Friday, December 27, 2019

Similarities Between Picasso And Velazquez And Picassos...

Page 1 of 2 ZOOM When you first look at the two painting they appear to be completely different,but on a second and closer look there are many striking similarities. First looking at it they don’t look anything alike they appear to be portraying the same event. Looking at the outline of Picasso’s paintings you see the resemblance of Velazquez painting.There are many similarities between both paintings. One similarity is that both painting have attendants dressing her. Another similarity is she is wearing a hoop skirt. The broach on her chest she is wearing seems to be the same in both paintings. In each painting it has at least one attendant kneeling down and holding both hands. The princesses arms are in the same position†¦show more content†¦He wanted to make the painting his own way. Picasso had his own point of view on las meninas by just painting the princess and the attendants. I think he decided to paint just the princess and attendants because he wanted to show the dif ference between the two. The princess is highly praised while the attendants don’t get noticed. The attendants are always longing in the princesses shadow, just like how in the painting the attendant is kneeling down to the princess, supposedly helping her get ready.I think Velazquez created such a work because he was trying to put his own life experiences into something. I think he was trying to express two different groups of people.In the painting there is the royal princess and her attendants. There is other people in the painting that people are less focused on. When you look at the painting there is people gathered around the picture some of them are interacting and talking. Others are staring at the viewer. I think that he created this to show how much people were focused on the princess and not the attendants. It was created to show how the attendants may have felt like an outsider. It shows us how us to may get caught up in the newest trend or famous person we forge t about the people who help them or the ones that got them where they are. Those people don’t usually get recognized. I think that Picasso created such a work to better understand Velazquez and get his own interpretation on theShow MoreRelatedDifferences Of Pablo Picasso And Diego Velazquezs Paintings729 Words   |  3 PagesZOOM In 1656, Diego Velazquez made a painting titled, Las Meninas. He was a painter for a royal family and many of his paintings consisted of the family. Many years later, Pablo Picasso painted over 50 variations of this painting. One including his 1957 painting that was based strongly on the princess of the royal family. Although both paintings can be related to each other, they both each portray their own meanings. It may be easy to tell that both paintings may be similar because of their

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Comparing Female Characters in Euripides Medea and...

Comparing Female Characters in Euripides Medea and Sophocles Oedipus the King and Antigone In the times of the ancient Greeks, women had an unpretentious role. They were expected to do take on the accepted role of a woman. In most cases, a womans role is restricted to bearing young, raising children, and housework. In Sophocles Oedipus the King, Antigone, and Medea, the dominant female characters impacted upon men with authority and political power. It is an inescapable fate that one of these characters will fall, and that the Gods have control over everyones fate. Each dominant female character portrays her willpower and commitment to their beliefs. This is what leads to the†¦show more content†¦It asked for the answer and killed everyone who had guessed incorrectly. This had riddled Thebes commerce and left its people disgruntled. To make matters worse, news reached the city that Lauis had been killed by unknown assailants. Desperate and in need of help, Creon (now the regent of Thebes) had offered up the throne and Jocasta to anyone who could solve the Sphinxs riddle. In the meantime, Oedipus came across the Sphinx and solved the riddle. He ended up in Thebes because he went to the oracle at Delphi just like his father Lauis. Now Oedipus is King of Thebes and another problem arises, a plague. He searches far and wide for the solution to save his people. Prophets and wisemen were brought in to help Oedipus with the plague. It is discovered that the plague will be lifted when Lauis death is revenged. Tiresias, an old prophet reveals that Oedipus is the murderer. Creon too, accuses Oedipus of the murder. Jocasta stands by Oedipus side. A prophet? . . . free yourself of every charge! Listen to me and learn some peace I mind: no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future. . . .my son wasnt three days old and the boys father fastened his ankles, had a henchman fling him away on a barren, trackless mountain. Apollo brought neither thing to pass. My baby no more murdered his father

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Strategic Outsource Decisions Manufacturers -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: Is Strategic Outsourcing The Most Widely Used And Trusted Level Of Outsourcing Practices? What Are The Various Negatives Of The Strategic Outsourcing? What Practices Are Used By Organizations To Have A Greater Control Over The Outsourced Work? Does Outsourcing Lead To Loss Of Quality In The Final Product Or Service? Answers: Introduction Outsourcing in the general sense refers to the transfer of certain processes, which were previously taken care of by the company internally, to the organizations in a distant land so that the process becomes cheaper and faster (Dolgui Proth, 2013). However, it is sharing of work but outsourcing is a lot different from subcontracting or joint manufacturing (Guers, Martin Wybo, 2014). The primary motive that drives organizations to move towards outsourcing is the benefit of cost reduction that is huge and reduces the annual expenses subsequently for the company. The benefits are in plenty but such a process is not without its drawbacks. The aim of this research proposal is to focus on the areas that prove to be advantageous to the company and the areas that auditing threat to the company when strategic outsourcing is used in practice. The proposed research method will lead to collection of both primary and secondary data that will be taken into account to understand the various impli cations that outsourcing can have both positive as well as negative in its nature. Project Objectives The objective of this research proposal is to gain an insight into the benefits and drawbacks that are posed by outsourcing. The research proposal will look at the various possible results both positive and negative that can incur with the practice of strategic outsourcing. The issue of quality, company image, cost effectiveness and also the amount of failure in outsourcing process, all will be taken into account to understand the process of outsourcing in totality. The various levels of outsourcing will be evaluated to find out the effectiveness of strategic outsourcing practice over the other prevalent practices. Project Scope The research proposal will look at the literature review of the process of outsourcing and try to get hold of the various factors that are associated with it. The literature review will help in establishing the research question and hypothesis (Machi McEvoy, 2016). The various pros and cons will allow designing the research that will be conducted in the future in order to understand the various merit and demerits of strategic outsourcing and the level of acceptance it has attained among the various organizations. Literature review The focus of this section is to provide a brief of the literature of the topic and finding out the possible gaps in the literature (Gallouj Zanfei, 2013). Nowadays, outsourcing has been a practice that is used by every company to get their work done by other organizations present in away locations. The features of outsourcing have many advantages and disadvantages that are brought to focus by previous researches that were done on the same topic. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing are- Outsourcing effectively brings down the cost of operation for a company. Organizations outsource their secondary work processes to places where the cost of resource is low. Developed countries outsource the work to developing countries because the cost of labor is low in those parts of the world (Anwar, 2013). Companies like IBM have successfully done this and passed on their secondary works to countries like India and this has led to the reduction in the costs and the company has went to top position in the current market. Experts do the work when it is outsourced because outsourcing firms hire experts to deal with the work that pours in. The cost of developing expertise in the needed labor force is way higher and hence outsourcing the work to expert results in better quality of work being done for the company (Schwarz, 2014). Outsourcing enhances the effectiveness of the work force because the non-core activities are outsourced and the primary workforce can focus entirely on the core activities of the company (Schniederjans, Schniederjans Schniederjans, 2015). This leads to better quality in the services of the company. The control over the outsourcing firms is much stipulated and hence it cannot be assured that always the organization will work according to the terms of the organization that is outsourcing its work. The management has no control and hence it leads to the reduction in the quality of work because there is no such quality check before the work is passed on in the final stage (Goetsch Davis, 2014). This a huge disadvantage and it leads to the damage of the companys reputation in the market due to the supply of poor quality products, which are partly due to the outsourced material or service. Employment levels take a hit when the work is outsourced in bulks. The unemployed population may be capable of doing the work but they are not given any opportunity to work and are hence left unemployed because all such work are already outsourced due to the low cost in other countries (Bandyopadhyay, Marjit Yang, 2014). This is a prime scenario in countries like Australia. The literature gap lies in understanding that apart from the various advantages and disadvantages that are present in the process, it a factor to decide that which level of outsourcing should be selected by the company in order to gain the most benefit from it. The various levels of outsourcing are- Tactical Outsourcing- This level of outsourcing depends mainly on making the decision based on the factor of cost. Lack of monetary resources, lead the companies to selecting this level of outsourcing. Strategic outsourcing brings about obvious benefits as improved money reserve funds, limiting the requirement for future ventures and settling staffing issues (Hodari, Waldthausen Sturman, 2014). Large organizations undertake such outsourcing techniques for their HR administration, payroll activities or logistics. Strategic Outsourcing- This is the most effective level of outsourcing and all the successful operations turn to this for optimizing their performance in the market. In this level, the company aligns the focus of the workers according to the primary motives of the company (Xiao, Xia Zhang, 2014). This leads to long-term value returns for the company and allows the best services to represent the company. Transformational Outsourcing- This gives the business a new definition and enables the company to create sustainable advantage over its competitors and gain higher profit to maintain the peak position in the market (Lacity Willcocks, 2013). These levels are all inclusive of various risks that may result to loss for the company but still most of the companies prefer the first two levels despite knowing the risks because they ensure long-term benefit and direct cost reduction in the process. While outsourcing any work, it always should be noted that the place to which the work is being outsourced should have all the resources that will result to benefit of the organization. If the resource base is inadequate then it will be ineffective in producing good quality of work in the days to come and the company shall eventually face a loss by outsourcing the work. Research Design and Methodology Data will be collected from small sample groups belonging to two different organizations, which use two different levels of outsourcing. According to Neuman (2013), qualitative data is collected in small sets by conducting interviews. The interview for this research will be conducted among the top managers of two different organizations and the answers are expected to reflect the quality that is prevalent in the work scenario. Quantitative research In this method, numerical data will be collected from the organizations archived database about the profit and loss that has been incurred due to outsourcing (Neuman, 2013). The employee survey will be conducted to find out their satisfaction and the overall work environment in the two different organizations that use two different levels of outsourcing out of which one should use Strategic outsourcing. Both the methods will be used to get a conclusion on the research questions that are proposed in this research proposal. Research limitation The sample size and variety will be small because only two companies will be taken for conducting the research. Less number of people is in the managerial posts and hence the sample size for certain interviews will be too small to get a larger picture (Neuman, 2013). The data that will be taken into account for the analysis from the database of the organization may be biased and manipulated in order to project a better image of the company to the public. The respondents who belong to the managerial rank will provide bias response when they will be asked about the employee satisfaction and company growth in the recent years because negative feedback from them will put light on their inability to run the company successfully. The budget of the research is very limited and hence that will restrict the number of companies that will be surveyed. The low budget will restrict travelling to other destinations to get the data for better understanding of the situation in respect to outsourcing practices around the globe. Time Schedule The first month of the schedule will go into finalizing the topic for the research and the subsequent months will go in gathering the data from various sources. From the 3rd month onwards, the literature review shall be conducted to get a better idea about the grounds that are to be covered in the research. The final stages will include analyzing the project and concluding it along with making a rough draft to be submitted. All this will be done roughly in a period of 6-7 months. Conclusion To conclude, the practice of outsourcing can lead to various outcomes which can have all sort of implications to an organizations progress. The research is expected to conclude in favor of the practices of strategic outsourcing but there are many section that will arise as the data is analyzed after being collected from the relevant sources. Outsourcing is a major practice that is present in all organizations in some form or the other. The various processes are being outsourced to enable a faster rate of work and increase the performance of the workers by making them focus on issues that are core in their nature. The outsourcing has led to many failures too and the entire conclusion can be drawn once the research is completed and a wider answer is provided to the proposed research question. Reference list Anwar, S. (2013). Outsourcing and the skilledunskilled wage gap. Economics Letters,118(2), 347-350. Bandyopadhyay, S., Marjit, S., Yang, L. (2014). International oligopoly, barriers to outsourcing and domestic employment.Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'conomique,47(4), 1372-1386. Dolgui, A., Proth, J. M. (2013). Outsourcing: definitions and analysis.International Journal of Production Research,51(23-24), 6769-6777. Gallouj, F., Zanfei, A. (2013). Innovation in public services: Filling a gap in the literature.Structural change and economic dynamics,27, 89-97. Goetsch, D. L., Davis, S. B. (2014).Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Guers, C., Martin, C., Wybo, J. L. (2014, September). The impact of the use of subcontracting on organizational reliability and safety. In24th European Safety and Reliability Conference-ESREL 2014(pp. 1027-1035). London, Taylor Francis Group. Hodari, D., Waldthausen, V., Sturman, M. (2014). Outsourcing and role stress: An empirical study of hotel spa managers.International Journal of Hospitality Management,37, 190-199. Lacity, M. C., Willcocks, L. P. (2013). Outsourcing business processes for innovation.MIT Sloan management review,54(3), 63. Machi, L. A., McEvoy, B. T. (2016).The literature review: Six steps to success. Corwin Press. Neuman, W. L. (2013).Social research methods: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Schniederjans, M. J., Schniederjans, A. M., Schniederjans, D. G. (2015).Outsourcing and insourcing in an international context. Routledge. Schwarz, C. (2014). Toward an understanding of the nature and conceptualization of outsourcing success.Information Management,51(1), 152-164. Xiao, T., Xia, Y., Zhang, G. P. (2014). Strategic outsourcing decisions for manufacturers competing on product quality.Iie Transactions,46(4), 313-329.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Conciliar Movement And Schism Essays - Western Schism

The Conciliar Movement And Schism Exemplified by the Babylonian Captivity, the problems, which aroused in the eleventh century papacy, were nothing that could be overlooked. Eventually causing the schism and conciliar movement, the corruption of those leaders of the Catholic Church was caused by a question of who had more power, the king or the pope? The quest for more power in the papacy resulted in the beginning of the reform movement, another reason for the European states to politically separate, and caused the church to reevaluate its system of power. A question of power and control was plaguing the pope and the king. Attacks ricocheted back and forth between Pope Boniface the VIII and King Philip IV, each thought they held more power than the other did. In earlier days, it would have been no question as to whom could manipulate the other into giving up power, the pope would only have to threaten excommunication and the king would give in to the papal demands. Philip was not one to fear excommunication as those ahead of him had; the Church was not greater than he was. Eventually Philip tired of the games between himself and the papacy and had Boniface killed to settle the problem. This only lead to a greater argument. The inability to bargain with the royalty in Italy drove the papacy to take a liking to the French offer to move the center of the Church to Avignon. France sees the power in holding the Church within its lands and persuades the papal leaders to bring the Church on French soil. The move of the Church marked an uprising of immorality among the Church leaders. The papacy was known for their immoral behavior, bearing children, having affairs, being publicly drunk, and even participating in orgies. The papacy also participated in the sale of indulgences, in which they gave positions in the church as well as forgiveness and salvation for money. The conditions were bad in Italy, some leaders wanted to go back, but instead they took advantage of France. A reaction to the decline of morals among church leaders, many people began to question the Universal Church. Lead by such people as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus, the reform movement began. Reformers believed that the middleman should be removed-the popes, bishops, cardinals-and that people could have direct contact with God. There would be no dependence on corrupt Church leaders to save you; your salvation was based on faith alone. After many arguments and pleas from the people, the papacy is moved back to Rome, only to enter the period of The Great Schism. Pope Urban VI comes into power and loses favor of some other leaders. Everyone in the papacy is so used to self-indulgence, they decide they have the right to elect another pope if they so choose. Pope Clement VII is elected. Thus begins the schism; Clement VII is taken to Avignon to continue immoral-moral practices while Urban VI remains in Rome, causing two popes from which to choose allegiance and two centers of the Church. Religion was a large part of Europeans' lives during this period, other countries could not sit back and watch the church be controlled by only two countries. Diplomatic allegiance choices were made according to long standing rivalries. England supports Italy and Urban VI because of their shaky relations with France, while the Scots back France because of their relations with England. The schism gives rivaling countries yet another reason to separate themselves from one another; it feeds the already existing fire. It has come to the realization of the leaders of the Church that this matter must be resolved. The Conciliar Movement begins in order to create a church council to regulate power of the papacy, end the abuses, and end the schism. The Council of Pisa began the remedying process by deciding a council will share the power and decision making with the papacy. A new pope was elected at this meeting, yet all people still do not recognize him, which allows the problems and schism to continue. A meeting of the Council of Constance finally ends the schism. Attempts for the balance of power through a church council failed; the pope would not approve

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Executive Summary Research Paper Example

Executive Summary Paper The report started with the introductory remarks, and then subsequently summarizes the operations of Cordial Design Ltd, theoretical aspects, analysis ND findings of industrial relation, major findings and the closing part consists of conclusion and recommendations. The introduction of this report is emphasized the background, objective, purpose, scope, data analysis and reporting, methodology and the limitations of the report. Data have been collected through structured interview, conversation and from company profiles. The second part of the report summarizes the operations of Cordial Design Ltd includes many significant components. This chapter covers the historical overview, mission/vision, objectives, services, major product, marketing network, price of the product, and SOOT analysis of Cordial Design Ltd. The theoretical aspect of this report is mentioned regarding definition of industrial relation, related terms of industrial relation, objectives and actors in industrial relation, importance and theories of industrial relation. Next part focused on the analysis and findings of overall industrial relation scenario in of Cordial Design Ltd, depiction of organism, manpower, and activities of HER department of Cordial Design Ltd. In this part we have done a survey with some define questionnaire and based on that findings we illustrate overall industrial relation, main constraints behind sound industrial relation, procedure of recruiting and selecting of new employees, techniques to use assess training needs, approaches to apply setting disputes, employee performance, procedure of employee termination, solving techniques of internal conflict, available compensation package, preferred compensation package, types availability of on-the-job and off he-job training, expected outcomes from training, further assessment of promotion criteria career proceed in Cordial Design Ltd. Next part covers the major finding of the overall industrial relation in Cordial Design Ltd. We will write a custom essay sample on Executive Summary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Executive Summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Executive Summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We found complex functional structure and unrealistic goal setting is the main constraints behind sound industrial relation in Cordial Design Ltd. Not only that there are some internal, external as well as legal factors involved at the time of recruitment in Cordial Design Ltd. Also this part covers the employee termination approach in Cordial Design Ltd. Then the conclusion of this report encompasses the overall industrial relation along with all the negative and positive edges in Cordial Design Ltd. This organization not only contributes in national economy but also helps the poor and associated communities with regular supplementary income. Thus industrial relation of that organization should be in a standard so that it not only satisfied its staffs but also gives the best comfort to its internal staffs as ell by ensuring best practicing industrial relation standards. The recommendation part measures to improve the present industrial relation in Cordial Design Ltd. We recommend redesigning the attractiveness of the job and trying to shrinkage government influence. Also practiced some structured training for their employees including both on-the-job and off-the- job training. Payment structure is another recommended area where Cordial Design Ltd. Can focus if they want to establish a good industrial relation.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Healthcare, Cultural Beliefs and Pakistani Americans Essays

Healthcare, Cultural Beliefs and Pakistani Americans Essays Healthcare, Cultural Beliefs and Pakistani Americans Paper Healthcare, Cultural Beliefs and Pakistani Americans Paper Essay Topic: Eva Luna Cultural Beliefs and Healthcare Healthcare’s purpose in general, and Nursing’s purpose in particular, is to provide care and nurture the health of each person with whom the healthcare system comes into contact. Perceptions, however, of what healthcare and nursing entail or should entail are not universal. Perceptions of the same are often derived from a person’s culture or socio-demographic background, and his awareness of and accessibility to healthcare services. Cultural values often dictate a person’s behavior to his health or reaction to any sickness. In order to develop a health system that strives to fulfill any person’s best health potential, then culture must be considered such that any healthcare program or intervention must be culturally sensitive and include cultural mechanisms that better embrace the needs of each individual patient. The purpose of this paper is to describe one particular cultural group in the United States: Pakistani Americans, and offer recommendations how a healthcare system may better foster care for Pakistani Americans by learning about and incorporating certain culturally appropriate services to their healthcare system. The results of an interview conducted in the home of Mustafa (who does not want his last name used due to privacy issues) are based on M. Leininger’s Sunrise Model. The recommendations at the end are based in most part on the interview data. Leininger’s Sunrise Model in Brief In Leininger’s Sunrise Model visualizes the different dimensions of Leininger’s Culture Care Theory. It illustrates a complete view of the different yet closely related dimensions of the theory. The Sunrise Model in this study is used as a cognitive map to orient one with Pakistani-American culture and to depict the different dimensions of the theory. The central purpose of Leininger’s theory is culture care (Leininger, 1991, p. 35). The goal as established by the Culture Care Theory is to provide culturally congruent care to individuals, families, groups, communities and institutions. Culturally congruent care is defined as â€Å"those cognitively based assistive, supportive facilitative, or enabling acts or decisions that are mostly tailor made to fit with an individual’s, group’s, or institution’s cultural values, beliefs, and lifeways in order to provide meaningful, beneficial, satisfying care that leads to health and well-being. † (Leininger, 1995, p. 75). The theory helps a healthcare practitioner learn about the worldview of a group of people or an individual from that group. As briefly noted earlier, a person or group derives its cultural and social structure dimensions from that worldview, and it is the latter that defines their existence. These cultural and social dimensions influence care patterns and healthcare practices. The Culture Theory states that there are seven cultural and social structure dimensions: Technological factors, Religious and philosophical factors, Kinship and social factors, Cultural values and lifeways, Political and legal factors, Economic factors, and Educational factors. Due to space limitations, not all dimensions of the Culture Care Theory, as depicted and represented by the Sunrise Mode, can be considered in this paper, and those considered are: Religion, Cultural Values, and Political Factors, but first an overview of Pakistani-Americans is provided so as to provide an additional means to context. Pakistani-Americans: An Overview In 1947, Pakistan received its independence from British India. The new nation was created on the basis of Islam so that Muslims from British India would have a nation to of their own, as opposed to India, which remained largely Hindu. According to the CIA World Fact book, 95% of the population of Pakistan is Muslim, and of that percentage, 75% are Sunni Muslims and 20% are Shi’a Muslims. The other remaining 5% of the population are Christian and Hindu. Pakistan is not a secular state, and the state religion is indeed Islam. Religion enters many aspects of the Pakistani political and social life. Since Pakistan came into existence relatively recently, in 1947, any record of the life of Pakistani Americans can really only begin since that year, but prior to that year, there were Muslim immigrants coming to the United States from British India, and the region that is now Pakistan. In the early 1900s, around 2,000 Indians, including both Muslims and Hindus, worked alongside immigrants from China, Italy and Japan to build the Western Pacific Railway in California. (Smith, 2008, and Jensen, 1988). Other Indians worked on other construction projects throughout the Western states, but particularly California. Sometimes an Imam was brought to the fields with them, and the Imam would pray from the Koran several times a day when the Muslim men took their breaks. (Jensen, 1988). Some Indians returned to their country after they had saved considerable funds, but many more remained in the United States. While those who stayed faced racial prejudice, the Muslims also were subject to religious prejudice. The United States was and is mostly Christian, and difference, especially at that period of history, was not tolerated and embraced. There were calls that those in the United States be expelled while further calls were made to deny Muslims entry to the United States. (Smith, 2008). The Asiatic Exclusion League (AEL) was organized in 1907 to encourage the expulsion of Asian workers, including Indian Hindus and Muslims. (Jensen, 1988). The years to follow were met with legislation introduced into the Congress to deny Muslim Indians visas, residency and citizenship rights. Most of these pieces of legislation were defeated, however, and in 1947, Congress passed a bill that would allow naturalization to those Indians in the United States. (Smith, 2008). According to reports form the Immigration and Naturalization Service cited in Jansen (1988), from 1947 to the mid 1960s, there were only around 2,500 Pakistani immigrants in the United States. Since 1965, the Untied States has seen the largest migration of Pakistanis to the United States. Numbers of Pakistani immigrants swelled after 1970, with thousands of Pakistanis entering the United States each year since that time. Like their Asian Indian counterparts, they tended to be urban, well-educated, and professional. Many of them had come from cities like Karachi and Lahore, and were familiar with Western culture and ways of living. However, the dependents and relatives that they have since sponsored for permanent residence in and citizenship to the United States in the years after 1965 have tended to be characterized by lower levels of education. The 1990 U. S. Census indicates that there were around 100,000 Pakistani-Americans in the United States. The largest percentage, 32% is in the Northeast, with 27% in the South, 21% in the West and 20% in the Midwest. The Highest concentrations of Pakistani Americans are in New York, California and Illinois. It seems they tend to settle in large cities as a reflection possibly of their cities in Pakistan, i. e. Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. It also is a reflection of course to move where the availability of employment is better. Due to their short history in the United States, and relatively small numbers of immigration as compared to others, there has been very little written about the Pakistani-American community. Scholars write about ethnic communities in the United States, but they tend to put the larger Asian Indian sub-continent community together as one community, rather that the many diverse communities it encompasses. For instance in a study undertaken by Kananur Chandras in Arab, Armenian, Syrian, Lebanese, East Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi Americans: A Study and Source Book (San Francisco: ER Research Associates, 1977), little is done to distinguish between Asian Indian, Pakistani Americans and Bangladeshi Americans. There is an assumption too that because Pakistanis are overwhelmingly Muslim, then they can be listed under the heading of America’s Arab Muslim community. There are also no comprehensive lists of Pakistani-American organizations or newspapers. This study was undertaken with the help of one interviewee, Mustafa, allowing me to enter his home. Conclusions about the Cultural Phenomenon of Pakistani-Americans Culture is a word used as if an umbrella to encompasses various dimensions, as outlined by Leiningers Sunrise Model. As mentioned, due to time and space constraints, only the topics that seemed most relevant and pertinent to my interview with Mustafa are included in this paper, and they are: (1) Religion, (2) Cultural Values, and (3) Economic and Education Factors. The following is a discussion of my data and literature review. Religion Muslims are devout people who often visit a mosque once a week, usually on Friday afternoons. They are guided in prayer by an Imam at the mosque. Women and men sit separately, and in many mosques there is a separate room for women. Both men and women must keep their arms and legs covered while they are in the mosque; they should also cover their heads, but for men, the latter is not always followed. Children are also encouraged to attend education classes that are based on the Islam faith. Most Pakistani-Americans are devout Muslims. Religion has always played a prominent role in the lives of Pakistanis, and that includes Pakistani-Americans. The Koran is their path in life and they greet each other with Salum Aleikum, which was how I was greeted at the door by Mustafa. When I first walked into Mustafas House, his grandfather was sitting in a chair in a corner, and his fingers rubbed over his prayer beads. Muslims pray five times a day towards their holy city Mecca, Egypt. In the corner of the room behind the grandfathers chair was a mat rolled up. It was my impression that he, or they, used this mat when praying. One thing I noticed was that there were no pictures on the wall of family or friends or pieces of art. The walls were rather plain apart from something that looked like calligraphy on velvet red paper, and framed nicely in a deep blue frame. In Islam, according to the Koran, idolatry is forbidden, and this is why I believe, or at least noted, that this family did not keep pictures of people, whether family or friends or movie stars, on their walls. Pakistani-Americans also remain very sensitive about the roles and place of the sexes. Islam has strict rules that apply to men and women, girls and boys. In general, Pakistani culture, as interpreted by Islam, is a very patriarchal culture. The man is head of the house. So it seemed too in this house. When Mustafas wife and sister came into the living room to be a part of the discussion we were having, they sat on cushions on the floor, as opposed to sitting on the very couch that was behind them. However, when Mustafas son came in, he sat on the couch. It may have been personal preference, but it was a very visual representation of patriarchy that is in Pakistani culture. Further, the son spoke often. He is only 10 years old, but wanted to talk a lot and spoke in English. On the other hand, Mustafas wife never spoke, except for a few whispers to Mustafas sister, and that too was not in English. Mustafas sister did speak, but it was only twice, and it was to ask where I was attending school. She did speak mostly in English, but oftentimes looked at the grandfather for approval, and even, it seemed, she looked at Mustafa and her nephew for their approval as well. Mustafa told her it was fine, speak up, but he never mentioned it to his wife, to say that it was fine to speak. Three quarters into the interview, both women left, to retreat to the kitchen, where they made more tea and placed some cookies on a plate for us to eat. Once they had replenished our tea and gave us the cookies, they returned to the kitchen and I never saw them again until I said goodbye. Cultural Values Food is important to many cultures; it is both a symbol and a connector. Nowhere is food more important to a culture than the cultures of the Indian sub-continent. In Pakistan, as in India, there are regional variations that exist, but Pakistani cuisine in general tends to be highly spiced. These spices include cumin, turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and of course chili powder. The first two and last are from the Indian sub-continent, while those in between are influences from their Arab neighbors. Unlike some Hindus, meat is an important part of their dish, and it includes lamb, goat and beef. For devout Muslims, the meat should be halaal, or kosher, such that the meat is cut in a way that ensures the slow draining of blood from the animal. The latter is for religious reasons, thus, exemplifying another area where religion plays an intricate role in the lives of Pakistanis. Keeping with the tradition of Islam, Pakistanis do not eat pork. This is opposite to their neighbor India, where the large part of the population is Hindu, and they do not eat beef, but can eat pork. Considering above where scholars today tend to lump Asians together, this is a very important distinction between Muslim Pakistanis and Hindu Indians. It would be highly offensive to give any Muslim pork, and likewise, to give any Hindu Indian beef! Food is as important to culture as spiritual wellness is important to the health of the body. Many Americans believe that food factors in as one of the most important aspects to attaining and maintaining a healthy body and lifestyle. That means eating fruits and vegetables and low fat foods that are not fried. Food for Pakistani-Americans is a means to keep their culture alive and their family together. The women, like Mustafas wife and sister, spend hours in the kitchen preparing dinner, then everyone gathers together to eat. Their foods are high in fat as many are fried and they tend to use a lot of oil and ghee. Thinking of food as a source of health does not equate to them as health for the body, but health for the mind and soul. Food combined with religion is good for the soul and the family. Islam does not believe in a mind/body dualism. On the contrary, it is religion that is good for the body, making the body and mind one. Maintaining spiritual peace is thought to be essential to their health. (Athar, 1998). Those who keep to traditions may believe that disease can be a direct consequence or rather punishment from God for any sin that that person or someone close to that person has committed. (Athar, 1998). Therefore, it can be deduced that if one follows religious teachings and does not commit any sin which is outlined in the Koran or Islamic teachings, then one may remain healthy, both body and mind. When I inquired into this aspect of their culture, Mustafa concurred. He left the room momentarily and returned with what he called a taawiz. Its an amulet that contains verses from the Koran, and Muslims wear it when they are sick. Mustafa told me a story that when his son was five years old and had pneumonia, they made him wear this and within a couple of days, to the surprise of his physician, his son was feeling much better. He said that the taawizes are symbols of their faith, and that they are given by Imams and worm usually by adults to cure and prevent illness, which are often caused by the commission of sins. Another cultural symbol and large aspect of not only a Muslim Pakistani-Americans life, but to all Muslims, is Ramadan. Mustafa said that this is a time to where Muslims can heal, and when he said that I felt again as though he was meaning both spiritually and physically. During Ramadan, Pakistani Muslims fast from the first day light until sunset. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. During the fast of Ramadan, Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden. His grandfather went to Mecca once during Ramadan, and he believes that is why he has been able to live such a long and healthy life. It is Mustafas hope too that he will be able to visit Mecca, or Medina, in the future. Apart from the body and mind being one, and that following religious teachings, one may stay healthy, there is also traditional medicine which is a part of their culture. So if one does get sick, and nothing else seems to cure it, ayurveda medicine is sought along with conventional medicine. Mustafa seemed very flexible on which medicine to use, and it seemed that this was symbolized in part by the arrangement of his home. It was decorated with beautiful rugs and calligraphy, something about the place made you feel you were in another world. It could have been the smells as well, as cumin and cinnamon were very potent. These things were mixed with a flat screen TV and an Xbox 360 station in the opposite end of the room. The mix of western and eastern culture in the room reflected his words when he said he is very much flexible if they use ayurvedic or western medicine. In fact, they have both in the house for headaches, stomach pain, etc. Economic Education Factors According to the U. S. Census report, the profile of the Pakistani American today is dramatically different from the earliest Muslims immigrants from the Indian subcontinent, who came to the United States as manual and agricultural workers with few skills and little or no education. Many Pakistani American males who entered the United States after 1965 were well educated, urban, and sophisticated. They found professions in law, medicine and academia. In the post-1965 wave of immigration, many Pakistanis also came to America as students who earned graduate degrees, and once they received their degrees they pursued careers in their fields in the United States and eventually attained permanent resident status, and for many, citizenship. On the other hand, there are some Pakistanis who have immigrated to the United States, who failed to find positions within their specific fields because their qualifications and experience did not transfer readily to the American context. Many unfortunately have taken jobs well below their qualifications, but there are others who have either retrained themselves in other professions or fields, or pursued continued education their respective fields. Again, according to the U. S. Census, most of the Pakistani community lives a comfortable, middle-class and upper-middle-class lifestyle. Although there are incidences of poverty among newer uneducated immigrants, but on the whole, they are doing very well. The latter immigrants, however, tend to take low-paying jobs involving manual or unskilled labor and tend to live in big cities where such jobs are readily available. Many Pakistani-Americans also own their own businesses, including restaurants, groceries, and clothing and appliance stores. It is common to include members of the extended and immediate family in their business. Pakistani Americans tend to follow the residence pattern set by other Americans, in that they move to more affluent suburbs as their prosperity increases. Members of the community believe in the symbolic importance of owning homes; accordingly, Pakistani Americans tend to save and make other monetary sacrifices earlier on in order to purchase their own homes as soon as possible. Members of the family and the larger community tend to take care of each other, and to assist in times of economic need. Hence, it would be more common to turn to a community member for economic assistance rather than to a government agency. Relatively low levels of the community are therefore on welfare and public assistance. All these things seem to resonate with Mustafa. Their home is in an upper middle class community. He owns three restaurants where his brothers and a few nephews work. He was well educated before moving to the United States, but his field was in medicine, and he could not find a job with his education background and experience. He did not want to return to school so started one restaurant. Upon its success, he was able to open two other restaurants. As mentioned, he is well educated, and he wants his sister to finish college and his son to go to a very good school. He hopes his son will be a doctor as well, or maybe a lawyer. He believes in education and knows that it can bring you economic success. He says that it was his education that gave him the skills to learn to manage a business, and though he was a trained doctor, it was education that made him see the world differently and gave him skills. Recommendations to Promote Culturally Congruent Competent Care In order to provide culturally congruent care, there must a review of traditional and professional health care systems and a synthesis of these aspects put together. The care provided would be unique for each individual as a result of this synthesis. Overall, however, any existing behavior and lifestyles that are good for health should not be changed. Furthermore, culture care accommodation refers to those assistive, supporting, facilitative, or enabling professional actions and decisions that help people of a designated culture to adapt to, or to negotiate with, others for a beneficial or satisfying health outcome with professional care providers. (Leininger 1991, p. 48). The latter must be considered in any healthcare plan. A first step could be to elicit the persons perspective by asking such questions as: What do you call the problem? Why do you think this problem or illness has occurred? What do you think the illness does? What do you think the natural course of the illness is? These types of questions will flush out any religious beliefs they may have about their illness. Then ask: How do you think the sickness should be treated? This question will clue you into if they want ayurvedic or other traditional medicine used in combination with western medicine. Then ask: Who do you turn to for help? Who should be included in the decision-making process? Pakistanis are very close and it is the family as one unit that often makes decisions. There are other measures that can be taken, such that pork should not be served if the person must be hospitalized. The healthcare provider should be cognizant of Ramadan. Also, if there is a Muslim Pakistani-American who needs healthcare, if may be wise to ask if she prefers a female doctor. The same may be true for male Pakistani-Americans. Overall, it is wise to be alert and knowledgeable of other cultures. It will help promote goodwill as well as healthy relationships for everyone, and the society all together. Bibliography Athar, S. Information for health care providers when dealing with a Muslim patient. Islamic Medical Association of North America, IL: The Library of Islam. Balagopal, Padmini, et al. Indian and Pakistani Food Practices, Customs, and Holidays. Chicago, IL: The American Dietetic Association, 1996. Jensen, Joan. Passage From India: Asian Indian Immigrants in North America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. Leininger MM. (1997). Overview and Reflection of the Theory of Culture Care and the Ethnonursing Method. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 8:2, 32–52. Leininger MM. Culture Care Diversity and Universality: A Theory of Nursing. National League for Nursing Press, New York, 1991. Smith, Jane I. Patterns of Muslim Immigrations. International Information Programs, retrieved on October 23, 2008 from ;http://usinfo. state. gov/products/pubs/muslimlife/immigrat. htm;. Williams, Raymond Brady. Religions of Immigrants from India and Pakistan: New Threads in the American Tapestry. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988. U. S. Census. (2000) Retrieved on October 23, 2008 from ;www. census. gov;.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Business Time Travel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Time Travel - Essay Example The researcher of the paper "Business Time Travel" states that having lived at a time when mass production and communication technology was not as advanced as it is today as noted by Jacob, Edison would have to learn how to use the Internet and modern principles of management. In terms of business management, the Wizard of Menlo Park would be quite challenged with how to apply the theories learned in operations research. He would possibly have problems in performing extensive market research using statistical analysis and optimizing business performance considering various forces that are at play today. Edison would also quite be challenged in using technology to the advantage of his organization. Having lived at a time when the Internet was yet to be a reality, he would need to adopt the Internet as opposed to telegraphs which were essentially slower. This is so considering that in the modern world business managers have to make decisions fast based on facts so as to remain competitive in every possible way. In managing today’s business properly, Edison should consider the importance of computer and modern communication technology such as mobile phones in making decisions and accessing information concerning the workforce in real time. He should also consider accepting diversity in the workforce given that people of different cultural backgrounds are bound to make up the human resource of the company. Yet again, Edison should learn the complexity of dealing with today’s workforce in regard to their rights and need or being unified by trade unions