Teen Marriage (and Divorce) :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Teen Marriage (and Divorce) Why would a single young female like me write an essay about marriages and divorces? Well I'll tell you why I wrote it. I chose to write my paper on marriages and divorces because I am very interested in how the lengths of marriages among young adults have changed over the years. I'm also interested in why they divorce at such an early time in their marriage. The age and reason of marrying today has changed dramatically over the years. Many young people today are starting to get married at a very young ages and they're doing it all for the wrong reasons. . So start my research I asked myself, how far back in history have young adults been getting married? About states: In Ancient Rome, girls married between the ages twelve and fourteen as well as some young men married at the age of fourteen also. However, during the middle ages, women married as early as fourteen. But men usually waited until they were well on their feet and able to support themselves as well as a wife. In 1371, the average age for women to marry was 16 and the average for men was 24. However the age changed in the year 1427 to men marry in their mid 30's and marrying women about half their age. (1) However that's when marriages were accepted by society. Today young adults aren't married as young, but their marriage doesn't last as long either. For instance, Macaulay Culkin and his ex wife married both at the age of 17, but they ended up getting a divorce with him at the age of 19 and her at the age of 20. Their marriage only lasted for 2 years after they found out that their love for each other was really just a fling. I don't think that they should have been thinking about marriage at that age and point in their lives. They both had their own busy lives which they had already planned out what they wanted to happen. I'm sure neither of them had included the part about getting married at the age of 17. 1 also think that they really weren't as ready as they thought they were. They probably figured that because they feel that they are in love that they should just go ahead and take that extra step and get married to be with each for the rest of their lives, which didn't turn out that way.

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Change your mind, choose your mood Magazines, members of the print media family, have entered the twenty-first century in a state of confusion. Although they are still very much ink on paper products, magazines also reaches people on websites, they are exclusively available in digital form on the internet. At the same time, magazine format, which information organized by topic and theme in an entertaining manner, has been borrowed by television. Thus the magazine is a media product, a medium of communication, and a communication format. Understanding what magazines are and how they have evolved from their beginnings is one of the vital things in understanding what they are today. Many people nowadays ask the question: what differentiates a magazine from a newspaper? Actually it is a necessary question, since in contemporary publishing it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between the two. Generally, a magazine is a published less frequently than a newspaper. It is also manufactured in a different format; usually on better quality paper, bound rather than merely folded, and with some kind of cover. Magazines today then retain their traditional functions. They are a major medium of surveillance, often delivering information ahead of the rest of the media. Some magazines like Time, are intended mainly to inform and others like Playboy, to entertain. However, among the various functions served by magazines in contemporary society, the most notable is still correlation. This refers to interpreting society and its parts, projecting trends, and explaining the meaning of the news by bringing together fragmented facts. The magazine from which we will be discussing an advertisement is categorized as a consumer magazine, called SHAPE. Shape has a specific target audience, mainly woman trying to live a healthy life. This magazine has all kinds of articles, including low-calorie recipes, methods of exercising and ways to dress to look fit. The types of advertisements they publish are mostly related to health; beauty, skin, food and many more. While skimming through this magazine, an ad cau ght my attention. On a white background, starting from the top going vertically; three simple words combine to from the first half of the slogan: "Change your mind" printed in Times new roman, and in black. Slightly beneath it, a color palette make-up case with five circular colors: lime, orange, green, brown and pink. They are in a metal case, with an eye shadow brush (pinceau).

Inclusive education Essay

The concept of inclusion has been adopted as a response to the mandate of Public Law 94-142 or the Education of the Handicapped Act of 1975 which aims to place disabled and mentally-challenged students in non-restricted environments where they have access to equal opportunities in education. Inclusive education is an academic program where children of varying abilities are placed in one class or group and allowed to interact together to facilitate learning. It aims to provide all types of students with equality and exposure to the same learning stimulus that is bound to create various learning experiences to different types of children. And although many educators recognize that this is a breakthrough scheme for integration and intellectual freedom (Porter, 2001), in some cultures, this is the traditional way of teaching preschool children since special classes for attending to disabled children have not yet been developed at that time (Duncan, 2001). The scheme may involve only partial inclusion where special or disabled students can be pulled out anytime from class as the need for it arises. Oftentimes, for this category, another teacher who caters to the specific needs of the disabled students is also present. Full inclusion, on the other hand, is usually applied for disabled or special cases of students with high levels of learning capacities. Similarly, George and Alexander (2003) noted that in cases where tracking or ability grouping could not be totally excluded, partial de-tracking is also a good alternative. Inclusive education is a form of recognition (Friendly and Lero, 2002) and value that goes beyond human rights and equality and is a contributing step to eliminating social exclusion in the community. It promotes active and meaningful participation to all members of a group or class and offer different prospects for the students who experience the different class activities in their own light. They are able to socially interact, treated equally despite cognitive, physical or financial levels and, most importantly, achieve happiness and security. These are the essential elements and goals of inclusive education (Sen, 1999). As the Laidlaw Foundation puts its, it requires an active change in current policies and programs and build community-based foundations that will benefit and develop equal opportunities for both children and families (Friendly and Lero, 2002). On the other hand, early descriptions of inclusive education provide less drastic measures for improvement. Kamps et al.(1994) note that the strategies employed in inclusive learning are cheap measures designed to center on techniques that are less invasive but improves both the academic and social learning of the children (Kamps et al. , 1994). They also add that despite an inclusive program, change will not be truly instituted if the techniques cannot be adapted to current educational classroom systems that are at in place (Kamps & Carta, 1989). The members of the Inclusion InterAmericana (2000) also agree that Inclusive education is a cheaper alternative to provide disabled students access to education as evidence by their limited resources and provision. Cooperative learning is one aspect of inclusive education, where students are classified into smaller learning groups created for the purpose of maximizing learning and development (Johnson et al. , 1990). This type of grouping, also referred to as a heterogeneous classification has aimed to ensure that each student receives the same high class standards of instruction and education. The access of all types of students to these educational practices will allow them to benefit in the same way that others students do (Daniel, 2007). This type of scheme not only follows a mandate to provide children with the equal opportunities in education but also aims to improve the skills of the students relative to the learning levels each child possesses (Yonezawa and Jones, 2006). The children in an inclusive class who, in an ideal situation, are helping each other learn also do not need to be in the same age levels as other students as in the case of a learning strategy in an inclusive set up called cross age tutoring (Barbetta et al., 1991). In contrast to inclusive education, a scheme called homogeneous grouping, or ability grouping or tracking, is a case where students are grouped according to similar cognitive levels. The grouping is done by determining abilities of students through studies on their previous test and activity scores and those with similar abilities are group accordingly (Daniel, 2007). Gamoran and Weinstein (1998), George (1988) and Slavin (1993) all note a lack of evidence that ability grouping is effective. In addition, Vang (2005) discusses the disadvantages of this scheme to students with poor learning abilities, those from the minority and even financially challenged children. As Friendly and Lero (2002) note, exclusion in any form results in not only vulnerability and inability to voice out to the proper forum but also reduces quality and limited capabilities of life experiences. They also stress that a changed path from exclusion will enable social cohesion and improve life prospects. This also applies not only to communities but also to students in classrooms as well.

A Summary of Cyert & March’s Behavioural Theory of the Firm Essay

SUMMARY Cyert and March are concerned with the business firm and the way the business firm makes economic decisions. The authors make detailed observations of the processes and procedures by which firms make decisions, using these observations as a basis for a theory of decision making in business organizations. They argue that one way to understand modern organizational decision making is to supplement the microeconomic study of strategic factor markets with an examination of the internal operation of the business firm-to study the effects of organizational structure and conventional practices on the development of goals, the formation of expectations, and the implementation of choices. At the very outsetset, the authors make four major research commitments: To focus on the small number of key economic decisions made by the firm To develop process-oriented models of the firm To link models of the firm as closely as possible to empirical observations To develop a theory with generality beyond the specific firms studied Cyert and March develop an empirically relevant, process-oriented general theory of economic decision making by a business firm. They present the rudiments of a behavioral theory of the firm that have proven to be relevant both to economic theory and to the theory of complex organizations. The authors then go on to lay out the antecedents to the behavioral theory of the firm. They discuss the theory of the firm, organization theory and certain questions in a revised theory of firm decision making regarding: Organizational Objectives Decision strategies Decision making within strategies To build the behavioral theory of the firm, Cyert and March develop four major subtheories concerning the following: Organizational goals A theory of organizational goals considers how goals arise in an organization, how goals change over time, and how the organization attends to these goals. The organization is described as a coalition of stakeholders, with some of these stakeholders organized into subcoalitions. In a business organization the coalition members also include managers, workers, stockholders, suppliers, customers, lawyers, tax collectors, regulatory agencies, and so on. Clearly then, organizational goals must deal successfully with the potential for internal goal conflicts inherent in a coalition of diverse individuals and groups. Since the existence of unresolved conflicts among organizational stakeholders is a key feature of organizations, it is difficult to construct a useful descriptively accurate theory of the organizational decision-making process if we insist on internal goal consistency. Such a decision-making process need not necessarily produce consistent organizational goals. An important mechanism for dealing with stakeholder conflicts is the sequential attention to conflicting goals. A consequence of this mechanism is that organizations ignore many conditions that outside observers see as direct contradictions. Decentralization of decision making (and goal attention), the sequential attention to goals, and the adjustment in organizational slack that acts as a cushion in down times permit the business firm to make decisions with inconsistent goals under many (and perhaps most) conditions. Organizational expectations A theory of organizational expectations considers how and when an organization searches for information or new alternatives and how information is processed through the organization. Expectations are by no means independent of hopes, wishes, and the internal bargaining needs of subunits in the organization. Information about the consequences of specific courses of action in a business organization is frequently hard to obtain and of uncertain reliability. As a result, both conscious and unconscious biases in expectations are introduced. Thus, local priorities and perceptions obtain. In addition, there is some evidence of more conscious manipulation of expectations. Communication in a complex organization includes considerable biasing and influence activities-and considerable bias correction as well. In addition, organizations often protect themselves from the worst effects of influence activities by focusing on verified data in lieu of uncertain estimates and   using easily checked feedback information. Organizational choice A theory of organizational choice needs to characterize the process by which the alternatives available to the organization are ordered and selected. Organizational decisions depend on information estimates and expectations that ordinarily differ appreciably from reality. These organizational perceptions are influenced by some characteristics of the organization and its procedures. Second, organizations consider only a limited number of decision alternatives. Finally, organizations vary with respect to the amount of resources that such organizations devote to their organizational goals on the one hand and suborganizational and individual goals on the other hand. The firm is considered to be an adaptively rational system in which the firm learns from experience. General choice procedures are summarized in terms of three basic principles: Avoid uncertainty: The firm looks for procedures that minimize the need for  predicting uncertain future events. One method uses short-run feedback as a trigger to achieve action; another accepts (and enforces) standardized decision rules. Maintain the rules: Once the firm has determined a feasible set of decision procedures, the organization abandons them only under duress. Simplify the rules: The firm relies on individual judgment to provide flexibility around simple rules. Organizational control A theory of organizational control specifies the difference between executive choice in an organization and the decisions actually implemented. Organizational control within an organization depends on the elaboration of standard operating procedures. It is hard to see how a theory of the firm can ignore the effect of such organizational procedures on decision-making behavior within the organization. The effects fall into at least four major categories: effects on individual goals within the organization, effects on individual perceptions of the environment effects on the range of alternatives considered effects on the managerial decision rules used. Cyert and March’s basic theory of organizational control assumes the following: Multiple, changing, acceptable-level goals An approximate sequential consideration of alternatives Uncertainty avoidance Cyert and March propose two major organizing devices: a set of variable concepts and a set of relational concepts. The variable concepts discussed previously are organizational goals, organizational expectations, organizational choice, and organizational control. There are also four major relational concepts: Quasi-Resolution of Conflict In keeping with numerous theories of organizations, Cyert and March assume that the coalition in an organization is a coalition of members having different personal goals. Members require some procedure for resolving conflicts, such as acceptable-level decision rules, sequential attention to goals, or both. Uncertainty Avoidance The authors submit that organizations typically try to avoid uncertainty. First, organizations avoid the requirement that they correctly anticipate events in the distant future by using decision rules emphasizing short-run reactions to short-run feedback, rather than anticipation of long-run uncertain events. Second, organizations avoid the requirement that they anticipate future reactions of other parts of their environment by arranging a negotiated environment. Organizations impose plans, standard operating procedures, industry tradition, and uncertainty-absorbing contracts on that environment. Problemistic Search Cyert and March’s behavioral models assume that search, like decision making, is problem directed. Problemistic search means search that is stimulated by a problem (usually a rather specific one) and is directed toward finding a solution to that problem. Such organizational search is assumed to be motivated, simple-minded, and biased. This bias may reflect training or  experience of various parts of the organization. This bias may reflect the interaction of hopes and expectations, and communication biases are expected to reflect unresolved conflicts within the organization. Organizational learning To assume that organizations go through exactly the same processes as individuals go through seems unnecessarily naive, but organizations exhibit (as do other social institutions) adaptive behavior over time. Cyert and March focus on adaptation with respect to three different phases of the decision process: adaptation of goals, adaptation in attention rules, and adaptation in search rules. They submit that organizations change their goals, shift their attention, and revise their procedures for search as a function of their experience. REVIEW In this book the authors adopt a problem driven way of analysis. For example, when there are conflicts, the authors let the firm to set these conflicts as constraints and solve out a possible solution. In the modern context, this could make organizations weak. Organizations must be dynamic in anticipating problems and mitigating them or adapt to them and benefit accordingly. Cyert and March have shown how to construct behavioral models of firm-level decision making and indicate the basic theoretical framework within which such models are embedded. Cyert and March’s behavioral theory of the firm can be applied to price and output decisions, internal resource allocations, innovations, competitive dynamics, and predictions of other organizations’ behavior. However, an underlying assumption of rationality has been made. Behavioral theory must also study the possibility of non-rational decisions or unpredictable outcomes of rational decisions. Reference: Cyert, R. M., & March, J. G. (1992). A Behavioral Theory of the Firm. _Cambridge, Mass_.

National Statistics of Health Essay

Government statistics The office of National Statistics providing a large range of health and care issues, Publications includes Social Trends and, for more detailed information on health issues, Health Statistical Quarterly. The publication provide a wide range of statistics on birth rates and death rates; infant mortality rate and suicide rates as well as appointments GP’s surgeries and hospital admissions, and these are looked into as social class, gender, age and geographical location. Government statistics also includes the morbidity rates rather than just the mortality rates, which is the amount of people in a specified period of particular diseases in probably a year. They question if it has increased or decreased, then for to be more open and specific they look in to sex, age, geographical location and social class. They will precisely measure the morbidity rates, measured in terms of prevalence of a disease; the total number of cases of specific disease in a certain time and population. Mortality rates and infant mortality rates are usually made for a indicator of health and well-being of population as a whole. Health and well being may be declining within those groups is assumed is a sign, when they are higher or rising in a particular location, or among a particular social group leads to this lie in their social and economic environment. Mortality rates are collected from the official and necessary registration of death. Mortality rates are gathered from the different sources counting GP and hospital appointments, hospital admissions and the registration well known diseases. There has been more according of measuring levels of ill health. Difficulties in measuring health Always important to quote the source of the data when referring to statistics and using them in your work. Statistics should always be treated with awareness. You may not get an accurate picture of health and ill health when the statistics are gathered from official sources. For example some people who aren’t ill assume they are and attend to the doctors, and the ones that are don’t proceed to go to the doctors. Doctors could also assume two different diagnoses, for example one of the patients has been described as depressed just because they feel low and have no energy, as the other patient could be diagnose by post- viral fatigue syndrome. Another doctor  could simply say it’s an result of just them not wanting to go to work. Social class and patterns of health and illness Social Class is linked to health because of four different reasons highlighted in the Black Report, The artifact approach is where the data between the higher and lower classes is not accurate enough, it’s a result of the way the data is source and collected. The social selection explanation is when people who are fitter and in better health have a better chance of being employed in better jobs. In comparison to people in lower social groups according to this theory will suffer more ill health and premature death because they are naturally less healthy and fit. Cultural explanations is when lifestyle choices are made regarding diet, smoking, exercise have an impact and make people less healthy than others in the higher social groups. People from the lower class occupations work in more manual situations than the upper class occupations. This can have a bad effect on the manual workers health as they are exposed to lifting and harmful environments. Statistics are treated with c aution however there is a great amount of evidence that health, ill health and life expectancy are unsure according to social group and importantly social class. People with a higher class are living better and enjoying better health, rather than the lower social group. The Black (Townsend et al), report the most influential modern studies that consider the reasons of differences. And following of by that are the Acheson Report (1998) defining and explaining comprehensive explanations of the relationships, with in the social and environment factors and health illness and life expectancy. The Black Report introduced four types of explanations of ways that will account for the differences in levels of illness and life expectancy, experienced by variety of social classes. The researches were made to think that the changes in health and well being were affected by how much their pay rate is; their income which then affects the environment they live in, quality and housing. There are four sociological explanations, 1 the statistical artefact explanation, 2 material or structural explanations, 3 cultural or behaviour explanations and number 4, the natural or social selection. The statistical artefact explanation The Black Report explains that the differences could not be defined by the point that the statistics produced a biased picture. They disagreed with people in the lower social class had a higher number of older people and people working in the usual ways to be in more dangerous industries , and would expect that they would have higher levels in illness, then the more younger people working in offices, cal centres and the other services industries. This shows that it’s not much of a social class more about the age, structure and patterns of employment of people, in the lowest classes which really describe the differences. Recently there has still been shown of links between the low social class and high levels of illness and lower life expectancy even when it has been researched for the bias in employment and age. Natural or Social selection The reason for illness is apparently associated to having low wages, poverty, poor housing making people ill in the lower social class. It’s also been said that there is higher infant mortality rates and lower life expectancy for adults; however, it is the other way round. The people in the lower social class being in poor health aim for promotions and success. On the other had this explanation for sociologist is denied , they think because there is evidence to show that ill health is caused by the deprived reason other than making it happen. Cultural or behavioural explanations This concentrates on the choices and life decision people make, their life styles and behaviour in the lower social classes. They explain evidence with people in lower class, smoke more, drink more, eat more junk food and have lack in exercise, according to having a poor life style. Also are more likely to die of heart disease, form of cancer, bronchitis and diabetes all because of the poor lifestyle choices. They smoke and drink to help them cope with their life difficult circumstances that come across, not the other way round. Material or structural explanations The material explanation is known to think the social groups for whom life expectancy is less, and the infant whom mortality rates are to go higher. Suffering poorer health then the other groups, straight forward explanation for that are inequalities in wealth and income. Poverty occurs when having  low incomes, which then leads to having poor diets, lacking in everything else they need to live every day.

Across the Nightingale Floor

Suitable for students, Australian literature comprises of a variety of thought-provoking concepts that challenge readers’ minds, as opposed to the simple texts that students are confronted with nowadays. A mythic novel, Across the Nightingale Floor is an example of modern literature that most students read these days. A highly praised novel, it has received awards such as the German Youth Literature Prize. Written by the pseudonymous Australian author, Lian Hearn embraces a contemporary writing style, and her novel shows little resemblance to that of Australian literature. Based on high recommendations from my peers and seeing that the novel was intended for teens of both genders, I was compelled to explore this novel. Although a well written quest, I believe that it is an inappropriate book for high school study due to its incomplex storyline and weak moral sense. In the mythic novel, Takeo, a young boy living in the Three Countries, is on a quest to kill Iida, the callous leader of the Tohan clan, after Iida burnt Takeo’s village and killed his family. Takeo is taken in by Lord Shigeru and begins training as a warrior. Having being brought up by the Hidden, a peaceful clan who are against war, Takeo demonstrates reluctance to kill. This creates problems in his training and his teacher is determined to help him overcome this. Across the Nightingale Floor takes on a traditional and contemporary trend, incorporating ideas such as teenage love and arranged marriages. Gender discourses are embedded within the novel and are shown through the domination of males over females. Being a female, Kaede is without freedom and is forced into an arranged marriage with no objection. Lord Iida on the other hand, being a domineering male, overpowers Kaede. The majority of the novel consists of a war discourse which is apparent through the feud between Lord Shigeru and Iida. Family discourses are also seen at the very beginning of the novel with Takeo’s family. Contrasting themes are cleverly entwined, as the novel revolves around strong themes such as love, beauty, honour, vengeance and death. Love is portrayed through many parts of the novel; Takeo and Kaede, Lord Shigeru and Lady Maruyama and all the friendships and alliances that Takeo and Kaede make throughout the novel. Beauty is shown through Kaede’s striking appearance which men die for. Honour is seen in Kaede’s obligation to marry, as well as Takeo’s pledge to avenge Iida. Vengeance and death are portrayed in both Iida and Lord Shigeru’s death, and is also present throughout the entire novel as Takeo seeks to kill Iida. In terms of moral perspectives, Across the Nightingale Floor does not depict conceptions of peace as it holds many unethical ideas. Although mentioned early in the novel, Takeo’s religious upbringing is overlooked as his trainings as a warrior requires him to kill. Iida’s vindictive character is emphasized through his intentions of strengthening his power base by destroying defenceless villages. Innocent village inhabitants are brutally punished by Iida through methods such as suspending them in midair to be further eaten alive by crows. Such immoral concepts would not be suitable for school students to absorb. While the novel contains figurative language, it is also accompanied by plain prose which dissatisfies the story, and the reader’s opportunity to broaden their vocabulary is miniscule. Through the course of the novel, the reader follows three perspectives: The protagonist, Takeo, Kaede, and the narrator. Much confusion is brought about as the story switches from first person to third person, and a considerable level of concentration is required. The reader is needed to position themself in three perceptions, as well as being able to sympathize for both Takeo and Kaede. The novel’s intermittent pace also further complicates things as the author fails to describe the situations in detail. An example of this is the death of Takeo’s family. Although Takeo’s grievance for his dead family is obvious, it is difficult for the reader to sympathize for him due to their lack of understanding of his family bonds, caused by a deficiency in information. It can be easily assumed that the imagery contained in Across the Nightingale Floor is based on feudal Japan. A tell-tale sign of quests, the maps at the very beginning of the book lead to this preconception. Although this is the case, very little references are made to the surroundings within the novel, consequently decreasing the reader’s ability to visualize the exotic Japanese backdrop. Most of the characters’ thoughts are incoherent within the novel. Takeo’s thoughts on his new-found supernatural powers are unheard of, as well as what he thinks of having to use weapons, something which disagrees with his anti-war nature. As the antagonists of the novel, Iida and his men are undeveloped characters and do not seem to make much progress throughout the novel. They are not given a chance to portray their strengths, nor are they seen to fall. Because Takeo’s role as a warrior conflicts his reluctance to kill, his personality is divided thoroughout the whole novel. Takeo takes the centre of the many conflicts between the other characters, and this mainly influences and emphasizes his divided nature. As a result, Takeo’s issues remain at the end of the novel and he is unable to resolve them. It is evident that Australian literature is gradually dominated by simple texts and to my disappointment, Across the Nightingale Floor further highlights this issue. While its intended audience is young adults, I would recommend this novel for primary school students, due to its simple-crafted language and easy to grasp concepts. Although it may not be suitable for teens, as a children’s novel, Across the Nightingale Floor is an enjoyable read.

Personality and the Workplace Paper Situational Analysis Essay

Personality and the Workplace Paper Situational Analysis - Essay Example For the purpose of this study, humanistic or existential will be the personality perspective in focus. The scenario will involve two parties of equal rank who will develop a conflict based on perceived socio-cultural differences. Both of them are associated to cultural groups, have had no significant histories of conflict with co-workers and are both being considered for promotion. Humanistic perspective will be applied to the analysis of the scenario with a particular focus on how personality affected the situation. In doing so, recommendations for the resolution of the existing conflict and preventing future ones can be determined. The conflict develops between the Product Development Manager (PDM) and the Sales Manager (SM) of a company due to the former's proposition that the new product, a new type of breakfast cereal should acquire halal certification. The PDM believes that gaining such a certification, reflecting that the product conforms to Muslim religious conditions for food preparations will reflect the product's sensitivity to the Muslim community and follow the merchandising strategies being implemented by international retail companies (Patton, 2006). However, the SM believes that because of considering the existing delay in the launching of the product, the certification has to be foregone and furthermore, he believes that the certification will not impact significantly the sales performance of the product which he considered as his primary priority. Interview of both managers reveal that though they often have had to work together, they have little knowledge of the other's private life. Upon further review, there seems to be also little common ground in their backgrounds. The PDM migrated to the country from Pakistan in his teens with his family because of threats of violence from extremist Muslims. His father supported their family by being through his professorship in one of the city's leading universities. He grew up in a traditional household and has had strong ties to the Muslim community particularly in the promoting cultural and social awareness. He believes strongly in social and religious tolerance and often deliberately avoids having to voice out personal opinions on sensitive socio-cultural issues. In contrast, the SM has been often described as and "all-American guy". He grew up in a predominantly Caucasian community and has strong ties with community through his involvement in local sports and recreation clubs. His interest in business was encouraged by his parents, both of whom had very successful business careers. He is very task-oriented, young in comparison to the other managers, has very strong opinions and does not hesitate to express himself. Analysis In the case presented, the contrasting personalities of the PDM and SM contribute to their conflict. Since part of conflict is being attributed to race, ethnicity or culture, there is heightened sensitivity in the reaction of the parties involved (Kibria, 2000). Because these factors are considered intimately with identity and self-esteem, communication and interaction can be significantly impeded (Reeve, 2005). Current research show that personality interaction is greatly influenced by external factors, particular if such factors impact social perceptions or characterizations (Biesanz et al,