Cross-cultural Training for Expatriate Managers Essay Example for Free

Cross-cultural Training for Expatriate Managers Essay The emergence theories of charismatic and transformational leadership have formed our understanding of these topics in the past decade. While the terms charisma and transformational leadership have often been interchanged, Bass (1990) clarifies that charisma forms a part of transformational leadership. Within Bass’s approach, transformational leadership includes charisma (providing a vision and a sense of mission and raising follower’s self-expectations), intellectual stimulations (assisting employees emphasize rational solutions and challenge old assumptions), and individualized consideration (developing employees and coaching). Furthermore, Bass (1990) emphasized that transformational leadership also goes beyond transactional leadership (or contingent reward such as the exchange of rewards for efforts) in elevating leaders and helping followers achieve higher levels of organizational functioning. Hence with an increased level of interest in conceptual framework of transformational leadership, several studies have documented the benefits and importance of changing leadership styles. Koh et al. (1995) study show that there is a significant correlation between transformational leadership facets and organizational functioning. In fact, the study shows that subordinates’ satisfaction with their supervisors is associated with the extent which supervisors manifest transformational leadership. In addition, several researches suggest the importance of transformational leadership as a precursor to some aspects of financial performance (Howell and Frost 1989, Howell and Avolio 1993). Ultimately, the significance of transformational leadership in an organization cannot be adequately understood without comprehending how changing leadership styles is both possible and likely to result in changes in subordinates’ perceptions, attitudes, or performance. Barling et al.’s (1996) research suggests that an effective training program on developing transformational leadership at different organizational levels can increase an employee’s morale, commitment, and overall performance. Barling et al.’s (1996) study also extends prior researches (Kirkpatrick and Locke 1996, Howell and Frost 1989) suggesting that there is strong positive correlation between transformational leadership, commitment, and financial performance. In line with this, the case of United Motors Company (UMC) suggests developing the company culture to better respond to the market needs. As such, one of the goals of H. Arthur Grommet was to develop and to hone leadership skills at different managerial levels. Because Mr. Grommet had inherited the most conservative and bureaucratic management in the industry, he organized a management traineeship program wherein management trainees were recruited from top business schools in the US, and selection from internal management to participate in the training program was also done. The program, â€Å"LeaderMex† was then developed with the mission to identify, train, and monitor UMC’s managers who have strong performance records and the desire to work for their new subsidiary in Mexico. The high-profile program indicates that participants will assume positions with high responsibility and is a â€Å"fast-track† program in identifying potential leaders within the company. Individuals who qualify for the program are expatriated to Mexico and undergo rotations within at least two corporate divisions from three to five years. After which, the employees are promoted to higher positions after two years upon return to the US. While the LeaderMex program is aimed at identifying internal leaders within the company, Human Resources has noted numerous problems that have faced by expatriate managers. At the start, there was no human relations program in place. Managers undergo a three day seminar on labor law and complete a language course before going to Mexico. However, as human relations realize that language alone is not a barrier, the organization recognized the need for a specific training on cultural awareness and the effect of cultural differences on employee attitudes and performance. In response to the problems, a â€Å"cultural awareness† training program has been developed for managers prior to their relocation and assignment to Mexico. A series of trainings were developed for managers to understand how to work in different cultural environment and in how to handle human relations problems that may arise in the course of operations in Mexico. Top management has recommended the following goals for the training program design: (1) introducing managers to the cultural differences between the United States and Mexico, (2) presenting some typical problems American managers face in that company as well as solutions to the problems, and (3) reducing the amount of time needed to adapt to managing in Mexico. Top management has assigned the Human Resources staff members, and possibly using the services of external consultant, in conducting the training program. The value of the â€Å"cultural awareness† program in this case cannot be overemphasized. UMC’s move to set-up a subsidiary in Mexico only presents the increased internationalization and interpersonal cross-cultural contact within the company. In an effort to regain competitiveness in the global automotive industry, the need for UMC to develop the requisite skills in its employees to work within diverse cultures has become an important component in its strategy. Moreover, as UMC has created the LeaderMex program to expatriate leaders in order to build and integrate the technology and culture of the new subsidiary, UMC must provide support functions for expatriate leaders in the new subsidiary. As such, a number of studies advocate cross-cultural training as a means of facilitating the expatriate’s ability to adjust to the new environment (Brislin 1981; Landis and Brislin 1983; Mendenhall and Oddou 1986; Tung, 1987). The need for the support structures in training for the expatriate program can be seen in the cost of an expatriate assignment. According to the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) survey in 2002, a three year expatriate assignment for an employee with a $75,000 to $100,000 base salary costs an employer $1 million total. Moreover, the cost of a poor staffing decision could range from $200,000 to $1.2 million (the figure only includes identifiable costs associated with compensation, training, development, etc.), and the rate of expatriate failures[1] ranges from 10% to 45%. The cost of an expatriate assignment, therefore, demonstrates how measurement and evaluation of the assignments are crucial for companies. Ultimately, the lack of necessary preparation, HR assistance and appropriate support for repatriation is the culprit for expatriates’ failure. In fact, the lack of understanding on the different dimensions of national culture in Mexico can lead to expatriates failures. Hostede (1993) identified the five dimensions of national culture as follows: (1) individualism-collectivism[2], (2) uncertainty avoidance[3], (3) masculinity-feminity[4], (4) power distance[5], and (5) time orientation[6]. Awareness of these dimensions will help develop cross-cultural preparation programs that include meaningful information regarding the culture the expatriates will find themselves working in. In addition, Minehan (2004) suggests that US expatriates in Mexico should understand cultural dimensions in four aspects. First, American assignees need a real understanding of the relationship between the two nations, Mexico and the U.S. In most cases Mexican colleagues will have a lot more knowledge of the U.S. than vice versa. Second, Americans are perceived to be arrogant and inflexible. For Mexicans, relationships are paramount. People in Mexico obey people, not rules. In the US, people obey rules, not people. Third, language proficiency may not necessarily be a requirement in conducting business; nevertheless, proficiency in Spanish can help assignees forge and develop interpersonal relationships. Speaking the language goes a long way in helping the expatriate gain respect among colleagues. Fourth, crime rates is a serious issue in Mexico, and expatriates must be willing to adapt to whatever security measures are required to keep them safe. Understanding these key aspects of Mexico’s culture and history can go a long way in establishing good working relationships in the new environment. While the content of the training program should highlight and assess the US expatriates understanding of Mexican culture and history, the training program should undergo different phases in the process. Noe (2002) suggest that the training program should have three phases: Phase 1 involves the pre-departure training, Phase 2 involves the on-site training, and Phase 3 is on the repatriation training. The pre-departure training should involve employees learning the language and an orientation in the new country’s culture and customs. Noe (2002) suggest that the type of training most suitable would be language training, cultural awareness and sensitivity training, and daily living training. Language training can be conducted in a classroom type setting, videos, or an interactive learning through conversations. Cultural awareness and sensitivity training aims to familiarize expatriates with cultural attitudes, communication styles, and cultural assumptions of the community. It also introduces the expatriates on the core cultural values, bias, and stereotypes that visitors need to be aware of. Daily living training includes providing expatriates with information about schools, housing, recreation and sports, shopping, transportation, utilities, banking, and health care facilities in the country. The on-site training involves continued orientation to the host country and its customs and cultures through formal programs or through a mentoring relationship. The type of training suggested by the Bureau of National Affairs’ Human Resources Library includes continued language training, orientation, and mentoring. It is advisable that every employee sent overseas for training has a person who is responsible for well-being and is two levels above them in the corporation. That person is tasked with ensuring that the offshore employee is kept in the loop and comes home periodically for meetings or just to hang out. In addition, the continued orientation to the host country through a mentor both for the expatriate and his/her family is a must during the adjustment process. It is important to maintain an active communication and provide company newsletters to expatriates as well. The repatriation prepares employees for return to the home country. It aims to reduce stress level and anxiety when they return. It is important to continue mentoring in the process and to organize career planning discussions with the expatriate. Repatriation phase is important and valuable to the company as expatriates have been equip with a good understanding of the global marketplace having been immersed in the different market. Expatriates also bring a global vision to day-to-day company practices. More importantly, they can be crucial members of international task forces and if left â€Å"un-valued†, they can become significant assets to competitors. The three phases are important in the overall training-program design and maximizing the return on investment of training-program. Nonetheless, it is important to note that while the LeaderMex program goal is to improve its market position by integrating the new subsidiary to UMC’s, the key of ensuring a sound global business is building a solid infrastructure with local talent. In the end, outstanding global organizations will hire the outstanding local people in every business around the world. LeaderMex will ultimately play an important role in the initial stages of building a company in a foreign location, but in the long run, a qualified, well-trained group of local managers will be the key factor to success. And, the reason for the development local managers can be because of the high costs associated with sending parent country nationals to foreign country with a high failure rate. Other benefits of developing local talents include local manager’s knowledge of the local market and business practices, cultural preferences, and local connections (Hsieh and Lavoie 1999). References Barling, J, Weber, T, and Kelloway K. (1996). Effects of Transformational Leadership Training on Attitudinal and Financial Outcomes: a Field Experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology 81 (6): 827-832. Bass, BM (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3): 19-36. Bass, BM and Avolio, BJ (1990). Transformational leadership development: Manual for the multifactor leadership questionnaire. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. The Bureau of National Affairs’Human Resources Library. (2000). Preparing Expatriates for Global Assignments. Corporate Leadership Council (1999). Effective Repatriation Strategies. Corporate Leadership Council (2001). Cultural Training for Expatriates. Hofstede, G. (1993). Cultural Constraints in Management Theories. Academy of Management Executive, 7, 81-94. Howell, JM and Frost PJ (1989). A laboratory study or charismatic leadership. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 43: 243-269. Hsieh, T. and Lavoie, J. (1999). Think global, hire local. McKinsey Quarterly. Joinson, C. (2002). Save thousands for expatriate. 47, 7. Kirkpatrick, SA, and Locke EA (1996). Direct and indirect effects of three core charismatic leadership components on performance and attitudes. Journal of Applied Psychology 81:36-51. Koh, WL, Steers, RM, and Terborg JR (1995). The effects of transformational leadership on teacher attitudes and student performance in Singapore. Journal of Organizational Behavior 16: 319-333. Mercer, W.M. (2000). Expatriates Risk Management Survey. Minehan, M. (2004). Prepping U.S. Employees for Mexican Success. SHRM Global Forum. Noe, R.A. (2002). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. SwaakR.A. Expatriate Failures. Executive Placement International Human Resources. Tarelli, E. (2003). How to Transfer Responsibilities to Local Nationals. SHRM Global Forum. [1] Expatriate failure is defined as â€Å"employees who return home before completing their assignments† [2] Individualism-collectivism describes the degree to which people act as individuals rather than as members of a group. [3] Uncertainty avoidance refers to the degree to which people prefer structure rather than unstructured situations [4] Masculinity-feminity refers to the extent to which the culture values behavior considered traditionally masculine (competitiveness) or feminine (helpfulness) [5] Power distance refers to expectations for unequal distribution of power in a hierarchy [6] Time orientation refers to the degree to which a culture focuses on the future rather than the past and present.

Putin And Yeltsin Foreign Policy Applications Politics Essay

Putin And Yeltsin Foreign Policy Applications Politics Essay Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin who was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999 and Vladimir Putin who served as the second President of the Russian Federation from 2000 to 2008 had similarities and differences in their foreign policy implementations. Yeltsin was dealing with chaotic economic conditions and a decreasing public support and failing reforms inside, while his successor Putin benefited from economic rise, rising oil prices and successful domestic reforms. Different conjunctures had different reflections in the Russian foreign policy of the presidents. In this paper, firstly, I tried to describe the conditions that Putin and Yeltsin encountered, then I made a comparison between the two leader in their foreign policy applications. Background In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia lost control over 5.3 million km2 of territory and 139 million citizens which included over 17% of the ethnic Russian population. Invaluable natural resources, historical and cultural sights, and some of the most advanced Soviet military infrastructure and equipment were also out of Moscows reach.  [1]  The world politics has turned to unipolarity from bipolarity. Russia was restricted with a shrinking economy and transition policies to free market economy. Moscow was in a disastrous chaotic economic situation after the collapse of communism. The Russian economy fell dramatically; experiencing goods shortages in 1991 and 2500% hyperin ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ation in 1992. In the 1990s, the dynamics of Russian foreign policies shifted considerably. In the Yeltsin era, Russia gradually withdrew from its global military and political role to focus its foreign policy on the transformation of the former superpower relationship with the United States and its relationship with Europe, and on the development of relations with the other states immediately on its borders.  [2]  But Russia lost the capacity to continue providing financial aids to the other states of the former Soviet Union and thus to maintain its economic attraction.  [3]  At the same time, there were NATO expansion and new European Union memberships were being made among nations of the former Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe. There was again the threat of dissolution of Russian territory. US led international investment started to get advantage of economic spaces in energy sector in the Caspian Basin in Central Asia. Russias economy deteriorated more badly when devolution occurred in 1998 . Russian energy power declined in the late 1980s and 1990s, due to low oil prices, the dislocations of the collapse of the USSR, and the privatization of many oil companies. Oil production decreased from 600 to 300 million tons per year between 1990 and 1995. However, Russias ample resources and extensive network of pipelines ensured that its petro-power was ready to re-emerge under President Putin.  [4]   After a noticeable decline under Yeltsin (starting from Gorbachev), the Putin era saw a resurgence of Russian power. Putin focused on recovery after a great economic depression. Russia, having the world largest energy resources, benefited positively from the increasing energy prices due to prevailing international concern about energy security, instability in the Middle East since 1999. This increase in prices gave great support to the Russian economy. Since 1999, Russias annual GDP growth was averaged between 6 and 7 percent. The government boasted a healthy budget surplus and record currency reserves.  [5]   Since 2000, having the advantage of improving economic power which was in chaotic condition in Yeltsin era, Putin started to use soft power to influence neighboring states to implement its regional policies and he also evaded from using its military power to ensure its geopolitical position. Russia has turned itself from a dead military superpower into a new energy superpower in Putin Era by using soft power. Energy revenues no longer supported a massive military-industrial complex as they did in the Soviet period. As Fiona Hill underlines, new oil wealth has been turned more into butter than guns. Russian natural gas, technology, culture, consumer goods, and job opportunities became a Russian power in Ukraine, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.  [6]  And energy-rich countries like Kazakhstan benefited from the same oil price increase as Russia. As Eurasian economies started to recover and grow, Russias neighbors began to look to it as a market for their exports.  [7]  Since then dependency on Russia grew increasingly. The emergence of new transnational threats to US and Western interests, especially terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and the Middle East, shifted international priorities. It was also evident that, with the notable exception of the three Baltic states, none of the other states of the former Soviet Union was likely to be a viable candidate for membership of either NATO or the EU in the near term.  [8]   Similarities in Foreign Policy Implementations Russia doesnt want world domination as it did in Soviet times, but plan to rebuild itself as a great power. Russian foreign policy implementation of both presidents is different from Soviet Era and Tsarist Era policies. For Moscow, in general Eurasian politics are no longer priority. Ideology doesnt exist and military power is hardly appealing. Multipolarity is a key concept of Russias foreign policy both in Yeltsin and Putin era, which aims to secure Russian position as a great power on the world arena and to help to keep the balance of power. Russia is a member of the Mediator Quartet for the Israel- Palestine conflict along with the United States, the United Nations and the EU, and it has become a participant in the six-nation talks concerning North Koreas nuclear programme with the USA, South Korea, China and Japan. Russia has participated in the G-8 summits since 1997, both in two era. Both presidents tried to utilize multipolar staretegy in their foreign policies. Russia both in Yeltsin era and especially in Putin era, gave special importance to the UN Security Council, where it has a veto right with other 4 powerful member countries in the world politics. Russia within this platform opposed to the invasion of Iraq which was brought to the table by United States. In addition, Russia accepted the US intervention in Afghanistan in 2001. Cooperation against terrorism with US in Afghanistan improved relations and contributed to the decision to accord Russia a seat on the G-8 and to create the NATO-Russia Council. In order to exert influence and be recognized as a major power, Putin, as Yeltsin before him, relies on so-called strategic partnerships with the most important western states, especially the United States, the only indisputable superpower in the world.  [9]  EU is the main trade partner of Russia. The EU states were Russias main trading partners, and some of them are quite dependent on Russian oil and gas. Russia prefers to develop relations with EU members separately, with Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, rather than as a group. In addition, although that Russia left the vision of Common European Home aiming to share common European values which was forwarded by Gorbachev, Europe is still the region where Russia wants to see itself. Judged by any criterion-level of political commitment, economic involvement, and security engagement, human and cultural contacts-Moscows world-view continues to be overwhelmingly Westerncentric.  [10]   Differences in Foreign Policy Implementations Yeltsin, during its presidency, was dealing with chaotic economic conditions and a decreasing public support and failing domestic reforms inside, while his successor Putin benefited from economic rise, rising oil prices and successful domestic reforms. Energy power set a big advantage both in domestic and foreign politics. Putin managed to use it as a foreign policy tool, while being experienced improvements in economies of Russia and Eurasian countries. In Yeltsin era, Russian interests were not purely aiming to enhance regional security but also to restore the post-Soviet space under Russian leadership. Knowing that it was beyond Moscows economic capacity, Yeltsin aimed to build common threat assessments as well as having strong mutual ties between Russia and individual countries. Russian actions during Yeltsin can be better understood as being opportunist. Putin was more pragmatic. Putin ceased to thinking of a new reintegrated Eurasia. Russia became a stronger actor in the international system but had no ambition to reassert itself as a Cold War global power. Putin put Russias sovereign interests as a priority in foreign policy. Putin was also more pragmatic in its assessment of threats than Yeltsin. For Putin, the key threats do not come from the United States, but from terrorist activities and those nations falling behind in economic development. Although the Kremlin is wary of US policies and intentions, it prefers engaging with Western partners rather than the balancing tactics implemented in Yeltsin era.  [11]   Putin gave more importance to the use of soft power in the near abroad which means using cooption rather than coercion in foreign policy. Soft power speaks to people and societies rather than governments and elites.  [12]  The absence of pro-Russian governments in Georgia, Ukraine and elsewhere, the task of mobilising ties amongst peoples, rather than with governments, is seen as especially important for preserving in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence. This is a key lesson learned by the Kremlin from its defeat during the Orange Revolution in Ukraine.  [13]  Russia gave start to policies as a tool of soft power such as spreading of Russian mass media, fostering the use of Russian language, giving financial support to Russian diaspora, increasing economic interdependence and creation of a special department for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries at the Kremlin. The Kremlin aimed to integrate Russia into regional structures and processes. Soft power which speaks to people and societies, rather than governments and elites can be divided into three components: political legitimacy, economic interdependence, and cultural values.  [14]  Relating political legitimacy aspect, Russia, in Putin era, was considerably more con ¬Ã‚ dent than the Russia of Boris Yeltsin.  [15]  According to the assessment of Economic Development and Trade Minister GermanGref, the GDP almost tripled from 1999 to 2005 and it continues to grow at the annual pace of 4 6%.  [16]   Putin conducted a marked Asianization of Russian foreign policy. Unlike Yeltsin, for whom Asia served mainly to counterbalance the United States, Putin has pursued closer relations with China, Japan, the Koreas, and the ASEAN member- states both for their own sake and as building blocks in a larger challenge to American unipolarity.  [17]  Ceasing the endeavors to integrate central Asia as a whole, gave importance to bilateral relations. Private sector was used as a soft power. On the February 2003 an agreement were made to create the Common Economic Space with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, to eliminate trade barriers and provide shared energy transport policies. In the security area, by the foundation of mutual security institution, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2010, Russia strengthened its counter terrorism and security policy in Central Asia with members countries China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In addition to this, Russia signed an alliance treaty with Uzbekistan In November 2005, concering peace, security and stability in the region. In addition, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia- created the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in 2003, with the aim of  ¬Ã‚ ghting terrorism in the area. The Kremlin stepped up efforts to integrate Russia into regional structures and processes. Bilateral strategic partnerships have been supplemented by membership of, or increasing interaction with, organizations such as APEC, the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN, the East Asia Summit, and the Organization of Islamic Conference. In the area of economic interdependence, Putin increased its economic presence in the economies of the former Soviet republics. Russia participated in energy privatization in the former Soviet region, and as a result of bilateral negotiations, the Kremlin asserted control over the strategic property and transportation of the former republics. As a result of soft politics conducted by Putin, Turkmenistan has turned out to be an energy partner. Russia obtained the right to be the main electricity provider in Georgia. Russia obtained a nuclear power station and became main gas provider in Armenia. Finally, in the area of cultural values, Putin allocated more financial support for Russian diasporas in the post-Soviet area. For instance, in 2003, the government allocated R210 million towards this goal, and in 2004 such funds grew by 20%. Russia has devised the Russian language federal programme led by Lyudmila Putin, the presidents wife.  [18]   Conclusion Although that the two presidents faced with different conditions during their presidencies, both of them conducted a multilateral and multivectoral policy in the international relations. Their policies were without ideology and they didnt have any ambition of world domination as were in Soviet era. In Putin era, there was a more self-reliant and pragmatic Russia in the foreign policy, who got the benefit of Russian soft power more intensively.

A Perfect Day for Bananafish :: Perfect Day Bananafish

A Perfect Day for Bananafish Picture walking into a hotel room and finding a man dead on a bed. Upon closer inspection it becomes obvious that he has supposedly taken his own life with the gun that lay beside him. In talking to his wife who was asleep on the bed next to him when this incident occurred, it is learned that he just walked in the door and shot himself late the previous night. Out of the many questions that could be asked from this story, I believe that it is probably extremely important to consider why the main character, Seymour Glass, decided to commit suicide. What I believe to be the reason for Seymour’s suicide has two basic components: the spiritual depravity of the world around him, and his struggle with his own spiritual shortcomings. The spiritual problem of the outside world is mostly a matter of material greed, especially in the west, and materialism. On the other hand, his own spiritual problem is more a matter of intellectual greed and true spiritualism. In addressing the suicide, the difference should be distinguished between the "See More Glass" that we see through little Sybil’s eyes, and the Seymour Glass that we see through the eyes of the adult world. Even though these two characters are in theory the same man, they are slightly different in some ways. You could also say that they are the same character in different stages of development. Whatever the case may be, the "reasons" for the suicide shift slightly in emphasis as the character changes. "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" attempts to symbolize that the bananas in See More Glass’s story represent all of the things which are taken in along the journey to adulthood. If pursued with too much zeal, these bananas can prevent spiritual development and lead to a greater materialistic development. See-More has realized that he cannot get rid of enough bananas to make any further spiritual progress in this life, so, rather than waste time, he commits suicide. This is slightly obvious when he is taking the elevator back up to his room on the night of the suicide. His fixation upon his feet, which do not resemble the childlike feet that he desires to have, and the woman in the elevator’s scorn towards Seymour’s accusing her of staring at his feet, drive him to dislike the adult world even more.

Justice in Oedpius the King :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Justice in Oedpius the King      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oedipus is not formally charged with any crimes.   He does manage however to commit incest, and murder.  Ã‚   His father is cursed.   The curse states that his son will kill him and marry his wife.   These facts are discovered in the introductory, "...if laius , king of thebes, had a son by jocasta, his queen, that son would kill his father and marry his mother. Laius in light of these facts has Oedipus abandoned as a child.   Another family raises him as their own.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oedipus was on his way to town when he encountered a carriage. Some negative events transpired and Oedipus kills the entire caravan.   He continues on towards the city only to find that a sphinx was terrorizing the city with a riddle.   It killed every man that answered the riddle incorrectly.   Oedipus arrived at the solution and saves the city.   He   is immediately proclaimed King.   He does not know he has killed the former King nor do the people.   He marries the queen which just happens to be his biological mother and has children by her.   " ...child of impurity, begetter in the same seed that created my wretched self."      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oedipus does not try to defend his actions.   In fact he blames himself as quoted from the story "Light of the sun, let me look upon you no more after today!   I who first saw you the light bred of a match accursed, and accursed ." The consequences of his actions are harsh.   He stabs his own eyes out and his wife/mother took her own life.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Justice is defined as "the abstract principle by which right and

Paintball :: essays research papers

Paintball! A fast-paced, adrenaline pumping, game...paintball is a world renowned sport and is growing popularity faster than several other top sports. Paintball is non-contact, making it very safe when played right. According to the Sports Data Inc. surveys, paintball has the lowest injury rate of ANY sport, at only .31 injuries per 1000 participants. Paintball is viewed several different ways by people that have not experienced it for themselves. A lot of people think paintball is only for "gun crazy" maniacs. Well that is an incorrect statement, mainly because paintball "guns" are not guns at all. The definition of "gun" is, "Any weapon that discharges shot, shells, or other bullet by the explosion of gun powder or some other explosive from a strait tube." Paintball markers operate in a VERY different way. Paintballs are propelled out of the barrel by air, not any type of explosive, and paintball markers are NOT weapons. No one has ever got killed by a paintball marker from getting shot. Even without a mask on. Although eye injuries have been reported, this is due to the fact that an unsafe game was played. Most likely someone decided that they were superman and took off their goggles in the middle of a game and no ref was there to stop him. All goggles worn during paintball should and are approved by the government and you are not supposed to shoot above a speed of 300 feet per second. Yes, paintball leaves welts, but most people can stand them. The pain of a paintball welt is surely not any worse than getting tackled by a 200 lbs football player. If safety is what people are worrying about, why do we have football, wrestling, or basketball? They are all in the top ten for highest injury rates. Paintball is also growing in popularity, games for paintball are getting released and selling way better than the majority of other games. The most popular of any paintball game is called "Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball" and is exactly the type of paintball that we would like to play at the school, speedball. Speedball is a game of paintball played on a paintball field that is exactly symmetrical to through the middle, a speedball field is usually about 100 feet long and 40 feet wide and the bunkers are usually made of a durable and flexible plastic that holds air, most commonly called â€Å"air bunkers†.

Drama Evaluation

I think, although there were still a few mistakes, that my groups' (made up of; Liegha, Charlotte, Max, Robert, Katie, Claire and myself) performance went quite well. Rehersals at the beginning of this term were horrible, with group arguing and not listening to eachother, but after a few weeks we began to pick it up with better communicational skills and having different people in charge (director) really helped with decision making and getting everyone to listen to different ideas.MY personal rehersals worked really well, I managed to learn most of my lines within a few weeks, which gave me more time to practise my staging positions and interaction with the other characters on stage, although I don't feel this showed in my perfomance. My weakest scene would have been the ‘Lancelot and Guineverre' scene, where Max and I were lead characters. I think due to the fact that all eyes were on us, as we were very close together, gave me slight ‘stage-frieght' as my movement was quite stiff, unlike in rehersals.I forgot most of the stage directions we, as a group, decided to use, to make the scene more ‘slap-stick comemdy' for the year 6's. Although I feel my vocal skills were my strongest skills for the scene; I sounded more like a queen/princess then a normal teenager, I articulated so that audience members could understand me, and I think I projected my voice quite loudly. Our ‘Booties' scene came over quite effectively, with everyone looking realistly hypnotized.Katie, our Leader, came off really strong and wise and Claire, our McConnamal, came off really well in the fact that she was trying to trick poor Liegha, Someone, into handing over all her money. All the Booties remember their lines, on time, so we were close to ‘in sync' with eachover, which made the hypnotizism even more believeable. I think since the performance we have improved this scene, in the fact that we've got alot of energy for our new song ‘Money, Money, Money ' which could engage the audience with them swaying and enjoying the music.All in all, I think that our performance went great, not perfect, but really, really well. As a group I feel we communicated well, engaged the audience in a few scenes, and mangaged to make as few mistakes as posseible. As an indivual actor, I feel I can make alot of improvements to my serperate parts and to the whole group together, and to be honest it was alot of fun. CaraMay x

Pre Ap World History Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Pre-AP World History Chapter 3 Vocabulary 1. Yellow and Yangtze Rivers-contained many agricultural settlements, were river valleys 2. Gobi Desert-in northwest China, blocking off invaders from the north and northwest 3. Tibetan Plateau-north of the Himilayan Mountains, protected the west from invasion 4. Yangshao and Longshan cultures-identified as the painted and black pottery cultures 5. Xia Dynasty-started around 4000 years ago, leader Yu introduced irrigation and draining 6. Shang Dynasty-afterthe Xia in the 16th century B. C. E. , oracle bones found in Anyang 7.Anyang-capital of the Shang Dynasty, oracle bones were dug up revealing early writing 8. Xinjiang corpses-from 2000 B. C. E. , clearly European, revealing migration eastward 9. oracle bones- turtle shells that had Chinese writing on one side, and scratchs from gods 10. Shang bronzes-utensils,weapons,ritual objects were made from bronze casting 11. well field system-8 families cultivated their own plot and worked together on the 9th plot 12. Zhou Dynasty-2 capital cities for a more extensive bureaucracy, territories w/ govenors 13. silk-found on bronzes and in tombs, used for clothing and wrapping the dead 14.Silk Road-a travel route from China westward, trading mostly silk 15. Mandate of Heaven-the right to rule from the gods, a dynasty can lose and gain M. O. H. 16. Rites of Zhou-one of the oldest surviving documents, stating that Zhou ruled bc of MOH 17. yin and yang-interacting, opposing forces in nature, always should be in balance *18. Yi Jing/Book of Changes- 19. Confucius-the lader of Confucianism, belief in 5 key relationships and filial piety 20. The Analects-written by Confucius' disciples on the sayings and ideas relating to him 21. Mencius-(370-290 BCE) a philosopher who stressed the humanistic side of Confucianism 22.Legalism-humans were evil by nature, and had to have harsh laws and strict punishments *23. Way of Great Learning- 24. Lao Tzu-founder of Daoism, â€Å"Old Master† 2 5. Daoism-based on forces in nature, which needed to be balanced (yin and yang) 26. Dao de Jing-primary document which makes original concepts a bit difficult to understand 27. wu wei-to interpret the will of Heaven is not action but INACTION 28. Period of Warring States-the period between 2 dynasties; one losing power, one gaining it 29. Qin Dynasty-(221-206 BCE)legalism, strict censorship,standardized weights;measures 30.Qin Shi Huangdi-first emperor of Qin, rose to throne at age 13 in 246 BCE, Li Su is advisor 31. Xianyang-the capital where aristocratic clans were forced to live, so court could monitor *32. Sima Qian- 33. Xiongnu-northern nomads who posed the threat of invading(possibly related to Huns) 34. Great Wall-a costly project to keep invaders out from the North, slowed but not stopped 35. Han Dynasty-(202 BCE-221 CE)founded by Liu Bang, dictorial gov't and civil service exams 36. eunuchs- males who had their testicles removed (castrated) 37. Liu Bang-founder of the Han d ynasty 38. tate Confucianism-Confucian doctrine combined with Legalist practice 39. civil service exam-tests administered to workers in the bureaucracy to see if they qualify *40. Han Wudi- *41. Wang Mang-reformist official who seized power 42. Chang'an-the capital of the Han Empire in China 43. filial piety-respect for one's parents and elders in society 44. Bao-jia system-forming a group of families for excersizing mutual control and surveillance 45. Xian's terracotta army- terracotta soldiers to protect the first emperor of Qin's tomb 46. Book of Songs and Song of the South-a book of about 300 poems written during the early Zhou dynasty