What Performance Enhacing Drugs Have Done to Sports

Professional athletes are competitive by nature and will do what it takes to win. Sports have been used as not only entertainment but a way for a person to show off their athletic ability. Due to uncontrollable factors people may find it harder to compete or surpass other’s performance. Even with training people’s bodies respond different to physical stimulation. Professional baseball is an extremely competitive sport with hand-eye coordination and strength being key factors. When the difference between playing in the majors or minors, keeping up with younger players as you age or to be the best players turn to performance enhancing drugs. Performance enhancing drugs come in many different forms but the most common are anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and other agents that mimic anabolic results. These performance enhancing drugs, with addition to hard work do in fact increase strength in the user. These methods of performance enhancement also include many othe r substances used to gain an edge on the competition. All of these are considered cheating because of the fact a person gains an unfair advantage over other players. The use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs has changed what once was a game played for enjoyment into a drug fueled search for the largest salary. Before steroids were used in professional baseball other substance were used to gain an advantage over other players. â€Å"Greenies†, an amphetamine pill taken orally, has been used in

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 1466 Words

Identity is something that separates one person from another. Everyone has his or her own personal identity. To find ones identity you must go through a process that leads you to discover who you are why you are the way you are. One of many themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is the search for Huck’s identity. From living with Miss Watson and being forced to view society as everyone wants him to, to living on him own and finding how he really wants to view civilization; Huck journey to find his identity was successful as he had developed into a mature young boy who turned against society and formulated his own opinion on how the world should be lived. He didn’t need disguises, made up stories, or lies anymore because by the end of the novel Huck was just living as Huck. Most importantly, through Huck’s realization of himself he discovers who Jim is too. In the beginning of the novel while Huck was living with Widow Douglas she took him in as her son. She thought that she could eventually civilize Huck, but for Huck it was anything but easy living as he said it was â€Å"rough living in the house all the time.† (Pg. 13) Since Huck was so used to living on his own and being free, he saw Widow Douglas’s demands as terms of confinement and imprisonment. Living with Widow Douglas was impossible because it meant that he lost all sense of his freedom and who he really is. Huck feels that he belongs out in the free and wild where the community cannot tell himShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain830 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is â€Å"A Great American Novel†, because of its complexity and richness. Twain writes dialogue that brings his characters to life. He creates characters with unique voice and helps the reader connect to the book. Anyone who read s it is forced to develop feelings for each character. Even though there is a great amount of controversy over the use of some choices, such as the â€Å"n word†, it makes the book more realistic. In the beginning of the novel Huck,Read MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1103 Words   |  5 PagesDmitri Van Duine Jr English Mr. Nelson November 27th The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Written by Mark Twain filled his stories with many examples of satire as to convey a message while also writing an interesting story. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn revolves around the adventures of a young boy called Huckleberry Finn, who is about thirteen years old. Tom Sawyer is Huck’s best friend and around the same age as Huck. He is onlyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesZambrano Mrs. Patmor AP Lit-Period 5 28 September 2016 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1835 Mark Twain embodies realism in almost every aspect of his writing not excluding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which in he portrays such a lifelike setting that it almost gives you this sense of reality through the point of view of a young man that has an urge for freedom yet struggles to conform to society s norms due to his adolescence. Twain s ability to unmask the true identities of the charactersRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain931 Words   |  4 PagesWolski Mrs. Goska English 2H Period 3 22 October 2014 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mob mentality is the way an individual’s decisions become influenced by the often unprincipled actions of a crowd. Mark Twain penned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain grew up in America’s southern states during the early 1800’s, a time in which moral confusion erupted within the minds of humans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn s protagonist is a young boy named Huck who freely travels alongRead MoreMark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1575 Words   |  6 Pages Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Controversy Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a highly recognizable figure in American literature. Born in Florida, Missouri Mark Twain and his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri where Twain discovered and fell in love with the mighty Mississippi River. The river and his life in Hannibal became his inspiration and guiding light in most of his writing. Although Twain loved the river and did a great deal of traveling, he eventuallyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1375 Words   |  6 Pagesmention the years spent growing and maturing physically. Teenagers are stuck in an inbetween state where they must learn who they want to become and what they want to be when they grow older. The same is true for Huckleberry Finn, from the book â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain. This is a book that was written in a time of great confusion over moral codes and standards. It was a world split in half by two different worlds of people; those who opp osed, and those who promoted slavery.Read MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain810 Words   |  4 PagesBefore Mark Twain started to write two of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark was known to use his characters to display his own thoughts and opinions. â€Å"This device allowed him to say just about anything he wanted, provided he could convincingly claim he was simply reporting what others had said.† (Twain, 1283). Mark Twain used this process to be a foundation of his lectures, by manipulating his popularly with his readers. During the storyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2083 Words   |  9 PagesSatire in Huckleberry Finn In the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain, we are told a story about a young boy and his slave companion’s journey down the Mississippi River and all of their encounters with other characters. Twain constructed a beautiful narrative on how young Huck Finn, the protagonist in the story, learns about the world and from other adult characters, how he is shaped into his own person. At the time this book was made however, this novel provided serious socialRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1005 Words   |  5 Pages In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain in the 19th century is about a young boy named Huck Finn and Jim, a runaway slave who go on an adventure. The two travel on a raft along the Mississippi river creating a bond and making memories. Mark Twain presents Huckleberry Finn as a dynamic character who at first views Jim as property and eventually considers Jim as a friend, showing a change in maturity. In the beginning of the book, Huck Finn clearly sees Jim as nothing more thanRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1335 Words   |  6 Pagesyear The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel

Management Communication Status and Evaluation

Question: Discuss about the Management Communication Status and Evaluation. Answer: Introduction: A routine request is a very common form of writing. A request for anything is considered routine if it is not asking for any special favor or expecting guaranteed acceptance. A routine request does not have to persuade the reader into accepting, as it is already the routine part of the readers job. The provided example of a routine request is a good example of a routine request as it limits the message to be conveyed to a single idea, which is the request. The message has been composed in a short and concise way that can fit on one screen. The message also includes a salutation and proper closing to personalize the content of the message. After the salutation, the request has been stated politely. The exact requirement has been clearly presented with the help of a list and explained for putting proper emphasis on the task (Thill, Bove Chatterjee, 2013). The following paragraph provides and requests additional information required for guaranteeing smooth flow for the impending seminar. On behalf of the company, this letter is to inform you about the cancellation and termination of contract between you and ABC Company without further recourse from our side. The decision has been sudden, and irrevocable, due to budget cuts. It is a hard time for all. As a Unit Manager, I would like to express my gratitude to you for the experience of having worked for ABC Company, a truly wonderful organization and present my best wishes for your continued success. As a responsible manager of the company, the Unit Manager must not share the information with his friends in the organization. A manager is expected to maintain the confidentiality of the business information from both outside and inside entities. The Unit Managers friends are from a separate department of the organization, so technically they are not his responsibility and do not come under his supervisory boundary. Information in the wrong hands can be misused and can lead to a loss of employee trust, assurance and allegiance. To maintain a level of professionalism at the workplace it is important to keep details confidential or to only share details with discretion. Over-friendliness is a cause of major workplace issues. Confidentiality of information is important to maintain safety and security of sensitive information. Moreover, termination details of any departments employees are to be shared by the manager of that department only. It is basic workplace procedure and policy (Za far, 2013). The world and the workplace are more connected than ever before. With the ease of access and communication there have been a number of modifications also, in the form of quick response options (Kerr Hiltz, 2013). However, the swiftness removed the personal interaction between individuals. Along with came the challenges of misinterpretation of messages and tone. Face-to-face interaction is the best option when recognition and comprehension of verbal and non-verbal reactions to any communicated message is important (Schulze et al., 2016). Face-to-face interaction helps to fully convey the message with the help of body language and tone. Unlike, electronic communication, face-to-face interaction helps create a greater bond across the team and maintains team cohesiveness. It helps resolving workplace conflicts and the tone of the communicators plays an important role in this (Duncan Fiske, 2015). Emailing is everywhere and available all the time. Apart from easy access, emailing does n ot help in curbing the disconnected feeling at the workplace. In case of projects, the major barrier comes in the form of encapsulation of complex details via written communications. Face-to-face interaction helps in better understanding the complexities and elements of the project and helps in accessing feedback and clarifications on spot (Arling, Miech Arling, 2013). Sams predicament is faced by many people nowadays. Lack of personalization in the regular messages makes the receiver feel irritated or disconnected. In Sams case, he feels like the sender is apologizing for asking him to do something that is already a part of his job. In place of "Sorry to bother you", it would be a good option to include a thank you or directly go to the problem. Some alternatives can be: I unfortunately seem to still have troubles with X, in spite of the support your organization has provided so far. Thank you for your help with X, but we are still facing issues with it. I would appreciate your proficiency with X. I have a new concern that I would be thankful for your assistance with. I need X for X. Could you please help me get there? References Arling, P. A., Miech, E. J., Arling, G. W. (2013). Comparing Electronic and Face-to-Face Communication in the Success of a Long-Term Care Quality Improvement Collaborative.International Journal of Reliable and Quality E-Healthcare (IJRQEH),2(1), 1-10. Duncan, S., Fiske, D. W. (2015).Face-to-face interaction: Research, methods, and theory(Vol. 3). Routledge. Kerr, E. B., Hiltz, S. R. (2013).Computer-mediated communication systems: Status and evaluation. Academic Press. Schulze, J., Schultze, M., West, S. G., Krumm, S. (2016). The knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required for face-to-face versus computer-mediated communication: Similar or distinct constructs?.Journal of Business and Psychology, 1-18. Thill, J. V., Bove, C. L., Chatterjee, R. B. (2013).Excellence in business communication. K. Subramanian (Ed.). Pearson. Zafar, H. (2013). Human resource information systems: Information security concerns for organizations.Human Resource Management Review,23(1), 105-113.

Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce

Abstract Cultural diversity entails the experiences and characteristics of different people within an organization. It includes the whole spectrum of human beings including ethnicity, race, age, gender, disability, religion and the sexual orientation. Most importantly, the focus upon diversity ought to be on individual work style, communication technique, the role level, level of performance and economic significance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Introduction The main aim of diversity is to tap exceptional talents and unique qualities along these dimensions. It is an issue of the people focusing on the differences and similarities presented to the workplace. This influence over individual identity and perspective goes beyond legally specified dimensions to offer non-discriminatory opportunities and affirmative statutes within the wor k setting. The workplace ought to have non-discriminatory programs supported by the organization culture. This is the key element representing dignity and respect for all to encourage knowledge or experience gain and team work. This paper addresses the proactive measures required to deal with workplace cultural diversity and caters for ways of fostering the practice. Advantages and disadvantages of Cultural Diversity To begin with, cultural diversity boosts the company’s competitive situation in the market. Unlike the early days when marketers thought that a good or service was universally acceptable, cultural diversification enables today’s marketers to recognize that different cultures demand for different taste of the same product or service. Large chain stores like Wal-Mart or Woolworths are in a position to establish the best way of presenting their products depending on location (Deresky, 7, 2008). Today we see a business scenario where small and medium sized com panies are able to give big company a run for their money because they have understood the concept of managing trade in a multi-cultural setting. The twenty first century creates openings for engaging in technological aspects and resources such as the internet trading, which provides a wide world web that assists to overcome the physical boundaries. A culturally diverse company is rich in knowledge pertaining people from various vicinities, thus enough chances of enhancing trade (Lewis, 2, 1999). A business with ethnic diversity can easily serve a wide base of clients easily, considering the ease of workers relating with clients. The clients have a diverse representation in the firm thus sharing of a lot of common ground with their service providers.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is a wide and equally diverse and well-balanced pool of knowledge created by diverse cul tures in the workplace. According to Lewis (3, 1999), knowledge is power to gain experience, creativity, customer support or participation, lasting results and eventually long-term high profit margins. Denial and discrimination are the individual characteristics on the subject of the barriers to enhancing cultural diversity in the workplace. People from different background still have personal features hindering this form of development. The cultural diversity within an organization with such people can be the main source of conflicts, group-work failures and thus fall of business operations and eventually poor economical growth. The diversity issue can therefore be a negative aspect if it lacks proper implementation procedures. Proactive measures of resolving diversification related conflicts at the workplace Implementation of cultural diversity at the workplace should correspond to strategic planning. Execution or change management must entail employees’ inspiration through infusion or integration of aspects such as those involving diversification into the business procedures or requirements. Diversity ought to apply from the top executives, who should show commitment and importance of diversity. Having the employees understand the importance of diversity as a main pillar for workplace management since it reduces any possibilities of conflicts. The top leaders or managers must engage an upbeat measure of solving diversity related conflicts by regularly emphasizing on its benefits to the firm. The business cultural commitment to diversity requires legal gazetting with the external regulator body to emphasize on the consequences regarding those conflicts that break business rules. In relation to Cornelius’ writing (81, 2002), a company need to have programs for performing prior training to employees on how to deal with counterparts from different cultural setting. Arguably, it is impossible for employees to grasp various complex cultural nuances in one sitting, therefore the need for them to be careful on issues regarding stereotyping, language differences, time differences and individual versus collective mindset, as a measure of avoiding or resolving diversity related conflicts. Fostering cultural diversity at the workplace Promotion of cultural diversity in the workplace ought to take place before commencement of hiring. This means that one should include diversity in the business plan. In line with Kirton and Greene (183, 2000), discovery of strengths or benefits of an action occur well prior to proper planning.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These calls for the management to be responsive over recognizing, respecting and capitalizing on various aspects of the society mainly regarding ethnicity, race and gender. A good manager and leader should note that even outside the work setting; one finds exposure of various cultural practices. Practical Theories of Managing Culture and Cultural Diversity The Hofstede Theory Today the technological change has made the organizations to become more dynamic since companies are now investing in joint ventures, partnerships that span across borders and cooperation through unions such as the European Union partnership. This means that the leadership styles are also focusing attention to more vibrant, on-going and very important procedures. The leadership style that attracts the attention of others requires a leader who is focused on other’s attention. The leader’s values must therefore be of substantive worth. It is important for a leader to have good solid knowledge and approaches to combat the cultural differences as well as engage continuous and alternative choices that steers organization forward in terms of development (Dowling and Welch, 38, 2008). One of the most common theories concerned with c ultural diversity is the Hoftede Theory. According to Dowling and Welch (38, 2008), Hoftede’s Theory indicates that culture is a collective of intangible distinctions found between people in a group, firm, organization or nation. The four main commonly used values in management of cultural diversity include power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and femininity/masculinity. The theory divides culture into two groups through analysis of the internal values, which are invisible and external values that are visible such as the rituals that a certain group practices, symbols, language differences and procedures for solving a problem. Power distance involves a firm’s ability to come up with procedures for handling societal inequalities, while individualism or collectivism is concern with the procedures that a firm takes to control a group. The masculinity or femininity entails the firm’s managerial behaviours concern with gender differences . Lastly, uncertainties are the unknown situation and the company must have extensive procedures of avoiding or minimizing the amount of threatening experiences for a member of a firm. Hoftede Theory mainly focuses on issues concerning leadership especially the ability to address various differences through effective communication. A good leader must be in a position of convincing people from different cultural backgrounds on how to focus on the ideas perceived to be important and developmental for a firm. It therefore focuses on and caters for each group.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Cross-Cultural Communication Theory The methods and styles of communication lack good definition in most organizations. Every leader has a personal way of pronouncement, which varies from formal to casual in both written and spoken forms. The main aim eventually is the consistency and ability to attract awareness and command peoples’ actions. Today the successful leaders need to know how to transverse a multicultural environment. In line with The Cross-Cultural Communication Theory, He /she must realize that there exists no single method of controlling leadership procedures (Deresky, 287, 2008). The leaders must read a group’s situation and come up with the most appropriate leadership behavioral pattern to combat the situation at hand. This is the only right and most appropriate procedures for the leaders because it enables the groups involved to fit the competency level. Leadership styles have a close connection to behavior. In the assessment of a group’s l eadership needs, there is need to translate skills to communicate behavior. For instance, if a leader finds that a certain group needs strong guidance, it is then wise to suggest direction, make different assignments, and possibly vet unrealistic suggestions. Leadership skills calls for one to find and balance the member’s thought, support viable decisions, and give authority to act. All the leadership styles in a multicultural environment have a strong basis on communication, and not skills, experience, lack or personality. The connection between group members brings about cooperation, and unique leadership styles that solve group problem effectively thus making the group to become more effective regardless of the cultural differences that may exist (Deresky, 287, 2008). A good or efficient group made of multicultural communities only requires a small, early but strong guidance to become and remain productive. Social-Identity Theory The social-identity theory indicates that people exist in two distinct classes identified by analysis of group categories or group functions. By considering category, a leader utilizes the scientific definition of leadership in a process that involves interpersonal communication to influence an outcome. According to Schneider and Barsoux (43, 2003), leadership is symbolic to the human nature of modifying attitudes and behaviours of culturally different people in order to meet organizational goals and needs. The leadership styles therefore involve acts enacted through persuasion or communication as opposed to forcing people to abide to a certain categorized aspects or certain functions. Current Key Issues in the Service Sector Increase of culturally diverse people in the work force is a clear indication that firms or organization need to move out of the traditions that supported confinement to boundaries that were structured conventionally and hierarchically, to allow group work and team spirits. The developments mainly affe ct leadership to allow strategies that influence behaviours of others through communication. Today, a designated leader is appointed or elected to a position, but she/he need to be an emergent leader because of exerting influences towards achievement of group goals. Acceptance of culturally diverse groups supports the concept that every person in a group ought to be an emergent leader especially during various group tasks (Reynolds and Valentine, 13, 2004). A designated leader has to be acceptable in the group for better outcomes. Sharing of leadership among members in a group means that eventually, the cultural differences are put aside and everyone is responsible for coordination of communication among the members. Melting Pot theory Melting Pot theory is a procedure for enhancing active interaction among people to ensure utilization of cultural significance of diversity and smooth settlement. Ability to enhance and utilize diversity depends on influence of the leaders. The design ated or emergent leader has the ability or power to known the interpersonal influences. The power can be a reward, punishment, legitimate, referent and expert. Leaders can offer the followers the value for their need for them to exercise rewarding power. The reward value can be material or intangible products such as monetary resources, material goods, favours, acknowledgements, complements and special attentions. The administration of punishment power occurs through implementation of similar favours. Coercion forces compliance with hostile tactics but in most instances breeds to resentment especially when there are cultural group differences within the organization. Legitimate power enables the leader to perform certain tasks within the group setting, such as call for the group meetings, analysis of work by the other group members, or preparation of agendas. In order to manage diverse groups effectively, the leader must have referent power based on attractiveness, admirable and res pectable aspects of leadership. Admiration brings about influence and charisma as an extreme type of referent power, which instigates a feeling of royalty and devotion from others. The more the admiration and respect for the leader, the more influence on the behaviours and power to influence the group. Leaders experience and expert power, when others or the followers value their guidance or admires the leadership styles. Diverse group members have diverse experiences and therefore are in a position to offer expertise guidance in different groups setting. In such a scenario, members posses confidence to share expert power in guiding others, value them and one can easily influence their behaviours or acts because of the respect for the knowledge or experience. Regardless of the cultural differences, all members of an organization have various abilities to influence others. It is possible to assist others because the expertise does not only emanate from the legitimacy (Kirton and Green e, 183, 2000). A widely cultural diverse group means that there are diverse sources of leadership influences other then the legitimate power. All the members have some degree of influence over each other and the legitimate leader must make use of all the potentials or capabilities to lead. Democratic Leadership Styles and Approaches The democratic regulations standard for an organization fosters applicable employees’ self-management procedures. One of the most important procedures regards performance. Rewarding performance in terms of good workmanship or discipline encourage understanding among employees from different cultural groups because it shows them the importance of unity. The personnel policy and procedures ought to determine eligibility for performance appraisal and rating performance for satisfaction as a way of enhancing unity. Every employee has governing procedures for expectations specified in the job contracts; therefore, failure to meet demands or to manage t he personal duties could have a link to the group performance. Freedom of the employees may facilitate personal definitions and foster team spirit. In a combination of democratic and autocratic styles as a way of enhancing team performance from people of different cultural groups in an organization, the leader can implement capacity planning and control as an essential aspect. It entails the research techniques for addressing the issue of scheduling applications, planning the allocation of resources, controlling performance and, having the problem solving techniques in place (Cornelius, 83, 2002). The planning and controlling approaches include optimization techniques for diminishing or maximizing involved elements, to meet the objectives within the operating environment. Employees are thus encouraged to work as a team to meet certain goals. For instance, a big problem is broken down to ease complexity and thus speeds up computation. Decomposing a problem allow efficiency in and abi lity to handle the uncertainties adequately. Secondly, dynamic approach allows the management to make decisions sequentially in a multi-stage pattern. A conflict related problem is recursively mirrored into solutions to come up with the most effective conclusion. Teamwork involves decomposition of a complex problem into various sub-problems for individuals to handle. The solutions eventually enable creation of a sequentially dependent framework indicating the whole problem as one, broken into various parts to enhance unity among employees. Conclusion Today the issue of employee performance has a strong basis upon organizational policies and procedures as opposed to only the leadership qualities. The nature of these rules or regulations helps in establishing the significance of a task and the importance of ensuring good results. People are naturally opposed to rules that hinder their freedom and are strenuous during performance. Although an integral to effective part of performance, team leadership may be the root course of conflicts in a multicultural organization as opposed to the cultural differences. The most important element of performance is ability to resolve internal conflicts through the leadership styles because disagreements hugely affect team performance. Leaders have the role of facilitating the behavioural change that assists in moulding individual trails into teams to achieve the set goals (Schneider and Barsoux, 43, 2004). According to Reynolds and Valentine (13, 2004), a good system capitalizes on the employees strengths while minimizing on their weaknesses. The differences between employees’ culture should entail proper usage, to strengthen understanding and enhancing stronger bonds through team works as a measure to capture global clientele. An entrepreneur should know that diversity is something more than mare moral obligation or a necessity for a business but is a business opportunity. Bibliography Cornelius, N. (2002). Building Wor kplace Equality. Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion  London: Thomson Learning. Deresky, H. (2008). International Management: Managing across Borders and  Cultures. (Sixth Ed). London: Prentice Hall Dowling, P.J. Welch D.E. (2008). International Human Resources Management:  Managing People in a Multinational Context. Fifth ed. London: Thomas Learning. Kirton, G Greene A. (2000). The Dynamics of Managing Diversity. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann Lewis, R. D. (1999). When Cultures Collide – Managing Successfully Across  Cultures. London, UK: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Reynolds, S Valentine, D. (2004). Guide to Cross-Cultural Communication. (2nd Ed) New Jersey: Prentice Hall Schneider, S.C Barsoux, J. (2003). Managing Across Cultures. London: Prentice Hall This essay on Managing Cultural Diversity In The Workforce was written and submitted by user Julie Cotton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Slavery the most controversial themes in the history of the United States The WritePass Journal

Slavery the most controversial themes in the history of the United States Chapter 1   Introduction: Slavery the most controversial themes in the history of the United States Chapter 1   Introduction:Chapter Two â€Å"Set Out to Play an’ Court all Dey Pleased†: Courtship among the enslaved.Chapter 3 â€Å"Jumping the broom†: Weddings and Marriage amongst the enslavedChapter 4: ConclusionRelated Chapter 1   Introduction: Slavery is one of the most controversial themes in the history of the United States; throughout much of the past century historians have debated, sometimes quite heatedly, various interpretations of this area. For the purpose of this dissertation, the personal relationships amongst the enslaved will be the subject being examined. Early research into the area on slave relationship tended to focus on the instability of slave families, The controversial Moynihan report of 1965 argued that the harsh regime of slavery shattered family ties of all that had been bound by it, and as a result the future generations of the ‘Negro Family’ lacked in strength and stability, Moynihan claimed that the majority of slave families â€Å"developed a fatherless matrifocal (mother-centred) pattern†[as men were absent husbands and fathers.    Elkins notorious study on Slavery in 1959 also negatively depicted slave relationships. Elkins compared slavery to the Nazi system of concentration camps, arguing that the enslaved were psychologically infantilized by the regime. Elkins’ argued that the totalitarian environment and â€Å"absolute power† held by the slave owners destroyed slaves capacity to resist the regime and form any sort of positive relationship with one another. Elkins asserted that the slave master was the only significant other in the life of a slave, and believed that significant bonds between slaves were unattainable. However, these views of slavery tended to focus on the perception of the slave owners and neglected the views of the enslaved. In the 1970’s new revisionist historians shifted to examining perspectives of the slave rather than that of the master, moving towards investigating ‘history from below’. The works of Gutman, Blassingame and Levine were of the first historians to look at slavery from this angle[5]; their works focused on the cultural aspects of the lives of the enslaved, a view that had been previously neglected. Similarities between their studies showed that cultural autonomy allowed slaves to distance themselves from the psychological pressures of the slavery regime and made it possible to establish and maintain positive, loving relationships. Gutman criticised the earlier orthodox views of slavery put forward by Elkins, Moynihan and Frazier, arguing that they did not appreciate the extraordinary â€Å"adaptive capacities† of the African American slaves in spite of the rigours imposed under slavery. The revisionist historians tended to focus on what Engerman referred to as â€Å"the positive accomplishments of slaves under slavery.† However more recently historians have criticised this approach, believing that the resilience and autonomy of the slaves have been overstated, shadowing the harsh truths of slavery, Kolchin’s studies claim that revisionist historians have created â€Å"an exaggerated picture of strength and cohesion of the slave community.† However one must note that by accentuating resilience and the desire for independence does not mean that historians are romanticising the whole regime of slavery and that the restrictions and exploitations imposed on slaves by their masters were not significant. Rather as West argues the fact that the enslaved strove for independence under the terrible hardships of the regime is of immense importance, since it â€Å"highlights the desire for freedom within the context of the restraints imposed by slaveholders.† For slaves, spousal love and support was of vital importance in the fight for cultural autonomy and also to provide shelter and support from their bleak lives under bondage.    This research project will further this perspective, in the attempt to show that the relationships between enslaved spouses facilitated the desire for and the development of a social space between the lives of slaves and owners and a means of resistance against oppression. This dissertation will attempt to show the strength slave relationships under and in spite of the harsh restraints of bondage. The chapters within this dissertation will look at enslaved courtship and marriage under the regime of slavery; each assessing the strength of these relationships in spite of the hardships and restrictions placed upon them. Slavery in America was present for almost two decades; it would difficult to adequately cover these issues for this entire period, for this reason this dissertation will focus on the antebellum period (1820-1860) of slavery which took place before the civil war. The significance of this period is that slavery had already been established and legislated for a long time thus providing historians with numerous sources of evidence in which to study. The limit of this period for one looking at cultural issues, is the fact that by this time there would be very few African born slaves; so this dissertation will be unable to look directly at the role played by native African slaves, as Kolchin argues that Antebellum period lacked the â€Å"large-scale infusions from Africa that might have served to foster separate black cultural forms by reinforcing a cultural continuity with the traditions of their ancestors†.[11] The majority of the slaves in the antebellum period would have been bo rn and brought up under the regime of slavery, however, this smaller scope of study should not be looked at negatively, as Levine argues that the slave culture is one of oral tradition, where culture was passed on from generation to generation by stories, songs and folk tales therefore African culture would still be relevant in the lives of Antebellum slaves.[12] As this dissertation is focusing on the antebellum period, it is limited to the Southern States of America as slavery had already been abolished in the Northern States. Although this may seem a broad geographical area, this dissertation will hope to prove that regardless of location the enslaved strove for the same autonomy to shape their own personal lives and relationships. American Slavery has been an area where sources of evidence has been heatedly criticised, the majority of early research into this topic was based primarily on ‘white’ sources which tended to rationalise the exploitation of their black counterparts. Other revisionist historians have focused on ex-slave testimonies which too have been criticised as being unreliable which will be discussed in more detail further on. However this dissertation will draw from sources of oral testimony left behind by former slaves, as Frederick Douglass explains one â€Å"cannot see things in the same light with the slave, because he does not, and cannot, look from the same point from which the slave does†[13] The Works Progress Administration Narratives (which will be referred to as WPA throughout this dissertation) are a collection of other 2,300 interviews of former slaves from the southern states conducted from 1936-38. These interviews are of vital importance when investigating slavery from the perspective of the enslaved and gives historians insight into the personal lives of slaves which is neglected in the majority of ‘white’ sources. There is however many arguments against the reliability of these narratives, the main one is that over two thirds of the respondents were more than eighty when they were interviewed, it has been suggested that their memories of bondage would affected over time, and that they were only young children during the regime of slavery. West explains that even though the respondent memory may have dimmed with age, they still remembered â€Å"a great deal about life under the peculiar institution†Ã‚   Moreover even if slave narratives weren’t perfectly recollected, the nature of the unique source still holds immense value to that of a historian. Another issue that has been noted is that many respondents would have been children at the time of slavery; this could be problematic when assessing courting and marital relationships as the former slaves could have possibly been too young to partake in these types of relationships themselves, however as previously mentioned Levine’s study shows American slave culture was one that rested on folk tales and the passing down of stories through the generations, therefore slave testimony on their parents and grandparents relationships will still be highly significant to this study. To end with Woodward brilliantly sums up that even though the WPA narratives are sometimes confusing and contradictory â€Å"they represent the voices of the normally voiceless, the inarticulate masses whose silence historians are forever lamenting† Chapter Two â€Å"Set Out to Play an’ Court all Dey Pleased†: Courtship among the enslaved. As detailed in the introduction this dissertation will examine the personal relationships in which slaves participated; in the attempt to show the strength of these relationships and also the degree in which slaves strove for the autonomy from their masters to develop and maintain these relations. This chapter will examine the role of courtship amongst the enslaved, although there has been much more recent research into the ‘romantic’ lives of slaves since the wave of revisionist historians in the 1970’s, courtship has been looked at as a ‘mere passage instead of its own social event’; historian’s have either overlooked this area completely or merged it into a broader study of marriage. This chapter will detail early historical views of enslaved courtship before discussing the variety of restrictions which were in place to hinder courtship before finally discussing the ways in which the enslaved managed to create meaningful relationships of the ir own. By the antebellum period slavery had become institutionalised across the American South, slaveholders were increasingly concerned with controlling every aspect of their ‘properties’ lives, especially that of sexual unions. This is due to the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 1808, which stopped any more African people being imported as slaves; hence the sexual unions that slaves created became increasingly important to slaveholders to insure that they would have future generations of slaves to perpetuate the southern social order. Oral testimony from the former slave, Hannah Jones showed that there were some plantations who â€Å"just raised niggers†. By examining other slave testimonies it can be seen that many slave owners decided who their slaves would be with, in order to produce the best offspring. Katie Darling, a slave born in Texas in 1849, argued that slaves didn’t court each other under the restraints of Slavery, merely that their mast ers would â€Å"pick out a po’tly and a po’tly gal and jist put ‘em together† to reproduce as he needed more â€Å"stock†. This shows one of main reasons why historians have neglected the topic of enslaved courtship as they viewed the way in which slaves formed relationships to some extent as an insensitive and unemotional process, as the majority of masters’ chose partners for their slaves with little or no considerations of their personal feelings. Genovese acknowledged that in some cases; masters had a paternalistic attitudes towards their slaves and let them choose their own partner yet the process was still not regarded as a ‘romantic’ one as â€Å"if a man saw a girl he liked he would ask his master’s permission to ask the master of the girl for her. If his master consented and her master consented then they came togetherâ€Å" As a result of forced breeding, coerced relationships, and the ‘unemotional’ joining of partner as detailed in ‘white’ sources and also in a few slave narratives, Fraser concluded that â€Å"courtship and the normal relationships preliminary to marriage seldom existed†.   By examining more of the WPA slave narratives, however, it can be seen that this negative image of courtship was not always the case; instead one can see the importance that the enslaved placed on the creation of their personal relationships, as they â€Å"sought to define the nature and shape of their own courtship experiences.†Ã‚   By examining the ‘courtships’ of those who were bound by slavery, historians can gain insight into the cultural and social aspects of their rituals and how the enslaved strove to meet and choose their significant other, free from the influence of their master. Within this dissertation numerous WPA slave narratives will be discussed to show the extent of personal relationships between the enslaved. However when looking into the area of courtship one must note that the majority of former slaves who partook in these testimonies were young children during the years of bondage, hence they may not have participated in courtships themselves until after slavery and historians must acknowledge this issue. However this does not mean that the testimonies are of no value as many recount the stories that have been passed on to them or those they witnessed personally, giving historians insight into how courtship was shaped within the slave community and also how the slaves strove for the autonomy to create strong relationship bonds. A perspective that many traditional historians neglected as can be seen in the previous chapter as they used primarily ‘white’ sources. Many slave owners expected to decide the timing of courtship and coupling among slaves and to constrain their slaves’ choice of partner to suit their own needs; such as keeping their slaves on their plantations at all times and producing ‘quality’ offspring destined to be the master’s future slaves and/or income. To make sure this was the case slave holders placed numerous restrictions in the way of their slaves’ courtships; time was one of the largest constraints faced by the enslaved, as Smith explains â€Å"all time on the plantation, whether work or leisure, was ultimately the master’s to bestow, manipulate and define†. With slaves spending all their time working in the fields or domestically in the masters house, even when their long day at work was over, their master still controlled what they did and even when they had to go to sleep. For example, Ex-slave Matida Mckinney explained the concept of curfews on her plantation, pointi ng out that the â€Å"curfew horn was blown and no lights could be lighted after its warning not had sounded. There was very little visiting to or from the group which dwelt here, as the curfew hour was early† This shows how relatively little freedom slaves had in their day to day lives to socialise or court one another. As well as time, slave owners also restricted their slave’s mobility. The enslaved were restricted to the boundaries of their plantations. The Former slave Austin Steward points out that â€Å"Slaves are never allowed to leave the plantation which they belong, without a written pass. Should anyone venture to disobey this law, he will most likely be caught by the patrol and given thirty-nine lashes.† The enslaved had to gain their masters permission to leave their plantation, they were required to get a written pass, detailing their master’s name, the origin of their trip and their destination, and they were also required to produce this pass at the request of any white person. Not only were their ‘patrollers’ hindering slaves geographical mobility but slave owners also placed physical boundaries, such as high fences, around the perimeter of their plantations to contain and restrict slaves mobility further. Former slave Louisa Adams argues that â€Å"All de plantation wuz fenced in, dat is all de fields, wid rails; de rails wuz ten feet long† It should be noted here that the restrictions imposed on the enslaved were inconsistent throughout the Antebellum South, not just in differing states but â€Å"between slaveholders themselves; urban and rural environments and different police measures in the county†Regardless of these restrictions the enslaved managed to control their personal relationships through working around the restrictions enforced upon them by the regime of slavery. Certain social events were organised by the slave owners and occurred as part of the work regime, for example ‘corn shucking’ and ‘candy pulling’ where numerous slaves from neighbouring plantations would come together to complete a large task. Even though the slaves were working on these occasions by reviewing many of the WPA slave testimonies it can be seen that the enslaved looked forward to these events and the majority described them as ‘fun’. As well as working the slaves had the chance to engage in socialising, flirtation and courtship at these events. For instance, they played numerous courtship games such as ‘kissing for a red ear of corn’ and ‘dropping the handkerchief’ which allowed them to possibly establish a meaningful personal relationships.   The former slave Anna Wright explained how these organised events offered a good place for the enslaved to meet a potential partner but also for existing couples to continue their courtship, she explained that courting couples relished these days as they could â€Å"set out to play an’ court all dey pleased†. Therefore the enslaved managed to manipulate some of the terms of their working lives to their own ends. As well as these occasions, many slave owners also recognised different times of the year as holidays, during these times the usual time and mobility restrictions enforced on the enslaved were temporarily relaxed allowing slaves to move between different plantations and spend time socialising and courting. For instance for Christmas Holiday which could last anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, one former slave detailed that on his plantation from Christmas through to new year the slaves â€Å"feast, an’ we dance, an’ we sing.† Another slave explained that at Christmas, slaves â€Å"went up de riber to other plantations ter dances an’ all dem things† However it must be noted that these opportunities were completely dependent on the slave owner, who could withdraw these privileges at any time or choose not to partake in them at all. It can be seen so far that the enslaved had very little opportunity to partake in courtships, and the opportunities they had, if any, to escape being governed by their masters were seldom. Some slaves, however, resisted these restrictions which bound them and sought to have a social world separate to their plantation and thus developed ‘alternative or illicit social spaces, where they socialised, flirted and courted without the presence or consent of the slave owner’. The enslaved would go to unauthorised ‘frolics’ or their significant other’s plantations without obtaining the permission of their master in order to pursue or create a courtship. For example, ex-slave Penny Williams recounted that â€Å"Dar was some nigger men what ud go courtin’ spite de debil, an’ master ain’t gibbin dem no passes dey go widout ‘em† She also detailed how regardless of the punishment bestowed on them when they were caught, they would still continue this behaviour in pursuit of love. This point was furthered by former slave Hugh Berry, who described that he would risk severe punishment to â€Å"go back over there to see that girl†.   By doing this the enslaved defied and resisted the systems of control, such as time and geography. In conclusion, the enslaved in the antebellum south strove to meet and court a significant other of their choosing. Slave utilised the time that their owners allowed them, such as work based event and holidays to extend the limits of their lives, but they also strove to establish romantic bonds with one another in spaces that was separate from their plantation and their master’s authority. This chapter shows the value and importance slaves placed on their courtships, so much so that they would risk a severe beating in order to pursue their love interest. Also by examining slave testimonies, one can see that courtship was a vital stage in the romantic relationships of the enslaved, despite being neglected by early academics. Chapter 3 â€Å"Jumping the broom†: Weddings and Marriage amongst the enslaved The last chapter analysed the opportunities the enslaved had to meet and court a partner of their own choosing, this chapter will look at the next stage in the romantic relationship; marriage. Slave marriages have been one of the most controversial areas of research within the topic of slavery, numerous orthodox historians viewed slave marriages as weak and unstable, Stampp believed that with all the constraints imposed on the enslaved, ‘no deep or enduring affection could develop between husband and wives’.This chapter will examine the extent to which this claim is true, focusing on the difficulties and restrictions that affected slave marriages and how the enslaved managed to overcome them. The first question this chapter will examine is opportunities that the enslaved had to get married; the southern legal system never recognised slave marriages on the grounds that property could not enter into a legal contract, slave holders would not tolerate a legal contract that would interfere with their rights to dispose of their property as they pleased, therefore early scholars concluded that marital relationships could not have existed amongst slaves. However, throughout this chapter it can be seen that this was not the case; although slave marriages were not legislated they were culturally formed and respected by the slave community. As in courtship, marriages between slaves were greatly influenced by the slaveholders; some slave owners forbade their slaves to enter in marriage at all. There were many different reasons for this, one of which being the threat to the master’s authority, for example Harriet Jacob’s master rejected her requests to wed a free black man as he thought that it would displace her loyalties to him, he asserted, â€Å"Well, I’ll soon convince you whether I am your master, or that nigger fellow you honour so highly†. Another reason for master’s forbidding enslaved matrimony, which is suggested by reviewing slave testimonies, is the practice of forced breeding as discussed in the previous chapter. A former slave recalled the application of this in her plantation; â€Å"As a rule negro men were not allowed to marry at all, any attempt to mate with the negro women brought swift, sure horrible punishment and the species were propagated by selected male Negros, who were kept for this purpose, the owners of this privileged negro, charged a fee of one out of every four of his offspring for his services† A former Texas slave, also described a less explicit way of forced breeding, where the women on his plantation were paired and forced to cohabit with a mate that their master deemed as suitable, as effective reproduction was more important to the slave owner than his slave emotions. Franklin believed that this was the case for the majority of slave women, who were forced into ‘relationships’ and pregnancy by the venality of her master, Franklin asserted this made it unlikely that slaves would ever establish a loving and affectionate bond with their significant other. Conversely, even though numerous slaves were coerced into relationships, some managed to manipulate their masters so they could be with the person of their choosing. An example of this can be seen in the testimony of former slave Virgina Yarbrough, who recalled once when her master forced two slaves together even though they were in love with others, they slept in separate beds â€Å"Twas’ bout three months aftah, de marster see thar am no chillums gwine to be bo’n, so he tuks her f’om dat fellow an’ ‘lows her to stay wid de one she laks.† However, it must be noted that this happened in the minority. By examining numerous slave testimonies, however, one can determine that the majority of slave owners did allow slaves to marry the person of their choosing, as Genevese explains most owners understood that if slaves were denied their request to marry the one they loved, they would become sullen workers and would be more likely to run away. Slave owners also allowed informal ceremonies to mark marital unions amongst slaveseven if there were not legitimate. This Chapter will now examine some of the various ceremonial rituals which took place at slave weddings; one of the most common of these rituals was jumping over the broomstick where slave couples literally jumped over a broomstick together and were then married. Historians take different views on the meaning of this ceremony; Blassingame and Gutman believed this ritual originated in Africa and was initiated by the slaves themselves. On the contrary, Stevenson argues that the broomstick ritual derived from pre-Christian Europe and was passed down generations as a quaint and amusing remnant of the past, Stevenson believes this ritual was imposed on slaves by their masters, which suggested the lack of respect and honour slave-owners held for their ‘blacks attempt to create meaningful marital relationships’ By reviewing numerous slave testimonies that describe the broom stick ceremony, they tend to fit in with Stevenson’s analysis of the ceremony, this can be seen by the use of coercive language, that they were required to perform this ceremony. Again reaffirming the master’s control over slave marriages; for example Georgina Giwbs said that, ‘When yer married, yer had to jump over the broom three times. Dat wuz de licence. ’ Another instance of this can be seen by reviewing the testimony of George Womble,   he describes that slaves ‘were commanded to jump over the broom ’. All slave ceremonies were not as basic as jumping over a broomstick, they ranged from extravagant weddings as described in several slave testimonies, for example Tempie Durham recalled her â€Å"big weddin†, where her master arranged for her to have a â€Å"big weddin’ cake†, a massive feast, a bible wedding ceremony with a â€Å"nigger preacher† and a grand white wedding dress.   One may question why masters would arrange elaborate ceremonies for their slaves, Stampp suggests the reason is for the white masters to mock and belittle their black ‘property’, delighting in watching ‘a bride and groom move awkwardly through the wedding ceremony’. Genovese, however, disagree with this notion; instead believing that masters indulged slaves on their wedding days expecting that in return slaves would become more loyal and work harder. Regardless of the ulterior motives of masters, Will’s research shows that slaves preferred the e laborate trappings of the white culture, this signifies how the enslaved wished to have the same opportunities as their white counterparts to celebrate their personal relationships For the enslaved, wedding ceremonies legitimised their personal relationships to the extent possible during their time in bondage. The value and importance of these ceremonies held by slaves; whether extravagant events held in their masters house or the simple act of jumping over the broomstick, reflect the commitment slaves held in marriage and also the importance of the communal validation of their relationships. As with so many issues vital to the enslaved, white laws and planter control inevitably limited the range of marriage options open to slaves, yet working within the range and persistently attempting to widen this range of possibilities as seen also in the previous chapter, slaves forged marriage rituals that they not their masters ultimately determined and guarded. The importance of attaining marriage status alone is not sufficient evidence however to prove that slave marriages were not weak, unstable and unaffectionate as orthodox historians suggested. Another factor which led early scholars to label slave marriages with negative connotations   was the idea that slaves were sexually promiscuous, and could not remain faithful to one another, as one white slave mistress recounted â€Å"Not one in a thousand, I suppose, of these poor creatures have a conception whatever of the sanctity of marriage†. This is reiterated in some slave narratives, for example an former slave from Alabama explained that he couldn’t stay with the same woman instead he â€Å"jes tuck up wid one likely gal ater anoder† Gutman, however, argues that this was not the case and ‘fidelity was expected from slave men and women after marriage’by reviewing numerous slave narratives one can see that the majority of married slaves were loyal to each other regardless of the adverse situations they found themselves in. For example, Susan Snow a former slave, recalled that she â€Å"never hear’d tell o’ wives runnin’ round wid other men in dem days† Another example of the enslaved devotion to their spouse is recalled by Bryant Huff, who father was sold far away yet his mother refused to be unfaithful to him, she â€Å" grieved over his departure and refused, although urged, to marry again†. A serious problem which affected slave marriages was not the loyalty between spouses but the sexual exploitation faced by female slaves at the hands of white men usually their master, former Slave Henry Bibb explained that   Ã¢â‚¬Å"slaves wives cannot be true to their husbands they dare not refuse to be reduced to a state of adultery at the will of her master† This was extremely difficult for female slaves but also their significant others who were often powerless to stop the abuse; Henry Bibb further detailed his experience of when his wife Malinda was being sexually abused by their master, â€Å"I was compelled to stand and see my wife shamefully scourged and abused by her master; and the manner in which it was done, was so violently and inhumanely committed upon the person of a female, that I despair in finding decent language to describe the bloody act of cruelty† Some male slaves attempted to protect their wives from this abuse, former South Carolina slave Philip Evans recalled how his aunt was abused by a white overseer, her husband Dennis then attacked the overseer before fleeing into the woods, he was then caught and jailed before being stripped and flogged, the abuse on his wife still continued. By assessing these two testimonies it shows historians that however difficult it must have been for slave couple to endure sexual exploitation, the fact that they did is further evidence of the strength of slave marriages and the support spouses provided to one another. Another factor which would give a historian insight into determining the strength of slave marriages; is the length of time slaves were married. An example of this can be seen by reviewing the journal of a former slave holder Chaplin who noted that two of his female slaves had been married for over twenty seven years, he found that this was a strange phenomenon but by reviewing numerous slave testimonies one can draw the conclusion that it was common for slave marriages to be lifelong unions, unless broken by separation (which will discussed in more detail further on in this chapter). This is reiterated by the work of Gutman, his study showed that the majority of slaves remained married when possible, as only 9% of slaves in his study had separated due to mutual consent or by desertion Franklin believed that the permanency of a slave marriage would depend on the extent to which the couple could live and work together, based on this he deemed that slave marriages would only work if the couple remained together on the same plantation. However, as aforementioned slave marriages could not be legitimised as it would interfere with the owner’s rights to sell or give away their ‘property’, this meant that slave marriages were under constant threat of separation either through long distance or local sales, being gifted between white family members and also when estates of deceased owners were divided up Crawford estimates that nearly a quarter of all slave families were broken by sale. Slave owners understood the value slaves held in their marriage and used this knowledge as a way to control their slaves; the threat of being separated from their spouses was the most feared punishment, ‘a haunting fear which made all of the slave’s days miserable’ This overwhelming fear of being separated from their spouses shows further evidence of the importance of marital ties between the enslaved. Gutman 1970 study highlighted the strength of marital and family ties, however it has been criticised as his work only focused on large plantations where marital and family bonds would have been stronger, however it must be noted that these large plantations, where hundreds of slave presided were the exception, not the norm, Crawford’s research showed less than 50% of slaves lived on the same plantation as their significant other. The Majority of the enslaved in South were from small plantations with only a few other slaves, this meant much to their master’s dismay that they had to form cross plantation unions. These Cross plantation marriages were said to have constituted for over 33% of slave marriages, whilst these arrangements have been denigrated, work from revisionist historians have used them to exemplify the strength of marital bonds between the enslaved. Another important detail to note is that even slaves from large plantations sometimes married slaves from ot her plantations; the existence of cross plantation marriages amongst these slaves shows historians another example of the enslaved striving for autonomy from their masters. Cross Plantation Marriages were obviously harder than maintaining a relationship with a significant other on the same plantation; but despite the drawbacks, slaves went to incredible lengths to maintain their long distance relationships; for example A slave owner described how one of his slaves walked 40 miles to see his wife, only love explains his willingness to repeat this trip over and over again. Cross plantation unions also took place between free blacks and slaves, in many of these cases the free slave would attempt to purchase their significant other to no avail, however an example of the devotion held in these unions can be seen in the case of Samuel Small, a free black, who became a slave for seven years to pay for his wives freedom. Recently Russell has argued that local as well as long distance sales caused the high rates of family separations, however West believes that even though any type of separation would cause great anguish, the system of cross plantation unions coupled with the strength of relationships between spouses meant in the case of local separations the consequences may have not been so damaging. This chapter will draw attention to one final area, slave marriages once they were free; Gutman emphasised that when slaves were emancipated they went to great efforts to reunite with their families which they had been separated from. Molly Tillman recounted the anguish she felt when her master sold her husband to another state, â€Å"well ma’am, I grieved fo’ dat nigger so dat my heart wuz heavy in my breas’. I know I never would see him no more† after emancipation she still could not get over her husband until one day several years later she found him â€Å"I wuz so happy I shouted all over dat meetin’ house. We jes’ tuck up whar we   lef’ off an’ ‘fo’ long us got married† they lived happily as man and wife until he died 20 years later. The enthusiasm in which slaves registered to be legally married after the emancipation shows how much they valued their marriages. In conclusion, with all the difficulties that affected matrimonial ties between slaves on can understand why many historians deemed slave marriages as weak and unstable. However, when assessing the issues faced by slaves; legitimacy, the control owners had over their slave, forced coupling, sexual exploitation and separation, the fact that the majority of slaves managed to work through these and still managed to create deep and enduring relationships show the truth strength, resilience and value of slave marriages. By reviewing numerous slave testimonies, it is clear that through their words and behaviour slaves repeatedly strove to make their marriages last, the enslaved worked strenuously within and around the power structure which restricted their lives to maintain their marriages. Chapter 4: Conclusion In Conclusion this dissertation has shown that the enslaved of the antebellum South strove for autonomy from their masters and the harsh restraints of slavery; to do this they created strong and loving bonds with a significant other. By creating their own social space to create and maintain these unions, this illustrates that slaves were able to survive and resists the oppression they faced under bondage. Slave owners constantly intruded on the lives of their slaves, believing it was their right to control every aspect of the lives of their slaves, they attempted to decide, sometimes successfully, the opportunities slaves had to meet a potential partner, the partner their slaves should be with, the type of wedding ceremony their slaves received if any, the amount of time they could spend with their significant other and finally to separate romantic unions for sales or if they saw fit. These constant impingements forced slaves to adopt what West depicted as an â€Å"underground† approach to their ‘romantic’ lives . This has been described throughout this research project, entailing secret frolics, socialising with slaves in different plantations, celebrating marriages with appropriate ceremonies, and finally risking severe punishing at the hands of their masters or the patrollers to be able to visit the one they loved. The majority of slave testimonies that have been examined throughout this research project have shown that the majority of slaves strove to marry the person of their choosing and were also prepared to withstand great hardships to maintain their marriages. This is contradictory of the early academic views on slave relationships, especially that of Elkins as aforementioned, who believed that slavery destroyed slave’s capacity to resist the regime in any capacity, and form relationships with anyone other than their master. The research for this dissertation has shown the opposite, that in fact the majority of slaves managed to create and maintain loving and enduring marriages despite the regime of bondage, this strength is further highlighted when examining the sexual exploitation faced by female slaves and how in many cases their significant other either attempted to protect them or provided love and support to shelter them from such adversity. Another noteworthy factor when acc essing the strengths of enslaved romantic bonds is that of cross plantation union, which as previously discussed shows the lengths slaves would go to be with the one they loved, including risking cruel violent punishments to see their loved ones as much as possible. As mentioned in the introduction chapter Kolchin believes that this positive perspective on slavery dismissed the hardships of the regime, believing instead the slaves in fact flourished during their time in bondage, however this is not what this project is attempting to achieve, instead it is the fact that slaves strove for autonomy to form a connection with another, which gave them a separate identity than that of a slave, embodying roles such as companion, confidante and soulmate. Indeed for the enslaved of the antebellum South, falling in love was burdened with extreme emotional and physical difficulties, even former slave Harriet Jacobs asked herself: â€Å"Why does the slave ever love? Why allow the tendrils of the heart to twine around objects which may at any moment be wrenched away by the hand of violence†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   West explained that despite all the problems ‘romantic’ bonds entailed, the majority of marriages amongst the enslaved sheltered and supported them in face of adversity, these loving, affectionate, and supportive relationships created a mindset of cultural independence. Finally to end with a quote from Rawick; â€Å"While from sunup to sundown the American slave worked for another and was harshly exploited, from sundown to sunup he lived for himself and created the behavioural and institutional basis which prevented him from becoming the absolute victim† Bibliography Primary Sources Berlin, I. Favreau, M. Miller, S. F. 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Nature in contemporary art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nature in contemporary art - Essay Example The essay "Nature in contemporary art" discusses the concepts and representations of nature in contemporary art. In situations where the form of the earth as life's foundation is laid onto nature, it personalizes truth and validity endangered by technology. As a result, many philosophers have incorporated this firm earthly groundwork as a signal of the roots with which the individual continuously seems to demand. When a polemical analysis was made by Heidegger (already a classic) of the shoes painted by Van Gogh, he was focused to the path below the shoes worn. This is because he thought, the path was taken by a peasant woman in relation to the actual shoes. This translated to the fact that it was a trail of compressed earth, of steadiness with solidity, a path which was not misleading or artificial. A representation of nature exists from where once changes it to a situation where one â€Å"shapes† it. As a result, nature exists as the "raw material" for the land art. This is as illustrated in the works of Richard Long, Walter De Maria, and Robert Smithson. In Smithson's work titled â€Å"Spiral Jetty," nature, the world, the lake and the gravels coupled with the sky are the fashioned material. This can be explained by the fact that it is as if man wanted to channel himself against nature. This circumstances resulted to a change thus realize a beautifulness that appears to be renounced to him in daily life. When Walter De Maria made his â€Å"Lightning Field† statue in the desert, he appeared to be convincing nature. to act in a given way.8 He fails to take an inactive attitude in the company of the elements, resulting to failure to signify. This is because he slightly seeks to feel what is ordinary and lively in them and to make an artistic experience of it. It is important to note that the â€Å"land art† of the 1960s and 1970s seemed to make a new attempt to come to an understanding with nature in a way similar to or at least associated with the approach of prehistoric artists.9 Artistic obligation does not always go the way of the outstanding. Smithson's quay, Long's lines and circles pegged with De Maria's lightning are considerable to the individual expecting them. Turrell's spaces appear to be homes for anybody encircled in them.10 Furthermore, they appear as vantage areas from which one might effectively take ownership of the sky. On the contrary, the wax and coal dust utilized by Eva Lootz, or Adolfo Schlosser's rod branches and skins, are natural and forms the "raw material" for their creative activity.11 As a result, they give a convinced and minimal measure of nature. For example, the breeze that sets in motion a Calder mobile, the paraffin, coal dust or wax lightly gathering on the object or on a flat surface, and the tautness of the frail determined branch constructed into one of Schlosser's pieces.12 It was noted that, in the work of all these artists in the example stated above, apart from underlining itself by its glory and seriousness, nature announces its self-effacing delicateness. With the lapse of time, the relationship between art and nature has determined creative art. This is because the beginning of nature entertained by the numerous human communities strengthened or altered this relationship. Primitive man utilized the natural elements, whereas the romantics fanatically desired to capture a nature that escaped their grasp. Friedrich's traveler staring from patronizing

Company Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Company Analysis - Assignment Example The Current CEO is Jose Manuel Gutierrez. The firm has John Gunn as the president, Tobias Valdenaire as the Co-CEO, and Juergen Michelberger as the E- Commerce manager. When the firm was being formed, Susie assumed the creative role, while Doug assumed the financial role. In October 2013, the firm appointed a new chief product officer, Rafael Pastor Espuch, who had 18 years of experience in the fashion industry while at Inditex. The vision of the firm is to inspire the spirit of the organization and create a sense of cooperation and community. On the other hand, the mission statement of the firm is, â€Å"Be informed, be involved and make a difference’ (Esprit Holding Limited , 2014). So as to ensure proper running of the firm, Esprit came up with an executive board. The company has six members in the executive board with two members being female; Susie and Hansen. The managers who are on the executive board had prior experience working in start-up as well as working as executives in the non-retail companies. Esprit is a fashion retailer that operates more than 1000 directly managed bricks-and-mortar stores. Besides, it has more than 10,000 wholesale retailers globally as well as an e-commerce site. The firm operates more than 770 retail stores globally and also distributes products to an estimated 5, 000 wholesale locations across the world. Furthermore, in more than 40 nations Esprit has 1.1 million of retail space. The Group also operates more than 800 directly managed retail stores internationally. This implies that it has a large employee base. As of June 2012, the firm had employed 12, 400 people (MarketLine, 2014). Esprit offers twelve (12) product lines including collection of business clothing for men, women and children: casual sportswear, urban clothing for the young women, children’s clothing who are aged up to seven (7) years, sports wear, accessories such as shoes, bags, and swimmer for women, kids and men. The firm also deals in the online