Summary of William Shakespeares Play As You Like It

This As You Like It summary is designed to help you unpick this complex play from William Shakespeare.  We bring the story together in a fun and accessible way for readers new to As You Like It. As You Like It – Summary of the Plot Before the play has begun, Duke Senior has been banished (joined by some loyal attendants and Lords) to live in the forest by his usurping brother Duke Frederick. Duke Senior’s daughter Rosalind has remained in Court on her Cousin Celia’s request and is being brought up as if she is her sister. Orlando is the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Bois and is hated by his eldest brother Oliver. Orlando has challenged the court wrestler Charles to a fight and Oliver encourages it as he knows that Charles is strong and Oliver wants his brother harmed. The Big Fight The fight is announced and Rosalind and Celia decide to watch the match but are asked to try and discourage Orlando from fighting Charles. When Rosalind speaks with Orlando she finds him to be very courageous and quickly falls in love with him. Orlando fights Charles and wins (it is unclear whether he is brave and strong or if Charles let him win out of loyalty to the family). Rosalind speaks to Orlando after the fight commending his bravery. She discovers that he is the son of Sir Rowland who was loved by her father. Orlando has fallen in love with Rosalind. Orlando is encouraged to leave as Sir Rowland was an enemy to Duke Frederick. Off to the Forest Le Beau, a courtier, warns that Duke Frederick has taken a dislike to Rosalind believing that she is more beautiful than his own daughter and that she reminds people of what he did to her father. Duke Frederick banishes Rosalind and Celia vows to go with her into exile. The girls plan to leave for the forest to find Duke Senior. They take the clown Touchstone with them for safety. The girls decide to disguise themselves in order to avoid being found out and for extra security. Rosalind decides to dress as a man – Ganymede, Celia poses as his poor sister Aliena. Life in the forest with Duke Senior is presented as contented though not without danger or hardship. Duke Frederick believes that Rosalind and his daughter have run away to find Orlando and employs Orlando’s brother; Oliver, to find them and bring them back. He does not care if Orlando is dead or alive. Oliver, still hating his brother, happily agrees. Adam warns Orlando that he cannot go home because Oliver plans to burn it down and cause harm to Orlando. They decide to escape to the Forest of Ardenne. In the forest, Rosalind dressed as Ganymede and Celia as Aliena with Touchstone meet Corin and Silvius. Silvius is in love with Phoebe but his love is unrequited. Corin is fed up with serving Silvius and agrees to serve Ganymede and Aliena. Meanwhile Jaques and Amiens are in the forest happily passing the time with singing. Orlando and Adam are exhausted and starving and Orlando goes off to find food. He comes across Duke Senior and his men who are about to eat a great feast. He aggressively approaches them to get some food but they peacefully invite him and Adam to eat with them. Love Sickness Orlando is preoccupied with his love for Rosalind and hangs poems about her on trees. He carves poems into the bark. Rosalind finds the poems and is flattered, despite Touchstone’s mocking. It is revealed that Orlando is in the forest and is responsible for the poems. Rosalind, as Ganymede, meets with Orlando and offers to cure him of his love sickness. She encourages him to meet with her every day and woo her as if she were Rosalind. He agrees. Touchstone has fallen in love with a shepherdess called Audrey. Audrey is bawdy and the couple are a foil to Orlando and Rosalind in that their love is unromantic, lusty and honest. Touchstone almost marries Audrey in the forest but is persuaded to wait by Jaques. Rosalind is cross because Orlando is late. Phoebe is followed on stage by the doting Silvius who is desperate for her love. Phoebe scorns him and Rosalind/Ganymede criticises her for being so cruel. Phoebe instantly falls in love with Ganymede, who tried to put her off by scorning her further. Phoebe employs Silvius to run errands for her, asking him to send a letter to Ganymede chastising him for being so rude to her. Silvius agrees as he would do anything for her. Marriage Orlando arrives apologising for his lateness; Rosalind gives him a hard time but eventually forgives him. They have a mock marriage ceremony and he promises to return in a couple of hours after joining the Duke for a meal. Orlando is late again and while Rosalind is waiting for him, she is given Phoebe’s letter. She tells Silvius to pass Phoebe a message that if she loves Ganymede then s/he orders her to love Silvius. Oliver then arrives with a bloody handkerchief explaining that Orlando is late because he wrestled a lioness in order to protect his brother. Oliver apologises for his wrong-doing and recognises his brother’s bravery and has a change of heart. He then notices Celia as Aliena and promptly falls in love with her. A marriage ceremony is arranged between Oliver and Celia/Aliena and Touchstone and Audrey. Rosalind as Ganymede gathers together Orlando and Silvius and Phoebe in order to resolve the love triangle. Rosalind/Ganymede asks Orlando; if she can get Rosalind to attend the marriage ceremony will he marry her? Orlando agrees. Rosalind/Ganymede then tells Phoebe to attend the marriage ceremony ready to marry Ganymede but if she refuses she must agree to marry Silvius. Silvius agrees to marry Phoebe if she rejects Ganymede. The next day, Duke Senior and his men gather to witness the wedding between Audrey and Touchstone, Oliver and Aliena, Rosalind and Orlando and Ganymede or Silvius and Phoebe. Rosalind and Celia appear as themselves at the ceremony with Hymen the marriage god. Happy Endings Phoebe immediately rejects Ganymede realising that he was a woman and agrees to marry Silvius. Oliver happily marries Celia and Orlando marries Rosalind. Jaques De Bois brings news that Duke Frederick left the court to fight his brother in the forest but instead found a religious man who encouraged him to give up the court and live a life of religious contemplation. He hands the court back over to Duke Senior. Jaques goes to join him to learn more about religion and the group celebrates the news and the marriages by dancing and singing.

Hinduism, Christianity, And Islam - 1261 Words

Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam are three very prominent religions in today’s world. Although God is an extremely significant figure in all three religions, each sect offers a unique approach in describing God. Each faith has readings from sacred books that discuss their own individual beliefs on how God’s disciples should act in order to achieve eternal salvation. The â€Å"Pillar of Edicts†, written by Ashoka, is a summary of the Hindu faith, which discusses the concept of dharma in relation to how the Hindu people must live their daily lives. Additionally, the Bhagavad-Gita, a very popular and sacred text found in the Hindu church, establishes the Hindu concept of salvation and life after death. In the holy bible, chapters five through seven in the book of Matthew presents fundamentals of the Christian faith. The Quran, the most cherished text in Islam, is the revelation of God’s word. It explains what it means to follow God’s commandments and constructs the Islamic philosophy. All three religions discuss their unique approach on how to obtain eternal life through obeying God. The â€Å"Pillar of Edicts† outlines the principle of dharma, which is basically the consciousness of right and wrong behaviors. Ashoka, a warrior and emperor in India, inscribed the seven edicts on rocks and pillars that have been discovered in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The first pillar proposed by Ashoka proclaims that without a love for the Dhamma, this being the same as â€Å"dharma†,Show MoreRelatedChristianity, Hinduism, And Islam1054 Words   |  5 Pagesthe followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam may see things differently, they basically hold the same values and codes. To Islam, the Prophet Mohammad’s teaching is a â€Å"complete and final revelation†. On the other hand, according to the bible, Christianity believes that Jesus Christ is the true lord and savior will grant you the access to h eaven in the afterlife. Judaism is founded by Abraham, and it is the base from which both of the other two religions.While Hinduism focuses on one ultimate beingRead MoreReligion : Hinduism, Islam, And Christianity1079 Words   |  5 Pagesworship and to follow their practices. A few of the main religions over time have been Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. These three religions consist of ideas and practices that may be very different, but are made up of the same general idea expressed in a new form. Although their main differences, each religion seeks one thing, and that s an afterlife. Most religions are made up of a god or many gods. Hinduism is considered a polytheistic religion, which means more than one god. Hindu beliefs,Read MoreHinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, And Islam2109 Words   |  9 Pagesit something completely different? There are various different religious views held on death by Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. There are also non-religious worldviews about death by postmodernists. One lives his life based on what they perceive will befall them after death. Therefore, the way one lives their life is controlled by what they believe will happen after their death. Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions and is still around today, being the third largest religionRead MoreHinduism, Christianity, And Islam Essay1279 Words   |  6 PagesJudaism, Christianity, and Islam is to show service and submission to the one all-powerful, infinite God through prayers unique to that faith, weekly worship gatherings, and various traditions. However execution of worship and ritual varies as a result of historical influences and how that religion decides to display their â€Å"service† to God through the aspects of prayer and traditions. The main intention of worship and ritual is to show â€Å"service† to God, which is known for Judaism, Christianity, andRead MoreChristianity, Islam, Hinduism, And Judaism1076 Words   |  5 Pagesreligions present within todays society with the most prominent being; Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism (Rosenberg, 2016). These can then be split into two different groups; Monotheistic and Polytheistic. Monotheistic meaning â€Å"The belief that there is only one God† (Crabtree, 2014). This can be seen in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Therefore Polytheism is the belief and worship of multiple deities, which can be found in Hinduism, Shintoism, and the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians (Merriam-WebsterRead MoreChristianity, Islam, Buddhism, And Hinduism2587 Words   |  11 PagesMany religions are practiced throughout the world. The most common ones are l Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Each of these have their own views, preachers and foll owers. Every religion is independently known because of its distinguishing holy being and god to be worshipped. Religions give their followers the particular strategies and rules in which to lead their lives. These rules and strategies give the distinctive identity to the followers of the particular religion. TheRead MoreChristianity, Islam, Hinduism And Buddhism1206 Words   |  5 PagesOut these many faiths, the most followed and practiced ones are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Being the most practiced religion Christianity has over two billion followers. At second, Islam has over one billion adherents. Hinduism has about nine hundred million followers and Buddhism has about four hundred million followers. Soon after are Sikhism, Judaism and Baha’ism. Like most of the other religion, Christianity has a God. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and wasRead MoreHinduism, Christianity, Judaism, And Islam940 Words   |  4 PagesIt can be said that there is no such thing as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. In a general sense I agree with this statement, but I also disagree. As human beings, we naturally classify things into groups in order to make sense of them. From the moment we are born our brains begin to classify between male and female, loud and soft, big and small, or dark and light. By assimilating things that are similar we are able to learn new things faster by finding connections to somethingRead MoreChristianity, Islam, Hinduism, And Buddhism Essay2361 Words   |  10 Pagesreligions provide morals to help stop injustices that comes from the capitalistic society that ushers globalization to every corner of the earth. He also states that globalization is mutually beneficial to the globa l religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism because it â€Å"can help free world religions from troubling alliances with particular communal identity and politics and nudge them to rediscover their genuine universality.† For Volf, these religious practices â€Å"are notRead MoreIslam, Hinduism, Buddhism And Christianity Comparison1025 Words   |  5 PagesPractices of Hinduism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity Comparison Hinduism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity developed centuries ago and have been practiced since then to today. Groups of people who practice these religions are bound to the conventional norms, beliefs, cultures and way of life of each. Each religion has a particular faith in a supreme being (Woodhead, Partridge Kawanami, 2016). Muslims believe in Allah, Christians believe in Jesus Christ, Hindus believe in

Cam Therapeutics Modalities Paper Free Essays

CAM Therapeutics Modalities Paper Shakita A Hunter SCI/201 October 31, 2011 Macharia Waruingi CAM Therapeutics Modalities Paper Individuals have taken the option to take better care of themselves by taking steps to improve their health. The complementary and alternative medicine, otherwise known as CAM, is a group made up of practices, products, medical and healthcare systems with diverse backgrounds. The different practices of CAM are grouped in different categories associated with â€Å"natural products, mind and body medicine, and manipulative and body-based practices†(NCCAM,2011). We will write a custom essay sample on Cam Therapeutics Modalities Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now The purpose of this essay is to defined alternative medicine, complementary medicine and integrative medicine. It will describe how conventional medicine plays a role in these three types of medicine. In addition, the essay will further discuss the philosophy of CAM; how it relates to conventional Western medicine as well as describes the five domains of therapies. Finally, the essay will describe one CAM treatment modality within the five domains if therapies and how it meets the definition of alternative, complementary, or integrative therapy. When discussing complementary medicine, it is referred to as standard care. It is proven to be safe and effective. â€Å"Complementary medicine includes techniques such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, support groups, and yoga†(NCCAM,2011). This type of medicine can affect an individual’s physical being, spiritual being, emotional being, and social being. It can help a person’s immune system become more healthier and it can also have the ability to fight off a disease. Outside of the realm of conventional medicine, there is another form of medicine that is called alternative medicine. With alternative medicine, individuals are require to do a bit more work. Alternative medicine includes a broad range of practices. Some healing therapies are based on Ancient Chinese beliefs, like acupuncture and the use of certain herbal compounds. Others focus on Hindu, or Ayurvedic, therapies including diet changes, the practice of yoga, and emphasizing the connection of mind, body, and spirit†( Ellis-Christensen,2011). With alternative m edicine, the negative side effects almost do not exist. People may want to go to a Wal-mart or pharmacy to purchase herbs, vitamins, or other supplements and can get them at a reasonable price. Many of these herbs, supplements and produce are the basis of much of alternative medicine which is overlooked for the most part in terms of their health benefits. One form of natural, alternative medicine that is frequently used by many comes in the convenient form of tea. The herbal teas Echinacea and Chamomile naturally help support the body’s immune system. Whether for sore muscles, the stomach flu, or a cold, herbal teas can suppress the illness until the symptoms have passed and wellness has been restored. Integrative medicine is a combination of conventional Western medicine with complementary and alternative medicine or treatments. The various techniques that can be utilized from both complementary and alternative treatments are all in the effort to treat the person in whole. For any integrative medicine program, the goal for the physician is to truly bring together â€Å" allopathic medicine with mind-body-spirit modalities with the ultimate goal of helping patients or individuals adapt to traditional medical treatments. The modalities directly affects the body’s physiological healing process while gently awakening the mind-body-spirit connection needed to enhance the healing process†(Beaumont Health Systems, 2011). Within the complementary and alternative medical practices are healthcare practices that are part of conventional practices. â€Å"NCCAM groups CAM practices within five major domains, acknowledging that other groupings are possible: native medical systems, (2) mind-body interventions, (3) biologically based treatments, (4) manipulative and body-based methods, and (5) energy therapies†(NCCAM,2011). Alternative medical systems are practiced through various cultures in the world. The Asian medical systems use traditional techniques such as acupuncture, oriental massage, herbal medicine, and other energy therapy to promote healing. As mentioned before, Ayurveda is a traditional medicine of India. Homeopathy is a traditional medicine developed in Germany as well as naturop athy. All traditional medicines are considered to be a part of the complete alternative medical system. * Mind-body interventions have a variety of healing techniques that are designed to make the mind’s capacity easier to process bodily functions and symptoms. These techniques include art therapy, dance, hypnosis, music, and prayer. * With biologically based therapies, it involves the use of dietary supplements and special diet therapies. â€Å"Biological therapies include, for example, the use of laetrile and shark cartilage to treat cancer and bee pollen to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases†(NCCAM,2011). * Manipulative and body-based methods have treatments such as full body massage. Physicians in the field of osteopathy use body manipulation to reduce pain, promote health and well-being, and restores function. Overall, it helps the body to become more calm and relaxed. Lastly, energy therapies help the body heal from other energy sources, An example of an energy therapy is biofield and bioelectromagnetic-based therapy. These therapies are used as treatments for cancer, asthma as well as manage pain due to migraine headaches. Complementary and alternative medicines are used to promote health and prosperity. It is the way of life. All cultures have their own way of treating illness but at the end of the day, it would leave a person healthier mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. References Beaumont Health Systems. (2011). Integrative Medicine. Retrieved from http://www. beaumont. edu/integrative-medicine Ellis-Christensen, T. (09/29/2011). What is Alternative Medicine? Retrieved from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-alternative-medicine. htm National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine. (July 2011). What Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine? Retrieved from http://nccam. nih. gov/health/whatiscam/ National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2011). MAJOR DOMAINS OF COMPLEMENTAR Y AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. Retrieved from http://nccam. nih. gov/about/plans/fiveyear/fiveyear. pdf How to cite Cam Therapeutics Modalities Paper, Papers

Chronic Illness and Disability-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Questions: 1.How is chronicity defined? Why is an illness rather than a disease approach to chronic and complex illness important from a Nursing perspective? Discuss regarding depression as a co-morbidity. 2.Is Self-Management beneficial to positive health outcomes in chronic illness? Critically discuss in relation to outcome research and the Chronic Care Model. Answers: 1.Chronicity According to Larsen (2006), health care systems were not designed for the maintenance and prevention of chronic conditions but rater identifying, treating, and at times producing cure for symptoms. Most health care providers deal with chronic disorders as if they are episodic and acute, the consequence is a mismatch between the costly demands of health care and the health needs of the patients. Most of the common diseases that cause this mismatch include obstructive pulmonary, diabetes, asthma; arthritis, cancer, HIV/Aids and hepatitis C (Scher, Buse, Adams and Lipton 2017). When one is suffering from a chronic condition one can suffer from a number of different illness, have diminished mental or physical capacity, or even disability. Illness approach rather than disease approach Disease refers to the issue that the health care provider views from a biomedical replica, which is an alteration in function or structure. On the other hand, illness refers to the experience of suffering and symptoms and points to how the disease is alleged, lived with, and reacted to by the patient and their families. In most cases, a chronic illness like obstructive pulmonary is addressed as an acute illness rather than a disease. Due to this the medical practices are usually organized to respond to patients illnesses which are tended to be urgent , sort and are easily treated and diagnosed. This approach leads to poor health care services as the medical staff requires that the patients should be the one contacting them. At the time of administering the treatment, most of the patients are usually passive. The visits to the doctors are usually more focused on symptoms rather than patient centered. Chronic conditions should be treated as chronic disease, this enable the medical prac titioners to have a planned and integrated care within the system that most clients can easily relate to. The patients are also expected to be partners in ways which the clients can manage their diseases (Larsen, 2006). Depression as co-morbidity Depression commonly occur to patients suffering from chronic illness. In other cases depression is usually as a result of chronic illnesses. Patients who suffer from chronic disease have an overall burden to their illnesses leading to depression. Depression causes a faster progression of chronic diseases such as heart diseases. People who suffer from chronic diseases may be forced to use alcohol and tobacco which is a lot more harmful to their health. Most physicians hardly recognize that a patient is suffering from a chronic disease. The physicians may not even look beyond the chronic illnesses and fail to explain symptoms such as poor concentration or fatigue. However, depression can be treated through first identifying whether medications or the medical problems are causing depression. Treating the disease or changing the medication can treat depression (Green et al. 2013). 2.Self-management One of the most chronic and burdensome condition is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Warwick, Gallagher, Chenoweth Parbury 2010). This condition requires self- management to prevent it from becoming severe. Self-management is a daily process where persons aims to manage their illness. It is also the ability of people who have chronic diseases to work together with the community, family and healthcare professionals to treat diseases, manage symptoms and have lifestyle changes. People living with chronic diseases can reduce the progression of the disease through self-management. The individual should first understand the illness he or she is suffering from, this will allow them get involved in its management (Chang and Johnson 2014). According to Schulman-Green et al. 2013, self-management means the ability to manage the lifestyle changes, treatment ,symptoms psychological and physical change that are brought about by a chronic disease. It is also the ability of an individual to monitor his or her condition to adjust to the emotional, behavioral and cognitive responses that are required for one to live a quality life. Self-management skills that should be acquired in order to manage their chronic diseases include adjusting of ones lifestyle, managing medication, gathering information, managing symptoms and communicating effectively. Self-management goes hand in hand with modern opinions on how humans behave and how the quality of life can be improved through health care. This is mostly with patients suffering from chronic illnesses. How patients live with a chronic condition is not fully dependent on the nature of the illness they are suffering from. Lubkin and Larsen (2006) have shown that these patients live with fear, adjusted life, and hope and they are always looking for solutions. Their perspective which includes beliefs, attitude and values determine how they respond to treatment of the chronic disease. How a person understood his or her chronic disease determined the life they will live. Studies have also shown that peoples perspective on their illnesses do determine how they respond to triggers and symptoms and the methods that they use in incorporating their disease in their day to day lives. For examples people who suffer from diabetes believe that they should exercise a lot and at healthy, while thos e that are suffering from arthritis should know how to manage pain. Outcome research Outcome research is one of the branches of public health that studies the results of a healthcare system and also how the patient care coping with the disease. Outcome research tends to show the safety, effectiveness, equity, efficiency, timeliness, system responsiveness and patient-centeredness of the self-management design of coping with chronic diseases (Ski, Page, Thompson, Cummins, Salzberg, and Carter, 2012). Chronic care model Chronic care model is important as it offers the patient with self- management skills of chronic diseases (Hickman, Rolley Davidson, 2010). Chronic care model has six components which are self-management support, health system, community polices and responses, clinical information systems, decision support and the design of delivering. Chronic care model offers the patients with self-management skills that offer them with ways of managing their diseases (Thirsk and Clark, 2014). Reference List Chang, E. and Johnson, A. eds., 2014.Chronic illness and disability: Principles for nursing practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. 12(2), 56-72 Hickman, L. D., Rolley, J. X., Davidson, P. M. (2010). Can principles of the Chronic Care Model be used to improve care of the older person in the acute care sector?.Collegian,17(2), 63-69. Larsen, P.D., 2006. Chronicity.Chronic illness. Impact and interventions,6, pp.3-22. Lubkin, I.M. and Larsen, P.D., 2006.Chronic illness: Impact and interventions. Jones Bartlett Learning. Ski, C.F., Page, K., Thompson, D.R., Cummins, R.A., Salzberg, M. and Worrall?Carter, L., 2012. Clinical outcomes associated with screening and referral for depression in an acute cardiac ward.Journal of clinical nursing,21(15?16), pp.2228-2234. Schulman-Green. D. et al. 2013 Process of self- management in chronic illness. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 34(8), pp. 89- 110 Scher, A.I., Buse, Adams, A.M. and Lipton, R.B., 2017.Comorbid pain and migraine chronicity The Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes Study.Neurology, 89(5), pp.461-468. Sanders, J.B., Bremmer, M.A., Comijs, H.C., Deeg, D.J. and Beekman, A.T., 2016. Gait speed and the natural course of depressive symptoms in late life; an independent association with chronicity?.Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 17(4), pp.331-335. Thirsk, L.M. and Clark, A.M., 2014. What is the selfin chronic disease self-management?.International Journal of Nursing Studies,51(5), pp.691-693. Warwick, M., Gallagher, R., Chenoweth, L. and Stein?Parbury, J., 2010. Self?management and symptom monitoring among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Journal of Advanced Nursing,66(4), pp.784-793

Alaric - Formation of the Gothic Kingdom Timeline

Alaric - Formation of the Gothic Kingdom Timeline Alaric Sacks Rome | Alaric Timeline Alaric Before 395: Alaric, a Gothic king [see Visigoths Timeline], had no territory or power base beyond his soldiers, but he was leader of the Goths for 15 years. When he died, his brother-in-law took over. When he died, Walla, and then, Theoderic ruled the Goths, but by then the Gothic king finally had a physical territory over which to rule. One of the historical sources, Claudian, says Alaric confronted the Emperor Theodosius at the Hebrus River in 391, but Alaric didnt come into prominence until 4 years later, in 395, when Stilicho sent Alaric and auxiliary troops who had served in the Battle of the Frigidus to the Eastern Empire. 395-397: The historian Zosimus claims Alaric, upset that he lacked a proper military title, marched on Constantinople to try to get it. According to Claudian, Rufinus, (de facto head of the Eastern Empire at the moment) bribed Alaric with Balkan provinces to sack, instead. Looting, Alaric advanced through the Balkans and via Thermopylae into Greece. In 397, Stilicho led naval forces against Alaric, forcing the Gothic troops to Epirus. This act provoked Rufinus, so he persuaded eastern Emperor Arcadius to declare Stilicho a public enemy. He withdrew and Alaric received a military position, perhaps magister militum per Illyricum. 401-402: Between then and 401, nothing is heard of Alaric. Gainas, a Gothic military leader under Theodosius, went in and out of favor so that Alaric thought his Goths would be better off elsewhere. They set off for the Western Empire, arriving at the Alps on November 18. Alaric threatened to invade Italy, and then carried through. He fought against Stilicho at Pollentia (map ), on Easter in 402. Stilicho won, took Alarics loot, his wife, and his children. The two sides signed a truce and Alaric withdrew from Italy, but soon Stilicho claimed Alaric had violated the terms, so they fought in the summer of 402 at Verona. 402-405: Although the battle was indecisive, Alaric withdrew to the Balkans, where he stayed until 404 or 405 when Stilicho granted him the office of magister militum for the West. In 405, Alarics people went to Epirus. This, again, upset the Eastern Empire who saw it as preparation for an invasion of Illyricum (map ). 407: Alaric marched to Noricum (Austria) where he demanded protection money what was probably enough to repay his losses at Pollentia in return for not invading Italy. Silicho, who wanted Alarics help elsewhere, persuaded Emperor Honorius and the Roman Senate to pay. 408: Arcadius died in May. Stilicho and Honorius planned to go East to tend to the succession, but Honorius magister officiorum, Olympius, persuaded Honorius that Stilicho was planning a coup. Stilicho was executed on August 22. Olympius refused to honor Stilichos bargain. Alaric next demanded gold and a hostage exchange, but when Honorius refused, Alaric marched on Rome and put the city under siege. There he was joined by veterans of other barbarian battles. The Romans feared starvation, so they promised to send an embassy to Honorius (in Rimini) to convince him to settle with Alaric. 409: The imperial legation met the Romans. Alaric demanded money, grain (it wasnt just the Romans who were hungry) and the top military office, magisterium utriusque militiae which post Stilicho had held. The imperials conceded money and grain, but not the title, so Alaric marched on Rome, again. Alaric made two more attempts with smaller demands, but was rebuffed, so Alaric set up his second siege of Rome, but with a difference. He also set up a usurper, Priscus Attalus, in December. The historian Olympiodorus says Attalus gave Alaric his title, but rejected his advice. 410: Alaric deposed Attalus and then took his troops near Ravenna to negotiate with Honorius, but he was attacked by a Gothic general, Sarus. Alaric took this as a token of Honorius bad faith, so he marched on Rome, again. This was the major sack of Rome mentioned in all the history books. Alaric and his men sacked the city for 3 days, ending on August 27. [See Procopius.] Along with their plunder, the Goths took Honorius sister, Galla Placidia, when they left. The Goths still didnt have a home and before they acquired one, Alaric died of a fever very soon after the sacking, at Consentia. 411: Alarics brother-in-law Athaulf marched the Goths into southern Gaul. In 415, Athaulf married Galla Placidia, but the new western magister utriusque militiae, Constantius, starved the Goths out, anyway. After Athaulf was assassinated, the new Gothic king, Walla, made peace with Constantius in exchange for food. Galla Placidia married Constantius, producing a son Valentinian (III) in 419. Wallas men, now in the Roman army, cleared the Iberian peninsula of Vandals, Alans, and Sueves. In 418 Constantius settled Wallas Goths in Aquitaine, Gaul. The Goths in Aquitaine were the 1st autonomous barbarian kingdom inside the Empire. Source Irene Hahns Review of Michael Kulikowskis Romes Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity. Take the Alaric Quiz.

How to Make a College PowerPoint Presentation

How to Make a College PowerPoint Presentation As it is generally known and accepted, visualization of expressed thoughts makes perception and understanding an easier process. Microsoft PowerPoint is the software designed specifically for this purpose, by creating and demonstrating multimedia presentations. If you have not yet downloaded PowerPoint to your computer, you should buy this software in the nearest future and do so. It will come in handy. If you do not know how to use the software for creating presentations, you may find many tutorials devoted to this subject online. PowerPoint gives you opportunities to incorporate your voice presentation with images, tables, diagrams, and charts. You may also use multimedia presentations to demonstrate your academic work results and research paper or case study findings, as well as create presentations for informal meetings or events and summarize pieces of work via PowerPoint presentations, etc. When using the animated presentation creation feature, you are to follow several simple rules. Your foremost task is getting the message across to the audience by helping them visual it. Unfortunately, sometimes PowerPoint presentations prevent the viewers from understanding the speaker’s message due to excessive visual and sound effects. In order to make your point clear and obvious, you should minimize distractions in your presentations. First of all, you should carefully select the statements and sentences appearing on the screen. They should not be too short or too long, but still should convey your point of view. Also, using one sentence per slide is recommended and each slide should address a certain concept. With the help of Microsoft PowerPoint, you will add animation, color schemes, looks and feels, accompanying sound, and even video-clips to the material you are presenting. However, the overshoot of these effects will not add to your work. Try to be brief and precise and make the thoughts clear and easy-to-read. Secondly, you are to state the number of slides you will use. This decision depends on the type of written assignment you are presenting. If it is a short journal article, five slides will be enough in most cases. In the event you have a serious case study, it would be better to extend the number of slides to 13-15, etc. Additionally, all the slides should be united with one as well as the color scheme. Bear in mind; however, that focusing on the information presented via audio and visual channels for a long time may be complicated for the audience. You need to â€Å"know your audience† and anticipate when they may become tired and stop listening to you. Remember, Power Point is designed to assist with transmitting messages, so use the tool effectively. You can order a custom PowerPoint presentation for your college classes at CustomWritings.com writing company now!

Introduction to mass communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to mass communication - Essay Example pacity as government and private sector officials who are responsible for the flow of information and its direction, their functions are defined by rules and regulations that are often gazetted (e.g. government press secretary) or made known through notifications (e.g. private firms’ public relations officers). Such gatekeepers have also other corresponding responsibilities towards the very community that they are intended to oversee in releasing information. In mass communication the word audience segmentation refers to such activities as dividing and organizing the audience to a manageable small segments or groups. This is carried out with the sole intention of developing appropriate target groups for effective communication. In other words the communication strategy is focused on the final outcomes related to efficiency in transmission and reception (www.cuttingedgepr.com). Audiences consist of disparate people, who can be customers of a product, employees of a company or the members of the general public. Such segmentation is essentially connected with reducing costs. Recent efforts at audience segmentation even include such highly theoretical frameworks as the determination of characteristics of segmented sub-categories on the basis of their inherent behaviors, e.g. psychological perception. Communication strategy is often determined by the ability of the communicator to reach as wide and varied an audience as possible by using a gi ven amount of resources during a given amount of time. Convergence refers to the communicator’s ability combine different technologies in the process of communication. Thus the variations in the elements of a communication process necessarily affect the qualitative outcomes. The communicator’s success in determining the different technologies depends on his ability to master the techniques of communication efficiently. Improvisations are not new in convergence decisions of individuals and organizations. For instance modern

UNDERSTANDING DRUG-TARGET INTERACTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

UNDERSTANDING DRUG-TARGET INTERACTIONS - Essay Example Propranolol is a beta-adrenergic receptor blocking agent (Long) and has been used to treat amongst many other things, high blood pressure, glaucoma, migraines, reduce anginal episodes, reduce episodes of anxiety and even treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms (Farooqi and Aboul-Enein, 1995). It is one of the most commonly used classes of these drugs (Aarons et al, 1979) but while propranolol is effective in treating several conditions, toxicity may occur in some cases too and is a result of interaction between the receptor and the drug (Glaubinger and Lefkowitz, 1977). Toxicity can affect cardiac, vascular or bronchial function (Farooqi and Aboul-Enein, 1995). The beta-adrenergic receptor is a well studied receptor that is phylogenetically conserved (Barak et al, 1994) and is present in low concentrations in plasma membranes (Yarden et al, 1986). It has been demonstrated to be an integral plasma membrane glycoprotein which is hydrophobic (Yarden et al, 1986). The beta-adrenergic receptor (Refer Fig. 1) is made up of seven transmembrane alpha-helices spanning the plasma membrane. Three of these loops are intracellular while the other three are extracellular. There is an amino terminus and a carboxyl terminus to the receptor of which the carboxyl terminus is on the cytoplasmic side and the amino terminus is inside the cell. This receptor is N-glycosylated near the amino terminus with the amino terminus being blocked in this receptor (Yarden et al, 1986, Green et al,1993). There are many phosphorylation sites on the carboxyl loops (Yarden et al, 1986) which allows for activation. The chemical name of propranolol is 1-isopropylamino-3-(1-naphthyloxy)-2-propanol (Farooqi and Aboul-Enein, 1995) and it is a beta-adrenergic antagonistic drug (Glaubinger and Lefkowitz, 1977). Different structures have been proposed for this drug (Padke et al, 1981). However, a widely accepted one appears to be one put forward by Phadke et al, 1981 (Refer

Scope statement( course)- project management( major) Assignment

Scope statement( course)- project management( major) - Assignment Example One of these will be noted to be constraints. Most of the time project managers fail to accept from the onset that there could be constraints, which can militate against the success of the project. Consequently, most of these constraints come to them much unprepared, making it difficult to use any continuous process method to address them (Jacob, Bergland & Cox 89). There have been times that the scope statement has worked particularly well and other times that they have not worked so well. In a personal experience, there was a time that the scope statement did not work well because the stakeholders who were to put their efforts together to make the project a successful one failed to play their roles adequately. Consequently, the project manager had to take care of everything, which became problematic because the scope that was used to finish the project seemed to be different from the expectation of project owners when the project was completed. The use of requirements documents and work breakdown structure has however proven to give good support to scope statements in ensuring that they work

Research Review on Accuracy of Memory

Research Review on Accuracy of Memory Meghan Amber-Rose Turnbull Explain and evaluate what research has taught us about why our memories are not always accurate. Memory[p1] is a mechanism whereby the brain stores and retrieves information to be used in everyday life. Psychologists have come to understand the existence of memory, as we do not continuously re-learn information every time it is of need. This is what lead psychologist’s to develop three key processes in memory. These are encoding, storage and retrieval. Encoding processes take in information from the outside world using the senses. Each piece of information is given a unique code to enable it to be entered into the memory system. Storage processes use this coded information to enable the memory system to retain information. This coded information is stored as internal representations which come in varying forms such as words, faces, sounds etc. Retrieval processes enable access to the stored information and come in two forms, recognition and recall. Recognition matches coded information which is stored to what is being perceived in the outside world whereas recall (brings information that is stored to your attention.) involves searching memory stores. Recall is what helps you to remember where you last placed an object such as your wallet. These three memory processes work together, therefore, how well and how much information is encoded then determines how much is stored and retrieved (Brace, 2007, pp113-114). This essay will now explain and evaluate what research has taught us about why our memories are not always accurate. One possible reason for memory inaccuracy is the presence of neuropsychological impairment or accidental brain damage. Localization of function is a theoretical method that believes particular areas of the brain play a key role in functions such as memory. When studying this, psychologists use brain scanning technology such as positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Patients are asked to complete certain mental tasks during a scan. The scans can then pick up brain activity and pin point which part of the brain is not functioning correctly. This can enable psychologists to understand why or how their memory may not be accurate and help in patient’s recovery. Unfortunately for some, the damage may be too severe and incurable. This can be seen in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. (Brace and Roth, 2007, pp144-145[p2]) Research conducted by (Martin) Conway and colleagues looked at how well students retained information, over a 12 year period, after completing a cognitive psychology course. The experiment tested for general overall knowledge of what was studied and they found that names were forgotten rather than principals and statistics. This is possibly due to less information being coded to a name than that of principals and statistics when information was originally taken in[p3]. This could be seen as a limitation as important information can be forgotten due to a fault in one of the key processes (in this case at encoding). Their study also found a significant strength as after 4 years the participant’s memories stabilized and what they were still able to recite at this point would potentially stay in their memory for life, meaning the participants know the information rather than remember it. (Brace and Roth, 2007, pp118) Other researchers that focused on the accuracy of memory were Loftus and Palmer (1974). They looked at the effect that leading questions can have on memory. They did this by conducting an experiment whereby participants were shown video clips of car accidents. Each participant was then asked a variation of the question â€Å"about how fast were the cars going when they hit each other?† with the verb ‘hit’ being changed each time for a more violent verb such as smashed, collided and bumped. The participant’s estimates of speed were much higher when asked how fast a car was going when it ‘smashed’ into the other car. It seems that the more violent verb convinced the participants that the cars in that clip were going faster when they were all the same speed. In a similar second experiment, one third were asked â€Å"About how fast the cars were going when they smashed into each other?†, one third were asked how fast they were going when the y ‘hit’ and a control group were not asked a question. After seven days all participants were then asked the question â€Å"did you see any broken glass?† Out of the participants that had been asked the more violent leading question using the word ‘smashed’, 32 per cent admitted to seeing broken glass, even though there had been no broken glass shown on the video clip. An advantage of the research conducted by Loftus and Palmer (1974), is that it gained a lot of knowledge into the misinformation effect. This means information that is given to a person after an event takes place can actually override (or merge with) the memory that they originally have due to the memory not being encoded properly[p4]. Yet, this can also be seen as a disadvantage as If memory can be influenced this easily using only leading questions, it could be used to effect witness testimonies and people can be made to remember events that they did not actually witness. (Brace, 200 7, pp133-134) There is also much to be said about the accuracy of autobiographical memories, which are episodes that an individual can remember from their life. This includes past experiences and biographical information. From this, Brown and Kulik (1977) devised the flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memories are formed when certain conditions, such as surprising and emotionally arousing events, are met and create detailed and stable memories. Brown and Kulik (1977) used insider viewpoints in their research and found that memories of events, such as the assassination of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King, were highly detailed and much more accurate than other memories. A limitation to this area of research is that it depends solely on personal circumstance. What an individual finds, surprising, arousing and important will determine how well they will remember an event. For instance, the assassination of Martin Luther King registered a higher number of flashbulb memories with black North Americans tha n white North Americans. This means the accounts of white North Americans were less accurate (of the event) than the accounts of black North Americans. However, their research also showed a significant strength in memory recall as flashbulb memories store such a detailed and vivid account of what happened. When asked, participants could remember who they were with, where they were and exactly what they were doing when they learned of the surprising event. (Brace, 2007, pp140[p5]) Collective memories also play a part in how accurate recollections of past events can be. Jean Piaget (1960) spoke of his own experience of collective memory. Piaget was able to describe in detail an instance when a man tried to kidnap him as a child. Subsequently, at the age of fifteen Paiget’s nanny wrote to his family to admit that she had made the story up and the attempted kidnapping never took place. Fifty years on, Piaget could still remember the scratches the man had left on the face of his nanny during the supposed event. Paiget’s collective memory of the kidnapping is possibly due to family repeatedly discussing in detail what happened. Over a period of time, Piaget came to believe that he had witnessed this kidnapping and formed memories of what happened based on what others had told him. (An advantage of this is that) Piaget was able to recall this particular memory in so much detail after fifty years, showing that the information had been told was encoded and stored perfectly and thus was able to be retrieved. This instance shows how memory is not always accurate, as Piaget describes his memory of the kidnapping as being witnessed first-hand. Essentially, his memory of the event was fabricated from information he had been told by family members. (Brace, 2007, pp143[p6]) Research has shown that there are many factors that can affect the accuracy of our memory[p7]. However, these factors are dependent on individual and personal circumstance. The research of Conway (1991) stated that memory inaccuracies were due to a fault in one of the key processes. For instance, if there isn’t enough information taken in and coded it makes it highly difficult for the information to be retrieved in any detail. Piaget (1960) and Loftus and Palmer (1974) both focused on the effect that other people can have on influencing the memory of an individual (. Meaning) illustrating that others can make you believe you have witnessed a situation just by talking about it often enough or using leading questions and persuasive language . The research of Brown and Kulik (1977) concentrated more on personal circumstance. They found that how accurate a person’s memory is of a situation depends on how interesting, surprising or emotionally stimulating they, as a person, find the event. What also must be taken into consideration is the possibility of brain damage and neuropsychological impairment; this can affect the accuracy of memory as the part of the brain that is responsible for memory recall may be damaged in some way. To conclude, the research mentioned in this essay has given a vast pool of knowledge into why our memories are not always accurate. References Brace, N. and Roth, I. (2007) ‘Memory: structures, processes and skills’ In D. Miell, A. Phoenix, K. Thomas (Eds.), Mapping Psychology, Chapter 8 (2nd ed, pp. 113–145). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Brown, R. and Kulik, J. (1977) ‘Flashbulb memories’, Cognition, vol.5, pp.73-99[p8]. Conway, M.A., Cohen, G.M. and Stanhope, N. (1991) ‘On the very long-term retention of knowledge acquired through formal education: twelve years of cognitive psychology’, Journal of experimental psychology: General, vol.120, pp.395-409. Loftus, E.F. and Palmer, J.C. (1974) ‘Reconstruction of automobile destruction: an example of the interaction between language and memory’, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, vol.13, pp.585-9. Piaget, J. (1960) Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood, New York, Norton [p1]A good introduction in terms of explaining what is involved in memory and the issue, but you need to state precisely how you plan to organise the essay. [p2]Note that individuals may also vary in memory function due to brain differences. [p3]This is a good point – names do not have a specific meaning nor do they relate to the person (except in some cultures) so are easily forgotten. [p4]In fact there is debate about the cause of the misinformation effect which could also be due to not attending at encoding, due to fear or misattributing the source of information so it is thought to be real (as with Piaget’s story and Crombag’s study of memories of an air crash.). [p5]You might have commented that some psychologists question how accurate flashbulb memories are. [p6]Like the memory of Loftus and Palmer’s participants – their memory was â€Å"reconstructed†. [p7]This conclusion is well focused on the evaluative part of the question – and summarises your points well. You might also have considered methodological issues. [p8]Don’t simply add references from the end of the chapter unless you have read them first hand. If you have read ABOUT them in the course book – you need only cite them in the main body of the essay.

Emotional Break-down in Susan Glaspells Trifles :: Trifles Essays

Emotional Break-down in Trifles Trifles is an interesting story about the emotional break-down of a country woman. It is obvious by certain descriptions within the text that she did have an emotional trauma. However, it is never made clear if she killed her husband or did he commit suicide. The emotional trauma can be scene in the beginning of the story by her attitude towards Mr. Hale. Ms. Wright is in a state of shock her constant rocking; pleating of her skirt; her "queer" look and her dead pan response to how Mr. Wright died "He died of a rope around his neck"; all indicate a high level of emotional stress in a situation. She is not responding to anything. Also, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters examine her quilting. The sewing is very nice and even and then suddenly it becomes a wild disaray of stiches. These actions and inactions truly indicate an unbalanced state of mental being, however, is it enough to charge a woman with murder. What further indicates the difficulty in deciding if Mrs. Wright killed Mr. Wright is the canary. Mrs. Wright shows that she loves the canary by trying to bury it in the pretty sewing box. This is not the action of someone who killed the canary. Mrs. Wright is also described as being like a bird. The reader can envision her as someone petite or slight. She is described as being sweet, pretty, timid and fluttery. It would take a lot for someone of this description to commit murder. On the other hand, Mr. Wright is described as someone who is difficult to live with. He is described by Mrs. Hale as having killed the bird like qualities in his wife. He appears to be an overbearing, unhappy person. I propose that it is Mr. Wright who kills the canary. He is taking something away from his wife trying to keep control over her. Also the cage is severely damaged. Mrs. Wright is not described as someone with a lot of strength. Following that vein of thought I also propose that Mr. Wright went crazy. He killed the bird and hung himself. It would take a lot of strength to hang a large man and Mr. Wright was envisoned to be. Also the sheriff and county attorney are baffled by the way the rope was strung up, it was rigged up strangely.

An Imagery Example in Huckelberry Finn Essay

IMAGERY: Imagery is a description in a work of literature that can be created through the natural senses of the human body, including visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile elements. EXAMPLE: â€Å"I never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi†¦ I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds†¦ we said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.† (128) Twain, Mark. _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn._ New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Print. FUNCTION: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about a young boy who runs away from his hometown and society and decides to travel down the Mississippi River with Jim, a slave who becomes his travelling companion along the way. In the example above, Huck is talking about a shooting that goes down between two families that are involved in a feud. While this is just one example, it represents almost every other event that occurred on land versus on the river. When Mark Twain wrote this novel, his goal was to get the message across to his audience using the journey of a young boy travelling down the Mississippi. The entire book is filled with details that help the reader visualize Huckleberry’s journey and set the mood for each scene. Through imagery, the mood is set and as the readers, we can see a vast difference between Huckleberry’s experiences on land, and Huckleberry’s experiences on the river. In other words, as the story progresses, we realize that Huck’s experiences on land represent all of the wrongs of  society, while his experiences travelling down the river represent the way Huck wants to live, wild and free. Without Twain’s excessive use of imagery, we the readers would not be able to picture their experiences well enough to notice the vast difference in-between the two.

The Top 4 Part-Time Jobs for Moms

The Top 4 Part-Time Jobs for Moms If being a full time Mom isn’t enough for you, you’re not alone. Just Google â€Å"being Mom isn’t enough for me† and you’ll land on page after page of Mommy Blogs capturing that very message. It’s not enough for most of us. And that’s O.K. While there’s enough work for Mom’s to go around, it’s simply not fulfilling enough for many, which has many Mom’s looking for something else.Having a side gig that’s separate from your regular Mom life is the perfect antidote. Part time work can be fun, social, and a way for you to have your own identity (again).If you’re looking to itch the scratch and go earn some cash - we’ve got you covered! We rounded up the best part time jobs for Mom’s lined up:1. Direct SalesEvery time I look, one of my Mom friends has launched a Direct Sales business. There are so many direct sales companies and they were made for Moms, by Moms. From Tupperware to Pa rtyLite to Mary Kay to Stella and Dot; there’s truly something for everybody. This is one of the best part time jobs for moms because you â€Å"own your own business† so you learn about sales, marketing, and accounting. You also present to groups of women in their homes which means your public speaking and presentation skills will sharpen. It’s entrepreneurial and rewarding. You’re in charge of your success, your commitment, and best of all - you’re on your time. Want to learn more? Click on the following link for a list of direct sales companies.2. Temp AgencyStaffing agencies are an excellent part time jobs for Moms. If you’re not familiar, a staffing agency hires temporary workers and then dispatches those workers to various job sites and companies in the local area on an as need basis. As a worker, you’d be employed by the agency and then loaned out to their customers. Depending on what your current skills are, you’d be pl aced within an area of interest and ability to you. Agencies are fantastic for Mom’s because they provide flexible hours, diverse work tasks, and new (and exciting) work environments. The best part about staffing agencies is that the mixture of work, environments, and tasks equates to increased skills, networking, and overall exposure which looks great on the resume.3. Volunteer WorkIf your desire to return to work isn’t about the Benjamin’s, then volunteering is an option for you. Being able to give back to your community, help others, and do something that is beyond â€Å"self† breeds gratitude, mindfulness, and happiness.   Aside from all the happiness you’d be feeling, it’s a wonderful example to teach your children about community responsibility. Volunteering is a great option for Moms because again, you can set your own hours and choose your level of commitment. As Mom’s we have a limited bandwidth so it’s crucial to id entify exactly how much time is enough to be away from your family. If you can find a volunteer opportunity that links back to your family like sports, community, or arts then all the better.4. Passion ProjectIf there’s something that’s been inkling away at you, there’s no better time than the present. Having a side project that happens to be your passion project ignites your creativity, determination, and passion – and your kids will reap the benefits of an energized Mama. Passion projects could be writing on the side, painting, cooking, starting a business, or ____! Anything. Think of it this way, what would you do for free? Do that.To be a better Mom we all need to take care of ourselves first and sometimes that requires looking into part time jon. In my opinion it means treating yourself like an individual, not just Mom.Note: This article was originally published on TopResume.TopResume is a Talent Inc. company, the personal branding destination for al l career-driven professionals. Through our extensive network of professional writers, we offer career advice and analyze and write more resumes and LinkedIn profiles than any other service in the world. Ready to get started? Request a free resume critique today.

Negative Effects of Marijuana Use

Negative Effects of Marijuana Use Free Online Research Papers Cannabis, also known as marijuana, ganja, hemp, hash, or just plain weed, is not just the harmless relaxing drug that the public likes to think it is. Regular or even infrequent marijuana smokers can suffer from a list of both long and short term health problems, many social issues and legal consequences; not to mention the bad effects it has on your body while â€Å"high.† There is a substance in the cannabis plant called THC which is what affects your brain when smoking weed, and is the main chemical in marijuana. Since marijuana has not only THC but also CBD it cannot be classified as just a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen, however, THC is the main ingredient so it leans more toward a hallucinogen. Smoking marijuana regularly or even just at a party every now and then is not only wrong and illegal, but also dangerous to one’s body, mind, and life in the long run. Marijuana is a drug that alters one’s mind and body, which is why it is an illegal drug. While under the effects of smoking or eating marijuana, also known as being â€Å"high,† the user’s reaction time is slowed and there are many effects on imagination and perception. These things are what make it dangerous to drive a vehicle, operate machinery, and otherwise be a part of society while using marijuana. Marijuana not only affects the mind but also the body. When smoking marijuana the user’s heart rate is increased, the blood pressure is lowered, and the concentration is impaired. Also, the memory is faulty when smoking marijuana. Several studies have discovered that there are long-term effects related to marijuana smoking. These effects include psychosis, anxiety, and depression, along with some cases of stroke-though no firm connection has been made. Firm connection or not, there is still a large risk one takes when using marijuana whether or no t it is regular activity. Aside from the physical and health issues, there are multiple legal consequences that one may suffer if caught with marijuana here in the U.S. For first-offense penalties for marijuana trafficking of 100 to 999 kg, one can serve not less than 5 years and not more than 40; if death or serious injury are involved then the penalty is not less than 20 years and no more than life. For the second offense, you get not less than 20 years and not more than life, and if serious injury or death are involved it is a mandatory life sentence. The penalties for the trafficking or cultivation of marijuana can be quite steep, especially if there are other offenses to tack on to it. Possession laws are not as bad, but can be if one is in possession of so much marijuana that trafficking is obvious. The trafficking of marijuana is getting out of hand which is why the DEA is cracking down on traffickers. Marijuana drug seizures have gone from 491,831 kilograms in 1986 to 660, 969 kilograms in 2008 (DEA STRIDE). Due to the rise in American use of marijuana, penalties in most states are more actively enforced and with any luck they will be able to put an end to the rampant drug use in the future. Along with the physical and legal consequences of marijuana smoking there is also the social aspect. Heavy marijuana smoking can cause multiple mind and social related problems. Some studies have shown that heavy marijuana use can cause depression and anxiety, but also it can impair your learning ability and cause you to fall behind socially. Also it can affect your ability to remember things or learn even for days after not smoking. There are also many effects on students who smoke. Studies show that those who do smoke are less likely to graduate and more likely to get lower grades compared to those who do not smoke. Regular user’s memory and ability to organize and register information will be worse even compared to those who smoke occasionally. Marijuana smoking regularly can also significantly affect one’s work performance. Workers who tested positive for marijuana use have had 55 percent more industrial accidents and 85 percent more injuries than non smoke rs (about.com). Thus, marijuana smoking both heavily and occasionally can affect the student, worker, and everyday person. In conclusion, marijuana smoking-no matter how occasional-will affect the smoker in many ways. Their intelligence, memory, and reflexes will be affected. Also they will have serious legal consequences to face if caught. Finally, their social life and status will be affected terribly as well. All of these reasons are why one should never smoke marijuana. Research Papers on Negative Effects of Marijuana UseUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationGenetic EngineeringCapital PunishmentRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings

Understanding text as it is meant to be Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Understanding text as it is meant to be - Essay Example When trying to maneuver through such information, an important issue that arises comes down to a fundamental idea. That is, the question of where exactly the meaning of the subject matter lies within.The written word is one of the most beautiful things ever to be created.Beauty that can differ.In terms of biblical interpretation, a common term to come about in research is that of Hermeneutics. "It is more broadly used contemporary philosophy to denote the study of theories and methods of the interpretation of all texts and systems of meaning.Is it with the author, within the text body, or is it something that actually lies within the reader themselves through their individual understanding and interpretation of what it is they are trying to read and learn about in the first place. The concept of "text" is here extended beyond written documents to any number of objects subject to interpretation, such as experiences. A hermeneutic is also defined as a specific system or method for inte rpretation, or a specific theory of interpretation. However, the contemporary philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer has said that has said that hermeneutics is an approach rather than a method and, further, that the Hermeneutic circle is the central problem of interpretation," Going on to say that, "Essentially, hermeneutics involves cultivating the ability to understand things from somebody else's point of view, and to appreciate the cultural and social forces that may have influenced their outlook. Hermeneutics is the process of applying this understanding to interpreting the meaning of written texts and symbolic artifacts (such as art or sculpture or architecture), which may be either historic or contemporary," ("Hermeneutics" p.1). Throughout the course of time, history has played an important role in the creation of some of the greatest works of literary art that have survived the ages. "In the last two millennia, the scope of hermeneutics has expanded to include the investigation and interpretation not only of oral, textual and artistic works, but of human behaviour generally, including language and patterns of speech, social institutions, and ritual behaviours (such as religious ceremonies, political rallies, football matches, rock concerts, etc.). Hermeneutics interprets or inquires into the meaning and import of these phenomena, through understanding the point of view and 'inner life' (Dilthey) of an insider, or the first-person perspective of an engaged participant in these phenomena," ("Hermeneutics" p.1). As they set out to create their work, the author uses their understanding of the material to set forth a creation of literary discovery that seeks to aid in furthering greater study on a wide variety of subject matter, whatever the subject may be. In the case of the bible, "In the history of interpretation the rise of the historical-critical method opened a new era. With it, new possibilities for understanding the biblical word in its originality opened up. Just as with all human endeavor, though, so also this method contained hidden dangers along with its positive possibilities. The search for the original can lead to putting the word back into the past completely so that it is no longer taken in its actuality. It can result that only the human dimension of the word appears as real, while the genuine author, God, is removed from the reach of a method which was established for understanding human reality," ("Interpretation" p.1). The source goes on to discuss that, "Accordingly, the text of the document inquires into how the meaning of Scripture might become known-this meaning in which the human word and God's word work together in the singularity of historical events and the eternity of the everlasting Word, which is contemporary in every age. The biblical word comes from a real past. It comes not only from the past, however, but at the same time from the eternity of God and it leads us into God's eternity, but again along the way through time, to which the past,

Business Models On theWeb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business Models On theWeb - Essay Example This is because it avails diverse products and services, which enable customers to make choices that best suit their needs. Additionally, digital marketing reduces the chances of consumer exploitation, since consumers are not restricted with regard to the products or services to use. This video reveals that there are several tools that can be used for digital marketing; therefore, organizations ought to choose a tool depending on the target group, for example social networks and videos among others. Presently in digital marketing, the best tools have proved to be social networks, recorded videos and e-mails. These tools have helped to promote digital marketing because they are widely used by consumers as information tools. According to this video, in the contemporary society, most people spend a lot of time online due to availability of internet services, which favors digital marketing. The number of people communicating with friends has increased due to internet use. This has been possible by the existence of online social sites. Increased internet use has therefore promoted online businesses because companies can now easily have their products and services accessed. At the same time, digital markets have enabled customers to have easy access to information on products and services information, thus they can make informed choices. Digital markets also increase marketing efficiency of firms and companies as people from different geographical locations can be reached at the same time. The need for new business models is rising due to continuous digitization of the business world. A digital business model basically describes how companies digitally interact with customers to generate revenue. Firms should therefore develop effective digital business models with good content and realistic customer experience. The best business model should challenge the current marketing models. This article states that business models on the web are widely

Current Event & Ethical Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Event & Ethical Perspective - Essay Example There are many people who feel that it is immoral for a civilized society to condone the murder of its own citizens even if they willfully take the lives of others. There are also people who feel that capital punishment is necessary to deter those members of society who have baser instincts and are capable of committing atrocious acts on innocent people. The Utilitarianism and Ethical Egoism Theories. The theory of ethical egoism supports the notion that every individual has a right to act in ways that will mainly benefit their own lives. This means that the correctness or wrongness of an individual’s action is based on that action’s outcome. In the theory of ethical egoism, the only right actions are those that advance the interests of the self while actions that minimize the importance of the self are wrong actions. Utilitarianism, on the other hand, is an ideology that asserts that an individual ought to conduct him or herself in a way that will benefit the larger co mmunity (Thiroux and Krasemann, 73). If an action contributes to the betterment of the larger part of society, then that is a correct action. The Utilitarianism and Ethical Egoism Theories on Capital Punishment. According to the utilitarian point of view, capital punishment is important because it discourages people from conducting future acts of terror or perpetrating crimes on society. Thus it contributes to the furtherance of society. Advocates of utilitarianism would support capital punishment because there has been actual evidence in the past that has shown that capital punishment results in less crime. According to Thiroux and Krasemann, between 1995 and 2000, when there were at least 71 executions every year, the rate of murders committed dropped from 10.2 per every 100,000 citizens between 1985 and 1994 to 5.7 per every 100,000 individuals in 1999 (Thiroux and Krasemann, 94). In nations such as China and Saudi Arabia, where capital punishment is not just the penalty for kill ing other people, but also for drug –related crimes, there has been a significant reduction in the numbers of these crimes in recent years. From the ethical egoist point of view, capital punishment could be a baseless and impractical practice because people who hurt others are actually doing so to promote their self interests (Heller, 286). However, capital punishment could also be supported by ethical egoists because it results in their own individual safety by removing dangerous characters from the ethical egoist’s community. According to an ethical egoist, an individual is justified in doing as he wishes in spite of the possibility of his actions negatively affecting others (Heller, 198). This means that an individual can choose to support the death penalty or refuse it in different circumstances based on what happens to be in his best interests at that particular time. The theory of ethical egoism supports the notion that it is only issues of self interest that are likely to inspire people to create advanced structures that will eventually benefit the entire society. Ethical egoists feel that the individual is above all state as well as national institutions. He can only be subject to them if he chooses to acknowledge them. Advocates of ethical egoism would claim that this theory is beneficial because self-interest has always been paramount in society. This is the only way through which various discoveries have been made. Personal Views. The position of the utilitarian

The Great Depression Brought Changes to Art in Many Ways Essay Example for Free

The Great Depression Brought Changes to Art in Many Ways Essay Life In America was more open and out going then normal. Jazz clubs opened up at mostly every block, where young vibrant people would go drink and dance the night away. This kind of social activity was looked down upon by older citizens that thought this kind of behavior was inappropriate. This would ultimately lead up to prohibition and the first time ver in American history an amendment was excused making alcohol illegal in the United States. This caused crime rates to skyrocket within American cities causing some of the most notorious gangsters in American history to emerge, such as A1 Capone. So many other things came out of the roaring 20s, such as inventions of the automobile, radio and airplanes, new fashion styles, skyscrapers and movies. With life changing, so did art. Mostly throughout the 1920s there were a variety of art movements and styles that were popular. Such as surrealism, Art Deco, reglonallsm and with new technologies came photography and also film. In 1929 the stock market crashed causing many people jobs and their life savings. Banks were continuing to fail and jobless workers would rely on crime and theft to support their families. With the stock market crash and many people in debt, this paved the way for many artists to express their feelings, through painting, architecture [pic]and photography. One of the most popular art movements during this time was known as American Scene painting. This art movement rejected the earlier European Modernist and abstract styles. It primarily depicted realistic scenes of American life. One of the famous American scene painters was Charles Sheeler and was known as a Precisionist painter. HIS paintings mainly consisted of simplified forms of American factories and buildings and used crisped defined edges with smooth brushwork throughout his paintings. Above is his famous work titled simply mostly found in American architecture, Jewelry, furniture, clothes and handcrafts through out the 1920s. Its geometrical design with parallel lines kept the sleekness style throughout the 1920s. Surrealism was originally formed in Europe and with art students from America they had brought the style over to the United States. Some of the most popular surrealist was Alexander Calder and Joseph Cornell. Calder was a sculptor and an engineer who was inspired by surrealist painters in Europe to sculpt and create moveable pieces of art. One of his famous works was Lobster Trap and Fish Tail. All of the parts moved, not mechanically, but with the wind. People think he was an abstract artist, but he wanted to stimulate the imagination. Regionalism was another art movement that was influenced by the American Scene painting. Grant Wood was a regionalist painter who focused on the everyday living in America. His American Gothic is a realistic painting of what appears to be a husband and wife in front of their farm house. But it is actually supposed to be an older Iowa farmer and his daughter. The Regionalist movement is divided into two groups. One is the social realist and was influenced by the social troubles of the lower class. The other was the Regionalist and they were more focused of the positive side of things (such as Grant Wood), hoping to drive America out of the depression. A Regionalist painter named Thomas Hart Benton, painted his Instruments of Power from the mural America today. Which shows a mural of all sorts of technological improvements during this time period. It consists of a train, plain, electric towers, steam engines and other symbols of industry. The social realists were primarily focused on the American worker and sought to change the hard economic times of the Great Depression. In fact, most of the social realists rejected idealism and focused their attention o n how the artists saw the subjects and depicted how they felt about the subject. Social realist style was associated with hard-edged muscular figures that are distorted and morphed. The movements main goal was to show struggles of the working America. The leading social realist during this time was Aaron Douglas, who was also the leading artists for the Harlem Renaissance. During World War l, million of African Americans moved to the north to look for jobs. In the south there was not much opportunity at all for African Americans. This would be later called the Great Migration. This would cause great racial tension in the north. In Harlem, eager to share their social thoughts with the rest of the world, African Americans would then explore their new surroundings and experiment with usic, writing and art that revolutionize the Harlem Renaissance. Aaron Douglas would be the forefront of the Harlem Renaissance. He would produce great works, such as Aspects of Negro Life: From Slavery Through Reconstruction. This piece was meant for African Americans to realize they are part of this world and this country. The painting is a reenactment of the Emancipation Proclamati on, which suggests that Douglas was trying to reinforce their part in history. Douglass style was highly influenced abstract style. He would use a limited color palette in his paintings using a ariety of light and dark contrasts within his works. In contrast to Aaron Douglas, a young Jacob Lawrence would appear, painting a series called The Migration of the station. He used an abstract style and simple shapes that fits the forms of Cubism and African American folk art. In March 1933, newly elected president Franklin D. Roosevelt suggested a plan to revitalize the American economy. The plan was called the new deal and was simply a promise to the American people that this new plan would get America out of the economic depression. Many organizations came out of this new deal plan. For starving artist, this gave them a prime opportunity to make money and also to show their works of art. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) was an organization that was going to give artist work. The PWAP did not last long but it gave artists a reviving boost. Then in 1935 a much similar organization established called the Federal Art Project (FAP) employed over 5,000 artists from 1935 to 1943. Artists such as Michael Lensin would benefit from this organization. His mural Mining gives a true understanding of the American worker. Much of the FAP art were murals, sculptures nd frescos that still exist throughout the country. Most of the subject matter in these works of art was mainly about American struggle and American prosperity and achievements. These organizations would not Just produce painters, but would also produce great photographers that would capture real live images of people. This new technology would then revolutionize photography and will inspire future photographe rs throughout history. Photography was the most popular forms of art during the Great Depression. With new technology for cameras it was easy for photographers to capture images everywhere they went. The photographs captured real people with real struggles. It also captured the harsh reality of the Great Depression. Many photographers would go a different course and try to promote more positive images such as young people dancing and having a good time. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) would hire these photographers to capture certain images to promote positive life. The Great Depression was a time period when people needed to see the harsh realities of the Depression and how it effect people, especially the lower class citizens. A photographer such as Walker Evans was known as one of the masters of hotography. He took pictures of many people during the Great Depression and showed the grueling struggles of Americans. Walkers use of lighting, composition and capturing great detail was what made him a pioneer in the photography world. His photos of sharecroppers and immigrants during the Depression show the harsh realities of their situation. He was hired by the Farm Securit y Administration (FSA) to take a series of photographs of families living in run down homes. A photo taken in 1936 shows a family living in poor and dirty conditions posing in front of the camera. They all look run down and defeated. He placed them directly into the center of photograph making sure that they were the focal point of this picture. You can see throughout the picture Just how terrible these living conditions were. He would then carry out more series of photographs of the lower class during the Great Depression. imagery of the Depression to show viewers the impact of the struggling economy. The Farm Security Administration was aware of how photographs impacted public thought. There are Pictures such as mioung Girls Knitting Stockings in Southern Hosiery Mill by Lewis W. Hine, which shows girls in a factory working in a harsh tmosphere. This was an earlier photo taken during World War l. He would then focus more on the progress of America. He took an extraordinary photo called Rivetting on the dome, a quarter mile up. It was a photo taken of workers during the construction of the Empire State building. Some photographers took pictures of the positive, many photographers were more curious about the stru ggles during the Great Depression. One photographer in particular was Dorothea Langes

Marketing mix for Levis Brand Makeover

Marketing mix for Levis Brand Makeover The target market for the Levis image makeover is the young generation. However, Levis is now promoting Curve ID, but it is not enough to beat up premium jeans because curve id is a just guide line for customer when they are to buy Levis Jeans being confused what will fit them right. Levis need to offer an optimized assortment of their Jeans products to their customers. Offering of the best mix of the products is essential to the long-term success and for customer satisfaction. The Product assortment optimization needs the strategic inventory decisions and the product selection. The best product assortment strategies should maximize the profits, minimize risk and increase the overall sales. They should include a kind of the mixture for the Jeans products basing on their respective life cycles in your store. If it offers a strong mix of the products basing on the product life, customers will be satisfied and develop the desire to make repeat purchases of the established product and there are higher chances for them to piquà © their interests with the new options. Introduction of new products will increase the amount of time that the customers tend to increase the frequency of routine checks into their stores. Price Levis jeans are quite affordable, to have a better approach to its new line, they will have to increase their price to a margin that will be competing with the premium jeans. But not as high as price of premium jeans. It has to be reasonable. The customer recognition of Levis jeans price is not high therefore, It is not a good idea to challenge its price recognition, otherwise it rather lose customers who belong to the Y-generation with that is known to be very volatile. As a result its new line would have a narrow range of $100 to $200. Later on, Levis Jeans will involve the techniques such as the temporary discounts, coupons, the cash refunds, rebates or the buy-one-get-one offers which are the common pricing strategies that are used to drive the sales. C. Place Levis jeans should first create the demand for its products. Then get those products into the consumers hands. Planning of its product distribution strategy needs to be done during the product development stage. The placement of the products is very important because the methods employed in the distribution of the products impacts on the actual retail price of the products. Levis has worldwide stores as well as online stores. They have been reaching customers greatly. I dont think they need a critical strategy for place, but they should not concentrate on its wholesale store and should not have its products showing up on discount stores like Wal-Mart or target. This company should use the exclusive distribution strategy to establish the image of its jeans over the premium jeans brand. By use of a limited number of the distribution channels, the partners will be enabled to create an image of exclusivity. Levis jeans should also consider the parallel distribution opportunities and Set up the market research opportunities in order to find out the customer preferences for the mode of receiving the products. D. Promotions Levis will use both direct and indirect advertisements. The celebrity marketing can also be used as a form of indirect marketing, since the y-generation is a fashion sensitive group, they can be easily influenced by the celebrities preferences. Trendy celebrity association with the brands of Levis Jeans wears, young people will get the pretty fashionable jeans unconsciously. And Levis street post ads as direct marketing would better have just picture image with its logo. No slogan no title. No more go back to original slogan. It is not working for the young. They just like something simple. Just one image picture that bring unique and trendy image of Levis well is just enough. The Levis jeans should determine goals of your promotion to establish the best promotional activities. Your promotional strategies could target a specific demographic or reach millions of people. Therefore Levis Jeans will use Advertising as the means of product promotion. Direct mails, the televisions, and the magazines. Other options may include; the in-store displays, use of billboards, newspapers, the online display advertisements, and the electronic email advertisements. The Levis Jeans will develop advertisements that define clear benefits to consumer if they purchase its products, and at the same time reinforce its brand image and reputation through the Internet. E. People. Brand communication helps to bridge the gap in the perception that the target audiences have on the brand. Effective product communication of the Levis Jeans will give competitive advantages which will targets the receptive Y-generation customers with the marketing message. Product communication strategy is then a very important component of the marketing plan. The best product communication strategies will help to improve the chances of delivering the message to the targeted customers therefore increasing the sales. Levis Jeans will use multiple methods of communicating with its customers, through the e-mail newsletters, the magazine advertisements, postcards, the billboards, in-store displays, and good product packaging F. New Tactics Through Internet Marketing  Strategy; the company will explore the strategies and new tactics that can be used on the Internet to enhance and support the Levis Jeans and the business overall marketing objectives. It will conduct banner promotions; generate the targeted online traffic, positioning its contents, and the overall brand awareness.

Myanmar: A Nation in Crisis Essay -- Essays Papers

Myanmar: A Nation in Crisis The nation of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is currently under the rule of a ruthless totalitarian regime, guilty of numerous human rights violations and target of intense international criticism. Located in Southeast Asia, on the western border of Thailand and Laos, it has been under military rule since World War II. Burma is mired in socioeconomic crisis stemming from the rule of the military junta, and the citizens are suffering. The environment of Burma is being destroyed, the people are treated inhumanely, and the country is notorious for its contribution to global narcotics. The paragraphs below detail the current situations facing the country, why they came about, and the parties that are to blame for sending the country on a dangerous downward spiral. First, however, it is important to understand Burma’s political history. A History of Burma The ancestors of the people of Myanmar migrated down along the Irrawaddy River from Tibet and China, and they brought with them cultural traditions stemming from India. The Mon, at around 3000 B.C., were the first people to come. They established centers of settlement in central Myanmar, in the Irrawaddy delta, and farther down the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal. They developed farming and irrigation systems, and they kept ties with India as well as other Mon settlements. The Burmese entered the Irrawaddy River valley in the mid-9th century, eventually absorbing the nearby Pyu and Mon communities. The Shan, Kachin, and Karen arrived later and are currently the major ethnic minority groups in the country. In 1044, King Anawrahta united the nation in the city of Pagan where he built Buddhist temples and pagodas. In the following years Burma expe... ...ive. 15 Nov. 2004 . Thein, Myat. Economic Development of Myanmar. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2004. U.S. Department of State. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 1998. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 1999. ---. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2001. Waldman, Peter. â€Å"Pipeline Project in Burma Puts Cheney in the Spotlight.† The Wall Street Journal. 27 Oct. 2000 < http://www.burmaforumla.org/news/cheney.htm>. Wallensteen, Peter. Routes to Democracy in Burma/Myanmar. Uppsala, Sweden: Dept. of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, 2004.

Pareto Optimality

Pareto efficiency, or  Pareto optimality, is a concept in  economics  with applications in  engineering  and  social sciences. The term is named after  Vilfredo Pareto, an  Italianeconomist who used the concept in his studies of  economic efficiency  and  income distribution. [citation needed] Given an initial allocation of  goods  among a set of  individuals, a change to a different allocation that makes at least one individual  better off  without making any other individual worse off is called a  Pareto improvement. An allocation is defined as â€Å"Pareto efficient† or â€Å"Pareto optimal† when no further Pareto improvements can be made. Pareto efficiency is a minimal notion of efficiency and does not necessarily result in a socially desirable distribution of resources: it makes no statement about equality, or the overall well-being of a society. [1][2] A state of affairs where it is not possible to improve the economic lot of some people without making others worse off; a  mercantilist view. The implications of this view in welfare economics are that, once an economy has ceased to grow, it is impossible to increase the wealth of the poor without opposing the  Pareto criterion; in other words, without making the rich worse off. This then becomes an argument for retaining the  status quo, even if the distribution of income in society is very uneven. A  Pareto improvement, however, occurs if resources can be better utilized so that one group's prosperity increases, but not at a cost to another's. DEFINITION OF NEGOTIATION Negotiation is one of the most common approaches used to make decisions and manage disputes. It is also the major building block for many other alternative dispute resolution procedures. Negotiation occurs between spouses, parents and children, managers and staff, employers and employees, professionals and clients, within and between organizations and between agencies and the public. Negotiation is a problem-solving process in which two or more people voluntarily discuss their differences and attempt to reach a joint decision on their common concerns. Negotiation requires participants to identify issues about which they differ, educate each other about their needs and interests, generate ossible settlement options and bargain over the terms of the final agreement. Successful negotiations generally result in some kind of exchange or promise being made by the negotiators to each other. The exchange may be tangible (such as money, a commitment of time or a particular behavior) or intangible (such as an agreement to change an attitude or expectation, or make an apology). Negotiation is the principal way that people redefine an old relationship that is not working to thei r satisfaction or establish a new relationship where none existed before. Because negotiation is such a common problem-solving process, it is in everyone's interest to become familiar with negotiating dynamics and skills. This section is designed to introduce basic concepts of negotiation and to present procedures and strategies that generally produce more efficient and productive problem solving. CONDITIONS FOR NEGOTIATION A variety of conditions can affect the success or failure of negotiations. The following conditions make success in negotiations more likely. Identifiable parties who are willing to participate. The people or groups who have a stake in the outcome must be identifiable and willing to sit down at the bargaining table if productive negotiations are to occur. If a critical party is either absent or is not willing to commit to good faith bargaining, the potential for agreement will decline. Interdependence. For productive negotiations to occur, the participants must be dependent upon each other to have their needs met or interests satisfied. The participants need either each other's assistance or restraint from negative action for their interests to be satisfied. If one party can get his/her needs met without the cooperation of the other, there will be little impetus to negotiate. Readiness to negotiate. People must be ready to negotiate for dialogue to begin. When participants are not psychologically prepared to talk with the other parties, when adequate information is not available, or when a negotiation strategy has not been prepared, people may be reluctant to begin the process. Means of influence or leverage. For people to reach an agreement over issues about which they disagree, they must have some means to influence the attitudes and/or behavior of other negotiators. Often influence is seen as the power to threaten or inflict pain or undesirable costs, but this is only one way to encourage another to change. Asking thought-provoking questions, providing needed information, seeking the advice of experts, appealing to influential associates of a party, exercising legitimate authority or providing rewards are all means of exerting influence in negotiations. Agreement on some issues and interests. People must be able to agree upon some common issues and interests for progress to be made in negotiations. Generally, participants will have some issues and interests in common and others that are of concern to only one party. The number and importance of the common issues and interests influence whether negotiations occur and whether they terminate in agreement. Parties must have enough issues and interests in common to commit themselves to a joint decision-making process. Will to settle. For negotiations to succeed, participants have to want to settle. If continuing a conflict is more important than settlement, then negotiations are doomed to failure. Often parties want to keep conflicts going to preserve a relationship (a negative one may be better than no relationship at all), to mobilize public opinion or support in their favor, or because the conflict relationship gives meaning to their life. These factors promote continued division and work against settlement. The negative consequences of not settling must be more significant and greater than those of settling for an agreement to be reached. Unpredictability of outcome. People negotiate because they need something from another person. They also negotiate because the outcome of not negotiating is unpredictable. For example: If, by going to court, a person has a 50/50 chance of winning, s/he may decide to negotiate rather than take the risk of losing as a result of a judicial decision. Negotiation is more predictable than court because if negotiation is successful, the party will at least win something. Chances for a decisive and one-sided victory need to be unpredictable for parties to enter into negotiations. A sense of urgency and deadline. Negotiations generally occur when there is pressure or it is urgent to reach a decision. Urgency may be imposed by either external or internal time constraints or by potential negative or positive consequences to a negotiation outcome. External constraints include: court dates, imminent executive or administrative decisions, or predictable changes in the environment. Internal constraints may be artificial deadlines selected by a negotiator to enhance the motivation of another to settle. For negotiations to be successful, the participants must jointly feel a sense of urgency and be aware that they are vulnerable to adverse action or loss of benefits if a timely decision is not reached. If procras- tination is advantageous to one side, negotiations are less likely to occur, and, if they do, there is less impetus to settle. No major psychological barriers to settlement. Strong expressed or unexpressed feelings about another party can sharply affect a person's psychological readiness to bargain. Psychological barriers to settlement must be lowered if successful negotiations are to occur. Issues must be negotiable. For successful negotiation to occur, negotiators must believe that there are acceptable settlement options that are possible as a result of participation in the process. If it appears that negotiations will have only win/lose settlement possibilities and that a party's needs will not be met as a result of participation, parties will be reluctant to enter into dialogue. The people must have the authority to decide. For a successful outcome, participants must have the authority to make a decision. If they do not have a legitimate and recognized right to decide, or if a clear ratification process has not been established, negotiations will be limited to an information exchange between the parties. A willingness to compromise. Not all negotiations require compromise. On occasion, an agreement can be reached which meets all the participants' needs and does not require a sacrifice on any party's part. However, in other disputes, compromise–willingness to have less than 100 percent of needs or interests satisfied–may be necessary for the parties to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Where the physical division of assets, strong values or principles preclude compromise, negotiations are not possible. The agreement must be reasonable and implementable. Some settlements may be substantively acceptable but may be impossible to implement. Participants in negotiations must be able to establish a realistic and workable plan to carry out their agreement if the final settlement is to be acceptable and hold over time. External factors favorable to settlement. Often factors external to negotiations inhibit or encourage settlement. Views of associates or friends, the political climate of public opinion or economic conditions may foster agreement or continued turmoil. Some external conditions can be managed by negotiators while others cannot. Favorable external conditions for settlement should be developed whenever possible. Resources to negotiate. Participants in negotiations must have the interpersonal skills necessary for bargaining and, where appropriate, the money and time to engage fully in dialogue procedures. Inadequate or unequal resources may block the initiation of negotiations or hinder settlement. WHY PARTIES CHOOSE TO NEGOTIATE The list of reasons for choosing to negotiate is long. Some of the most common reasons are to: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gain recognition of either issues or parties; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test the strength of other parties; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obtain information about issues, interests and positions of other parties;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educate all sides about a particular view of an issue or concern; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ventilate emotions about issues or people; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Change perceptions; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mobilize public support; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Buy time; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bring about a desired c hange in a relationship; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Develop new procedures for handling problems; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make substantive gains; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Solve a problem. WHY PARTIES REFUSE TO NEGOTIATE Even when many of the preconditions for negotiation are present, parties often choose not to negotiate. Their reasons may include: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negotiating confers sense and legitimacy to an adversary, their goals and needs;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parties are fearful of being perceived as weak by a constituency, by their adversary or by the public; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discussions are premature. There may be other alternatives available–informal communications, small private meetings, policy revision, decree, elections; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meeting could provide false hope to an adversary or to one's own constituency; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meeting could increase the visibility of the dispute; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negotiating could intensify the dispute; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parties lack confidence in the process; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a lack of jurisdictional authority;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Authoritative powers are unavailable or reluctant to meet; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Meeting is too time-consuming; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parties need additional time to prepare; †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parties want to avoid locking themselves into a position; there is still time to escalate demands and to intensify conflict to their advantage. DEFINITIONS For negotiations to result in positive benefits for all sides, the negotiator must define what the problem is and what each party wants. In defining the goals of negotiation, it is important to dis tinguish between issues, positions, interests and settlement options.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An  issue is a matter or question parties disagree about. Issues can usually be stated as problems. For example, â€Å"How can wetlands be preserved while allowing some industrial or residential development near a stream or marsh? † Issues may be substantive (related to money, time or compensation), procedural (concerning the way a dispute is handled), or psychological (related to the effect of a proposed action). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Positions are statements by a party about how an issue can or should be handled or resolved; or a proposal for a particular solution. A disputant selects a position because it satisfies a particular interest or meets a set of needs. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interests are specific needs, conditions or gains that a party must have met in an agreement for it to be considered satisfactory. Interests may refer to content, to specific procedural considerations or to psychological needs. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Settlement Options–possible solutions which address one or more party's interests. The presence of options implies that there is more than one way to satisfy interests. SELECTING A GENERAL NEGOTIATION APPROACH The negotiator will need to select a general negotiation approach. There are many techniques, but the two most common approaches to negotiation are positional bargaining and interest-based bargaining. Positional Bargaining Positional bargaining is a negotiation strategy in which a series of positions, alternative solutions that meet particular interests or needs, are selected by a negotiator, ordered sequentially according to preferred outcomes and presented to another party in an effort to reach agreement. The first or opening position represents that maximum gain hoped for or expected in the negotiations. Each subsequent position demands less of an opponent and results in fewer benefits for the person advocating it. Agreement is reached when the negotiators' positions converge and they reach an acceptable settlement range. WHEN IS POSITIONAL BARGAINING OFTEN USED? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the resource being negotiated is limited (time, money, psychological benefits, etc. ). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a party wants to maximize his/her share in a fixed sum pay off. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the interests of the parties are not interdependent, are contradictory or are mutually exclusive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When current or future relationships have a lower priority than immediate substantive gains. ATTITUDES OF POSITIONAL BARGAINERS †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resource is limited. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other negotiator is an opponent; be hard on him/her. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Win for one means a loss for the other . †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goal is to win as much as possible. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concessions are a sign of weakness. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a right solution–mine. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Be on the offensive at all times. HOW IS POSITIONAL BARGAINING CONDUCTED? 1. Set your target point–solution that would meet all your interests and result in complete success for you. To set the target point, consider: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your highest estimate of what is needed. (What are your interests? ) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your most optimistic assumption of what is possible. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your most favorable assessment of your bargaining skill. 2. Make target point into opening position. 3. Set your bottom line or resistance point–the solution that is the least you are willing to accept and still reach agreement. To identify your bottom line, consider: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your lowest estimate of what is needed and would still be acceptable to you. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your least optimistic assumption of what is possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your least favorable assessment of your bargaining skill relative to other negotiators. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Your  Best  Alternative To a  Negotiated  Agreement (BATNA). 4. Consider possible targets and bottom lines of other negotiators. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why do they set their targets and bottom lines at these points? What interests or needs do these positions satisfy? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Are your needs or interests and those of the other party mutually exclusive? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Will gains and losses have to be shared to reach agreement or can you settle with both receiving significant gains? . Consider a range of positions between your target point and bottom line. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each subsequent position after the target point offers more concessions to the other negotiator(s), but is still satisfactory to you. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consider having the following positions for each issue in dispute: Opening position. Secondary position. Subsequent position. Fallback position–(yellow light that indicates you are close to bottom line; parties who want to mediate should stop here so that the intermediary has something to work with). Bottom line. 6. Decide if any of your positions meets the interests or needs of the other negotiators. How should your position be modified to do so? 7. Decide when you will move from one position to another. 8. Order the issues to be negotiated into a logical (and beneficial) sequence. 9. Open with an easy issue. 10. Open with a position close to your target point. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educate the other negotiator(s) why you need your solution and why your expectations are high. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educate them as to why they must raise or lower their expectations. 11. Allow other side to explain their opening position. 12. If appropriate, move to other positions that offer other negotiator(s) more benefits. 13. Look for a settlement or bargaining range — spectrum of possible settlement alternatives any one of which is preferable to impasse or no settlement. 14. Compromise on benefits and losses where appropriate. a = Party A's resistance point b = Party A's target c = Acceptable options for Party A x = Party B's target y = Party B's resistance point z = Acceptable options for Party B 15. Look for how positions can be modified to meet all negotiators' interests. 16. Formalize agreements in writing. CHARACTERISTIC BEHAVIORS OF POSITIONAL BARGAINERS †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Initial large demand–high or large opening position used to educate other parties about what is desired or to identify how far they will have to move to reach an acceptable settlement range. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Low level of disclosure–secretive and non-trusting behavior to hide what the settlement range and bottom line are. Goal is to increase benefits at expense of other. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bluffing–strategy used to make negotiator grant concessions based on misinformation about the desires, strengths or costs of another.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Threats–strategy used to increase costs to another if agreement is not reached. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Incremental concessions–small benefits awarded so as to gradually cause convergence between negotiators' positions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hard on people and problem–often other negoti ator is degraded in the process of hard bargaining over substance. This is a common behavior that is not necessarily a quality of or desirable behavior in positional bargaining. COSTS AND BENEFITS OF POSITIONAL BARGAINING Costs †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Often damages relationships; inherently polarizing (my way, your way) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cuts off option exploration. Often prevents tailor-made solutions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promotes rigid adherence to positions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obscures a focus on interests by premature commitment to specific solutions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Produces compromise when better solutions may be available Benefits †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  May prevent premature concessions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is useful in dividing or compromising on the distribution of fixed-sum resources †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does not require trust to work †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Does not require full disclosure of privileged information Interest-Based Bargaining Interest-based bargaining involves parties in a collaborative effort to jointly meet each other's needs and satisfy mutual interests. Rather than moving from positions to counter positions to a compromise settlement, negotiators pursuing an interest-based bargaining approach attempt to identify their interests or needs and those of other parties  prior to developing specific solutions. After the interests are identified, the negotiators jointly search for a variety of settlement options that might satisfy all interests, rather than argue for any single position. The parties select a solution from these jointly generated options. This approach to negotiation is frequently called integrated bargaining because of its emphasis on cooperation, meeting mutual needs, and the efforts by the parties to expand the bargaining options so that a wiser decision, with more benefits to all, can be achieved. WHEN IS INTEREST-BASED BARGAINING USED? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the interests of the negotiators are interdependent. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When it is not clear whether the issue being negotiated is fixed-sum (even if the outcome is fixed-sum, the process can be used).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When future relationships are a high priority. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When negotiators want to establish cooperative problem-solving rather than competitive procedures to resolve their differences. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When negotiators want to tailor a solution to specific needs or interests. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a compromise of principles is unacceptable. ATTITUDES OF INTEREST-BASED BARGAINERS †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Resource is seen as not limited. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All negotiators' interests must be addressed for an agreement to be reached. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Focus on interests not positions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parties look for objective or fair standards that all can agree to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Belief that there are probably multiple satisfactory solutions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negotiators are cooperative problem-solvers rather than opponents. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People and issues are separate. Respect people, bargain hard on interests. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Search for win/win solutions. HOW TO DO INTEREST-BASED BARGAINING Interests are needs that a negotiator wants satisfied or met. There are three types of interests: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Substantive interests–content needs (money, time, goods or resources, etc. ) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Procedural interests–needs for specific types of behavior or the â€Å"way that something is done. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Relationship or psychological interests–needs that refer to how one feels, how one is treated or conditions for ongoing relationship. 1. Identify the substantive, procedural and relationship interest/needs that you expect to be satisfied as a result of negotiations. Be clear on: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why the needs are important to you. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How important the needs are to you. 2. Speculate on the substantive, procedural and relationship interests that might be important to the other negotiators. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assess why the needs are important to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assess how important the needs are to them. 3. Begin negotiations by ed ucating each other about your respective interests. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Be specific as to why interests are important. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If other negotiators present positions, translate them into terms of interest. Do not allow other negotiators to commit to a particular solution or position. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make sure all interests are understood. 4. Frame the problem in a way that it is solvable by a win/win solution. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Remove egocentricity by framing problem in a manner that all can accept. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Include basic interests of all parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make the framing congruent with the size of the problem to be addressed. 5. Identify general criteria that must be present in an acceptable settlement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look for general agreements in principle. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify acceptable objective criteria that will be used to rea ch more specific agreements. 6. Generate multiple options for settlement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Present multiple proposals. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make frequent proposals. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vary the content. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make package proposals that link solutions to satisfy interests. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make sure that more than two options are on the table at any given time. . Utilize integrative option generating techniques: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Expand-the-pie–ways that more resources or options can be brought to bear on the problem. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternating satisfaction–each negotiator gets 100 percent of what s/he wants, but at different times. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trade-offs–exchanges of concessions on issues of differing importance to the negotiators. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consider two or more agenda items simultaneously. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Negotiators trade concessions on issues of higher or lower importance to each. Each negotiator gets his/her way on one issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Integrative solutions–look for solutions that involve maximum gains and few or no losses for both parties. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Set your sights high on finding a win/win solution. 8. Separate the option generation process from the evaluation process. 9. Work toward agreement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use the Agreement-in-Principle Process (general level of agreements moving toward more specific agreements). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fractionate (break into small pieces) the problem and use a Building-Block Process (agreements on smaller issues that. when combined, form a general agreement). Reduce the threat level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educate and be educated about interests of all parties. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assure that all interests will be respected and viewed as legitimate. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Show an interest in their needs. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do not exploit another negotiator's weakness. Demonstrate trust †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Put yourself in a â€Å"one down position† to other on issues where you risk a small, but symbolic loss. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Start with a problem solving rather than competitive approach. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Provide benefits above and beyond the call of duty. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Listen and convey to other negotiators that they have been heard and understood. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Listen and restate content to demonstrate understanding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Listen and restate feelings to demonstrate acceptance (not necessarily agreement) and understanding of intensity. 10. Identify areas of agreement, restate them, and write them down. COSTS AND BENEFITS OF INTEREST-BASED BARGAINING Costs †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Requires some trust †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Requires negotiators to disclose information and interests †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     May uncover extremely divergent values or interests Benefits †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Produces solutions that meet specific interests †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Builds relationships †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promotes trust †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Models cooperative behavior that may be valuable in future. AN INTEGRATED APPROACH Naturally, all negotiations involve some positional bargaining and some interest-based bargaining, but each session may be characterized by a predominance of one approach or the other. Negotiators who take a positional bargaining approach will generally use interest-based bargaining only during the final stages of negotiations. When interest-based bargaining is used throughout negotiations it often produces wiser decisions in a shorter amount of time with less incidence of adversarial behavior. DYNAMICS OF NEGOTIATION Examining the approaches to negotiation only gives us a static view of what is normally a dynamic process of change. Let us now look at the stages of negotiation most bargaining sessions follow. Negotiators have developed many schemes to describe the sequential development of negotiations. Some of them are descriptive–detailing the progress made in each stage–while others are prescriptive–suggesting what a negotiator should do. We prefer a twelve-stage process that combines the two approaches. STAGES OF NEGOTIATION Stage 1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evaluate and Select a Strategy to Guide Problem Solving †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assess various approaches or procedures–negotiation, facilitation, mediation, arbitration, court, etc. –available for problem solving.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Select an approach. Stage 2: Make Contact with Other Party or Parties †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Make initial contact(s) in person, by telephone, or by mail. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Explain your desire to negotiate and coordinate approaches. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build rap port and expand relationship †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build personal or organization's credibility. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promote commitment to the procedure. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educate and obtain input from the parties about the process that is to be used. Stage 3: Collect and Analyze Background Information †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Collect and analyze relevant data about the people, dynamics and substance involved in the problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Verify accuracy of data. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Minimize the impact of inaccurate or unavailable data. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify all parties' substantive, procedural and psychological interests. Stage 4: Design a Detailed Plan for Negotiation †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify strategies and tactics that will enable the parties to move toward agreement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify tactics to respond to situations peculiar to the specific issues to be negotiated. Stage 5: Build Trust and Cooperation †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prepare psychologically to participate in negotiations on substantive issues. Develop a strategy to handle strong emotions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Check perceptions and minimize effects of stereotypes. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build recognition of the legitimacy of the parties and issues. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build trust. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clarify communications. Stage 6: Beginning the Negotiation Session †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduce all parties. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exchange statements which demonstrate willingness to listen, share ideas, show openness to reason and demonstrate desire to bargain in good faith. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish guidelines for behavior. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  State mutual expectations for the negotiations. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Describe history of problem and explain w hy there is a need for change or agreement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify interests and/or positions. Stage 7: Define Issues and Set an Agenda †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Together identify broad topic areas of concern to people. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify specific issues to be discussed. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frame issues in a non-judgmental neutral manner. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obtain an agreement on issues to be discussed. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Determine the sequence to discuss issues. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Start with an issue in which there is high investment on the part of all participants, where there is not serious disagreement and where there is a strong likelihood of agreement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Take turns describing how you see the situation. Participants should be encouraged to tell their story in enough detail that all people understand the viewpoint presented. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use active listening, open-ended questions and focusing questions to gain additional information. Stage 8: Uncover Hidden Interests †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Probe each issue either one at a time or together to identify interests, needs and concerns of the principal participants in the dispute. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Define and elaborate interests so that all participants understand the needs of others as well as their own. Stage 9: Generate Options for Settlement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Develop an awareness about the need for options from which to select or create the final settlement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review needs of parties which relate to the issue. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Generate criteria or objective standards that can guide settlement discussions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look for agreements in pr inciple. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consider breaking issue into smaller, more manageable issues and generating solutions for sub-issues. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Generate options either individually or through joint discussions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use one or more of the following procedures: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Expand the pie so that benefits are increased for all parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternate satisfaction so that each party has his/her interests satisfied but at different times. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trade items that are valued differently by parties. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Look for integrative or win/win options. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brainstorm. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use trial and error generation of multiple solutions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Try silent generation in which each individual develops privately a list of options and then presents his/her ideas to other negotiators. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Use a caucus to develop op tions. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduct position/counter position option generation. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Separate generation of possible solutions from evaluation. Stage 10: Assess Options for Settlement †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review the interests of the parties. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assess how interests can be met by available options. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assess the costs and benefits of selecting options. Stage 11: Final Bargaining †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Final problem solving occurs when: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the alternatives is selected. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Incremental concessions are made and parties move closer together. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alternatives are combined or tailored into a superior solution. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Package settlements are developed. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parties establish a procedural means to reach a substantive agreement. Stage 12: Achieving Formal Settlement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Agreement may be a written memorandum of understanding or a legal contract. Detail how settlement is to be implemented–who, what, where, when, how–a nd write it into the agreement. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Identify â€Å"what ifs† and conduct problem solving to overcome blocks. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish an evaluation and monitoring procedure. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Formalize the settlement and create enforcement and commitment mechanisms: Legal contract †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Performance bond †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Judicial review †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Administrative/executive approval Pre-Mediation Planning Before going into mediation, consider all of the possibilities. What risks do you face? What to you have to gain? What are the major â€Å"deal points† which will make or break the negotiation for you? In the field of mediation, the process of evaluating your case or position may be called BATNA and WATNA analysis. BATNA stands for Best Alternative To Negotiated Agreement. In other words, if the mediation does not produce a settlement or other type of agreement, what is the best thing that could happen? Will the other side ultimately give in to your side? Will a new law cause things to come out in your favor? Will the other side lose interest in their position? Will your costs/risks be negligible? Are you confident about winning in court? These are the kinds of question you may ask yourself while evaluating your BATNA. WATNA stands for Worst Alternative to Negotiated Agreement. A couple of questions you may ask for this analysis are: Will the other side probably win in court? Who controls the status quo? If the case doesn’t settle, am I the one who will ultimately lose? The process of BATNA/WATNA analysis ultimately assists a party in determining the scope of their mediation efforts and their reservation point. Put another way, at what point will the party walk away from the table? When is it too risky not to settle, or too costly not to settle? Without a clear picture of these risk possibilities, it is extremely difficult to reasonably evaluate your case. A good mediator will also assist you in this analysis, but it’s better to be prepared and knowledgeable before entering negotiations. You will appear more confident and credible in your claims. Opening Offers and Demands Great debate rages in the negotiation field over whether or not to throw out the first offer. Some experts advise never, ever to make a first offer. Others cautiously advocate making a first offer if it serves your position. Whether you decide to make a first offer may depend upon your particular bargaining style. Be aware, however, that making a first offer sends a powerful signal to the other party. First, it has the potential to errode your credibility. If your offer or demand does not pass the â€Å"straight-face† test, your credibility may be on slippery slope. Be careful that your offer or demand isn’t so absurd as to make your statements and assertions throughout the rest of the negotiation unbelievable. Opening offers and demands are also powerful because they tell the other side roughly what your evaluation of the case is. It can therefore have the effect of shifting or anchoring the other party’s expectations to the range you have requested or offered. The party may then respond to the offer/demand by adjusting or reevaluating the number they originally had in mind. Alternatively, if your offer/demand is outside of their anticipated range, it can provoke anger, incredulity or an equally unreasonable or absurd counter-offer. Bottom-Lines: If you have a bottom-line number, guard it until the right moment. If you give it out too early, it can destroy the flexibility of the bargaining process. This occurs because parties often settle upon a number that wasn’t anticipated. By revealing a hard number too early, it cements you into a position that is much more difficult to negotiate from. It also takes away the possibily of â€Å"gift-giving† which we will discuss later. The most fundamental rule of bottom-lines, however, is to tell the truth. Don’t state a false bottom line, only to change it later to suit your negotiating needs. Doing so will ruin your credibility and decrease your leverage and bargaining power. If you are asked for a bottom-line and are not ready to give it, you may politely say that you have a number in mind but would like to engage in further discussion to learn as much as possible about all aspects of the dispute before making a final decision. Strategies and Techniques Bargaining Styles Below is a chart describing different bargaining styles. Which category do you fit into? Soft [Cooperative] Hard [Competitive] Principled Participants are friends. Participants are adversaries. Participantsare problem-solvers. The goal is agreement. The goal is victory. The goal is a wise outcome reached efficiently and amicably. Make concessions to cultivate the relationship. Demand concessions as a condition of therelationship. Separate the people from the problem. Be soft on the people and the problem. Be hard on the problem and the people. Be soft on the people; hard on the problem. Trust others. Distrust others. Proceed Independent of trust. Change your position easily. Dig in to your position. Focus on interest, not positions. Make offers. Make threats. Explore interests. Disclose your bottom line. Mislead as to your bottom line. Avoid having a bottom line. Accept one-sided losses to reach agreement. Demand one-sided gains as the price of agreement. Invent options for mutual gain. Search for the single answer; the one they will accept. Search for the single answer; the one you will accept. Develop multiple options to choose from; decide later. Insist on agreement. Insist on your position. Insist on using objective criteria. Try to avoid a contest of will. Try to win a contest of will. Try to reach a result based on standards independent of will. Yield to pressure. Apply pressure. Reason and be open to reasons; yeild to principle, not pressure. SPECIAL NOTES ON HARD-BARGAINERS: When encountering hard-bargainers, negotiation can be tricky. Difficulties arise because granting concessions makes the other side feel bullied, but sticking to principles can create an impasse of negotiation. Here are a few tips for dealing with hard bargainers: * Don’t attack the position, look behind it for interests and motivations * Don’t defend your position or statements, instead, invite criticism and suggestions * Don’t react, pause or relax * Don’t argue back – listen carefully and calmly * Reframe accusations as an assault on the problem itself * Ask productive questions Hard bargaining can arise in certain circumstances as well. Unreasonable initial demands, lack of meaningful information, greediness, positional bargaining, and threats can all cause a competitive bargaining environment to emerge. Leverage Leverage is an adversarial concept which allows a party to exert pressure on the other side by appealing to his/her fears, risks or needs. For example, if a party must have a certain dispute resolved by a certain date, withholding a resolution, walking away from the table, or delaying progress exerts pressure on that party to give in to the demands of the other side. Using threats is also a form of leverage. Threat must be used carefully so as not to enrage the other side such that they refuse to participate in continuing discussion. Research indicates that the efficacy of threats depends on their credibility, immediacy, context, specificity and equity. Another form of leverage is â€Å"ego stroking. † For some people, being recognized or acknowledged in a positive way can cause incredible shifts in perspective. Such a party may be more willing to negotiate, may be more generous, or may overlook past transgressions. Be sure that any appreciation for the other side that you convey is sincere. Sometimes, using positive-side leverage such as ego stroking can arouse an eagerness in the other party to reciprocate the sentiment or to seek to please you by offering concessions. The Origin of Brilliant (and not so brilliant) Ideas A great way to apply positive leverage while seizing advantageous settlement opportunities is to give credit to the other side for discovering a solution or for presenting a good idea. Instead of saying, â€Å"I want X dollars to replace my damaged roof† say, â€Å"A little while ago, you presented a very clear picture of the problem and it helped me to understand the issue of the roof better. I would like to hear more of your ideas about how we can approach that particular aspect of this negotiation. † In other words, create for the other party a positive reputation, even if you believe it is undeserved in your particular scenario, that they can then attempt to live up to. Conversely, when a party makes a tactical mistake which doesn’t help your position, but does threaten further progress, give them an easy opportunity to save face. For example, â€Å"If I’m not mistaken, I think I heard you say you wanted $3 billion for your broken fence. I know there are a lot of numbers being exchanged here and I have become confused myself a couple of times with the amount of data. Would you like to review that figure and potentially make an adjustment at some point? † Be sure to avoid enouraging or doing anything which could result in face-saving-behaviors. Face-saving behaviors are defensive attempts to re-establish face after threats to face or so-called â€Å"face-loss†. People are often willing and even eager to retaliate and sacrifice rewards at great cost when they perceive the threat of humiliation. By engaging in such behavior you are, at best, reducing the predictability of the outcome, and at worst, creating a hostile and perilous environment which could cost you and the other party a mutually agreeable settlement while augmenting the costs of dispute resolution. The Sometime-Appeal of High Concepts With some negotiators, it is possible to paint a bigger picture which extends beyond the limits of present issues. By appealing, for example, to a person’s sense of idealism or a particular world-view, it is sometimes possible to break a deadlocked negotiation. However, just as high concepts can broaden the mind of a stubborn participant, a carelessly made plea to a person’s sense of justice can provoke indignation and encourage increasing inflexibility. For example, a negotiator might say, â€Å"If we are able to come to a settlement today regarding the teacher’s union, the students can return to school much sooner and resume their studies, which is, of course, what we all want. † However, some negotiators may interpret such a statement as disingenuous, or mocking. So be careful! Reciprocal Bargaining Some negotiation experts contend that a reciprocal bargaining strategy promotes responsibility, accountability, and reasonable dealings. Reciprocal Bargaining theory basically holds that if one party makes an unreasonable demand or offer, the other side must do the same, back to that party. The result is, theoretically, that each side will then see and appreciate the consequences of their own behavior throughout the negotiation. Alternatively, if one party demonstrates generosity or uncommon honesty, the other side should reciprocate that behavior as well. The relationship-building potential of this strategy has been touted by many mediation experts as an effective way to facilitate productive conversation. Alternatively, this strategy can be counter-productive if the parties do not respond appropriately to the consequences. This can occur where parties are emotionally involved in the proceedings, when personal relationships are the actual subject of dispute or when the negotiation involves more than one â€Å"hard-bargainer†. In these scenarios, a reciprocal strategy can create a downward sprial of bad behavior which ultimately causes negotions to break down completely. GENEROUS RECIPROCAL BARGAINING THEORY: An alternative stragegy is to employ a downward-spiral breaking strategy known as generous reciprocal bargaining. This reciprocal strategy does not work in the systematic framework of the standard reciprocal bargaining. Instead, the parties reciprocate positive and negative behavior only the majority of the time. At irregular intervals, a party using this strategy will unexpectedly not reciprocate a negative behavior committed by the other party. This behavior breaks the vicious cycle of negative behavior and can allow for positive behavior changes in both parties, leaving them open to more productive communication exchanges and opportunities for mutual agreement. Gift Giving Giving gifts during negotiation is a great way to generate goodwill, especially at the initiation of bargaining. Small concessions will leave a strong impression with the other side’s perception of you, and may influence their actions going forward. Small concessions are a low cost method of initiating momentum in negotiations. By the way, one of the easiest and cheapest concessions you can grant to the other side is to listen to them, carefully, openly, and without judgment. Complaining Some experts advise mediation participants to refrain from complaining. However, our position is that complaints can be useful to the extent that they can generate empathy and produce increased willingness to exhibit flexibility from the other side. If reasonable and genuine complaints are made carefully, are well-timed, are not excessively accusatory and do not occur with too much regularity, they can prove useful in the context of negotiation. Positions vs. Interests As we viewed in the bargaining styles chart, people negotiate in different ways, and with different results. A major problem in many mediations is that participants become committed to their positions, that is, the result they are aiming for. This tactic, (or tactical error) causes inflexibility and generates ill-will. Mediators attempt to separate the interests from the positions. That is, the mediator seeks to learn what the actual issues that drive the mediation are. By separating out the interests an objective approach to resolving the dispute becomes possible and solutions become more clearly visible. For futher illustration, please view this chart: PROBLEM: The immediate source of conflict. INTERPRETATION: How people interpret the other party’s behavior. POSITION: Demands, threats, fixed solutions, proposals, or points of view. INTEREST: What really matters to this person. (Why is X a problem? )   Ã‚  Ã‚   ISSUE: The topic the parties need to discuss and decide. Barking dog. Neighbor is unfriendly, inconsiderate. Violates my privacy. Buy a muzzle. I’m not well. I need my sleep. Want my home to be a quiet, private place. How to control the barking at night. Unfair bill. This company wants to rip me off. They think I’m not smart enough to notice. I will not pay for work you didn’t even do. Want to be treated fairly. Need to know how much something is going to cost so I can budget for it. What work was done, what recompense is fair. How rest of job will be billed. As a negotiator, it is important to focus on your interests and to resist trying to control the outcome of the negotiation. In this way, you can more reasonably evaluate your risks, options and creative solutions along the way to a mutually agreeable solution. Additionally, it’s a good idea to focus on the interests of the other side. By understanding, and by demonstrating understanding of the other side’s interests, you will more easily command their attention and better understand the major deal points that will solve the dispute. Problems vs. People Similar to the above paragraph, mediators continually work to separate the people from the problems. This promotes a problem solving environment while reducing sniping, personal attacks and unreasonable and inflammatory statements. Be careful not to bargain over your positions. Instead, invent ptions for mutual gain, insist on using objective, evaluative criteria instead of accusatory statements. Although it’s hard to take, if another party insults you personally, ignore the attack and look behind it to discover the feelings and motivations of the accuser. You may learn valuable information about the party’s interests. To avoid inflaming the other party as well, a void accusatory statements, personal attacks, petty insults and counter-productive statements and questions such as: What do you want from me? Calm down! Be reasonable! What’s your problem? and You always†¦. or You never†¦.. Reframing Reframing is perhaps the most important part of negotiation. Reframing is the process of restating something the other side has said in a way that is mutually beneficial. Reframing signals to the other party that you have listened to their story and that you understand and appreciate it. This, in itself, is a type of concession, and it doesn’t cost you a thing! Reframing is an opportunity that presents itself at multiple stages of mediation. Instead of rejecting an offer, reframe it to convey your understanding as well as to present an opportunity to shift the focus or perspective on the topic. You might try saying â€Å"and† instead of â€Å"but† to effectively reject an offer while appearing open to further discussion and at the same time reframing the issue to your advantage. Also, it is a good idea to ask sincere questions instead of making demands whenever possible. Instead of pushing the other side to meet your demands, use reframing to bring them to your point of view. Instead of escalating an argument, use reframing to educate the other side about your feelings and interests. Above all, reframing places the negotiation in the context of cooperation instead of competition. Effective Listening This topic will be covered in-depth in the next unit. For now, let’s look at the most basic concepts of effective listening. Listening is a great skill of negotiation. Listening allows you to learn about the other side’s interests and to discover crucial dealpoints. Close listening also helps to generate goodwill with the other side. The value of â€Å"being heard† is greatly underestimated. Often, where emotions are involved, the opportunity to be heard and understood is very powerful. By listening carefully, you pave the ay to excellent reframing opportunities, greater leverage, and an improved bargaining position. Be sure to listen carefully and actively (while respecting the groundrules of the mediation), empathize with the other side, ask questions which convey your understanding and empathy, and finally, restate the other side’s story back to them while carefully respecting sensitive aspects of the account so that you do not infla me them. Deal Killers In every negotiation, the possibility of failure exists. Certain conditions, behaviors, or acts threaten to stall or break down negotiations. The more you know about these potential deal breakers, the better prepared you will be when you confront them, either on your own side, or across the table. 1. Reactive Devaluation 2. Parties tend to view offers by the other side skeptically. This leads to misevaluation of the other side’s position. Hidden Emotion Example: â€Å"I would rather lose than settle with this guy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This leads to misevaluation. 3. Failure to Understand BATNA/WATNA: Leads to misevaluation. 4. Biased Assimilation: Parties tend to hear and remember things they want to hear, and not hear things that are unpleasant. This leads to misevaluation. 5. Loss Aversion: People generally prefer to avoid loss rather than to achieve gains. This leads to excessive attachment to positions. 6. Direct Contradiction: Avoid using language like, â€Å"You’re wrong. † Instead, offer a different perspective when it is your time to speak after validating the other party’s opinion. 7. Equity Seeking: Parties may seek to return to the â€Å"Status Quo Ante† – that is, the state they were in prior to when the particular conflict arose, or to recoup costs incurred in litigation or which have arisen from the conflict itself. In so doing, that party may prolong the dispute unnecessarily in an attempt to reach that pre-conflict status. 8. Attribution Error: Parties tend to see the other side as evil, and their own side as innocent. This leads to misevaluation. 9. Endowment: People tend to overvalue their own property and interests, and undervalue the property and interests of others. 10. Miscalculation or ignorance of Deal Breakers: Think about reasons why the other side might refuse to settle. Plan out graceful ways to provide counter arguments or methods of avoiding those deal breakers.