Ellen Moore: Living and Working in Korea Essay

The Korean culture on the other hand uses indirect communication which makes it hard for western cultures to understand what is really meant or wanted. In addition, the Confucianism in the Korean culture teaches to show respect for teachers and superiors. Showing respect to a teacher/superior implies to not ask questions to avoid offending the speaker by implying that the teaching is not well done and that the group cannot follow the subject taught. In this case the cultural behavior of the Korean consultants is causing major problems. Since the knowledge of the Korean consultants is by ar not as enhanced as the knowledge of the American counterparts, Scott is trying to give the consultants instructions how to tackle certain problems and how to structure the project, but is not able to confirm if these instructions were understood or if more explanations are needed. In addition, this cultural behavior is reducing the consultants’ ability to openly communicate with their superi ors such as Scott, Ellen, Jack and the client and speak freely about concerns, questions or better solutions they might have. Another communication barrier can be recognized in regards to gender. In Confucianism the male-female relationship is equal to superior-subordinate relationship. This causes major tension in the communication between Ellen and Jack since his norms and values might have led him to devalue the authority of Ellen’s input. This might explain why he is holding meetings without inviting Ellen and his refusal to use Ellen’s memo she prepared detailing the progress during her absence. Since Ellen is not speaking the Korean language and needs to rely on a translator, her ability to manage the team effectively and her understanding of different nuances in the Korean language are decreased and sometimes even diminished. Missing language skills is the third major communication barrier in this case which becomes very apparent at the dinner when Jack makes a very passive-aggressive speech in Korean. When the translator stops translating (Jack told her so), Ellen is confronted with not only the language barrier, but also with the cultural barrier of the superior-subordinate relationship and has to confront Jack and tell him to speak in English in order to keep the threats against the translator minimal and to ensure that she can understand the speech going forward. Another challenge this team is facing is an unclear leadership and direction which is causing interruptions in the decision making process. The misalignment between Jack’s and Ellen’s instructions causes inconsistencies and insecurities in the team. The Korean consultants are not sure which orders to follow and due to the cultural familiarity with Jack and the high power distance in the Korean work culture, they are ignoring Ellen’s instructions. The decision making process is further slowed down by major cultural difference in regards how and how quickly project related decisions are made. The American culture is known for quick decision-making whereas the Korean culture has a very high uncertainty-avoidance. This risk avoidant culture is driving Jack’s decision to conduct further market research even if that is outside of the scope of the companies deliverables. Since Korea is a collectivist society in which group decisions are valued, his unilateral decision in regards to the market research suggests that he does not view Ellen as part of the group. The differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority make it very hard for the American consultants to gage what the knowledge of the team is and how much is really understood. The American culture has a very low-power distance compared to the high-power distance work culture of Korean’s. This is minimizing the knowledge and idea exchange which is very critical especially in consulting projects. Another major challenge is the missing group development. The Five Stage Model describes the first of these stages as the forming stage where team members get a feeling of how they fit into the team and what their responsibilities and tasks will be. Due to the constant disagreements and power struggles between Ellen and Jack, the group building process is majorly interrupted. No trust can be built between the team members and the leaders and will eventually cause the failure of the project. The last challenge is the low emotional and cultural intelligence in the group (EQ and CQ). In order for all members of the group to feel comfortable around the other members of the team, trust has to be developed and a sense of group identity and group efficacy has to be established. This would convey the efficiency and productivity of the team and the awareness of cultural differences. In this case, Ellen destroys the chance to get closer to an integrated group when she interrupts Jack during a meeting and makes him â€Å"lose his face† in front of his subordinates. In the Korean culture this is a huge sign of disrespect and she will be not able to regain trust or authority without any intervention from the management team. Q2: The 1st alternative would be to remove either Jack or Ellen from the team. Ellen’s removal would appease the Korean hierarchy and would give the team a unified leadership under Jack. Nevertheless, removing Ellen from the team would challenge the successful completion of the project since her expertise and experience is needed. Even if a suitable replacement for Ellen could be found, the person would need time to get up to speed and additional expenses would be occurred for the relocation package of the new person and a severance payment or relocation package for Ellen who would need to move to another project which most probably would be in a different country. This could possibly damage Andrew’s leadership and reputation. On the other hand, removing Jack from the project team would not be received well by the Korean consultants and the management team and the cultural differences would increasingly prohibit the project from succeeding. The 2nd alternative would be to keep status quo and leave the team as it is and let the situation take care of itself. The assumption here would be that Ellen has adjusted to different cultures in prior assignments and might be the best person to get the team back on track. The advantage of this solution would be that no initial cost is required and everybody continues in their role without major interruptions. The drawback with this solution is that this alternative is very risky. The team has already reached a point where action needs to be taken. The work environment and the tension between Ellen and Jack did not improve over the last weeks and additional resources will be needed to keep the project on track. The ultimate alternative in this case is to restructure and redefine the team. Ellen should be the sole team leader in regards to tasks, deadlines and milestones. Jack should be assigned to a specialized role on the consulting team, so that on the one hand his technical expertise is still available if needed, but on the other hand his control as a leader is decreased significantly, so he cannot interfere with the work flow of the team anymore. In order to make the restructuring of the team successful, Ellen should address the above mentioned challenges one by one, to ensure the highest possible success rate. In order to address the communication issue and the high-power distance work environment, she should establish an nvironment, where team members can anonymously state their opinion, ask questions or introduce new solutions to problems the team is currently facing. This could be established by creating an anonymous drop box (physically or digitally) which would be read daily by Ellen and topics submitted would be discussed during the meetings. For certain specialized tasks, subgroups should be created to make sure the high-power distance wo rk environment can be decreased and different viewpoints and ideas can arise from free discussions. This solution will improve team functionality and eliminate time lost on tasks not related to the project, preventing further delays. Furthermore Ellen would need to make the team aware of the cultural differences and try to make the team find common solutions which are acceptable to everybody (Adaption). Commonly agreed on procedures for office behavior or approval processes will make it easier for the employees to follow rules and to work efficiently. Team building sessions will be required to brainstorm team values, individual roles and decision making processes. This will eliminate the disconnect between leadership and subordinates while accelerating the group development. The demotion of Jack out of a management position will be potentially damaging to his reputation but will be counteracted by his new role as a specialized consultant with technical experience. The additional costs associated with the recommended solution are minimal. Nevertheless, gaining the buy-in of the Korean management team will be difficult. If the proposed solution does not work due to the missing of the Korean management team, Andrew would need to assume this position by himself.

Class Perceptions on Personal Choice

Have we ever thought of what governs us when we make a choice? Are we ruled by certain cultural or ethnic perspectives, or do we value our feelings toward the person, who is expected to accompany us through joys and sorrows for the rest of our lives? Very often, cultural and class perceptions play the predominant role, when we make a romantic choice.In his novel A Room with a View, E.M. Forster ironically depicts the increasing conflict between the real and the pretended and the impact, which class and social prejudice may have on what we call â€Å"true passion†. A Room with a View is an ironic depiction of the social narrow-sightedness and the lack of sincere spontaneous response to the feelings, which may change under the pressure of artificial class and cultural views of the conservative society.Literature critics of the post-war period emphasize the growing level of British cultural self-consciousness that has gradually turned into a misrepresented set of class and cultur al perceptions. â€Å"With the post-1945 decline of Britain as an economic, political, and military power, its international standing as well as its own sense of national identity have been increasingly determined on the level of cultural production† (Freedman 79).Forster’s novel suggests that with time, this cultural consciousness has transformed into cultural and class prejudices that falsely positioned England as the predominant source of cultural trends in Europe. In this context, Forster’s Lucy reveals the hidden facets of English cultural perceptions.Lucy’s character reflects the growing gap between her inner promptings to love and the external social pressures that tell her what she is expected to tell or to do. Lucy â€Å"was accustomed to having her thoughts confirmed by others†¦ it was too dreadful not to know whether the was thinking right or wrong† (Forster), and even when she is prepared to take the single and the most appropriate decision, the distorted English visions of culture and class raise her doubts as for what she has to do.Forster uses Italy as the mirror and the prism for evaluating the negative potential of cultural and class perceptions in the then England. The battle for a room with a view is actually the battle for nothing, because a room with a view will never offer any benefits to a person, who is too blind to see anything behind the window. Lucy’s battle over her happiness is very close to the situation, where the blind is persuaded that the room with a view is much better than the room without the one. â€Å"How do you like this view of ours, Mr. Emerson? – I never notice much difference in views.– What do you mean? – Because they’re all alike. Because all that matters in them is distance and air† (Forster). In the same manner, Lucy is coming to the realization that her relations with Cecil are nothing but an empty combination of the social prejudi ce and the decision that was imposed on her by the norms and traditions of her surrounding. â€Å"As Forster’s narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that there must be something wrong with ‘development’ in a code of behavior which can mistake delicacy for beauty, while treating frank talk about baths and stomachs as indecent, and kisses as insults† (Taque 94).This cultural and class blindness and the fight for a better view are the central themes that accompany Lucy in her long journey to personal revelation. She is stifled by the air of indifference toward her feelings and desires; she is confronted by the need to follow the imposed behavioral code that evidently does not satisfy her inner strivings to be happy. Italy and the Italians open her eyes on the realities of her drastic existence within the narrow space of the social and class prejudice.When she hears Mr. Beebe’s remark that â€Å"Italians are a most unpleasant people. They pry everywhere, they see everything, and they know what we want before we know it ourselves. We are at their mercy† (Forster), she has nothing but to conclude, that her life and her future are at the mercy of the socially blind norms, which govern her choice.For once, Lucy has to pause and rethink everything that was going through her mind and her soul. George leads her to re-considering her values. She is overfilled with emotion: â€Å"some emotion – pity, terror, love, but the emotion was strong – seized her, and she was aware of autumn. Summer was ending, and the evening brought her odours of decay, the more pathetic because they were reminiscent of spring.That something or other mattered intellectually?† (Forster). A bright literary parallel between the English cultural norms and the odours of decay suggests that if Lucy fails to defend her right to choose, she will be doomed to spend the rest of her life in the pressuring atmosphere without any hope for moral and sp iritual resurrection.Mr. Emerson is correct stating that â€Å"we need a little directness to liberate the soul† (Forster); Lucy is searching some free space where she will be protected from the strong winds of English cultural and class perceptions. She wants to be free to express her feelings without a fear of being condemned. Ultimately, she has the right for spontaneous feeling without any tint of reason, which conservative England is so actively imposing on her.

Globalization and Business IT Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Globalization and Business IT Exam - Assignment Example Business to Consumer (B2C) Business to Employees (B2E) and Consumer to Consumer (C2C), the archaic methodology of conducting business has been redefined. The most striking advancement brought upon by the advancement in information technology is the drastic modification in the communication norms. Businesses are now able to communicate with its internal, external and connected stakeholders more conveniently, thus saving precious time and cost. Internet has played the most prominent part in abridging the distance. By using e-commerce, companies of all types are able to explore new business ventures in the form of new and similar market segments and lucrative business opportunities. Distance in no more a hurdle. Since the internet never sleeps, customers have the privilege of doing transactions 24-hours of the day, 365-days of the year. Bad weather or labor problems will not prevent the customers from visiting the store and placing their orders. From global perspective, the introduction of electronic data interchange (EDI) has standardized the language of business all across the globe. According the Advantages of EDI, using these industry standards, for transmitting data related to commercial transactions, the manufacturer and the supplier are easily and quickly able to complete a business transaction. In order to objectively evaluate the role of information technology for all businesses, its role can be divided into three major aspects which can prove to be vital for any business enterprise Support of its business processes and operations Support of decision making by its employees and managers Supports of its strategies for competitive advantage (O’Brien and Marakas 2008) An organization operating in global environment strives to implement the above mentioned traits in its corporate strategy and thus reaping maximum benefits. Multinational organization uses IT in order to integrate its various strategic business processes and operations such as keeping re cord of purchases and sales, automating the inventory record system or maintaining transaction history of the customers in order to forecast their demand in future. IT also provides the managers and those charged with governance several tools which assist them in making apt decisions. These decisions might include the addition or deletion of products from the current product line, what are the projects which are likely to yield positive cash flows in the future and identification of the lucrative investments. In today’s world, to obtain a clear strategic advantage over the competitors, a company needs to align its corporate strategy keeping in consideration the information technology requirements. The use of strategic information system has tremendously uplifted the quality of product and services offered by different companies and have immensely assisted in obtaining competitive advantage. A company can only survive if it develops strategies which are sufficient to counter t he prevailing competitive threats in the market. Competitive forces can be analyzed through Porter’s five forces model which are illustrated in the figure below In today’s dynamic market, not only the companies are expending sufficient resources in countering the prevailing rivals in the market, but efforts have also been diverted towards establishing barriers which will stop the new entrants into the market. The internet has created several ways through which new entrants can enter into the market more easily and quickly and with considerably less

Questions on Human Rights Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions on Human Rights - Article Example For example, there are people with Down syndrome and still are able to perform everything logically. The same is the case of some people with mild forms of Autism. It is worth remembering that famous Winston Churchill who played an unforgettable role in the World War II and as a historian was dyslexic. In addition, Isaac Newton probably had Asperger’s syndrome. However, one cannot deny the fact that most mentally retarded ones are just like children, and hence are unable to make rational decisions. So, one can argue that as far as children are not allowed to vote, the same principle can be used in the case of mentally retarded people too. Thus, in total, one is forced to reach the conclusion that a lot more specifications are required to gauge the degree of retardation in individuals so that an accurate answer can be reached based on the kind and degree of retardation. Otherwise, the ones who are evidently retarded need not be allowed to vote. II There is still intense debate on the issue whether women should be allowed to serve in combat. In fact, women are gradually getting more and more roles in the military avoiding the combat frontline. However, in the case of women infantry, task crew, and combat pilot, there still remains a taboo. Those who are in favor of women’s role in active combat frontline argue that if women show enough physical capability and mental alertness to serve in the combat frontline, denying them a chance amounts to rank hypocrisy. Another point favoring women is that in the modern battlefield, technical expertise and decision making are more important than raw physical strength. The third point is that being forced to play secondary roles is a fact that keeps many patriotic females from joining military. So, by allowing them to have equal opportunities, their presence in the military can be ensured. This is all the more important considering the fact that the presence of women is inevitable for certain tasks like medical a ssistance, policing, intelligence gathering, and mediation. However, there are allegations and claims from the other side too. The first is that though a minority of females manages to show enough physical capacity to join combat, the vast majority ‘miserably fails’ (Willens and Smith). So, the claim that females should be allowed to serve in combat is on shaky grounds. Secondly, the so called courageous females allege sexual harassment in the hands of masculine military subculture. So, the argument is that incorporating females into the force can only lead to more problems and tension in the force, leading to a decline in morality of the men. This will seriously affect the quality of the force in group activities. In total, it becomes evident that there is no base for the argument that females should not be allowed to serve in combat. So, a reasonable conclusion is that the few females who show enough physical capabilities, courage and desire to serve in combat should be allowed to do so. III One can undoubtedly say that the perfect form of freedom allow people to do whatever they like if that only affects their own lives. If this is the case, not allowing people to sell their own organs is a denial of this basic right, according to many. This is so because ones organs are ones own property that one has the right to do anything with. Yet another point is

Antitrust practices and market power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Antitrust practices and market power - Essay Example While the pecuniary costs associated with this Google antitrust behavior is price fixation and control for the search engine and website business prices, the non-pecuniary costs associated with the behavior include throwing other website companies out of business, or making them incur losses, which will in turn slow down the economic growth. Monopoly structure entails the operation of a single seller in the market, while the oligopoly structure involves the presence of only few sellers in the market, which work in collusion for their economic benefit (Tucker, 2010). Both monopoly and oligopoly are achieved through effecting entry barriers for other business into the same market. The barriers can be natural barriers, such as high capitalization, infrastructure or specific resource requirement for entry to the market, which is only available to one or a few firms. Barriers can also be government barriers, where the government institutes some restrictions in form of legislation to prevent other businesses venturing into a certain industry, which is only designated for a particular operator (Tucker, 2010). Oligopolies and monopolies are not always bad for the society. Even though oligopolies and monopolies allows just few firms to determine the quantities of products they avail to the market or fix prices they charge for such products, there are situations under which monopoly and oligopoly are beneficial to the society. Monopolies can allow a firm to take advantage of economies of scale by producing more commodities that lower the long run average costs, making it possible for the firm to offer low prices for its products (Tucker, 2010). The same case applies to firms operating under oligopoly, where it is only a few of them which are producing for the large market needs of the customers. This allows such firms to enjoy economies of scale, through producing in higher quantities,

Investigating the Relationship between Changes in Weight Loss and Essay

Investigating the Relationship between Changes in Weight Loss and Triglyceride Level - Essay Example The change in weights and triglyceride levels were computed by subtracting the value taken at baseline from the values obtained at week 8. Averages, trimmed means, median, mode, and standard deviation were calculated from the population data. The relationship between weight loss and triglyceride level of each patient were shown using a 2-axis combination graph. Correlation between the two parameters will also be calculated. A linear regression analysis was conducted to predict the association between weight loss and triglycerides. The regression equation was used to determine the decrease in the amount of triglycerides for every kilogram decrease in weight. Thirty-five obese patients participated in the study. At baseline, their weights ranged from 69.4 to 133 kg (Table 1). The same range was observed at Week 8 after the completion of treatments. Triglyceride levels at baseline shows that the range was at 57 – 446 mg/dl; however, the range was very wide after treatment, ranging from 54 – 795 dl/mg. The wide range was due to a very high increase in the triglyceride level of patient 231, who was also the only one to gain weight during the treatment. The data also shows that the median, which is the middle number in the range of values, was not far off from the average or the means. However, the mode, which is the most repeated number in the array, was not close to the average values. Trimmed means (the practice of a chosen percentage of the values) were also close to the average values. These show that the data are clustered close together, hence the similar median, averages and trimmed means for the measured parameters. At eight weeks after treatment, the average loss in weight was estimated to be 3.93 kg with a standard deviation of 2.76 kg. This large deviation can be attributed to the wide range in the weight loss

Exploring a qualitative research problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exploring a qualitative research problem - Essay Example A quantitative research method would use cause and effect thinking or would employ reduction of specific variables, hypothesis and questions. This paper will analyze three journals that have been written to discuss the obesity case and will look at the author’s framework of the problem, their purpose of the study and their rationale towards selection of the qualitative method. Ferda from the economics department in the Yeditebe University executed a research on the issue of obesity in Finland (Ferda, 2013). The research was aimed at finding out the causes of obesity in Finland that had become a national concern since every for every five people in the country two people were obese. The purpose of the research was to study the dynamics of obesity in Finland and provide evidence on how temporal obesity relates with health expenditure of the country and of individual persons (Ferda, 2013). The research also examined how unemployment was related to obesity since most of the unemployed people in the country were obese. Ferda also wanted to find out if urbanization had an impact or the rising cases of obese people living in urban centre in Finland. The research also was aimed at investigating how alcohol consumption and intake of calories, that were popular practices in Finland, led to obesity (Ferda, 2013). The researcher selected the qualitative method since the causes of obesity lied within the people and the best source of information was from the people themselves through simple methods such as interviews. The research also used testing and augmented causality tests to provide information on the possible causes of obesity on randomly selected people. According to my opinion, cases of obesity do not occur naturally since they are caused by the behavior of the person in terms of their food and beverage consumption. The qualitative research approach that the user used by

International Financial Reporting Standards Assignment

International Financial Reporting Standards - Assignment Example The IASB is responsible for oversight of the IFRS. This agency was formed in 1973 under its former name International Accounting Standards (IAS). The IFRS were created in 2001 (Articlebase, 2008). The first nation to adopt the IFRS framework was the European Union. The countries of Europe adopted IFRS in 2005 (Moya, Perrramon, Constans, 2005). The biggest stock exchange in the European nation is the London Stock Exchange (LSE). All domestic companies must abide by IFRS and U.S. companies that want to list their stocks in the London Stock Exchange must convert their financial statements to IFRS. In U.S. GAAP the financial statements of all companies must follow a specific format, but under IFRS companies can utilize multiple formats for their financial statements. Despite the fact that the IFRS started in Europe, the goal of the IASB is for the IFRS to become the global standard in the accounting community. In a little over a decade the IFRS has penetrated a lot of nations worldwide a lready. There are 153 countries across the world that adopted IFRS which implies that nearly 75% of the world has currently gone through the process of implementing IFRS (Pwc, 2012). The United States is listed as one of the countries that have adopted IFRS, but in reality the U.S is still in a conceptual phase due to the fact the entire financial system of the U.S. is based on U.S. GAAP. It is going to be extremely difficult to convince the entire financial community that convergence into IFRS is in the best interest of the United States. U.S. GAAP is a more complex system that has been used for a longer time. One of the benefits of IFRS is its simplicity. A simpler accounting system can help companies reduce administrative expenses since accounting is a major function that requires a lot of resources. Some people in America have resistance to change because they believe that U.S. GAAP is a superior system that is better equipped to prevent material error and fraudulent activity. T he U.S. GAAP and the IFRS have the same function of recording the financial transactions of companies, but there are lots of differences between the ways financial information are reported in each framework. Under U.S GAAP the valuation of investments is done at the cost of the investment in order to comply with the historical cost principle. The historical cost principle states that all assets in the balance sheet must be recorded at purchase price of the acquisition (Investopedia, 2013). The profits or losses of the investments are only recognized in the accounting books if the investment is sold. In IFRS investments are recorded at fair market value. U.S. GAAP has more information and detail than IFRS. For instance under U.S. GAAP the consolidated financial statements demonstrate financial information regarding the subsidiaries of the company. The IFRS only reports financial activity of the parent company unless the parent company has control over the finances of the subsidiary. Another example of the descriptive nature of U.S GAAP is the policy of reporting detail information about the investments of the firm in the financial statements of the firm. IFRS excludes investment activity from the financial statements. The discrepancies between the two accounting frameworks create inequality in the financial markets because investors are not able to compare the financial statements of U.S. companies vs. foreign firms. In an ideal world everyone would use the

Week one questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week one questions - Essay Example â€Å"Though Nokia invested a large amount on its new version called "Nokia Lumia 920", it did not meet the expectations of Nokia’s customers†(Giri, 2012). Nokia promised much and delivered less whereas its competitors like Samsung and Apple promised less and delivered more. Apple is using its own iOS operating system in iPhones whereas Samsung is using Google’s Android OS in its smartphones. Even though Windows is the leading OS in the computer world, it is not so in the mobile phone world. Moreover, the features and designs of Lumia are comparatively inferior to that of iPhone or Galaxy S3. All these factors contributed heavily to Lumia’s failure in the market despite the fact that smartphone market is growing rapidly. Google trends and marketresearch.com are the two websites I would like to use for market research. Present trends in the market with respect to any product are displayed in Google trends. It provides graphical illustrations also about the present trends in the market. Market research.com is another website which helps entrepreneurs to check the current trends in the market. It provides market intelligence required to make sound business decisions. I would like to search these websites to know the demand and supply of the product or service which I am going to offer to the consumers. Moreover, I will look for the competition and price factors also. Market research is a costly act. It is often done with the help of primary as well as secondary research. Modern technologies like computers and internet helps even small scale industries to conduct effective and less costly market research. Survey and focus groups are the two cheapest options available for small scale industries to learn the market trends. Surveys are primary market research method aimed to collect primary data from specific group of people or consumers. It can be administered easily with the help of email or

Road Accident in Kerala Essay Example for Free

Road Accident in Kerala Essay At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, â€Å"This will make it better. † All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. — Origins: The story is more true than not, although its primary point has been grossly exaggerated. According to folks at the Special Olympics Washington office, the incident happened at a 1976 track and field event held in Spokane, Washington. A contestant did take a tumble, and one or two of the other athletes turned back to help the fallen one, culminating in their crossing the finish line together, but it was only one r two, not everyone in the event. The others continued to run their race. The story is thus not about an entire class of â€Å"special people† who spontaneously tossed aside their own dreams of going for gold in favor of helping a fallen competitor, but rather one about a couple of individuals who chose to go to the aid of another contestant . Unfortunately, this tale as it is now being told helps further a stereotype that deficiencies in intelligence are compensated for by unfailingly sweet natures and a way of looking at the world in childlike wonder. Special Olympians train long and hard for their events and are every bit as committed as athletes who compete in any other athletic endeavors. The Special Olympics are not a casual get-together organized to give less fortunate members of the community a day to socialize and perhaps run in a foot race or two. They’re highly organized sporting events taken very seriously by all involved, with each competitor striving to do his best. It’s about trying. And succeeding. The Special Olympics oath is â€Å"Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt. †

Coping Styles Used by Chronic Health Disorder Sufferers

Coping Styles Used by Chronic Health Disorder Sufferers Analyse and evaluate coping styles used by individuals with a chronic health disorder identified in a case study. Case study; BBC documentary called ‘The Truth about Depression’: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5YubjEqbZ8) In this essay the author will examine chronic illness with focus on depression and its symptoms as well as critically evaluate coping skills used by individuals with chronic depression. According to better health (2015), a chronic illness is a long term illness, which can be stressful and may change the way a person lives or relates to others. For the purpose of this essay the author will investigate chronic depression (or Dysthymia). Despite mental health professionals’ massive efforts to educate the public, lack of knowledge and misconceptions around resulting in stigma and discrimination (Web MD, 2015). NHS (2015), state that the symptoms of chronic depression are sadness or depressed mood and being physically restless or rundown in a way that is noticeable by others. Fatigue  or loss of energy and problems with concentration or making decisions, a loss of enjoyment in things that were once pleasurable, either weight gain or weight loss of more than five percent of weight within a month, insomnia  or excessive  sleep  almost every day, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness or excessive guilt and lastly, the most devastating symptom being the almost daily recurring thoughts of death or suicide. According to research carried out by Science Direct (2015), there are a range of different ways an individual can cope. These include; sourcing information on the illness, (which can help combat feelings of helplessness or lack of control), emotional support from others, (particularly family and close friends), setting short-term goals which can restore certainty, power and control and lastly, thinking about possible outcomes and discussing them with health professionals. The overall aim of these coping strategies would be to help the sufferer put into context and give some meaning to what is happening to them. However, not all individuals can achieve this and will find different ways of coping. Whilst coping with depression, individuals need to work on many aspects, contending with sleeping problems, eating, activity, positive and negative emotions, thinking, and relationships. Above all, individuals need to cultivate hope. However, all of these aspects cannot be worked on at the same time. If an individual is severely depressed, their first priority should be their physical health as this can improve their emotional wellbeing by releasing endorphins. These can lift a sufferer’s mood and give them a sense of achievement. Sufferers may also benefit from exercising in groups in order to help build new relationships. However, this coping strategy may not be achievable by all individuals as the participation in such physical activity could be unrealistic due to other underlying health conditions (Everyday Health, 2015). When reality is a nightmare for a sufferer of chronic depression, using sleep as a coping mechanism is simply like clocking out and taking a break from life. However, after sleeping, the reality will continue to make them unhappy. To add to this, a lack of sunlight due to excess sleeping will also lower the mood of the sufferer even further, because it causes an imbalance of certain brain chemicals (Thought Catalogue, 2015). Some other coping skills to practice for sufferers of chronic depression could include; meditation and relaxation techniques. Deep breathing techniques, can activate a relaxation response and help reduce stress. Hobbies are also important in order to set aside time to allow relaxation and escape from the stresses of life, for example, gardening, art therapy, dancing or cooking. One must remember that these techniques may not be suitable for all suffers because of differing interests, or the severity of the depression as they may feel more apprehensive than others to venture out of their surroundings to attend these groups (NHS, 2015). Psychologist World (2015), consider the attachment theory to be important when studying coping styles for chronic depression. Attachment is a biological need and is the basis of the power of therapy ranging from individual to group, hospitalization, and support groups. Ultimately, by the individual establishing or rebuilding secure attachments in friendships, family relationships, and intimate relationships they can start to recover. Stressful life events contribute to the onset of chronic depression. An individual can minimize stress by learning to use coping skills to manage stress. For example, by making sure there is clear communication with doctors, by maintaining emotional balance to cope with negative feelings and maintaining confidence and a positive self-image are essential in the process of remaining well. However, not all individuals can achieve this and find lowering stress levels harder to achieve than others (Help Guide, 2015). Finally hope is the foundation of recovery. What gives an individual hope might change from one time to another. Hope is likely to be intermingled with fear and doubt. One might be afraid to hope for fear of being disillusioned; thus hoping takes courage. Perhaps there’s no firmer ground for hope than the possibility that some good ultimately might come from the painful experience (Share Care, 2010-2015). As well as needing to find ways to deal with the stress involved with chronic depression, from this essay the author has found that an individual will also need to understand their condition, know about the treatments and therapy’s on offer. Maintain trust and confidence in heath professionals, especially when recovery isn’t possible. Know how to control their symptoms by using individual coping skills and lastly maintain social relationships and avoid social isolation. It was also found that obtaining and maintaining good coping skills takes practice. However utilizing these skills becomes easier over time. Most importantly, good coping skills make for good mental health wellness and a way forward from chronic depression. In this essay the author has examined chronic illness focusing on chronic depression and its symptoms. 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