What a Multinational Company?

What a Multinational Company? 1- Introduction: For better understanding this is important to discuss what a multinational company is in first place. In short words multinational company can be defined as a company or an organization that serves or produce in more than one country is known as multinational company. Other names use for such kind of organizations is Multinational Corporation (MNC), Transnational Corporation (TNC) or Multinational Enterprise (MNE). Multinational organization can be engaged in manufacturing, services or the exploitation of natural resources in the operating countries. Different writers described different definition of multinational companies. According to Moore Lewis (1999, P. 21) stated that â€Å"an enterprise that engages in foreign direct investment (FDI) and own or controls value adding activities in more than one country is known as multinational enterprise†. As Jones (1996, p.4) says â€Å"An MNE is usually defined as firm that controls operations or income generating assets in more than one country.† There is a long list of multinational firms like Sony, Nestle, Wal-Mart Stores, General Motors, Ford Motor, ConocoPhillips Microsoft, Nokia, Toyota Motors, Intel, Coco-Cola, Sony, IBM, Nike and Citigroup etc. Now the main question is about the multinational companies of different origin adopt different approaches of HRM practices. To discuss this section this is really important to discuss the HRM practices in first place, to define what HRM is and then its practices will be discussed throughout this essay step by step, and then practices of HRM in broader context for the MNCs or MNEs. HRM is modern word use in the businesses, which can be defined as â€Å"a model of personnel management that focuses on the individual rather than taking collective approach†. (www.dictionary.bnet.com). As Pennington Edwards (2000, P. 4) stated that â€Å"Human Resource Management (HRM) is a new way of thinking about how people should be managed as employees in the workplace†. It can be classified into two schools of thoughts.i.e. Hard HRM Soft HRM. Both types of HRM are under studies of different authors in detail. Now to concentrate on the question directly a survey is going to be under studies â€Å"Country of origin effects and HRM in multinational companies† which took place in 2007 by P. Edwards et al. In which he discussed 302 UK based multinational companies, which cover both UK owned and overseas owned companies. This study will play an important part in the essay to get the conclusion either multinational companies of different nationalities have different HRM approaches and practices or not. 2- Challenges In Multinationals According to Brett, Jeanne Kristin, 2006, international businesss nature is going under a sea change. The globalisation, multi-nationalisation, and the geographical diversification is pushing companies towards change in their management structure and style. Multinationals now need to consider regional market conditions and develop strategies to cater to each of the regional markets. Culture Shock Culture shock is the big challenge for multinationals, the difference brings the different thinking ways and working ways, and it needs time to adjust it. In most cases the expatriate manager prefer to emphasize and require the home office or home country values on the host countrys employees instead of accepting and learning within the new culture. (Adler, 2002) Lack Of Cross Cultural Training In fact, most multinationals ignore this training program during the staffing management. However, the better understanding about culture block can help managers to improve the effectiveness of staffing management. For example, The managers at Bell Canada were totally asked be training about Muslim laws of drinking and the treating of women there before he or she assigned a project for Saudi Arabia such like constructing the telephone system in there. (Adler, 2002) Family Problems Family problem for PNC manager is another challenge. The overseas employees always think of their family. Sometime, such emotion will effect the concentrations in their work. These difficulties are usually underestimated. What the organization should do is to assist expatriates family to adapt their new environment. (Dolan, 1996) 3- HRM Functions In MNCs Team members of multinational companies come from different countries with the different culture, economic, religions and habits. All of these differences bring the different thinking and working methods, thus, how to manage the multicultural team is a big challenge for the HRM in the multinationals. In the article â€Å"Managing multicultural team†, the author states that â€Å"Communication in Western cultures is typically direct and explicit. In many other cultures, meaning is embedded in the way the message is presented. The differences can cause serious damage to team relationships† (Jeanne Breeet , Kristin Behfar, and Mary C. Kern, 2007) . Retaining Subsidiary Staffs Retention It can be argued that the retention of staffing in the multinationals subsidiary conducts huge influence. The transfers between the PCNs, HCNs and the TCNs are the big issues in the staffing management strategy. Scolders identify that the HCNs and TCNs who are sent to the corporate headquarters (HQ) called inpatriates. As this article mentioned before, the ethnocentric approach, the polycentric approach, the regioncentric approach, and the geocentric approach are the four major nationality staffing policies in the international staffing, by analyzing the complex and the new situation appear in the relationships between the HQ and subsidiary, B. Sebastian Reiche (2007) explores the international stiffing-related retention strategies . Firstly, he claims that a pluralistic and consensus-driven approach to international staffing enhances the retention capacity of international staffing practices through increased responsiveness to and involvement of the respective local unit. He states that the knowledge and skill from the local staff can help multinationals to reduce the risk and culture-bound in the local market. He also believes that this approach can improve the loyalty of local staffs, and the local staff can achieve individual career plan to cohere the institutional development plan. At the same time, he states that the PCNs still act as the vital role for informal controlling and coordination in the multinational companies. Secondly, he indicates that expatriation of local staff can help to retain the MNCss retention. In this approach, he states that the â€Å"inpatriates can share their social and contextual knowledge of the subsidiary environment with managers at the HQ. And also inpatriates tend to be accepted by HCNs more willingly than foreign personnel.† HRM is all concern about the employees at the work place, but the demands from HRM gone up as the education rate grown up. As Pennington and Edwards (2004, P.4) stated that â€Å"As a level of education become higher, a greater proportion of the population world wide expect more than fair treatment, they seek a range of intrinsic rewards such as job satisfaction, a degree of challenge, a sense of career progression and satisfying relation with co workers†. Selection Recruiting:- The main function of HRM is selecting and recruiting, no matter the firm is domestic or multinational. Staffing issue for domestic managers and MNCs managers are not very different for recruiting for the middle management or ground floor workers, but for selecting and recruiting of top management then the choices come like parent country national (PCNs), Host country national (HCNs) or third country national (TCNs). According to Parlmutter (1989) divided into three main categories. ‘Ethnocentric where top management favours PCNs managers, who are posted abroad for a period of time. ‘Polycentric where top management give choice to subsidies to fulfil management posts themselves, and ‘Geocentric when top management recruits managers globally and post them anywhere in the world. For example Japanese style of HRM dont rely on interviews and job advertisements, they select the people from the universities and the most top MNCs can afford the students from the most prestigious university. According to Keeley (2001, P.62) stated that â€Å"unlike the most Western companies detailed job description rarely exist. The company seeks to determine if the prospective employee has the type of personality that fits in well with the atmosphere at the company.†While US MNCs rely on â€Å"interview must† attribute of HRM practices in their subsidies. In China, they had no selection processes per se when they first started. Senior managers were appointed by community government-officials. Most of the new hires were based on employee referrals. Selection criteria were based on nepotism and contacts. Hiring decisions are influenced by the following in china: A persons ability to perform the technical requirements of the job A personal interview A persons ability to get along well with others already working here Having the right connections (e.g. school, family, friends, region, government, etc.) The companys belief that the person will stay with the company An employment test in which the Person needs to demonstrate their Skills Proven work experience in a similar job A persons potential to do a good job, even if the person is not that good when they first start How well the person will fit in the companys values and ways of doing things Future co-workers opinions about whether the person should be hired (Huczynski, Andrzej / Buchanan, David, 2001) A most important attribute in Japanese style of HRM is called â€Å"Shushinkoyo† which means life or long term employment. This is considered the success key of Japanese HRM as stated by Keeley (2001, P.65) â€Å"Nevertheless, a number of scholars both Japanese and non Japanese have praised ‘Shushinkoyo and have attributed the success of Japanese enterprises to its practice.† Here this shows that multinational companies from Japan apply different approach for selection the new recruits while US MNCs rely on a different phenomena of selection and recruitment. Performance Appraisal:- This is the HR attribute which has significant attention from both academics and practitioners, the appraisal system in US MNCs use to reduce the labour force as stated in Edwards (2007, P. 40) that â€Å"some US companies, GE for instance, have become known for using the appraisal system to remove the lower- performing employees from the workforce on a regular basis and /or to identify those in need of ‘remedial action for their performance level.† But in Japanese MNCs the companies gives the life time or long term employment as mentioned by Keeley (2001) that it is one of the best attribute of Japanese HRM in small Japanese enterprises or Japanese MNCs. Differences can b seen in the Edwards (2007) survey of Japanese and US multinational companies based in UK, where he stated that â€Å"US companies are more likely to emphasise the importance of behaviour in relation to corporate values, while Japanese firms give lower importance rating to quantitative or qualitative i ndividual evolution criteria, and criteria based on corporate values.† In large organizations the performance review on periodic basis, this is second task of organizations HR departments, after hiring an employee and on the basis of performance employee get bonuses, promotions and rewards. Performance appraisals give opportunity to the workers (individual/group) to get prepare for the future goals of firm. Pay, Compensations, Rewards Benefits:- Compensations like hourly wages and annual salaries while benefits are like life insurance, pensions and sick pays etc. According to Cherrington (1995) stated that compensation should be legal and ethical, adequate, motivate and fair, and should be able to give employment security to the worker. Pay compensation and rewards are not really different from each other, but in simple words rewards is the term use to motivate and to get the future goals by means of workforce for an organization, the reward system plays an important role, by reward (individual/group) the workers get appreciation and get themselves more committed to the firm. These are the some of the main features and functions of any (domestic/MNCs) firm HR department. In Japanese style of HRM they use a Japanese term ‘Nenko Joretsu which means seniority system, where in Japanese HR management the wages goes up with the age and experience, as stated in Keeley (2001, P. 76) said that â€Å"though nenko is most often translated as ‘seniority†. While US and Europe MNCs apply the performance related pay system. This is the most important phenomena of MNCs HR system when they go to borderless business. According to Edwards (2007, P. 46) stated in his survey that â€Å"Nationality has some effects. For example, American firms are likely to give organisational performance a higher importance rating for the KEY GROUP than others firms. UK firms are more likely emphasis individual output measures for LARGEST OCCUPATIONAL GROUP.† It shows the difference in attribute of HR practices and approaches in multinational firms. Training Development:- This is one of the important as well as crucial task for HR department for a firm operating globally, in this area of HRM multinational companies of different origin follow different approaches, for example according to Tung (1981) stated that â€Å"by comparing US, European and Japanese corporations, Americans firms it seems tend to underestimate the importance of training, whereas most European and Japanese organizations see this as a highly important area of attention†. The objectives and goals of training and development are to make sure the skilled and willing workers are available in the organization. Training and development are important to create a smarter working environment. In China, medium and large companies have formal training programmer and many have established special facilities for teaming purposes. Because of the lower educational level in the rural areas, the quality of the rural labour force is significantly in urban areas. Experienced, well-qualified staffs are in short supply. To disadvantage of hiring Key personnel from a shallow pool of talent, they invest heavily in training. Training is an important investment in human capital. Training improves an individuals performance and increase organizational effectiveness. (Ahlstrom Garry, 2001) Japanese MNCs pay less attention to training and development attribute of HRM, the reason might be the less mobility of workers in the Japanese firms, as they use the term ‘Shushinkoyo. According to Keeley (2001, P. 88) stated that â€Å"A study of the Japan Productivity Centre found differences in the attitudes towards training in Japanese and American firms.† Where Keeley stated that from the study and respond of both countries towards training issue were positive but American firms were strong and more positive then the Japanese firms and he also stated that Japanese firms arrange training on ‘request basis. A strategy which makes a firm successful is not easy to implement when they go beyond the borders, because of the barriers which might be language, religion, culture and legislations etc. As Keeley (2007, P.89) stated that â€Å"HR practices which makes a firm successful in domestic environment are difficult to implement in their overseas subsidiaries.† 4- HRM Approach In Multinational Firms: Now in this essay some of the multinational firms characteristics will be studied to see do they get affected by the country where they belong to in their HR practices and approaches or not? There are many MNCs, the country which has most MNCs is USA, and after that are Europe, Japan and Germany. There are many writers who discussed the issue of ownership and HRM in MNCs like Evan, Lank and Farquhar (1977), Barlett Goshal (1989), Rozenzweig Nohria (1994) and Innes Morris (1995) etc, which prove that the issue of ownership has been in discussion from ages, as according to Economist (1995) said that â€Å"the issue of ownership is central to the number of important policy related and academic debate in the area of HRM and IR, One line of argument is that, with increasing globalization MNCs are becoming stateless players, detached from individual nation states†. MNCs of different origin work in the host country by applying its local mechanism of HR practices and approaches, because it is not possible to work and apply 100% approaches of the parent country, as according to Rozenzweig Nohria (1994) said that â€Å"a rank and file IR issues are more likely to exhibit ‘local isomorphism †. There are many arguments about the affection of country of origin on MNCs HR practices, the reasons are many for MNCs to adopt different approaches of HRM, as Ferner (1997) described that â€Å"in short, it is imperative to take into account the dynamic of nationality as a factor affecting the behaviour of MNCs. The modernization of political institutions, the rapid pace of technology, the internationalization of product itself and changing pattern of international market and competition, all are likely to modify to pre existing national structure although not necessarily in the direction of convergence of different national systems on a si ngle model†. Now the essay will point out some differences in Chinese and American Human Resource Managements. China is one of the fastest growing economy of the world, according to Zhu (2005, P.2) explained that â€Å"the past two and half decades of reforms and impressive economic growth have witnessed an unprecedented enthusiasm for the establishment of foreign invested enterprises (FIEs). Many foreign companies have expended their operations into china, attracted mainly by the sheer size of its potential market†. There are many multinational firms in China like Aluminium Corp (ACH), China Petroleum Chemical Corp (SNP) and China Unicom (CHU) etc. The main practice of HRM is selection and recruitment as mentioned above, and the difference between the process of selection of Chinese and USA approach is, in USA model of HRM job interview is essential for filling a major position, while in Chinese HRM mostly jobs are allocated by government and interview process is not common. In reward system the USA model of HRM offers a variety of incentives system, while Chinese HRM system is different from USA, in Chinese system salary ranges are narrow, group reward system is common, but the pay system is more motivate than American pay system. In performance appraisal USA model of HRM believes in two way communication, while in Chinese model supervisor have absolute power and authority to evaluate subordinates, in USA participative management is welcome and encourage, but in Chinese HRM collective leadership is common, and in major decision making, the involvement of workers is symbolic. The difference can be seen in different origin or nationality MNCs that the US MNCs are significantly more like to collect information on employee attitude bring together HR managers from different countries and use HR international shared services, Japanese organizations are less likely to collect data centrally, while French origin MNCs acting more likely in US style of HRM practices, and German origin MNCs firms follow Japanese style of HRM practices. (Jackson, 2002) The best example is British American Tobacco (BAT), which is operating in a number of countries in the world, i.e. Pakistan, South Africa, UK, Japan, Saudi Arabia and many more. As this is an American based firm, and American have an ‘interview must attribute in their HR practices, they apply the same approach for selecting and recruiting in the host country Pakistan, and the adopt some practices of Pakistan HRM practices (host country) like monthly payment of salaries instead of weekly wages, so its means BAT reflected their parent country HRM practices in some ways and in subsidies like UK, BAT apply the same HR practices and approaches as the parent country have, because the culture difference is not very distinct from each other i.e. UK and USA. (www.bat.com) (self experience as a worker of BAT in Pak) 5- Conclusion This essay was carried out to see, do multinational organizations of different origin have different approaches to international human resource management? There were some evidences that showed the answer as ‘Yes they get affected by its country of origin in on or other way, but it is also proved that the most of MNCs adopt ‘the best fit policy when MNCs start operating in a host country, because of the obstacles in the host country, i.e. language, religion, norms and values, culture and legislations. Writers in HRM field have different opinion about the behaving of MNCs, so the best option for MNCs is to apply the ‘best fit approaches of the HRM practices, means combination of both (Parent Host countries) HRM practices. The issue of ownership country of MNC has been in discussion for ages, but still there is not a 100% accurate answer came out as according to Ferner (1997) said that â€Å"but existing research has failed to systematically explore differences†. All these discussion and researchers efforts bring the conclusion that in some HR attributes in MNCs they follow the a universal approach while in some they follow the different approaches in HR practices, according to the survey by Edwards (2007) stated that â€Å"throughout the report, we have noted the persistent influence of nationality. There are clear national differences in all four area of HR/ER: Pay performance, Learning development, employee involvement and employee representation.† But the bottom line can be that: yes! Multinational firms of different origin can be effected by the parent country HR practices when the run business in other part of the world instead of the home country. There are some obstacles for multinational companies which can stop them to apply the 100% parent country HR practices in their subsidies like legislation of the host country, rules and regulation and more, there is term used in Edwards (2007, P.29) survey of Multinational companies in UK called discretion or local autonomy. Which shows multinational companies of different origin give the power of decision making and freedom to their subsidies? In that survey the high discretion power firms are Japanese, which means Japanese multinational companies give more freedom to their subsidies comparatively to American, French and other Multinational firms of different origin. But another thing can be the law enforcement of subsidies (host Country), the example can be Germany where the rules and regulation are strict so the difference in practices of HR of a multinational firm would not be as bigger as in Pakistan, because of the law enforcement, like differences would be less in Europe but it would be greater in Asia. Reference And Bibliography Acuff, F. (1984) International and Domestic Human Resource Functions: Innovations in International Compensation. New York: Organization Resources Counsellors, pp. 3-5. Bartlett, C., Goshal, S. (1989) Managing across Borders : The Transnational Solution, Boston, Harvard Business School Press. Briscoe, R.D. Schuler, R.S (2004) International Human Resource Management; 2nd Ed, New York, Prentice Hall. Cherrington, D, J. (1995) the management of human resources; Enkweed Cliff, NJ: Printice Hall. Edwards, P. at al. (2007) employment practices of multinational companies in organisational context: Available at: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/wbs/projects/mncemployment/conference_papers/full_report_july.pdf Ferner, A (1997) ‘Country of origin effects and HRM in Multinational companies, Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 7, no.1, 19 28 Ferner, A. (2000) ‘The embeddedness of US multinational companies in the US business system: implementation of HR/IR. Harzing, W. A. Ruysseveldt, V.J. (1995) International Human Resource Management; London, SAGE Publications Ltd. Harzing, W. A. Ruysseveldt, V.J. (2004) International Human Resource Management; 2nd ed. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Jemison, D, B. Sitkin, S, B (1986) Corporate acquisition: A process perspective. Academy of Management Review, 11, 145 163 Jackson, T. (2002) International HRM: A cross cultural approach, London; SAGE publications Ltd. Jones, G. (1996) The Evolution of International Business: An Introduction; London, Routledge. Keeley, T.D. (2001) International Human Resource Management in Japanese firms. Hampshire: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN. KPMG (Ed) (1999) unlocking shareholder value: The keys to success. London Maund, L. (2001) An Introduction to Human Resource Management: theory and practice; Basingstoke, Palgrave. Moore, K. Lewis, D. (1999) Birth of Multinational; Denmark, AKA Print. Ozbilgin, M. (2005) International Human Resource Management Theory and Practice. Hampshire: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN. Parlmutter, H.V (1969) ‘the tortuous evolution of the multinational corporation, Columbia Journal of World Business, 4 (1), pp. 9 18 Pennington, A. Edwards, T (2000) Introduction to Human Resource Management; New York, Oxford University Press Inc. Pucik, V. (1984) ‘the international management of Human Resources, in: Fombrum, C.J. Tichy, N.M. and Devana, M.A. (eds.) Strategic HRM. New York: Wiley, pp. 403 419. Rozenzweig, P Nohria, N. (1994) ‘Influence of human resource management practices in multinational corporation Journal of International Business Studies, Vol.25, no.2, 229 251 Stopford, J. M. Turner, L. (1985) Britain And The Multinationals; Chichester, JOHN WILEY SONS. Tayab, H.M. (2005) International Human Resource Management: A Multinational Company Perspective; New York, Oxford University Press Inc. The, economist. (1995). ‘A survey of multinationals. 24th June Tung, R.L. (1981) ‘Selecting and training of personnel for overseas assignments, Columbia Journal of World Business, 16 (1), pp.68 78. www.bat.com [online] Access date: 01st Aug 2009 Available at: http//:www.bat.com/group/sites/UK_3MNFEN.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO6Z2KVH?opendocumentSKN=1 Zhu, C.J. (2005) Human Resource management in China: Past, current and future HR practices in the industrial sector; New York, Routledge Curzon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffing International dimensions of human resource management, Peter J. Dowing Randall s. Schuler, page 4 Managing the global work force: Challenges and strategies, Academy of Management Executive, Roberts,K.Kossek,E.E., and Ozeki,C(1998) 12(4): 6-16 Adler,N.J.(2002) International dimensions of Organizational behavior, 4th edn Shimon L. Dolan. International HRM Ecole de relations industrielles, Case postale 6128 Montreal, 1996 Brett, Jeanne; Behfar, Kristin; Kern, Mary C.. Harvard Business Review, Nov2006, Vol. 84 Issue 11, p88 (AN 22671287) Edstrom, A., Galbraith, J. R. (1977). Transfer of managers as a coordination and control strategy in multinational organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22: 248-263. David G. Collings, Hugh Scullion and Michael J. Morley, Journal of World Business 42.2 (June 2007): p200. Tahvanainen, M., Welch, D., Worm, V. (2005), Implications of short-term international assignments. European Management Journal, 23: p663-673. David G. Collings, Hugh Scullion and Michael J. Morley, Journal of World Business 42.2 (June 2007): p210. Sebastian Reiche, International Journal of Human Resource Management , 8.4 (April 2007): p529. B. Sebastian Reiche, International Journal of Human Resource Management , 8.4 (April 2007): p529. B. Sebastian Reiche, International Journal of Human Resource Management , 8.4 (April 2007): p530. http://www.colmr.research.va.gov/mgmt_research_in_va/methodology/qualitative_research.cfm Ahlstrom, David / Bruton, Garry / Chan, Eunice S. :HRM of foreign firms in China: The Challenge of Managing Host Country Personnel, Business Horizons 44(3), 2001, p, 59 68. Blake, John / Amat Salas, Oriol / Wraith, Philip: Joint ventures in China a Spanish case, European Business Review 97(4), 1997, p. 155 161. Foster, Dean: The Global Etiquette Guide: China, http://workabroad.monster.com/articles/chinaetiquitte/, 2001. Huczynski, Andrzej / Buchanan, David: Organizational Behaviour An Introductory Text, 4th edition, London: Prentice Hall, 2001. Brett, Jeanne; Behfar, Kristin; Kern, Mary C.. Harvard Business Review, Nov2006, Vol. 84 Issue 11, p87 (AN 22671287) Adler,N.J.(2002) International dimensions of Organizational behavior, 4th edn

Black dog of fate Essay

The Book â€Å"Black Dog of Fate† by Peter Balakian is a memoir by the Armenian genocide survivors’ descendants that lived in the United States of America and it was written in the suburbs of Tenafly, New Jersey, where the author grew up. The author tries to relate his personal history and happenings in his family to the general story of the Armenians. It is the story of a young man’s realization of his background and the huge massacres that occurred to the Armenians in Turkey. It is the history of the killing of about one and half million Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government in 1915 (Balakian, 1997). These series of killings is regarded as the twentieth century’s first genocide. The name ‘Black dog of fate’ is about the parable that was narrated to the author by his grandmother ‘Nafina Aroosian’. In the parable, there were two offerings that were made to the goddess of fate. The first offering is a luscious lamb that had its body filled with almonds and pomegranates and its eyes sparkled with rubies, while the other offering is a dead black dog that had its mouth filled with wormy apple. In a twist of fate, the lamb is rejected and the dead black dog is accepted by the goddess. As Nafina puts it to Peter that he should not be deceived by appearances and that the world is not what people think it is (Balakian, 1997). Peter balakian was one of the members of the Balakian-Aroosian family and the oldest in his generation. His family had secretly guarded the history of their past for so long. They guarded this secret as they had horrific memories of their past in their heads as they knew if they delved into their pasts the gory details of their traumatic experiences in the hands of their persecutors would haunt them. The memory of the brutal murder of lots of their relatives was not a topic that was suitable for discussion as they looked to erase the tragic event from their memories. It narrates the ordeal of the Armenians in the hands of the Turks. The Armenians were subjected to various forms of inhumane conditions. Their ladies were raped and their men were butchered. The Armenians were gruesomely murdered in their thousands day after day and their carcasses were left to the vultures to feast upon. The Turks robbed them off their belongings and really impoverished them. The book exposes the societal evils perpetrated by the Turks on the Armenians. The Turkish government tries to cover up these horrific crimes as they denied the existence of the genocide. Balakian lets us into his family line as we are introduced to the matriarchs, a bishop, merchants, physicians, his aunts and two famous figures in the world of literature. The names of his renowned aunts are Anna and Nona Balakian, who distinguished themselves in the field of literature. His two other aunts are Gladys and Lucille, who were business women on Wall Street. But out of all these characters, the most important of them is his grandmother, one of the survivors of the genocide, whose experience was dreadful as she lost her husband to the genocide. The book teaches us survival instincts in the midst of obstacles and it narrates a family’s sojourn from a horrific past into a better life and a new world. It represents the experience of an immigrant child in the United States of America while still retaining one’s cultural heritage. It tells us how the author’s relatives escaped the genocide and ended up in the United States of America. One of the remarkable quotations in the novel that makes the novel a notable one as recognized by the New York Times Book review is simply quoted â€Å"In all of this germ madness there seemed to be some deeper, more pervasive anxiety being expressed. Some pathological fear that I sensed in my grandmother when she hovered over me, incessantly brushing her hand over my hair and asking me, How are you, what can I do for you, are you OK? Eench, eench, eench. [What, what, what] For my grandparents’ and parents’ generation, perhaps the world was a place conspiring to kill you. After the Genocide, the fear of death was different from the fear of mortality. In this atmosphere of deep anxiety, our family was far from the optimistic mood of suburbia. As my grandmother said to me as I lay on my bed recovering from the measles, ‘Sleep with one eye open; know the evil eye.'† (Balakian, 1997). Another powerful excerpt is in the latter page of the book and it is quoted a s â€Å"Free speech does not guarantee the deniers the right to be treated as the other side of a legitimate debate when there is no other side.† (Balakian, 1997). As the persecutions was against the Armenian Christians by the Turkish Muslims, the holocausts in the World War II era draws inspiration from it as it foreshadowed the mind-sets of the German army. The World War I killings of the millions of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks served as a justification to the holocausts of the World War II era. The holocaust was a period of mass murder of the Jews during the Second World War. During the holocausts, Hitler made several references to the serial killings of the Armenians as he justified their extermination. On the latter part of the book, Peter Balakian observes the mind-set of the German army towards the Armenians which foreshadows the pains they would later inflict on the European Jews in the Second World War (Balakian, 1997). As the Germans considered the Armenians as threats to the Turks so also were the Jews considered as threats to the establishment of the superiority of the Germans. In the concluding pages of the book, Balakian requests for the acceptance by the Turkish government of the Armenian genocide, a fact they had previously denied its existence. He also requests for an apology by the Turkish government and a consequential forgiveness from the Armenians. Reference Balakian, P. (1997). Black Dog of Fate . New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Counseling, Cognitive And Behavioral Therapies - 1165 Words

Introduction Counseling is a therapy that involves communication using a variety of methods. Verbal, nonverbal, and written are some of the ways to communicate during counseling. Counseling allows a person to share their feelings, thoughts and problems to another (a counselor) in a dependable and confidential environment. Normally the counselor empathizes with the clients. Many types of counseling are evident depending on the type of problem one has. Counseling usually involves the psychology, therefore, can be termed as psychological therapy. One of the psychological therapies is behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy involves behaviors and cognitions. Apparently, cognitive and behavioral therapies are based on the thinking of the individual and on the way the individuals behave. Cognitive and behavioral therapies are of importance and that is the area of my specialization. Type 1 Cognitive and behavioral therapies are subdivided severally. They include acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), behavioral therapy, cognitive analytic therapy (CAT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and cognitive therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a behavioral analysis that uses strategies like mindfulness and acceptance to aid in increasing flexibility of psychology. Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) is a form that tries to assemble ideas together from both analytic and cognitive into integrative models. CAT helps the client understand the reasons as to why they behaveShow MoreRelatedA Personal Theory of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Counseling Essay2719 Words   |  11 PagesRunning head: A PERSONAL THEORY OF COGNITIVE- 1 A Personal Theory of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Counseling Mary L. Terry Student ID #: 22185762 Liberty University Abstract A counselor’s job is to journey along with their client and to provide insight and support to those who are at risk and those who are hurting and searching for comfort and acceptance. 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Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Cognitive therapy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 Characteristics of cognitive-behavioral therapy†¦.5 Virtual Reality Therapy...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Rational Emotive Therapy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 Transactional ANALYSIS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...8 conlusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 Role of cognition in counseling Introduction Cognitive therapyRead MoreCognitive Psychology : Cognitive Behavioral Therapy1403 Words   |  6 PagesCognitive therapy, now called cognitive behavioral therapy was developed by Aaron Beck. 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Facts About the Whale Shark

Whale sharks are gentle giants that live in warm waters and have beautiful markings. Although these are the largest fish in the world, they feed on tiny organisms.   These unique, filter-feeding sharks appeared to evolve about the same time as filter-feeding whales, around 35 to 65 million years ago.   Identification While its name may be deceiving, the whale shark is actually a shark (which is a cartilaginous fish). Whale sharks can grow to 65 feet in length and up to about 75,000 pounds in weight. Females are generally larger than males. Whale sharks have a beautiful coloration pattern on their back and sides. This is formed of light spots and stripes over a dark gray, blue or brown background. Scientists use  these spots to identify individual sharks, which helps them learn more about the species as a whole. The underside of a whale shark is light. Scientists are not sure why whale sharks have this distinctive, complex coloration pattern. The whale shark evolved from bottom-dwelling carpet sharks that have noticeable body markings, so perhaps the sharks markings are simply evolutionary leftovers. Other theories are that the marks help camouflage the shark, help sharks recognize each other or, perhaps most interesting, are used as an adaptation to protect the shark from ultraviolet radiation.   Other identification features include a streamlined body and broad, flat head. These sharks also have small eyes. Although their eyes are each about the size of a golf ball, this is small in comparison to the sharks 60-foot size. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: OrectolobiformesFamily: RhincodontidaeGenus: RhincodonSpecies: Typus Rhincodon is translated from the Green as rasp-tooth and Typus means type. Distribution The whale shark is a widespread animal that occurs in warmer temperate and tropical waters. It is found in the pelagic zone in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Feeding Whale sharks are migratory animals who appear to move to feeding areas in conjunction with fish and coral spawning activity.   Like  basking sharks, whale sharks filter small organisms out of the water.   Their prey includes plankton, crustaceans, tiny fish, and sometimes larger fish and squid. Basking sharks  move water through their mouths by slowly swimming forward. The whale shark feeds by opening its mouth and sucking in water, which then passes through the gills. Organisms get trapped in small, tooth-like structures called dermal denticles,  and in the pharynx. A whale shark can filter over 1,500 gallons of water an hour. Several whale sharks may be found feeding a productive area. Whale sharks have about 300 rows of tiny teeth, totaling about 27,000 teeth, but they are not thought to play a role in feeding. Reproduction Whale sharks are ovoviviparous and females give birth to live young that are about 2 feet long. Their age at sexual maturity and length of gestation are unknown. Not much is known about breeding or birthing grounds either.  In March 2009, rescuers found a 15-inch long baby whale shark in a coastal area in the Philippines, where it had been caught in a rope. This may mean that the Philippines is a birthing ground for the species. Whale sharks appear to be a long-lived animal. Estimates for the longevity of whale sharks are in the range of 60-150 years. Conservation The whale shark is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.  Threats include hunting, impacts of diving tourism and overall low abundance. References and Further Information: Associated Press. 2009. Tiny Whale Shark Rescued (Online. MSNBC.com. Accessed April 11, 2009.Martins, Carol and Craig Knickle. 2009. Whale Shark (Online). Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. Accessed April 7, 2009.Norman, B. 2000. Rhincodon typus. (Online) 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed April 9, 2009.Skomal, G. 2008. The Shark Handbook: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World. Cider Mill Press Book Publishers. 278pp.  Wilson, S.G. and R.A. Martin. 2001. Body markings of the whale shark: vestigial or functional? Western Australian Naturalist. Accessed January 16, 2016.