The New Art Of Managing People

Introduction Organizational management is a holistic issue that requires absolute focusing so as to ensure that all aspects making-up the organization are running effectively and they meet the organization’s strategic objectives.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The New Art Of Managing People specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Organizational management entails the alignment of the organization’s mainstream resources such as the financial resources, the human resource aspect among others towards meeting the obligations of the organization to ensure that the organization is a profitable venture and it meets the needs and wants of the targeted customer. However, it should be noted that human resource is the most important resource of an organization. The effective and efficient running of a business should be based on the belief of continued innovations by the organization, the organization’s abili ty to adapt to the changes in its environment and the overall ability of the organization to integrate itself with the drastic changes in technology. This has made the efficient running of a business hard as there are many problems encountered in the management process. Understanding of the Book The need to develop strategies that are required to resolve issues that relate to management of personnel has been necessitated by the modern organizational management dynamism. The New Art of Managing People is a book that aims at coming up with strategies that can be applied by a management to resolve some of the problems that influence effective management in the organization. The book subject matter articulates around the creation of friendly and productive ties that exist between the management and the employees. The authors of this book have stated that effective management of an organization should build trust between all the relevant stakeholders as this would improve the organizatio n’s performance. Therefore, they come up with practical techniques and procedures that can be used to resolve the issues in the organization on matters pertaining interaction between the employees and the management.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 book also suggests several process improvement strategies, proper human resource development strategies, transactional analysis of activities in the organization and effective decision making processes. In order that this book remains relevant as the years go by, the authors have attempted to relate these issues to the modern management. In this book, Hunsaker and Alessandra, (2008) establishes that management can forge an effective employee friendly working atmosphere that will ensure employees’ productivity is upped. The book develops ways that can be applied to develop interpersonal skills that can be helpful in the process of improving the communication between the management and the employees. The book postulates that the adoption of new skills will improve the employer vis-a-vis the employees’ relationship (Hunsaker Alessandra, 2008). Such an improved relationship has been cited as the backbone of the modern organizations in the sense that such an organization is grounded on effective relationship of trust and mutual respect. This means that the management does not necessarily need to use coercive forces to induce performance as employees are self-motivated. The book stipulates that the managers of an organization and all the other superior officials of the organization are not aware that there exists a problem in the organization with regard to the building and the maintenance of healthy and productive relationships in the organization’s human resource department. The authors have insisted that managers need to be in good relationship with their subordinates meaning th at they should be able to understand the predicaments of their workers. However, this has not been the case. The relationship between the managers and their subordinates has been rocky because managers have not been trained on how they should interact with their subordinates effectively. Hunsaker and Alessandra, (2008), have discovered that many organization’s superiors are well trained in business management, but they have not been technically trained on effective methods to interact with their subordinates.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The New Art Of Managing People specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When compared to their preparedness in dealing with the technical aspect of the organization, the lack of effective training of management of their employees poorly prepares them to deal with people’s problems that may arise in the organization (Hunsaker Alessandra, 2008). Therefore, this book aims at helping managers develop skills that will enable them to tap the potential of its subordinates in undertaking the activities of the organization which will spell absolute success for the organization, the management and the other organization employees. According to the authors, there are several ways that can guarantee proper treatment of employees. First, the management should respect its employees especially on their abilities to execute their designated responsibilities as hired to perform. Such an approach by the management can help greatly in the process of improving self-autonomy of workers. The authors of The New Art of Managing People have developed strategies that can be applied by people in management positions to evaluate the working conditions at an organization. Hunsaker and Alessandra, (2008), also presented strategies that can be used to improve those working conditions. The authors argue that it is very difficult for the management to change from its old habit o f directing the subordinates by issuing orders that are deemed implementable by the subordinates under the direct supervision of the superiors. Besides this, the book formulates ways that will ensure gradual transition from the old habits of management to new approaches in management issues. It has also been noted that transitions may be prone to mistakes and thus leniency may be required to ensure that employees are not reprimanded for this mistakes. It is further argues that the management should come up with a good transition process that guarantees an effective implementation of the new policy in the relationship between the management and its employees. This process can be achieved using a five-step process that is suggested in the book.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This process ensures that managers employ an interactive approach that will overhaul the interaction process in the organization. It holds that interactive managers have the opportunity of understanding their subordinates and thus, developing the required communication skills that will be applied in the development of mutual relationships in the organization. The book also postulates that an effective approach to management should be one that is promoted by open mindedness exhibited by the management and the organization of employees. These ideas suggest an outcome of friendly and extremely productive working conditions for all the organization stakeholders, thus improving on the organization profitability (Hunsaker Alessandra, 2008). The book holds that it is crucial that the management understands the differences that are exhibited by its employees and thus, take the necessary steps that will maximize the organization’s gain from the diversity identified. The identificatio n of the differences in employees’ behavior should motivate the management to handle this matter in a way that will ensure the differences are harmonized with the organization objectives. Importance of the Book Professor Hunsaker and Dr. Allessandra are seasoned and highly respected management experts and consultants and their combined effort in writing this book has stressed the vitality of an effective and efficient management of any organization. The book has put it in a nut shell that the process of managing the employees of an organization is an ever-changing field. The dynamics of management are constantly evolving; therefore, the management concepts that are proposed and being used at a particular time in an organization are likely to be obsolete in only a few years. The authors of this book have attributed the change in ways of managing organizations to the fundamental realization that human beings are constantly modifying how they accomplish different tasks from the previously used procedures. The business environments and the state policies that govern organizations are changing constantly, forcing the management to conversely adapt to the new demands. These changes have pushed the costs of production, training of employees in the organization and keeping the employees highly motivated up. The authors hold that this will continue escalating over the coming years. Therefore, a need to overcome these unprecedented adversaries in the organization management has to be countered or else the corporate world will be doomed to a disastrous tiding to the management. This book is written with the main agenda of coming up with ways that will overcome the traditional methods that dictated the manager-employee relationship in an organization’s practice. The authors have illustrated vividly that an organization that has a friendly and productive employee-management relationship experience substantial benefits that are spread through the organization. The book is very crucial in offering the organizational management the practical strategies with well laid out guidelines that can be applied by the management to achieve the ultimate goal of developing interpersonal skills that are held by the superiors. The acquisition of these interpersonal skills by the management will help in forging a good employee-employer relationship by identifying the differences that exist in its workforce in regard to appropriate use of knowledge, assessment of the current employee working conditions, improvement of the areas that are deemed to require upgrading, and lastly, in the overall creation of trust between the superiors and their subordinates. The book has identified that the acquisition of person-to-person skills that are held by all the employees of an organization is crucial to the overall central development of good teams. The book has stressed that letting the employees express their individual personalities will aid each one of them to ac hieve their potential and consequently, to self-actualize. This reduces the stress and animosity in the organization’s workforce that is brought about by strenuous bureaucracy. An overall positive interaction spirit is formulated in all the sectors of the organization. Consequently, this stimulates increment in organization productivity and profitability. The book gives very clear and vivid insights into the world of management to those who want to understand the concept of managing people. The book looks at management from a critical perspective of enhancing productivity through proper leadership skills that are geared towards having a robust working condition and cohesion among workers as a means towards achieving the set goals and objectives. This calls for the creation of a system that is efficient and effective in its dispensation of the identified mandate. Management in form of human resource entails having a workforce that is efficient in its coordination and that is f ree of stress associated with work may it be long working hours or even the working environment. One of the weaknesses that I found in this book is that it does not cover the issue of stress management. Stress can be defined as lack of the ability to meet the demands that one is required to meet causing a feeling of anxiety and unnecessary pressure. Stress can have internal sources or external sources. Internal sources of stress at workplaces include the levels of bureaucracies and red tapes that are present at a specific work station, the time that workers are required to work and finally from the level of cooperation that is exhibited by the workers. External sources of stress include the conditions at the homes of workers or any other outside stressor. The most profound external factor is the work-family linkage, where social issues of family are imposed upon the workers. It is important to note that family issues will always affect level of competence either directly or indirect ly as it affects both emotional and cognitive aspects. Despite the fact that the book was published in 2008, the authors might not have anticipated the impact of changing concepts of business management as the recommendations that the book gives may not be very effective in today’s management of human capital. Due to such weaknesses the book may not be very helpful in offering technical insights for advanced levels of management students as there are other books that addresses the issues of management of personnel in more advance methods and offers more modern insights when compared to those offered in this book. This text may be better suited for beginners as opposed to advanced students of management. Another aspect of the book that I felt was a weakness is that the authors did not build on the necessity of creating a positive spirit in a company environment. The author focuses largely on managing the company in a structured way where management of various organizational as pects is given a horizontal approach, meaning that the communication model that is advocated for in the book is more of instructional nature. Such modes of communication bring about the feelings of superiority versus inferiority which may be detrimental in the process of management of human capital in organizations. Although this mode has proved to be efficient in dispensing work instructions, it has been categorized as being an anti-social approach at the workplace. Building a positive spirit in an organization entails letting the employees feel a sense of ownership of the success of the company. This allows them to own the success as being a part of them, which encourages workers to pursue teamwork. This is also crucial in individual empowerment. However, this leads to unnecessary competition as each of the staff would want to get an opportunity to be recognized as the source of a particular success. Another concept that the book has failed to cover adequately is that of seeking t o reduce stress that is not related to work, but which impacts on the performance of the organization. Managers should, through the human resource desk, be able to have a therapist who should look into the employee’s psychological state of mind like depression, stress and other habits that may make such employees ineffective in their productivity. It is imperative that although the main areas of focus in workplace stress management are stressors that are work related, external stressors need to be addressed to ensure that the productivity of employees is maintained at its peak to guarantee maximum productivity in the organization. Lastly, although the book gives an insight on how to increase productivity and profitability, it is disappointing to note that some of the suggestions and initiatives given do not meet today’s world dynamism of management, although they have a high potential of success. For instance, some books in management advocate that managers should come up with an interactive approach and go on to give the concept of a bicycle wheel where the rear wheel is the technical management and the front wheel is said to be the people’s knowledge, it is imperative to mention that the first goal of any institution is to make profit and, therefore, the issue of people’s knowledge is taken as a facade because it doesn’t exist in real businesses, reason being that the workers views and opinions are not really taken into consideration. Although the authors advocates for the satisfaction of the employees’ needs and values as being the long-term measure of increasing their productivity, the satisfaction of employees to their maximum may not be realistic as it may be hard for organizations to meet all the needs of the employees and enable them to get ultimate satisfaction as far as their cognitive and social needs are concerned. Although I do disagree with some of the recommendations and opinions expressed by the authors , I find some of the strategies outlined being authentic and highly valuable. For instance, it is important for any organization to have a good working relationship between the management and the employees. This does not only give a sense of ownership of the organization by the employees, but it allows for sincerity and improved levels of competence that does not require the presence of managers to achieve the organization’s objective. This means that employees continuously feel that they are appreciated by their employer and thus their commitment to the company remains undivided. When employees own up the organization procedures, they feel that it is their prerogative to deliver to the best of their ability, which translates to improved organizational productivity. In conclusion, it is important to note that Hunsaker and Alessandra’s work offers wonderful insights as far as management of human capital is concerned. The content of this book can be applied at the workpl ace in a number of ways. Although it has been noted in this review that this book has some suggestions that are not in line with today’s dynamism in management of human capital, the authors have managed to give many new insights that are of great relevance in management of workers. The book is also excellent for management students as it offers the necessary knowledge especially to beginners as they learn what is required of them as managers of human capital. Therefore, the book can be recommended to all management students especially those that are interested in advancing their knowledge on fruitful approaches to management of personnel. Reference Hunsaker, P. Alessandra, T. (2008). The New Art of Managing People. New York: Free Press. 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Analysis Ms. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Poe Essay Example

Analysis Ms. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Poe Essay Example Analysis Ms. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Poe Paper Analysis Ms. Found in a Bottle by Edgar Poe Paper Ms. Found In A Bottle by Edgar Poe The story for analysis Ms. Found in a Bottle is written by Edgar Allan Poe. The text is about a man who describes the loss of a ship and its crew and his own discoveries. So the subject matter is the cognition of life and death. The story begins with the exposition. In this part of the text the narrator tries to persuade the reader that the story he is going to tell is true, and for this purpose the following stylistic devises are used. The Pyrrhonism of my opinions has at all times rendered me notorious. The metaphor the Pyrrhonism means skepticism, for this stylistic device refers to a philosophers name Pyrrhon, who tended to doubt and not to believe the fundamental truths. The epithet notorious and the phraseological unit at all times also attract our attention, for at all times is used in official notices and stresses the seriousness of the authors intention. And notorious puts more emphasis on the fact the narrator has been very skeptic, and th ats why his words, notwithstanding their incredibility, deserve the readers attention. Further he continues to convince us: No person could be less liable than myself to be led away from the sever precincts of truth by ignes fatui. ignes fatui are deceptive hopes which cant distract him from real facts. One more example can be conveyed through the following metaphorical sentence: A strong relish for physical philosophy has tinctured my mind. Physical philosophy means scientific or philosophy that needs proofs. Owing to the sentence Hereditary wealth afforded me an education of no common order, the reader learns that the narrator was rich and well-educated. In the following sentence the writer hints what he is going to portray: Of my country and of my family I have little to say. The reader sees that his native land and close people are not his first consideration. So something much more profound troubles him. The complication comes in the sentence One evening †¦ I observed a very singular isolated cloud†¦ The piling up of the epithets singular and isolated and the intensifier (adverb) very put us on our guard. But then tense atmosphere increases. For conveying it the author describes the nature using epithets and comparisons effectively: dusky-red appearance of the moon and the peculiar character of the sea †¦ a rapid change and the water seemed more than usually transparent †¦ The air became intolerably hot, and was loaded with spiral exhalations similar to those arising from heated iron. As night came on, every breath of wind died away †¦ The description of nature helps to create the atmosphere of anticipation. But the captain doesnt share our heros presentiments. On the one hand, it seems rather strange that an ordinary passenger foresees a simoom, and a sophisticated captain doesnt notice anything; but on the other hand that helps us to realize that the work is rather symbolic. Speaking about the ship, the narrator uses the pronoun she. In fact the ship implied to the soul of a human being, the soul where some changes take place. So the internal conflict comes into existence: between the heros skeptic attitude to life and death and his admiration to them. As it was mentioned, the character was well-educated. And his skepticism presupposes meditation (reflection).

Los Angeles School Police Department Research Paper

Los Angeles School Police Department - Research Paper Example It also serves the communities where these students reside. The Police Officers and the School Safety Officers are given their respective responsibilities to serve the school campuses, surrounding areas, as well as the parking enforcement. The LASPD works with support from the LAUSD and is focused on achieving the safety of children and students (What is the LASPD about). The present study focuses on learning about the LASPD discussing about its various departments, its job structure and rankings, its differences with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), its impact on the community and the students, and also studies the schools that are protected by the LASPD. Departments within the LASPD: Sworn police officers, non-sworn school safety officers, and civilian support staff are the main employees working for the LASPD. The major departments working under the LASPD are the Chief’s Office, Campus Services Bureau, Administration Services Bureau, Support Services Bureau, and th e School Safety Officers. The Chief of the Police Department is Steven K. ... al Service Centers, the Operations Coordinators, the School Crisis and Mental Health, the Campus Administrators, and other agencies that are associated. It takes the role of preventing victimization of students and promotes an environment for health learning of the students. Any critical incident occurring on the campus is attended by the team at the earliest and various services for protection of the campus and its surroundings and ensures safety for the schools under its charge (Campus Services Bureau). The role of the Administrative Services Bureau is to coordinate and manage the divisions of administration and investigation of the department. As part of its roles, the Bureau supervisions on the Payroll Unit of the department, as well as on other units such as the Budget Services, Records and Crime Analysis, responsibilities related to Custodian or Records, duties of Pitchess Motion, requests of Public Records, Subpoena Control Unit, and the Citation Control Unit. Also, the manage ment of the fleet management, contract administration of the department is considered by the Bureau along with the management of the investigation division of the department (Administrative Services Bureau). The Support Services Bureau of the LASPD is in charge of the operations of off-hour patrolling of the department and the center of communication. The units that are overseen by this Bureau include the Canine, the Safe Passages Motor, and the Parking Enforcement. The support resources of the campus are managed by this team and critical information related to their services is communicated effectively all the way through the District. The Bureau also provides for protection coverage of the District during times when the schools are off intending to ensure safety of the schools and

Analysis of a Production chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Analysis of a Production chain - Essay Example The stages are however not exhaustive. In spite of the goodness of the resultant globalisation due to spreading of the production chain across the globe, it renders labour a face-less force thus lacking in ethics and human values which are important ingredients for motivation. The objective of this paper is to examine what production chain is and how it has transformed over the years within the context of globalisation. The outline of the analysis will be definition of the supply chain, its components, and the production chain as one of them. An industry will be studied for the purpose of learning how a production chain will operate. Further, the purpose of the supply chain and how globalisation has impacted the production chain and the emerging ethical issues will also be examined. Supply chain describes or portrays the logistic flow of materials from front end to back end of a firm. At the front-end is the raw material supplier and at the back-end is the customer. In between, there are manufacturing, transportation and distribution. . The supply chain management aims at a seamless flow of materials through these links so that maximum efficiency is achieved through what is known as logistics. Supply chain has much to do with its management rather than knowing what the supply chain is since the links have been there ever since businesses started. Only it has now been scientifically stated as links mainly for the purpose of their management. As stated, it starts with raw material supplier who supplies material to the manufacturing firm which in turn transfers the manufactured product to the transporters known as logistical support who ultimately delivers it to the consumer through wholesaler and retailer. These are entities playing integral roles in supply chain of the manufacturer in the chain. For him, it is the flow of materials from front-end i.e the raw material supplier and back-end, i.e the consumer. In reality it is not as

What Defines Success in Social Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What Defines Success in Social Commerce - Essay Example This has propagated the emergence of a global economy, e-commerce, and e-business in the formulation of the modern business strategies thus promoting economic development. Ideally, the invention of internet and networking services generated integration of information and communications technology in the global market thus fostering business relationships between countries, organizations, and even individuals (Pearson Education, Inc., 2010). Indeed, since the electronic technologies are in the verge of continued advancement, we can confidently anticipate that their use in the supply chain will lead to increased e-business and globalization. However, is unfortunate that many small and medium businesses are yet to understand the significance of e-commerce and equally make no effort to engage in it (Manzoor, 2010). Actually, there is continued misunderstanding on the difference between e-business with e-commerce despite the fact that e-commerce has been in application for over 40 years s ince the invention of the electronic transmission of messages. Most assuredly, the advancements in internet and web-based technologies establish the clear distinction between traditional markets and modern markets, which host e-commerce. Factually, e-commerce incorporates the two-way communication between the consumer and the suppliers as well as supporting the business relations between corporations. Indeed, e-commerce involves all aspects of trade including marketing, ordering, and supply (Manzoor, 2010). More so, it also supports both physical and intangible trading as well enabling the payments for goods offered. In addition, e-commerce supports electronic provision of services such as after sales support or on-line legal advice. E-commerce uses the internet and social networking technologies to do business and is thus available everywhere and every time within an internet hub. Notably, e-commerce significantly increases the global market base as customers can access products fr om different locations in the world (Oracle, 2012). Furthermore, e-commerce promotes personalization in the market by enabling businesspersons to pass their messages to the target markets and target individuals in the context of purchasing and rendering payment. It is also flexible in that it allows customers to change the product or service in line with their tastes, preferences, and purchasing power. Most significantly, is the fact that e-commerce is universal in that its standards apply equally across all nations in the world. Nevertheless, there have always been challenges in defining e-commerce. However, the most acceptable definition of e-commerce refers to a wide range of online business activities for products and services across the world. Ideally, e-commerce equally refers to any electronically interaction for purposes of business (Goel, 2007). It is specifically business in the internet though a computer-mediated network and incorporates no physical interaction. Moreover, it entails the sharing of business information, using networks to conduct business, and maintaining business interactions. Notable, there is a misconception between e-commerce and e-business. However, the two are quite different in that e-business do not include commercial transaction or cross boundaries business interactions. Nevertheless, e-business and e-commerce interact where internal business systems connect with suppliers. Most assuredly, e-commerce is increasingly becoming a social commerce. Indeed, social commerce and e-commerce rely on one another. Social commerce uses electronic commerce and relies on interactions

The Basque Country In Spain Cultural Studies Essay

The Basque Country In Spain Cultural Studies Essay Basque Country (el Pais Vasco in Spanish) is small enclave country located in the heart of Pyrenees Mountains, which divide Spain and France from each other, the northern coastline of the Country lies in the Bay of Biscay on the Cantabrian sea. The Basque Country is made up of 6 traditional regions. The three regions to the south, within Spain forms Hegoalde (south zone), while the three to the northeast, within France, form Iparralde (north zone). The three provinces in Spain side are Vizcaya, Alava and Guipuzcoa centered around the cities of Bilbao, Vitoria and San Sebastian. Perhaps surprisingly to some, the capital of community is Vitoria, even though it is only just over half the size of the somewhat better known Bilbao city. In some resources it shows that there are four provinces in south zone. The fourth province is called Navarre, a region which Basque nationalists want to incorporate into Euskadi, but whose people want to continue being a separate entity. Navarre is just one of the territories that the Basque nationalist parties claim as Basque territory; there are also two enclaves surrounded by Basque territory Trevino and Valle de Villaverde, which belong to fellow neighboring communities of Castile de Leon and Cantabria. In French side there are three provinces: Labourd, Basse-Navarre, and Soule. Basques call these territories collectively, Euskal- Herria (Land of the Basques) or Euskadi. The region covers nearly 21.000 square kilometers, of which about 3,000 lie on French side. The 18.000 square kilometers on the Spanish side constitute about 3.6 percent of Spains total land area. Basque region has a wonderful mild climate with few extremes of temperature or weather conditions when the seasons changes. The climate, the influence of the sea, and an attractive mixture of village, mountains, hills and abundant greenery, all makes Basque Country a place of natural surprises. Around 3 million people live in this community. Almost all Basques are Roman Catholic. Traditionally, an unusually high percentage chooses to become priests and nuns. The region operates as an autonomous region; today region has its own parliament and police force, controls education and collects its own taxes. The Basque Autonomous Community is currently the wealthiest region in Spain. About 20 percent of population is engaged in agriculture. Fishing is a significant Basque industry. The Basque country has long been known as a center of Spanish industry especially the city Bilbao. The regions history as the nations iron and steel capital has led to the development of automobile and machine tool manufacturing. Shipbuilding is another profitable industry. One constant tradition that has always been strong in the Basque country is the wine-making. The areas wineries produce some of the riches wines in the world for example Rioja or Alava wines. The Basque people have preserved unique culture, the jewel of which is its language, Euskera, a pre Indo-European tongue whose mysterious origin has never been established. The fact that it is not and Indo-European language, and shows no resemblance to languages in neighboring countries has led to formulation of varieties of hypotheses to explain its existence. Owing to some similarities with the Georgian language, some linguists think it could be it could be related to languages from the Caucasus. Other relates the language to non-Arabic languages from the north of Africa. Throughout history, the Basque language has taken up words not only from French, Latin and Castilian, but also from Celtic and Arabic. On the other hand some of the words in Castilian, French and English come from Basque language. Rural communities have kept the language alive for centuries. It is estimated, nowadays, that more than 600.000 people speak Basque in seven provinces. There are 520.000 Basque speaking people in the Basque provinces in Spain, which is 25% of their total population. The Basque language is extremely difficult and complex .In addition there are number of different dialects. The Basque language was not written until the 16th century .Things has not been easy for the Basque language. Apart from having to compete with two powerful neighboring languages like French and Castilian, Basque was forbidden language during the dictatorship that followed by Civil War. For decades children had to study in an unfamiliar language and were severely punished when they spoke in Basque, even at play time. At that time an important movement to open Basque schools started. And these schools are the only ones which provide teaching in Basque. Through centuries of storytelling, the Basques have evolved a rich and colorful mythology. Basque folklore also encompasses various rituals and dances. The Basques maybe are the oldest ethnic group in Europe. They are thought to have inhabited the southwestern corner of the continent since before Indo-European peoples came to the area approximately 5.000 years ago. Surviving invasions by the Romans, Visigoths, Arabs, French and Spanish, they resisted domination by outsiders until the Middle Ages (AD 476-1450). At that time much of their territory was seized by Spaniards, Gascons and Catalans. In 1516 the Basques on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees Mountains agreed to Castilian rules but won the rights to keep degree of self-government. By the 1876 all Basque land were divided between the France and Spain. During the regime of General Francisco Franco (1939 75) the Basque language was banned and culture in the Spain provinces were ruthlessly suppressed, the Basque activists and intellectuals imprisoned and tortured for their political and cultural belief. By the 1950s, resistance groups had formed, most notably the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) Basque Homeland and Liberty. ETA was founded in 1959 by young national activists. ETA is a Basque separatist organization. Since the creation of ETA in the Franco dictatorship, for fifty years ETA has tried achieve full independence from the Spanish country for the four Basque provinces Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alava and Navarra in the eastern area of Spain and the south western areas of France of Labourd, Basse-Navarra, and Soule. ETA has been trying to become an independent state through their tactics of bombing and assassinations. Since 1959 the group has been held responsible for a number of bombings, shootings and kidnappings or killings of high profile European government figures, and its activities have claimed over 800 lives in four decades. Though believed to be a small terrorist group (with approximately 20 main activists and several hundred supporters), in December 2001, the European Union declared ETA a terrorist organization. ETA members are believed to have received training in Lebanon, Libya, South Y emen, Nicaragua and as well as to have fled to Cuba. The group also allegedly maintains close ties with the Irish Republican Army (IRA) through the both groups political wings.

Code Switching in Language Acquisition Essay -- English Language Essay

Code Switching in Language Acquisition The acquisition of English as a non-native language proves quite problematic for some individuals. Because English was developed using modifications and borrowed words from scores of fundamentally different languages, it would seem to be a language which most peoples of the world could easily acquire. There should always be something about the language and structure that reflects an individual’s native tongue – whether it be phonology, syntax, or semantics. However, the very fact that English incorporates an international lexicon with the respective varied syntactical applications makes English a fairly difficult language to acquire. Research by Cummins (1987) focuses on the length of time needed to acquire English. To achieve the Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) level, a learner must study English from one to two years. However, to acquire the higher Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), it takes five to seven years. In the acquisition of English, a normal linguistic behavior is the embedding of words or phrases from the native language into spoken English. This is called code switching. â€Å"Baker (1993) lists 10 purposes for code switches: (1) to emphasize a point, (2) because a word is unknown in one of the languages, (3) for ease and efficiency of expression, (4) as a repetition to clarify, (5) to express group identity and status and/or to be accepted by a group, (6) to quote someone, (7) to interject in a conversation, (8) to exclude someone, (9) to cross social or ethnic boundaries, and (10) to ease tension in a conversation† (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 2002). It is my opinion that the frequency of the use of code switching as well as the purposes for... ...er the changing form of the English language over time. As new cultures and languages converged through the millennia to develop into the English with which we are familiar today, how much impact did code switching have on the eventual integration of words from other sources? How much time and how large a population of different languages would be needed to change a lexicon? In how short a time could such a change occur? The opportunity to ponder these questions might not have occurred without the benefit of having taken this course, History of the English Language. Works Cited: Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49 (2), 222-251. Diaz-Rico, L. T. & Weed, K. Z. (2002). The cross-cultural, language, and academic development handbook. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.