How is Silvio Berlusconi Perceived and Portrayed by the International Media

Table of Contents Introduction Berlusconi’s Influence in Politics Berlusconi’s Authoritative Rule and Abuse Office Berlusconi’s Sex Scandals Berlusconi’s Mafia Activities Conclusion Works Cited Introduction Born in 1936, Silvio Berlusconi has become one of the most controversial leaders in Italy’s government, in recent times. Initially, Berlusconi was a businessman with large business holdings and substantial influence in international media. To many, he was regarded as a political amateur who achieved his political office through his influence on the media.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on How is Silvio Berlusconi Perceived and Portrayed by the International Media? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He had entered the political scene without any political experience in the year 1993 and used his huge network of media companies on a promise to clean up the disgracefully It alian government of corruption. He had portrayed himself as an honest person who had the interest of young Italians at heart (Montanelli 3). He had also promised to lower taxes and promote market economics and personal choice. Although he managed to become the prime minister of Italy in 1993, he would soon get himself implicated in numerous accusations of involvement in corruption. The corruption allegations of extortion, bribery as well as other abuses of power forced him to resign in the same year (Tuccari 32). Many people believe that his entry into politics was instigated by the need to protect his businesses from possible corruption allegation following the corruption charges that had rocked Bettino Craxi’s government as the investigations had expanded to include other areas outside the political range (Travaglio, Gomez, and Barbacetto 2). This suspicion was confirmed when his brother, Paolo, admitted to corruption charges on February 11, 1994 (Galli 5). Later on the sam e year, his government created new law which would enable them evade jail time for some corruption charges. This was done secretly and carefully timed to be passed at the time when the Italian national soccer team had defeated the Bulgarian national soccer team in the 1994 Football World Cup’s semifinals (Arshad 11). The country was in crazy mood as they continued celebrating the win and so his government exploited the opportunity to pass the law and help many national leaders including the former minister of health, Francesco De Lorenzo escape jail time. However, Roberto Baggio’s missed penalty shot which allowed Brazil win the cup changed the country’s focus to the country’s corrupt politicians.Advertising Looking for term paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The public was enraged by the images of politicians and other people who had been charged of corruption walking f ree on the streets. Earlier on, Berlusconi’s largest family property, the Fininvest media industry had been alleged of corruption scandals. The corruption charges forced Berlusconi’s government out of office as the parliament was preparing to hold a vote of confidence against his government. He was later on acquitted of most of these corruption charges and also benefitted from reductions of terms of his other trials to allow him to campaign for the 2001 elections. He used his influence on the media to campaign against the judges on how they had carried out Mani Pulite (Travaglio, Gomez, and Barbacetto 2). The politicians criticisms against the judges was now more believed than the judges. He has continuously used his media power and influence in the subsequent elections. Berlusconi’s Influence in Politics His political and personal health is bogged down by the sex scandals, financial concerns, family problems as criminal investigations on criminal charges and ab use of office. He is perceived as a successful businessman as well as a media tycoon who has continuously used his commercial networks to achieve his political ambitions. He is credited with having adopted media and pools marketing strategies as practiced in the U.S into the politics of Italy (D’Agresti 1). He manipulated opinions making it difficult for the Italians to detach facts from political gimmicks (Paolo 4). He easily convinced the Italians that he was the face change they needed without them realizing his actions behind the scene (Paolo 4). He concealed his image so much that the Italians did not realize that he had criminal connections which were still under investigation which had been prompted by the arrest of Mario Chiesa (Vannucci 1). Whereas the old political systems had become synonymous with corruption, he presented himself as a new political character thus creating curiosity and interest among the Italians.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on How is Silvio Berlusconi Perceived and Portrayed by the International Media? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He significantly changed the concept of political communication through the media. During his tenure in power, the darker side of Berlusconi was exposed by the media to the public. For example, the media exposed how he had used the media’s influence and his political power in a bid to portray himself to the Italians as a charismatic leader. This was especially the case prior to the 1994 elections (D’Agresti 4). He always presents himself smiling and with a reassuring tone to depict himself as a person who does not always talk much politics. Berlusconi is perceived to be different from the traditional politicians. In 1994, he was able to bring together different political souls into one political party. These included the post-fascist Fini, ex Democrazia Christiana (DC) and the ex Partito Socialista (PSI ) leaders (D’Agresti 4). He also included non-experienced politicians like him into his Forza Italia Party. The media had considered his act of conglomerating the new middle right as a single political party as a political risk prompted by his political naivety (D’Agresti 4). Berlusconi was did not personally correspond to the old political leaders and did not even adopt their political language. He presents politics which is more of business board decisions than politics. He may be hated by some people, but still commands a wide respect and following. He noted the failures of the past Craxi’s government and the earlier government and decided to enter politics with a new political party as the Italians were tired anything related to the old political system. During his tenure in office as the prime minister in 1994, he used his influence to create law which helped him and his business and political associates to avoid jail time for most corruption charges (Grins borg 19). For example, as the foreign and prime minister of Italy in 2003, he is accused of having assert his political influence in a bid to obtain the courts’ amnesty following the passing of the controversial bill by parliament that was aimed at ensuring that a number of official in the government remained quite immune to any form of prosecution (Travaglio 64).Advertising Looking for term paper on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although some of his decisions are sometimes unpopular to the general public and other interest groups in one way or another, he always find a way of convincing the country’s decision making organs. Berlusconi being a pro-US is struggling to maintain his relationship with the US. His decision to back George W. Bush and his government in invading Iraq was highly contested by some 75 % individuals within Italy. In his position as the EU president, he utilized his position in an effort to convince the other members of the EU to back the decision by the United States to invade Iraq. He was also keen to win the US support and become their ally. George Bush had counted on his support for the war in Iraq. Berlusconi committed about 2,700 Italian troops in the war in Iraq. On the other hand, Berlusconi has had to ensure that the relationship that he enjoys with both the Russian and the United States government remained balanced. The media also perceives Berlusconi as Putin’s m outhpiece in Europe. His relationship with Putin causes discomfort for the US State of Department. He is aware of the tension that this relationship causes especially to the US. D’Agresti (23) argues that Berlusconi manufactures his political consent with the help of his private media networks. In 1994, he developed a propaganda model that he effectively used to campaign and win the elections. His TV channels depicted him differently from the way other TV channels did (D’Agresti 24). Whenever corruption and other scandals rock him and his government, the views presented by his television channels are different from the perspective presented by other media channels. Despite his corruption charges and questionable characters he is still regarded as a popular leader and a very good and controversial politician, who does what people, want (Ishtiaq 121). He has remained very simple and close to the public. Although he says that he lowered taxes, the opposition claims that t hat he has instead increased taxes. He bows to the Catholic Church when he has had two marriages and also has a host of girls in his company. He also boasts of many admirers who have helped maintain his political position. Berlusconi’s Authoritative Rule and Abuse Office Berlusconi is perceived to be of a corrupt personality as some criminal charges which have been determined in his favor are questionable. For example, in 2001, the Judiciary in Milan reprieving him of the bribery charges on a judge in 1994 tainted the judgment that was made in Rome by claiming that at that time, the judiciary in Rome was so corrupt to justify his bribery (Guardian News and Media para. 26). According to Grillo (para. 21) Berlusconi is under investigation with the prosecution in Rome alleging tax evasion. According to nine prosecutors, Berlusconi who is supposed to be making other Italians pay tax is charged with defrauding the Department of Inland Revenue. A number of his companies have also b een involved in tax evasion allegations. Besides, the television companies have been found to be buying and selling broadcasting rights at inflated rates. The media also portrays Berlusconi as an authoritarian leader who attempts to manipulate institutions to favor his political and business ambitions. He has much control over two government television station other than TG3 and plays some role of editing some information that they present to the public. His endurance during period of revelations of his sex life is a clear indication of how he has managed to exert his authority on the Italian media. He successfully manipulated the media to help him defend himself against the sex scandals that have been surrounding him. He passed laws tailored to serve his personal interest such as the one that decriminalizes false accounting that enabled him escape three major charges that had been labeled against him (Guardian News and Media para. 22). He is perceived as a corrupt personality whose corruption and criminal cases are not about to end soon. He has had extensive and persistent corruption and many other criminal charges long before he entered into the political limelight in 1993. He has been convicted of tax fraud, bribing of the tax police and false accounting among many other criminal charges (Govan para. 6). He is battling to manipulate the country’s judicial system. He started criticizing the judges as early as 2001 claiming that they had not properly handled his corruption allegations against him. He has created tension between the judicial branches and the political branches of the state and has also greatly contributed to the failed institutional mechanisms to eradicate and control corruption (Vannucci 234). The media portrays him as old-fashioned and who entered politics to achieve political power and influence that would enable him to protect his businesses and himself. The media reveals that he was a close associate of Craxi who had fled to Tunisi a to escape corruption charges; and that he had benefitted from the financial ties with Craxi. He depicted as one who did not change with the transformations of Italy. The media portrays Berlusconi as one who is not ready to resign despite the criminal allegations labeled against him. According to Aloisi (23) Berlusconi may not resign even if he was convicted of one of the criminal charges labeled against him. Instead he is planning to get himself appointed as appointed as the president after he completes his premiership term. The prime minister faces two criminal charges following Italy’s top court’s decision to lift Berlusconi’s immunity on prosecution to allow the legal proceedings to resume (Stewart para. 3). The immunity law had been viewed by many as tailor-made to protect him and his businesses while still in office. He is to be charged of tax fraud as well as false accounting in his media companies’ management. It involves the manner in which the TV rights acquired as it is alleged that Berlusconi had acquired them from his own offshore companies at inflated prices (The Guardian para. 3). Besides, it is also understood that he paid bribe to a British lawyer, David Mills so that he could withhold incriminating details on his business deals. Mills is alleged to have taken the bribe in exchange for presenting false testimony before the courts (Sartori 42). The conviction of Mills is a clear indication that his conviction may be inevitable. He is currently struggling to combat the court charges and to maintain his reputation among the public. He is portrayed as one who is ready to do anything that would keep him in power as he strongly criticizes the judges for convicting Mills and for allowing the wiretaps to be used against him in courts (Sartori 43). He is perceived as the one who influenced the passing of the tough anti-wiretap law which is meant to protect him from being overheard. Berlusconi’s Sex Scandals Berluscon i is perceived by the media as scandalous especially in regards to sex, lies as well as the use of public money. The conduct of his personal morality is questionable. His conduct has cheapened the democratic process in Italy thus resulting into loss of his political authority. The mystery surrounding his attendance of Noemi Letizia’s birthday party promoted his wife to announce earlier this year that she would be seeking for a divorce (Newell 6). It also emerged that high-class prostitutes are always hired to attend parties at his mansion in Rome. His wife accused him of fielding young women candidates who kept him company and whom he had assisted in their entertainment carriers, in the European elections. The wife also alleged abuse of office against Berlusconi for having used official government aircrafts to take his guests who just consisted of women to different places including his villa in Sardinia to entertain him. The media also portrayed him as a liar as he failed to correctly answer questions surrounding his Noemi Letizia’s scandal. He failed to give consistent answer as to why he had attended the birthday party and even used Craxi’s name to defend himself. The media describes him as one who is very economical with the truth. This was met by a great disapproval from the general public and for the first time the percentage of those who have faith in him fell to less than 50%. He is struggling to maintain his reputation by defending himself against the lying allegations and the revelations that continuously pop up in the media (Newell 6). He uses power to acquire sex from young women and thereafter nominate them to the European parliament. He acquires sex from young women aspiring to seek television careers. He is portrayed as one who has little respect for women as he uses them as sex tools. He hires women to his villa to come and entertain him and in addition, he even sleeps with government officials who are women including minis ters in his government thus undermining the institutional process and law. According to his wife Veronica, Berlusconi even went with those she considers as minors. He is depicted as a reckless and an irresponsible man who does respect his marriage and in particular, infidelity in marriage as he seems to be giving little attention to his wife. He is always partying and enjoying the company of young girls. He is portrayed as a man who has questionable national character and has only managed to survive in politics through the use of his media companies and the state television companies which he controls. He uses the media to defend himself against the corruption allegations and to market himself. According to the media, Berlusconi’s sex scandals represent a typical Italian man who believes that it is impossible to live legally and therefore his questionable leadership characters of having mistresses and cheating on taxes are perfect characteristics of the Italian people. The me dia perceives him as a womanizing politician who does not even feel sorry for his sex scandals. He is portrayed as a sex maniac who is really obsessed with thoughts and dreams about sex in most of his life. In an EU summit in Brussels organized to discuss climate change, he shocked many EU leaders as he sent them doodles showing knickers meant for women. He likes women and consistently talks about them and makes sexual jokes. His characteristics are shared by most Italian men. Berlusconi’s Mafia Activities According to Evans, Harding and Hooper (1) the relationship between Berlusconi and Putin raises eyebrows. Putin is thought to be involved and as benefitting from activities of organized crimes and therefore Berlusconi is also thought to be profiting personally from their secret deals. Berlusconi has been keen to defend Russia when being criticized and the two families have become very close as to visit each other. Berlusconi is perceived to be admiring Putin’s author itative rule and is also perceived to be benefitting personally from the energy deals between Russia and Italy (RESPONDACON III 11). Russia is considered to be a corrupt country headed by the autocratic leadership of Putin. Russia is perceived to be a country where organized crime such as arms trafficking, extortion and kickbacks, money laundering protection of criminal gangs as well as personal enrichment takes place (Schmitz (para. 6). It is a country where it is difficult to differentiate between government activities and criminal gangs’ activities (Hardling et al 1). Russia is regarded as a â€Å"virtual mafia state†. Most of the proceeds that Putin earns from these illegal activities are believed to be kept in other countries with Italy as the favorite destination (Levi 17). Berlusconi is believed to partner and henchman in these activities. The media portrays Berlusconi as one involved in relationships with organized criminal gang leaders to carry out his busines s and political activities. This may be the driving force behind his relationship with Putin. According to Grillo (para. 11). Ciancimino still remains Berlusconi’s business associate and they are alleged to have collusion with mafia in money laundering activities and other criminal activities. According to Grillo (para. 12) the original documents of the Del Monte Company may prove Berlusconi’s collusion with the mafia. According to Schmitz (para. 14) Berlusconi’s immune to political pressure gives him the opportunity to make decision related to Russia by himself. Conclusion The media portrays and perceives Berlusconi as one with a questionable personality whose main aim of keeping his political position in the country and in the international community is to protect his business and himself. He is portrayed as a corrupt leader who evades tax, misuses public resources, nominates young women who satisfy his sexual desires to the European parliament, and is involve d in secret criminal deals with criminal gangs and leaders with criminal minds such as Putin among many other forms of abuse of office. The media depicts him as an individual whose leadership is driven by the need to satisfy his ego and not the need to satisfy the national interest of the country. Works Cited D’Agresti, Attilio. Silvio Berlusconi and the Americanization of the Italian Politics: A Political Analysis through the Commentariesof IL Corriere Della Sera. Ohio: Youngstown State University. 2008. Galli Della Loggia Ernesto. Tra due poli infuriate. Di Milano.Il Corriere della Sera, March 1994. 10 December, 2010. https://jyx.jyu.fi/dspace/bitstream/handle/ 123456789/13067/URN_NBN_fi_jyu-2007761.pdf?sequence=1 Govan, Fiona. Intermex Financial. August 2010. 11 December, 2010. http://intermexfreemarket.blogspot.com/2010_08_18_archive.html Grillo, Beppe. Berlusconi offshore 2010. Casaleggio Association. 10 December, 2010. http://www.beppegrillo.it/en/2010/10/berlusconi_off shore.html. Grinsborg, Paolo. Berlusconi. Torina: Einaudi, 2003. Print Guardian News and Media. First among billionaires. Guardian News and Media Limited. August 2010. 10 December, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/sep/28/italy.weekend7 Hardling, Luke. WikiLeaks cables condemn Russia as ‘mafia state. Guardian News and Media Limited. December 2010. 10 December, 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-russia- mafia-kleptocracy?intcmp=239 Ishtiaq, Ahmad. Differences in US-EU Approaches on the Middle East: Greater Middle East Initiative and Iraq as Case Studies. New Delhi: NBO Publisher’s Levi, Michael. Suite justice or sweet charity? Some explorations of shaming and incapacitating business fraudsters. Cardiff: Sage Publications, 2010. Print. Montanelli Indro, Se questa e’ la destra. Milano: Il Corriere della Sera, February 1994. 09 December, 2010. http://store.corriere.it/varia/montanelli-gli-anni-della tv/nR6sEWcVbM8AAAEoQphVUZfR/ ct Newell, James. Sex, lies and public money: Recent Scandals in Britain and Italy. Salford: University of Salford Press, 2008. Print. Mieli, Paolo. Subito il governo. Il Corriere della Sera. March 30, 1994. Print. RESPONDACON III. Third Inter American Conference on the Problems of Fraud and Corruption in Government. 2009. 09 December, 2010. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10223214/Third- Inter-American-Conference- on-the-Problems-of-Fraud-and-Corruption-in-Government– RESPONDACON- III Rob, Evans, Harding, Luke and Hooper, John. WikiLeaks cables: Berlusconi ‘profited from secret deals’ with Putin. Guardian News and Media Limited. December 2010. 10 December, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/02/wikileaks-cables-berlusconi- putin Sartori, Giovanni. Ingegeneria Constituzionale comparata. Bologna: il Mulino. 2004 Print. Schmitz, Gregor. Washington Concerned about Berlusconi-Putin Axis. Washington D.C.: Spiegel Online International. 2010. 12 December, 2010. h ttp://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,732560,00.html Sabeenah, Arshad. The position of football in Post-colonial Europe. New Jersey: The State University of University of New Jersey Press. Silvia, Aloisi. Berlusconi won’t resign even if convicted. Reuters. November 2009. 13 December, 2010. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE59U0TE20091031 Stewart, Gaither. Italy: The End Of An Epoch. December 2009. 12 December, 2010. Countercurrents.org http://www.countercurrents.org/stewart061209.htm The Guardian. Silvio Berlusconi: Politics alla puttanesca. The Guardian. December 2009. 12 December, 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/16/editorial-silvio- berlusconi-italy Travaglio, Marco. La Scomporasa dei fatti. Milano: Donzelli, 2007. Print. Travaglio, Marco, Gomez, Peter, and Barbacetto, Gianni. Mani pulite, La Vera Storia, Roma:Donzelli, 2003. Print Tuccari, Francesco. II Governo Berlusconi: Le parole, i fatti, I rischi. Roma-Bari: Laterza, 2002. Print. V annucci, Alberto. The Controversial Legacy of Mani Pulite: A Critical Analysis of Italian Corruption and Anti-Corruption Policies. Bulletin of Italian Politics,  1.2(2009). 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Temperate Forests Are Mild-Climate Forests

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These transactions did not impose the same communication requirements as do the interactive and intercultural communication channels of the present day of international business communication environment. Since 1960s, language studies traditionally emphasized verbal and written communication, however in the recent times more research studies seriously began to consider what takes place without words in conversations, in instances were verbal and nonverbal communication meets (Hartley Bruckham, 2000). The research would start by discussing problems of communicating across social boundaries and then define and discuss some of the concepts associated with non verbal miscommunication in cross cultural meetings and negotiation. Then it would also focus on both verbal and non-verbal communication factors and consider how much scope there is for ambiguity and interpretation. If it can be anticipated how other people will interpret to what we say and do, then our communication can be made more effective. We also need to bear in mind that communication is not just the transmission and reception of information. No matter how carefully we feel we have encoded our message, we need to be aware of all the factors which can influence how other people will interpret our behaviour. The research would also address how cultural factors affect cross-cultural communication and explain in bridging cultures, and some strategies they can use to overcome cross-cultural communication problems. Nonverbal behaviours unintentional, beyond the words, can be interpreted by a receiver as having meaning. They either accompany verbal messages or are used independently of verbal messages. They may affirm and emphasize or negate and even contradict spoken messages. They are more likely to be used unconsciously and spontaneously because they are habitual and routine behaviours. There are seven key elements of Nonverbal Behaviour which include gestures, body moments, facial movements, eye contacts, postures, vocalics and haptics. Gestures, body moments, facial movement and eye contact are combined in the kinesics code, which vary culturally, also referred to as body language. The study of this caters to traditional linguistic principles to the parts of the body particularly the face, hands and arms or body as a whole. It also addresses posture in standing and sitting as well as with eye and facial expressions such as the arching of eyebrows or rolling of the eyes. Vocalics refers to a ll vocal activities other than verbal context, also called the paralanguage. Paralanguage may be expressed consciously or unconsciously and it includes the pitch, volume, and, in some cases, intonation of speech. Sometimes the definition is restricted to vocally-produced sounds. The role of Haptics focuses on touch as an element of communication and is very much a function of culture. It can vary from touch and the frequency and intensity, like many other roles of non verbal communication. The communication environment consists of physical environment and spatial environment. Secondly, there are the communicators physical characteristics like physique general attractiveness, height, clothes and other accessories. Here I would wish to bring into focus an incident which I had observed on television. When Americans go for negotiation to Saudi Arabia, the female members accompanying the team would always wear a full body cover named Abhaya (not Burkha). But recently when Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh visited Saudi Arabia, Mrs.Manmohan Singh who accompanied him did not wear that. So looking at this incidence and by carefully observing, it can be said that there was a wrong cultural assumption from the Indian think tanks whereas even Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Clinton, did wear them during their respective visits. By wearing them is like respecting the feeling of Saudis, so here its the miscommunication made and the body language is like I dont care attitude, the opposite party can interpret it in that way. India is going there and its equally important for both countries, especially more for India, by doing this India is putting them in a wrong position right at the beginning itself. An another instance is when I was watching NDTV, a popular Indian news channel, there was a discussion with two leading political parties of India namely UPA and Left, which also included prominent news reporters. The discussion was regarding the past performance of the newly elected government. Usually a discussion of this kind can heat up at any time without warnings because thats how the Indian political scenario works. As expected, there was a hot exchange of words between the representatives of the parties who were sitting in close proximity. It was surprising to note that the opposite partys gesture by touching the hand of the other party member, couple of times to ease the tension. In Indian culture, this gesture is commonly used in easing tensed situation and making the opposite person calm during a meeting or discussion. A soft touch in the hand is considered as a humanitarian way of showing that there is no intension to start a fight (usually these gestures can be seen done my males) thereby avoiding the situation to get worse. This happens between people of Indian origin and in an Indian context; understanding and acting these small gestures can win a situation or even stabilize it. But in general, Asian cultures tend to discourage touching outside of intimate situations whereas certain other cultures like US allow cross-gender touching while same-gender is less acceptable. These rules change in Japan, where women are frequently seen holding hands but not men. In the Mediterranean, it is common to see men holding hands or touching in public but not women. So an awareness of these local norms is important and would help negotiators for better cross cultural negotiations. The use of space is called proxemics, and the use of time is chronemics. Environment involves the communicative value of the physical space. Unconsciously, we all keep a comfortable distance around us when we interact with other people. This distance has had several names over the years, including personal space, interpersonal distance, comfort zone, and body bubble. This space between us and another person forms invisible walls that define how comfortable we feel at various distances from other people. Business people, for example, assume significant meaning about desk size; its commonly assumed that the important people of companies occupy the top most floors of the company. Artifacts likewise is connected with communicative aspect of objects visible in a room such as art or possessions, these may be personal indicative of status of revealing lifestyle. In some societies much meaning is presumed by ones choice of automobile. Artifacts certainly play a role in cultural significance. For instance in many Western countries, pet shave great emotional significance; among many Arabs rugs are prestigious. It should be further emphasized that these codes do not usually function independently or sequentially, rather they work simultaneously. Moreover, nonverbal behaviour is always about sending messages. We cannot communicate without using them even though at times these messages are ambiguous. This wide range of nonverbal behaviour serves various functions in all face-to-face encounters (Gesteland, 2002). For instance at a companys important social meeting, the general manager is introduced to several new employees whom he has not met. Having greeted them with a dominant handshake, he stands at the social distance from the new employees. Knapp Hall (1997) claim that leaders and dominant personalities tend to also choose specific seats but seating position also can determine ones role in a group. Johnson (1993) says that choosing where to sit even if it means moving a chair or even deciding whether to sit, is significant. Anderson (1993) states that leaders and powerful people take up more space than others do. By taking up more space, they appear to be taking charge. Conversely, after shaking hands with the boss, the new employees take full or partial arm-fold gestures because of their apprehension about being in the presence of the companys top man. Both the general manager and the new employees feel comfortable with their respective gestures as each, is signaling his status relativ e to the other. A study conducted in the United States brought to light that, in more than 93 percent, the messages is transmitted by the speakers tone of voice and facial expressions; only 7 percent of the persons attitude was conveyed by words. Probably its a fact that we express our emotions and attitudes more nonverbally than verbally. There are however nonverbal differences across cultures that may be a source of confusion for foreigners. For example, expression of sadness, in culture such as the Arab, grief is expressed openly but this is just the opposite in the case of other cultures like the Asian. Here the general belief is that it is unacceptable to show emotion openly, whether its sadness, happiness or pain. Negotiation is a broad conflict management process involving discussions between and among individuals who are interdependent and need to come together for a decision or course of action; frequently associated with the need to compromise effectively (Shockley-Zalabak, 1988, p. 247). Negotiation consists of two distinct processes: creating value and claiming value. Creating value is a cooperative process whereby the parties in the negotiation seek to realize the full potential benefit of the relationship whereas claiming value is essentially a competitive process. The key to creating value is finding interests that the parties have in common or that complement each other, then reconciling and expanding upon these interests to create a positive situation. Parties at the negotiating table are interdependent and their goals are locked together. A seller cannot exist without a buyer. The purpose of a negotiation is a joint decision-making process through which the parties create a mutuall y acceptable settlement. The objective is to pursue a win-win situation for both parties. Sun Tzu once wrote: Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. It is perhaps a bit extreme to compare a business meeting to a battle and a business partner to an enemy but the main principle still holds. In order to be reliably successful in business you must understand both yourself and your partner. This understanding will enable you realize what makes your corresponding person tick, and thus understand how he is likely to react in a given situation. In order to gain the full advantage of this knowledge, it is also necessary to understand oneself, both so that one can accurately grasp in what areas the other party is similar or dissimilar, and in order to accurately see how your counterpart is likely to view you. Hill (1998) mentions cross-cultural literacy, and defines it as an understanding of how cultural differences both across and within natio ns can affect the way in which business is practiced (1998:66) If we consider the fact that negotiating with our fellow citizen is not an easy task due to many individual differences, it would be reasonable to suggest that negotiating in a cross cultural setting with people from different cultural boundaries may be even more difficult. The way we perceive and create our own reality may be completely different to our counterparts way of thinking, behaving and feeling. Its also a fact that gaining knowledge of different languages is not enough to face and solve the problem. Language is a cluster of codes used in communication which, if not shared effectively, can act as a barrier to establish credibility and trust. Nations tend to have a national character that influences the type of goals and process the society pursues in negotiations. This is why specifying and understanding cultural differences is vital in order to perform successfully in inter-cultural communication. As we better understand that our partners may see things differently, we wil l be less likely to make negative assumptions and more likely to make progress during meetings and cross cultural negotiations (Zieba, 2009). Japanese negotiators are known for their politeness, their emphasis on establishing relationships and their indirect use of power. Japanese concern with face and face-saving is one reason that politeness is so important and confrontation is avoided. They tend to use power in muted, indirect ways consistent with their preference for harmony and calm. In comparative studies, Japanese negotiators were found to disclose considerably less about themselves and their goals than French or American counterparts. Silence and pauses in conversations are normal. Two can strategically use breaks in conversational flows even in situations where they could process information faster and send messages sooner. In essence the period of silence provide a twofold advantage of reducing the possibility of introducing unproductive and destructive commends into conversations and providing breaks for reflection, designation of ideas and planning of communication strategy and tactics during negotiations. Thes e are consistent with the norms of Chinese and Japanese, however westerners might have discomfort in the same situations. They are very formal and polite and place great importance on proper protocol. They are also concerned with proper etiquette. British negotiation behaviour is characterized by the soft sell and their culture is relatively high in context. Americans usually like to get down to business quickly in a meeting which may lead to people from Chinese and Japanese cultures being offended. In spite of that, the discussion mostly proceeds at a much slower pace than US business people are accustomed. The Chinese uses high context speech and therefore use a lot of non-verbal cues to communicate. They may use feelings of guilt, shame and obligation to get certain kinds of concessions whereas Americans use less risk taking tactics to misrepresent in order to gain more information. In general, most Westerners expect a prompt answer when they make a statement or ask a question ra ther than long pauses and silence (Weiss, 1992). This form of Kinesic messages shows that even if one keeps silent, one is still conveying messages. Knapp Hall (1997, p. 332) state that The face may be the basis for judging another persons personality and that it can (and does) provide information other than ones emotional state. They found that how something is said is often more important than what is being said. In addition, Anderson (1993) suggests that people perceived as powerful, shift their position occasionally, making themselves appear in charge. However, the rise in the global business trend and cross cultural meetings has paved way for the Chinese and Japanese professionals in doing business with the West with relative ease and have shown tendency to modify their behaviours to accommodate west. Nonetheless, doing business in Japan necessitates preparing oneself by understanding areas such as business culture, business etiquette, and negotiation meeting protocols. For instance, bowing your head is an integral part of J apanese culture. It is used for greeting at beginning and end of the meetings to show gratitude or used in other occasions to express sympathy or to apologies but a Westerner would not be expected to bow and will most likely be greeted with a handshake combined with a slight nod of the head (Nelda Spinks 1997). The French, expect everyone to behave as they do when doing business which includes speaking their language. Negotiations are likely to be in French unless they occur outside France. The French enjoy conversation for the sake of conversation but they are also very pragmatic about details of the proposed agreement during negotiations. They are very much individualists and have a sense of pride that is sometimes interpreted as supremacy. They follow their own logic, referred to as Cartesian logic, when negotiating. These logics are based on principles previously established. It proceeds from what is known, in point-by-point fashion, until agreement is reached. Protocol, manners , status, education, family, and individual accomplishments are keys to success when dealing with the French. The French prefer detailed, firm contracts. They enjoy conflict and debate and will interrupt even the opening presentations with arguments of little or no relevance (Moran and Stripp, 1991). It is widely acknowledged fact that people from different countries tend to communicate in different ways. We argue that these differences are more related to different communication cultures than other differences. Being aware of these differences usually leads to better comprehension, fewer misunderstandings and to mutual respect along with the prospects of success and benefits in negotiations and cross cultural meetings (Janosik, 1991). The key to successful nonverbal cross-cultural communication is that one must be experienced, motivated, knowledgeable, skilled and competent communicator in the global marketplace. These factors are interrelated and a deficiency in one would impacts at least one of the other factors. The more the deficiency is reduced there is more likelihood of achieving a high level of cross-cultural communication. Spitzberg (1991) points out in his model of interpersonal communication competency that, there is an additive effect of these factors resulting in co mmunication satisfaction, perceived confirmation, and conversational appropriateness and effectiveness (p. 22). However these may not be true in all cases. For example, I would like to point out a particular instance from my personal experience wherein a subject becomes more important or more influencing factor in a face to face space negotiation, the subject is something slightly different than a pure technical one. If I am trying to create a thinking process or an idea or an ideology, I would like to spread that and make others understand, which is really important. So my aim would be to make others understand my thinking process, and to do that, I better do my homework properly and know exactly what others think, hence this topic is more valid in such context. When the negotiation is highly technical then all these dont make much difference because technical things are tangible. For example, if we say we would like to export one ship of rice to Kenya, the quantity of rice that can go to that ship load is tangible and the product in talk is also tangible as we can specify the type of rice. H ere, the negotiation is only about the final loading price for that particular merchant, so whatever language we talk (say I know everything about Kenya, I have hired a secretary for that and I have done everything for that) it work only if its feasible for me hence its pure technical. TATA motors was trying to sell their cars and trucks in Africa region but finally succeeded only in selling trucks because the tertian needed in that region is almost same as that of the Indian region. So there the buyer was only interested in the efficiency of the truck and the total maintenance cost, rest all was of least importance. For instance, consider an advertisement of any car in the daily, they are also communicating. We can see that some of these advertisement are related to festive moods like Easter so by means of picture, it is trying to relate us to that particular festival which helps us to get connect faster and thereby leading to buy the content. So here the language they use is a vis ual one. Another example is say early morning a person is ready to go for negotiation and finds that he has forgotten to take the thoughts and has the habit of sweating (sweating here indicates nervousness in a sense). Now imaging the condition of that person, he going to attend a important meeting, he will be biased because of the sweat and his body language would be completely wrong because of this irritation factor which is definitely going to affect his meeting. His conversation would be influenced by this irritation factor and there is a possibility that other members might misunderstand his body language or it could even be medical problem or a digestion problem or it could be something like a pillow given in the hotel. Instead of a soft pillow the person would have got a hard one and say that person has a spontaliaties problem, he would have a very bad night of sleep and this would reflect in his gestures. So its always not correct to say that one can understand and interpret the body language rightly, even if he has enormous experience and skills relating to it, as according to the above example, under such circumstances it would be very difficult to communicate in proper body language and even verbally may not be saying what he intended to say. Sometimes persons would be forced to do things they are not aware of because of various other factors related to it. It is not a pure science where oxygen and hydrogen combined together gives water, in any instance. In a positive sense, everything could hype a person up like the food that he had last night or the drink that he had or the company that he had, so there again he is not projecting his real self. The next day when he goes for a negotiation his spirits are high which also could be misread and misinterpreted by the opposite party. The opposite party would think that the person is much interested in the business or negotiation but the reaction would only come later, seeing him in high spirit, the opposite party would start in a entirely different way from what he had prepared earlier. As human beings, we act on the basis of our perceptions and beliefs. So if we have a particular view of human communication, then we will act on that view. If we have a faulty view, then our behaviour may cause problems. The behaviour of humans is bundled up by different complex set of factors from individual personality, the social context their respective cultural values. Negotiating behaviour can vary depending upon various other aspects from the age of the participant, class, religion and character, its complexity gives nuanced explanations (Hartley Bruckham, 2000). This is a classical example to show how different cross cultural non verbal signals are misread, the cost of it being delays and missed opportunities. This case comes during the early days when the American diplomats attended a meeting of US -China reconciliation. Cohen (1991) points out that U.S. observers entirely missed the most significant Chinese signal of reconciliation of all in the 1970-71 periods. In October 1970, Chairman Mao invited an American author and journalist to stand next to him at the Gate of Heavenly Peace. While this gesture seems obscure to American diplomats and hence they did not respond to it, the symbolism was clear to the Chinese, who expected a significant response. These gaps in nonverbal gestures created friction among these two nations, if addressed in its rightful instance could have brought out fruitful results beneficial to both nations.

Literature Reflects Life in The Gilded Age :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism

Literature Reflects Life in The Gilded Age As immigrants began to flood into America in the late 1800's and early 1900's, they had hopes of a miraculous new life in the Land of the Free. They may have thought that they would not have to live in cramped and unsanitary conditions as they had in their old homes. They may have had hopes of finding a great new career that would skyrocket them to fame and fortune and allow them to live like the Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Morgans did. It could be possible that all their hopes were assured once they caught sight of the New York City skyline, expanding as far as the eye could see and stretching like arms spread welcoming home a loved one. The sun may have been shining bright and golden, bathing the not-so-distant city in a fantastic light. At a distance it was quite possibly one of the most exquisite sights that their eyes had ever come upon. However, the land that looked so beautiful and grand from the distance was actually filled with greed, corruption, and opportunists. That is h ow America can be described during the Gilded Age. The wrapping was pretty, but the present was awful. Such wealthy entrepreneurs as the Rockefellers and Carnegies helped to make America the beauty that she was on the outside, but to an extent they also contributed to the rotten inside. America's new European residents lived in cramped apartments and worked in unsafe factories. The factories housed the latest technology of the Gilded Age, the assembly line. The mass production that the assembly line brought about made the rich richer, but did nothing to help the poor. They were working long hours in sometimes extremely dangerous conditions. Injuries and even deaths would occur due to faulty machinery or exhausted employees, but these occurrences were often ignored or covered up to avoid any bad publicity. As the immigrants flooded the big cities seeking jobs, other Americans headed west with the expansion of the railroad. However, nobody seemed to take into consideration that they would be intruding on the American Indian's territory. It also seemed that no one cared. America was gree dy for land that lay to the west and would be quite deceitful in getting the land that they wanted. The American Indians were pushed further and further west, and their tribes began to dwindle.

Jacksonian Democrats DBQ Essay

In the 1820’s and 1830’s, the Jacksonian Democrats, with Andrew Jackson as their leader, viewed themselves as the guardians of the Constitution, political democracy, individual liberty, and equality of economic opportunity. However, this view did not truly represent the actions taken by President Andrew Jackson and his followers, it was only a faà §ade put up to mask their sectionalist ideas. One of the disparities in the views and actions of the Jacksonian Democrats involved social equality. Jackson repeatedly held sectionalist views and did things that were better for the average, poor community than for the country as a whole. One such example of this is shown in Documents B and C involving the National Bank. In his National Bank veto message in Document B, Jackson says, â€Å"It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes.† Jackson singles out the wealthier class and accuses them of being selfish. Because this ridiculous comment has no intelligent purpose other than to create an enormous, nationwide class clash, it must be seen as evidence that Jackson was a sectionalist. Daniel Webster responded to this message in Document C by stating, â€Å"It manifestly seeks to inflame the poor against the rich †¦ for the purpose of turning against them [the other class] the prejudices and the resentments of the other classes.† Daniel Webster is saying what was previously mentioned. It was as though Jackson was trying to anger the poor to turn against the rich. Jackson’s actions show that his primary goal was not to help the country, but to address his own personal issues. This completely contrasts the Jacksonian Democrats view of themselves. The Jacksonians thought that they were acting in the best interest of the country, where they were truly thinking about their own needs. The Constitutional rights of the people were also violated during the Jackson presidency. In Document F, we see that South Carolina had resolved that fellow states would make it a crime to print, publish, or distribute anything that was anti-slavery. They did this because slavery was their economic backbone, and without it, their economy would plummet. South Carolina was requesting that a sectionalist opinion be enforced over a constitutional right. If Jackson was really what he claimed to be, he would  have rejected this request. However, he willingly violated the Constitution and abused his Presidential power when he told Postmaster General Amos Kendall to censor all of the mail. Next, in Document G, we see a painting that shows what happened to the Native Americans during the Trail of Tears. Earlier in Jackson’s life, he was a General for the American army. His most notable campaigns were the wars with the Seminole Indians. Jackson had a strong hatred towards the Seminoles when he was a General that carried over to his presidency. His decisions and treaties to force the Native Americans out of their land show that he only had his agenda in mind and that he was a true sectionalist. These actions violated one of the fundamental Constitutional rights that our country was founded on, freedom. The Jacksonian Democrats view of themselves was not entirely accurate because of the class issues and disregard of the Constitution during Jackson’s presidency. Jackson forced the Native Americans out of their land, repeatedly created class clashes, and held sectionalist views. The principles behind these actions were the antitheses of those that this country was founded on. This not only shows the hypocrisy of the Jacksonian Democrats, but it proves that they did not accurately view themselves.

The Qualities of a Superior Special Educator

The Qualities of a Superior Special Educator Special education is a field that will continue to need qualified candidates for at least the next decade. What makes the difference between an adequate and a great special educator?   Special Educators Are Highly Intelligent People often make the mistake of thinking that because children with disabilities are often cognitively disabled, that they dont need smart teachers. Incorrect. The era of babysitting is over. The demands on special educators intellectually are greater than on those who teach a single subject. Special educators need to: Know the general education well enough to adapt it to the ability of their students. In situations where they are co-teaching in inclusive settings, they need to understand how to make curricular information and skills (as in math and reading) accessible to their students with disabilities.Assess students both formally and informally, understanding their strengths as well as their needs. You also assess and understand your students strengths and weaknesses in terms of learning style: do they learn visually or auditorily? Do they need to move (kinetics) or are they easily distracted?Keep an open mind. Part of intelligence is natural curiosity. Great special educators always have their eyes open for new data driven strategies, materials and resources they can use to help their students succeed. This does not mean that special educators may not be disabled themselves: a person with dyslexia who has successfully completed the required college program for special education understand not only what their students need to learn, but have also built a strong repertoire of strategies to overcome the problems they have with text, or math, or long term memory. Special Educators Like Children You need to know if you really like children if you are going to teach special education. Seems like that should be assumed, but dont. There are people who thought they would like to teach and then found out that they did not like the messiness of children. You especially need to like boys, since boys represent 80 percent of all students with autism and more than half of children with other disabilities. Children often are dirty, they may smell bad at times, and they are not all cute. Be sure you like children in reality and not just in the abstract. Special Educators Are Anthropologists Temple Grandin, well-known for being both autistic and an articulate interpreter of autism (Thinking in Pictures, 2006) described her dealings with the typical world as being An Anthropologist on Mars. Its also an apt description of a great teacher of children, especially children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. An anthropologist studies the culture and communications of specific cultural groups. A great special educator also observes his or her students closely to understand them, both in order to address their needs and to use their strengths as well as their needs to design instruction. An anthropologist does not impose his or her prejudices on the subjects or the society he or she is studying. The same is true of a great special educator. A great special educator pays attention to what motivates his or her students and doesnt judge them when they dont conform to their expectations. Like children to be polite? Assume they have never been taught, rather than they are being rude. Children with disabilities have people judging them all day long. A superior special educator withholds judgment. Special Educators Create Safe Places. If you have a self-contained classroom or a resource room, you need to be sure you create a place where calm and order reign. It is not a matter of being loud enough to get their attention. It is actually counterproductive for most children with disabilities, especially students on the autism spectrum. Instead, special educators need to: Establish Routines: Creating structured routines is invaluable to having a quiet, orderly classroom. Routines dont restrict students, they create the framework that helps students succeed.Create Positive Behavior Support: A great teacher thinks ahead, and by putting positive behavior support in place, avoids all of the negatives that come with a reactive approach to behavior management. Special Educators Manage Themselves If you have a temper, like to have things your way, or otherwise take care of number one first, you are probably not a good candidate for teaching, let alone teaching special education children. You can be well paid and enjoy what you do in special education, but nobody promised you a rose garden. Keeping your cool in the face of behavioral challenges or difficult parents is critical for your success. Getting along with and supervising a classroom aide also require that you know what you need to succeed. It doesnt mean that you a pushover, it means that you can separate what is really important and what is negotiable. Other Attributes of a Successful Special Educator Attention to Detail: You will need to collect data, keep other records, and write a lot of reports. The ability to attend to those details while maintaining instruction is a big challenge.An Ability to Keep Deadlines: Keeping to deadlines is critical to avoiding due process: the legal assumption you know what youre talking about evaporates when you fail to follow Federal Law, and failure to meet timelines is one place too many special educators fail. Run to the Nearest Exit If you are fortunate enough to have good self-awareness, and you find that some of the things above dont match your strengths, you need to pursue something that will better match your skill set and your desires. If you find that you have these strengths, we hope you are enrolled in a special education program. We need you. We need intelligent, responsive and empathetic teachers to help students with disabilities succeed, and help all of us feel proud that we have chosen to serve children with special needs.

Inherit The Wind essays

Inherit The Wind essays The film Inherit the wind is about a young schoolteacher who dares to introduce his students to Darwins theory of evolution in Hillsboro. Hillsboro is a small bible town whose citizens not only reject the evolutionist point of view but deny the existence of evolution itself. They have been taught that the universe and all it contains was created by God; that any other point of view is blasphemous. In Hillsboro, it is unlawful to teach other than what is in the bible. The people there are very old fashioned and not open to questioning what has been written. Thus, the story surrounds the trial of the State vs. a schoolteacher; evolution vs. creation; religion versus science. The film was originally written as a play in 1955 by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The focus of the story mirrors the events of what became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial where Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan squared off in a small town to determine the guilt or innocence of a schoolteacher, Scopes, who attempted to teach evolution in his science class. The movies characters are represented by defense attorney Henry Drummond, prosecutor Matthew Harrison Brady, and defendant Bertram Cates, respectively. All are gathered in the courtroom, including the press, to attend what seems to be an open and shut case. But as the story unfolds and the trial proceeds, there are many twists and surprises that further polarize and make impossible to exist the two points of view. Henry Drummond attempts to call several expert witnesses to aide his defense of Cates. The presiding judge, who happens to be running for political office and not wanting to rock the boat with the townspeople, easily disallows any and all witnesses presented by Drummond. However, when left with no other alternative, Drummond calls the only expert witness he knows will be acceptable, not only to the court but to the local population. He calls M ...

The barque of dante Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The barque of dante - Research Paper Example The backdrop is infused by an ambiance of disaster and dreadful hopelessness. The agonizing cadence, produced by the squirming glowing images in the center, stirs up eroticism. Physical and emotional strains have been highlighted by the shadowy, heavy colors. Delacroix had labored uncontrollably for several months to have his early work of art finished for the 1822 Salon judgment and once he had finished this canvass he was completely drained. But this relentless effort paid off eventually. The Barque of Dante was presented to the Salon jury, and gives definite recognition of its indebtedness to The Raft of the Medusa of Gericault. Without a doubt, the painting’s influence is not only confined to The Barque of Dante but also to Delacroix’s later works, such as The Shipwreck of Don Juan. However, Delacroix had a lot more to find out about the Raft. Gericault, in showing the dilemma of the shipwrecked all over the world, had established the footing for the artistic revolution. The big figures positioned near to the gaper are possibly suggestive of Gericault in the sense in which they occupy the exterior of the painting and in their secluded immensity. In 1822, Thiers described The Barque of Dante in a single statement: â€Å"No canvas better reveals the future of a great painter† (Fletcher 2002, 1499). With this new theme aroused by Dante’s Inferno, the solemn vision and deeply striking imagery, as well as allusions to Rubens and Michelangelo, Delacroix drove painting in a different path, eventually to be categorized as ‘romantic’. The era of classical visual artists copying Roman and Greek painting had ended: modern-day preferences have completely abandoned them. The core design of The Barque of Dante is that remarkable talents from other places have produced literary creations filled with a way of viewing and sensing somewhat distinct from that of the French.

Mechanism Description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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