Literary Criticism Hills Like White Elephants - 1512 Words

Literary Criticism: Hills like White Elephants Author Information: Ernest Miller Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899, the second of six children, and spent his early years in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. Both his mother and father were active members of the First Congregational Church and ran a strict household. All their children were required to abstain from any enjoyment on Sundays, for example, and were strictly punished for any disobedience. Hemingway later condemned them for their distinctly middle-class values and oppressive sense of morality. Summary: ï‚ · In the early 1920s, an American man and a girl, probably nineteen or twenty years old, are waiting at a Spanish railway station for the express train that will take them to Madrid. ï‚ · While indulging in some beers, they sit in the hot shade while discussing what the American man says will be a simple operation for the girl. ï‚ · The tension between the two is almost as sizzling as the heat of the Spanish sun. The man, while urging the girl to have the operation, says again and again that he really doesn t want her to do it, if she really doesn t want to. However, he clearly is insisting that she do so. ï‚ · The girl is trying to be brave and nonchalant but is clearly frightened of committing herself to having the operation. She repeats throughout the story— noting that the hills beyond the train station look like white elephants — hoping that the figure of speech will please theShow MoreRelatedThe Literary Pieces Of Ernest Hemingway, A Great American 20th Century Novelist852 Words   |  4 Pagesmore than what it appears. Metaphors envelop many writers’ literary pieces and can complicate more than what seems obvious to the readers whilst portraying different aspects for literary criticisms. Many authors utilize these poetic tactics to give different perspectives to their written works. Ernest Hemingway, a great American 20th century novelist produced many literature writings, and of his greatest creations Hills like White Elephants emerged in 1920. A short story consisting of what appearsRead MoreLiterary Pieces And Can Complicate More Than What Essay852 Words   |  4 Pagesmore than what it appears. Metaphors envelop many writers’ literary pieces and can complicate more than what seems obvious to the readers whilst portraying different aspects for literary criticisms. Many authors utilize these poetic tactics to give different perspectives to their written works. Ernest Hemmingway, a great American 20th century novelist produced many literature writings, and of his greatest creations Hills like White Elephants emerged in 1920. A short story consisting of what appearsRead More Symbolism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway1687 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent literary elements and terms are incorporated into the story by the author. Ernest Hemingway frequently uses various literary elements in his writing to entice the reader and enhance each piece that he writes. In Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses symbols to teach the reader certain things that one may encounter during daily life. Symbolism may be defined as relating to, using, or proceeding by means of symbols (Princeton). The use of symbols in Hills Like White Elephants is utterlyRead MoreLife and Death1191 Words   |  5 Pagesserious decision whether they should give birth to the unborn child or abort it. However, sometimes every couple can have a different outlook about giving birth or aborting because every male and female has his or her ways of thinking. In â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† the author, Ernest Hemingway tells a story of an Ameri can man and his girlfriend, Jig, who have a disagreement in the train station on the subject of whether to keep the unborn child or to abort. However, the author uses binary oppositionRead More Hemingways Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story, Hills Like White Elephants1409 Words   |  6 PagesHemingways Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story Hills Like White Elephants Hills like White Elephants is not the normal story where you have a beginning, middle and end. Hemingway gave just enough information so that readers could draw their own conclusions. The entire story encompasses a conversation between two lovers and leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant writer. People that study Hemingways works try to gain insight andRead MoreHedonism in Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway Essay1588 Words   |  7 Pagesnature. The roaring twenties witnessed the uprising of a society that extolled such desire through the creation of a culture solely dedicated to consume. Ernest Hemingway analyses the behavioral patterns of such culture in his short story Hills Like White Elephants, where the concept of Hedonism- fathomed as an egotistical action whose only purpose is to bestow pleasure- and its consequences on the individual is explored. Through the characters dialogue in which they avoid a substantial con versationRead MoreHills Like White Elephants : A Critical Analysis1708 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†: A Critical Analysis Introduction: One of the many themes in his stories for which Ernest Heming way is known, includes feminism. At Hemingway’s time feminism was known as a famous movement and it affected many important writers like Octavia Butler and Virginia Woolf. Hemingway was a literary icon of his time and he was influenced by the political, social and human rights movements of his time. He was also touched by the hopelessness of women and how their thinkingRead More Reader-oriented Theories and Their Application to Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like white elephants2425 Words   |  10 PagesReader-oriented Theories and Their Application to Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like white elephants From the very beginning of the literature people tended to criticize the literary works according to some certain criteria. Some critics claimed that the text itself is important and some other said the author and his style is the thing that should be focused on. Form and content were the other significant elements in the history of the literary criticism. In addition, the social and political influences of theRead MoreAn Inspiration to Young Writers: Ernest Hemingway Essay1979 Words   |  8 PagesThe Trapeze. Contrary to his parent’s belief and hopes, Hemingway did not go to college; instead he took a job at the Kanas City Star as a reporter. Although he grew up in a very strict religious childhood, Hemingway decided to stay away from things like politics and religions (Lost Generation). He believed you had to keep away from these focuses as a writer. Hemingway was considered Catholic because he had to convert to marry his second wife Pauline. However, when he died he didnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t qualify for a traditionalRead MoreAnalysis Of Ernest Hemingway s Hills Like White Elephants And A Clean Well Lighted Place 2195 Words   |  9 Pageshas this uncanny, yet, clear and distinctive writing style, that has made him a successful author and a means of many criticisms. One critic in particular, David M. Wyatt, says that Hemingway has a way of making the beginning of his stories â€Å"raise the very specter of the end against which they are so concerned to defend.† (Wyatt). In his two short stories, â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† and â€Å"A Clean-Well Lighted Place, Hemingway draws out this uncanny effect in anticipating the sense of an ending. He

Macbeth, By William Shakespeare - 1366 Words

Prophecies seem like things that are set in stone, a fate that is unavoidable; but most prophecies are true because of the actions of the receiver. Even though Macbeth was given these prophecies by the Witches, it is ultimately his own foolish and reckless actions and doings that cause these events, and eventually, his own downfall. In Shakespeare’s book, â€Å"Macbeth†, our main character Macbeth becomes King but is eventually dethroned by an array of prophecies and people. Through his own brutal actions and faults, he brings this fate upon himself, not the prophecies, as would be suggested. A change in Macbeth is evident from the first time you see him. From Act 1 to Act 2, Macbeth goes through a noticeable change into a more chaotic nature than in the beginning of the story. Macbeth starts out as the humble Thane of Glamis, but when he and his friend Banquo receive a prophecy from three mysterious witches, his curiosity is piqued,for better or worse. â€Å"Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more†(Macbeth,80); from the start, he is intent on learning more and seeing how he can full fill this prophecy, and though it might seem strange to rely on three strange looking sisters, he fully accepts it when he is named Thane of Cawdor, as the prophecy suggests. Almost immediately he sends a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her of the news of these witches. Through coercion and some hesitance on behalf of Macbeth, the plan is set in action to kill the king, Duncan. Macbeth showsShow MoreRelatedMacbeth by William Shakespeare770 Words   |  3 PagesThe play Macbeth is written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to be wr itten between 1603 and 1607 and set in eleventh century Scotland. It is also believed to be first performed in 1606. It is considered to be one of the darkest and most powerful tragedies. Macbeth, set in Scotland, dramatizes the psychological and political effects produced when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition of power. The Tragedy of Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and tells the story of Macbeth, a ScottishRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1425 Words   |  6 PagesMacbeth Just Can’t Wait To Be King Everyone has a quality that they do not like about themselves. Some people struggle to be social, others may be too controlling of people. The list goes on and on, but the point is that everybody has a particular quality that they must learn to control or else that particular quality can get out of hand. Of course, one could write a list of characters that have major flaws. There is no better example than William Shakespeare’s character, Macbeth, in The TragedyRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1409 Words   |  6 Pages â€Å"Fair is foul, and foul is fair: Hover through the fog and filthy air.† On October 17th, I had the pleasure of going to see Macbeth performed at the Shakespeare Tavern. Along with its reputation for being â€Å"cursed,† Macbeth is also known as one of the crown jewels of William Shakespeare’s repertoire. In my opinion, the central concept of this particular retelling of the play was the murkiness of character. Throughout the pla y, the many characters go through fierce temptation and strife, and noneRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1203 Words   |  5 PagesMacbeth is a play based on King James I, it was written by William Shakespeare, however this play isn’t a king and queen fairy tale, but it’s a play about greed and guilt, chaos and murder and three evil witches who use prophecies to influence Macbeth to do bad things, using flattery would instigate his inner ambition to become king, which in the end doesn’t lead to a very happy ending. Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, was written in the early Jacobean period. During those times, women had no power, theyRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1243 Words   |  5 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Macbeth†, the author portrays the main character Macbeth as a very tortured and flawed individual whose actions only serve to further unravel him. He is conflicted and power hungry, which drives him to perform evil murders and become a ruthless person. Macbeth’s moral compass is not resilient enough to withstand his wife’s manipulations and he is provoked to act on his malicious thoughts of murder. The author explores the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can haveRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare Essay1487 Words   |  6 Pagesreaction†. Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a tale which illuminates the consequences of violating the â€Å"Natural order†, the hierarchy of beings in the universe. When Macbeth, a warrior wel l-known for his courage and bravery, murders King Duncan acting on his unchecked ambition to claim the throne, the order was disrupted, the result†¦chaos. Shakespeare uses symbolism to illustrate the atmosphere of the play as the natural order is flung into a state of turmoil. These techniques used by Shakespeare is usedRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1483 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent references in the play of how a king deals with power and if they use it for better or for their own personal gain. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s obsession with his journey to power leads to his failure. This obsession is demonstrated through the prophecies, the murder of his best friend Banquo, and his own demise. Macbeth demonstrates that he is incapable of mastering the power and responsibilities of being a king. This is indicated throughout the play with theRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1045 Words   |  5 PagesBlood appears in only two forms, but many times in Macbeth by William Shakespeare; between the war scene at the beginning of the play and the lifting of Macbeth’s severed being lifted by Macduff at the end. It can be said that Macbeth could have been written in blood that there is such a large amount. What is unique about blood in Macbeth is that the â€Å"imaginary blood† or the guilt that the murderer feels plays more of a role of understand and amplifying the theme of the play, that blood is guiltRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare1431 Words   |  6 Pages Macbeth, though originally a valiant and prudent soldier, deteriorates into an unwise king whose rash decisions conclusively end in the atrophy of his title, power, and position. Several facto rs contribute to the downfall of Macbeth, which produce a contagion effect and ultimately end with his demise. He receives help from his â€Å"inner ambitions and external urgings† which result in his downfall (Bernad 49). The â€Å"external urgings† consist of the weird sisters who disclose his prophecies, which enlightenRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare2060 Words   |  9 Pagesthe green one red Macbeth Quote (Act II, Sc. II). Out, out, brief candle! Life s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Macbeth Quote (Act V, Scene V). These quotes have been taken from play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. Like these quotes there are hundreds and thousands of such heart touching quotes written by Shakespeare in his many different

Organizational Development and Behaviour Improvement

Question: Discuss about the Organizational Development and Behaviour Improvement. Answer: Introduction Organization Development is a management concept dedicated to improving effectiveness and overall productivity in any organization. It has its roots in behavioral science. It includes a set of interventions that are well chalked out for every stage, it improves the organizational effectiveness of the organization along with welfare and maintenance of employees. Several OD definitions have been presented and the continuing new approaches as well as techniques has blurred all the boundaries of this field of management. OD is focused on improving three aspects of any organizations naming: strategies, design components and processes. It is addressed towards an organization or may be a department, team. OD interventions are applied across all levels in the organization. Organization Development has become of immense significance today, as; any effective organization should be able to meet its requirements today and should be also ready for tomorrow (Alsop Smith, 2016). OD drives adaptabi lity and helps the change smoothen out in the organization. The assignment shall deal with concept of organizational development and behavior as well as common intervention technique used in organization development. When talking about organization development concept, the assignment shall touch upon the concept of organizational climate which is the personality of the organization itself. The assignment shall also discuss Team Development and Group Process Interventions as part of organization development intervention technique. It shall also cover some of the usefulness, success and failure of this technique. The assignment shall cover the concept of organizational climate in context to organizational development and behavior prevalent in present time. Organization Development took its roots from study of human relations back in 1930s. Psychologists slowly had woken up to the influence the organization has on workers and vice versa. They realized that every organizational process and structure within the organization had a great influence on every worker. Thus they understood and derived through extensive study that some of the key concepts of organization development are organization climate (the personality of the organization, the mood which includes the attitude and beliefs of organization which influenced the workers or employees collective behavior), organizational culture (the mission, vision of organization, the deeply seated norms and behavior exhibited by members) and the organization strategies (Yaman et al. 2016) Organization change is the process of progress for the organization towards a better future state whereby its effeciency and productivity is improved. Organizational climate is the carrier of the change. Often the change is resisted owing to various factors but more open the organization is to change the better and smoother the change shall occur. There is lot of difference in approach regarding the concept, dimensions measurement of organization climate among researchers. Over the last three decades, as many questions have been raised as they have been answered. The concept of organizational climate has raised many different other concepts within the field of organizational development as well. All of them are well linked too in terms of comprehensive and systematic manner. For example, organizational climate cannot be distinguished from motivation, satisfaction, attitude, process, structure etc. prevalent in the organization (Wan, 2016). Every organization differs from other not only in terms of structure but most importantly, also in behavior, attitude invoked in people. Such factors are mostly physiological factors. In fact, every individual job responsibilities added to their personalities projects a climate which is of significance both to him and the organization as a whole. Meaning, any change in the organization leads to change in attitude and behavior of individual as well. Kurt Lewin, also known as father of OD gave the ideas of present day OD in mid-thirties. He studied industrial psychology and mentioned, what we refer to today as in Lewins theory; the effects of environmental factors on behavior. He linked the behavior to the environmental structures. He wrote To characterize properly the psychological field, one has to take into account such specific items as particular goals, stimuli, social relations, as well as more general characteristics of the field as the atmosphere or the amount of freedom. These characteristics of the field as a whole are as important in psychology as, for instance, the field of gravity for the explanation of events in classical physics. Psychological atmospheres are empirical realities and are scientifically describable facts (Rhoden, 2016). Even in writings of Shah, Anwar Irani, (2017), he clearly argued that behavior could be interpreted if it was related to behavioral environment. To understand the climate concept, it is necessary to understand some theories which have touched concepts related to climate theory. Some of the theories demonstrate the capability of integrating the climate theory within themselves. In other, it is evident that though they are related in intent but individual in focus. Theory of Individual Behavior Vrooms model (1964) also acknowledges the importance of situational variables. His cognitive theory is based upon a persons choices, valences, instrumentalities and expectancies. His two propositions are: The valence of an outcome to a person is a monotonically increasing function of the algebraic sum of the products of the valences of all other outcomes and his conception of its instrumentality for the attainment of these other outcomes. The force on a person to perform an act is a monotonically increasing function of the algebraic sum of the products of the valence of all outcomes and the strength of his expectancies that the act will be followed by the attainment of these outcomes (Biggs, Swailes, Baker, 2016). Management Theory Various organization theorists interested in management process described the indirect and easy to miss effects of management practices on the attitude and response nature of junior employees. Thomsen, Karsten Oort, (2016), used the term organization culture in their managerial grid. He pointed out the change which happens in the outlook of the manager on seeing that his responsibility in also managing the culture apart from managing just his people to get results from them. He then is unable to separate the unit of development as just an individual. There was a shortcoming to this though, they did not explain what this meant for people. Also, it is difficult to gauge how the manager would connect the organizational elements with individual elements to carry out his duty? Organizational Theory - Large organization is loose organization. Nay, it would be almost as true to say that organization is always disorganization (Chumg et al. 2016). This theory views organizations as systems for making decisions and deal with them in tandem to climate. This theory mostly concentrates of organizational structure. De Vries Van der Poll, (2016), distinguish eight such dimensions for structure. They explain situational influence on behavior. They are: Likert in his theory (1967) mentions the above as climate variables. He states: The intervening variables reflect the material state and the health of the organization e.g. the loyalties, attitudes, motivations, performance goal, and perceptions of all members and their collective capacity for effective interaction, communication, and decision making. The structural variables were considered as causal variables and the end results such as productivity, costs, profits etc., as dependent variables. As is clear, Likert considers climate as the link between structural attribute as the effectiveness of the organization. Lee, Tui, Sharif, 2016). after conducting an experiment proved that (a) if the climate was innovative, the performance was more predictable (b) if climate was more consistent, the performance was higher and (c) different climate meant that different methods to solve problems would be sought out. According to Drake Pritchard, (2016), climate was The term organization climate refers to a set of measurable properties or work environment, perceived directly or indirectly by the people who live and work in this environment and assumed to influence their motivation and behaviour. Their model for organizational climate is considered groundbreaking research in this field. Bergmann et al. (2016), explained that organizational climate refers to collective quality of the individuals of the organization. It simply meant values or the meanings of a set of characteristics of the environment. Thus, the climate represents the organization as people seek it in a holistic and global sense. In addition to this it also explained it as a set of attributes specific to an organization that may be deciphered from the way that organization deals with its members and its environment. For members within the organization, climate meant set of attitudes and expectancies that rendered an organization both static and dynamic characteristics. Thus, it is safe to say that organizations are different owing to different behaviors that are induced. Since management defines the climate in an organization, changes in organizations and behaviors in them are significant. Autocratic, custodial and supportive. In autocratic climate, manager is the sole authority. Management thinks it knows best and employees should follow all orders. In such an environment, employee orientation(expected) is obedience. Employees are dependent on boss; their met needs are subsistence. Hence, the employee performance is met at minimum level as well. In custodial climate, everything is dependent on money. In this climate, met needs of employees are reasonable. Employee performance is never actualized but they may be happy. It is a flawed climate. In supportive model, the management provides a suitable environment to the employees to grow and reach their capability. Employees remain motivated and they tend to participate and involve themselves in interest of the organization (Ille, Risso Sanchez Carrera, 2017). Campbell and other theorists identified the following four dimensions of organizational climate: 1. Individual autonomy based on factors of individual responsibility, independence, rules, orientation, and opportunities for existing individual initiative. 2. The degree of structure imposed upon the position - based on factors of structure, managerial structure and closeness of supervision. 3. Reward orientation - based on factors of reward, general satisfaction, promotion, achievement orientation, and being profit minded and sales oriented. 4. Consideration, warmth and support - based on factors of managerial support, nurturance of subordinates and warmth and support (Taylor, 2016).Company climate and productivity Five aspects of organizational climate affect productivity. They were employee welfare concern, skill development, reflexivity, innovation and flexibility performance feedback. (Hall, 2017). Only companies which were productive were the ones which lay emphasis on the above. Thus, it is clear by now that diffused pattern of studies and the research results all point m ore or less towards the same thing that climate mainly consists of the aspects of social environment that are consciously perceived by members of the organization. The essential task of management is creating opportunities, releasing potential, removing obstacles, encouraging growth, and providing guidance. To improve performance, the route is improving work climate. Work climate affects work behavior and workers. A positive work environment is one in which creative, productive work thrives. There is simply no space for negative emotions and thoughts. A good work climate paves the path to motivation in employees, who; would then put in extra effort and with improved capabilities will provide improved job results. A work climate is created by the organizational factors. They could be history of the organization its founding, successes, reputation and story of setbacks as well as turnarounds. Another reason could be the culture itself. As described by Alsop Smith, (2016), culture refers to the deep structure of organizations, referring to shared values, work values, traditions and even assumptions and beliefs. Management strategy and structure also lends the climate in the organization a flavor. The growth and job opportunities, roles and responsibilities along with their descriptions, appraisal and reward policies etc. The external environment also could affect the climate of the organization by its broader context of policies, regulations, politics, social barriers etc. Finally, the most crucial factor contributing to the climate of the organization- the manager himself. His competencies and temperament in team handling. Managers competencies and practices have the most influence in a groups work climate. The same climate could lead the managers to improved team performance and effectiveness (Wan, 2016). Rhoden (2016) mentioned that the organization development was a planned effort and that it flows from top down which ensures the success of the entire effort of bringing about efficiency and productivity, all of this using knowledge rooted in behavioural science. Organization Development is a long- term effort, led and supported by top management, to improve an organizations visioning, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving processes, through an ongoing, collaborative management of organization culture. It pays special emphasis on the culture of intact work teams and other team configurations by using the consultant facilitator role and the theory technology of applied behavioural science, including action research. Organization Development is set of planned activities followed by all members of the organization. The most critical three components of all Organization Development programs are: Diagnosis, Intervention and Program Management. Organizational interventions are sets of structured activities targeted to a group, mostly teams or departments, who engage in them with the overall goal of organizational improvement. These structured activities are only doctored to the organization by experienced consultants. Sometimes the consultant s use just one intervention techniques sometimes multiple in combination simultaneously. Organization Development intervention techniques may be applied on large systems (example organizations), group (department) or individual. OD intervention techniques could be interventions segregated to systemic, people or process centric. Systemic interventions are the interventions followed to bring about a change in systems being followed to prepare the entity for a better future with the desired incorporated changes. People interventions are to enhance people productivity. Process interventions improve a present process in terms of quality, time and cost. There are fourteen types of organizational development interventions. Some majorly used ones are-diagnostic activities, team-building activities, intergroup activities, survey feedback activities and education training activities and structural activities among few (Wan, 2016). Diagnostic Activities: As the word diagnosis implies, it is about finding causes. To find out the exact way things function in the environment. Methods ranging from building collages to present a persons position in the organization to more traditional methods which could include surveys, interviews, face to face interactions etc. Team-Building Activities: This affects the way the team bonds to function. Activities could be task oriented to diagnose how information moves, roles change, check interdependency etc. Such activities also diagnose the relationship between the leader and subordinates and finds out how functional or amazing it may be. All of this conducted keeping into consideration the possibility of presence of varied teams such as temporary task teams, a formal team or even a cross-functional team. Intergroup Activities: Such activities focus on improving the effectiveness amongst intergroups or groups which are interdependent on each other. Every activity and its resultant is gauged in terms of joint effort. In case of presence of two groups, it could be referred as inter groups and in case, there are more, it is referred to as organizational mirroring. Survey Feedback Activities: Such activities are focussed towards finding out the facts from the survey responses. Based on the facts found, necessary plan of action is prepared. Education and training activities: Such activities are put in place to improve the KSA levels or knowledge, skills and abilities of individuals. Many permutations and combinations to carry out such activities are possible. The activities may be directed toward gaining technical knowledge or skills which specifically could be useful in better task performance or simply improvement of competence. The activities may be around issues pertaining to leadership or functions or responsibilities of members in group. Such as- decision making, problem solving, goal setting, planning etc. Structural Activities: These are relevant to improving the technical or structural inputs as well as obstructions which may be affecting an individual or the group itself. The activities may take the form of The assignment is focused to discuss team building activities as intervention. Team development and group processes interventions aim at improving different aspects of a group performance, such as goal setting, development of interpersonal relations among team members, role clarification and analysis, decision making, problem solving, and communities of practice, among other. One of the most important objective of team building interventions relies on improving interdependency of team members. The underlying premise is that the aggregated value of the team is much greater than any individual. According to Drake Pritchard, (2016), team building is applicable where group activities are interdependent. The objective is to improve the coordination efforts of members, which will resu lt in increasing the teams performance. Team Building activities are customized and rolled out to enhance the ways the teams function. They focus solely on task-related issues like relationship between team member, their leader and team itself, skills and resources required, effectiveness of teams etc. "Teamwork doesn't happen automatically, and it doesn't result just from the exhortations of a single leader. It results from members paying attention to how they are working together, issues that block teamwork and working them through, and consciously developing patterns of working together that all members find challenging and satisfying (Taylor, 2016). Teams often get road blocked on its path of performance owing mostly to group dynamics. It lowers their morale, motivation, enthusiasm, productivity as well as satisfaction from job. Group process facilitation then comes handy. During a team meeting, group change activities, insight oriented activities and experiential activities are usually use by a specialist, an OD consultant, to make the team members aware of their own unique styles when communicating, collaborating, in groups and in conflict resolution. Members develop increased sensitivity towards each others styles and develop understanding of their own team members. This brings about cohesiveness within the group as well as coordination to work towards a common objective. Individuals develop greater self-awareness and the group quality changes for the better. The idea of team building is identification of challenges in performance in a task as well as find solution to eliminate them. Always a new challenge comes up during suc h activities. It is a proven technique by which members of an organizational group find out how they work together and accordingly, plan changes that will improve their overall effectiveness. Team building exercises attempt to improve effectiveness of teams by allowing the members to concentrate on setting goals or priorities for organizational groups, by also analyzing or allocating the way the work is performed, by examining the way the group is functioning, and last but not the least by also examining the relationships among the people in the team doing the work. Thus, the chief objective of team building is to help the group members in examining their own behaviour and developing plan of action that would foster task achievement. Sharing emotions in a group may be effective however, too much sharing of emotions could be destructive and unproductive as well. It could lead to further conflicts that groups tend to avoid such groups often known as T-groups did not work well in organizations as because they gave rise to emotional conflict instead of task conflicts. This further led to non-cooperation among team members and loss of coordination, hence, losing out on task goals. Team members blocked the performance of other by deliberately blocking work, keeping task at hand longer than needed, trust and freedom of expression was lost owing to intolerance. Conclusion To conclude the assignment, organizational development came across as a thorough process very much relevant to todays age. The concepts born in mid-thirties still hold handy. The process comes into play on identification of a problem by the organization which recognizes presence of an issue that needs to be checked or to prepare for the future new organization with revamped values among its workforce. A plan of action is important to start the process of change in organization behaviour and that change must come in the climate of the organization itself. The organization climate is the carrier of the organization towards the planned change. It is the actual environment where the changes planned are implemented. Implementation occurs via various interventions amongst which team building interventions are crucial. In an environment of change it is easy for the team to lose track of why it was created. It may become confused to what its line of action should be in the changing environme nt. Specialists or OD consultants then come in play and correct their behaviour through team activities, group meetings etc. which make them self-aware and shed light also on the group behaviour by use of effective techniques. Reference List Alsop, M., Smith, G. (2016).A Field Guide for Organisation Development: Taking Theory Into Practice. Routledge. Bergmann, A., Grossi, G., Rauskala, I., Fuchs, S. (2016). Consolidation in the public sector: methods and approaches in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.International Review of Administrative Sciences,82(4), 763-783. Biggs, D. M., Swailes, S., Baker, S. (2016). The measurement of worker relations: the development of a three-component scale.Leadership Organization Development Journal,37(1), 2-12. Chumg, H. F., Seaton, J., Cooke, L., Ding, W. Y. (2016). Factors affecting employees' knowledge-sharing behaviour in the virtual organisation from the perspectives of well-being and organisational behaviour.Computers in Human Behavior,64, 432-448. De Vries, H., Van der Poll, H. M. (2016). The influence of Lean thinking on organisational structure and behaviour in the discrete manufacturing industry.Journal of Contemporary Management,13(1), 55-89. Drake, D., Pritchard, J. (2016). Coaching for Organisation Development.The SAGE Handbook of Coaching, 159. Hall, M. (2017). Crafting Compromises in a Strategising Process: A Case Study of an International Development Organisation.Financial Accountability Management,33(2), 171-191. Ille, S., Risso, A., Sanchez Carrera, E. J. (2017). Democratization and inequality: Empirical evidence for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries.Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 0263774X16684521. Lee, K. L., Tui, L. G., Sharif, S. P. (2016). Organisational Context and Citizenship Behaviour: Exploring the Moderating Effects of Role Ambiguity.Jurnal Pengurusan (UKM Journal of Management),47. Rhoden, M. (2016).Construction Management and Organisational Behaviour. John Wiley Sons. Shah, N., Anwar, S., Irani, Z. (2017). The impact of organisational justice on ethical behaviour.International Journal of Business Innovation and Research,12(2), 240-258. Taylor, I. (2016). Why we need a world development organisation.Malaysian Journal of International Relations,3(3). Thomsen, M., Karsten, S., Oort, F. J. (2016). Distance in schools: the influence of psychological and structural distance from management on teachers trust in management, organisational commitment, and organisational citizenship behaviour.School Effectiveness and School Improvement,27(4), 594-612. Wan, H. L. (2016). Organisational Citizenship Behaviour for Organisational Sustainability. InOrganisational Justice and Citizenship Behaviour in Malaysia(pp. 125-152). Springer Singapore. Yaman, S. G., Fagerholm, F., Munezero, M., Mnch, J., Aaltola, M., Palmu, C., Mnnist, T. (2016). Transitioning Towards Continuous Experimentation in a Large Software Product and Service Development OrganisationA Case Study. InProduct-Focused Software Process Improvement: 17th International Conference, PROFES 2016, Trondheim, Norway, November 22-24, 2016, Proceedings 17(pp. 344-359). Springer International Publishing.

Internet censorship in Saudi Arabia

Introduction Saudi Arabia leads other Arab countries in internet censorship by blocking website content from pornography, politics, entertainment, humor and religion among others (Black 203). Internet is heavily censored using â€Å"sophisticated† filtering system run by Internet Services Unit (ISU) that is based at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Internet censorship in Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Western country companies such as Secure Computing and Webscenes, which come from countries that do not censor internet, mainly provide the software for internet filtering. The idea is to block â€Å"immoral† websites to protect the society, but Stein says that this apparently sophisticated filtering system is quite easy to dodge by using proxy servers. This censorship came into effect in 2001 after the Council of Mini sters passed resolution banning internet users within the country from publishing or accessing certain materials on the internet. The censorship is charged to the ISU, which, manage the high-speed data links connecting the country to the rest of the world (Global Internet Freedom Consortium 6). The users in the country subscribe to local service providers who in turn get this connection from the ISU approved central proxy servers. What happens when a user requests a URL address that is blacklisted in the country is that, he/she is directed to a page informing him categorically that access to the page requested is denied, and the government-filtering regime is explained and the reasoning behind it? It also gives a chance to the user to request that some sites be blocked or unblocked (Boler 113). This paper will discuss what different writers think about internet censorship in Saudi Arabia and what people in this country respond to the filtering. This topic is appealing to me in that internet use has revolutionalised the world with information at the fingertips and communication has become extremely easy and efficient. My interest is in understanding internet censorship and the rationalization behind it and the implication to freedom of speech. My assumption is that internet use in Saud Arabia is only restricted in matters of pornography. The research question is to establish the scope of internet filtering in Saudi Arabia. Scope of censorship Jonathan Zittrain discusses the scope of internet censorship in Saudi Arabia and Benjamin Edelman, professors at Harvard Law School, in their report ‘Documentation of Internet Filtering in Saudi Arabia’ published in 2004 by the Harvard Law School.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The report discusses the results of a survey carried out by the Harvard Law School to empirically, determine the s cope and invasiveness of internet filtering in Saudi Arabia by attempting to access around 60,000 web pages on different topics that have been prelisted (Zittran and Edelman 341). The authors found out that, 2,038 pages in their list are blocked and covers topics that include religion, health, education, reference, humor and entertainment. The authors contend that their list of blocked pages in the country is not a perfect representation of content blocked and, therefore, drawing a clear conclusion about the Saudi blocking system is not possible. Zittrain and Edelman say that internet filtering is done by the ISU, a government outfit that implements internet filtering as outlined by the 2001 Council of Ministers Resolution. Local internet service providers connect to the international internet through a Central array of proxy servers, which are under ISU. If a user, requests a blocked page, the ISU administrative web informs him that access is denied on that page, and reasons for do ing this are stated. These are based on Qur’an stipulation of preserving Islamic values by filtering, materials that contradict to Islamic beliefs and culture. In addition to sexually explicit material, ISU web list other prohibited material on drugs, bombs, alcohol, gambling and material that insults Islam religion and Saudi Arabia laws and regulations. Apart from sexually explicit material, the authors say that blocked materials are blocked on the direction of the security bodies in the country. Among the 2038 blocked pages the authors established, 246 of them were on religion, 31 on health and specifically on drugs and abortion, 81 on humor, 251 on entertainment that is music and movies, 13 related to the gay community and 28 relating to swim suits, lingerie, modeling and other non pornographic human images. Other pages blocked were on Middle East politics, organizations, or groups, those containing hostile coverage of Saudi Arabia (Boler 98). In addition, services on circ umventing filtering restrictions, sites on information concerning women, some education and reference materials and of course pornography. This source was able to answer my question on the scope of filtering and the stakeholders involved. In addition, the materials blocked that are not only about pornography and religion but also a wide array of materials on some topics that are helpful to a society. The question that remains is how Saudis think of this and whether there ways of circumventing this filtering. Jennifer Lee, reported in The New York Times, in her article Companies Compete to Provide Saudi Internet Veil† published in November 19, 2003. She discusses the scope of internet censorship in Saudi Arabia. Lee reports of the competition by US companies to provide Saudi Arabia with software that blocks access to websites, which the government deems inappropriate for its users.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Internet censorship in Saudi Arab ia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She quotes several software companies response to the war to win Saudi Arabia censor contract. She says that Saudi Arabia block pornographic sites that are making powerful business in uncensored countries around the world. Others that are blocked are those security agencies feel are sensitive for political or religious reasons. Once, the government buys the software, it customizes it completely. The company providing it has no control over how it is used. Lee continues to say that Saudi Arabia is the most active user of censorship among the Muslim countries where it uses a Royal decree to channel all public internet traffic to and from the country through a single control center, ISU. Among the blocked website are Committee for Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula and the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia. Those sites, which provide the history of the country and with mild political connotations, are blocked. The people of Saudi Arabia respond to internet filtering by dialing up foreign internet service providers, use websites that hide the user’s identity or circumvent the filtering by using pseudo names in websites that are also circumventing the filtering system. It is no wonder that together with Egypt the country has the highest number of blogger many of them women using pseudo names. Lee reports that an official, Dr. Hajery, says that some Saudis are instrumental in the blockage of sites by reporting them to the ISU. He says that his staff receives around 500 suggestions a day and around 100 requests a day to remove from the black list for wrong characterization but in many cases, this is not granted, as there is no mechanism for compelling the government to do so (Stein 118). This article has shed light on my assumption that human rights groups’ sites are blocked and Saudis are not allowed to engage on political debates online since these b logs are blocked. The article further proves that the country deeply censors its internet and media in general for society’s sake yes but also for political reasons. The question that arises is whether keeping people ignorant is helpful to the society in the sense â€Å"what you do not know will not hurt you† or simply it is a selfish way of controlling people opinions by the government. Lee articulates most of the things outlined by Zittrain and Edelman. Conclusion The authors of the sources above are trying to establish the scope of internet censorship in Saudi Arabia. They agree that internet filtering to block pornographic sites and politically charged websites is suitable for a society and national security. However, what has been implemented by Saudi Arabia clearly goes beyond the need to protect society from sexual exploitation and security interests (Stein 217). The contentious issue here is that Saudi Arabia is curtailing the freedom of speech among its popula tion and wants its population to remain ignorant which goes against human rights, which are universal.Advertising Looking for research paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The ordinary Saudis think that their government is protecting their social and cultural values, and from insecurity, that is why they report sites for blocking while many others still to access the blocked sites and contribute views through pseudo names. What the Saudis do not consider is that the government is curtailing their freedom of speech and information. What the stakeholders here have in common is protecting their won interests (Lee 59). The government wants no dissent from the people, while the companies want to make money from their software, and the difference is in their values. My assumption have now been proven that indeed internet censorship is deep in Saud Arabia, and goes beyond protecting society values to violation of human rights. Now that, I have established the scope of internet censorship, the question is whether this has been effective and how effective that is. Reference List Black, Ian. â€Å"Saudia Arabia leads Arab regimes in internet censorship.† The Guardian 30 June 2010: 2. Boler, Megan. Digital Media and democracy: tactics in hard times. USA: MIT Press, 2008. Global Internet Freedom Consortium. Defeat internet censorship: overview of advanced  technologies and products. White Paper. USA: Global Internet Freedom Consortium, 2007. Lee, Jennifer. â€Å"Companies Compete to provide Saudi internet veil.† The New York  Times 19 November 2003: 1A. Stein, Sam. â€Å"Rick Scott tied to internet censorship in Iran and Saudi Arabia.† Huffington  Post 12 May 2009: 3. Zittrain, Jonathan and Edelman, Benjamin. Documantation of internet filtering in Saudi  Arabia. Survey Report. USA: Havard Law School, 2004. This research paper on Internet censorship in Saudi Arabia was written and submitted by user Amare Morrison to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.