History Of Swimming :: essays research papers

Swimming Swimming is the act of moving through the water by using the arms, legs, and body in motions called strokes. The most common strokes are the crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and sidestroke. Some scientists believe that human beings are born with an instinctive ability to use their arms and legs to stay afloat. That instinct, however, disappears within a few months after birth. Later in life many children and adults learn to swim in order to be safe around the water, to have fun, and to participate in competition. Most people learn to swim by imitating others, most often their parents, brothers, sisters, and friends. Most youngsters in also take lessons at swim clubs, community centers, schools, and recreational facilities. In addition, the American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) and the American Red Cross sponsor programs that teach children about water safety. Instructors teach students skills that will make them safe, efficient, and confident swimmers. Beginners first put their heads in the water and blow bubbles by exhaling. Gradually, students progress to floating, treading water, and ultimately, learning the techniques of the major strokes. Individuals should not swim in conditions that their ability and experience will not allow them to handle. For inexperienced recreational swimmers, many safety hazards exist, even in a pool. These hazards include misjudging a dive and hitting one's head on the bottom, holding one's breath too long, becoming exhausted, and experiencing sudden cramps while too far from shore or other swimmers. The history of swimming dates back thousands of years. One of the earliest representations of swimming is an ancient Egyptian wall relief that shows soldiers of Pharaoh Ramses II. Swimming was very important in ancient Greece and Rome, especially as a form of training for warriors. In Japan, competitions were held as early as the 1st century BC. In Europe, swimming was less popular during the Middle Ages, swimming didn’t pick up until the 19th century. In the late 19th century amateur swimming clubs began conducting competitions in the United States and Britain. In the United States, colleges and universities such as Yale University, Indiana University, and the University of Southern California played an important role in spreading interest in swimming as a competitive sport. In 1875 Matthew Webb of Great Britain became the first person to swim across the English Channel.

Child Abuse: The Hidden Tragedy

Child abuse is the physical or emotional abuse of a child by a parent, guardian, or other person. Reports of child abuse, including sexual abuse, beating, and murder, have jumped in the United States and some authorities believe that the number of cases is largely under reported. Child neglect is also included in legal definitions of child abuse to cover instances of malnutrition, desertion, and inadequate care of a child's safety. When reported, inadequate foster care services and a legal system that has trouble accommodating the suggestible nature of children, who are often developmentally unable to distinguish fact from make-believe, complicate child abuse cases During the years of 1985 and 1996, there was a 50 percent increase in reported cases of child abuse. In 1996, three million cases of child abuse are reported in the United States each year. Also that same year some twelve hundred children died from abuse across the country. Treatment of the abuser has had only limited success and child protection agencies are overwhelmed. Recently, efforts have begun to focus on the primary prevention of child abuse. Primary prevention of child abuse must be equipped on many levels before it can be successful. Prevention, on the social level is very important and could possibly save a life. According the American Humane Association prevention should include widening the financial self-sufficiency of families, discouraging corporal punishment and other ways of violence. Making health care more available and affordable, increasing and developing coordination of social services, evolving the identification and treatment of psychological problems, and alcohol and drug abuse, providing more affordable child care and preventing the birth of unwanted children. Prevention plans on the family level include helping parents meet their basic needs, identifying problems of substance abuse and spouse abuse, and educating parents about child behavior, discipline, safety and development. In the case of child abuse, primary prevention is defined as any intervention designed for the purpose of preventing child abuse before it occurs. In 1993, three million children in the United States were reported to have been abused. Thirty-five percent of these cases of child abuse were confirmed. Data from various reporting sources indicates that improved reporting could lead to a significant increase in the number of cases of child abuse verified by child protection agencies. The lack of verification does not indicate that abuse did not occur, only that it could not be verified. The facts are that each year 160,000 children suffer severe or life-threatening injury and 1,000 to 2,000 children die as a result of abuse. Of these deaths, 80 percent involve children younger than five years of age, and 40 percent involve children younger than one year of age. One out of every 20-murder victim is a child. Murder is the fourth leading cause of death in children from one to four years of age and the third leading cause of death in children from five to fourteen years of age. Deaths from abuse are under reported and some deaths classified as the result of accident and sudden infant death syndrome might be reclassified as the result of child abuse if comprehensive investigations were more routinely done. Most child abuse takes place in the home and is started by persons are know to and trusted by the child. Even though it has been widely publicized, abuse in day-care and foster-care setting accounts for only a small number of confirmed cases of child abuse. In 1996, only two percent of all confirmed cases of child abuse occurred in these settings. Child abuses if fifteen times more likely to occur in families where spousal abuse occurs. Children are three times more likely to be abused by their fathers than by their mothers. No differences have been found in the incidence of child abuse in rural versus urban areas. Following are the types of abuse and the percentages of the different types. Not only do children suffer from the physical and mental cruelty of child abuse; they endure many long-term consequences, including delays in reaching developmental milestones, refusal to attend school and separation anxiety disorders. Further; consequences include an increased likelihood of future narcotic abuse, combative behavior, high-risk health behaviors, illegal activity, personality disorders. Investigations have shown that a affectionate, loving, tender and caring enjoyable environments during the first three years of a child's life is significant for correct intellectual growth. There have been some recent changes in regards to the causes of child abuse. The results of investigation originated by the National Research Council's Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect showed the first important step away from the simple cause and effect patterns. The panel established that the simple reason and effect patterns have certain limitations, mostly related to their narrow focus on the parents. They stated that in some families that there is cycles of abuse that is started and is carried over generations. These patterns are limited by asking only about the isolated set of personal characteristics that might cause parents to abuse their children. The panel attempted to examine the roots of child abuse, in order to find effective ways in preventing it. The panel developed an ecological model; this model considers the origin of all forms of child abuse to be a structured process This ecological model views child abuse within a system of danger and preventive factors correlating across four different levels: (1) the person, (2) the family, (3) the neighborhood and (4) the community. Certain factors are more closely linked with some forms of abuse than others are. Many people have argued that our society does not really value its children. This argument can be highlighted by the fact that one in four children in the United States lives in poverty and many children do not have any form of health insurance. The presence of high levels of violence in our society is also thought to contribute to child abuse. Poverty, is the most repeatedly and persistently noted risk factor for child abuse in the American society. Physical abuse and neglect are more prevalent amid the people who are the poorest. Whether or not the pressure of poverty-related conditions brings this on. Or as a result from greater observation by public agencies, resulting in over reporting is debated. Other conditions include unreachable and unaffordable health care, broken social services and lack of help from extended families and communities. Parents who were abused, as children are more likely than other parents to abuse their own children are. Lack of parenting skills, impractical expectations about a child's abilities, unawareness of ways to handle a child's behavior and of typical child development, will contribute to child abuse. It is believed that forty percent of established cases of child abuse are related to substance abuse. Other factors that increase the risk of child abuse include emotional immaturity of the parents. Which is often largely applied to age, as in the case of teenage parents. Without proper support with their child they might with struggle poor coping skills, which is often related to age but also occurring in older parents. Also they might have a poor self-esteem; also other psychological problems experienced by the young parents. A common factor is that single parenthood along with many burdens and hardships of parenting that must be handled alone, if there is no help of a partner. In many cultures social isolation of the teenage parents from family and friends that can result in the lack of support. The United States Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect has called for a universal system of early intervention. That would be grounded in the creation of caring communities that could contribute an effective base for facing the child abuse crisis. The panel stated that the successful tactics for preventing child abuse require intervention at all levels of society. The panel was unable to agree of the final plans concerning which programs or services should be offered to prevent child abuse. This is because research on the prevention of child abuse is limited by the complexity of the problem. A broad range of programs has been developed and implemented by public and private agencies at many levels, little evidence supports the effectiveness of these programs. Principal prevention strategies are based on the risk factors that have a low value Which are not as likely to be effective as more broadly based social programs. Also, programs focused on a society level rather than on the individual level prevent the stigmatization of a group or an individual. Society strategies for preventing child abuse that are proposed but unproven include increasing the value society places on children. Enlarging the economic self-sufficiency of families, enhancing communities and their resources, discouraging excessive use of corporal punishment and other forms of violence. Making health care more accessible and affordable. Increasing and improving treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. Developing the identification and treatment of mental health problems, increasing the availability of affordable child care and preventing the births of unwanted children through sex education, family planning, abortion, anonymous delivery and adoption. It is important to create opportunities for parents to feel entitled to act on their own behalf. Honor the wholeness of the family. Strengthen parents' ability to cultivate the faith in there development of their children and themselves. Create links with community support systems, a network of churches and other organizations. Provide a setting where parents and children can gather, interact, support, and learn from each other. Strengthen community awareness of the importance of healthy parenting practices. In the United States specific methods of delivering services to families include home visitations, early postpartum contact, intensive community leaders contact, parent training and free health care clinics. It is important that help be made possible to those parents that have been identified as people with drug problems. It is critical in treating parents who abuse alcohol or drugs. Also it is important to identify and counsel parents who suffer from spousal abuse. Identifying and dealing with parents with mental health problems is also important. Yet these might not always be the soul issues for abuse; other topics need attention include economic, job-related. Providing a sensitive ear also being a resource of referrals. That can help with these issues may take community leaders a giant step towards assisting a needy parent. Also other areas that can be addressed is the need for assistance in education about time management and budgeting skills, stress management, coping and parenting skills such as appropriate discipline. According to the American Humane Society: only home visitation has been found to be effective in reducing the incidence of child abuse. Home visitations are now being widely embraced the concept of home visitation as a method of preventing child abuse by identifying family needs and providing the appropriate services. Also home visitation has the benefits of improving parents' feelings toward their children and the interactions between parents and children. The success of home visitation depends of the support of health care, social services and childcare. Some of the reasons for child abuse center on the needs of the parents. To prevent child abuse, it is important to first help and support the parents. Parents who have multiple emotional, medical, financial and social needs find it difficult to meet the needs of their children. It is critical that community leaders develop an understanding attitude toward parents to help the children. Prevention of child abuse and negligence can be achieved using tactics pointed at helping parents protect and nurture their children. Community leaders could establish group-parenting classes to discuss issues such as: safety issues, nutrition and feeding concerns, discipline and normal child development. Classes should be divided into two groups: one for the parents of infants and one for the parents of toddlers, since these two groups will require a different focus. Providing childcare during these classes may be necessary to ensure attendance It is also important to try to give very specific and concrete suggestions to parents instead of talking in broad generalities. Community leaders could suggest that parents use an egg timer to help children anticipate and be more compliant with bedtime or use time-out as an alternative to spanking a child for bad behavior. Parents should be reminded of and taught to distinguish between childish behavior and willful disobedience. To discipline only those actions that are in the child's control according to the child age and development. In conclusion, many things need to happen at international, national, state and community levels to prevent child abuse. Studies have shown that countries with the most generous social services have the lowest rate of child homicide. People should lobby for greater availability of drug and alcohol treatment programs, more shelters for the homeless, more accessible mental health care and more shelters for abused women and children. These programs and those that provide parenting skills, support groups and respite care for parents and care givers should be available in every community. Child abuse is a complex problem with many causes, it is important that people not take a defeatist attitude toward its prevention. Despite the absence of strong evidence to guide preventive efforts, society can do things to try to prevent abuse. Showing increased concern for the parents or care givers and increasing attempts to enhance their skills as parents or care givers may help save the most vulnerable people, our children, from the nightmare of abuse and neglect.

Paradoxical Thinking: Maintaining Stability in Changing Environments Essay

Abstract Post-recession business trends show companies that survive and continue to develop; apply agile business models that respond quickly to external change. Traditionally linear approaches to problem solving such rational goals models or â€Å"cause and effect† thinking were standard in the workplace during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Is â€Å"cause and effect† thinking going to generate the type of results needed to survive with today’s post-recession business dynamics? Complexities of the workplace today require Master Managers to think both creatively and critically to drive results. When leadership applies paradoxical thinking supported by the Competing Values Framework, organizations have opportunities to thrive. Introduction / Definition Change and flexibility are seen as essential components of successful organizations in turbulent environments with strong competition and may be even more important in times of tumultuous crises. Organizations need to run  fast to keep up with the numerous and intensive changes taking place in their environments (Steinkellner and Czerny, 2010) Post-recession business trends prove that companies that survive, develop, and grow use agile business models that respond quickly to external changes. Traditionally linear approaches to problem solving such rational goals models or â€Å"cause and effect† thinking were standard in the workplace in the first 25 years of the twentieth century. Is this approach the most effective use of management’s resources today? Complexities of the workplace require Master Managers to think both creatively and critically to drive results. Paradoxical thinking is the ability to reverse, manipulate, combine, and synthesize opposites† (Ravi , n.d.). What exactly is a paradoxical thinking? It’s the act of considering two seemingly inconsistent or contradictory concepts then harnessing the opposing forces to produce new possibilities. Paradoxical thinking, if applied effectively, can produce innovative solutions to meet and possibly exceed organizational goals. While organizational leaders are expected to stabilize systems, they are also challenged to adjust the existing structural arrangements and patterned behaviors and to ask frame-breaking questions. Managers must send consistent messages and align strategy with structure, but must never allow the organization to settle into complacency. As soon as â€Å"balance† is achieved, it must be destroyed. Managers must have the cognitive complexity and behavioral flexibility that will allow them to shift from one paradigm to another and thus to effectively manage paradoxes and optimize performance (Belasen, 1998). For example, managers want their organizations to be flexible and adaptive, yet integrated and stable. They want higher internal efficiency and profitability and also higher employee commitment and morale. The art of managing and leading organizations today lies in embracing incompatible forces, rather than choosing between them. (Belasen,1998). The Competing Values Framework (CVF) is a powerful integrative model that is rooted in the contradictory criteria of effectiveness that describe managerial leadership. Hence, mapping out the repertoire of leadership roles essential to dealing with paradoxes, and assessing and developing requisite managerial competencies are important strategic human resource goals. Assessing current managerial competencies  and future organizational needs is an important strategic staffing function that can enable top managers to align organizational capabilities with business strategy. The CVF is a powerful theoretical construct with applications that feat ure supervisory roles and competencies, (Quinn, R. E., Faerman, S. R., Thompson, M. P., and McGrath, M. R., 1996). Example of a company that demonstrates paradoxical thinking I work for a global biotech company that develops rapid point-of-care diagnostics. Their products focus on cardiology, infectious disease, toxicology and diabetes. In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) audited the company. The FDA found Quality system violations in manufacturing and issued the company a warning letter. In response to this external threat, the company’s leadership went full throttle to defend the organization. During the most intense parts of our remediation efforts, the experience seemed chaotic, however with the new understanding of paradoxical thinking, its clear to me that leadership’s directives were strategically managed. â€Å"Cause and effect† thinking was not complex enough to respond to the FDA’s demands. The work climate internally was intense as we closely followed leadership’s vision. Our organizational shift moved from mainly a Compete quadrant focus, to integrating all four quadrants of the Competing Values F ramework (Collaborate, Control, Compete and Create). Most of our energy was understandably was expended between the Control and Create quadrants. The company’s management energized employees as new cross-functional teams emerged and strove to deliver on new internal and external campaigns to unify us globally. Leadership developed and effectively communicated a new vision framed around shared values of meeting the FDA’s requests, responding to the letter, and releasing quality product back on the market to the patients that needed them. The new shared-vision helped everyone focus on the new, while paradoxically repairing the old. Old processes were scrutinized, evaluated, challenged, and re-evaluated. We had to maintain control of what we were doing correctly while paradoxically implementing new changes. Management also dealt with the economic paradox of not being able to sell viable product while needing to spend on hiring new talent to research, repair, and remediate the findings in the warning  letter. Although the company is still recovering, new internal processes for validating the manufacturing line were eventually implemented and product returned to market. Organizational change, obviously, is often imperative in response to emerging customer demands, new regulations, and fresh competitive threats. But constant or sudden change is unsettling and destabilizing for companies and individuals alike. Just as human beings tend to freeze when confronted with too many new things in their lives—a divorce, a house move, and a change of job, for example—so will organizations overwhelmed by change resist and frustrate transformation-minded chief executives set on radically overturning the established order (Price, 2012). Can one learn paradoxical thinking? Yes, as long as one is open to change and committed to learning new ways of thinking. Embracing the paradoxes can be uncomfortable: it’s counterintuitive to stimulate change by focusing on boundaries and control when a company wants to stir up new ideas. Yet the act of trying to reconcile these tensions helps leaders keep their eyes on all their spinning plates and identify when interventions are needed to keep the organization lined up with its top priorities (Price, 2012). Acceptance involves viewing both sides of competing demands as simultaneously possible, even if they are inherently in conflict. By accepting paradoxical demands, leaders recognize them as an opportunity and â€Å"invitation to act,† rather than as an obstacle (Smith, W.K., Besharov, M.L., Anke, Wessels, A.K., Chertok, M., A, 2012). Paradoxical thinking as a skill related to intelligence. Why is it least used? Paradoxical thinking breaks norms and pushes the limits of complex reasoning and logic. Being able to integrate opposing lines of reasoning to synthesize one common result is a high art. Paradoxical thinking is counter-intuitive and results of this thinking bring change. Barriers to change include fear of mistakes or failure, intolerance of ambiguity, judging or being judged. How management and leadership can utilize paradoxical thinking to improve the organization Once management has determined how to apply paradoxical  thinking, a shared vision needs to be created and conveyed to the organization to give employees a path to follow to reach collective goals. Once individuals grasp a common picture of a desired future everyone can move towards that improved future-state in unison. A shared vision is â€Å"a vision that many people are truly committed to, because it reflects their own personal vision. Shared vision is vital for learning organizations because it provides the focus and energy for learning.† (Senge, 1990). Within the Competitive Values Framework, management can take the opportunity to improve the organization by motivating employees, engaging them in new activities to improve performance and reward them for contributions to change. Leadership can re-structure and revise business process for improved outcomes for customers’ pro ducts and services. Paradoxical thinking can literally re-invent the organization to compete in the modern economy. Leadership must cope with the paradoxical relationship between stability and change to improve the organizations. Conventional management’s approach to paradox are characterized â€Å"by tendencies which encourage polarized, black/white, good/bad thinking†. From an analytical perspective four different modes to cope with the paradoxical relationship between stability and change can be found to (1) accept the paradox, keep stability and change separate and use the paradox constructively, (2) separate the poles of the paradox to different locations or levels, (3) temporally separate stability and change, and (4) advance new conceptions through introducing new concepts or a new perspective. Compared with traditional modes, the paradox of stability and change may intertwine and instead of negating and displacing one another, they can mutually reinforce each other in a process of renewal (Steinkellner, P.F., and Czerny, E. J., 2010). Conclusion â€Å"Cause and effect† thinking hinders mastery as it’s linear approach is not complex enough to delve into the dynamics of today’s organizational environments. Using paradoxical thinking one can taking two seemingly inconsistent or contradictory concepts then harnessing the opposing forces  to possibly exceed organizational goals. Placing paradoxical thinking into the Competing Values Framework gives organizations the opportunity to explore new alternatives and innovate. Innovation is the key to growth in the business environment. References Belasen, A. T., 1998, Paradoxes and Leadership Roles. Retrieved from http://www8.esc.edu/ESConline/across_esc/forumjournal.nsf/wholeshortlinks2/Leadership+Roles Price, C., 2012, Senior executives will better balance people and priorities by embracing the paradoxes of organizational life. Retrieved from http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/leadership_and_the_art_of_plate _spinning Quinn, R. E., Faerman, S. R., Thompson, M. P., and McGrath, M. R., 1996, Becoming a master manager: A competency framework. Retrieved from http://www8.esc.edu/ESConline/across_esc/forumjournal.nsf/wholeshortlinks2/Leadership+Roles Ravi, K. R., Paradoxical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.krravi.com/paradoxicalthinking.pdf Senge, P., The Learning Organization. 1990 Retrieved from http://infed.org/mobi/peter-senge-and-the-learning-organization/ Smith, W.K., Besharov, M.L., Anke, Wessels, A.K., Chertok, M., A Paradoxical Leadership Model for Social Entrepreneurs: Challenges, Leadership Skills, and Pedagogical Tools for Managing Social and Commercial Demands. Retrieved from http://www.buec.udel.edu/smithw/Smith,%20Besharov,%20Wessels%20and%20Chertok_Social%20Enterpreneurship%20AMLE_2012.pdf Steinkellner, P.F., and Czerny, E. J., 2010, Educating Managers for a Paradox World – Duality and Paradoxes in Management. Retrieved from http://www.iff.ac.at/oe/media/documents/Paper_38_Steinkellner_Czerny.pdf

Are Socio-economic rights justiciable Essays

Are Socio-economic rights justiciable Essays Are Socio-economic rights justiciable Essay Are Socio-economic rights justiciable Essay a mistrust that seems common throughout the governments of the world. One may insist that human rights most urgently need asserting and defending, both in theory and in practice, where they are most denied. Indeed, the language of rights only makes sense at all in a context where basic requirements are vulnerable to standard threats; can one imagine a right to clean air in an pre-industrial society. The Human Rights agenda does have an aspirational and promotional dimension, which is of course wholly necessary, but it does not constitute mere rhetoric. So, to express economic and social requirements in the language of human rights does more than just emphasise the obligations of governments and international agencies and their respective publics. Socio-economic rights can be said to have justiciability but that is not to say that one should not consider them not having it. The only clear answer can be determined after a line of case law in a variety of countries whereby one can determine how effectively they can be implemented. The trouble is that governments are unlikely to want to take the initial risk of implementing untested legislation for, as mentioned earlier, in democracies the government must maintain the confidence of the electorate and bad legislation can be very expensive in electoral terms.

The 4 Graph Quadrants Definition and Examples

The 4 Graph Quadrants Definition and Examples SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The Cartesian plane (or the x-y plane) is a two-line graph on which you plot ordered pairs. The two intersecting lines of the Cartesian plane make four distinct graph quadrants. In this article, we’ll discuss what graph quadrants are, how to manipulate data points on graph quadrants, and walk through some sample graph quadrant problems. What Are the4 Graph Quadrants? The two lines on the Cartesian plane form four graph quadrants. In this section, we’ll discuss the graph quadrant definition and define each part of the plane. Quadrant Definition A quadrant is one of the four sections on a Cartesian plane. Each quadrant includes a combination of positive and negative values for x and y. The4 Graph Quadrants There are four graph quadrants that make up the Cartesian plane. Each graph quadrant has a distinct combination of positive and negative values. Here are the graph quadrants and their values: Quadrant I: The first quadrant is in the upper right-hand corner of the plane. Both x and y have positive values in this quadrant. Quadrant II: The second quadrant is in the upper left-hand corner of the plane. X has negative values in this quadrant and y has positive values. Quadrant III: The third quadrant is in the bottom left corner. Both x and y have negative values in this quadrant. Quadrant IV: The fourth quadrant is in the bottom right corner. X has positive values in this quadrant and y has negative values. Graph Quadrants Diagram In this diagram, you can see the four graph quadrants, along with whether or not x and y are positive and negative. Graph Quadrant Numbers, Explained Numbers are plotted on graph quadrants in what are known as ordered pairs. An ordered pair consists of two values, x and y. In an ordered pair, x is always the first value and y is always the second value. In the ordered pair (5, -2) for instance, 5 is the x value and -2 is the y value. When plotting an ordered pair, the x value refers to the pair’s horizontal position on the graph. The y value refers to the vertical position. See how the pair (5, -2) looks when plotted. Graph Quadrants Example Problems Using the following graph quadrant diagram, identify the quadrants for the following ordered pairs. Ordered Pair Quadrant (-9, 11) (4, 8) (-3, -4) Graph Quadrants Example Problems: Answers Find the answers for the above graph quadrants example problems below. Ordered Pair Quadrant (-9, 11) II (4, 8) I (-3, -4) III Math Quadrants: Key Takeaways A math quadrant is another phrase for a graph quadrant. A graph quadrant is one of four sections on a Cartesian plane. Each of the four sections has a specific combination of negative and positive values for x and y. You plot an ordered pair on graph quadrants. Ordered pairs have x and y values. X is the first value in an ordered pair; y is the second. What's Next? Want to brush up on other basic math skills?Then check out our expert guides on how toadd and subtract fractionsand how to use the acceleration formula. Need help preparing for the SAT/ACT Math section?Learn everything you need to know aboutwhat kinds of topics are tested on SAT MathandACT Math.

American Labor Unions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Labor Unions - Essay Example Firstly, with respect to the overall effectiveness of American labor unions, it must be stated that historically this effectiveness has been rather high. Ultimately, working conditions, pay, fairness, and issues concerning equality have all been able to be maximized as a direct result of union organization over the past decades. However, one of the major issues that is facing unions, and subsequently contributing to a massive loss in union membership is the fact that individuals no longer feel that the benefits of union membership outweigh the costs. For instance, even a brief overview of existing news stories reveals the fact that many companies are moving from union friendly states to non-union friendly states. Moreover, the recent flood of jobs that have migrated overseas has caused many individuals to believe that the â€Å"greediness† of the unions have contributed to the industrial decay that the United States has experienced since the 1960s (Zhu, 2006). Moreover, the ab ility of foreign manufacturers, such as foreign automobile makers, to benefit from nonunion factories within the United States and dominantly compete with domestic automobile manufacturers has underscored the fact that the unionization of cities such as Detroit can no longer be seen as a mutual benefit to domestic industry and/or the success of American business over foreign production (Fiorito & Jarley, 2012). Finally, with respect to the issue of whether or not a nonunion group of individuals within a particular company should be allowed to engage in collective bargaining and choose to become part of a union, it is the belief of this particular author that this action is a fundamental right that should not be infringed. Whereas it is true that there are many drawbacks and weaknesses to an alliance or agreement with a particular union, the self determinism of an individual group of workers is something that should not be infringed upon and ultimately represents a level of

Chinese students learning strategies in EFL and in ESL Essay

Chinese students learning strategies in EFL and in ESL - Essay Example The second strategy that students use in learning EFL is communicative strategies. Qiumei (n.d) highlights that communicative strategies are deliberate efforts by the students to decode or express the meaning in a language and in circumstances where the language rules have not been identified. Some of the communicative strategies that they use include avoiding and adjustment of a message, paraphrasing, approximations, asking for help, repetition, classifications etc. Teachers in this strategy help the students in learning EFL because the students refer to them when they want to ask questions about the language. Alliance for Excellence Education (2005) points out that this method is known as guided interaction because students work together with teachers in order to understand the language. In addition, another strategy used by students in EFL in China, is discussions; therefore, to understand the language better, the students form discussion groups where the teachers assist them and other students to understand English language. Qiumei (n.d) highlights that this method allow students to participate in discussions of meanings so that they can comprehend messages and this help them to learn and acquire the language. Chinese students who join tertiary institutions in Australia have difficulties in learning English as a second language. Thus, due to the difficulty in communication, they employ various strategies in Australian context to understand English as a Second language (ESL). Some of the main strategies include cognitive, metacognitive, social and affective strategies (Samida, 2006). Further, these strategies can be used universally by new students in any country globally because they are equally applicable. The first strategy is the cognitive strategy, and it involves transforming the English language through repeating, analyzing and summarizing messages (Samida, 2006). The