Sunday, January 26, 2020

Generation X vs. Y Communication

Generation X vs. Y Communication Areeba Shaikh Introduction Effective communication is an essential requirement for the fulfillment of organizational objectives or goals. Without communication, no group or organization can exist. Co-ordination during work is inconceivable and the organization is likely to collapse for absence of communication. Co-operation additionally gets to be unimaginable in light of the fact that individuals are unable to communicate their sentiments and needs to others. All acts of communication impacts the organization somehow. It is a string that holds the different associated parts of an organization in sync. When it comes to a stop, activities in an organization discontinue. An idea, no matter how extraordinary it is, is of no use until it is conveyed and understood by the rest. When there is effective communication, the tendency of greater and better performance, as well as job satisfaction is encouraged. Individuals comprehend their employments better and feel more involved. (Chand, 2014) However, many obstacles are to overcome in order for effective communication to take place. One of which, is the communication gap between generation X and generation Y. Generation X and Y Generation X consists of those individuals who are born in between 1965 – 1980. (Mikelson, 2009) These are the latch-key kids i.e. kids who did not have enough or little parental supervision, due to their parents mostly being at work. They grew up observing their parents implement new working environment, also, this is the first generation to grow with the computer technology. In terms of work, they are concerned more about productivity rather than the time they spend at work. (Mack, 2010) Moving on to generation Y, also known as Millennial, consists of individuals born in between 1981 – 2000. They are quite different in many ways from generation X. Individuals of this generation are highly firm with using technology as well as comprehend better the importance of maximizing and leveraging any new technology than any other generation. Moreover they are able to multi-task comfortably, however are easily bored. (Mack, 2010) In the following table are some workplace characteristics stated of both generation X and Y. (Hammil, 2005) Gen X Gen Y Work, ethics values Self-reliance Want structure direction Skeptical Multitasking Tenacity Tolerant Goal oriented Work is†¦ A contract Means to end fulfillment Dealing with money Save, save, save Earn to spend Communication media Cell phones; call me at work Internet; Emails Communication styles Direct immediate E-mail, voicemails, texts Feedback rewards Freedom is the best reward At the push of a button Work family Balance Balance The gap in the two generation is evident looking at the information in the table above. Bridging the gap Further is a short analysis done between the two generations considering U.S. Almost half of the U.S workforce will soon consist of generation Y/Millennial, therefore it is essential for employees to comprehend the importance of how to co-operate during work as well as maintain the age demographic. (McCarron, 2012) Every generation determines success separately, therefore when mentoring, coaching and handling employees of different generations it is required that employers alter their approach. For the first time in our history we have four generations in the workplace, soon to be five. (McCarron, 2012) Every group is fashioned by experiencing their own exclusive encounters they have had as they grew up, as well as matured their own thoughts and ideas regarding what is essential to them at work and their personal life. The contrasts between those groups are really the basis for how they interact, judge behaviors and performances; â€Å"Gen Y thinks Gen X is a bunch of whiners. Gen X sees Gen Y as arrogant and entitled†. (McCarron,2012) The major mistake in businesses is treating everyone as the same, â€Å"we keep trying to pound square pegs in round holes.† (McCarron, 2012) To bridge this communication gap are some ways listed, that are implied in the U.S today: Through effective training (United Nations, n.d) Gen X Gen Y Web-based training. Give them flexibility. Allow them to ask questions and challenge the concepts Allow them to multi-task. Offer multi-media learning opportunities. Enable social networking through internet (My Space, Friendster). Through motivational factor (United Nations,n.d) Gen X Gen Y Allow them to question experts as well as authorities. Give them challenges as they are fond of them. Give them freedom, as they prefer relying on their own power and resources. Provide them with slight flexibility with their ways of working. Specify what exactly is required from them in a task or project as it boosts their confidence. Allow them to multi-task. Firstly they are better at it than Gen Y and secondly it avoids them from getting bored easily. Individualizing approach This would help the organization evaluate individually what ways works with every employee instead of stereotyping. This is one of the most ideal approaches to communicate when it comes to generational gaps. (Forbes, 2014) Willingness to learn and teach Both generations, X as well as Y, should be willing to learn each other’s ways in order for better co-operation and co-ordination with each other during tasks or projects. It would help in breaking communication barriers as well as bring ease to the organization in achieving its goals. (Forbes, 2014) Conclusion It is through effective communication by which an executive is able to get work done by his/her employees, which is why an outstanding executive is expected to know the art of communication. By working on this report my communication skills have definitely been enhanced and would undoubtedly help me at my work place. Moreover, communication is a process which can be used in proper motivation of employees to deliver an organization’s plans enthusiastically. Every multinational expects its employees to contribute to its success as much as possible. The research I went through in the process of doing this report would help me communicate better with generation X and convey my ideas which would increase my level of contribution. Also this process can be made use of in terms of behavior modification, where change is in effect and goals are accomplished. (Chand, 2014) References Chand.S, 2014 What is the Importance of Effective Communication in an Organisations? [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/business-management/what-is-the-importance-of-effective-communication-in-an-organisations/2532/ [Accessed 11 December 2014]. Forbes, 2014, 10 tips to communicate across generations. [ONLINE] Available at URL: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/lmj45miil/navigating-the-new-workplace/ [Accessed 12 December 2014]. Hammi.G, 2005 Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm. [Accessed 15 December 2014]. Mack, 2010, 4 Generations in the workplace. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.clemson.edu/t3s/workshop/2010/TASC%20Pres/4%20Generations%20In%20Workplace%20TASC%202010.pdf [Accessed 12 December 2014]. McCarron Kathy, 2012, Millennials, Gen Y, Gen X — Cant we all get along? [ONLINE] Available URL: http://www.tirebusiness.com/article/20121130/NEWS/121139990/millennials-gen-y-gen-x-cant-we-all-get-along [Accessed 13 December 2014]. Mikelson, B. 2009, Supervision of Inter-generational dynamics. [ONLINE] Availaible at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~nrcfcp/training/documents/Participant Packet Intergen Dynamics.pdf [Accessed 12 December 2014]. United Nations, ND, Overcoming Generation Gap in workplace [ONLINE] Available URL: http://www.un.org/staffdevelopment/pdf/Designing%20Recruitment,%20Selection%20%20Talent%20Management%20Model%20tailored%20to%20meet%20UNJSPFs%20Business%20Development%20Needs.pdf [Accessed 15 December 2014].

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Animal Species

Animal species are decreasing at an alarming rate, and many of it has to do with human interference to animals habitats. In the article â€Å"Era of ‘Biological Annihilation' Is Underway, Scientists Warn†(2017) by Tatiana Scholssberg she explains the way in which 2 Stanford University Professors and one professor from Universidad Nacional Autà ³noma de Mà ©xico wrote their study and the way they worded and put their ideas together on the topic of global loss of animal species: It wouldn't be ethical right now not to speak in this strong language to call attention to the severity of the problem.† The destruction humans are doing to animals is detrimental, and is causing animals to go decrease in population at such a high speed and these 3 professors take it upon themselves to make this issue sound as horrendous as it should. Throughout the beginning to mid part of the article Scholssberg explains how fast animal populations have decreased, she uses specific numbers to show at what speed these populations are actually decreasing by. Such as cheetas as se mentions have about 7000 members left than they had before any major destruction was made to their habitats and them. She further explains how it was difficult for the 3 professors from UNAM and Stanford to gather their information. Since different scientists have distinct definitions of what population means, it would be hard to show how population loss is affecting different species of animals. When scientists are looking into animal population loss they usually see a fragment of how much the animal species population has been decreasing and not necessarily the whole picture regarding all animal species as explained by Scholssberg. She mentions that â€Å"previous estimates of global extinction rates have been too low, in part because scientists have been too focused on the complete extinction of a species† which does not â€Å"generate enough public concern,† and lends the impression that many species are not severely threatened, or that mass extinction is a distant catastrophe.† Scholssberg mentions that the 3 professors whos study she was reviewing took a different route when discussing the decrease of various animal species, which helped them come to the conclusion that â€Å"the disappearance of entire populations, and the decrease of the number of individuals within a population,† are both equally important but usually people don't see the big picture in the decrease of various animal species. As mentioned earlier many of the decreases in the animal population are because of human activity. Such as climate change and the constant exploitation of animals habitats. To help sort of balance this out Scholssberg mentioned in her article that â€Å"some species have been able to rebound when some of these pressures are taken away.† By this, I'm sure she means that when humans stop interfering with an animals habitat, animals are more likely to live a more fruitful life. Humans may just really be the toxic ones, over exploiting and taking over animals habitats. There will be a long-lasting impact with these animal populations and if we don't stop now, when will we?

Friday, January 10, 2020

Arts history Essay

The word art lacks a satisfactorily definition of what it really means but it can be defined as he use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others to pass some information. The history of art may be regarded as an attempt to check out art throughout human history, investing through different cultures and their distinguishing features. It may date back to over a thousand years as the word history is not time defined. As the word it blurs in meaning then so is description of what is art and what is not. Art can be grouped into five major categories. This encompasses music, pottery, painting, sculpture and architecture. In ancient times this were done with a view to pass on some vital lessons and for aesthetic reasons. With changing times this has changed as some parties have learned to exploit people’s interest in art by using art commercially. Given the above explanation of the word art then looking at the history of art would mean looking at the history of visual arts of painting sculpture, music, pottery and architecture. Since medieval times representation of ideas perceived as art has played a central role in understanding works of art such as literature. There are many ways of representing art such as n, verbal, visual or musical, as being natural to human beings. . Two Greek grates Aristotle and Plato put their views on representation into perspective. While Aristotle traced representation, original and natural to man, Plato, on the other hand viewed representation with more caution. He recognized that literature is a representation of life, yet also believed that representations create worlds of illusion leading one away from the reality For Plato, representation, like contemporary media, intervenes between the viewer and the real, creating illusions which lead one away from â€Å"real things†. Plato was of the opinion that art representation need some form of control to measure the effect the work of art had on its recipients. (Gallery. 1998) It was Aristotle however who came up with a rather acceptable and definitive description of art representation. He believed that representation was about three main things. The what, the hoe and the means †¢ The object: The symbol being represented. †¢ Manner: The way the symbol is represented. †¢ Means: The material that is used to represent it. Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. Sometimes these works of art are the only surviving record of what particular cultures believed and valued. But even where written records or oral traditions exist, art adds to our understanding of myths and legends. (Gallery. 1998) In early times, painting was a common way of life. As there was no clear cut way of communicating, painting presented an easy way to pass on into and ideas. In modern days paintings from the past like the Mona Lisa one still hold significant sentimental value. This was done quite a while ago. Simple materials form organic substances were used as the painting medium on walls and any other writing material that presented itself. This were later stored for the write purpose. In ancient Greece, several scribers and writers were known to put down their ideas using ink on scroll books. These were to be stored in porches that were strapped to their backs. Given the modern day description of the word art this practice can be traced as source or art in its own right. (D’Alleva. 2006) Carving can be described as shaping a hard substance to put across some information that the artist wants to put across. Carving was done mostly by the male part of society as much effort was put in. a sharp tool like a carving stone, mattock was instrumental in doing this depending on the malleability of the material. (Frazier, 1999). Carvings of people in war, a king and his subjects and so on used to be examples of how artists harmonized their thoughts into some useful creations. Some works of art done long ago still hold much regard to date. Such include sculptures of icons like leaders. This has been preserved in museums or even in streets in towns. The people who began this practice may have had different regards of doing it. Some may have had an interest in it or maybe just so because an opportunity to engage in the practice. For many though there had been no better means of presenting their ideas. Whatever the reason was for each of those involved, one artifact holds, that none of them did this to start their own line of art. While many may argue their case that these men and women defined art with their efforts, others may be simply dismissing this as another myth. (Gallery. 998) One role of art is to give visible or tangible form to ideas, philosophies, or feelings. This role can be revealing. It can work to heighten our most passionate and intimate yearnings. The Notice, Three Goddesses utilizes an expressive line in the folding layers of the marble cloth. Here, the use of an expressive line functions as an emotional guide for the observer to intuitively follow. (D’Alleva. 2006) The experience of art history, as conveyed by art museums, tends to be organized differently than that of textbooks due to the nature of collections and the institutions themselves. Rather than a full march through time, museums employ curators who assemble objects into exhibitions, often with unique commentary that is later reinterpreted by docents. This may be undertaken with the museum’s archivist. The result is often a strong emphasis on the history of media in conjunction with the history of culture. (D’Alleva. 2006) Such an emphasis on media is a natural outgrowth of the internal classification systems used in art museums, which usually include departments of painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and works on paper. Painting itself includes several media, such as oil painting, Tempera painting, watercolor. Sculpture can be divided into carving and casting. The decorative arts are perhaps the most diverse, as they include: textiles and needlework, which includes weaving and lace. Museums generally cannot collect full buildings, but they may acquire pieces of architectural ornamentation, which also fall under the decorative arts department. Works on paper includes photography and the book arts. (Barbara, 1991) Several myths have been coming up as to what is perceived to have been the right source and origin or even who performed it first. There might not be a perfect conclusive and elaborate explanation to this any time real soon given the uncertainty that even surrounds the meaning of the word on what is art what it is not. Without even knowing this then it proves hard to find out where it came from and what ways were used to represent it. One more reason to this is the fact that a different art can be traced to each different way of life. Given that each of the ancient civilizations had their own way of living then it proves hard going into the past looking for artifacts that were barely recalled. (Adams, 1996)

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Who Paid for the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France, and the copper statue was, for the most part, paid for by French citizens. However, the stone pedestal upon which the statue stands on an island in New York Harbor was paid for by Americans, through a fund-raising drive organized by a newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer.   The French writer and political figure Edouard de Laboulaye first came up with the idea of a statue celebrating liberty that would be a gift from France to the United States. The sculptor Fredric-Auguste Bartholdi became fascinated by the idea and went forward with designing the potential statue and promoting the idea of building it. The problem, of course, was how to pay for it. The promoters of the statue in France formed an organization, the French-American Union, in 1875. The group issued a statement calling for donations from  the public and presenting a general plan specifying that the statue would be paid for by France, while the pedestal upon which the statue would stand would be paid for by Americans. That meant fundraising operations would have to take place on both sides of the Atlantic. Donations began coming in throughout France in 1875. It was felt inappropriate for France’s national government to donate money for the statue, but various city governments contributed thousands of francs, and approximately 180 cities, towns, and villages eventually gave money. Thousands of French schoolchildren gave small contributions. Descendants of French officers who had fought in the American Revolution a century before, including relatives of Lafayette, gave donations. A copper company donated the copper sheets that would be used to fashion the skin of the statue. When the hand and torch of the statue were displayed in Philadelphia in 1876 and later in New York’s Madison Square Park, donations trickled in from enthused Americans. The fund drives were generally successful, but the cost of the statue kept rising. Facing a shortfall of money, the French-American Union held a lottery. Merchants in Paris donated prizes, and tickets were sold. The lottery was a success, but more money was still needed. The sculptor Bartholdi eventually sold miniature versions of the statue, with the name of the buyer engraved on them. Finally, in July 1880 the French-American Union announced that enough money had been raised to complete the building of the statue. The total cost for the enormous copper and steel statue was about two million francs (estimated to be about $400,000 in American dollars of the time). But another six years would pass before the statue could be erected in New York. Who Paid for the Statue of Libertys Pedestal While the Statue of Liberty is a cherished symbol of America today, getting the people of the United States to accept the gift of the statue was not always easy. The sculptor Bartholdi had traveled to America in 1871 to promote the idea of the statue, and he returned for the nation’s grand centennial celebrations in 1876. He spent the Fourth of July 1876 in New York City, crossing the harbor to visit the future location of the statue at Bedloe’s Island. But despite Bartholdi’s efforts, the idea of the statue was difficult to sell. Some newspapers, most notably the New York Times, often criticized the statue as folly and vehemently opposed spending any money on it. While the French had announced that the funds for the statue were in place in 1880, by late 1882 the American donations, which would be needed to build the pedestal, were sadly lagging. Bartholdi recalled that when the torch had first been displayed at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876, some New Yorkers had been worried that the city of Philadelphia might wind up getting the entire statue. So Bartholdi tried to generate more rivalry in the early 1880s and floated a rumor that if New Yorkers didn’t want the statue, perhaps Boston would be happy to take it. The ploy worked, and New Yorkers, suddenly fearful of losing the statue entirely, began holding meetings to raise money for the pedestal, which was expected to cost about $250,000. Even the New York Times dropped its opposition to the statue. Even with the generated controversy, the cash was still slow to appear. Various events were held, including an art show, to raise money. At one point a rally was held on Wall Street. But no matter how much public cheerleading took place, the future of the statue was very much in doubt in the early 1880s. One of the fund-raising projects, an art show, commissioned poet Emma Lazarus to write a poem related to the statue. Her sonnet The New Colossus would eventually link the statue to immigration in the public mind. It was a likely possibility that the statue while being finished in Paris would never leave France as it would have no home in America. The newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, who had purchased The World, a New York City daily,  in the early 1880s, took up the cause of the statue’s pedestal. He mounted an energetic fund drive, promising to print the name of each donor, no matter how small the donation. Pulitzer’s audacious plan worked, and millions of people around the country began donating whatever they could. Schoolchildren across America began donating  pennies. For instance, a kindergarten class in Iowa sent $1.35 to Pulitzer’s fund drive. Pulitzer and the New York World were finally able to announce, in August 1885, that the final $100,000 for the statue’s pedestal had been raised. Construction work on the stone structure continued, and the next year the Statue of Liberty, which had arrived from France packed in crates, was erected on top. Today the Statue of Liberty is a beloved landmark and is lovingly cared for by the National Park Service. And the many thousands of visitors who visit Liberty Island each year might never suspect that getting the statue built and assembled in New York was a long slow struggle. For the New York World and Joseph Pulitzer, the building of the pedestal of the statue became a source of great pride. The newspaper used an illustration of the statue as a trademark ornament on its front page for years. And an elaborate stained glass window of the statue was installed in the New York World building when it was built in 1890. That window was later donated to Columbia Universitys School of Journalism, where it resides today.