Religion, The Missing Dimension Of Statecraft Essays - Peace

Religion, The Missing Dimension Of Statecraft Religion, The Missing Dimension of Statecraft Douglas Johnston and Cynthia Sampson, editors Center for Strategic and International Studies Editors: Douglas Johnston and Cynthia Sampson compiled these essays for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Douglas Johnston has since founded the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, with the goal of encouraging faith based mediation through education and strategy development. Cynthia Sampson is the president of Peace Discovery Initiatives, a faith-based organization with the goal of peace building around the world. Argument: The main focus of this book is to bring religion back into politics. For various reasons, the religion factor has been removed from policy making around the world, to the detriment of international relations. Johnston conveys the importance of religion when dealing with international policy, especially when one of the parties has a worldview that is deeply rooted in religion. Seven examples of how religious involvement positively affected international relations and eventually brought about reconciliation are used: the role of the Moral Re-Armament Movement in Franco-German Reconciliation, the role of religious groups, especially the Quakers, in restoring peace between the Sandinistas and the East Coast Indians, the role of the Quakers in the Nigerian civil war, the role of the churches in East Germany during the break down of the Berlin wall and the events leading up to that even, the role of the Catholic Church and the 1968 revolution in the Philippines, the role of the c hurch during apartheid in South Africa, and the role of religious actors in the transformation of Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. The main reason given for the success of religious actors in conflict resolution is their ability to gain trust and act as honest brokers between the groups involved. The Western powers cannot afford to ignore the importance of religion around the world nor can they afford to let the rare skills of relationship building brought by religious actors to go to waste. Religious groups have the desire and key qualities of trust building, patience, and unbiased involvement necessary to facilitate reconciliation and build peace around the world. These attributes are vital to reconciliation and mediation in a world where deception and diplomacy often come hand in hand. Analysis: It clear that one of the key factors of the success of religious actors (RAs) in conflict resolution is their focus on reconciliation and a true desire to be unbiased mediators. Unlike others at the proverbial table of peacebuilding, religious actors usually seek only reconciliation and peace, and not personal gain. This, along with their ability to build faithful relationships, is a vital part of their work. Many government officials have picked up on this, and have used them to carry messages between themselves and other parties involved in conflict. RAs are often referred to as honest brokers in the book; years of trust building were required to build these bonds of trust. However, this trust is invaluable when it came time to sit down and talk. Most faith-based NGOs see this as a core value of the process of reconciliation; they understand the need for a trusting relationship to be built in order to be truly reconciled. Emerging leaders should take the message of this b ook into consideration and know that in order to truly change the world reconciliation must be built on a firm foundation of trust and honesty, both of which are key elements in faith-based mediation. The subject of why religion has been taken out of contemporary diplomacy was neglected, though this information would have given the reader a firmer foundation from which to defend their argument to include religion as a factor in international policy. The book is very thorough and well thought out. Readers will become well educated about the facts and people involved in each story. A reader should be very careful not to let the endless details slow their reading but to continue to gain an understanding. The book is useful to both the reader that just wants ideas pertaining to the use of religion in international policy and the reader who is looking for specific examples to use. I found myself confused by the style of some of the authors that wrote in great detail

The Methods for Retaining Employees

The Methods for Retaining Employees Introduction There are many ways that can be used to retain employees. Compensating employees handsomely has long been viewed as one of the best ways of retaining employees.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Methods for Retaining Employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Apart from good salary, research has shown that there are other ways which are equally significant in retaining employees. Some of these methods are â€Å"challenging and a meaningful work, opportunities to learn and grow, the sense of being part of a group, a good boss, and meeting individual needs† (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003, p. 291). These methods basically aim at making the workplace environment a place that employees value and admire. This essay will discuss the methods which can make the workplace a place significance and value to the employee and thus make them to prefer working at their current organization as opposed to working els ewhere. The Kind of Work Employees Do It has been shown that employees value work that satisfies them. Apart from looking for monetary gain, most employees will prefer challenging work to work which is easy to handle. Demanding work tests the limits of an employee and this has been shown to be what most employees prefer especially for those in the technical fields (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003). Challenging work make a great contribution to the organization one is working for. There is usually a great sense of satisfaction which comes with making significant contribution to an organization one is working for. Making significant contribution in a place of work is quite encouraging and helps to connect employees to their work. It enhances the pleasure derived from working. In such kind of an environment, productivity is usually high and this makes what one does enjoyable.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The overall benefit of working in an environment that is challenging and one that enables employees to produce results is that employees are less likely to move out (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003). Learning and Growing in a Workplace Career growth is a great reason that can keep employees in their current jobs. Every person seeks to develop in his or her career. Giving an allowance for career development in a workplace therefore acts as a great motivation for an employee to maintain his current work and employer. Career development makes it possible for an employee to be up to date with emerging issues in his or her career (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003). Career growth of employees can be enhanced by the provisional of formal training. Training of employees helps them to be at par with changes in their careers and this will ensure that they uphold the recommended practices at the workplace. Apart from formal training, coaching and provision of mentorship ses sions equally helps to shape one’s career in the right direction. Employers should encourage employees to join professional networks. These networks are important as they help one to develop in his or her career as there is sharing among professionals in the same field (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003). The Sense of Belonging Working in an organization which fosters a sense of belonging is an encouraging factor. A sense of belonging enables one to feel at home in the work place. A workplace which fosters a sense of belonging among the employees creates a home like environment whereby employees feel being part of a big family.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Methods for Retaining Employees specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This sense of unity creates cohesion among employees and makes working in such a workplace irresistible. With such kind of a workplace, it is hard for employees to want to switch organizations. There are many ways that employers can create a sense of belonging in a workplace the best being creating forums where employees can get to know each other more. Such forums may include monthly dinners and end of either fiscal year or calendar year parties (Jackson, 2012). Good Bosses Managers and supervisors especially those to whom employees report directly should be good in the eyes of their employees. The following behaviors when displayed by managers and supervisors have been shown to put off employees: â€Å"Rudeness, impatience, arrogance, intimidation, yelling, being condescending or demeaning, belittling or embarrassing people, swearing, telling lies, sexual harassment, using inappropriate humor, and demonstrating sexism or racism† (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003, p. 294). Bosses have an obligation to ensure that their relationship with their juniors is one which fosters understanding. A bad boss will make the workplace a stressful place; nobody wants to be stressed and t herefore employees may choose to find alternative opportunities to work elsewhere. Even if employees do not opt to move out due to bad bosses, the cold relationship between the employees and the boss will affect the productivity of the employees (kaye Jordan-Evans, 2003). Good bosses recognize good work accomplished by their employees and do not take credit for what others have done. Recognition can be made through a word of mouth or a token given through platforms such as employee of the month, the most hardworking employee among other platforms (Shenkel Gardner, 2004).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Meeting Individual Needs An organization whose employees are of different age groups requires different approaches to retain the employees. It has been noted that Generation-Y employees would prefer workplaces which give them a wide range of exposure to their career fields. For the case of Generation-X workers, mentoring programs and programs which advance their careers would be most attractive. Lastly, the baby boomers would prefer programs which aim at increasing their retirement benefits, for instance, reworking their payment to allow for lower tax deductions (Gettler, 2008). There are other ways through which companies can necessitate the extension of careers. One such can be through arranging for employees to participate in charity work. Employees can also be given the opportunity to work on special project boards. Making employees aware of technical conferences and allowing them to attend such forums also is quite motivating. Technical conferences help to update employees on a dvances made in their career fields (Gettler, 2008). Conclusion Retaining employees goes beyond handsome compensation in form of big salaries. Apart from a good salary, employees have other needs which need satisfaction. Bosses have an obligation to create an environment that enables employees to be comfortable and advance their careers. It has been shown that employees prefer challenging work which demands the skills they have acquired. Workplaces which provide a means of advancing one’s career have also been pointed out as being attractive to employees. A workplace which creates a sense of belonging is also preferable as it creates unity and cohesion among employees. Bosses have been shown to also play a major role in attracting employees to a workplace. Understanding and rational bosses work well with employees. Bad bosses can be a source of stress to employees and this can easily make employees seek employment elsewhere. Workplaces should be flexible enough to meet some o f the individual needs of employees. References Gettler, L. (2008). How to retain staff – without breaking the bank. Smart Company. Web. Jackson, N. (2012). 5 ways to reward employees when raises aren’t an option. The Entrepreneur. Web. Kaye, B Jordan-Evans, S. (2003). How to retain high-performance employees. Sierra Health. Web. Shenkel, R Gardner, C. (2004). The most effective strategies won’t cost you a dime. Family Practice Management. Web.

The Pros and Cons of Not Vaccinating Your Child Essay

The Pros and Cons of Not Vaccinating Your Child - Essay Example Vaccination against the highly prevalent infectious diseases is necessary to protect the individual from acquiring the disease and eradicating the disease from the whole community as well as stopping its further transmission. Many goals of eradicating particular infectious diseases have been attained by mass vaccination programs. In 1980, the WHO eradicated small-pox worldwide by a mass vaccination program. In 1988, WHO, resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis by vaccination. The number of cases world-wide has fallen from 350,000 to 1651 at present (Colledge et al 2010). Vaccines are associated with a number of risks and they are also associated with certain risks. However, the vaccines are also associated with a vast number of benefits. Many parents question the safety and effectiveness of vaccinating their children and show concern about the adverse effects associated with it. Proper and adequate awareness should be provided to the parents so that they can make a healthy decision for t heir children after analyzing the pros and cons. The optimal benefits and risks associated with not vaccinating the children should be analyzed before providing immunization to the children. All vaccines are associated with side-effects and most of them are either minor or very rare. The CDC develops a Vaccine Information Sheet (VIS) that contains all the relevant information regarding the vaccines. The parents should be provided with VIS so that they are fully aware of the side-effects and do not panic in case of post-vaccination effects. The most common side-effects associated with the vaccines are fever and redness and swelling or infection at the site of the injection. Rarely, headaches, weakness or tiredness and rash also develop in the children. Seizures, coma, Gullain-Barre and death are very rare adverse effects of vaccination and are least expected. There are certain contraindications of vaccination and these children should not be immunized. Children with suppressed immuni ty because of any disease or disease related treatment should not be vaccinated at all. There are high chances that they will respond poorly to the inactivated vaccine agents. Any allergies to the vaccine components are also a contraindication for vaccine administration. In such cases of contraindications, it is recommended that prevention of the disease is attained through other preventive measures (Hansel 2012). The side-effects of vaccination are different for particular vaccines and parents should attain complete awareness before putting forward their children for the vaccination programs. However, the benefits of not vaccinating children are not huge and it is important to protect your children from the prevalent infectious diseases. The benefits of the vaccines have been evident since the past 100 years from the eradication of the variola virus, control of the polio and measles infection and the reduction of many vaccine-preventable diseases. However, the benefits are reducing as the vaccine-preventable diseases are becoming rare or have been eradicated. Although MANY diseases have been controlled in United States, outbreaks of certain diseases like measles have brought forward the benefits of vaccines. Researches showed that children who were not vaccinated had 35 folds greater risk of developing measles as compared to

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Religion - Essay Example The idealized, spiritualized essence of God can be comprehended only by refined minds, bent on spiritualism, and only after sustained effort. To the vast majority of mankind, the visible manifestation of God goes a long way towards focusing the inner mind and thoughts on Divinity. This initial, primitive belief that God is only present in that particular picture, or only in that particular form, can, with spiritual growth, metamorphose into the realization that God is an all-pervading, formless entity. Visible forms can be justified as symbolic, spiritual aids to the realization of God. One of the basic tenets of Christianity is the belief that God sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to earth, as the Redeemer to deliver sinful humanity from eternal damnation. Jesus took upon himself the collective sins of humanity and accepted his martyrdom on the cross as the expiation of these sins. This belief probably arises from the primitive belief that the deities must be placated through sacrifice, and the shedding of blood is a prerequisite for absolution. This sacrificial offering, be it the ox of the ancient Romans, or the lamb of the Jews, must be the purest and most perfect to serve the purpose. In this context, the pure, sinless Jesus constitutes the perfect sacrifice in the eyes of God. This ‘substitution theory,’ according to which Jesus’ vicarious punishment redeemed humanity, has a major flaw. If one concedes that Jesus’ punishment has indeed absolved humanity from sin, does it follow that man is now free to sin without having to face the c onsequences of his actions? If Jesus has obtained a prior, blanket absolution for all sinners, this is something in the light of a ‘license to sin’ with impunity. This poses a problem to the acceptance of the substitution theory. The word ‘Christ’ means the ‘Anointed One,’ or the

Case Study-Cross Culture Management Course Term Paper

Case Study-Cross Culture Management Course - Term Paper Example There are various sources of innovation. Those are both internal and external sources of innovation as identified from the case study. The most prominent internal sources of innovation are incongruities, unexpected occurrences, industry and market changes and process needs. The opportunities that are present outside the organization in its social as well as intellectual environment are changes in the perception, new knowledge and demographic changes. The case study also explains the various principles of the innovation. The purposeful and systematic innovation starts by analyzing the sources of the new opportunities. Innovation requires knowledge, ingenuity and focus. It has been derived from the case study that because of entrepreneurial initiatives have always augmented the practice of innovation. Application of the Concepts Leaders and the managers play a vital role in the cross cultural management. The main problem that has been found in the case study is related to the term inno vation. The companies don’t have the kind of culture that is required by the innovators to be successful when thinking of innovating. The culture has an adverse influence on the management.

America Needs Affordable Housing Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research

America Needs Affordable Housing It is often easy to castigate large cities or third world countries as failures in the field of affordable housing, yet the crisis, like an invisible cancer, manifests itself in many forms, plaguing both urban and suburban areas. Reformers have wrestled passionately with the issue for centuries, revealing the severity of the situation in an attempt for change, while politicians have only responded with band aid solutions. Unfortunately, the housing crisis easily fades from our memory, replaced by visions of homeless vets, or starving children. Metropolis magazine explains that â€Å"†¦though billions of dollars are spent each year on housing and development programs worldwide, ? At least 1 billion people lack adequate housing; some 100 million have none at all.? In an attempt to correct this worldwide dilemma, a United Nations conference, Habitat II, was held in Istanbul, Turkey in June of 1996. This conference was open not only to government leaders, but also to community orga nizers, non governmental organizations, architects and planners. â€Å"By the year 2000, half the world’s people will live in cities. By the year 2025, two thirds of the world population will be urban dwellers ? Globally, one million people move from the countryside to the city each week.? Martin Johnson, a community organizer and Princeton professor who attended Habitat II, definitively put into words the focus of the deliberations. Cities, which are currently plagued with several of the severe problems of dis-investment ?crime, violence, lack of jobs and inequality ?and more importantly, a lack of affordable and decent housing, quickly appeared in the forefront of the agenda. The dis-investment is present in many large citie... ...ary 1997: 66+ Johnson, Martin. â€Å"United Nations Habitat II Conference in Instanbul, Turkey,?The Advocate, December 1996: 2+ Outline I. Introduction A. International situation 1. Habitat II conference in Istanbul a. Article written in Metropolis magazine b. Personal account by community organizer II. Body A. Bergen county 1. HUD statistics for county 2. Studies shown in graphs, charts, tables 3. Maps showing minority, unemployed, and low income areas a. This is to draw a possible conclusion of course b. Statistics show ownership : housing problems B. NYC situation 1. Less statistics, more stories and examples a. Drawing from NYT article 8 part series III. Conclusion(s) A. Are there relationships of race : housing? B. Is the government pulling its weight? C. Are there solutions at hand?

Alice Walker †flowers Essay

â€Å"The Flowers† is a story written by Alice Walker, in 1988. It’s a 3th-person narrator that tells the story. The story tells us about a girl, whose name is Myop. She lives near a forest in a cabin with her family. Sometimes she walks in the forest with her mother, they collect nuts among the fallen leaves – actually they have done it many times, so that’s why Myop knows the forest very well. One day she is out for one of these walks, but by herself. This day something is different in the forest, and Myop decides to go home, but suddenly there is a man†¦lying in the forest floor, just beside a wild pink rose. When first we meet Myop she is walking near her house, playing around with her stick making sounds, she is walking towards the forest. Myop is a ten-year-old girl, and it seems like she still is a bit naive and unaware of what is going on in the world. This I also therefor I think the name Myop maybe could come from the expression â€Å"myopia†, which means narrow sighted or shortsighted. Myopia causes that the image you see, when you look at something in a longer distance, it’s out of focus or most likely impossible to see. That day she was walking in the forest alone. She made her own path, going that way and that way, while she was collecting blue flowers. She was having fun all by herself. She seems very innocent, but also confident, because she is walking all by herself. Normally she likes to walk in the forest, and also this day until something changes, suddenly the forest doesn’t feel safe anymore, and as a reader you get a feeling of fear on the behalf of Myop. In the text there is written â€Å"the strangeness of the land made it not as pleasant as her usual haunts†(page 1 line 24). Here you begin thinking of what might happen since things suddenly are different than they use to. Myop is getting insecure and afraid, so she decides to walk back home to the house, but on her way home she stumbles over something. â€Å"It was then she stepped smack into his eyes. Her heel became lodged in the broken ridge between brow and nose, and she reached down quickly, unafraid, to free herself.†(page 1, line 26-29). This is possibly the first time Myop faces dead, until now she has been childish and a bit naive to the rest of the world. So I can’t image that she has been faced with something so serious like this before. The man she stumbles over I’m pretty sure have been an Afro-American. I say that because he was tall, had big bones and wore blue overalls, these things I mean prove that he was an Afro-American, because all of these things are typical for an Afro-American man and not a white man. Myop is also an Afro-American, this we hear in the text â€Å"the stick clutched in her dark brown hand†(page 1 line 9). Because of that it sort of takes a rotation in the story. I begin to think about White vs. Black people, and things like lynching or murder. There is a noose near the man, and that indicate that he might have been exposed to hanging/lynching. The fact that he isn’t buried is also a thing that makes me think of murder, and not a normal dead. And then there is the rose, there is only ONE pink rose, and it’s just beside the body of the man. This could might be a sign to the reader, that there maybe had been someone and laid it there, just like to a funeral where w e lay flowers on the grave. This almost convinces me of the fact that the man was killed, and there have been someone who loved him to say goodbye to him. In the end of the story Myop lays her own blue flowers beside the pink rose. I think it could be a sign that Myop has changed that day, she has seen some terrifying things, and involuntarily needed to handle and think of things, which actually what just what she needed. The walk in the forest possibly made her see that the world isn’t just all good, and that there is some things out in the real world, which is not what she expected – but it’s not bad that this happened to her, in a way it helped her grow away from being a kid. Some day we grow up and need to see the world in a different perspective, than we do as kids. This day was the day Myop mentally grew a bit older, and may started to see the world in a different way.