.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

English as a Global language Essay

Discuss the positive and negative impacts of having English as global language Over the last decades English has played an important role around the world as common language for economic, education, scientific and entertainment exchange between nations and in particular between people. The positive aspect is that English language open doors in terms of global communication and business, because this language has become a powerful tool in terms of improving productivity and driving growth where it is used . However, there are also a number of significant negative aspects such as English dominance and loss of languages mainly driven by globalization. Therefore, this essay will argue the negative impacts of having English as a global language because of the way English language affects young people’s linguistic skills and behaviour through mass media. Using English as an international language has some benefits in people’s lives. Firstly, the major positive effect is global communication due to the widespread coverage recognized and understood by people everywhere. One example of how English has helped to improve communication in the world is given by Crystal (2002) English language was implemented in aviation field after the second world war, when the International Aviation Organisation agreed with the objective of traffic control safety. This is important because having one common worldwide language is in a very real sense the final safety net. Additionally, English is the widespread language in education due to the great influence of English in several fields, where communication is the key in order to improve development and knowledge (Weil and Pullin 2011). In fact, today this language is used to normal medium instruction in higher education for many  countries, including several where the language has no official status. What is more, it is that English has had positive impact in business because it is an important tool in terms of driving growth and international development. There are some significant examples in multinational corporations such as Siemens which is the largest electricalengineering  companies in the world located in Germany. Since 2002 the corporate language is English (Fredricksson, Barner-Rasmussen & Piekkari 2006). It is clear that companies use English not only for productivity but also for integrating people at work. Allied to this another case is in Deutsche Bank which implemented English as a common language for meetings, in order to achieve efficiency (Rogerson-Revel 2006). It can be seen then that English language has positive effects in people’s lives not only in everyday life but also in specific fields such as aviation, education and business. However, if one looks closely to the situation of minority languages there are a number of negative aspects of having English as a worldwide tongue. One of these is English dominance. Actually, language plays an important role in terms of influencing people’s behaviour through mass media such as movies, satellite TV and DVDs which can be viewed almost universally, examples of this such as Hollywood Films, TV Series and CNN news (Morris 2002). The effect of mass media does not stop when the movie or program ends. This lingering effect might just be the cause of behavioural changes in people. Another example of the English media dominance is given by Kaul (2011) who argues that most language’s scholars think that the television companies especially from the US have created a variety of programs such as Bloomberg, MTV music television and National Geographic in order to cover different audiences and as a result influences on people’s thinking. It is clear that English has negative consequences on   people through mass media communications due to the influence on their mentality. Language loss is another negative effect of English as global language. Actually, according to Whalen (cited by Gibbs 2002), in the United Kingdom there is some dialect Irish Gaelic, where people started seeing their language  as inferior to the  dominant language, then people ceased speaking it for everyday life. Thus, if  their children stopped speaking their own language as a result the language inevitable will vanish. Another case related to this issue is in the United States where some languages are into extinction such as Shoshone which is the language of native indigenous community, this tongue has been taught for generations carrying the identity of their people. However, due to the pressure of English language and American culture, Shoshone will extinct inevitably (Krauss 2003). This is because Shoshone speakers have been influenced inevitably by American society. It can be seen that, there are significant examples of languages loss this issue is driven by English as worldwide language. Therefore, although English as a global language can have some positive effects in fields such as education aviation and business communication arguably has more adverse effects. Young people have been facing serious problems in their linguistic identity due to English media influences . This aspect continually changes with the individual development, according to the environment and situations in daily life, where English is a powerful tool of communication. One example of this case is given by Kaul (2011) who states that global western brands such as Disney, well known in terms of influencing children’s behaviour through communication and shopping experience. This means that, The US export western perception of entertainment to the children under its consumer strategy with significant consequences in their lives. Another example of   English Media dominance in young people is in television such as cartoon network programs which have become a negative influence in terms of linguistic expressions (Hassan & Daniyal 2013). It is clear that, English language through mass media is affecting negatively behaviour and linguistic skills in young people. Another aspect that it is important to take into account is linguistic Culture loss. A recent study of a group of undergraduate students in selected private and public universities from Malaysia, found that being proficient in English is viewed as superior, higher status and elite social interaction than the local language. (Kim, Siong, Fei & Ya’acob 2010). The implication here is the detriment of the mother tongue and as a result the linguistic culture. According to Keebe  (2003) regarding indigenous linguistic loss is not only an issue in terms of linguistic concern but also in terms of preserving culture. It is clear that, as global language English is responsible for some damages in linguistic culture in some communities. This situation causes that minorities gradually move the language from the mother tongue to the foreign language with consequences in terms of culture identity. It can be seen then that there are some significant evidences to show that English language as a worldwide tongue can have negative effects in minority communities such as language loss and rejection of their own language. Although, some argue that English as a common language may facilitate global communication, there are significant negative impacts in terms of misunderstandings between people. One of these is the pronunciation due to the different English accents around the world. There are some examples in aviation field one example of this was between members of the crew and a passenger in Air New Zealand flight,  from London to Oakland,  California where a young man passenger understood Oakland instead of Auckland. Therefore, was taken to Auckland, next day New Zealand airlines gave him a free-ticket to Oakland (Krivonos 2007). This example shows that misunderstanding can occur in   any part of the flight whether landing or taking off stage. Moreover, there are examples in terms of communication where English as a global language has changed its vocabulary due to the adaptations in different countries depending on the communicative needs such as words associated to traditions, rituals, cooking, recreation, habits, and many other aspects of daily life. For instance, in South Africa the expression ‘The bakkie had to stop at a red robot’ , people need to understand that the word bakkie means a truck and the word robot means traffic light (Crystal 2003). This means that English as a common language is exposed to several changes due to the language itself now belong to the world. Moreover, while some authors claim  that English as a worldwide language has positive impacts in terms of business WorldLingo (cited by Feely and Harzing  2003) has argued that there are several companies  especially in China, South America and Middle East where the guideline is to speak same language as their customers. It is important to take into account that negotiations and legal documents are inevitable in mother tongue. This means that, for companies the priority is customer development needs. Thus, English in these situations does not have benefits for them. Further to this, according to Joshihara (cited by cited by Feely and Harzing  2003) he points out, in his studies  that Japanese multinationals  corporations most of the overseas offices are leading by Japanese people, this means that senior and medium management level prefer to carry on working in Japanese language. This means that, the priority for several companies in Japan is to hire Japanese people in order to solve their language communication issues.  It can be seen that even though there are some positive impacts on having English as a global language for global and business communication purposes, it can be argued that there are several evidences that English plays an important role in terms of misunderstandings and improvement opportunities in business communications whether aviation or multinational corporation In conclusion, English as a global language clearly has a negative impacts on young people’s linguistic skills and behaviour through mass media. While , English has a positive effects in terms of global communications such as aviation, education and business,  there  are  significant  negative  impacts  on  people  due  to  the  misunderstandings such as aviation field and business communication. Moreover, having English as a common language may affect negatively adults’ thinking through media due to the influences on mentality. Additionally, English language plays an important role affecting young people’s behaviour and linguistic skills via mass media. Therefore, English as a worldwide tongue is influencing negatively local languages and by default its survival due to the pressure of the English language in daily life in the communities. Moreover, English language is responsible for damages in linguistic culture whether local communities or minorities in different countries. Therefore, governments and leaders should consider the adverse consequences of English as a global language when making decisions in mass media policies, and consider the importance of its impact on young people and minority communities in terms of linguistic and culture identity. Reference List Crystal, D 2003 , Crystal, D 2003, English as a global language, Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, pp. 70,162. Demont-Heinrich, C 2011,’Cultural imperialism versus globalisation of culture: Riding the structure-agency dialectic in global communication and media studies’, SOC4 Journal, Manuscript. 401, viewed February 2014, pp 3. Feely, A & Harzing, A 2003,’ Language management in multinational companies’, Cross Cultural Management, vol 10, no. 2, pp. 46-47. Fredriksson, R & Barner-Rasmussen, W & Piekkari, R 2006, ‘The multinational corporation as a multilingual organization’, viewed 3 February 2014, . Gibbs, W 2002,’Saving Languages’, Scientific American, pp. 85. Hassan, A & Daniyal, M 2013,’ Carton network and its impact on behaviour of school going children’, International Journal of Management Economics and Social Sciences, Economics, pp. 8. Kaul, V 2011,’Globalisation and media’, Mass communication and journalism, vol 1, pp.4, 5. Kim, L & Siong, L & Fei, W & Ya’acob, A 2010,’ The English language and its impact on identities of multilingual Malaysian undergraduates’, Online Journal of language studies, vol 10, pp.95-96. Krivonos, P 2007,’Communication in aviation safety:lessons learned and lesson required’, . Majidi, A 2013,’ English as a global language; Threat or opportunity for minority languages?’, Mediterranean journal of social sciences, vol 4, np. 11, pp.34. Rogerson-Revell, P 2007, ‘Using English for international business a European case study’, English for specific purposes, vol 26, pp.104. Weil , M & Pullin, P 2011, ‘English as a lingua france in education- Internationalisation speaks English’, . Whaley, L 2003,’The future of native languages’, viewed 5 February 2014, http://www.elsevier.com/locate/futures/

Friday, August 30, 2019

Chemistry practice skills Essay

What type of forces must be overcome when solid I2 dissolves in methanol, CH3OH? Induced dipole What type of forces must be disrupted between CH3OH molecules when I2 dissolves? Hydrogen bonding What type of forces exist between I2 and CH3OH molecules in solution? Dipole-Induced Dipole 4) What type of intermolecular forces must be overcome in converting each of the following from a liquid to a gas? a) CO2 London forces, dipole-dipole b) NH3 London forces, dipole-dipole, hydrogen c) CHCl3 London forces, dipole-dipole d) CCl4 London forces 6) Rank the following in order of increasing strength of intermolecular forces in the pure substances. Which substance exists as a gas at 25 Â ®C and 1 atm? He < CH3OH < CH3CH2CH2CH3 He (helium) and CH3CH2CH2CH3 (butane) exist as a gas at 25Â ® C and 1 atm 12) The enthalpy of vaporization of liquid mercury is 59.11kJ/mol. What quantity of energy as heat is required to vaporize 0.500 mL of mercury at 357Â ®C, its normal boiling point? The density of mercury is 13.6 g/mL. 2.0 kJ 16) Figure 12.17 a) if water is placed in a sealed milk carton at 60 degrees Celsius and sealed tightly and allowed to cool, eventually there will be an equilibrium of liquid and vapor. Gas is not able to escape and masses of the liquid and vapor remain constant. b) assuming that the temperature your hand is below 34.6 degrees Celsius, liquid diethyl ether should remain a liquid if dropped on your hand. 22) Vapor pressure data for octane C8H18 38.6 kJ/mol, normal boiling point 128Â ® C 26) What factors affect the viscosity of a substance? Temperature, size of the molecule, polarity, and the amount of substance present affect viscosity. Which of the following substances is expected to have the highest viscosity? Glycerol has the highest viscosity because it has the greatest amount of intermolecular forces. Should viscosity of a substance be affected by temperature? Explain. As the temperature of a liquid increases the kinetic energy required to separate the intermolecular forces also increases. The amount of separation that occurs is a measure of the viscosity, the opposite effect occurs when a liquid is cooled as the energy level is minimal.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, The Kiss by August Rodin and The Kiss by Research Paper

Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, The Kiss by August Rodin and The Kiss by Konstatin Brancusi - Research Paper Example Although there is a similarity in their works of art, the artists have used diverse mediums to portray their thoughts. In this piece we look into each work of art on how the artist brought his idea into reality, the medium used and the feelings or thoughts these artists portray. Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss is particularly an interesting peace of work. Such is evident on how the artists composed the portrait in a perfect style which is shown in the manner in which the colours are used. (Patrick L. Frank, Sarah Preble 2010) The canvas itself is a perfect square that holds Klimt’s expression of a couple embracing and sharing a passionate moment while entwined together. Klimt produced this magnificent work of art at the age of 45 in which he used oil paints and gold leaf. At that point of life he still leaved with his mother and two sisters. The artist is noted to have a sexual appetite that was expressed in his works such as The Kiss. ( Partsch, Susanna 1989) Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss is designed in a manner in which contrast and colour shadowing creates an appealing tone on the painting. The use of dull oil paints on various parts of the painting such as the background, hand the use of gold leaf in most parts of it creates a bright picture. The golden aspect of the painting is used to show of how the couple is entwined in a single robe to show how they feelings that they have for each other is mutual. Auguste Rodin in his bid to make his thought known utilizes his magnificent skill of sculpting to produce an amazing sculpture. This work of art borrows its idea from the tale of a noblewoman who fell in love with her husband younger brother. However this hidden affair that sparked when the two fell in love while reading a book is discovered and the couple is killed by the woman’s husband. It is noted that in the sculpture that the lovers' lips do not touch. This thus is used to suggesting that two lovers were interrupted and their affair ended even before they had the chance to share a passionate kiss. This sculpture created by Rodin is in marble to show that the artists considered marble as the best medium for his work of art. It must have been the ease that comes from sculpting and shaping marble that must have influenced Rodin’s choice. (Patrick L. Frank, Sarah Preble 2010) Konstatin Brancusi work of art is a marble sculpturing that depicts two lovers kissing with their lips in full contact unlike in Auguste’s sculpture. The work of art is purely in marble to show Konstantin’s favour of marble to other elements used in sculpturing. This must have been the case considering that Konstantin was a student of Rodin thus the choice of using marble in his works of art. This work of art must have been a personal replication of what Rodin had done in the 1880s as he sculpted his in 1908. Konstantins work is a composition of well outlined geometrical lines unlike in other artists’ works.( Brezianu, B. Geist, S. 1965) His abstract style while creating the sculpture must have earned him the title of â€Å"a modern sculpture patriarch†. This shows that the works done by him are the pioneers of today’s’ sculptures. In this three works of art although they share the same name they seem to portray different feelings and thoughts that the artists had when they produced their respective works. In Gustav’s work w e identify that the artist aimed at portraying the feeling of how he was fascinated by eroticism thus his painting of a woman kneeling and the man holding her trying to kiss her. The painting shows of how Gustav tried to bring the woman having the status of a protagonist. He desired to expose women not just as an object of desire but something that is considerable

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Critically discuss the key concepts in Conduct that explain our agency Essay

Critically discuss the key concepts in Conduct that explain our agency in social worlds - Essay Example In these social interactions, we usually have the concept of â€Å"conduct† wherein we do activities in a manner that is acceptable to the surrounding environment where we are and these activities should be understandable considering the individuals who will be affected by the action. â€Å"Conduct† is greatly influenced by agency. In this paper, we will critically discuss the key concepts in conduct that explain our agency in social worlds. Agency, in the social sciences, refers to the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. For example, given a situation wherein there is a rape victim and a doctor. A decision of the doctor is needed whether the raped victim is allowed to have an abortion or not. We all know that abortion is not universally accepted because of difference in the concept of morality. We must all consider that one's agency is one's independent capability or ability to act on one's will. Although independent, this a bility is greatly influenced by the cognitive belief structure of the individual. ... Disagreement on the extent of one's agency with others and even the society often causes conflict between parties. Conduct can be defined in many ways. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) even has considered several definitions for the word â€Å"conduct†. It can refer to the action or manner of conducting, directing, managing or carrying on any actions or activities like business, performance, process and course. It is related to the ways in which an organization, social activity or process is assembles, carried out, managed and regulated. For example, the manner in which a speech for the declaration of independence of a colonized country is done. For this social activity to be successfully done, we should consider a lot of things. First of all, the person who will do the speech should be a reliable speaker. That person should be known as an advocate of freedom, since it is an independence speech. The content of the speech should be concise yet fruitful. Every word should hav e a great impact to its audience. In relation to this, the audience should also be taken into consideration. The speech should be appropriate to the audience or else it will only produce conflicts and the message of the speech would not be efficiently conveyed. Hence, there are many considerations to look into for a certain social activity to be â€Å"conducted†. The individual’s agency should also be considered whenever â€Å"conducting† a certain social activity or process. The agency should be suitable to the objective of the conduct. The word â€Å"conduct† can also be seen in the perspective of behavior wherein it refers as the manner of conducting oneself or one’s life usually with influence of moral quality.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Criminal Theories of Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Criminal Theories of Crime - Essay Example Criminals spend too little time in prison and they have too good conditions there. In many countries, as in Poland, there isnt death penalty, however it would help us to stop increasing violence and crime and it would be a warning for criminals. Another problem is that often the homeless commit crime to go to prison because they have food free of charge, bed, TV and other entertainments. I think that our government should be more interested in these people and try to help them (give them places to live, meals). Everybody knows that many crimes are committed by teenagers. They often want to have more friends and they decide to commit a crime to impress them. The young also try to stay against their parents, they want to get money without work and to be independent. TV has huge influence on their behaviour. It shows them the world full of crime and brutal sex, without friendship, love and other important feelings in many thrillers and crime series. It isnt strange that after watching a film, like "Pulp Fiction" or "Rambo", crime may seem funny to teenagers. In cartoons there is also bad behaviour, for example a main hero of this film beats others. In films an actor doesnt die but in real life people do. Our society nowadays is divided into classes: rich, well-to-do, poor. Poor people, who start their life in poor families or families with the problem of alcoholism, need money and may attack rich (or well to do) people to get money. They usually hate them, because they also would like to live in beautiful villas and have expensive cars. It may be next cause of attacks on people. In the case of social disorganization, anomie, differential association, and rational theories, there are many similarities as well as, subtle differences. The first theory to look at is social disorganization theory. The Social Disorganization Theory provides that if relationships in the family and friendship groupings are good, neighborhoods are stable and cohesive, and

Monday, August 26, 2019

References Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

References - Essay Example Keep in mind that many of these tests are designed to test your intelligence, critical thinking skills, behavioral patterns and decision-making ability. These tests are not designed to test your potential IQ or examine your previous work history. Also, many employers will notice when a candidate appears to be nervous or stressed over a pre-employment test and immediately question whether you are an adequate fit for the stresses of the everyday work environment. Relax, take a deep breath, and concentrate on exuding as much confidence as possible when taking the pre-employment test. The personality test is probably the most common pre-employment test given by employers today. These tests are designed to test your answers to questions to examine your personality and test whether the personality type would be a good fit for the potential job. Employers can learn a lot about job candidates through these tests, but these are not tests that should cause you to worry. There literally is no right or wrong answers because the information is all about you. It is always best to answer these tests as honestly as possible because the employer will receive an almost immediate score report of the personality test. At this point, the employer has already begun a pre-test interview, so they have had a little time to get to know you. If your personality scores far different than what they know about you, this can raise serious concerns for the employers. Be honest at all stages in the application process, especially on the personality tests. First of all, you need to take your time and read every question completely. Follow the instructions exactly as they are written because many tests are also designed to test your ability to follow directions. Also, many pre-employment tests work on a rating scale usually around 1-5. Each rating system may be

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Walmart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Walmart - Research Paper Example Mission and the Vision Statement The mission statement of Wal-Mart is ‘we save people money so that they get live better lives’ (Wal-Mart 2011 Annual Report, 2012) There is no specific vision statement for Wal-Mart, however the following quote by Wal-Mart serves as an example of the company’s vision: ‘The secret of successful retailing is to give your customers what they want. And really, if you think about it from your point of view as a customer, you want everything: a wide assortment of good-quality merchandise; the lowest possible prices; guaranteed satisfaction with what you buy; friendly, knowledgeable service; convenient hours; free parking; a pleasant shopping experience’ (Walton, 1990) Competitive Advantage of Wal-Mart Wal-Mart has always portrayed itself as the low price provider. It offers its consumers brand products at discounted rates. It is able to enjoy this advantage because it buys its products in bulk quantities and keeps its profit margin quite low. The aim is to increase sales so that profits will be achieved through increased sales. The company has also expanded extensively within and outside the United States. The objective for the company has been to open up big Wal-Mart stores in almost every corner of the country. This would allow people to have better access to these stores. Also these stores offer almost everything; from food items to electronic goods. The expansion strategy for international countries is also quite developed for Wal-Mart. When Wal-Mart enters into a foreign market, it does so by buying out the existing competitor. In this way, Wal-Mart gets several advantages. It is able to kill one competitor and establish a store in a prime location. Also the company benefits from the assets and human resource of the previous store. Government Regulation Industry for Wal-Mart The company is regulation through local laws in which the company operates. Since the company operates in different countries, it has to comply with the respective laws of the country. The company is facing issues with regard to its labor relations. The company does not allow its workers to develop unions. Also these workers are filing lawsuits against the company on the basis of working conditions, benefits offered and discrimination. Regulations affect the company by requiring the company to comply with existing laws and to ensure that the workers are treated fairly (Gereffi and Christian, 2009). SWOTT Analysis Strengths The biggest strength for Wal-Mart is the competitive prices that they offer. The company has presence in over 15 countries in the world and has opened up multiple stores in these countries. This large scale of operation allows the company to gain economies of scal e along with developing a strong position against the competitors. The retail industry is all about offering the best prices and the widest range and Wal-Mart is able to do this. This is perhaps the biggest strength for the company. The company also has developed a good IT base. It was the first retail store to adopt the bar code system. Since Wal-Mart is proactive in adopting new technology, it enjoys

Saturday, August 24, 2019

HS415 UNIT 3 PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HS415 UNIT 3 PROJECT - Essay Example Obesity is a worldwide problem capturing health concern for both developing and developed countries. Obesity is a severe state of overweight, and it is a "global epidemic" according to World health organization figures. More than one billion adults are overweight worldwide, and about 300 million of are clinically obese. Overweight affects more people than hunger and malnutrition. Many researchers have been done to explain the causes of overweight and obesity in human. Although the literature entails a broad variety of such articles, this paper will focus and concentrate to explaining and characterizing the observed patterns of medical care utilization by obese people, the supply and demand economic theory in diagnosis and treatment of obesity and the impact on State funds for Medicaid and Medicare. Obesity is clinically linked to other serious diseases including diabetes type 2, hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, arthritis, liver and gallbladder disease, respiratory disor ders, such as asthma, and certain kinds of cancers (Finkelstein, & Fiebelkorn, 2003). The standard model for health demand and medical care demand is the Grossmans model. In this model, wage-earning persons maximize inter-temporal function of health and commodities. The demand for medical care is obtained from the demand for health. Moreover, the medical care demand depends on age, wage, education, costs of medical goods, and unhealthy habits such as obesity and smoking (Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, & Wang, 2004). An outstanding implication emanating from Grossman’s model is the fact that unhealthy behaviors, for instance obese or overweight increases medical care demands. It is evident that obesity has a link to diseases such as arthritis, asthma, diabetes type 2 and certain types of cancer. These illnesses require both frequent medical care and frequent hospitalization. However, not all overweight and obese people have health complications. The health

Friday, August 23, 2019

Nokia in Singapore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nokia in Singapore - Essay Example Commitment towards environmental protection. Nokia got ISO 14001 certification for its Singapore office for its provision of sales, marketing and support services for mobile phones, network infrastructure, Internet security and home communications businesses in the Asia Pacific region. Operators - customised cell phones For the operators, Nokia will customize handsets, whether in terms of co-branding campaigns, in their looks or uploading an operator's software or user interface into the phones at the factory Extensive network with the dealers and operators which provides a very strong and effective supply chain. The alliances with the suppliers, relationship with customers through the online surveys, cooperation with service providers to manufacture custom made phones are all some of the key factors that make Nokia the market leader. Fourth quarter 2007 net sales increased 120% to EUR 670 million, compared with EUR 305 million in the fourth quarter 2006. Net sales were driven primarily by strong volume growth in Enterprise Solutions device business, especially from the Nokia E65, Nokia E90 and Nokia E51, compared to the fourth quarter 2006. Mobile Phones operating profit grew 48% to EUR 1.9 billion, compared with EUR 1.3 billion in the fourth quarter 2006, with an operating margin of 25.0% (17.8%)... Extensive network with the dealers and operators which provides a very strong and effective supply chain. The alliances with the suppliers, relationship with customers through the online surveys, cooperation with service providers to manufacture custom made phones are all some of the key factors that make Nokia the market leader. Global market positioning as a very technically strong product. Hence, Nokia has more sales in its entry level models. Extensive research and development of new models to focus on the expectations of the customer. For example, Nokia has introduced its clamshell models to satisfy the changing customer preferences Customer care and support centres across the world to provide customer solutions Continuous growth in market share and net sales. Though the net sales stagnated a bit in 2007, Nokia has managed to increase its net sales by introducing more sophisticated models. 5. Past performance* Increase in sales globally by 40% in the year 2007 which has helped to consolidate the position of Nokia as the undisputed market leader Debt-to-equity (gearing) ratio is -61% up to December 31st, 2007 compared to -68% as of December 31st, 2006 Market share for is 40% (fourth quarter 2007), 39% in the third quarter 2007 and 36% in the fourth quarter 2006 Growth in net sales from 7.1 billion to 7.4 billion in the fourth quarter 2006 and 2007 respectively Fourth quarter 2007 net sales increased 120% to EUR 670 million, compared with EUR 305 million in the fourth quarter 2006. Net sales were driven primarily by strong volume growth in Enterprise Solutions device business, especially from the Nokia E65, Nokia E90 and Nokia E51, compared to the fourth quarter 2006. Operating margin of 15.9%, up sequentially from

Steps involved in recruiting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Steps involved in recruiting - Essay Example A wide variety of federal and state laws govern what can and can’t be done during all stages of the recruitment process which comprises of the interviews, investigations, tests and selection to be carried out on the new employee (Sian, 2012). Normally the following statutes will come into play prior to the starting of any stage in the process of selection, interviewing and appointment. They include ;( 1) The Civil Rights Statute of 1866, 1870 and 1871 which forbid any form of prejudice against the minorities.(2)The Fair Labor Standards Statute of 1938 which provides a smallest wage, prevents child labor and requires that employees be paid overtime for extra work done.(3)The Equal Pay Statute of 1963 which provides for equal pay for both genders for work that requires similar effort, skill, responsibility as well as working condition. (4)The Civil Rights Statute of 1964,specifically Title VII-forbids the selection of employees on the basis of sex, color, race, national origin, religion as far as employment matters are concerned from recruitment up to discharge and obliges employers to find out any discriminatory practices and get rid of them. This act also forbids sexual harassment. (5) The Age Discrimination in Employment Statute of 1967 which forbids discrimination due to age for anyone who is over 40 years. (6)Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1963 Act which was amended Title VII and recognizes pregnancy as a disability that is temporary and forbids bias on childbirth, pregnancy or associated medical conditions (Sian, 2012). 7)The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 which forbids prejudice in employment due to citizenship status, national origin, forbids employment of illegal aliens and gives penalties for any violations.(8)The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA)-forbids discrimination against individuals who are

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Media Coursework Report Essay Example for Free

Media Coursework Report Essay For my AS Media coursework, I chose to use fashion as the genre of my magazine. To help with my pre-production, I had to perform my own qualitative and quantitative research into fashion magazines and find out what my target audience of 15-19 year old girls would want from it. I went on to create the preliminary products which included the front cover and contents page, and from these the main products which were the alternative front cover and double page spread. These were all produced using Photoshop. I began by creating a questionnaire, as this is an effective way of finding out what my target audience will be looking for in a fashion magazine. I included 8 questions which asked some general questions into what the participant is interested in, and some into what they would like to see in a fashion magazine, to help me create my front cover and contents page. I gave 20 questionnaires out to other students aged 16-19 as this fits my target audience. By analysing the results of the questionnaire, I found out a range of information to help my design my front cover. The participants chose  £2.50 as the appropriate price and for the magazine to be produced monthly, which I will apply when creating the front cover. 80% of participants said they would be more likely to pick up the magazine if there was a celebrity on the cover. Therefore, I will ask a friend to pose as a celebrity to make it more appealing to my target audience. 50% of participants wanted to see interviews in the magazine and 30% wanted genre-specific features (in this case, it will be fashion, clothes etc.) which I will make sure to include in the contents page. I formed a focus group with other AS Media students in my class. They were all females, ranged from the ages 16-17, and had an interest in fashion, making them representative of my target audience. I asked them if I should put just one image on the front cover, or add smaller ones around the page to show what’s included inside. The feedback I received was very helpful, and led me to use just the one main photo for my preliminary front cover and  my main front cover, to keep the brand consistent. This keeps it looking professional and stops the page from looking overcrowded and trashy. By textually analysing fashion magazines currently on the market, I discovered a recurring theme among them. The bigger magazines (Vogue, Elle) have been around for much longer, and their cover stars overlap the masthead. However, when analysing Look, I noticed that the masthead overlapped the cover star, suggesting that this magazine is new and lesser known. From this, I decided to have the whole masthead of my magazine visible by audiences for my preliminary front cover as it is new and allows audiences to recognise the brand in future. I then chose to overlap part of the masthead on my main front cover with the cover star, as it is a later issue and audiences should then be able to recognise it. The content analysis allowed me to see what’s included in fashion magazines. This helped when compiling the contents page. Obviously the main part of a fashion magazine is the fashion itself. However, it also includes items related to hair and beauty, interviews, articles, advice and special features. I made sure to include all of these when designing my contents page, but I chose to keep the main focus on fashion. I decided to target my magazine towards teenage girls aged between 15 and 19. I thought this was a good range, as girls in their teens will have a more developed sense of style. From my institutional research, I discovered that many fashion magazines were targeted towards women in their 20s and 30s, and decided to aim mine at a teenage audience. Audiences for fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle were predominantly female; therefore it was important to include items in the contents and on the cover that would attract a female audience. I also tried to use feminine colours where appropriate in the magazine to indicate the target audience. I also made sure my focus group was a good representation of my target audience, thus making sure they had a clear interest in fashion and fit the age category, which they did. I created my preliminary and main products using Adobe Photoshop which had all the necessary tools I needed to create a realistic and professional  magazine. By comparing my magazine in relation to Vogue, I am able to see the strengths and weaknesses of my production. I began by selecting the images I would use for each page. I used a Fujifilm Finepix S2950 to capture the photos. The models used direct mode of address as this is the most effective way of attracting the audience. I used a hairdryer to create the effect of wind blowing the model’s hair. I chose to use an image with a light background, with a model wearing spring clothing. I think this helped to make the cover look more professional as Vogue often incorporates the colours of the magazine to fit the season. I increased the contrast of the image to make it look brighter and more appealing. I then went on to create puffs around the image, and used only ‘Century Gothic’ font to keep it simple and sophisticated. I used a dark blue for the text as it contrasted well with the pink clothing that the model wore. I made sure to include small details as well, including the bar code, price and date to make the product more realistic. I was very pleased with the outcome of my preliminary front cover as it looked professional in relation to magazines on the market today, and had a similar style to that of Vogue magazine. My next task was the contents page, and from the research I did I was able to see what needed to be included. I wanted to keep it consistent, and so I used the same masthead from the front cover and used it at the top of the contents page. This was used in InStyle’s contents page. I also used the same colour scheme as the front cover, to show that the two are related. I kept the text in columns and split the content into sections, which is what I noticed InStyle and Vogue did when I researched them. I also noticed in the Vogue contents page that there was some information about the front cover image, so I decided to include that in my own, with information on where to buy the clothes. I was quite pleased with the result of my contents page, as I spent a lot of time on it. However, I felt that there was too much white space that could have been filled in. It may have been a good idea to add in some borders to give the page some depth. For the alternative cover, I made sure I kept the same font style and size for my masthead. This is because it is important to keep the brand recognisable. I asked my focus group if this was a good idea and they  agreed, saying it would keep it consistent and professional. All magazines do this, but fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle often change the colour every month to fit with the theme. I have decided to do the same in my own production, by changing the colour of the masthead and the puffs to a maroon colour, to tie in with the month and season. It also contrasted well with the cover model’s blue dress. Like Vogue, I made sure I kept three puffs around the edges of the main image, to stop them from overlapping. I am really pleased with the outcome of this as I think it could pass as a real magazine. I then went on to create the double page spread in A3 size, and selected my image to cover the whole background. This meant there was no white space left around the edges, but there was still space to put some text. I wanted the image to take up dominant space on the page to catch the reader’s eye, which is what I noticed was used in Vogue’s double page spread. I brightened the image and removed some blemishes on the model to try and reach a flawless image, as perfection is one of the main selling points for a fashion magazine. I set the text out in two columns, as this is the layout that most magazines use, including Vogue. I used ‘Rage Italic’ for the headline, which is what I used for the headline on the cover, to keep a consistent house style. I also added page numbers to the bottom corners, as these small details help to build up a realistic product. I feel that my magazine is very similar to a professional product and would stand out in the market place. It follows the codes and conventions of a typical fashion magazine, and is aesthetically pleasing for the target audience. If I were to change anything, I would make the front cover masthead slightly larger, to make it more eye-catching.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Company overview of pakistan telecommunication company limited

Company overview of pakistan telecommunication company limited Introduction Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is the largest telecommunication company in Pakistan. PTCL provides telephonic services to the nation and is the backbone for countrys telecommunication infrastructure. The company consists of around 2000 telephone exchanges across Pakistan. They provide the largest fixed line (land-line) network, currently having 4.8 million fixed line customers. GSM, CDMA and Internet are other services of PTCL. The Government of Pakistan sold 26% shares and control of the company to Etisalat (U.A.Es telecom company) in 2006. The Government of Pakistan retained 62% of the shares while the remaining 12% are with the general public. PTCL also provides Wireless Telephonic network by the name of Vfone, having 1.25 million active customers. Ufone, which is the second largest cellular network in the country, is also owned as a subsidiary of PTCL. Ufone has about 6.5 million mobile subscribers and a market share of nearly 25% currently in Pakistan. PTCL ha s the potential to be an influential means in Pakistans economic growth. It has laid the Optical Fiber Access Network technologies in major metropolitan cities of Pakistan. (Retrieved from http://www.ptcl.com.pk). Privatization of PTCL The process of the privatization of the state owned and managed PTCL was initiated in November 2004. Early in January 2005, 18 companies registered their EOI (Expressions of Interest), out which 3 bidders qualified for the final bidding which held on June 18, 2006. Dubai based company Consortium of Emirates Telecommunication Corporation (Etisalat) and Dubai Islamic Bank, Etisalat International Pakistan (EIP) gave the highest bid US $ 1.96 per share, equivalent to PKR 117.01 per share, which translates into US 2,598,960,000 (2.599 billion) or PKR 155,157,912,000.00. (Retrieved from www.go-pakistan.com). After the purchase of shares of PTCL Etisalat was given permission to fully control the management, which is against the provisions of Companies Ordinance of Pakistan, 1984. This deal has also created much of a drama within the company as well. The employees of PTCL resist this deal and there had been strikes in PTCL offices to oppose this. As many as 40,000 people will quit the job through Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) offered by the PTCL management. 60 percent of employees may opt for VSS. Among the 44,000 employees 26,400 will quit the services who have served the organization for as many as 20 years. The cases had been signed by opposition, employees of PTCL against all this scenario and they are still waiting in Supreme Court for hearing. After privatization of PTCL, the company remained encircled by various controversies and disputes, mainly due to bad management by PTCL administration and lack of interest from Government. All this resulted in bringing down the net profit of PTCL from Rs 29 billion before privatization to mere Rs 10 billion. (http:// www. propakistani.pk retrieved dated 16 July, 2008). PTCL employees came to know about a new contract named as U.P.S (Unified Pay Scale). U.P.S highlighted that the previous employment agreements were null and void and no previous benefits could be claimed by any of the employee of PTCL. U.P.S also dispossessed the employees of their respective pensions. Until and unless their demands are met, the employees of PTCL are on a protest. As much as 21000 employees of PTCL would be affected by U.P.S. Employees believe that U.P.S was bought in PTCL to change the status of the employees to contractual status, instead of their permanent ones which was present before. Government had promised the employees that they would be receiving facilities like, pay scale/allowances up gradations, but they were never fulfilled, as the event of privatization had taken place. Significance/Rationale of the study The significance of this study is to identify the post effects of privatization on the employees of PTCL. We will be identifying the level of satisfaction of the employees after the privatization of PTCL. The performance of their employees and similar other indicators will exuberate the dedication of employees to this organization. There is a need for a study concerning how employees perceive changes in their employment system, since this process will result in the change of the management and the policies that were present in PTCL before privatization. Generally, a well motivated and a satisfied employee means that the organization is achieving high levels of productivity. Similarly, if the employee has negative reactions for this process, that would result in de-motivation and dissatisfaction of employees. This is bad for the organization as well as its employees in the future. Aim of the study The main aim of the study is to analyze post effects of privatization on the satisfactory level of employees. This research will look upon the status of employees in PTCL after privatization, especially those employees who had been working in PTCL for more than twenty years and on the variables that have their impact on the PTCL employees. Finding out the consequences that the employees had to face after privatization is also the area of interest. Research objectives The research objectives of this study are as follows: To understand the effects of privatization on the PTCL employees. To study how the job satisfaction of the employees is affected after privatization of PTCL. To investigate how the employees work-related attitudes and strain have changed after privatization of PTCL. To assess the needs of PTCL employees at different hierarchy level. Research questions The questions posed by the researcher in this study are: How are the employees affected by privatization of PTCL? What are the reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction of the employees of PTCL? How to increase the job satisfaction of PTCL employees after privatization? Delimitations of the study The study cannot be undertaken on a broad scale because of the following constraints and will be delimited to only the city of Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Time constraint. Resource constraints. Set of variables Literature Review Concepts and definitions Privatization can be simply explained as a process in which the ownership transfers from  Government hand to private hand. This term is also known as denationalization. It means transferring the control of a firm from the government sector to the private sector. It can be accomplished by sale or lease such as government selling 100% of an enterprise or selling 51% or even by selling a minority stake as long as the private sector is given full managerial (management) control. In financial terms, privatization means transferring a company from one whose shares are listed on the stock exchange and can be bought by the general public to one that is no longer listed or publicly traded because it has been bought by a private group. Privatization takes place to reduce the depletion of Government resources caused by losses of the state owned enterprises, this mostly creates  greater opportunities for the private sector to expand and modernize  these enterprises. Productivity, efficiency, profitability increases and the  development of a valuable capital market occurs which releases resources for  development of the social and physical infrastructure. The process of privatization has some disadvantages as well. Private firms tend to be more efficient and cost effective so the excess workers are laid off to minimize costs. Employees do not benefit from paid leaves, which are given to government employees. Employees also dont get contracts for life time job in privatization, which they do get in the public sector. Hassan (2008) stated that Saudi Arabia is experiencing the expenditures of public sector. Privatization does have an impact on employees in public organizations. When there is a policy of gradual privatization, the old employees are trained in a certain manner, as to be ready for their new jobs respectively. If the company is sold through selling stocks than some of stocks should be sold to the employees themselves or given it to them (stock options). This increases their interest in the company and they become more motivated and satisfied. The resultant is good governance and profit. During the privatization period there should be certain specialized organizations who should be allowed to take part in processes in order to find solutions or relocation of surplus labor force. Employees should be motivated and trained from specialized trainers before and after the privatization period as it results in better performance and productivity. Bhaskar and Khan (1995) states in the jute indu stry case, privatization reduced employment considerably, while the output was not much reduced. Reduction in jobs was mainly of managers and the labor or mill-workers were not fired after privatization. The employment of manual (labor force) workers was increased in the privatized firms. Brown, Earle and Telegdy (2008) states that the greatest resistance of privatizing a firm usually comes from the firms own employees, who are afraid of wage cuts and job losses. The new management of privatized firms reduces the organizations labor costs as harder budget constraints and stronger profit-related incentives are promoted by them. This is called as the Efficiency Effect of privatization. The lower costs increase the firms market share and the total quantity demanded for the industry. New owners may reduce wages in order to cut back costs but if the firm plans to expand, then they might offer high wages to attract new better and trained workers. Also, the new owners might bring in high tech machinery which does the job of attracting workers with higher skills, thus they get higher wages. Cunha and Cooper (2005) states that the companies which are undergoing the process of privatization, several issues take place with the employees of that organization. Some of them are, role confusion, role over-load and under load, new-work relationships, job insecurity, career advancement/future trainings and deterioration of working conditions. All these factors may lead to physical health symptoms such as headaches, depressions, cardiovascular diseases, tension and anxiety etc, these factors and all of the listed above lead to dissatisfaction of the job subsequently. Falkenberg, Naswall, Sverke1 and Sjoberg (2009) states the employees working at different hierarchic levels have different resources and means to handle uncertainty associated with change (in our case privatization). Employees at a higher level of hierarchy have a greater responsibility in an organization and thus could experience more stress than other employee. Research also suggests that employees at higher positions are better able to handle uncertainty, as they are having more access to resources that help improve the possible negative consequences of privatization. Higher level executives tend to report less suffering than other employees during privatization. The employees present at the lower hierarchic levels, who have fewer resources for handling change disorder, there is an inclination for them to be more negatively affected by privatization. In conclusion, we can observe that dissatisfaction is observed at all levels of the hierarchy, whereas the greatest levels of disarr ay experienced as we move down from the top to the bottom levels. Critical Analysis of literature The articles in the literature reveal that privatization in the major parts of the world has created dissatisfaction amongst employees. Apart from the advantages of privatization to the firm itself and the employees, the method causes the firms to become cost effective, which means that downsizing takes place, jobs are lost. Paid leaves were offered to public sector employees along with life-time contractual jobs in most scenarios. All of this is removed once privatization takes place. As the management changes, the existing employees get confused about their roles, they experience stress, which leads to health problems such as cardiovascular (heart) diseases, depression, headaches etc. Usually, higher level executives are less affected than other employees during privatization. The employees present at the lower hierarchic levels, which have fewer resources, are more negatively affected by privatization. After the careful analysis of literature review, we have identified the following variables that will help us in making out theoretical framework: Fear of Job insecurity Stock-option plan Fringe Benefits Employees Union Training and development Rewards to the employees Training and development Rewards to the employees Stock-option plan Fear of Job insecurity Fringe Benefits Employee satisfaction level at PTCL after privatization (D.V) (I.Vs) Employees Union Theoretical Framework Employee satisfaction level at PTCL after privatization: This is our Dependant Variable. Other factors will be affecting the satisfaction level of the employees of PTCL after privatization directly. Independent Variables: Fear of Job insecurity: Employees will have a constant fear of job security which was not present before with the firm when it was owned by the state. This happens because the firms downsize to cut costs. Stock-option plan: The employees if given a stock option plan would make them involved in the organization, as they would have a feeling of control and involvement in the firm. If this option is not given to the employees, they would be considerably dissatisfied and de-motivated. Fringe Benefits: Fringe benefits such as paid leaves, housing allowances, travel/fuel allowanced etc increase the satisfaction level of employees. In a private firm, paid leaves are cancelled and are declared null and void. Employees Union: The Employee Unions protect and safeguard the laws/rights of employees. Basically, its a support and the voice of employees. They are very helpful in resolving the disputes between the employees and the employers. Private firms usually put a stop to all the unions and their activities. Training and development: Training (O.T.J/O.T.J) increases satisfaction level of employees, as they are offered a chance in advancing in their careers. Rewards to the employees: Rewards, compensations and better salary packages are the employee essential reasons for the satisfaction levels of employees. Proposed Research Methodology Sample Selection Sampling involves selecting individual units to measure from a larger population. The population refers to the set of individual units which the research question seeks to find out about. The Sample would consist of the employees that are working in Islamabad only. Our sample will base on every nth employee of PTCL in Islamabad. We will take every 10th employee of PTCL in Islamabad as our sample. Sampling frames The sampling frame is the group of individuals who had a real chance of being selected for the sample. Our sampling technique would be Systematic Random Sampling for the masses of the workforce of PTCL in Islamabad. The population will include all employees that are working in PTCL. Total numbers of employees of PTCL are approximately 64000 (It comprises 56,000 regular and 8,000 contractual). Unit of Analysis Our target is not towards the collective communities in the data collection stage, but instead is focused on the individuals i.e. the employees of PTCL in Islamabad. Type of Study Our study type is Exploratory as we are exploring the level of employee satisfaction after the privatization of PTCL. We are exploring the impact on employee after the privatization of PTCL. Time Horizon The total time period for this research is not over a period of time but is specifically at a time. That time is the cross-sectional (snapshot). Researchers Strength The researchers are graduates who are pursuing their masters degree presently. This gives them the added advantage of being familiar with report writing and research capabilities. They have access and knowledge to latest methods and tools for academically related research work. Instrument development/selection à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Questionnaires à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Interviews Proposed Data-Collection Methods The proposed data collection methods are questionnaires. They will be consisting of both, open and closed ended questionnaires. Another data collection method would be the use of likert scale, which will consist of responses. SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURING THE LEVEL OF EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION IN THE PAKISTAN TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANY LIMITED AFTER PRIVATIZATION Please show your level of agreement by marking tick (Æ’Â ¼) against each statement: Key: 5 = SA : Strongly Agree 4 = A : Agree 3 = N : Neither Agree Nor Disagree = DA : Disagree 1 = SD : Strongly Disagree Fear of Job insecurity SD D N A SA Q1) I fear that I will be replaced by another employee who will be hired from the corporate sector. 1 2 3 4 5 Q2) I fear that, while adapting the cost-benefit strategy after privatization the firm might fire me as a downsizing measure. 1 2 3 4 5 Stock-option plan SD D N A SA Q3) My Company offers stock-options/shares at a discounted price. 1 2 3 4 5 Q4) My Company gives stock-options/shares instead of cash bonuses, so that I have a feeling of increased satisfaction with the firm. 1 2 3 4 5 Fringe Benefits Q.5) My Company gives attractive benefits in housing allowances for both purchasing and rental. 1 2 3 4 5 Q.6) My Company provides yearly travel and holiday packages for me and my family. 1 2 3 4 5 SD D N A SA Employees Union Q7) My Company has an employees union, which protects and fights for the rights of employees, when an incident of injustice occurs. 1 2 3 4 5 SD D N A SA Training and development Q8) My Company offers training and development program that helps me in career progression. 1 2 3 4 5 SD D N A SA SD D N A SA Q9) Rewards are offered to employees on a timely basis. 1 2 3 4 5 Q10) Rewards are given in monetary/nonmonetary forms. 1 2 3 4 5 Q11) Project/goal completion in early timeframe and high achievers get rewards practically. 1 2 3 4 5Rewards to the employees Employee Satisfaction Q12) I am satisfied with the work assigned to me in this organization. 1 2 3 4 5 SD D N A SA Personal information Q13. Gender 1: Male 2: Female Q14. Age 1: 15-25 2: 25-35 3: Below 50 4: Above 50 Q15. Qualification 1: Matric-P.T.C 2. FA/Fcs-C.T 3: Grad (B.Ed) 4: Post Grad (M.Ed) 5: Others Q16. Designation 1: Top/Administrative level 2: Middle level. 3: Low level / Supervisory / First-line managers Q17. Experience 1: 1-5 years. 2: 6-10 years. 3: 11-15 years. 4: 16-20 years. 5: 21 Above. Thank you for your valuable time and input. Best regards, M.B.A Students: Haseeb Raza Asher Shafqat S.Z.A.B.I.S.T, Islamabad. Results and Discussions Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics is used check the nature of the data and its Mean values and Standard deviation. Mean: ÃŽÂ £X / N (ÃŽÂ £X = Sum of all Mean) = 31.42 / 30 = 1.0473 The mean value is 1.0473. This shows that most of the responses are towards strongly disagree. It means after privatization of P.T.C.L most of the employees are dissatisfied with their work and other benefits given to them. Correlation Correlation coefficient is a measure of the relationship between two attributes. It is also known as the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The value of coefficient can range from -1 to +1. Consider the variables x and y; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If r = -1, then x and y are perfectly negatively correlated. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If r = 1, then x and y are perfectly positively correlated. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If r = 0, then x and y are not correlated. QUESTIONS Fear of Downsizing Stock-options/shares at a discounted price Housing allowances Employees union Goal completion and high achievers get rewards practically Employee Satisfaction Fear of replacing by another employee 0.902 -0.7873 -0.8640 Stock-options/shares instead of cash bonuses 0.5048 Travel and holiday packages 0.6621 Training and development program 0.7897 0.8518 Monetary/Non-monetary Rewards 0.6690 Fear of downsizing is positively correlated with fear of replacing by another employee. Goal Completion and high achievers get rewards practically is negatively correlated with fear of replacing by another employee. If there will be fear that employee will be replaced then the employee will not complete his goal and will not achieve high. Stock-options/shares at a discounted price is positively correlated with Stock-options/shares instead of cash bonuses. Housing allowances is positively correlated with Travel and holiday packages. Employees union is positively correlated with Training and development program. Employee satisfaction is negatively correlated with fear of replacing by another employee. If there will be fear that employee will be replaced by another employee of corporate sector then employee will be dissatisfied. Employee satisfaction is positively correlated with Training and development program. Employee satisfaction is positively correlated with Monetary/Non-monetary Rewards. Regression Regression analysis is a statistical technique that is used to survey and represent the relationship between two or more variables. A linear regression model is used to explain the relationship between two or more variables, Using the Formula Y= a + bX. Y= Dependent Variable a= Y intercept/ constant b= Slope X= Independent Variable Dependent Variable: Employee Satisfaction Independent Variable: Fear of Job insecurity, Stock-option plan, Fringe Benefits, Employees Union, Training and development, Rewards to the employees. TABLE 1: Regression Dependent Variable: Employee Satisfaction Independent Variable: Fear of Job insecurity, Stock-option plan, Fringe Benefits, Employees Union, Training and development, Rewards to the employees. TABLE 2: TABLE 3: As shown in Table 3 the value of constant a is 1.853. Fear of Job insecurity Fear of downsizing If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Fear of downsizing taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be -0.291 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360-0.291 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360-0.291 (Fear of downsizing) Significance Level = 0.158 The value of B Is negative, so the variables have inverse relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Fear of downsizing decreases. Stock-option plan Stock option-shares at a discounted price If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Stock option-shares at a discounted price taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.080 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.080 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.080 (Stock option-shares at a discounted price) Significance Level = 0.528 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Stock option-shares at a discounted price also increases. Stock option-shares instead of cash bonuses If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Stock option-shares instead of cash bonuses taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.140 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.140 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.140 (Stock option-shares instead of cash bonuses) Significance Level = 0.220 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Stock option-shares instead of cash bonuses also increases. Fringe Benefits Travel and holiday packages If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Travel and holiday packages taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.082 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.082 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.082 (Travel and holiday packages) Significance Level = 0.610 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Travel and holiday packages also increases. Employees Union If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Employees Union taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.063 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.063 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.063 (Employees Union) Significance Level = 0.764 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Employees Union also increases. Training and development If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Training and development taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.206 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.206 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.206 (Training and development) Significance Level = 0.269 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Training and development also increases. Rewards to the employees Timely basis rewards If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Timely basis rewards taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.198 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.198 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.198 (Timely basis rewards) Significance Level = 0.280 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Timely basis rewards also increases. Goal completion and High achievers If we take dependent Variable Y as Employee Satisfaction and Independent Variable X as Goal completion and High achievers taking 1.360 as constant then its slope B would be 0.024 Putting the values in the Y= a + bX, we get: Y= 1.360+0.024 X Job Satisfaction = 1.360+0.024 (Goal completion and High achievers) Significance Level = 0.877 The value of B is Positive, so the variables have direct relation with each other. If we increase satisfaction then Goal completion and High achievers also increases. Recommendations Our recommendations are based on the results generated from the questionnaire. Overall we can conclude that the variables identified in out framework do strongly affect the satisfaction level of employees at PTCL after privatization. Employees strongly agree that they have a certain fear of losing their jobs after privatization. Stock option plans, or giving employees stock/share as added benefits instead of cash bonus etc. would increase satisfaction levels and make the employees more productive in the privatized firm. The employees agreed for having regular handing out of the stock options in the company. Fringe benefits are those services that motivate the employees and increase their satisfaction levels considerably. Employees were disagree, when they were asked to assess the fringe benefits as direct measure of their satisfaction levels in PTCL after privatization. Employee unions or those entities that safeguard the rights of employees. Employees responses were strongly disagre e that there were no Employees Union present in their organization. Basically these unions prevent unfair measures from happening with the employees. Training and development enhances the careers of employee and grooms them in the corporate world. It also paves way for their promotions in an organization. The employees responses were mostly disagreed because there was no training given to them after privatization. Training should be given to them that help them in their career progression. Rewards should be given to them on timely basis and all kind of monetary/non-monetary rewards should be given to them. To appreciate the employees who complete their Projects/goals before time rewards should be given to them so that they get motivated and satisfied and achieve high.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Recommendation To Improve Market Research Marketing Essay

The Recommendation To Improve Market Research Marketing Essay Nike, Inc. is engaged in the design, development and worldwide marketing of footwear, apparel, equipment and accessory products. It sells its products to approximately 18,000 retail accounts in the United States and through a mix of independent distributors, licensees and subsidiaries in nearly 200 countries. Despite the fact Nike carrys out everlasting, basic research that benefits a number of facets of the sports and fitness industry, their primary focus is to deliver which in turn is directed towards applied research. Applied research emphasises on short-term action such as successfully bringing about a new product lines. This proves to be a strength as this method of research is less costly than basic research and less risky due to the short-term nature. Successful projects can feature instant profitability while unsuccessful projects may be abandoned without facing large losses. Focus Weakness Applied research can be a weakness as well. Many new, inventive ideas come into existence as a result of basic research. Nevertheless more risky and expensive, Nike would gain from the rise in the basic research which would strengthen the organization with potential opportunities and proper discoveries of which Nike could take advantage. Posture Strength Nike as a brand gives its posture a cutting edge over its other competitors, at the same time adapting to securing a place and at other instances to make an approach to secure a position. Nike self-satisfaction is of late being a premiere provider of high quality sports footwear and apparel. Variation in the product has been the key to support Nike in achieving its position as the leader in the market. Due to this very position of Nike in the footwear industry, it can afford to look ahead giving more emphasis on new products it wants to develop as compared to other companies with attempt to improve upon existing products and services. From time to time, it needs to adjust its posture in relation to a particular product line or area of products. Nike may also choose a defensive strategy to find a solution of some problem at that instant it may might as well use the strategy of using an idea which is well worked out for other companies and may implement the same for its own which in ot her words is mimic what is working well for other companies in the industry. Marketing Research Strength of Marketing Research Nikes core is depended on marketing research on a continuous basis to benefit in keeping up the companys position as the leader in athletic footwear and apparel industry. The result of such analysis enables Nike to make decisions regarding its different divisions. Its decision is benefitted to recondition the apparel division, an area where the company offers a number of possibilities. Nike will be arranging the internal business by gender instead of the sport category they are using now. They also plan to carry out more experiment concerning the buying habits of men, who are frequently item-driven and women who are more collection-driven. Limitations of Marketing Research Focusing on applied research can be a weakness as well. Many new, innovative ideas come into existence as a result of basic, unspecific research. Though more risky and expensive, Nike would benefit from increasing the amount of basic research we conduct with hopes of uncovering potential opportunities of which Nike could take advantage. Accurate, up-to-date information obtained by marketing research can be of enormous value to Nike as an organization in gaining and/or maintaining its competitive edge. However, there are a number of reasons why, in reality, these potential benefits may not be realized: Budgetary constraints   gathering and processing data can be very expensive. Nike may lack the expertise to conduct extensive surveys to gather primary data, whatever the potential benefits, and also lack the funds to pay specialist market research agencies to gather such data for them.   In these cases, Nike may be forced to rely on data that is less than perfect but that can be accessed more cheaply, e.g., from secondary sources. Time constraints   Nike are often forced to balance the need to build up as detailed a picture as possible regarding customer needs etc. against the desire to make decisions as quickly as possible, in order to maintain or improve their position in the market. Reliability of the data   the value  of any research findings depend critically on the accuracy of the data collected.   Data quality can be compromised via a number of potential routes, e.g., leading questions, unrepresentative samples, biased interviewers etc.   Efforts to ensure that data is accurate, samples are representative and interviewers are objective will all add to the costs of the research but such costs are necessary if poor decisions and expensive mistakes are to be avoided. Legal Ethical Constraints The Data Protection Act (1998) is a good example of a law that has a number of implications for market researchers collecting and holding personal data.   For instance, researchers must ensure that the data they obtain is kept secure, is only used for lawful purposes and is only kept for as long as it is necessary.   It must be made clear as to why data is being collected and the consent of participants must be obtained. In addition to this, there are a number of guidelines, laid down by Nike as the Market Research Society, that, although not legally binding, encourage Nike to behave ethically when dealing with members of the public. Recommendation to Improve Market Research: Nike should make a make a proper budget before implementing a market research. Nike should be give appropriate time to each market research. Nike should follow all the legal rules laid down to improve the market research. Nike should stay away from un ethical marketing research. Nike should identify it target market before each research. SWOT Analysis of Nike Strengths Nike is a very competitive organization. Phil Knight (Founder and CEO) is often quoted as saying that Business is war without bullets. Nike has a healthy dislike of its competitors. At the Atlanta Olympics, Reebok went to the expense of sponsoring the games. Nike did not. However Nike sponsored the top athletes and gained valuable coverage. Nike has no factories. It does not tie up cash in buildings and manufacturing workers. This makes a very lean organization. Nike is strong at research and development, as is evidenced by its evolving and innovative product range. They then manufacture wherever they can produce high quality product at the lowest possible price. If prices rise, and products can be made more cheaply elsewhere (to the same or better specification), Nike will move production. Nike is a global brand. It is the number one sports brand in the World. Its famous Swoosh is instantly recognizable, and Phil Knight even has it tattooed on his ankle. Weaknesses The organization does have a diversified range of sports products. However, the income of the business is still heavily dependent upon its share of the footwear market. This may leave it vulnerable if for any reason its market share erodes. The retail sector is very price sensitive. Nike does have its own retailer in Nike Town. However, most of its income is derived from selling into retailers. Retailers tend to offer a very similar experience to the consumer. Can you tell one sports retailer from another? So margins tend to get squeezed as retailers try to pass some of the low price competition pressure onto Nike. Opportunities Product development offers Nike many opportunities. The brand is fiercely defended by its owners whom truly believe that Nike is not a fashion brand. However, like it or not, consumers that wear Nike product do not always buy it to participate in sport. Some would argue that in youth culture especially, Nike is a fashion brand. This creates its own opportunities, since product could become unfashionable before it wears out i.e. consumers need to replace shoes. There is also the opportunity to develop products such as sport wear, sunglasses and jewelry. Such high value items do tend to have associated with them, high profits. The business could also be developed internationally, building upon its strong global brand recognition. There are many markets that have the disposable income to spend on high value sports goods. For example, emerging markets such as China and India have a new richer generation of consumers. There are also global marketing events that can be utilized to support the brand such as the World Cup (soccer) and The Olympics. Threats Nike is exposed to the international nature of trade. It buys and sells in different currencies and so costs and margins are not stable over long periods of time. Such an exposure could mean that Nike may be manufacturing and/or selling at a loss. This is an issue that faces all global brands. The market for sports shoes and garments is very competitive. The model developed by Phil Knight in his Stamford Business School days (high value branded product manufactured at a low cost) is now commonly used and to an extent is no longer a basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Competitors are developing alternative brands to take away Nikes market share. As discussed above in weaknesses, the retail sector is becoming price competitive. This ultimately means that consumers are shopping around for a better deal. So if one store charges a price for a pair of sports shoes, the consumer could go to the store along the street to compare prices for the exactly the same item, and buy the cheaper of the two. Such consumer price sensitivity is a potential external threat to Nike. PESTLE Analysis of Nike Political Analysis The government must create economic policies that will foster the growth of businesses. Nike, fortunately, has been helped by the US policies which enable it to advance its products. The support accorded to Nike by the US government, particularly in the general macroeconomic stability, low interest rates, stable currency conditions and the international competitiveness of the tax system, form the foundation critical to Nikes growth. Economic Analysis In economy, the biggest threat for Nike would be economic recession. During recession, Nikes growth will be adversely affected. The US economy is experiencing a downturn right now. Consumer purchases are slowing down. Currently, Nikes feeling the pinch of the economic recession. The Asian economic crisis also affects Nike since its goods are manufactured in Asia. The labor costs socially responsible   and material prices are going up. Nikes growth is not just affected by the local economy but also in the international economy. A weak Euro and an Asian recession could mean weak sales for Nike. The overall results in the sales generated by Nike in athletic footwear, however, remained stable. The global market makes up for the variances in sales particularly between peak and lean seasons. Society Analysis People are more health conscious nowadays. Diet and health are getting more prominence. Consequently, more and more people are joining fitness clubs. There is an accompanying demand for fitness products particularly exercise apparel, shoes and equipment. Nike is at the forefront of this surge in demand as people are looking for sports shoes, apparel and equipment. Nike, however, failed to foresee problems brought about by a sweatshop expose pertaining to labor and factory conditions at production locations in Asia. This caused bad publicity and declining sales as society and consumers demand more  companies. Technology Analysis Nike uses IT in its marketing information systems very effectively. Nike applies marketing information systems to the economics of innovation, segmentation and differentiation for most of its businesses. Nikes leadership status owes in large part to the use of extremely valuable Information Technology, and applying it to every aspect of the product from development to distribution. Nike, being the world leader in the athletic footwear industry, is able to effectively harness its environment to boost its marketing efforts. This strategy has translated into robust sales of Nikes products.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight :: Fourteenth Century English Literature Essays

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem written in the fourteenth century by an anonymous author. It describes the adventures of Sir Gawain, during which his morality is put to the test. The story develops around the Christmas game with the Green Knight. In this game the challenger, the Green Knight, proposes to exchange blows with an axe within a one-year interval. At the time Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written, Sir Gawain was considered to be the most noble and admirable of the knights of the Round Table. His actions, therefore, in this poem, testify to the reader that his knightly honor is unblemished, despite the moral tests he is put through in the story. The main idea behind the poem is to show that the perfect Christian knight, is not just the strongest and bravest warrior, but also the most moral and honorable person. Therefore, Sir Gawain is tested in order for us to see if he is a perfect knight. GRAPH The second part of the poem (stanzas 1 through 3) presents us with a change in the poem's tone, as compared with the previous festival atmosphere of the castle. We are given a detailed description of passing time. The change in weather and all the surroundings seems to be governed by fate, but as the poet notices the "First things and final conform but seldom" (Norton, 212). The vivid description of passing clouds, "fostering showers"(212) and singing birds signifies the beginning of summer-time, which changes with the portrayal of harvest season, the ripening of the fruits and the turning of green grass into gray (Norton, 213), marked by arrival of the autumn. We see how the eternal cycle of seasons is once again approaching its end. The cold winter is very close now, and that also means that so is Sir Gawain's journey to find Green Knight and complete the Christmas game: "And so the year moves on in yesterday's many, And winter once more, by the world's law draws nigh." (Nor ton 213, lines 529-530)

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Japanese Attempt to Erase Korean Culture, History and Identity :: Japanese History Korea Japan Essays

Even though none of my relatives were killed or tortured by the Japanese, I am still afraid. I am afraid that my vicarious wounds still linger inside me, affecting everything I do. I know that they destroyed our cultural and spiritual circle that we maintained for five thousand years. They just had to leave a natural trace that actually became part of us. I don't know if I should hate them. It is ignorantly and unwittingly buried deeply in our unconsciousness. Natural hatred and attraction, like two inseparable sides of a coin, had confused me for so long. Because the scar still remains unhealed and too painful to ignore, and because I hesitate to hate what's part of me. Broken wings were all over the country. They were forced to tear their skin and delicate white feathers off, replacing them with acute and heavy pebbles that filled their lives with sharp pain and humiliation. It all came too naturally. My childhood desk was decorated with cute dolls in red kimonos, a gift from my father, and pictures that I took with Jini. Affectionately-spoken Japanese often filled my house, enabling me to learn some of the foreign words gradually. Kawai, kawai, Jae san wa kawai. I blinked my eyes and laughed a ticklish and bright child's laughter at what my grandma said to me. What does it mean, grandma? A calm, peach colored smile blossomed on grandmother's face. It means very, very, adorable. Another warm smile and a soft pat on my head. Kawai. I recited the word carefully while grandma and mom were having a short conversation in Japanese. In downtown Kyoto, Japan, there lies a small stone monument at the spot where the ears of Koreans taken to Japan during one of its invasions in 1592 were buried. Japan has invaded Korea numerous times in known history, but when it invaded in 1592, Japanese soldiers were known to have cut off the ears of Koreans they either killed or wished to humiliate. One Japanese scholar suggests that later Japanese regimes came to value noses over ears because, somehow, cutting off noses sounds more cruel" (Lee). Koreans love everything from Japan. On cafà © tables in Ap-Guh-Juhn-Dong, the Beverly Hills of Korea, Japanese fashion magazines lay arrogantly. Sony and PlayStation products are sold fiercely in electronics markets. Some Koreans even say that we should admire Japan for their economic success, technology, and lifestyle. Only when it comes to history do they go hysterical and anti-Japan, remembering repeated attempts at invasion until the Japanese finally succeeded in 1910.

Dickens, Thurber, Andersen, London and Perseus :: science

Dickens, Thurber, Andersen, London and Perseus As far back as I can remember, my mind has always thought and learned by association. My brain fancifully connects things like computer terminals and bus terminals, Indian reservations with plane ticket confirmations, and carpetbaggers with rug stealers. Don’t ask me why, but I think I get bored with ordinary human communications and then lapse into my imaginary fantasy’ association world, finding it much more fascinating than the nightly news, soap operas and talking head yakety-yak cable tabloid shows. Because my cerebrum delights in working by making bizarre associations, whenever my mind thinks of Charles Dickens, the great English author is filed and classified in a â€Å"mental cabinet† along with James Thurber, Hans Christian Andersen, Jack London and the mythical ancient Greek hero, Perseus. All of these personages had to overcome trials, tribulations and adversity. They elevated themselves above grief and ridicule, stayed focused on their goals and were not defeated by an abundance of criticism and rejection. They were motivated by failure. Charles Dickens’ (1812-1970) father had great financial difficulties. The boy had a rather miserable childhood, and the lad spent much of his time in poorhouses and workhouses. Did poverty overwhelm Charles Dickens? Was his negative environment to blame for an unproductive and fruitless life? No it wasn’t. Dickens retreated into his imaginary world and incisively wrote about the need for social reform in what later became such literary classics such as Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. James Thurber (1894-1961) ranks as one of America’s most popular humorists. He is most renowned for his short story â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,† a meek, absent-minded hen-pecked’ character who suffers the sharp-tongued ire of a dominant bossy wife. Thurber’s stories and self-drawn cartoons appeared for over thirty years in the New Yorker magazine. James Thurber had been blinded in one eye in a childhood accident, and then he lost vision in his other eye in later life. Despite those hardships, the author still continued his storytelling pursuits and even appeared late in life as himself in a popular Broadway play The Thurber Carnival. Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in a small fishing village in Denmark. (If a last name ends in sen, the person is probably from Denmark; in son, probably from Sweden). At age fourteen Andersen journeyed to Copenhagen to pursue either an acting or writing career. He auditioned as an opera singer, was a humiliating failure and spent the next three years anguishing in abject poverty.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Multiculturalism in Counseling Essay

ABSTRACT Stemming from the uprising in the 1960s, multiculturalism has presented serious challenges to the society, especially to the academic sector. Criticized by social groups, schools were inclined to adopt programs in recognition of the multicultural population, and later structured their systems to cater to the needs of the growing population. Today, multiculturalism has become an important consideration in designing school programs, facilities, and hiring policies. Particularly, school counseling was one area that went through a notable change. The introduction of this paper gives a brief historical background of multiculturalism in school counseling. It discusses how multiculturalism was incorporated into the school curriculum, and was adopted in school counseling. The main part of this paper discusses the competencies every school counselor must possess to address the needs of multicultural students. Anchoring on the three core competencies set by the AMCD, this paper presents ways on how one can be knowledgeable of clients’ worldviews in order to serve them best. In addition, it suggests other devices or strategies counselors may consider when dealing with multicultural students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conclusion of the paper summarizes the ideal characteristics of a counselor, and presents further considerations school administrators and counselors can make to ensure effective counseling strategies which adhere to the demands of multiculturalism. Introduction Multiculturalism as Rosado (1997) defines, is a system of values and behaviors which recognizes and respects the presence of all diverse groups in society—their identities, values and socio-cultural differences. In addition, multiculturalism supports continued contribution of the culture in the society. Based on this definition, we can view multiculturalism as the harmonious coexistence of different cultures in the society. In the author’s view, culture is not limited to bases of origin. Culture may arise from similar beliefs, attitudes, or feelings of a certain group of people. Thus, it also encompasses those who have the same subcultures based on values, economic status, socio-political status, or gender. Particularly, those who have the same subculture based on gender include women, gays, lesbians and transgender individuals. In the same manner, people belonging to the same economic status or religion share a similar subculture that establishes their diversity from others. In this study, we refer to multicultural people as those who embody a different set of cultures and subcultures, other than the native culture or the majority. As such, we may define multiculturalism as an approach that recognizes diversity in culture among different ethnic, gender, economic, socio-political, and religious backgrounds. Multiculturalism has also become a prevalent topic in school counseling. It has prompted psychologists and educators around the world to review school practices that hamper culturally diverse students from performing well in school. Now that the growing population of multiculturally diverse students seems to be taking over the White population, the challenges that go with implementing multiculturalism in counseling would probably be more relevant in the next decades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multiculturalism in Counseling In the field of education, authors claim that multiculturalism rooted out from the social action of African Americans and other â€Å"people of color† back in the 1960s (Banks, Davidson & Davidson, as cited in Gorski, 1999). The common feeling that schools had the most hostile and oppressive treatment of other cultures aroused them to protest and fight for reforms. In those days, African Americans and other cultures suffered from racism and discrimination from the White population who occupied professorship or management statuses. Colored people were treated as second class citizens, if not as outcasts. However, through the efforts of African American activists, schools were compelled to review their policies and hiring process in consideration of the non-Whites. In the 1970s, other groups such as the elderly, gays, lesbians, and people with disabilities also contested that institutions should pay equal respect to all peoples on matters of employment, educational opportunities, and work pay. Following this, a number of programs and policies emerged, including additional courses on prominent women or famous people of color. Despite this effort, social activists were not satisfied, for schools only celebrated women of greatness, and not women in general. For instance, James Banks (1981;1989), one of the pioneers of multicultural education argued that to adhere to the idea of â€Å"multicultural environment,† all aspects of the school had to be reviewed. According to him, policies, teacher’s attitude, assessment programs, and counseling should be transformed accordingly. This concept of multicultural education coincided with the idea of social equality among diverse cultures. By 1980s, following the path of Banks, K-12 teachers, namely, Carl Grant, Christine Sleeter, Geneva Gay, and Sonia Nieto exposed and criticized oppressive teaching approaches, standardized tests, classroom climate, and discriminatory hiring practices. Relevantly, this created in every academic professional the challenge to recognize diversity or as later coined, multiculturalism, and make it their mission to â€Å"manage† and â€Å"live diversity† (Rosado, 1997 ). Being multicultural does not only mean having a student population composed of various cultures, though this is often the contention of many schools. Rosado points out that for a school to claim they are multicultural, they must at least adhere to four standards. These include reflecting heterogeneity, demonstrating sensitivity, realigning the school’s mission, and creating an ambiance that empowers all groups in the school. With clear and careful intention, Rosado argues that schools should adopt change geared towards multiculturalism on individual as well as institutional levels. On the one hand, by saying individual level, we mean that schools should aim at urging administration, teachers and students to transcend beyond their own racial, gender, cultural and socio-political identity to recognize other identities. On the other hand, as Rosado contends, institutional level means focusing on empowering diversity. This goes beyond merely admitting people of color, but also taking into consideration in the school’s mission, vision, values, and structure how it can empower each individual. Although motivated by good intention, empowering people of diversity, as pointed out by Rosado may sometimes lead to a utilitarian view of giving a person his needs in exchange of what he can offer his society. We say that this is very utilitarian in that it sees the individual as a utility, more than an entity with values, attitudes, and affection. In contrast, we should be inclined to think that it is the school’s responsibility to provide the different needs of individuals in recognition of their diversity and nothing else. No conditions should apply as to whether the society can profit from his acts or not. Relevantly, whether the person is worthy of rewards of multiculturalism should not be an issue. Four intentions have motivated the adoption of multiculturalism in education. These include the â€Å"need to remedy ethnocentrism, rebuild understanding and appreciation of different cultures, defuse tension and conflicts among ethnic groups, and make the school curricula relevant to experiences and traditions† (Webb, 1990). In the next part, we will discuss how well these motivations relate to school counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many research works confirm the positive effects of multicultural education on students. For example, Hale (1986) shows that children in a preschool program achieved higher cognitive levels upon integrating African American culture in the curriculum.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same way, Zaslavsky (1988) demonstrates how elements of other cultures can help in teaching complex math concepts to students of an inner-city school. Fulton-Scott (1983) confirms benefits of integrating multicultural education in elementary programs for Hispanic students. The study reveals that students’ scores in Math, Reading, and Language were significantly superior over those of students enrolled in programs without multicultural integration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Benefits of multiculturalism are likewise recognized in the field of Psychology, particularly in school counseling. However, research in this area has focused more on counselors’ multicultural competence rather than on the effect of counseling founded on multiculturalism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1991, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) identified the need and rationale for multicultural counseling. This led to the approval of 31 multicultural counseling competencies as proposed by Sue et al. (1992) in 1991. Following this, in 2002, the APA Council of Representatives approved the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice and Organization Change, which was, in fact, based on the work of Sue et al.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The need to adopt multiculturalism in counseling, especially in schools, is truly urgent and necessary for ethical reasons. In relation to this, AMCD identifies three characteristics counselors must possess. First is counselor awareness of own assumptions, values, and biases. Second is understanding the worldview of the culturally different client; and third, developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primarily, culturally skilled counselors can be identified as those who have awareness of other people’s culture other than their own. They are aware of how their cultural background, experience, attitude, biases, and values influence the counseling process of a client. Moreover, these counselors recognize their limits when it comes to tolerating other values, behaviors, or norms. To add, culturally skilled counselors are also comfortable with differences between them and the clients in terms of race, gender identity, ethnicity, culture, and beliefs. To illustrate, the first measure of competency requires a counselor to mirror whether his own values and beliefs would personally or professionally affect the process of counseling. For example, a Christian counselor may have biases towards a Muslim student, for they have truly different belief systems. In this situation, if the counselor has no knowledge of ethical limitations, he might insist that his beliefs are better or are morally upright, and those of the student’s are the opposite. However, such case may be prevented if the counselor is fully aware of conflicting values he has with the student. In our own view, a school counselor should be open to all values of every student. This is different from the counselor in the private sector. In school counseling, the counselor who cannot accept views of some students is not fit for school counseling. A school counselor should have readiness to counsel every student, and there should be no instance when he would not accept a student for counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To ensure that the counselor meets the first requirement mentioned above, he should reflect on his values and find out if he has beliefs against any culture, including students with different gender identities, cultural or religious practices, and other moral practices that their culture has taught them. For instance, taking into consideration the case of students with gender identity problem, the counselor must be careful not to insist that the student sticks to his biological gender. Rather, he should exercise care in handling this case. After all, the whole life of the student may depend on the decision he makes at the time of counseling. Culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge and understanding about how gender stereotyping affects them personally and professionally. Considering the sensitivity of the issue of gender identity disorder, the school counselor must be careful not to affect the decision and values of the individual, for he is going to suffer later on should he take the wrong decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, as Sue et al. contend, culturally skilled counselors possess knowledge about their social impact on others. These include one’s awareness of own communication style, and how this style may hinder or facilitate the counseling process. Recognizing limits of their competencies, school counselors may confer with their colleagues how to overcome these weaknesses. Aside from this, they should seek further training or education on other cultures as a way to do away with biases. The process of balancing one’s view of other cultures may take a lifetime as new concepts may arise everyday. For example, the term transgender individuality appeared only in our modern times, but the concept of transforming from one gender to another has been known as early as the time of Sophocles or even earlier. In this regard, counselors should not grow tired of finding ways for self-actualization. Also, on the second characteristic, it is the responsibility of the culturally skilled counselor to gather resources to learn about the identity of other cultures. In the case of homosexuality among students, the counselor should know the different sides of the coin in being a homosexual. In particular, counselors who deal with this issue should have a good understanding of the process of being a homosexual (Adams, Boatwright, Gilbert, Forrest & Ketzenberger, Cass, Chung & Katayama, Croghan, Driscoll, Kelley & Fassinger, Dunkle, and Pope, as cited in Sanabria, 2004). With this knowledge, he must let the student decide on his own whether to retain his gender identity or move to the phase of ‘coming out†. Coming out or in other words, admitting to the society that one belongs to a specific gender type is in itself a dilemma among teenagers with identity confusion. The specific role of the counselor in this situation is to help the youth consider advantages and disadvantages of coming out (Adams, Belz, Brown, Croteau & Hedstrom, Elliott, Hetherington, Morgan & Brown, Morrow, Pope, Rodriguez & Chang, Pope & Schecter, Savin-Williams, as cited in Sanabria, 2004). Additionally, the counselor should guide the student in the stage of coming-out by training him/her how to deal with people’s inquiry about his identity. For example, the counselor could give real-life scenarios, and ask the student to react on them in order to ensure that he would be prepared for particular instances when he would experience doubt. If the counselor feels affirmative or senses tolerance toward gays and lesbians but lacks the knowledge to handle cases of these individuals, he could improve his familiarity with them through a lot of ways. One source of invaluable information is reading literatures regarding gay/lesbian culture. At present, explorations on gender-specific cases are improving in terms of number and depth. These readings can guide a counselor to discover gay/lesbian cultural identity. Likewise, attending conferences or symposia, gathering insights from past clients and friends who belong to the same gender type will also contribute a lot (Sanabria, 2004). Also, as Sanabria expresses, if the counselor feels that he is not qualified to handle the case, it is only ethical to refer the student to someone who could offer him the right counseling. Furthermore, counselors who cannot be affirmative of gay and lesbian culture are probably misinformed and should look into themselves again if they are fit for being a school counselor. The issue regarding sexual minorities is only one of the issues a school counselor must be able to handle. If the counselor cannot help sexual minorities, he should reconsider if he should continue practicing in the academic setting. Suffice to mention, the National Career Development Association, American Counseling Association, and American Psychological Association have well-defined ethical codes that offer guidance for individuals who work with sexual orientation issues. Included in these ethical codes is the knowledge about students’ behavioral identity. Importantly, culturally skilled counselors should be aware of life experiences, cultural heritage, and historical background of their multicultural students. For instance, an Asian American student has different historical and cultural background from a Latino counterpart, or an African American. When counseling an Asian American, for example, a Chinese girl who cannot relate well with her classmates, a counselor must be informed of the conservative values Chinese families have. Actually, the attitude of keeping one’s silence may be in conformity with Confucian values. In this regard, the counselor cannot expect the girl to be as outgoing as he r classmates are, for the behavior she presents embodies a cultural heritage among the Chinese. Furthermore, culturally skilled counselors understand the consequences arising from one’s exercise of cultural traditions and rites. In some parts of Asia, for instance, there is still the custom of prearranged marriage. Thus, a counselor who encounters a high school student in this situation should suspend judgment of the custom, but rather honor it, and perhaps counsel the child to make her own choice, after laying down the consequences of abiding by the culture. In considering choices, the counselor may enumerate possible circumstances the child would face if she relents to her parents’ decision, or vice versa. Under no circumstances should the counselor dictate to the child what she should do as this may result in confusion or family conflict. Likewise, the counselor may also opt to explain the issue to the parents, but before doing so, the counselor must take precautions so as not to offend them. At all times, respect should form part of every counseling situation. Aside from obtaining a rich background of their students, a competent counselor, according to Sue et al. should also be kept updated with the latest trends and occurrences that concern his clients. In the case of a school counselor, it would be of great help if he engages in research and other activities to keep him updated with the students’ lingo, hobbies, behavioral patterns, etc. They should actively seek out opportunities—personal and professional experiences that enrich their knowledge, understanding, and cross-cultural skills. Moreover, as some schools implement nowadays, counselors can engage in outside school activities such as outreach programs, educational trips, camps, and other activities which would help gain a more vivid profile of the counselees. They should also be actively involved with minority individuals outside the school setting. Community events, celebrations, and other gatherings may help provide a wider perspective of minorities which relate with the academic scenario. Considering the dynamic role that the school counselor plays in society, the responsibility of ensuring that they possess the relevant qualities expected of a counselor should be borne by colleges offering the course or training. Based on the literature gathered, schools have positively become fully concerned about the issue of multiculturalism. Many schools and universities nowadays adhere to the demands of the culturally diverse society. However, the way to attaining competency of some school counselors may still be too far. In one study Holcom-McCo y (2000) conducted, the author identified five underlying factors influencing school counselors’ perception of themselves as competent professionals. These factors included understanding of racial identity development, ability to comprehend multicultural terminology, multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Among which, counselors perceived lack of knowledge of racial identity development as the problem that hindered them from being fully competent in multiculturalism. To address this problem, Schwallie-Giddis et al. (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) suggest that future school counselors should undergo multicultural training on racial identity development, and multicultural knowledge development. In a study conducted, school counselors assessed the effectiveness of a nine-month multicultural professional development program. The study involved 13 school counselors in a multicultural professional development program held from school year 2001-2002. Applying three dimensions of multicultural competencies, the participants assessed their own competencies. Resources included a videotape of a case study to which participants reacted, in order to discover assumptions, values and biases. To assess understanding of the clients’ worldviews, the study made use of case studies of linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) students. The participants were asked to apply a framework to the cases to examine aspects school counselors should consider when handling diverse students. The participants had a lengthy discussion on the provided cases, and at the end of the session, they expressed the advantage of having discussions with peers. Another session comprised of a panel interview with three mothers of different cultures. Each of the women talked about her child’s experiences in school, all of which related to the inefficiency of the school officials to handle multicultural students. In all the issues raised, lack of communication surfaced as the most recurrent problem. In relation to this, participants commented that had there been proper communication between parents and school officials, issues would have been resolved more easily. Moreover, the study also included a session that dealt with developing appropriate interventions to cases of LCD students. Through this, participants were able to exchange views and experiences which could help build up a resource for interventions to cases of LCD students. Based on this session, counselors noted that most of them found it difficult to deal with LCD student mainly because of the language barrier. Furthermore, insecurities due to lack of knowledge of other cultures affected the competencies of the participants. In sum, the school counselors agreed that having enough facility to understand the student and overcoming language barriers is one major key to providing adequate help to students. Similarly, Chandras et al. (2006) suggest counseling strategies and techniques in handling multicultural students. One skill they emphasized to be critical in every counseling situation is effective listening. Effective listening, as Neuknug (2002) defines, includes allowing students to talk, concentrating on what is being said, giving minimal advice, empathizing, asking for clarifications, and limiting questions. When handling multicultural students, it is important for the counselor to be fully sensitive to verbal cues that relate to culture. For instance, a student who is often bullied in class may not admit why he is being bullied due to his insecurity. There are some students who would rather keep the truth to themselves or resolve their own conflicts instead of asking help from school officials. Despite this attitude, a good school counselor could still unlock verbal cues that could make the student open up. For example, a child who claims he is not interested in making friends with his classmates could likewise mean that his classmates are cruel to him and not totally uninteresting. As such, clarifying responses and not directly giving advice may help the child reflect on his own situation. To maintain effective counseling strategy, a constructive and emphatic relationship is very important (Chandras et al., 2006). In this respect, the counselor’s role is first to build up trust and optimism. On the one hand, gaining trust of a student is paramount to establishing a good relationship. Without trust, there can be no revelations, no life experiences told. On the other hand, developing optimism facilitates finding a solution to the problem. Also, when a student perceives that there is a solution to the dilemma, he becomes more willing to cooperate in the counseling process. Secondary to the abovementioned is discussing stages of the counseling process. It is important to inform the counselee how the counseling would go, what can be achieved during counseling stages, and how long they will take. Together with this, the counselor should set guidelines both he and the student will follow, such as time schedule, behavior rules, and limitations. Chakras et al. determine other responsibilities of a counselor. These include preparing the student for counseling session. As a counselor, one has to establish the reason why the student should undergo counseling. Asking the student what he feels is wrong, or eliciting experiences that seem difficult for him are ways to prepare the student. In addition, the counselor must assert that the problem can be worked out if the counselee cooperates in resolving it. Also, some situations that lead to the attention are considered for school counseling. These include breaking school rules, misbehaving, or underachievement. As such, the class adviser and the school counselor should work hand in hand regarding record of students’ behavior and progress. One of the misconceptions about counseling is that students are referred to it only for disciplinary purposes. Students tend to think that if they are called for counseling, they have been noted to misbehave in school. Thus, some students create a wrong view that counselors are disciplinarians. Importantly, this issue should be addressed during school orientation, letting the students know and feel that counseling is a helping process, and not a disciplinary one. Furthermore, what the counselor can do to avoid this misconception is to call each student one by one, get to know them, and allow a time for them to be acquainted with her and her work, so that fears regarding counseling could be avoided. Importantly, not only those who have reports of misbehavior should be called for counseling, but every student handled by each counselor. During counseling session, one good characteristic the counselor should exhibit is to remain focused on the specific problem. If the student’s problem concerns only his classmates, the counselor should identify ways to resolve it at the said level, and not delve on the students’ family background, as such may give the student an impression that his problem is huge. For example, if the student identifies that he is having problems with classmates bullying him, the counselor must call the attention of the said classmates and allow the said parties to explain the issue (i.e., tell them of the situation to find out if they are aware of the problem they cause their classmate). Furthermore, it is the counselor’s role to sustain interest of the counselee during the counseling process. To attain this, the counselor should ask questions relevant to the situation, and involve the counselee in arriving at the best workable solution. Asking irrelevant questions and monopolizing the discussion may distract the concentration of the counselee. In addition, the counselor may give assignments or home work so that the student would feel responsible and be prepared for the next counseling session. As regards developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques to help multicultural students, counselors should also be effectively involved in non-academic and out-of-school activities. As the core of the student’s personality, the counselor should focus first on building family relationships. Activities involving the students’ family would be an effective strategy to (1) know students well, (2) gain knowledge of family structure of students, whether parents are separated, and where students stay, (3) provide a venue for family bonding, and (4) inform parents of their children’s progress/problems. Parent involvement in counseling is inevitable. Some studies confirm student improvement in â€Å"academic performance, attitudes and behavior, attendance, school adjustment and engagement, and graduation rates† (Barnard, Epstein, Simons-Morton & Crump, as cited in Sanabria). In Jevnes (as cited in Sanabria), a recent meta-analysis of 41 studies shows a significant relationship between parent’s involvement in school and academic achievement of urban students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Parent involvement in school can include activities designed to inform them of their children’s progress, workshops or conferences to help them cope with the difficulties of parenting, marriage, etc. However, some parents lack the initiative to get involved in their child’s school affairs. As Lareau (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) posits, parents’ perceptions of racism and their own negative school experiences tend to create the distance between them and the schools. One study conducted by McKay, Atkins, Hawkins, Brown (as cited in Sanabria, 2004) found that the racism awareness of low-income African American parents was positively related to at-home parental involvement, and inversely related to at-school involvement. In this case, the counselor should coordinate closely with class advisers and other school officials to help convince these parents to give priority to their children. One source of motivation could be rese arch data establishing correlation between children’s progress and parental involvement. One activity the counselor could organize is a â€Å"Day with Parents.† This could be a panel discussion involving model parents (probably of outstanding students) to act as the panel, and discuss relevant issues with students and co-parents. In this activity, the panel discusses ways on how they get involved with the affairs of their children, and how these measures create positive output to them. After the pane interview/discussion, the parents may exchange ideas in a forum to discuss proper ways to bring up children. Specifically, student problems, whether academic or personal, may also be brought up. Another activity the counselor could organize is a family day in which the whole family will come to the school to enjoy rides, games, or dining together. This event may be school-wide and would need the participation of every school personnel and students. Aside from organizing events for the family, the school counselor could also incorporate in the program field trips, camping, games, and other fun activities for the students. This will help students, especially with multicultural background, to get to know their classmates well. This way, they would also find time to have more friends. Aside from this, fun activities would also make them realize that school is not just for learning academics but also for having fun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Moreover, other activities school counselors could provide include workshops or performing arts activities. These activities are very ideal to cultivate the talents of students. Examples of which include art, theater arts, dance, and singing workshops. After the workshops, counselors could also have a culminating activity in which students show what they have learned from the workshop. For arts, students will have an art exhibit, for dance, theater arts, and singing, the counselor could propose to school administration to allow a concert or show, in which students will be the performers. This particular activity could also serve as a fund raising campaign aside from showcasing the talent of students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other activities to make students realize their potentials include sports activities/intramurals. This would allow sports-minded students to show their capabilities in their field. Also, this could serve as the school’s campaign against drug use among students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Further to the given interventions, counselors could also conduct career orientation, especially for graduating students. In this activity, the counselor would invite some professionals to talk about their career to inspire students to follow a similar path. At the end of the session, the counselor would elicit from students, which career aroused their interest, and what made them interested to it. Importantly, students should be given many options to choose from, and career professionals to be invited should likewise have multicultural identity, so that students can easily relate with them. Evaluation sessions should also follow to allow room for improvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Counselors also have a part in the school’s community outreach. By giving orientation to students regarding the activity and motivating them to help other people, students will realize that the helping profession is not limited within the four corners of the school. The participation of the counselor is very important as this will strengthen the role of the counseling profession and the school’s mission of helping other people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Other interventions the counselor could incorporate in the counseling program include achievement tests, personality tests, and other assessments to gauge the students’ academic and personal progress. These could help identify the needs of the students or their inclinations to serve as guide in choosing their future career. There are a lot of ways a school counselor can adopt to help in the holistic development of students. In adopting each intervention, what is important is to bear in mind its applicability to the multicultural students. As each student comes from a different background, it is imperative to learn about them individually, and not just by names or culture affiliation. As long been practiced by other counseling professionals, one strategy the counselor could employ is to do home visits. By visiting students in their home, the counselor will gain a clear and accurate picture of the students’ background. Similarly, this would also create for him a first-hand experience of the students’ cultural background.   Conclusion As we continue to live in the Information Age, we are driven to realize the many impacts of multiculturalism on people, educational institutions, and society in general. In particular, we see how it changed history in the 1960s with the civil protest of Black Americans, and how it restructured school policies on employment of faculty, and treatment of students. Similarly, we see how it inspired minority groups to express their views and contribute to the rich and modern culture. Moreover, we see the important role of multiculturalism in the counseling programs of schools and the community, not to mention the challenges it continues to bring counselors in providing care and assistance. Although discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, socio-political, and economic status are still evident in our society, the progress attained by forerunners and supporters of multiculturalism make us look forward to a better nation in the next decades. As time unfolds, we may take pride as we watch Americans embrace Africans, Asians, and other people of color. This view will continue to unveil as school administrators continue to uphold and cultivate the gifts of diversity in their orientation of students and communities. Much to the efforts made by school activists, we may look forward to more reforms in the counseling scene, either in schools or communities. The standards set by the AMCD or APA would continue to lead counselors to realize the importance of their roles in the society. The role played by counselors is not an easy task. However, by being conscious of their own tendency toward biases, counselors would avoid disserving their clients, and in the long run, the attitude of people especially schoolchildren toward counseling would further be affirmative. Moreover, adhering to the second characteristic, counselors would maintain a sensitive attitude toward cultures of other people. As such, they will feel the importance of bridging gaps among multicultural individuals, thus becoming proponents of unity and peace in the long run. Also part of the competency requirements of counselors is to devise or organize strategies to provide relevant counseling and helping services to the people. In this respect, their role is not limited to the school setting they serve, but it is likewise relevant to the community they work with. By fulfilling their part as community helpers, counselors would have a richer cultural experience which could help in their field. Recognizing the difficult task expected of counselors, we may develop the doubt regarding the capability of school counselors of today in taking on the said challenges. In this regard, counselors would need all the assistance it could get from school officials such as teachers, principal, and other staff. Through the collaboration between counselors and school officials, multicultural students will realize the important contribution they can make in the society, not only in their group but also in the lives of other people, in the fields of technology, manpower, innovation, and care for the environment. The nature of helping students does not end in counseling them or providing moral support. Rather, it extends to making them feel their importance as people, providing them choices in life, and cultivating their talents. The counseling program of every school should be the most active program among all, as it involves not only the students and counselors, but also other school officials, including the teachers, librarian, and support staff. If every one in the school system shares in the goal of achieving multicultural counseling, we can hope for the success of multicultural students. As such, everyone should his/her own part and responsibilities in promoting the welfare of the students—that is, giving respect to people of other cultures, helping them realize their life goals, and making them co-creators of society. Despite all the efforts exerted by counselors and other individuals to make up a better society, we can still note some people, even students who would resist multiculturalism. The harsh picture of some students exhibiting exclusivist attitude toward their peers should not be overlooked. Rather, it should be the concern of everyone in the school, especially its officials. In line with this, more studies should be conducted on how to incorporate multicultural views into the counseling program of every school, beginning from pre-schools to post-graduate schools. It would also help if psychological groups or associations would set standards particularly for multicultural school counseling. These rules would serve as guide for school administrators in choosing the right school counselor. While it is the role of school counselors to provide counseling to multicultural students, it would also help if schools would implement a procedure to evaluate if other aspects of the school adhere to promoting cultural diversity. Particularly, school administrators should realize that the issue of multiculturalism should not be addressed by the counseling program alone, but also by all aspects of the school, including the physical structure of the school. In this regard, future research in psychology could include ways on how the school’s physical structure could support counseling programs for multicultural students. References Chandras, Kan, David DeLambo, & Sunil Chandras. (2006). Counseling strategies and techniques to sensitize school counselors to the life experiences of culturally different students. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www.counselingoutfitters.com/Chandras.htm Constantine, Madonna. (2001). Universal-diverse orientation and general expectations about counseling: Their relation to college students’ multicultural counseling expectations. Journal of college student development. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3752/is_200111/ai_n8993131 Freedman, Kenneth. (1999). Multicultural counseling. Retrieved January 23, 2008, from http://www.alaska.net/~fken/Multiculture.htm Gorski, Paul. (1999). A Brief History of Multicultural Education. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/edchange_history.html Hanna, Fred. (2000). Asian shades of spirituality: implications for multicultural school counseling. Professional school counseling. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KOC/is_5_7/ai_n6121238 Harris, Anthony.   (2007). Philosophy and techniques of multicultural education. Journal of multidisciplinary research. Vol. 1 Issue 1. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1080.htm Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://www.getthetoolkit.com/publications/transgender%20students.pdf Patterson, C.H. (1996). Multicultural counseling: from diversity to universality. Journal of counseling and development. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from http://www.sageofasheville.com/pub_downloads/MULTICULTURAL_COUNSELING_FROM_DIVERSITY_TO_UNIVERSALITY.pdf Rosado, Caleb. (1997). Toward a definition of multiculturalism. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from http://www.rosado.net/pdf/Def_of_Multiculturalism.pdf Rosado, Caleb. (n.d.). What makes a school multicultural? January 24, 2008, from http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/caleb/multicultural.html Sanabria, Samuel. (2004). Culturally appropriate career counseling with gay and lesbian clients. Career development quarterly. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Culturally+appropriate+career+counseling+with+gay+and+lesbian+clients.-a0127052322 Sue, Derald Wing, Patricia Arredondo, and Roderick McDavis. (1992). Multicultural counseling competencies and standards: A call to the profession. Retrieved January 25, 2008, from www.counseling.org/Files/FD.ashx?guid=e14f8c36-41e7-4af8-830d-69f6057986d7 – Van Velsor, Patricia & Graciela Orozco. (2007). Involving low-income parents in the schools: Communitycentric strategies for school counselors. Professional school counseling. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Involving+low-income+parents+in+the+schools%3a+communitycentric†¦-a0171018638 Webb, Michael. (1990). Multicultural education in elementary and secondary schools. Eric digest number 67.  Retrieved January 24, 2008, from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9218/secondary.htm