Couple Interview †Marital Challenges Essay Example Essay Example

Couple Interview – Marital Challenges Essay Example Paper Couple Interview – Marital Challenges Essay Introduction I interviewed John and Cindy about their marriage and the challenges they’ve faced together as a married couple. I am encouraged by their relationship and have decided to use their relationship as a model for my second interview. John and Cindy have been married for almost 5 years. In addition to this union, there is McKenna, Cindy’s son. They are a blended family, of course, and are part of the more modern structure of families in our society. When reflecting upon their ideas about marriage, prior to actually being married, I noticed that Cindy’s outlook was positive. She knew she would be married one day and looked forward to it. Even though she was in a long-term romantic relationship prior to meeting John, that relationship wasn’t what she considered a foundation for a good marriage. Her former boyfriend was good friends with the family and spent a great amount of time with them. Cindy also spent a great deal of time with his family as well. This allowed them to witness each other’s family of origin. However, the time that John spends with her family, she says, is different. It’s full of quality and genuine caring for her people. Couple Interview – Marital Challenges Essay Body Paragraphs John also added that Cindy’s first meeting with his mother and sister exceeded his expectations. They took to her right away and have had a good relationship ever since. As a matter of fact, several of his family members have traveled from their home states to stay with them for weeks at a time. I decided to ask about the differences between men and women, and if either of them has heard of the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by author John Gray, the feedback was instant. They both chimed in with the same answer. We will write a custom essay sample on Couple Interview – Marital Challenges Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Couple Interview – Marital Challenges Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Couple Interview – Marital Challenges Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer John has always believed that men will never understand what goes on in a woman’s mind. Cindy believes that men are a different species, and not necessarily human. They way men and women problem solve, in her opinion, are polar opposites. However, when she comes to John with a problem or a task she tries to remember that she asked him for help. He doesn’t need to have the solution dictated to him; she must trust him to help in his own way. She also believes that there is more than one way to solve a problem, and it doesn’t matter whose way is used, as long as the problem is solved. I take this piece of advice to heart, as I’ve been told that I am impatient and a bit of a control freak. John states that he tries his best to work out his own dilemmas because he knows that Cindy has a stressful full-time job, and she’s also a full-time mom to McKenna. Between her schedule and McKenna’s extra-curricular activities, John doesn’t like to add anything extra on her plate if he doesn’t need to. That, he says, is the reason he takes such a large role in McKenna’s activities. It brings a sense of peace to the home when he knows his wife and son’s needs are met. Our next subject was the topic of â€Å"deadly habits† that ruin a relationship. Another excellent example of their understanding is Cindy’s approach to getting help with household chores. Instead of nagging John to take out the garbage, which is initially what she used to do, she tried a different approach. Now she asks him once or twice, and if he doesn’t get to it, she kindly lets him know how uncomfortable she is with trash sitting and the extra work it makes for her in the long run with cleaning the mess or airing out the lingering odor. She admits that she doesn’t go overboard because she is a â€Å"junky† person and doesn’t want to look like a hypocrite. John, however, has fallen into her pattern of â€Å"junkiness,† stating that he used to be quite neat and before he knew it, he had clothes on the floor right next to Cindy’s. An d he appreciates her new approach when asking him to complete tasks because he feels respected and needed instead of criticized or scolded like a child. I brought up the topic of the four stages of love and asked both John and Cindy if they were aware that four stages existed. They both replied no, and I proceeded to explain each stage and ask which one they were in. John feels as if they are still in the infatuation stage, based on his love for Cindy. He doesn’t feel as if the honeymoon has ended because he loves her more each day. Cindy feels the same, but recognizes realistically that they are in the connection stage. She said they have gone through the discovery stage and now focus on staying together and constantly working to better their relationship. While it does still feel new to her, she takes into consideration the challenges they’ve overcome and the challenges that await them in the future. One of the many challenges couples face is dealing with financial i ssues. Cindy makes a great living and had done so prior to meeting John. And the same goes for him. But Cindy realized, upon marriage, that John was better at managing finances than she was. After being independent for many years it was an adjustment for her to have someone else make suggestions to her on saving money or cutting back on her spending. However, trusting her husband and seeing the way he managed his own money, she took his advice and is glad she did. They consult on big purchases and realize that not every dollar spent has to be accounted for to the other person. They, especially Cindy, realize that being on one accord in money matters benefits the family. It’s not about one person’s money anymore. It’s their money regardless of who makes more or who spends it. Being that John and Cindy are both in their early 40’s, I asked both of them if they felt there was an ideal age to get married. Cindy believes there isn’t an ideal age to get married. If she had met John fifteen years ago and still feels as she does now, she would have married him then. However, she is thankful that she was able to do all the things she loved doing as a single woman such as traveling, going out with girlfriends as she pleased and shopping. She’s also thankful from a parental standpoint because her habits changed after having McKenna. She was able to satisfy her single self, and can now be happy and content being a wife and mother without feeling as if she missed out on anything. John says he was content not being married or even being on the path to marriage. He feels there is no ideal age to get married. When you’re ready, you’ll know it, no matter how old or young you are. He shares Cindy’s sentiments on satisfying his single self prior to meeting and marrying her. He is content with what he accomplished on his own and now loves that they accomplish things together. From the many topics we discussed, on and off the record, I am so inspired by John and Cindy’s approach to love and life. I enjoy being in their presence because they radiate a positive vibe. I don’t enjoy being around couples that argue or have tension between them. It’s uncomfortable for me and can change the mood of the environment. I have listened to both of them intently and have related their challenges to challenges I’ve had. The approach they take toward each other is remarkable. They have a mutual respect that goes beyond loving each other. They respect each other as individuals with their own respective levels of intelligence. I appreciate the example they provide to me and to other people they encounter. I know Cindy very well and it has really pleased me to watch her grow in love with someone who compliments her so well. I have seen the subtle changes she’s made such as cooking. I’ve also seen the more apparent changes, such as the reduction in her stress level. Talking to them and watching their words in action has redefined my beliefs in marriage. I don’t have many examples of a happily married couple. But knowing that Cindy and John are in my life makes it easier for me to have a blueprint of what marriage can be.

Facts and Figures About Plesiosaurus, the Long-Necked Marine Reptile

Facts and Figures About Plesiosaurus, the Long-Necked Marine Reptile As you may already have surmised from its name, Plesiosaurus is the eponymous member of the family of marine reptiles known as plesiosaurs, which were characterized by their sleek bodies, wide flippers, and relatively small heads set at the end of long necks. These Mesozoic reptiles were once famously described as looking like a snake threaded through the shell of a turtle, although it was quickly established that they didnt have shells and were only distantly related to modern testudines. Plesiosaurs were closely related to, but distinct from, pliosaurs, contemporary marine reptiles possessing thicker torsos, shorter necks, and longer heads. The eponymous member of the pliosaur family was – you guessed it  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Pliosaurus. Like all marine reptiles, Plesiosaurus was not technically a dinosaur, having evolved from different antecedents in the reptile family tree. Theres a lot we still dont know about Plesiosaurus, which, like many name brand prehistoric reptiles, is much less well understood than the family to which it gave its name. (For a terrestrial parallel, think of the enigmatic Hadrosaurus and the well-known family of dinosaurs to which it belonged, the hadrosaurs, or duck-billed dinosaurs). Discovered very early in paleontological history by the pioneering English fossil hunter Mary Anning in 1823, Plesiosaurus created a sensation back in the early 19th century. Scientists at the time didnt quite know what to make of this 15-foot-long, 120-million-year-old beast. However, Plesiosaurus wasnt the first marine reptile to be discovered in England; that honor belongs to the distantly related Ichthyosaurus. The Lifestyle of Plesiosaurus Plesiosaurs in general, and Plesiosaurus in particular, werent the most accomplished swimmers, ​since they lacked the hydrodynamic builds of their bigger, meaner and more streamlined cousins, the pliosaurs. To date, its unknown whether Plesiosaurus and its ilk lumbered onto dry land to lay their eggs or gave birth to live young while still swimming (though the latter is the increasingly favored possibility). We do know, however, that plesiosaurs went extinct along with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and have not left any living descendants. (Why is this important? Well, many otherwise well-meaning people insist that the putative Loch Ness Monster is actually a plesiosaur that survived extinction!) The heyday of the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs was the middle-to-late Mesozoic Era, especially the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous period; by the end of the Mesozoic Era, these marine reptiles had been widely supplanted by even more vicious mosasaurs, which likewise succumbed to the K/T Extinction 65 million years ago. The big fish/bigger fish template applies throughout evolutionary history; an argument has been made that mosasaurs partly went extinct because of the increasing diversity and dominance of sharks, the best-equipped marine predators yet evolved by Mother Nature. Name: Plesiosaurus (Greek for almost lizard); pronounced PLEH-see-oh-SORE-us Habitat: Oceans worldwide Historical Period: Early-Middle Jurassic (135-120 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 15 feet long and 1,000 pounds Diet: Fish and mollusks Distinguishing Characteristics: Long neck; tapered body; blunt flippers; small head with sharp teeth

Analysis Report Tata Steel of India Research Paper - 1

Analysis Report Tata Steel of India - Research Paper Example The Indian Government has pursued a policy of progressively opening India’s local economy to foreign competition, and there is currently no levy or tax restriction on the import and export of iron and steel products. (India Ministry of Steel, 2009) The consequence of this is considered to be increased competition in the sector, and lower prices, particularly as set by Chinese steel producers for export. China produced over 10 times the steel capacity of India, at 567 million metric tons in 2009 compared to 56.1 million metric tons produced by India in the same period. (India Ministry of Steel, 2010) Nevertheless, Tata Steel has produced a corporate strategy to meet these competitive challenges, and this includes sustainability policies directed at the greater welfare of workers, the environment, and community. This report will review Tata Steel’s sustainability policies as implemented by corporate management to determine the success of these programs and to recommend ch anges that are mutually beneficial to the stakeholders of the company. Tata Steel states publicly that â€Å"the primary purpose of a business is to improve the quality of life of people.† (Tata Steel, 2011) This tenet constitutes the cornerstone of the company’s sustainability policy and represents the wider mandate held by corporate management on behalf of stakeholders. In India, there is a need for social and economic development that uplifts people out of poverty. One of the main processes that enable individuals to improve their living condition in the modern, globalized economy is the possession of a professional, well-paying job. Another factor is the level of education that an individual receives in the formative years of development.

Learning organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning organisation - Essay Example Learning organization can be defined as, â€Å"A Learning Company is an organization that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself†Development of an organization into a learning organization is not an organic process Instead, such a development is facilitated by certain factors. With the growth of organization and structuring of the company, individuals tend to assume more strength and power and their rigidity subdues the organization’s capacity to learn as it grows. In such circumstances, solutions applied to counter problems are often ineffective. Organizations tend to downsize in an attempt to enlarge profits and remain competitive. With fewer staff members, load on individuals grows manifolds. In order to gain competitive advantage and to promote a culture that is customer responsive, it is imperative that companies learn faster than their parallels in the market. This requires maintenance of knowledge regarding new processes an d products and an understanding of the outside environment. That is why learning organization has been defined as, â€Å"a company that can respond to new information by altering the very â€Å"programming† by which information is processed and evaluated† (Malhotra, 1996). In order to accomplish this, employees assume a greater responsibility of both managing their own works and cooperating with one another to play part in the organization’s strategic processes meant for competitive advantage. This paper aims at discussing some of the key features of a learning organization.... According to the systems thinking, in order for an organization to gain the qualities a learning organization, all traits should be simultaneously apparent in it. In case an organization lacks any of the five characteristics, it will not be able to achieve its goal. However, some people are of the view that these traits can be acquired or developed one by one with time. For example, O’ Keeffe (2002) is of the view that these features can not all be acquired at once, and are instead, developed gradually to convert an organization into a learning organization. Shared vision: One of the key factors that provide an organization with an opportunity to gain competitive advantage is shared vision. Shared vision among the organizational personnel builds their common identity. This in turn, provides the workers with tremendous energy and inculcates motivation in them to gain learning. In this way, shared vision plays a cardinal role in promoting learning among the members of the staff. Individuals’ vision plays a big role in the development and promotion of shared vision. Thus, if the vision in a company is enforced by particular people who assume greater power over others, this may hinder the development of a shared organizational vision. This is the fundamental reason why most of the learning organizations prefer to adopt decentralized and flat organization structures. Personal mastery: Personal mastery is the name of an individual’s commitment to the organizational learning process (Senge, 1990). An organization whose personnel are quick learners acquires an edge over the competitors whose employees are not. There are various organization specific events and happenings that

Marketing principles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Marketing principles - Assignment Example Lowering prices increase the sales volume of the company. In some cases, consumers do not consider the price of the product, but instead go for quality, cost effectiveness, accessibility, time, and value added. Therefore, price influences the companys growth and at the same time limited in its scope. These are company’s activities, which makes the product available to consumers. For products to be available to consumers, an organization must target larger geographical coverage and open distribution centers. Similarly, goods have to be placed next to consumers to allow their accessibility. Because of this, companies open distribution networks to enable the products and services reach the target market. This is a way the company communicates to its customers about the product, values and benefits. There are different ways an organization can promote its products, and they include internet marketing, print media adverts, direct sales among others. Marketing orientation is of benefit because it makes the organization respond to demands. It enables the organization to react to what customers want hence eliminating guessing and forecasting characterized by guessing what consumers wants. It also helps in building customer values, which helps a company in increasing customer loyalty to the brand. This benefits the company because it gives a competitive advantage and solidifies the customer base. The company also benefits from reward sales because of customers repeat larger purchase. However, it is costly because the company has to invest in marketing research. This may prove to be expensive for an organization will have to move and conduct a study in order to know what customers prefer. The microenvironment influencing MacDonald marketing strategies involves issues of its managements. For instance, the company has many customers, which influences its marketing decision. It has to market its products to reach its large customers

Social movements and public opinion on gender issues

Social movements and public opinion on gender issues Social movements are loosely formed groupings of individuals which are usually formed with the aim of campaigning for or against the implementation of a certain issue in the society. Social movements do not have standard sizes because some may be made up of few individuals while others may cover even the whole part of the world. The size of the movement generally depends on the issues that are being debated at the time of its formation. Such movements are generally governed by the spontaneous coming together of people guided by no rules of regulations but rather by the common cause that brings the together (Saunders Walter, 2005). Some of the hottest topics that mostly capture the agendas of most western social movements include freedom of expressions, economic independence, and gender equality among others. The purpose of this study is to identify social movements that address issues related to gender and how such movements have affected gender. This will be possible by analyzing t he political environment that led to the existence of the social movements being discussed. The study will also seek to identify some of the impacts that the movements have head in the society at large (Love, 2006). Womens Suffrage, Ecofeminism and Womens liberations movements are some of the social movements identified in this study that have some effect on gender issues and how the society addresses issues related to women. Womens suffrage for instance is a social movements formed in the early 18th century to advocate for women to vote and run for public offices. This social movement has its basis on the era in which women were discriminated and considered to be too weak to hold any public office with diligence (Chapman, 2009). Such a movement called for the reformation of the economic and political spheres so that women could have equal competing field with men. Additionally, the movement also articulated for the honoring of women by being given equal rights as men in the ownership of property, payment of tax among other rights. Evidence point out that New Zealand became the first nation to vote for a woman to hold public office as a result of this social movement (Saunders Walter, 2005). The existence of the Womens Suffrage as a social movement clearly points out the nature of the political environment at those times to have been discriminative against women. Women were generally not allowed not to hold any public office and they had no right to own property. Generally, women were treated as if they did not have any say regarding their rights. However, the emergence of this movement drastically changed the perspective of the society towards women (Saunders Walter, 2005). The fact that women became part of leaders and held public offices is a clear indication that the social movement had a positive effect on the society because they ended up accepting the facts given by the social movement. The change also had the effect of changing the political structures of nations that accepted the calls made by the social movement. Ecofeminism is another social movement that has been shown to have a significant impact on the society. This movement indicates that there exists a commonality between environmentalism and being a woman. According to the proponents of this movement, there is a relationship between the way women are oppressed in the society and the destruction of nature through the creation of concepts that may indicate how inferior women are inferior to men (Chapman, 2009). This social movement explores or existed in a society that believed that men are always superior over women. Such a political environment is seen to have perpetuated social inequalities like racism among others. The brainchild of this movement was driven by the fact that the same intellect that promotes the destruction of the environment. The existence of ecofeminism describes the political environment in twofold. Women were being oppressed and discriminated in all manners possible. It also shows that there was environmental degradation that would ultimately threaten human existence. The coming of this social movement changed the societys perspective by improving the interrelationships between human beings. Additionally, the movement is seen as one of the factors that led to the extinction of discrimination on the basis of gender. Consciousness about caring for the environment also developed due to the coming up of the social movement (Love, 2006). Womens liberation movement is another social movement distinct from the feminism or ecofeminism which began to develop in the early 1960s. The social movement was formed to fight for all the possible women rights that may have been violated at the time of its formation. The movement was strengthened through the formation of two bodies in the United States. The National Organization of Women and Equal Rights Amendment were formed with the aim championing for the honoring of the rights of women. The political environment during the formation of the social movement clearly indicates how the rights of women we not being respected (Chapman, 2009). However, the existence of this social movement is seen to have changed the perspective of the society regarding the ways in which they could be able to treat women equally as men. This may have been the reason that led to the formation of the two bodies to oversee the fact that the rights of women were respected. Social movements are important bodies of the society because they address issues that dealt unfairly in the society. The ones related to gender are seen to champion for the respect of the rights of women in a society and a political environment that despises them (Love, 2006). The social movements identified in this study are seen to have facilitated the eradication of vices like racial and gender discrimination among others. The nature of the political environment is seen to facilitate the formation of a social movement in the sense that whenever the rights of a particular groups are infringed, the afflicted groups may be forced to from a movement that will champion for the ir rights (Saunders Walter, 2005).

How have some Chinese companies achieved success in foreign markets? :: Business, International Companies

Over the last 30 years the world has seen drastic changes in the Chinese way of making business. Nowadays, China has opened its businesses to the rest of the world, especially America and Europe (Teagarden & Cai, 2009). As a result, their economy has increased and the evolution of the companies have changed to be from closed doors to be international and multinational (Teagarden & Cai, 2009). This essay will analyze, first of all, how some Chinese companies have had success abroad, looking at the strategy that they applied to expand and to improve their products. Furthermore, this essay will show examples of successful Chinese firms, such as Lenovo and TCL Group, and how they achieve it. According to Teagarden & Cai (2009) Chinese companies have expanded abroad for three reasons. Firstly, ‘to secure natural resources to satisfy the demand of their home costumers for raw and fuel; secondly to identify and secure foreign technology and know-how; finally, to escape home market saturation and ruthless price wars’ (Teagarden & Cai, 2009: 73). In addition, Teagarden & Cai (2009) noted that in order to become multinational firms, Chinese companies followed a pattern of four phases: Learning phase, firms started to build alliances with international respected companies, such as, possible competitors or acquisitions, absorbing the information about new technology and services, and know-how to improve their own brand. However, achieving this phase was no easy, China had its doors closed for foreign businesses for decades. They needed to train their key managers about how international companies work and manufacturing skills. Build-Up Phase, once companies absorbed knowledge they started to research and improve their own brand, and imitating the existing technology achieving innovation and chain expansion, namely, exportation of their product. Internationalization Phase, during this phase Chinese companies focused on ‘building brand, localization of products and services for new markets, and differentiation of products to support higher margins’ they did what was ‘good enough’ for the market (Teagarden & Cai, 2009:78). An important issue during this phase was to research and develop the products, and to keep the key talent of the company, such as managers and engineers. Globalization Phase, companies were known locally, regionally and internationally, their products were already improved offering innovative services. However, as The Economist (2007) has highlighted, while more global the companies are more aware of corporate social responsibility they need to be, namely, foreign stakeholders will expect, not only innovative and effective products, but also they will open their doors and invest their money to companies that are social responsible.