Living and Working in Korea Essay Example for Free

Living and Working in Korea Essay The case of Ellen Moore is very interesting and diverse, because it shows different reasons why problems can occur in a project management and teamwork and highlights how cultural differences can affect the work in a very negative way. There are several reasons why the project has run into problems. Some of these could have been foreseen but some not. The main problem is that there were wrong decisions made when creating the team and also some risks were incorrectly assessed to be less important than they actually turned out to be. First of all in selecting project management representative Andrew Kilpatrick underestimated the cultural differences and did not listen enough to the warning from American consultants with WSI in Korea that it is impossible to send a woman to work in Korea. I don’t think it is completely impossible for a woman to work in Korea, but Ellen should have been more prepared and more informed about the local traditions particularly about the team building and after-work dinners and how the Koreans’ respect for position and status would influence the teams’ behavior. From the case it seems like too many things came as a surprise to Ellen and it was hard to focus on the primary tasks. Another problem was in the team composition especially in allocating roles. There were 2 project co-managers – Ellen and Jack – assigned to the team. But Jack was given an impression that he will be the sole project leader. For this reason Ellen’s addition to the team created tension between them and from the beginning and this undermined their chances to work together for the same goal. If it was decided to have 2 equal project manager positions, then their roles should have been allocated. For example each project manager would have specific areas of responsibilities and the rest of the team would be informed about these responsibilities. Instead both project managers ended up fighting for the power instead of working towards the common goal. The development of the events in the team also suggests that it was a wrong decision to appoint 2 team managers, because it is clear that the team performed better when they were led by one team leader – when  Jack was around the Korean team would follow his instructions, but when Jack was away and Ellen was the only leader the team cooperated and worked well under her supervision and coaching. The third problem was the expertise and experience of the Korean consultants. The American part of the team was only partially informed about the teams’ qualifications. But it soon turned out that none of them had sufficient previous experience to work on this project. That the teams’ inexperience turned out to be one of the reasons the project ran into problems is partially because of Ellen’s overconfidence. When she realized what is the actual qualification and experience of the team members she thought she could work around it and train the people on the team. Instead of suggesting changes in the team she relied on her skills as a coach to improve the situation. All these reasons are to blame that the project is in serious trouble and without clear action plan the project cannot be put back on track. One solution that could be done to get the project back on schedule is for Andrew to take on a more active role in the teams work and become the team leader in Korea and oversee both Ellen and Jack and the whole team. Since both Mr.Song and Mr.Park think that Ellen is the problem and is not effective, there is not much she can do to continue the role as the team leader because the supervisors in Korea don’t back her up. And in this situation it would be hard for her to become the team leader over Jack. If all the team members remain in their place under Andrews supervisions, roles to each member should be allocated also tem members need to be motivated to work together to achieve the goal. Rewards for cooperation and tem work could be in place here. Another alternative could be removing Jack from the team and find a Korean consultant that has experience with SI projects. This solution would eliminate the tension in the team and also increase the professional capacity of the team. If the budget of the project allows one more possibility would be to include additional team members with more expertise to assist the team. Also changing the team members could be a solution, but  there might be not enough time to completely change the team and still manage to finish the project on schedule. Although the situation is rather complex because the team is dealing not only with professional problems but also with personnel problems and problems caused by not understanding the different culture, there are some things that Ellen could have done differently. First of all she should have tried to draw Andrews and Mr. Park’s and Mr. Song’s attention to the fact that the team members are not qualified enough to work on this project in the early stages of the project. She should have asked to either change the weakest members of the team or have additional training for the team to raise their level of expertise. As for cooperation with Jack I think that the fight for the power between the two of them was inevitable, but one way how to try to deal with the situation could have been Ellen’s initiative to establish some ground rules on how they interact with the team, how they divide responsibilities between them. Her background information shows that she had previous experience in leading teams so probably also knowledge in conflict resolution and motivating people. Clearly Jack needed some motivation to become a team player. But altogether I think that most of the problems occurred because Ellen’s supervisors made wrong assessments about the project and the situation and also made some bad decisions in the beginning.

Physical Education Class: the Perfect Place to be Bullied? :: essays research papers

Physical Education Class: the Perfect Place to be Bullied?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Every day we are seeing how the population in our society acquires really bad habits that risk their health. Obesity has become an issue touching everybodyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s life. People are wondering what the solution of the problem might be, and a good amount of them think that the only way to stop this increasing problem is to fight it from childhood. One of the ways to keep children from getting obese is by making them do sports. Some people are convinced that forcing children to take gym class is the magical way that will help children to stay healthy and in good spirits. I agree with the fact that children should be involved in activities that make them exercise. However, I think that even if children should get some kind of physical activity everyday, they shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be forced to take gym class since it encourages other kids to intimidate the ones that arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t perfect looking and bully the ones that arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t t alented at sports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin with, kids at gym class intimidate their not-so-perfect classmates with their evil jokes. I remember when I was at high school and everybody made fun of the chubby girl who wasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t as slim and tall as the other ones. Teenagersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ intimidating their classmates isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t something that just happens in movies, in real life kids are cruel and mean with their fragile mates. In Gym class, children have to put the uniforms that force them to show their body. In an age when childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s self esteem is very delicate, exposing their body is not something they are so excited about. I can still recall the way the girls of my gym class made fun of my legs since they were so skinny and bony. For a long time, I felt embarrassed of my legs and refused to wear skirts or shorts. And that was something that happened to a skinny girl, I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even want to think how the chubby girls felt when they wer e molested by our other classmates who made fun of their fuller bodies. Thanks to the evil jokes of our classmates, thinking about gym class was an awful nightmare.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, the intimidation caused by stronger kids is nothing compared to the way they bully the children who are not talented at sports. Everybody is born with a special kind of intelligence. There are people who have the musical intelligence and can play instruments, sing, compose, etc.

The Word Police by Michiko Kakutani Essay -- The Word Police Michiko K

The Word Police by Michiko Kakutani Michiko Kakutani's essay â€Å"The Word Police† is a refreshing look at a literary world policed by the Politically Correct (P.C.). She pokes fun at the efforts of P.C. policepersons such as Rosalie Maggio, author of The Bias-Free Word Finder, a Dictionary of Nondiscriminatory Language . But in mocking authors like Maggio, Kakutani emphasizes that efforts of the P.C. police are often exaggerated to the point of silliness and can even become a linguistic distraction from the real issues. In fact, such filtering or censorship of words can lead to larger problems within the English language: â€Å"getting upset by phrases like ‘bullish on America' or ‘the City of Brotherly Love' tends to distract attention from the real problems of prejudice and injustice that exist in society at large† (686). According to Kakutani, over-exaggerated political correctness just serves in complicating our words and diluting the messages. But really, the problem in P.C. advice on word-choice is the exaggeration of inclusive ness. Kakutani addresses the P.C. police's righteous motive: â€Å"a vision of a more just, inclusive society in which racism, sexism, and prejudice of all sorts have been erased† (684). But where does one draw the line between writing inclusively and walking on eggshells? What is politically correct? Must writers assume the worst of their audiences when debating whether to mutate the spelling of â€Å"women† to â€Å"womyn† in order to avoid sexist language? The truth is, writing purely inclusively is an arduous task; it requires consistent and careful consideration of many exterior elements such as audience, literary content, and societal context. An examination of these elements reveals just how difficult ... ...eading community. This goes to show that sometimes it takes extreme action to produce meaningful results. Kakutani writes, â€Å"In the case of the politically correct, the prohibition of certain words, phrases and ideas is advanced in the cause of building a brave new world free of racism and hate† (687). In this way, the P.C. motive is honorable. And we learn that accountability can be a worthwhile tool for those who strive to better themselves. Therefore, the efforts of the P.C. police are to be equally criticized and applauded: criticized for over-punishing many of the language-abiding citizens, and applauded for their attentiveness to detail and determination to better our language for the sake of inclusiveness. Works Cited Kakutani, Michiko. â€Å"The Word Police.† The Writer's Presence . Eds. Donald McQuade and Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.

Managing Food Allergies and Intolerances in the Hospitality Sector Essay

A food allergy is the response of the body to a food or protein the body perceives as injurious and therefore produces antibodies (Eigenmann, 2009). Highly popular are allergies towards nuts, eggs or seafood. The symptoms can vary from swelling of the throat or mouth, skin reactions, noxious feeling, breathing difficulties or even collapse (Busky, 2012). Intolerance on the other hand is the reaction when the body is not able to deal or digest a kind of food because the body misses or cannot produce certain enzymes. Most commonly known are lactose and gluten intolerances which are coeliac disorders. Triggering a malabsorption of several nutritional ingredients the sufferer has to deal with indigestion, mild abdominal (stomach) pain, bloating, occasional changes in bowel habit, such as episodes of mild diarrhoea or constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss or even vomiting (National Health Services). All these symptoms give high restrictions during daily life and require careful attention. Further the term of anaphylaxis appears quite often in the context of food allergy. Anaphylaxis describes an extreme form of imunsystem reaction to a chemical contact with of a substance of the sufferer within the environment. It impinges on the whole body and can in worst cases lead to an anaphylactic shock which often causes death (National Health Services). The British Allergy Foundation stated that in 2012 up to 21 million people in the UK are affected by food allergies and that almost 10 million of them are suffering from more than one allergy. They further estimated that by the year 2015 almost 50 per cent of the Europeans will suffer from an allergy. These facts are already allowing an insight into the importance of the topic in the hospitality industry and its uprising as a contemporary issue of increasing significance. In the following section some general information and research and three food allergy organizations will be presented more in detail. The topic will be presented with a detailed view on the approach in restaurants. The key findings will be evaluated and summarized in the conclusion. Discussion General Information Allergens in food are not always labelled and indicated on product or menu items. Further as per the findings of Pratten and Towers (2003) there is high education and training for hospitality workers in terms of food hygiene and preparation but with no deeper focus on handling food allergies. Eating out therefore becomes a difficult challenge especially for families. Especially, after reviewing a study of Cathy A. Enz on behalf of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly in 2004. Her findings show that for restaurant managers and owners the level of concerns regarding food allergies lays only with 3,3 % (out of 100%) and is ranked on the sixed position out of eight criteria (see appendix, exhibit 1). As per Allergykids. com four in ten UK school children have an allergic condition. Hence the parents have to control and watch after their children much more to ensure their well-being. The founder and CEO of Allergyeats. com, Paul Antico states â€Å"First and foremost, I’m a dad of kids who have food allergies. I understand the concerns of parents and know what it’s like to be constantly on guard. † Adding to this statement, seven out of ten sufferers say their allergy has an adverse effect on their lives (Allergykids. com, 2012). This is clearly showing the impact on the hospitality and the need for adaption in the service offer. Within the issue of Food Allergies there have been several approaches to ease and make the topic more valid and accessible on the consumer as well as on the service providers ‘point of view. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act One step was the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of the second of August of 2004 which came into effect on the first of August 2006. It obliges manufacturers to label and indicate common allergens like nuts or milk on their product on a clear and comprehensible way (Food and Drug Administration, 2004). Whereas it is questionable if the consumer can be assured by this with correct labeling. The Food and Drug Administration is randomly inspecting different food packaging for the allergen label but it is shady if some products might just slip through and give wrong indications for the consumer. Nevertheless nowadays there is a wide range of products (for example in a supermarket with an average of 50,000 products (Google Answeres)) and most of them are food items. Therefore the control of all packaging becomes a heavy challenge. However the first step is the mplementation of such a law. Regarding the fact that the Act is in effect since 2006 it can be estimated that products have been relabeled over the years and especially new products introduced the allergen label by entering the market. The Gluten Free and Allergy Free Passport The Gluten Free and Allergy Free Passport organization are â€Å"Educating the World about Food & Travel since 2005† (GFPassport, 2012). The below graph is showing their approach to necessary communication between restaurant and allergy sufferer: Fig. 1 Gluten & Allergy Free Passport, 2012 On both sides, on the guest perspective and the restaurant perspective there should be previous education. The Guest, in this case the allergy sufferer needs to assess his comfort level by for example talking to the wait staff. After identifying the eating options the guest conducts the pre planning and starts the interaction with the restaurant. Communication the guest? s needs and specifications are crucial and the first step in the interaction. Ordering the meal and receiving it, the guest should provide feedback about his experience. At the same time not only the guest has to be cautious, the wait staff and the cooks have to understand the guest needs and facilitate the specification ordered by fully ensuring safety for the guest. After the meal is delivered the staff should follow-up not only for the well-being of the guest but also to apply critical feedback. The Chef? s Card To ease this communication between the customer and the restaurant some organisation like the Allergy Free Table LLC company introduced a useful tool. The company is trying to educate and provide information in that area. But not only the provision of important information about allergies and intolerances, facts and figures, problems and risks is their aim but they also giving solutions to make daily life for allergy sufferers easier. One of their approaches is the Chef? s card. It is similar to a business card indicating the allergy of the consumer, the degree of the allergy and the actions to be taken in case of an allergic reaction. Example of Layout of Chef? s Card: Fig. 2: Allergy Chef? s Card (Allergy Free Table, LLC, 2012) The Allergy Free Table LLC.  Co provides sample cards and individual adjusted templates which are provided for free download and print out on their website. This approach is widely spread and having a look through the World Wide Web a lot of positive comments regarding this idea can be found. On the forum for Food Allergy Support, members are commenting â€Å"We go out eat a lot and we use the Chef? s Card [†¦]†, â€Å"[†¦] the cards are useful [†¦]† or â€Å"[†¦] I’m all for chef cards! [†¦]†. Further there can be services found other online services as SelectWisely. com which is providing Chef? Card with the focus on people travelling and therefore translating them in the respective language. From the customer and the restaurants perspective the Chef? s Card is an effective approach to this serious issue. The customer receives the feeling to be taken more serious with the special demand. Further for example the wait staff have something to hold in the hands, which can be handed over to the kitchen staff and results in more security as the level of miscommunications is narrowed. Particularly while travelling the Chef? Card is relieving the customer from feeling stressed eating out as well the restaurant obtains a clear guideline to handle the guest conveniently and most important safely. To sum up the approach of the Chef? s Card is an innovative approach which eases the concern of food allergy issues in restaurant for both parties. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network Despite many online communities (e. g. the Allergy Free Table LLC. Co) are providing information the most popular one might be the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) are calling themselves the â€Å"most trusted source of information† and can record over 22,000 memberships in the year 2012 (FAAN, 2012). The network is funded by the annual membership fees, donations and charity events like the yearly FAAN Walk for Food Allergy. They are committed to increase the awareness of the impact and implications of Food Allergies, the provision of education for young and old, advocate further research into the topic. The FAAN offers programs like the â€Å"Safe@School† program which is a package including nformation material as well as implementation and management strategies for schools (FAAN, 2012). Moreover they understood that â€Å"Eating away from home can pose a significant risk to people affected by food allergy. Research suggests that close to half of fatal food allergy reactions are triggered by food served by a restaurant or other food service establishment† (FAAN, 2012). So they are approaching restaurateurs directly and are calling up on more training for hospitality staff: â€Å"Education, cooperation, and teamwork are the keys to safely serving a guest who has food allergies. All food service staff – including restaurant managers, servers, and kitchen staff – must become familiar with the issues surrounding food allergies and the proper way to answer guests’ questions. Further, they must know what to do if an allergic reaction occurs. † The network emphasises on cooperation between the restaurants and customers to ease the barriers and to diminish the risks for allergy sufferers while eating out. The handbook for training of hospitality staff is only one of the collections of information which is provided for free on the FAAN? s homepage. Reviewing the amount of information which is available especially online restaurateurs should no longer hesitate to implement the handling of food allergies as an inherent part of their standards and policies. Much information is available for free and some managerial strategies and ,of course training sessions, will cost some money. Nevertheless this undertaking is not too difficult as food safety and hygiene procedures are already applied in gastronomic enterprises. As shown above the need for an extension to allergy concerns from the customers? side is omnipresent. Although that the adaption of this issue will cost time and money in return target markets and customer acquisition will be promoted. The Trend of Labelling Menu Items Food labelling is only mandatory for products coming from the manufacturer, so those which are e. g. bought in supermarkets and grocery shops. This labelling format has been improved by the Codex Alimentarius by the Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization in 2003 also adapted by the European Parliament and one year later in the USA. It regulated that foods triggering ensitive reactions have to be labelled. Current discussions about having restaurants to label their menu items are on-going but â€Å"[†¦] the restaurant industry argued that mandatory labeling would be a significant burden on most restaurants, the majority of which are small businesses that do not have the technical ability and/or knowledge to provide and publish such data† (Pizam, 2011). Restaurants mostly object menu labeling. Small businesses only produce in small amounts and menu items change frequently which would imply additional financial expenditures on the menu design. Further restaurants are arguing that the demand for labeled menus is not high enough. Attempts with calorie and fat indications mostly failed in past years. The demand for low calorie and low fat items in comparison to the conventional products was not high enough (Din, Zahari, Otham, Abas, 2012). It is questionable if this failure of menu indications is significant in the debate about labeling menus for allergy sufferers (Pizam, 2011). The quoted arguments are comprehensible but the extreme defensive attitude should be dropped. The request for menu labeling must not be a generalized demand but a compromise could be formed. Restaurants could have some additional menus indicating a detailed description of the menu ingredients. Other than that the restaurant might be able to guarantee that the cook on shift knows all its products and ingredients. This could be done by narrowing the amount of suppliers, brands and by maintaining the supplier for basic products. Maintaining loyal to a supplier as a plus would reduce purchase costs as restaurants receive better prices with long-term contracts. Conclusion Concluding from the findings the issue of food allergies in restaurants will be of increasing concern in the following years. Therefore there is every indication to find common approaches and standards to build up a convenient interrelation between customers and restaurants. The customer, most of all, needs to develop the trust to the restaurateur of being served in a serious and safe manner. The presented concept of the Chef? s Card is a recommendable and effective way to ease the communication for the special requirements of an allergy sufferer. Further the restaurant can handle the conveyed responsibility with more secureness and assurance. As the research has shown labelling the menu to needs of allergy sufferers is still in heavy discussion. Nevertheless a common standard should be introduced in order for the restaurant to clearly follow any special requests. To conclude in the future an overall standard is required in restaurants. Procedures should be extended and the implementation of allergy handling should be a standard for all gastronomy venues. The load of information is immense and the accessibility is there. Hence restaurants have little excuse too not implement some new strategies in their procedures. Although staff turnover is very high in the hospitality sector which is complicating the demand for additional training, hygiene and food safety instructions are mandatory for all hospitality staff. So why not extend and cover the issue of food allergies at the same time. Consequently restaurants could be labelled as being trained in allergy concerns and customers can easily choose to eat out.

Employment Law and Labor Relations Issues Essay

Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to give equal access to an environment or benefits, such as education, employment, health care, or social welfare to all, often with emphasis on members of various social groups which might have at some time suffered from discrimination. This can involve the hiring of workers and other such practices. Social groupings generally emphasized in such a way are those delineated by aspects of gender, race, or religion. In my workplace the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy is posted on almost every wall in the building. There are several issues that need to be addressed in my workplace. I work for a not-for-profit agency contracted with the Florida Department of Children and Families. We are an agency that tries to help families reunite once they have entered into the Family Law system. My job as a social worker is to promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. â€Å"Clients† is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation, administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals’ needs and social problems. The main issue that needs to be addressed within my company is some issues pertaining to the Fair Labor Standards Act, holiday pay, and having an Human Resources Representative at our local site. I believe that my organization needs to take the time to explain to its employees what their rights are and what the laws of the state require. The Human Resource department for our agency is run out of Bethesda, Maryland. So every issue and or concern has to go through them. Because of the distance, it is very hard and time consuming for local employees at this agency to get things done in a timely manner, so a lot of things that should be addressed at employee orientation are not addressed until maybe the third month of employment when the HR administrator decides to take a trip to Florida. There are a lot of questions that we as employees have about holiday pay practices and what are the legal requirements. For example, I did not know that an employer is obligated to provide reasonable accommodation for the religious practices of its employees, unless it can show that the accommodation would result in undue hardship for its business. Many employers offer a â€Å"floating holiday† in addition to the regularly scheduled holidays. This allows an employee to take time off for religious observances that are not covered by the employer’s established holiday schedule. Courts addressing the issue of religious accommodation generally agree that unpaid time off can be a reasonable accommodation, as can allowing an employee to use a vacation day to observe a religious holiday. Generally, employers require that floating holidays be taken in the same year they are granted and do not allow these days to be carried over into the next year. Employees usually are required to give adequate advance notice of their intention to take a floating holiday. I also did not know that an employer doe s not have to pay hourly employees for time off on a holiday. An employer is only required to pay hourly employees for time actually worked. On the other hand, exempt employees (salaried employees who do not receive overtime), who are given the day off, must be paid their full weekly salary if they work any hours during the week in which the holiday falls. This requirement for exempt employees did not change under the new federal overtime regulations. Both of these statements can be very helpful when our employees what to take some time off or just to check to make sure they are treated fairly. There are a handful of labor laws that do generally protect U.S. workers. It’s probably fair to say that most employers adhere to these basic laws, because they’d be foolish not to if they want to stay out of court. But, that’s typically at the HR and legal-department levels, where the employees are properly trained in such matters. Companies are also made up of other employees, who might never have heard of labor laws or fully understand their significance. That’s one way problems occur, especially if HR and legal departments don’t bother to properly train those in control, like jerky bosses. Another way problems occur is that, for obvious legal reasons, HR and legal departments are unlikely to openly admit that employee complaints and accusations have merit, and the company is  liable. Worse, they might even protect the perpetrators more than the victims. In conclusion, it is very important that companies keep their policies up-to-date and follow them. Written policies tell your employees how they can expect to be treated and give you guidelines for applying the policies consistently. However, the policies must comply with legal requirements and you must follow them, or they may be used against you as evidence of violations of the law. Having these problems addressed in my organization could help it many ways, starting with establishing a good relationship between upper management and current employees and also establishing a steady line of communication. But this issue cannot be addressed until a local Human Resources department is establish at every local office so if employees do have question about employment law or current labor relation issues they can be addressed right then and there.

The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano Book Review

Compare the 18th century African slave trade to a game of checkers. Played on a checkered board of 64 opposing colors, the object of checkers is to capture or block all the men of an opponent. Careful planning of attack and defense are key elements to winning. The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano does more than just detail the experiences of a former African slave, it sets forth the play sequence between the various players engaged in the slave trade, the emotions involved, the effects and consequences on the players, and the future of the game if it were allowed to continue. Equiano experienced life as a slave on several continents. He endured the torment of the Middle Passage and the various physical and emotional insults and tortures, which came as a result of bondage to another individual. These descriptions are important in establishing the primary players in the slave game. The first is the African player and the other is the White player represented by both Europeans and Americans. The beginning descriptions of Equiano’s tribal life are instrumental in understanding the nature of the African player. Equiano perceives the difference in the African way of life versus that of the European as merely one of time. The Africans have not had the time to learn and grow as the Europeans have. Equiano maintains the notion that existing in a different state of being does not give the European the right to take advantage of their situation in order to promote their own welfare. â€Å"Let the polished and haughty European recollect that his ancestors were once, like the African, uncivilized, and even barbarous. Let such reflections as these melt the pride of their superiority into sympathy for the wants and miseries of their sable brethren and compel them to acknowledge that understanding is not confined to feature or color. Equiano uses scripture to support his idea that all men were created the same and merely existed in different states of progression. The majority of Europeans did not share Equiano’s views. As a result the rules of the game changed for the Europeans who viewed themselves as superior to that of the African. These views were responsible for the horrors, which many Africans f aced in slavery. Even those Europeans who tried to treat slaves with respect could not escape the economic benefits slavery provided them. As a result the European was held captive by his own desire to win rather than to play fair. The European plan of attack was ruthless and he felt he had nothing to fear from the African. Equiano writes that these feelings on the part of the European ate away at the salvation of the European soul. Slavery affected not only the body of the African but also their hope. Equiano describes men in his company who would rather jump off a ship and perish in the sea than endure the atrocities of the Middle Passage. Even those Africans who were granted freedom still suffered the abuse of slavery. After a horrifying incident aboard the London slave ship the Zong, Equiano, a free man at the time, wrote of the courts â€Å"he saw no help in them, nor by the law. † Not only was the incident aboard the Zong an example of the horrors that existed when people were treated as property but served as an example of how the ideas of superiority on the part of the English served to strike a blow at the hope of the African. The recurring theme of religion in Equiano’s narrative is important in understanding that one’s actions cannot escape the judgment and eye of God. Equiano felt comfort and solace in the doctrines of Christianity. It was a force that comforted him when his duties of a slave almost destroyed him and his inability to be treated as an equal when free mystified him. In true Christianity Equiano also saw hope for the Europeans who were losing their souls to the slave trade. In an address of thanks to the Quakers in Grace Church Court, Equiano states that by lifting the burdens of the Negroes there might be in â€Å"some measure, be the possible means, under God, of saving the souls of many of the oppressors. In the checker game of the slave trade, the Europeans did not realize that their men were being lost. They felt they were winning the game in regards to economics. Equiano alerted the reader to the cost the European was paying for their grasp on wealth and prosperity. Equiano’s notion that men can only be saved through a combination of faith, works and grace is important in understanding the effects of the trade upon the future of the game. Equiano recognized that there were no lasting winners in the slave trade. The Europeans were losing the game because they failed to see the eternal consequences of their actions. Equiano believed that the European could still prosper economically without the slave trade if the right plan were to be put into effect. This plan would benefit all involved. Equiano fight for the abolishment of slavery was the tip of the iceberg in his quest. He called for a change of attitude in regards to race relations. He believed this would be the ultimate step in restoring the dignity of all involved. Equiano had seen first hand that many Europeans still viewed Africans as property even when they were free and treated them as such. Equiano knew that merely breaking the chains of slavery was not enough to make its effect disappear. Just as men needed all components of the faith – grace equation to be saved, those involved in the slave trade needed a change in attitude to prevail in order to restore hope and eternal relationships. Equiano wrote, â€Å"After all what makes any event important, unless by its observation we become better and wiser, and learn to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before God? . Equiano’s narrative teaches us that in order for individuals to truly win they must not compete against one another nor capture or enslave based on the notion of race. Instead they should look for ways to work together to find and enjoy the treasures of wisdom and salvation Equiano believed were available to all. I believe in Equiano’s message. It w as one of powerful humility and quite visionary for his time. He was no ordinary man as he claims. His insights into his experiences and encounters with both players of the slave trade reflected a depth of understanding no money could buy. His ability to shed light on the emotions of all players involved opened my eyes to the various sides of the slave trade of the time. His message is applicable not only to these aspects of slave trade of the 18th century but also to other concepts of World History past and present. It is important to recognize and understand the concept that when we fail to recognize the importance of others and try to dominate rather than cooperate the only winner of the game is disaster and heartache.

Energy Conservation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Energy Conservation - Research Paper Example The need for finding alternative resources of energy has become key driver of change for promoting sustainable development within and outside the business paradigms. The alternative resources of energy and energy conservation have become need of the hour that needs to be addressed within the lifestyle pattern of contemporary society at large. Resources for energy The various resources of energy are primarily electricity, solar, hydro energy processes, oil and gases, wood etc. The myriad forms of energy resources have been indiscriminately used by the people at large, including household and business units. Shove (2003) explicitly says that energy consumption is intangibly driven by convenience, habit and social norms. The usage only becomes visible when one is forced to pay for it through regular bills like, electricity bills, water bills, oil etc. Energy produced by various means is using natural resources like water, air and forest resources as their key inputs. The oil and gases u sed within transportation, industrial production of energy etc have become important ingredients that need to be considered within the wider scope of long term usage. Energy consumption and impact on environment sustainability The limited natural resources like water, fresh air and land are being used with scarce regard to it as future legacy for our children. The essential paradigm of consumption must become major concern for the users who must develop action plan for sustainable strategy for efficient use of energy in various formats like electricity, solar, oil and gas etc. Deforestation and migration of population has dramatically changed the dynamics of growth. It has not only adversely impacted the environment but scholars have also asserted that that extreme weather conditions and natural calamities are much greater when they occur in regions having poor infrastructure, huge populations etc. (Pielke et al., 2003). Factors that promote energy conservation and preservation It h as become important that one is able to constructively contribute towards environmental conservations and social issues which have considerable impact on the sustainable development. The consumption pattern plays significant part in the energy conservation process not only within household but also in industrial contexts. The following are few strategies that promote energy conservation: Behavioral strategy based on information and motivation Dissemination of relevant information greatly empowers the society and helps inculcate habit of energy conservation within the daily routine of the people. Many scholars also believe that increasing prices of energy like electricity, oil and gases etc may become major motivators for efficient use of the same (Jackson, 2005; Geller, Winett, and Everett, 1982; Cook and Berrenberg, 1981). Social norms and constraints The socially constructed norms and institutional designs of social interaction models are mostly defined by the lifestyle, convenien ce and historical contexts of consumption pattern (Shove, 2003; Sanne, 2002). The various appliances and gizmos that technology has developed for improving and facilitating the living standard of the masses are key linkages that dictate the energy consumption in the contemporary times. Waste management Effective waste management is one of the most crucial paradigms of energy conserv