in Finland conducted by Kinnunen and Feldt (2004) concluded that husbands unempl oyment is strongly associated with his marital adjustment. Couples with better economic resources are martially adjusted as compared to those who have limited economic resources. Economic hard times increased rate of martial distress.   (Blekesaunes   2008)   Personality and Marital Adjustment In a study by Bouchard, Sabourin, Lussier, Y. (1999) the relationship of various personality traits with marital adjustment was studied. Personality traits studied were neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. The scale used to measure marital adjustment was dyadic adjustment scale. The results showed that women high in agreeableness and openness were more adjusted. Also males that were high on openness and agreeableness were more martially adjusted. Husbands openness was positively related to their wives marital adjustment. Open individuals may tolerate and respect differences in behavior and thought of partner which would reduce the number of conflicts and increase the consensus between spouses. Kim, Martin, and Martin (1989) and Levine and Henessy (1990) found that personality factors differentiated stable from unstable marriages. Stable marriages were more similar in intelligence, protension, radicalism, tender-mindedness, mutual trust, acceptance, enthusiasm, and genuineness. Personality factors that reduce the likelihood of stability and satisfaction have included the lack of warmth and extraversion (Levine Henessy); passive-aggression (Slavik, Carlson, Sperry, 1998); borderline pathologies (Paris Braverman, 1995); bipolar disorders (Peven Schulman, 1998); feelings of insecurity, unfairness, depreciation, and powerlessness (Begin, Sabourin, Lussier, Wright, 1997); disagreeableness, emotional instability, inconsiderateness, and physical abuse (Botwin et al., 1997; Kosek, 1996; Shackelford Buss, 1997); depression (Cohan Bradbury, 1997; Davila Bradbury, 1997; Fals-Stewart, Birchler, Schafer, Lucente, 1994); neuroticism (Karney Bradbury, 1997; Russell Wells, 1994a ; Russell Wells, 1994b); tension, anxiety, worry, and suspicion (Craig Olson, 1995); hostility, defensiveness, and aggression (Heyman, OLeary, Jouriles, 1995; OLeary, Malone, Tyree, 1994; Newton, Kiecolt-Glaser, Glaser, Malarkey, 1995); and negative affectivity leading to negative attributions (Huston Vangelistic, 1991; Karney, Bradbury, Fincham, OSullivan, 1994). Individual personality traits have also been linked to couples relationship functioning for both men and women. Personality traits of neuroticism, anxiety, and emotional instability have been shown to impair relationship functioning and reduce relationship satisfaction (Watson Clark, 1984). Additionally, personality characteristics of agreeableness and expressiveness have been referred to as individual protective factors, which may enhance marital satisfaction (Bradbury, Campbell, Fincham, 1995). Communication and Marital Adjustment: Communication is necessary for human growth and development also it serves as the essential foundation for marital success and is the facilitating process for an enduring marriage that is satisfying (Robinson Blanton, 1993). Communication within relationships is an important factor, if there isnt communication the relationship suffers. The relationship between marital communication and adjustment is a strong one (Murphy Mendelson 2004). Gottman (1995) in his book indicated that communication could be both productive and destructive to relationships as unhappy couples tend to criticize, disagree, complain, put down, and use excuses and sarcasm. Unrewarding communication patterns lead to the development of relationship distress (Markman, 1979). In contrast, happy couples with marital stability and satisfaction are more likely to use active listening skills, agree, approve, assent, use laughter and humor (Fisher, Giblin, Hoopes, 1982) and possess character virtues of self-restraint, courage, and friendship (Fowers Olson, 1986). Gottman (1995) has suggested that satisfied couples maintain a five-to-one ratio of positive to negative exchanges in interactions Gender also plays an important role in couple communication as there are gender differences in verbal and nonverbal communication with men tending to be more dominant in their interactions and women being more submissive (Tannen, 1990). Emmers-Sommer (2004) studied the effect of communication quality and quantity indicators on satisfaction in relationships. A key term in the study was quality time; this refers to focused, uninterrupted time spent with children, partners, friends, and significant others. Another key term used in the study was quantity time; this refers to frequency of communication or contact. For individuals to reach relationship satisfaction they have to examine the quantity and quality of their disclosures with their partners. Emmers-Sommer (2004) found that quality of communication predicts both relationship satisfaction and intimacy. The quantity of communication, however, was not a predictor for relationship satisfaction. Concealment/Non- disclosure and marital adjustment: Disclosure  as a phenomenon was first investigated by Sidney Jourard (1971). The process was originally defined as telling others about the self. Rosenfeld (1979) explained self-disclosure as the personal information of self that is only available from himself and is not available from other sources. Jorgensen Gaudy (1980) defines self disclosure as: A process by which a marriage partner ex- presses feelings, perceptions, fears, and doubts of the inner self to the other partner, allowing relatively private and personal information to surface in the relationship that normally would not be revealed in the course of day-to-day interaction. The word conceal has been originated from the Latin work Concelare , celare means to hide. Merriam Webster defines concealment as  to prevent disclosure or recognition. Concealment is the activity of hiding information and keeping secrets from other people. Larson and Chastain (1990) explained self concealed personal information as firstly, a subset of private personal information, secondly, it is accessible only to the individual and thirdly it is actively kept from the awareness of others. Thus, self-concealment involves the conscious concealment of private information like feelings, thoughts, actions or events that one perceives as highly intimate, distressing or negative. Even though concealment and disclosure seem the same, there is some difference between self-disclosure and self-concealment. According to Larson and Chastain 1990 the act of revealing personal information is self- disclosure whereas the act of concealing personal information is self-concealment. They argued that self-concealment and self-disclosure are two separate and distinct constructs even though they are related. Effects of concealment/non-disclosure on marital adjustment Feelings of Exclusion People usually resent it when they perceive that another person is keeping secrets from them. The general reaction towards concealment is that of exclusion since in that persons view his right to know is being violated. This level or degree of exclusion felt by a person is higher when these persons are in a close and intimate relationship (Finkenauer, Kerkhof, Righetti, Branje, 2009). Marital relationships are composed of trust, and sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings. They are built upon trust and sharing and they get stronger from these things. Therefore the quality of relationship is influenced adversely when there is a perception of concealment from partner. The perception of concealment effects on relationship quality, the person feels rejected or excluded (Finkenauer, Kerkhof, Righetti, Branje, 2009). The exclusion that is communicated by concealment can be assumed to violate almost all features and values commonly associated with close relationships, including trust, caring, honesty, friendship, companionship, unconditional acceptance, and respect (Finkenauer, Kerkhof, Righetti, Branje, 2009). Psychological effects To keep secrets or deliberately conceal information from others seems to be part of normal development. Even though every person has secrets they can sometimes be a burden. There are different types of secrets people keep like having cheated on an exam, having a disease, sexual orientation or having been sexually molested as a child. Most of these secrets involve stigmatizing or negative information that usually involves the secret keepers themselves. People who conceal negative or distressing information of self from others as compared to the ones who do not, are more depressed, anxious, shy and have low self-esteem.(Kelly, Klusas, Weiss Kenny, 2001) Effects of Disclosure on marital adjustment Self-disclosure and liking The earliest work done on the relationship between disclosure and liking was by Jourard (1959) who found a positive association between liking the other person and disclosing to that person in a sample of nursing students and faculty. A number of studies have been done on this relationship and confirmed that we disclose more to people whom we like. (e.g., Certner,1973, Fitzgerald, 1963; Worthy, Gary, Kahn, 1969) and also we tend to like the people who disclose personal information to us (e.g., Archer, Berg, Runge, 1980; Daher Banikiotes, 1976;Taylor, Gould, Brounstein, 1981). Self-Disclosure and psychological well-being Most of the studies done on the relationship between concealment and psychological well-being have shown the same results which are that higher levels of disclosure are associated with psychological wellbeing and lower levels of disclosure are associated with poorer mental health. Disclosing distressing information helps with the psychological well-being and not disclosing leads to poorer mental health. It is thought that disclosing distressing information helps psychological well-being by reducing the stress of keeping the information to oneself (Ichiyama et al 1993; Cramer, 1999; Barry and Mizrahi, 2005; Hook and Andrews, 2005; Kahn et al 2002). Gender differences and concealment: Concealment is behavior that is more common in males. On the other hand previous studies indicate that females are usually more willing to disclose distressing or personal information. Traditionally, discussing personal problems is a behavior that is considered more appropriate for females than for males (Kahn and Hessling, 2001). Among men, asking for help when faced with psychological problems is often perceived as a weakness (Jourard and Lasakow, 1958; West, 1970; Jourard, 1971; Cozby, 1973; Kelly and Achter, 1995; Kahn and Hessling, 2001). Moreover, traditional sex-role stereotypes suggest that females are more skillful in communicating and also are more concerned with issues of intimacy than are men. So an intimate disclosure by a man may be seen as less appropriate than a similar disclosure by a woman (Collins Miller 1994). All in all men who disclose are generally viewed as maladjusted whereas women who do not disclose may be viewed as maladjusted. (Collins Miller 1994). Age and tendencies towards disclosure/ non-concealment and in terms of age it has been found that young people are more likely to disclose than older people. (Jourard, 1971; Hook and Andrews, 2005). Literature Review: Labels such as satisfaction, adjustment, success, happiness, and quality have all been used in describing the quality of marriage (Fincham, Beach, Kemp-Fincham, 1997) Theories on marital adjustment and disclosure Social penetration theory: Many studies have dealt with self disclosure. One main theory that was a framework for the study is Social Penetration Theory (Altman Taylor, 1987). This theory was a model for the study because it looks at self disclosure as both the depth and the breadth. In this study the depth of self disclosure is an important factor when reaching satisfaction in relationships. Altman and Taylor use an onion as a metaphor for relationship development. They suggest that the onion represents the breadth and depth of self disclosures. On the outer layer of the onion individuals have the breadth of disclosures: a broad aspect of a person such as their tastes, worldview, and studies. As individuals go deeper into the onion, they get to the depth of disclosures meaning they get more detail on aspects of an individual. This represents the degree of a persons disclosure. The main route to deep social penetration is through individuals disclosures. The depth of penetration would represent the degree of personal disclosure. Altman and Taylor (1987) suggest the depth of penetration into the onion model is the degree of intimacy. This study examines the depth of penetration, breadth is equally important in relationships. This theory supports the idea that people who have a high level of depth in their disclosure will be more satisfied in romantic relationships. This theory does not examine the amount of self disclosure as it does the depth of self disclosure. Three competing models of marital disclosure and satisfaction Jorgensen Gaudy (1980) gave models for marital disclosure and satisfaction and according to Spanier (1976) marital satisfaction is a sub category of marital adjustment. According to the linear model of marital relationship, there exists a positive, linear relationship between marital disclosure and marital satisfaction. Marital relationship is characterized by factors like intimacy, trust and caring. Marital disclosure positively impacts these factors and therefore presence of these factors in a marital relationship systematically increase the level of marital satisfaction. Therefore, this model suggests that higher the level of marital disclosure greater will be the marital satisfaction and vice versa. The curvilinear model as opposed to the linear model suggests that a satisfying marital relationship exists only with medium levels of self disclosure. When self disclosure falls on the high or low end of the continuum of self disclosure, marital satisfaction will decrease. This means that too lack of self disclosure is not the only factor that results in low marital satisfaction. Extensive self disclosure might be perceived as nagging or too much complaining which might raise negative feelings of hostility in the spouse which in turn will decrease the marital satisfaction. Hence, according to this model moderate levels of self disclosure are characterized as a key factor in achieving high marital satisfaction. John Gottmans (1999) scientifically validated theory of marriage, based on 25 years of longitudinal research, is one of the leading theories in the study of marital satisfaction. Gottmans theory (1999) states that positive interaction and friendship is the key to marital satisfaction and the prediction of marital stability over time. According to Gottman (1999), a ratio of 5:1 positive to negative interactions is necessary for marital stability. Gottman defines marital stability as a satisfying marital relationship that is not disrupted by separation or divorce. He states, The most important finding was that more positive affect was the only variable that predicted both marital stability and happiness (p. 21). In Gottmans theory (1999), there is a process of what he calls sentiment override in couples. He states, Sentiment override can be either positive or negative. Negative sentiment override means that people have a chip on their shoulder. These types of partners are hypervigilant, looking for slights or attacks by their partner. Positive sentiment override means that even negativity by the partner is interpreted as informative rather than as a personal attack (p. 164). Positive sentiment override creates a milieu in which the partners are more tolerant and accepting of each other, while negative sentiment override creates a set of expectations that ones spouse will behave negatively. Similarly, OLeary and Smith (1991) refer to this phenomenon as cognitive attributional correlates of marital satisfaction. These authors state that distressed couples are less likely to objectively interpret positive behaviors from their spouses as positive and more likely to interpret the intent of their spouses statements more negatively than they were meant to be. Compared to non-distressed couples, dissatisfied spouses make attributions that cast their partners behavior in a negative light and these attributions in turn negatively influence marital satisfaction (Bradbury Fincham, 1990). In summary, according to Gottman (1999) as well as OLeary and Smith (1991) it is not what happens in the marriage, but how the partners perceive and define what has happened that is critical. Gottman posits that 69% of couples problems will be what he calls, perpetual problems, meaning largely unresolvable. He has found that in the case of the perpetual problems, it is important for couples to establish a dialogue, as opposed to a solution in these instances. When couples cannot dialogue about these issues, they often become gridlocked, where each partner becomes frustrated and eventually emotionally disengaged. The role of communication therefore plays an important role in marital satisfaction. Studies examining marital satisfaction vary in design, measurement, and outcomes, leading to a number of explanations accounting for marital satisfaction (Gottman, 1999). Perception of concealment has an adverse effect on marital relationships. Some researches have been carried out related to this issue. In a longitudinal study it was studied how perceiving concealment in close relationships influences marital well-being. The research showed that people in marital relationships who perceive their partner to be concealing information from them had poor relationships, mistrust and conflict between them. In the study it was also discussed that people who conceal information also perceive that the other person is concealing information from them. Perceiving concealment may give the other partner the impression that he/she is not desirable or cannot be trusted; it gives the other person the feelings of being excluded. And the feeling of exclusion may result in feelings of separation or estrangement which may result in marital conflict (Finkenauer et al., 2009). Another study conducted in Belgium has investigated disclosure and secrecy in close, long-term relationships. It showed in the study that secrecy contributed a lot to marital dissatisfaction. The study explains how a person who has a secret avoids a difficult topic rather than facing it to avoid conflict, while the other partner perceives the secrecy as a sign of suspicion, which contributes negatively to marital satisfaction. Another point in the study was that people trying to hide something on the way feel that they have to put on a mask for the other person so he/she doesnt get to know their secret; they have to pretend which may lead to less intimacy and closeness. People who felt comfortable with sharing their emotions and were able to talk about matters were more satisfied with their relationship. One of the questionnaires used to test their study was the Larson and Chastains (1990) Self- Concealment Scale (Finkenauer Hazam, 2000). Low expressiveness leads to dissatisfaction in a marital relationship. Miller et al. (2003) argued that expressive people are less likely to suffer decline in marital satisfaction. They found that spouses expressiveness was positively related to their own and partners affectionate behaviors and this affectionate behavior was in turn related with marital satisfaction. Expressiveness is positively associated with peoples perception of their partners responsiveness. Davidson, Balswick Halverson (1983) did a study on the Affective Self-Disclosure and Marital Adjustment. It was based upon 162 married couples. The study explains that the greater is the discrepancy in partners affective self-disclosure, the lesser is the individuals marital adjustment. READ WHOLE PAPER AND WRITE. Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) examined the relationship between self-disclosure and relationship quality and found a positive relationship between disclosure and relationship quality. Self-disclosure is an indicator of satisfaction in romantic relationships. Levesque, Steciuk, and Ledley (2002) studied how self-disclosure relates to the development of personal relationships, relational intimacy, and relationship dissolution. The results showed that perceived intimacy was strongly associated with level of self-disclosure. Self-disclosure was found to be strongly reciprocal. Levesque et al. 2002 found that the level of self-disclosure strongly influences individual differences between disclosers. HANSEN E.J SCHULDT J.W (1984) did a study on marital self-disclosure and marital satisfaction. The sample for the study was on a sample of 50 married couples of mean age 25 years and mean length of marriage was 3.18 years and mean education was 15 years. Scales used for measuring the variables were Jourards self disclosure questionnaire( jourard and Lasakow, 1958) and Spaniers (1976) Dyadic Adjustment Scale. the results of the study showed that wifes disclosure to husband was positively related to husbands marital satisfaction and husbands disclosure to wife was also positively related to husbands marital satisfaction. One predictor that may have particular importance to marital satisfaction is gender roles. According to Kurdek (2005) there are two classes of theories that explain the position about how men and women experience close relationships in different ways. the first class, that is the biological, posits that males and females in a relationship process events differently at the cardiovascular, endocrinological, immunological, neurosensory, and neurophysiological levels. For example Kiecolt-Glaser Newton (2001) in their research reviewed evidence showing that men are more physiologically sensitive to acute stressors than women and women showed stronger and more durable physiological changes than men in marital conflict. The other class that is the class of social psychological theories posits that both genders differ in ways that are directly relevant to relationship functioning like the structure and content of how the self is constructed, personality traits and socialized roles. The other class that is the class of social psychological theories posits that both genders differ in ways that are directly relevant to relationship functioning like the structure and content of how the self is constructed, personality traits and socialized roles. Other research has also substantiated that marriage disproportionately benefits men, with husbands reporting higher levels of marital satisfaction and well-being than their wives (Bird Fremont, 1991; McRae Brody, 1989; Schumm, Webb, Bollman, 1998). Gender is defined as the socially determined role of an individual that is ascribed as a result of his or her sex (Juni Grimm, 1994). Gender roles influence men and women in every aspect of their lives and relationships (Knox Schacht, 2000). Demographic characteristics including age, race, income, education, length of marriage, and religiosity, have been linked to marital satisfaction and marital conflict (Knox Schacht, 2000). Based on Gottmans (1999) research, length of marriage is also a significant predictor for marital satisfaction and marital conflict. He identifies two critical time periods of vulnerability in the marital trajectory, with the majority of couples divorcing within the first seven years of marriage. Couples who divorce within the first seven years of marriage have relationships characterized by having high levels of marital conflict. Conversely, a second vulnerable time period for the marital trajectory is 16 to 24 years of marriage. This is the next most likely time frame for couples to divorce. These relationships are characterized by spending little time together, lack of communication, and a lack of conflict expression. Gottman (1999) refers to these couples as two ships passing in the night.