Saturday, August 31, 2019

The ways in which ideas were communicated to the audience in War Spectacular

We constructed War Spectacular to be an abstract piece made up of a number of unconnected scenes; this structure enabled us to tell numerous different stories, all with their own message. We realised early in the devising process that in order to keep this piece objective we would have to keep all of the scenes and settings non-specific, if we used the real names of locations, religions or people it may have caused offence to the audience, thus drawing away from our message. There were many different messages we wanted to convey to the audience; however there was one theme which ran throughout the piece, ultimately connecting the disjointed scenes; we were showing the different ‘faces of war'. The first ‘face of war' which we wanted to show was the human element of war. The original concept for the play was to show the affect of a conflict upon two families, show their struggle, and ultimately their collapse. Although this concept was scrapped the themes were kept for use during War Spectacular. You can read also Audience Adaptation Paper If we were to show the human and emotional side of war it was obvious that we needed to use a group of ‘real' characters (opposed to the more abstract characters which would use throughout the play which would lack exposition and depth) who would open up to one another and show their hatred for the conflict. We constructed a scene with three soldiers who had been split from their unit and were forced to take shelter from the enemy in a bomb crater. My character was bitter and angry with my superior who, with his little leadership experience had got them no closer to safety. With talk of home and arguments together the two showed their insecurities and ultimately their fear. In this scene home was constructed to be the place which was away from this conflict, it is ‘safe, it's warm†¦ and dry'. However, in the scene ‘War spectacular' this ideal of home was destroyed. The execution of a man within his own house was used to show that war is now not just on the battlefields but in our streets and homes. This intrusion of safety was not just meant literally but metaphorically too – with modern media we are spared no detail of a conflict; past generations believed that their ‘brave boys' were safe and doing the good of the country, now the truth is only too evident. At the beginning of the devising process I was very keen to have a subtext of media manipulation throughout the play; this was achieved through two scenes. First I wanted to make the ironic point about the hypocrisy of a news report (‘War Spectacular' by Kate Adie) which compares a missile launch to a fireworks display, and then attempts to convey the reporters concern for the human suffering of mugged refugees. Reciting this piece while playing Holst's Saturn, an eerie classical track gave the reading a strange poetic nature which a war report really shouldn't have. This recital was made DSR, whilst a soldier robbed a dead body CS; this abstract staging was used to show the reporters obliviousness to the events which were actually happening around her. With these juxtapositions, the article lost all the sincerity with which it may have be written; showing how easy it is to both overlook the true meaning of news we are being provided with, and how what we are being shown with can never be the full story, and just the observations of one person. The second scene showing our media subtext was our most complex, both to construct and to perform. Set in a Middle Eastern bar we meet three journalists, Danny Richards, Kate Stevens and Malcolm Grey – Danny and Kate are both shown as rookies and Malcolm the veteran. A number of flashbacks are used throughout the scene as a means of exposition for each of the characters but also showing their different journalistic styles. Half way through the journalist scene we cut to Kate standing DSR reporting from the aftermath of a missile attack. We see her emotional report which describes a graphic and horrific scene. When her report is finished she asks the cameraman ‘brutal enough? ‘ – again showing the hypocrisy of the so-called emotionally attached reporter. Continuing in the bar Malcolm questions Danny's integrity, calling him a ‘Two-bit rookie' in response to this the audience is shown an interview between Danny, an interpreter and a woman living in a village which has been raided by American troops. This scene was used to show how drastically information can become. Statements coming from the village woman, through the interpreter and then to Danny are changed ‘Chinese whispers' style until their meaning has been completely lost. For example, the word ‘Americans' is changed to ‘military' and then to ‘militants'. We ensured that it was the interpreter which made the most drastic mistakes, showing that it was not Danny who was at fault, and that this corruption of the truth could happen even to the most professional reporters. So to contrast this media orientated aspect of war we wanted to show a side of war that has very little understanding to it; the new warfare of fanaticism and blind allegiance. However much research we did for these roles it was always impossible to collect information which was objective as everything that we had collected was opinionated and not factual. With this stigma in mind, I felt that it was important to work with the theme of connection between all human beings which had been established in the opening scene as it would have been easy to just cast the characters in this section as inhuman, and so we worked to show the audience familiarities with these characters that they otherwise would have trouble connecting with. With the child soldier it was the shock of his revealed age which worked to remind the audience that the ‘inhuman' soldier was still a small boy, and as the audience was made up of students and parents we felt that this would force them to think of children close to them. Similarly, the suicide bomber, whilst fanatical, still showed very human traits. He had thoughts of his family, performed this act because he believed that he was right and ‘just', and ultimately showed fear. In contrast to this very new attitude to war we wanted to depict a very old fashioned warfare which looking back on it is now highly comical. The ‘new generation' of weaponry was presented to the audience in the form of a ‘1950's style' advert. The main purpose for this scene was to provide the audience with a comic relief from the seriousness of the play. However, whilst this was an opportunity to relax placing this scene previous to the suicide bomber scene it to show a drastic change in attitude to warfare, whilst the character of the advert believed that that their weapons would drive the empire into the 20th century, the suicide bomber represents a very modern and much more dangerous enemy; one which does not have a flag or country, but just a cause and the will to cause destruction. The piece was concluded with the recital of the poem, ‘All things are connected' which we quoted for the opening sequence. With lines such as ‘Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it' it worked well to convey our themes of unison as a race – although the hope of total peace is a fantasy, it is the theme which ultimately runs throughout the whole of the piece.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Conflict Process and Management

Conflict Process Managing Conflict Case Studies Organizational Conflict Nidhi S Kohli 123720 R L Aparna 123716 Manisha K 123717 Priyanka G 123726 Swetha Joshi 123734 Sri Lakshmi 123732 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1. CONFLICT PROCESS i. Stephen. P. Robbins’s Classification ii. Ashwattapa’s Compilation 2. MANAGING CONFLICT * Conflict Resolution Techniques * Conflict Stimulation Techniques * Types of Conflict and Resolution 3. CASE STUDIES i.Maruti Suzuki – Manesar Plant * Introduction * Findings * Suggestion & Conclusions ii. Indian Health Care Organization * Introduction * Findings * Suggestion & Conclusions 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY Introduction Conflict Defined It is a process which begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affects, something that the first party cares about. Two main Schools of Thought * Traditional View A Belief that all conflicts are harmful and should be avoided. * Human Relations ViewBelief tha t conflict is natural and an inevitable outcome in any group. It is not only a positive force but is also necessary for a group to perform well. CONFLICT PROCESS (As proposed by Stephen Robbins) Stage 1: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility: * The first step in the conflict process is the presence of certain conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise. * They need not lead directly to conflict, but one of them is necessary for conflict to arise. * These are the SOURCES of conflict. They can be broadly classified as: i. Communication Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and â€Å"noise† * Semantic difficulties arise as a result of difference in training, selective perception & inadequate information about others. * Potential to conflict arises in case of information overload or when information is too less. * Differing word connotations, jargon, insufficient exchange of information & noise in the communication channel are antecedent conditions to conflic t. * The filtering process as information is passed through different levels of organization offer potential opportunities for conflict to arise. i. Structure * Size and specialization of jobs The larger the group & more specialized its activities, the greater the likelihood of conflict. The potential of conflict is greatest when group members are younger & turnover is high. * Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity The greater the jurisdictional ambiguity in precisely defining responsibility for actions, the greater the potential of conflict, as it increases inter-groups fighting for control of resources & territory. * Member/goal incompatibilityGroups within organizations have diverse goals. This diversity of goals among groups is a major source of conflict. * Leadership styles (close or participative) Tight & continuous observation with general control of other’s behaviors increases conflict potential. Also, research points out that participation & conflict are highly correlated, because participation encourages the promotion of differences. * Reward systems (win-lose) Conflict is created when one member’s gain is at another’s expense, especially in a group.But, if a group is dependent on another group, opposing forces are stimulated if one’s gain is at another’s expense. * Dependence/interdependence of groups iii. Personal Variables * Differing individual value systems: The most overlooked variable is social conflict, i. e. differing value systems. They are differences such as prejudices, disagreements over one’s contribution in the group and rewards one deserves and the likes. * Personality types: Having employees with different or opposing personality type, may lead to conflicts.Eg: Individuals who are dogmatic and highly authoritarian and who demonstrate low esteem may lead to potential conflict. Stage 2: Cognition and Personalization: If the conditions cited in stage 1 negatively affect something that one party cares about, then the potential for opposition or incompatibility becomes actualized in the second stage. The antecedent conditions can only lead to conflict when one or more of parties are affected by, and aware of, the conflict. As we noted in our definition of conflict, perception is required.Therefore, one or more of the parties must be aware of the existence of the antecedent conditions. However, because a conflict is perceived does not mean that it is personalized. Example: A may be aware that B and A are in serious disagreement†¦ but it may not make A tense or anxious, and it may have no effect whatsoever on A’s affection towards B. It is at the felt level, when individuals become emotionally involved, that parties experience anxiety, tension, frustration or hostility. IMPORTANCE OF STAGE 2:It is where conflict issues tend to be defined. It is the stage where the parties decide what the conflict is about. As a result this â€Å"sense making† is critical because t he way a conflict is defined goes a long way towards establishing the sort of outcomes that might settle it. Example: if I define our salary disagreement as a zero –sum situation –that is, if you get the increase in pay you want, there will be just that amount less for me- I am going to be far less willing to compromise than if I frame the conflict win- win situation (i. e. the dollar in the salary pool might be increased so that both of us could get the adds pay we want) ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN STAGE 2: Emotions play a major role in shaping perceptions. As they are classified into two: i) Negative emotions- to produce over simplification of issues, reduction in trust, and negative interpretations of the other party’s behavior. ii) Positive emotions- to increase the tendency to see potential relationships among the elements of problem, to take a broader view of the situation and to develop more innovative solutions. Stage 3: Intentions:Intentions are decisions to ac t in a given way in a conflict. Intentions intervene between people’s perception and emotions and their behaviour. The dimensions of intentions are: * Cooperativeness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns) * Assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns) Using these two dimensions five conflict handling intentions can be identified. When concern for the self is low, they could be unassertive and if concern for the self is high, they could be very assertive.If the concern for others is low then they tend to be uncooperative and vice versa. 1) Competing: When one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the other parties to the conflict, he/she is competing. A competing style is high on assertiveness and low on cooperativeness. Competing style may be necessary when a quick, decisive action is required or when unpopular courses on important issues need to be implemented such as cost cutting and discipline a staff member. In addition this style may be required when â€Å"you know you are right† is an issue. ) Collaborating: A situation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all the parties. In collaborating, the intention of the parties is to solve the problem by clarifying differences rather than by accommodating various points of view. A collaborating style is high on both cooperation and assertion. The parties to a conflict view it as a problem solving situation. A problem solving approach requires the following conditions: * The parties to a conflict channel their energies in solving the problem rather than defeating each other. The goals, opinions, attitudes and feelings of all parties are accepted * The parties should realize that the conflict issue can make an effective contribution to the quality of human relationships if the issue is solved through a supporting and trusting cli mate. A critical concept is here that no blame is assigned to anyone and the issue is kept in focus. It is time consuming and may be costly when many individuals are involved. It can be used in following situations: * When there is a high level of trust When you don't want to have full responsibility * When you want others to also have â€Å"ownership† of solutions * When the people involved are willing to change their thinking as more information is found and new options are suggested 3) Avoiding:  A person may recognize that a conflict exists and want to withdraw from it or suppress it. Avoiding includes trying to just ignore a conflict and avoiding others with whom you disagree. Avoiding might take the form of postponing an issue for a better time or simply withdrawing from a threatening issue.An avoiding style may reflect a failure to address important issues and a tendency to remain neutral when there is a need to take position. It can be advisable in situations like: * When more information is needed to take a good decision * When you desire that people should cool down so that they regain their perspective after which tension may be handled properly and productively * When someone else can resolve the conflict more effectively 4) Accommodating: when one party seeks to appease an opponent, that party may be willing to place the opponent’s interests above his or her own.One party is willing to be self-sacrificing in order to maintain the relationship. This style is low in assertiveness and high in cooperativeness. A person who uses this style may be showing too little concern for personal goals as a result it may lead to lack of influence and recognition. The conflict is resolved without each party to a conflict presenting his or her own views. This style may be useful in following situations: * When maintaining harmony is more important * A conflict issue is more important to other person * Where relationships involved are more highly val ued then a conflict issue ) Compromising: A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up something. Compromise is a common and practical approach to conflict management, in which two equally strong and persuasive parties attempt to work out a solution. It is an important style to settle complex issues in the short run. It can also be used as a backup mode when both collaboration and competition fail to work effectively in resolving the conflicts. Conclusion: Intentions provide general guidelines for parties in a conflict situation. They define each party’s purpose. Yet people intention is not fixed.During the course of conflict, they might change because of an emotional reaction to the behavior of other party. Stage IV: Behaviour: * The behaviour stage includes the statements, actions and reactions of conflicting parties. * This conflict behaviour is clear attempts to implement each party’s intention. * It is a dynamic process of interaction with a continuum. * Outcome maybe functional-improving group performance OR dysfunctional-hampering group performance. * When most people think of conflict situation they tend to focus on stage IV because this where conflict becomes visible.The behaviour stage includes the statements, actions and reasons made by the conflicting parties. These conflict behaviours are usually overt attempts to implement each party’s intentions, but they have stimulus quality that is separate from intentions. As a result of miscalculations or unskilled enactments, overt behaviour sometimes deviates from original intentions. * It helps to think of stage IV as a dynamic process of interaction. For Example: you make a demand on me, I respond by arguing, you threaten me, I threaten you back, and so on. * All conflicts exist somewhere along this continuum.At the lower part of the continuum, we have conflicts characterized by subtitle, indirect and highly controlled forms of tension, such as a student quest ioning in class a point the instructor has just made. Conflict intensities escalate as they move upward along the continuum rage. * The outcomes may be functional or dysfunctional. Functional -improving group performance. Dysfunctional -hampering group performance. For the most part, conflicts that reach the upper ranges of the continuum are almost always dysfunctional. Functional conflicts are typically confined to the lower range of the continuum.STAGE V: Outcomes: The action-reaction interplay between the conflicting parties results in consequences or outcomes. These outcomes may be: * Functional in that the conflict results in an improvement in the group’s performance, or * Dysfunctional in that it hinders group performance. Functional conflict: A functional conflict is a confrontation between groups that enhances and benefits the organization’s performance. * For example, two departments in a hospital may be in conflict over the most efficient and adaptive method of delivering health care to low-income rural families.Two departments agree on the goal but not on the means to achieve it. * Whatever the outcome, the low-income rural families probably will end up with better medical care once the conflict is settled. Without this type of conflict in organizations, there would be little commitment to change, and most groups would become stagnant. Functional conflict can lead to increased awareness of problems that need to be addressed, result in broader and more productive searches for solutions, and generally facilitate positive change, adaptation, and innovation.Dysfunctional conflict: A dysfunctional conflict is any confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders the achievement of organizational goals. Management must seek to eliminate dysfunctional conflict. Beneficial conflicts can often turn into harmful ones. In most cases, the point at which functional conflict becomes dysfunctional is impossible to ide ntify precisely. The same level of stress and conflict that creates a healthy and positive movement toward goals in one group may prove extremely disruptive and dysfunctional in another group.A group’s tolerance for stress and conflict can also depend on the type of organization it serves. Auto manufacturers, professional sports teams, and crisis organizations such as police and fire departments would have different points where functional conflict becomes dysfunctional than would organizations such as universities, research and development firms, and motion-picture production firms. Conflict can be considered as functional or dysfunctional depending on its effects on the organizational performance. Conflict also affects relationships within and between groups in several ways.We will look first at changes that typically occur within conflicting groups and then at the changes that occur in the relations between such groups. Changes within Groups: Within groups engaged in confl ict, the following changes are often observed: 1. First, external threats such as conflict bring about increased group cohesiveness. As a result, groups engaged in conflict become more attractive and important to their own members. 2. Increased cohesiveness suggests that conformity to group norms becomes more important. This may take the form of blind acceptance of dysfunctional solutions to the conflict.This is referred to as the emphasis on loyalty. 3. Ongoing conflict also stimulates an emphasis on task performance. All efforts within each conflicting groups are directed towards meeting the challenge posed by other groups, and concerns about individual satisfaction lose importance. 4. A sense of urgency surrounds task performance; defeating the enemy becomes uppermost, and there is much less goofing off. 5. In addition, when a group is in conflict, otherwise reluctant members will often submit to autocratic leadership to manage crisis, perceiving participative decision making as slow and weak. . A group in such circumstances is also likely to place much more emphasis on standardized procedures and centralized control. Changes between Groups: In addition to these four changes within groups, four changes often occur in relations between conflicting groups: 1. Hostility often surfaces in the form of hardened â€Å"we-they attitudes†. Each group sees itself as virtuous and other groups as enemies. 2. During conflicts, the perceptions of each group’s members become distorted. Group members develop stronger opinions of the importance of their unit. The marketing group in a business organization may think, â€Å"Without us selling the product, there would be no money to pay anyone else’s salary†. * The production group, meanwhile, will say, â€Å"if we don’t make the product, there is nothing to sell. † 3. The final change between groups is decreased communication. This can be extremely dysfunctional. The decision-making p rocess can be disrupted, and the customers or others whom the organization serves can be affected. PROCESS OF CONFLICT (As Proposed by Ashwathappa) The process of conflict comprises of five stages: 1. Latent Conflict 2.Perceived Conflict 3. Felt Conflict 4. Manifest Conflict 5. Conflict Outcome 1. Latent Conflict: When two or more parties need each other to achieve desired objectives, there is potential for conflict. Other antecedents of conflict such as interdependence, different goals, etc, do not automatically create conflict. But when they exist, they make it possible. Latent conflict often arises when a change occurs. Conflict is likely to be caused by a budget cutback, a change in organizational direction, a change in personal goals or the assignment of a new project to an already overloaded team.Antecedents of conflict: * Incompatible personalities or value systems. * Overlapping or unclear job boundaries. * Competition for limited resources. * Inadequate communication. * Int erdependent tasks. * Organizational complexity (conflict tends to increase as the number of hierarchical layers and specialized tasks increase). * Unreasonable or unclear policies, standards or rules. * Unreasonable deadline or extreme time pressure. * Collective decision making (the greater the number of people participating in a decision, the greater the potential for conflict). * Decision making by consensus. Unmet expectations (employees who have unrealistic expectations about job assignment, pay or promotions are more prone to conflict). * Unresolved or suppressed conflict. 2. Perceived Conflict: This is the stage at which members become aware of a problem. Incompatibility of needs is perceived and tension begins as the parties begin to worry about what will happen. But no party feels that it is being overly threatened. 3. Felt Conflict: At this stage, parties become emotionally involved and begin to focus on differences of opinion and opposing interests- sharpening perceived c onflict.Internal tensions and frustration begin to crystallize around specific, defines issues, and people begin to build an emotional commitment to their position. 4. Manifest Conflict: At this stage, parties engage in actions that help achieve own objectives and thwart those of others. Conflict behaviours vary from the subtle, indirect and highly controlled forms of interference, to direct, aggressive, violent and uncontrolled struggle. At the organisational level, strikes or lock-outs are the result. 5.Conflict Outcome: The conflict finally results in an outcome, which may be functional or dysfunctional. * Functional conflict refers to confrontation between two ideas, goals and parties that improve employees’ and the organisation’s performance. * Dysfunctional conflict is the negative side of functional conflict. * If the conflict is handled well, the result is functional conflict. * If the conflict is mishandled, the consequence is dysfunctional conflict. MANAGING CONFLICT 1. CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUESProblem solving| Face-to-face meeting of conflicting parties to identify ;resolve conflict through open discussion| Super ordinate goals| Creating a shared goal that cannot be attained without the cooperation of each conflicting party| Expansion of resources| Expansion of resources can create a WIN-WIN situation| Avoidance| Withdrawal from, or suppression of the conflict| Smoothing| Playing down differences while emphasizing common interests between conflicting parties| Compromise| Each party to the conflict gives up something of value| Authoritative command| Management uses its formal authority to resolve the conflict, then communicates it to the conflicting parties| Altering human variables| Using behavioral change techniques, such as human relations training to alter attitudes ; behaviors that cause conflict| Altering structural variables| Changing formal organizational structure ; interaction of patterns of conflicting personalities thro ugh ob design, transfers, creating of coordinating positions etc| 2. CONFLICT STIMULATION TECHNIQUESCommunication| Using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict levels| Bringing in outsiders| Adding employees to a group whose backgrounds, values attitudes or managerial styles differ from those of present members| Restructuring the organization| Realigning work groups, altering rules ; regulations, increasing interdependence, ; making similar structural changes to disrupt the status quo| Appointing a Devil’s Advocate| Designating a critic to purposely argue against majority positions held by the group. | TYPES OF CONFLICT ; RESOLUTION 1) INTRA – PERSONAL CONFLICT 2) INTER – PERSONAL CONFLICT 3) INTRA – GROUP CONFLICT 4) INTER – GROUP CONFLICT 1. INTRA – PERSONAL CONFLICT: Intra personal conflict refers to the discord that occurs within an individual.It is also called ‘Intra individual Conflict’ or ‘Intra psyc hic Conflict’ and is often studied by psychologists and personality theorists who are interested in the dynamics of personality and factors that pre-dispose people to inner conflicts. * Intra personal conflict can develop out of a person’s thoughts, ideas, emotions, values and pre-dispositions. This type of conflict is important because we encounter it on a daily basis and have to negotiate through it. * Though conflicts are usually viewed as negative, intra personal conflict has certain benefits. Healthy conflict provides an individual with the skills needed to develop better relationships, gain an understanding of oneself, increase resolution skills and avoid negative and damaging reactions.Intra personal conflict can be disruptive and stressful if we do not understand our own needs and desires. Therefore, it is important to understand our deep emotions and interests and stay in touch with ourselves. Causes of Intra personal Conflict: Intra personal conflict occurs w hen there is incompatibility or inconsistency among an individual’s cognitive elements. It implies that a new cognitive element is at variance with a prior explanation or expectation. Causes: * Difficulty in making a decision because of uncertainty. * Individual’s are pushed or pulled in opposite direction, i. e. , attractive or unattractive alternatives. * Simultaneous forces of about equal strength. A person is motivated to engage in two or more mutually exclusive situations. * When a person is required to perform a task that does not match his/her expertise, interests, goals and values. Intra personal conflict also arises from frustration, numerous roles which demand equal attention but is not always possible to devote, goals having both negative and positive aspects, cognitive dissonances, and neurotic tendencies. Conflict from Frustration: Frustration occurs when a motivated drive is blocked before a person reaches a desired goal. GOALS (Reduction of Drives ; fulf ills Deficiency) BARRIERS i. Overt ii. Covert DRIVE (Deficiency with Direction)NEED (Deficiency) ( DEFENCE MECHANISMS A. Aggression B. Withdrawal C. Fixation D. Compromise FRUSTRATION * An individual driven by an inner state of deficiency engages in some action to fulfill the deficiency. * But his/her attempts to reach the goal are checked by barriers which may be Overt (external) or Covert (internal). * The overt barriers may be social or non-social * The social barriers are those which are placed by others in the way of reaching one’s goal. * The non-social barriers include floods, power failures, etc. * The covert barriers are those which are inherent or within an individual. These last longer than the external barriers. The internal barriers include physical weakness, disabilities, personal limitations like lack of skill and intelligence, etc. * Blocked by these barriers, an individual becomes frustrated for being unable to reach his/her goal. * Frustration normally trigg ers defence mechanisms in the person. Defence mechanisms refer to unconscious processes that protect an individual from anxiety, stress, external threats, etc. * They do not alter the objective conditions of danger, but simply change the way a person perceives it. They involve an element of self-deception. * The frustrated individual adopts any of the four defence mechanisms: Aggression, Withdrawal, Fixation or Compromise. Aggression refers to the attack of the barriers, physically or symbolically. * Withdrawal refers to backing away from the barrier. * Fixation refers to the continuation of efforts to break the barrier. * Compromise refers to the search for a new goal. * Conflict occurs in all the defence mechanism situations. Goal Conflict: Goal conflict is more complex than conflict from frustration and occurs when the attainment of one goal excludes the possibility of attaining another. There are four major forms of goal conflict. They are: 1. Approach-Approach Conflict 2. Appro ach-Avoidance Conflict 3. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict 4. Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict 1. Approach-Approach Conflict: This conflict arises when the individual is caught between two or more positive but mutually exclusive goals. * Approach-Approach conflict is hardly a conflict at all, because whichever choice the individual makes, he/she will attain a positively valued outcome. * Such a conflict is easily resolved by satisfying one goal first, then the other- Eg. Eating first and then sleeping. * Alternatively, this conflict is resolved by giving up on one of the goals. Obviously, Approach-Approach conflict does not generate much anxiety. Unfortunately, Approach-Approach conflict does not always end as stated. Often, when the choice is made, â€Å"decision regret† may occur. The option not chosen now becomes more attractive, simply because it was not chosen.Decision regret may lead decision makers to reconsider the positive aspects of the chosen option and give them m ore weight to justify and validate the decisions made. 2. Approach-Avoidance Conflict: * This conflict occurs when an individual is simultaneously attracted to and repelled by a single goal object. * If the motive to avoid the goal is stronger than the motive to approach it, the person will be caught where the strengths of the motives are roughly equal. * As the person moves towards or away from the goal, the relatively stronger motive takes over and brings the person back to the point where he/she vacillates. Generally, the Approach-Avoidance conflicts that are most pervasive and difficult to resolve take place in the following: i. Independence vs.Dependence: In times of stress, a person feels like resorting to the dependency characteristic of childhood, to have someone take care of a person and solve his/her problems. But he/she is taught to stand on his/her own feet which is a mark of maturity. ii. Co-operation vs. Competition: A person is taught to compete with others and make a success of one’s own efforts. At the same time, one is taught to co-operate and be helpful to others. iii. Impulsive Expression vs. Moral Standards: All societies place some degree of regulation upon impulse control. Sometimes. A person’s impulses may conflict most frequently with normal standards, and violation of these standards may generate strong feelings of guilt.The Approach-Avoidance conflict is most relevant to the study of Organizational behaviour. Generally, organisational goals have both positive and negative aspects for organizational participants, and hence, it may arouse a great deal of conflict within a person and can actually cause the person to vacillate anxiously at the point where approach equals avoidance. 3. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict: * This conflict occurs when an individual is forced to choose between two mutually exclusive goals, each of which possesses unattarctive qualities. The net result is that a person is caught between two options. * Faced with an Avoidance-Avoidance conflict, most people will vacillate between the two options, without resolving the conflict. In the context of an organization, Avoidance-Avoidance conflict may be exemplified by a worker who is caught in the dilemma of bearing with the supervisor whom he detests most and quitting the organization and remaning jobless. Two kinds of behaviour are likely to be conspicuous in Avoidance-Avoidance conflicts. * The first is vacillation. As the growth of a goal increases, the closer a person gets to the goal. As the person approaches a negative goal, he/she finds it increasingly repelling. Consequently, the person tends to withdraw, but when a person does this, he/she comes closer to the negative goal and finds it in turn increasing the negative valence. * A second feature of this kind of conflict is an Attempt to Leave the conflict situation.Theoretically, a person might escape Avoidance-Avoidance conflict by running away from it altogether. But in pract ice, however, there are additional negative goals in the periphery of the situation and these prevent us from leaving. A person in Avoidance-Avoidance conflict may resort to other means to get relief from anxiety aroused by the conflict. 4. Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict: Often we are confronted with several possibilities for action, each having several desirable and undesirable features. A conflict of this type in which two alternatives- both involving positive and negative features- is referred to as a Double Approach-Avoidance Conflict or a Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict. Role Conflict: The final reason for intra-personal conflict is the need of an individual to play several roles simultaneously but finding time and resources inadequate to do so. * Role conflict is a type of social conflict caused from an individual being forced to take on separate and incompatible roles. * Role conflicts can occur individually, as in the case of one person being torn between separate roles for different organizations or groups, or within an organization, when an individual is asked to perform multiple roles in the same group. * Although all the roles which individuals bring into the organization are relevant to their behaviour in the study of Organizational behaviour, the organizational role is the most important. Cognitive Dissonance: * Cognitive Dissonance can lead to intra-personal conflict. Dissonance is the state of psychological discomfort or conflict created in people when they are faced with two or more goals or alternatives to a decision. * Although these alternatives occur together, they do not belong or fit together. * Cognitive Dissonance occurs when individuals recognize inconsistencies in their own thoughts and behaviours. * Such inconsistencies are stressful and uncomfortable, leading to intra-personal conflict. * Employees seek to remove inconsistencies by changing thoughts and behaviours, or by obtaining more information about the issue that is causing the dissonance. But cognitive dissonance, till it is removed, remains a source of conflict. Neurotic Tendencies: These are irrational personality mechanisms that an individual uses that create inner conflict. In turn, inner conflict often results in behaviours that lead to conflict with other people. * One example of neurotic action is the excessive use of tight organizational controls by neurotic managers, because they distrust people. Their excessive distrust and need to control, triggers conflict with others, especially subordinates who come to feel micromanaged and distrusted. * A common reaction to leaders with neurotic tendencies is either overt (open) or covert (hidden) aggression and hostility. Subordinates often try to settle the score and protect themselves from further abuse. These actions give the manager an even stronger sense of employee worthlessness. The manager’s hostility and attempts to control and punish become even more vigorous. STRATEGIES FOR R ESOLVING INTRA-PERSONAL CONFLICTS: Intra-personal conflict arises from frustration, competing roles, or goals having positive or negative aspects. 1. Conflict from Frustration: * To the extent that conflict from frustration results from blocked goal realization, removal of barriers (overt and covert) will help resolve this conflict. It is the manager’s responsibility to clear his employee’s path for advancement in his career. * Frustration is not always bad- it may contribute to improved performance.The frustrated individual may divert his attention from barriers, towards his job and try to show better results. * This is particularly true with an individual who has a self concept that includes confidence in being able to do a job well. But this is no consolation for a manager to ignore the frustration of an employee. If conflict from frustration is not resolved for long, the manager will be running the risk of losing the services of a competent and sincere employee. 2. Goal Conflict: Goal conflict has three main dimensions: approach-approach conflict, approach-avoidance conflict and avoidance-avoidance conflict. * Of the three, approach-approach conflict has the least impact on organisational behaviour.The manager’s involvement is not needed to resolve the conflict. It is best resolved by the employee himself/herself. The well known theory of Cognitive Dissonance helps the individual resolve the approach-approach conflict. The theory states that the person experiencing dissonance will be highly motivated to reduce or eliminate it and will actively avoid situations and information which would increase it. * Approach-avoidance conflict can be resolved by refusing to select either approach (positive aspect) or avoidance (negative aspect) choice. But an organizational member cannot avoid the conflict situation. He/she is forced to make a decision, and is therefore, exposed to conflict.This conflict too can be resolved in the same way as cognit ive dissonance: having decided either way (approach or avoidance), the individual may defend the decision. The manager has a responsibility to help the individual defend his/her choice. * Avoidance-avoidance conflict may be resolved by examining and solving the problems causing the conflict. An understanding of the reasons may help a person to overcome any prejudice he/she has developed against another person. Sound counseling from another person will be highly useful to the affected party. 3. Role Conflict: Role conflict can be resolved by minimizing the number of roles and fixing priorities for them. Once the priorities are determined, there must be no overlapping of roles. Much of the intra-personal conflicts in an organizational member can be resolved by developing compatibility between his/her personal and organizational goals. * A realization that he/she is working for the organisation and not for the managers will help him/her regain his/her balance and remain cool, irritants and hassles notwithstanding. The best solution for intra-personal conflict is to look to Hindu Philosophy and learn a valuable lesson from it. According to the philosophy, an individual is composed of three Gunas or psychogenic substances. They are: Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. * Sattwa: It means Purity, Serenity, Poise, Calmness, Discrimination, Compassion, Clarity, Goodness, Altruism, Dispassion, Contentment, etc. , or together known as ILLUMINATION. Rajas: It means Love of Fame, Passion, Lust, Strife, Impatience, Jealousy, Pride, Display of Power, etc. , or together known as MOVEMENT. * Tamas: It means Anger, Pride, Ignorance, Stolidity, Offering Resistance, Inertia, forgetfulness, Confusion, Darkness, Brutality, etc. , or together known as OBSTRUCTION. It is essential that one should develop sattwic gunas in oneself, be it the manager or the managed. One can develop sattwic quality by reading holy scripts, regular prayers, moving with pious people, and leading a disciplined life. U nfortunately, modern organizations are filled with people who are imbedded with rajasic or tamasic qualities. Hence, the absence of harmonious industrial relations. 2. INTER- PERSONAL CONFLICT:Too often when a conflict occurs between supervisor-subordinate, employees-customers, coworkers, or even friends, there tends to be either a fight (personal attacks) or a flight (embarrassed silence or leaving) response. Neither is an effective way of handling interpersonal conflict. More appropriate for resolving conflict and preserving positive relationships would be to follow this process. 1. Allow time to cool off. 2. Analyze the situation. 3. State the problem to the other person. Some other strategies for resolving conflicts are: * LOSE – LOSE: In this lose-lose approach to conflict both the parties lose. This approach can take several forms. One very common approach is to compromise or take the middle ground in a dispute. A second form can be to pay off one of the parties in the conflict.These payments can take the form of bribes. A third approach can be to use an outside party or arbitrator to settle the dispute. A fourth approach can be to resolve the conflicts through the existing rules and law. It can sometime resolve the conflicts but the results are not always as desirable as win-lose and especially win-win approach. Lose-lose conflict is damaging and unhealthy to a relationship. Some people try to avoid conflict because they feel it's negative and will hurt someone's feelings. People like this will lose out because they don't give their honest opinion or feedback. They become too concerned with how other people feel at the expense of their own feelings. WIN – LOSE: A win-lose conflict means just that–win or lose. It's a type of conflict where just one person wins the argument while the other one feels bad. It's a game to those who view conflict as a battle to win at all times and at the expense of another person's loss. The win-lose app roach is often used in American business settings. The primary emphasis is on winning all you can, overstate your position, and make decisions quickly. In contrast to this, the Japanese approach to business focuses on team work, cooperation, saving face, avoiding confrontation, understating your position, informally letting others know the bottom line, and reaching areas of agreement.Though win lose strategy helps diffuse conflict, it may not be a permanent solution since the loser will tend to be bitter The following points make the strategy more clear: * There is a clear â€Å"we-they† distinction between the parties. * The parties see the issue from their own point of view. * The emphasis is on the solution rather than on the values, goals and objectives. * There is no planned sequence of activities. * WIN – WIN: It is the most desirable way of resolving conflicts. In this situation, the energies and struggles are directed to solve the problem rather than beating th e other party. The outcomes of this approach are so that both the parties are happy and results have benefits for both the parties.Although this is the difficult most strategy to solve the problems but this should be goal of the managers to resolve interpersonal conflict Interpersonal conflicts arise in every workplace. Supervisors may help reduce the number and severity of these conflicts by: * Emphasizing that employee must, despite their differences, treat each other with respect, dignity and fairness. * Eliminating a defensive climate in which employees judge and criticize each other, have hidden agendas and are close-minded to new ideas and changes. * Establishing a supportive climate where employees openly discuss and understand each other’s ideas and concerns, are willing to listen to each other, and focus on accomplishing their work and group goals. Providing training to employees on improving communication skills and settling differences effectively and on a timely b asis. WAYS OF RESOLVING INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS: The Defusing Technique: The other person might be angry and may come to the situation armed with a number of arguments describing how you are to blame for his or her unhappiness. Your goal is to address the other’s anger –  and you do this by simply agreeing with the person. When you find some truth in the other point of view, it is difficult for the other person to maintain anger. Empathy: Try to put yourself into the shoes of the other person. See the world through their eyes.Empathy is an important listening technique which gives the other feedback that he or she is being heard. There are two forms of empathy. Thought Empathy  gives the message that you understand what the other is trying to say. You can do this in conversation by paraphrasing the words of the other person. * Exploration: Ask gentle, probing questions about what the other person is thinking and feeling. Encourage the other to talk fully about what is on his or her mind. For example, â€Å"Are there any other thoughts that you need to share with me? † * Using â€Å"I† Statements: Take responsibility for your own thoughts rather than attributing motives to the other person.This decreases the chance that the other person will become defensive. For example, â€Å"I feel pretty upset that this thing has come between us. † This statement is much more effective than saying, â€Å"You have made me feel very upset. † * Stroking: Find positive things to say about the other person, even if the other is angry with you. Show a respectful attitude. For example, â€Å"I genuinely respect you for having the courage to bring this problem to me. I admire your strength and your caring attitude. † 3. INTRA – GROUP CONFLICT: * Intra-group conflict refers to the incompatibility, Incongruence, or disagreement among the members of a group or its subgroups regarding goals, functions, or activities of the gro up. In Intra-group conflict the majority of the members of a group or its subgroups must be involved. Importance of groups: * First, groups are the building blocks of an organization. * Second, groups provide the primary mechanism for the attainment of organizational goals. * Third, groups provide psychological and other support to the individual members. The definition of a group should include the following: * A group must consist of two or more members. * A group must possess a stable structure; * The members should be interdependent. * The members should interact with each other. * The members should work toward the attainment of a common goal(s). Types of Groups: Groups can be broadly classified as formal or informal. 1.Formal Groups: These are further classified as follows: * Task/Functional Groups: Fiedler (1967) classified task groups into three types according to the nature of task interdependencies among group members in attaining their group objectives. * Interacting grou p * Coaching group * Counteracting group * Project Groups 2. Informal Groups: These are further classified as follows: * Interest Groups * Friendship Groups Effects of Intra-group Conflict: * Quality and quantity of team performance are considerably higher in competitive than cooperative conditions, * Heterogeneous members and consequent conflicts of interest and opinion produce better solutions to standardized sets of solutions. Affective conflict negatively influences group performance, group loyalty, work-group commitment, job satisfaction, and intent to stay in the present organization. Sources of Intra-group Conflict: * Leadership Style: * Situation A. * Situation B. * Situation C. * Universalistic approach and contingency approach, * i. e. , System IV for Likert and high concern for both production and people for Blake and Mouton) * Leadership can influence other variables, such as task structure, group composition, and size. * Task Structure * Routine (Simple, defined goals, procedures) * Non-routine (Complex) * Group Composition * Size * Cohesiveness and Group thinkingExternal Threats: 1. The external conflict needs to involve some threat. 2. The external conflict must affect the entire group and all its members equally and indiscriminately, and involve a solution. 3. The group needs to have been an ongoing one with some pre-existing cohesion or consensus, and to have a leadership that can authoritatively enforce cohesion (especially if all the members of the group do not feel the threat). 4. The group must be able to deal with the external conflict, and to provide emotional comfort and support to its members. Intervention: * Process * Team building * Structural * Change group membership * Changing the group size Altering the task * Changing the reward system * Modifying rules, procedures and appeal system. STRATEGIES FOR RESOLVING: 1. Invulnerability 2. Rationale 3. Morality 4. Stereotypes 5. Pressure 6. Self-Censorship 7. Unanimity 8. Mind guards 4. INTER – GROUP CONFLICT: Intergroup relations between two or more groups and their respective members are often necessary to complete the work required to operate a business. Many times, groups inter-relate to accomplish the organization's goals and objectives, and conflict can occur. Some conflict, called functional conflict, is considered positive, because it enhances performance and identifies weaknesses.Dysfunctional conflict, however, is confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders attainment of goals or objectives. Causes of Intergroup Conflict: * One of the most prominent reasons for intergroup conflict is simply the nature of the group. Other reasons may be work interdependence, goal variances, differences in perceptions, and the increased demand for specialists. * Also, individual members of a group often play a role in the initiation of group conflict. Any given group embodies various qualities, values, or unique traits that are created, followed, and even defended. * These clans can then distinguish â€Å"us† from â€Å"them. Members who violate important aspects of the group, and especially outsiders, who offend these ideals in some way, normally receive some type of corrective or defensive response. * Relationships between groups often reflect the opinions they hold of each other's characteristics. When groups share some interests and their directions seem parallel, each group may view the other positively; however, if the activities and goals of groups differ, they may view each other in a negative manner. * When trying to prevent or correct intergroup conflict, it is important to consider the history of relations between the groups in conflict. * History will repeat itself if left to its own devices. Limited resources and reward structures can foster intergroup conflict by making the differences in group goals more apparent.Resolving Inter-group conflict: The approaches available for resolving intra-personal and inter-personal conflicts can be used to solve inert-group disputes too. However, certain unique approaches are available for resolving inter-group conflict. They are: 1. Problem-solving: problem-solving is considered to be the most effective approach available as it emphasizes the attainment of the common interest of both conflicting parties. In the problem-solving strategy, attempts are made to find a solution that reconciles or integrates the need of both the parties. The two parties work together both to define the problem and to identify mutually satisfactory solutions.Moreover, there is open expression of feelings as well as exchange of task related information. 2. Organisation redesign: changing organisational structure is another approach for resolving conflict, particularly when the sources of conflict come from the coordination of work among different departments or divisions. One way of redesigning organisations is to reduce task inter dependence between groups and give each group clear responsibilities. Another way is to transfer or exchange members of conflicting groups. An appeal system may also be developed to eliminate the arbitrary use of power. 3. Super ordinate goals: appealing to super ordinate goals is another way of resolving conflict.The super ordinate goal is a common goal of both conflicting parties and the combined efforts of both parties will be needed to realize the goal. It takes precedence over other goals which may separate the conflicting parties. Survival of the organisation for example, can be a super ordinate goal. Creating awareness that the organisation’s survival will be jeopardized if conflicting groups do not work in unison and can have a salutary effect on disputing parties. 4. Expansion of resources: to the extent that scarce resources cause conflict, removing their scarcity will help resolve conflict. If Upgradation of one’s position has caused ripples elsewhere, some more jobs might be similarly upgraded.If increased budget allocation to one department has caused heart burn to the members of rival departments, the rival division’s allocation can also be correspondingly increased, and so on. 5. Avoidance: when the issue is trivial, avoidance strategy will be useful. In the avoidance strategy, the party or parties to the conflict may either withdraw from the conflict or conceal the incompatibility. In the first instance, one of the conflicting parties or both will withdraw from the conflicting situation. Where avoidance is not possible, concealing the fact by either or both conflicting parties that there is conflict may help defuse the conflict. 6. Smoothen: the process of playing down the differences between the individual and groups and highlighting their common interest is called smoothening.Finding and emphasizing similarities between conflicting parties, while playing down differences, can eventually lead the parties to realize that the two are not as f ar apart as was first believed. With shared viewpoints on some issue, the ability to work towards a smoothen can help reduce the intensity of the conflict and avoid an escalation of open hostility. However, smoothen is recommended as a stop gap measure to let people cool down and regain perspective. CASE STUDIES 1. Maruti Suzuki (Manesar) Company Profile: * MSIL – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd * It is a Japanese automobile company * Publicly listed automaker in India * First to mass produce and sell more than million cars The company's headquarters are located Kasturba Gandhi Marg in New Delhi. * Products: Maruti 800, Alto, Wagnor, Ritz, Swift, Dzire, Omni, Kizashi Evolution in India: * 2 phases pre-liberalization (1983-1996) * 2 phases post liberalization (1997-2001) * Employee number : 6,903 * Style of management : Japanese style * Captured and maintains 80% market share Reasons for choosing Maruti Manesar: * It is the most recent organizational conflict * Shows practical framewo rk of theory * Availability of proper and abundant information * It is a classic example of inter-group conflict Case Findings: * Management-Worker rift reasons: * WORKERS’ TAKE: Workers were paid lesser than counterparts in other locations * Workers were paid lesser than competitor’s workers in same position * Contract , permanent and seasonal workers were paid same wages * Working conditions – only 7 minutes tea break (both shifts) – Not allowed to attend nature’s call * The managers and supervisors resorted to use of derogatory and abusive behaviour constantly. * MANAGEMENTS APPROACH: * CEO Shinzo Nakanishi said he did not have any indication of such discontent. * workers did not attend the pre-shift meetings * Workers productivity was less, hence they were laid off Result: * Workers’ demands of wage hike not met immediately * First Step – AVOIDANCE * Second Step – De-recognition * Third Step – Fired workers * Plant a nd company’s productivity suffered almost 50% * Company’s goodwill marred Comparison between Theory and Practice: Summary & Conclusions: * It is a case of inter-group conflict It followed closed leadership style & is latent conflict * Discontent was brewing for over an year before the volcano erupted * The management should have been pro-active * Channels of communication must be strengthened * The workers should not have resorted to violence * Proper conflict resolution system should be put in effect and its presence communicated to all * Management should have empathized. * Management should alternate conflict resolution strategy as per situation 2. Indian Healthcare Organization (A Case Study on inter-personal and inter-group conflicts) Profile: * The Indian Healthcare Organization is situated in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. * The hospital is a non-profit one, formed in the year 1979. Reasons for choosing this case study: This case contains both, inter- personal & inter-group conflicts * Conflicts in a medical organisation will drastically affect the society * Through this case, we can get a clear understanding of the: * Conflict Process * Adult egos * WIN-WIN situation Situation: * One fine morning, the Indian Healthcare Organization was gearing up for its monthly meeting of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), its other Medical and Para-medical officers. * Mr. Kumar, who is one of the paramedics in the hospital, had fixed a prior appointment in connection with discussing some problem with the CMO, Mr. Sharma, through the CMO’s personal assistant (PA). As he approached the PA’s room, a saw a Dr. Kapoor, one of the doctors in the hospital, talking to the PA. So he waited outside for sometime. * As the time of the meeting was approaching nearer, he went inside the PA’s room and reminded the PA of his appointment. At this Dr. Kapoor got very much irritated and annoyed for this interruption and shouted at him to leave the room, calling him an idiot. * Mr. Kumar was taken aback and felt crest fallen and started murmuring and came out of the room teary eyed. * Mr. Kumar reported the matter to his fellow paramedics who were standing outside in the corridor. All of them got infuriated and took it as an insult to the whole group. In this process, other doctors who had assembled there asked Dr. Kapoor about what has happened and learning of the whole situation, advised Mr. Kumar to forget the incident and seek a fresh appointment. * At this, a strong reaction came from the paramedics’ group and they started protesting and raising slogans. This protest eventually led to verbal as well as physical abuses between the two groups. * The CMO, Mr. Sharma came out of his Room after hearing the loud voices. Seeing the protests, he called Mr. Kumar and his group to his room to hear from them about the situation. * The group requested Dr. Sharma for immediate justice in the form of a written apology from Dr. Kapoor to Mr.Kumar, who for his no fault was badly insulted. At this, Dr. Sharma was shocked. * After this, Dr. Sharma also called Dr. Kapoor and his group members inside to hear their version and informs them about the APOLOGY demanded by the other group. They refused to do the same. * At this point Dr. Sharma was wondering how to conduct the monthly meeting. He started thinking as how to end this conflict between MEDICAL AND PARAMEDICAL GROUP. * MR. SHARMA decides to call MR. KUMAR and DR. KAPOOR together to sort out their problem. Result: * DR. KAPOOR and MR. KUMAR sit face to face in the presence of DR. SHARMA * They realize they are fighting over a petty issue They reconcile and communicate this to their respective groups who in turn mellow down. Comparison between Theory and Practice: Theory PUT into practice | Theory NOT put into Practice | * Dr. Sharma used Exploration technique. * DR. SHARMA also used problem solving and smoothing techniques of conflict resolution. * Bo th the parties compromised in the end and let go of â€Å"adult ego†. | * Since it is a case of conflicting personalities, STAGE IV (Behaviour) becomes STAGE I here. * Mr. Kumar did not approach the Redressal Forum. * Dr. Sharma approached both parties separately. * Both the groups did not follow protocol. | FINDINGS: It is an inter-personal conflict which blew up into an inter-group conflict * It is a WIN-WIN situation * It is also Felt conflict with parties becoming emotionally involved. * DR. SHARMA used the problem solving conflict resolution technique * The smoothing technique is also used SUGGESTIONS: * The PA should have acted in a more responsible manner * Dr. Kapoor should not have resorted to abusing Mr. Kumar * Mr. Kumar should not have involved his colleagues * Dr. Kapoor should also have refrained from group discussion * Dr. Sharma should not have met the parties separately MANAGING CONFLICT Actions to Avoid in Conflict Resolution: Do not avoid the conflict, hopi ng it will go away. * Do not meet separately with people in conflict. * Do not believe, for even a moment, the only people who are affected by the conflict are the participants. Actions to Undertake: * Ask each participant to describe specific actions they’d like to see the other party take * You, as the supervisor, must own some of the responsibilities * Understand if the situation needs further exploration * All participants discuss and commit * You expect the individuals to resolve the conflicts proactively as adults. * Assure both parties that you have every faith in their ability to resolve their differences BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Websites:

Thursday, August 29, 2019

How to Become a Lawyer

A lot comes to the mind of an upcoming high school graduate, especially what that person wants to do for a living. My future career is that of a lawyer. Granted becoming a lawyer takes a lot of work and effort. Once I have attended undergrad and finish law school I then can become a lawyer. Becoming a lawyer has many advantages, I can either argue for the applicant or defendant. My future career, a lawyer, is without a doubt a long-term goal that I’ve dreamed of becoming since I was in 3rd grade. Benefits are really great and I help make society a better place to live in. It will be a chore, that’s why I’m trying to get the right mind set now before it’s too late. The growth potential for being a lawyer all depends on my education and how far I want to go. Many people get into general law and work with a firm for years without moving up, but if I work hard at building up a client base then living is easy. Continuing education is also a good move for this potential job opportunity, I can become qualified for a more wide-ranging field of practice. The Bureau of Labor Statistics converse that now, to add in education, most states and jurisdictions â€Å"require future lawyers to complete a juris doctor (J. D. ) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. † First, of course I must graduate high school then I have to get a bachelor's degree, and I take the LSAT test. Afterwards I must go to 3-4 years of law school and finally, I must take the bar exam; it's usually 7-8 years after high school. The costs all depends on the school that I pick. For going to public schools, I’d have to expect costs to be around $100,000 for tuition, housing, food, books, test fees, etc. Because of my dad being a retired Marine, most of this stuff will come free, that will help be less of a detriment to this situation. The lowest-level law school costs about $30,000 a year and prices are raising quickly too, so it'll only go up from there. This all is just stressful, and the work is 24/7. The pace all depends on how I feel about this work; in the end, it all feels good to have accomplished such a mission. Legal careers guide Sally Kane states for becoming a lawyer â€Å"is an enormous undertaking in terms of time commitment and financial investment. † Basically in the end, it’s all money well spent. It takes time though, therefore I should learn as much about the profession as possible to fill that time. I’ve never met a lawyer who wasn’t moral, honest, connected with their clients, or prepared for deadlines. One must be highly educated and have fast thinking skills. A persons mind must be set to be quick to analyze a situation and decide the best outcome to a situation in order to become a wonderful lawyer. These type of work values, can be really great to have for a great cost and time well spent. In addition to spending things, I’ll be able to spend a lot more with the salary I’m able to get $113,310 every year. A source, ONET OnLine, indicates that lawyers median wages are $54. 48 an hour, project growth from 2010-2020 will be an average of 10%-19%. The projected job openings from 2010-2020 are 212,000 and the employment rate for lawyers updated in 2010 are 728,000. The work environment for lawyers is either in the law library, in the office or in court. Court hours for most lawyers are typically regular business hours, with a one-hour lunch break. The study hall, law libraries etc. are all very helpful necessities. David R. Johnson, author of Serving Justice with Conversational Law simply states â€Å"The existence of libraries of legal materials required professionals to help lay clients read and understand increasingly complex rules and precedents. † One is usually working up to 11 hours a day, most times weekends as well. A majority works full time, to raise the hourly and annual wages these are the prices it takes to make big bucks. To conclude my reason to shoot for my dream career, the bonus is I have the opportunity to save people’s lives, and bring justice to people that deserve it. A lot comes in the mind of a high school graduate, especially what that person wants to do for a living. A lawyer is something I feel I am capable of doing. Whether it being extensive or lengthy working hours, I find it something I am capable of striving for. The long term reward isn’t just the rather large amount of pay, but the fact that I have accomplished what I always wanted to do and that I’m happy doing it.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Philosophy 100 (2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy 100 (2) - Essay Example There is no way to gain knowledge without something actually being believed, in other words. However, obviously there is not any way to gain knowledge by merely believing something. A viable explanation has to be provided for these beliefs. As an example, if a person who is sick believes that they will get better, this will simply not do a single thing to help the person get better. The person might get better, or the person might not get better. Simply believing something obviously has no real effect in the tangible world. A person who is sick and taking antibiotics to get better has a justifiable reason to believe that they will get better. First, the person has taken antibiotics before, and they got better after taking the antibiotics. Second, the person feels exactly lie the last time that they were sick, and they are being prescribed the same exact dosage of antibiotic. Since the conditions are identical to the last time, the person has a justifiable reason to believe the use of the antibiotics will make them better. Plato’s theory of reality serves to inform and compliment his theory of knowledge. Plato believed in Truth; he believed that it existed somewhere in the universe regardless of whether or not we are able to ever achieve it. Plato held a dualistic view of reality. First, there is the visual, that which is experienced through a posteriori, which is merely just a reflection of Truth. Second, there are the eternal Forms, which is knowledge that is gained a priori. Consider an example of a tree. Somewhere in the universe there exists in some form the Form of Tree, and it is because that we have knowledge of this form that we are able to recognize a tree when we see one, despite the fact that no two trees look alike. When we see trees, they are merely reflections of the Form of Tree. This can be seen in Plato’s allegory of the cave. The prisoners in the cave are merely viewing shadows of objects and naming them.

History - Globalization in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

History - Globalization in China - Essay Example This perception has been disregarded by most Chinese who argue that they have learnt from their country’s long history that isolation often results to backwardness especially considering its vast population (Gerschenkron 842). Among the Chinese, globalization is often viewed as a double- edged sword which brings both challenges and opportunities, as well as advantages and disadvantages. Opportunities and advantages can be achieved in China in the wave of globalization through correct strategies and policies. As a matter of fact, China needs globalization more than any other country of the world considering its vast economic and population size (Huang 65). Since its contribution to the world is immense, its participation in globalization is not a one- way street. The country not only serves as one of the biggest markets for world’s products and services but also as one of the world’s greatest producers of goods and services. It should be noted that even though Chi nese economy integration into the world’s economy has deepened over the years, the issue of globalization in China is considerably controversial (Walter and Howie 107). The transitions and growth of the Chinese economy have been critical in integrating it into the world economy in the wave of globalization. ... Growth in the China context is the realization by the leaders of China after the death of Mao Zedong in 1976 that their country was developing and poor and therefore it was important to deliver sustained jobs and incomes in order to propel their country to success and to grip of world power (Naughton 103-4). Just like other countries that are experiencing globalization, China’s economy and the globalization process is linked to the political issues in the country. The rapid growth of the Chinese economy in the face of globalization and its deepening integration into the global economy can be greatly attributed to the policies that have been implemented by the Chinese government. The government has in the recent past have been setting incentives so as to enable the state firms to profit from the income that they earn on sales from transactions with other â€Å"clients† across the world, as well as their transactions with the state. It is worth noting that, in response to the globalization of the world’s financial system, the government of China has in recent times restructured the country’s banking system among other restructuring that aim at aligning the country’s financial system with the world’s, so as to benefit from globalization processes (Huang 178-9). More importantly, it should be noted that even though China has recorded a remarkable success in the globalization process, there is no general understanding of globalization among the Chinese. Majorly, the understanding of globalization among the Chinese revolves around the following three aspects. One, many of the Chinese elite tends to believe that the globalization trends are inevitable. To them, there is no alternative to globalization and all

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Honesty In Contemporary Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Honesty In Contemporary Politics - Essay Example The columnist Charles Blow in his issue has mainly discussed honesty, hypocrisy, and lies of the politicians. He talks mostly about Romney, the Republican nominated candidate for the presidency. He sides with the results of the Gallup poll that surveyed the sentiments of Independents and Republicans about Romney’s chances of re-election. This group surveyed is the group considered least likely to vote a Democrat and therefore the fact that they predict that Romney will lose by 20% of the votes is credible since they go against their biases. Blow’s sources are all credible, which is a clear indication of his commitment to veracity. This shows Charles Blow is unbiased, thus he gets views from all sides. The critical arguments made in the article are those that talk about Romney hypocrisy and dishonesty throughout his campaign trail (Blow). Romney contradicts himself countless times and this clearly shows that Romney was not honest about all the promises he was making. The article on Romney’s son intimated to Vladimir Putin personally, that his father Mitt Romney was intending to keep relations with Russia if elected. Blow states that Romney’s son, Matt, recently traveled to Russia and delivered a message to President Vladimir Putin. Later, Romney contradicts himself by saying he told a Russian known to be able to deliver messages to Mr. Putin. As a result of these contradictions, it’s unclear if the message actually got to Mr. Putin. This also does not give us actual evidence of whether Romney’s son actually intimated to the president of Russia. However, the article does accurately represent the state electorate before the United States 2012 elections (Blow). Charles Blow writes another column â€Å"The G.O.P fact vacuum.†

Monday, August 26, 2019

Environmental health Epidemiology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Environmental health Epidemiology - Assignment Example Just like the name of the design suggests, the design involves comparing different cases of the same infection. In examination of the Shigellosis infection, several cases in the outbreak would have been compared with other infected individuals not related to this outbreak. This study design would have made it possible to investigate the infectious disease within the context of an extant surveillance system, since it compares prior infections and their causes, with the current cases in the Shigellosis outbreak. One of the principal advantages, of questioning the people that were not ill, is that it provided a basis for identifying the symptoms of Shigellosis through comparing the sick to the healthy. The healthy participants also allowed for distinction of findings from those resulting from other factors. Questioning these individuals also formed a basis of avoiding bias in the study. Examining healthy persons could have been disadvantageous in the sense that their selection could have been prejudiced. Further, it would have been difficult to determine if they were infected, especially if the disease was still in the incubation phase. The case-control study design primarily involved young participants, who were incapable of providing responses to some of the crucial research questions. The design was also vulnerable to selection bias, especially in choosing the control group. The age limitation could have been overcome through selection of an older cohort of participants, while bias would have been avoided through selecting the control group independent of exposure to research status. Bias could also have been avoided through selection of controls representative of the populace from which they were chosen. Potential measures of mitigating Shigellosis infection would include educating park visitors on the significance

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Assignment 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 5 - Essay Example They appear different from another angle as the question based on qualitative research design focuses on multiple realities that can be constructed from different sources, unlike the other question that targets valid statistics. The news outlet shares the results of a study where two groups of teenagers are measured against two variables; tendency to carry weapons and tendency to carry none based on the amount of soft drinks drunk. The study focuses on the effects of nutrition on behavior. The outlet points out that the study does not establish whether soft drinks cause violence. The news outlet does well to focus on the facts realized from the study. It interprets the information right without signs of the misconception. I am conducting a research to examine females’ attitude towards engineering and the popular stereotype that engineering is a male career. I am concerned about the career choices made by learners based on gender. I plan to conduct interviews that will involve teachers, students, parents and other members of the society. If you agree to participate, I will ask you to fill out a questionnaire form regarding your dream. Moreover, I would need to know why you chose such careers, how your cultures affect such choices and your opinion on who fits in engineering as a career. If you do not want to contribute, there will be no consequence involved and your results will not be pretentious. Participation is voluntarily. You can withdraw midway if you want to. Your inconspicuousness will be secured. The author is concerned with the need to enhance spelling in young elementary children. Spalding instruction is based on a language art strategy that has a number of positive outcomes for the elementary students. It does provide sequential, multisensory guidance in spelling phonics and handwriting. Learners can diligently put points across in

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Writing an abstract and finding referring references Coursework

Writing an abstract and finding referring references - Coursework Example This issue can be addressed through the use of GIS. GIS allows for effective integration and analysis of data by combining multiple data layers into purposeful information which can then be used much more effectively. This project seeks to demonstrate the utility of GIS for law enforcement agencies. The aim of this project is to perform crime analysis using GIS for a metropolitan city such as London to establish if the level of crime has increased or decreased from previous years. This project will involve mapping, modelling and analysis of crime data by applying GIS techniques such as hot-spot analysis to find out crime statistics and then using these statistics in a comparison with previous years to establish result. During the project, an understanding of various crime patterns within the city will also be developed and the deliverables of the project will include recommendations on crime reduction based on the analysis performed in the project. It is expected that outcome of this project will be useful for law enforcement agencies to use GIS in crime fighting more effectively. List of 25 References Pre 1980 1) Brassel, K., Utano, J. and Hanson II P. 1977. The buffalo crime mapping system: a design strategy for the display and analysis of spatially referenced crime data [online].

Friday, August 23, 2019

Social research methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Social research methods - Essay Example Different types of statistics can be used to serve different purposes of the research. While descriptive statistics can be used to describe the data, statistical model can be used to forecast data. Researches that are aimed at finding relationship between variables can make use of statistical techniques such as correlation and regression. Difference between Descriptive and Inferential statistics, purpose of each and applications Descriptive statistics: Descriptive statistics can be defined as the set of tools and techniques that can be used to describe the quantitative features of a collection of data (Mann, 1995). The main purpose of using descriptive statistics is to summarize a data set. Statistics such as measures of central tendency, measures of variation, graphs, and bar charts etc are examples of descriptive statistics. The three most important types of descriptive statistics are: measures of central tendency, dispersion and distribution. While distribution is an indication of the frequency of specific values of a range of data variables, measures of central tendency such as mean and median are aimed at finding the center of the entire data set (Levin and Rubin, 2007). Measures of dispersions such as range or standard deviation are an indication of the spread of data set. Inferential statistics: Inferential statistics are the set of tools and techniques that can be used to draw inferences about a population from a small sample of data (Lane, 2011). The various examples of inferential statistics techniques include t-test, Analysis of Variance, Correlation analysis, regression analysis, factor and cluster analysis and discriminant function analysis etc. There are two types of inferential statistics: estimation testing and hypothesis testing. While in estimation testing, the confidence interval of a particular parameter is calculated using the sample, hypothesis testing is generally used to compare certain parameters in two or more samples or comparing a sa mple parameter to a specific value. A hypothesis can be defined as an assumption about a population parameter (Stattrek, 2011). The null hypothesis can be defined as the hypothesis of no difference or the hypothesis of status quo (Bajpai, 2009). The alternate possibility is called the alternate hypothesis. Hypothesis testing can be used by researchers to test certain theories that they want to prove. Frequency table and bar chart a. Ethnic origin Ethnic origin (5 groups) Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid White 3746 91.1 91.5 91.5 Mixed race 35 .9 .9 92.3 Asian 179 4.4 4.4 96.7 Black 87 2.1 2.1 98.8 Other 48 1.2 1.2 100.0 Total 4095 99.6 100.0 Missing -8 16 .4 Total 4111 100.0 Table 1: Frequency table for ethnic origin As can be seen from the frequency table, the most common ethnic group is White. The next highest frequency of ethnic group is Asian with 4.4% of the data items. Another way of representing the data is using a bar chart. The graph below shows the bar chart for the data set: Figure 1: Bar chart for ethnic origin b. Education level The frequency table for the variable education level is shown below: Education Level - 2000 Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Higher Degree 147 3.6 4.6 4.6 First Degree 450 10.9 14.0 18.6 Teaching qualification 47 1.1 1.5 20.0 Other higher qualification

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Gays Adopting Children Essay Example for Free

Gays Adopting Children Essay Society is a flexible structure. Only this way it can serve the best way for its members. Democratic process is aimed to increase the rights of its citizens. Nowadays the theme of sexuality becomes an important social issue. Recognition of rights of homosexuals is an important process, which signifies that a lot of people are ready to express freely their sexual preferences and are ready to fight for their rights. Legalization of homosexual marriages and the right of such couples to adopt children is an important and controversial issue of our time. â€Å"Researchers estimate that the total number of children nationwide living with at least one gay parent ranges from six to 14 million† (Gottman, 105). At the present moment many countries legalized the right of lesbian and gay couples to adapt children. Such countries as Andorra, Belgium, Guam, Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom. It is also legal in some separate parts of the Australia, Canada and the United States. In the United States of America 22 states allow lesbian and gay couples to adopt children. The issue is so burning because for homosexual parents adopting becomes the only way to have a child. Even the artificial insemination can not be applied in all cases. First of all this method can be used only for lesbian couples. In addition another spouse form the couple has to adopt a child in order to become his legal parent. For gay couples this method can not be applied. In addition, adopting is a right of each person. That is the reason the question is more important than just an opportunity for homosexual couples to have children. In April 2001 Holland enlarged the definition of marriage and enabled the people of the same sex to get married. Same did Belgium in 2003. The next was Canada. Same sex couples can get married in San Francisco since February 12 of the 2004, because of an action by their mayor. The question of the legislation of homosexual marriages becomes more and more burning and needs a deep survey. There are a lot of reasons against same sex marriages. One of the reasons is that homosexual marriages contradict the tradition. The idea of homosexual marriages threats the very idea of the sanctity of the marriage. The term marriage should refer to a loving relationship between man and woman. The institution of marriage considers the union of two adults of different sex living together. For centuries the marriage was considered just between the people of the opposite sex and by now the marriage of the people of the same sex can be wrong on an evolutionary scale (Coolidge, 1997). People don’t have much faith in the marriage institutions now and the legislation of the heterosexual marriages can weaken this faith. In addition, if the homosexual marriages are legalized to protect the freedom of human why there should be other restrictions for the marriages such as marring the relative or the age of getting married? So called domino effect can cause the demand to cancel all kinds of restrictions on the marriages. If the marriages between the people of the same sex can be accepted like a demonstration of the free will of the individuals, why can’t be accepted the marriage between the brother and the sister or other close relatives? In the case of legalization of homosexual marriages we speak only about the rights of homosexual people. The issue becomes much more complicated when it comes to adopting children. In this case the rights of both, homosexual parents and the rights of adopted children should be considered. Since children are not able to express their own will during the process of adoption, the society must make an important choice deciding on the rights of children. From the other hand it is necessary to mind the right of homosexual couples, who also have their rights and desires. There are many arguments pro and contra adopting children by homosexual couples. Those who stand for giving homosexual couples this right state that all people must have rights to adopt children. If both parents are able to give their child all normal conditions for living, there is no reason to ban homosexual parents to adopt children. Those, who are against this right, state that homosexual couple will not be able to provide normal life conditions for children. In this case the question about â€Å"normality† arises. Social norms are expanded with each year. Homosexual relations, which were considered sinful and even criminal several centuries ago, become a social norm nowadays. This means that the meaning of â€Å"normal† family structure and â€Å"normal† life conditions can also be transformed with the flow of time. Those, who support an idea to give the right of adopting to homosexual couples state that many children wait for adoption and giving this right to homosexual couple would help to improve the situation. In addition specialists, who stand for the legalization of the right of homosexual couples to adopt children state that only small number of children from heterosexual families have normal life conditions. â€Å"Most children in the United States do not live with two married parents. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 24% homes were composed of a married mother and father with children living at home. † (Green,1978, p. 19) In the case with homosexual family the children will have two parents, even if they are of the same sex. In â€Å"normal† families children often have only one parent. The proponents of legalization of adoption give data, which proves that children, grown up in one-parent and homosexual families, have same level of emotional and social adaptation as children from heterosexual families. This means that homosexuality of parents has little effect on the development of a child. As state specialists, children are more influenced by their relations with their parents and social surrounding than by the sexual orientation of their parents. Even the American Association of Paediatrics agreed with this opinion and supported the legalization of adoption. In addition, if we turn to legal issues, there is no official reasons to ban homosexual couples to adapt children. There is no special amendment in the Constitution, which would deny gay and lesbian couples their rights to adopt children. Most courts, which should make a decision concerning adopting, are be driven by the interests of a child. It is evident that for children having non-traditional family with loving parents is much better than not have any. If sexual orientation of parents has little impact on the living conditions of their children, homosexuality of parents should not be an obstacle for adopting of a child. There are no serious objections, which would prove that gay and lesbian couples will make bad parents. â€Å"Home environments with lesbian and gay parents are as likely to successfully support a childs development as those with heterosexual parents† (Schelberg, Mitnick 2006) Specialists state that here is not connection between sexual orientation and parenting skills. This means that homosexual people can be perfect parents, same as heterosexual people can be bad ones. In addition there is a legal controversy, concerning the right to adoption. Legally, even single parents have right to adopt children. Here arises a kind of controversy since one person can adopt a child but he or she can not do the same thing if he has a spouse of the same sex. Those, who stand against the legalization of homosexual’s right to adopt a child give their arguments in order to support their position. They state that homosexual environment can have an extremely negative effect on child’s development. Some researches (Golombok, Tasker) state that children, raised by homosexual parents, are more likely to adopt same patterns of sexual behaviour. In other words children, raised in homosexual families have more chances to become homosexuals as well. As Golombok and Tasker state: â€Å"by creating a climate of acceptance or rejection of homosexuality within the family, parents may have some impact on their children’s sexual experimentation as heterosexual, lesbian or gay† (Golombok, Tasker, 1993, p. 124). According to their opinion homosexual couples should not be giving a right to adoption. Sexuality is not only personal affair. It’s also social phenomenon society has to deal with. Woodhorse talks about the fortification of gender roles and restrictions to this roles brought to the social culture by transvestites. He believes that cross-dressing and transvestites make a potential danger for the society as it can lead to the displacement of gender categories and gender roles. On a social and cultural level the two groups (male and female) are equally restricted. (Woodhouse,1996, p. 117). The marriage is an institution aiming to create a family first of all and the family presumes giving birth to children. Homosexual marriage create no opportunities for natural reproduction. Modern science gave people opportunities to have children even in the same sex marriage but a number of problems appear. It’s commonly known that men and women are equal creatures and have same rights and obligations but they are not identical and usually presume different models of behavior, models of reactions and thinking. A lot of research made by scientists proves that the child needs both – a mother and a father to become a full personality (Donovan, 2001). There are some things during the upbringing which can be taken only from women’s or only from men’s behavior patters. The children raised in the homosexual families will not have the opportunity to see both –female and male behavioral patters, which can cause serious problems for their future life. In addition the children raised in a homosexual surrounding are more probably to pick up same lifestyle in the future and to copy the model of homosexual relationship. Another problem the children from the homosexual families can and most probably will come across is an attitude of the surrounding. The children can meet a social hostility from the very beginning of their social interaction due to their family background which can make more difficult the social adaptation in the future (Stone 2006). A lot of homosexual couples meet social and religious disapproval but they have chosen their type of behavior themselves and must be responsible for their decisions. The children raised in the homosexual families do not have this choice. Negative attitude of the church to same sex marriages can create additional problems for children. Another problem appears with the children, adopted by gay couples. The patters of family behavior, which are presented in homosexual families, are very different from patterns, peculiar to heterosexual families. This issue is very important since children most probably will adapt the type of relations they see in their family. Homosexual relations usually are thought to be not traditional ones and talking about sexuality in this type of relations is difficult due to the multiple variations of these relations. There are a lot of distinctions between homosexual and heterosexual relationships. Complementary nature of the most heterosexual relations is not so evident in homosexual ones. In most of the homosexual relations there is a division, which is expressed more directly in heterosexual relations. In homosexual relations two people take different roles. Usually, in both, female and male homosexual relationship there are active and passive partners. The roles may change but usually the division to active and passive partner is saved and this relation is usually transmitted to other spheres of life of the couple. Passive partner usually takes female roles in sex and everyday behaviour. An active partner plays the role of the man accordingly. There are derivations in the models of homosexual relations. Tapinc (1992) distinguishes four additional models of homosexual relations. In the first model both males are homosexual. This is one of traditional homosexual models. â€Å"The homosexual mail pair consists of the erastes and the eromenos, ‘lover’ and ‘beloved’; we can infer an active/passive division, but strictly speaking these are not examples of inserter/receptor terminology. (Norton, p. 2002 5) Homosexual male relations are rarely monogamous. Journal of Sex Research made a study of the sexual profiles of 2,583 older homosexuals. â€Å"Research found that only 2. 7 percent claimed to have had sex with one partner only. Research elsewhere indicated that only a few homosexual relationships last longer than two years, with many men reporting hundreds of lifetime partners† (Bozett 1993, p. 112). This way if homosexual parents get an opportunity to adopt children, this most probably will result in the transformation of the role and functions of family. Children, grown up in such untraditional families with untraditional family values, will use this model in their future families. This may result in the increase of the families with untraditional family values. Possible consequences of this phenomenon are very hard to predict. To sum up, there are many reasons for and against adopting children by gay and lesbian couples, There is no one definite opinion concerning this issue. The debates concerning this subject are hold in several spheres, such as religions, social and political ones. A lot of important factors should be considered in order to take a right decision concerning this issue. Adopting concerns the rights of both – children and homosexual couples and decision should the best way serve to the interests of both sides. References 1. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, (2002, Oct 4). NA. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from Database. Gale Power Search. 2 . Bailey, J. M. , Bobrow, D. , Wolfe, M. Mikach, S. (1995), Sexual orientation of adult sons of gay fathers, Developmental Psychology, 31, 124-129; 3. Bozett, F. W. (1987). Children of gay fathers, F. W. Bozett (Ed. ), Gay and Lesbian Parents (pp. 39-57), New York: Praeger; 4. Coolidge, David Orgon, (March 1997). Same-Sex Marriage? Baehr v. Miike and the Meaning of Marriage, South Texas Law Review, 38:1-119 5. Davidson, Arnold (1987) ‘Sex and the emergence of sexuality’, Critical Inquiry, 14 (Autumn), 16-48, reprinted in 6. Stein, Edward (ed. ), Forms of desire (1992, 1990), 89-132. 7. Donovan, (2001,Sept 14). Judge upholds Florida ban on gay adoption. National Catholic Reporter, p. 37, 39. 8. Gay rights. The Advocate, (2002, April 30). p. 18(1). 9. Gottman, J. S. (1991), Children of gay and lesbian parents, F. W. Bozett M. B. Sussman, (Eds. ), Homosexuality and Family Relations (pp. 177-196), New York: Harrington Park Press; 10. Golombok, S. , Spencer, A. , Rutter, M. (1983), Children in lesbian and single-parent households: psychosexual and psychiatric appraisal, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 551-572; 11. Green, R. (1978), Sexual identity of 37 children raised by homosexual or transsexual parents, American Journal of Psychiatry, 135, 692-697; Huggins, S. L. 12. Lewin, Tamar (2001, August 31). Court backs Florida ban on adoption by gays. The New York Times, p. A14 13. Stone, Andrea (2006, Feb 21). Drives to ban gay adoption heat up. USA Today, p. 01A. 14. Schelberg, Neal S. and Carrie L. Mitnick, (2004). Same-Sex Marriage: the Evolving Landscape for Employee Benefits,