Common Mistakes in English for ESL Learners

Common Mistakes in English for ESL Learners Common mistakes are mistakes that even native speakers make on a regular basis. The most common of these common mistakes include its or its, two, to or too, would of instead of would have, and more. The best way to not make these common mistakes is to become familiar with them through a wide variety of examples.​ You can use each of these pages as a starting point to practice not making these common mistakes in the future. Each page has a clear explanation with example sentences. Each common mistake page is followed by a quiz to help you check your understanding. Here are a few suggestions for how you can use these pages to reduce these common mistakes. Remember that each language has its own common mistakes. Some Common Mistakes Top Five Common Writing Mistakes in EnglishGood vs. WellBring, Take, Fetch, GetDifference Between From and OfEveryone / Every OneEveryday / Every DayWhether / IfEnoughA Little, Little, A Few, FewA Lot, Lots Of, A Lot OfFemale - Feminine / Male - MasculineIts vs. ItsTwo, Too, ToTheyre, Their, ThereYoure vs. YourConfusing WordsSince vs. ForHave vs. Of in ConditionalsHas gone to vs. Has been toThen vs. ThanDouble NegativesSo do I, Neither did ISo ... that, such ... thatBoth ... and, neither ... nor, either ... or Improving Common Mistakes Make sure to completely understand the common mistake. Look at the examples and ask yourself if you have made these common mistakes. Think about reading, writing and speaking and how they influence each other. For example, the common mistake would of rather than would have is often made because of the way would have sounds in connected speech. In other words, when people speak quickly they run the words together and the form would have SOUNDS like would of. When people then go to write this form they think back to what they have heard and make the common mistake of writing would of. NOT CORRECT! - He would of come to the party if he had had time.CORRECT - He would have come to the party if he had had time. Take time to write down the common mistakes on a piece of paper or in a separate document on your computer. Spend the time to write five or more sentences practicing the correct form of the common mistake in question. Take the time to really think about the mistake when practicing. Chances are you will never make the mistake again! Listen to / read other people for these common mistakes. Once you understand the common mistake, start listening to other people or reading their texts. Can you spot the common mistakes they make? How Many Common Mistakes Are There? You might wonder how many common English mistakes exist. Thats a difficult question to answer. There are certain mistakes made in grammar, common mistakes made in pronunciation, and there are many common mistakes made because of confusing words. Are Common Mistakes Bad? Common mistakes are mistakes. However, its (not its!) important to remember that the most important thing about using a language is communication. If you are able to communicate in English you are on the road to success. If you make a few common mistakes, you can certainly correct those mistakes. Will People Understand Me if I Make a Common Mistake? Generally, but not always, people will understand you if you make a common mistake. Context (what is happening around the situation) often makes it clear what you really mean. People fill in the blanks, understand that you mean something else, etc. Have confidence and try to eliminate common English mistakes, but make sure to continue speaking and writing English as much as you can!

How To Take Notes

How To Take Notes It seems that it would be easy to write down stuff in class. That learning how to take notes would be a waste of time. However, the opposite is true. If you learn how to take notes effectively and efficiently, you’ll save yourself hours of study time just by observing a few simple tricks. If you dont like this method, then try out the Cornell System for taking notes! Choose Appropriate PaperThe right paper can mean the difference between complete frustration in class and organized notes. To take notes effectively, choose a sheet of loose, clean, lined paper, preferably college-ruled. There are a couple reasons for this choice:Choosing loose paper to take notes allows you to rearrange your notes in a binder if necessary, lend them easily to a friend, and remove and replace a page if it gets damaged.Using college-ruled paper means that the spaces between the lines are smaller, allowing you to write more per page, which is advantageous when you’re studying a lot of material. It won’t seem as much, and thus, as overwhelming.Use Pencil and Skip LinesNothing will make you more frustrated than taking notes and having to draw arrows from new content to a related idea your teacher was talking about 20 minutes ago. That’s why it’s important to skip lines. If your teacher brings up something new, you’ll have a place to squ eeze it in. And, if you take your notes in pencil, your notes will stay neat if you make a mistake and you won’t have to rewrite everything just to make sense of the lecture. Label Your PageYou don’t have to use a clean sheet of paper for every new note-taking session if you use appropriate labels. Start with the topic of the discussion (for study purposes later), fill in the date, class, chapters associated with the notes and teacher’s name. At the end of your notes for the day, draw a line crossing the page so you’ll have a very clear demarcation of each day’s notes. During the next lecture, use same format so your binder is consistent.Use an Organizational SystemSpeaking of organization, use one in your notes. Many people use an outline (I.II.III. A.B.C. 1.2.3.) but you can use circles or stars or whatever symbols youd like, as long as you stay consistent. If your teacher is scattered and doesn’t really lecture in that format, then just organize new ideas with numbers, so you don’t get one long paragraph of loosely-related content.Listen for ImportanceSome of the stuff your teacher says is irrelevant, but much of it needs remembering. So how do you decipher what to put down in your notes and what to disregard? Listen for importance by picking up dates, new terms or vocabulary, concepts, names, and explanations of ideas. If your teacher writes it down anywhere, he or she wants you to know it. If she talks about it for 15 minutes, she’s gonna quiz you on it. If he repeats it several times in the lecture, you’re responsible. Put Content Into Your Own WordsLearning how to take notes begins with learning how to paraphrase and summarize. You will learn new material better if you put it into your own words. When your teacher waxes wordy about Leningrad for 25 minutes, summarize the main idea into a few sentences you’ll be able to remember. If you try to write everything down word for word, you’ll miss stuff, and confuse yourself. Listen attentively, then write.Write LegiblyIt kind of goes without saying, but I’m gonna say it anyway. If your penmanship has ever been compared to chicken scratch, you better work on it. You’ll thwart your taking notes efforts if you can’t read what you’ve written! Force yourself to write clearly. I guarantee that you will not remember the exact lecture when it comes to exam time, so your notes are often going to be your only lifeline. Note Taking Tips Sit near the front of the class so you dont get distractedBring the appropriate supplies, good college-ruled paper and a pen or pencil that will allow you to write legibly and easily.Keep a folder or binder for every class, so youre more likely to keep your notes organized.

Human Development-Babies Documentary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Development-Babies Documentary - Essay Example . then the prospects for the future are bright†. Yet, the obvious impediment to this actually taking place is the fact that the provision of developmental education and knowledge must be specifically focused on issues pertaining to what components of this development make the opportunity important, what examples of development exist with relation to such opportunities, and how each developmental domain (physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional) inter-relate to this over-arching goal. As a result of this level of research that has been ongoing for the past few decades, scientists have definitively determined that the patterns and strengthening of bonding synapses is primarily influenced and aided by the existence of physical activity within the regime of the child. This should not be understood to mean that a level of sports or competitive games must be engaged in order for this physicality aspect to be positively correlated to brain activity (Balmes, 2010). Rather, almost all of the accident research which is been conducted on this topic has determined that physical activity in the form of play, kinetic learning, and many other forms are equally as beneficial; perhaps more due to the fact that they do not oftentimes behave within rigid norms or regulations. In effect, the inclusion of creativity alongside physical activity seems to be as something of a magic formula with regards to stimulating brain development and maximizing the overall levels of connections th at can be made within the adolescent mind. Perhaps most importantly of all, scientists have determined that there is a â€Å"sweet spot† with regards the timeframe in which this can be affected. As sociologists and psychologists have understood for many years, childhood development cannot be understood in something of a monolithic appreciation. Rather, just as with any

Final reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Final reflection - Essay Example Through the various lessons that we have undertaken in class, especially those focusing on the images and viewer meaning, have all contributed to my ability to visually communicate successfully. Not only have I had the opportunity to improve my visual communication skills, I have also learnt the various factors that lead to poor visual communication, perception and meaning of what we see are the major factors. Visually, I can analyse anything that I see from different perspectives and later make a conclusion. Earlier, I used to make conclusions without going through the analysing process. Subsequently, I made numerous mistakes in most of my decisions. However, being a visually literate person, I make decisions without any fear or worry of making mistakes. Thus, I am more confident, surer and more decisive when am making my decisions from visual communication. Art is emotional and sentimental, as I have come to realize from the various classes that we have taken. The purpose of art is diverse and has a broad meaning. Not only is art a form of entertainment, it is also a form of communication that artists use to convey different messages to the audience. Artists use art to communicate on different social issues and problems generally affecting the society. Art influences our thinking and reasoning about life. Personally, I perceive art as a method in which artists use to educate people on important issues affecting the society. Moreover, I have come to realize that art takes many forms, not just the cultural art or art by a certain group of people. Media is a form of art in the post modernism era. However, there is a rift in the reasoning behind the modern and post modernism forms of art. While postmodern art holds that all stances are unstable and insincere, and therefore irony, parody, and humour, by critique or revision prevails, the modern art thinks otherwise. As such, many events happening around us incorporate the use of art, especially in advertising and explaining consumer behaviour and character. For an advert to be captivating, it should be creative and attractive. Beauty is attractive and captures the attention of the people. Through this understanding, businesses provide beautiful commodities to people especially those that capture their attention for the purpose of ma king a sale. Thus, even in the modern world, the art is still alive, only that this time, its application falls in different categories than in the past. Throughout the class, I came to realize several things that I was not aware about in the past. Although initially they appeared obvious, the reality in them did not occur to me until after taking the class. It was during the topic on â€Å"the experience of looking† that I experienced a break-through moment in my artistic abilities as well as visual communication. The different concepts learned in the class were a form of revelation that I did not have in the past. Positivism as I realized assumes that me aning exists out in the world, independent of our feelings, attitudes, or beliefs about them. Positivism holds that only the scientific knowledge is genuine knowledge, while other views are simply some forms of suspicion. Moreover, the empirical truths of experience of loo

The Relationship Between the Barbarian Nations and China Essay Example for Free

The Relationship Between the Barbarian Nations and China Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the more notable periods in Chinese history was the establishment of the so-called â€Å"Barbarian nations† that happened between 309 to 439 B.C. These ‘Barbarian nations were also known as the â€Å"Sixteen States† or â€Å"Sixteen Kingdoms† though these were never part of nor considered to be dynasties among themselves.   The Barbarian nations mainly comprised of: the   Han Zhao and Latter Zhao (Houzhao), Cheng Han, Former Liang (Qianliang), Latter Liang (Houliang), Northern Liang(Beiliang), Western (Xiliang) and Southern Liang (Nanliang), Former Yian (Qianyan), Latter Yan (Houyan) , Northern Yan (Beiyan) and Southern Yan (Nanyan), Former Qin (Qianqin), Latter Qin (Houqin) and Western Qin (Xiqin) and   finally the Xia nations(â€Å"Sixteen Kingdoms†, 2006). The sixteen barbarians nations are considered as such because most of the people who belong in these states are not Chinese, though some were assimilated and integrated into Chinese culture later on.   These ethnic groups include Turks, Mongolians and Tibetans characterized by their nomadic in nature and small populations (â€Å"History of China†, 2006). Also, although the leaders of the barbarian nations adapted Chinese customs and governance, most of them are not of Chinese descent.   The barbarian leaders were largely considered as unscrupulous warmongers whose only ambition is to conquer China for themselves.   All their political and military strategies were geared towards the short-run, and this proved to be the downfall of their small empires (Theobald, 2000). China’s relationship with the Barbarian Nations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The occupation of the various ethnic groups making up the Sixteen Barbarian nations were practically due to the various military uprisings that happened within the Jin Dynasty such as the so-called â€Å"Rebellion of the Eight Princes† (Theobald, 2000).   The leaders of the sixteen barbarian states then saw this as an opportunity to seize control of China.   In actuality, the Jin dynasty only managed to control the southern part of the Yangtze River, leaving the rest of China vulnerable to occupation.   This weakness lead to the occupation of Northern China by ethnic groups and by the turn of the fifth century almost all of the ethnic groups that managed to control certain territories have already established their own states. Collectively, the fifteen major states that were established in Northern China along with the Kingdom of Chenghan located in the Southwest eventually became the sixteen barbarian nations.   These sixteen states were autonomous from each other and conflict never seems to cease in between them and of course with the Jin dynasty.   These conflicts lead not only to numerous deaths but also to the deterioration of the economy in Northern China as well as inter-racial mixing due to prolonged contact between the ethnic groups. Having been driven out from their territory, the Jin dynasty leaders never ceased their plans to reoccupy Northern China.   Among these warriors sent by the Jin dynasty was Zudi, a gentry-official who regained the entire Yellow River Valley even though it was for a brief period of time.   The noble of the Jin dynasty were able to conduct more attacks against the barbarian nations, but like Zudi’s campaign, they all failed because of the fierce counter-attacks made by the ethnic groups (â€Å"The History of China-The Sixteen States-Political History†, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the conflicts that raged on the Northern China, the nobles of what remains of the Jin Dynasty decided to let the ethnic groups do as they please as they established a new economic order in the South of the Yangtze.   This economic boom was made possible through the migration of peasants from the North who were seeking refuge from the conflict between the Jin Dynasty and the barbarian nations, effectively boosting not only manpower but also the technology base for both agriculture and handicrafts at that time (Theobald, 2000). Due to these developments in agriculture and handicrafts, commerce in the southern part of the Yangtze flourished.   Later on, the city of Jianking was made by the Eastern Jin as their new capital city with the economic center moving from the Yangtze River Valley into the Yellow River Valley   (â€Å"The History of China-The Sixteen States-Political History†, 2006). Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The establishment of the barbarian nations was considered by many as a foolish attempt to revitalize China.   What the barbarian leaders might not have realized is that their plans and schemes were for short-term conquest rather than long-term governance which is necessary for the establishment of a strong nation.   As with all violent uprising, the events that lead to the conflict between the Jin dynasty and the barbarian nations only lead to numerous deaths.   But despite being laden with blood and violence, the relationship between the barbarian nations and China during the Jin dynasty yielded some advantages. For one, the Jianking flourished as one of China’s center for commerce at that time.   Another unforeseen benefit was that it facilitated the transfer of agricultural and other form of livelihood technologies from the Northern part of China into the Southern part of Yangtze which eventually lead to the stability of the Jin Dynasty economy at that time. Also the dynasty was able to realize that the area they have evacuated into have high potentials for agriculture as the Yangtze river provided more than enough water for irrigation.   Without this seemingly serendipitous migration of farmers, the Jin dynasty could never have established their strong economic hold upon the Southern part of the Yangtze which could have spelled their immediate downfall.   This proves that the common folk are the backbone of any great empire and that noble and even barbarians should never ignore their importance. REFERENCES       â€Å"History of China†. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial.html#han. â€Å"Sixteen Kingdoms†. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixteen_Kingdoms â€Å"The History of China-The Sixteen State’s Political History† (2006).   TravelChinaGuide.com. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/jin/eastern.htm Theobald, Ulrich (2000).   Chinese History.-Three Kingdoms. CHINAKNOWLEDGE a universal guide for China studies. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from   http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song.html A comparison between life in China during the period of the Three Kingdoms and the Sung Dynasty Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   China is a well-know all over the world as a country with a very fascinating history filled with bloodshed and discovery.   China’s timeline is riddled with civil wars and conquests and it has been known that the country has undergone a multitude of political and regional divisions.   Among the two famous periods in Chinese history are the period of the Three Kingdoms and the Sung Dynasty.   Although separated almost 700 years apart, there have been a number of striking similarities and differences between the two periods.   The period of the Three Kingdoms is actually a part of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.) in which various scientific and cultural advances were made (â€Å"History of China†, 2006).   It is also at this period of political turmoil that three states (later known as â€Å"kingdoms†) tried to gain prominence and glory as China’s seat of power. This power struggle between the Three Kingdoms ignited a whole new series of wars, thus the period earned the distinction of being the â€Å"bloodiest† period in China.   Though it has been known as such, the Three Kingdoms is immortalized today in many forms o media such as television programs, books and even video games (â€Å"Three Kingdoms†, 2006).   On the other hand, the Sung Dynasty (960 B.C., also known as Song Dynasty) is known as period of unification for China despite being besieged by barbarian raiders from all directions. The Sung Dynasty is further divided into two different periods namely the Northern Sung Period and the Southern Sung Period.   The Northern Sung (960-1127 B.C.) refers to the time when the dynasty was based in Kaifeng where it controlled most of mainland China.   The Southern Sung (1127-1129 B.C.) On the other hand refers to the period when members of the Sung court sought refuge in Hangzhou city located south of the Yangtze River (â€Å"Song Dynasty†, 2006). Life in the Period of the Three Kingdoms   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The period of the Three Kingdoms was characterized as period of great political turmoil in Chinese history.   After the death of the great Chinese warlord Cao Cao (220 B.C.), his son Cao Pi established the first â€Å"kingdom† among the Three Kingdoms, known as â€Å"Wei† thus ending the Han dynasty.   Soon after, the warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan established the â€Å"Shu† and â€Å"Wu† kingdoms respectively.   Each of these warlords tried to control China through bloodshed and conquest but none of them ever prevailed (Theobald, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is widely believed that much Chinese technological and cultural advancement were created at this time despite heavy political turmoil that characterizes the period.   Some of the more notable inventions during the time of the Three Kingdoms were gunpowder and wheelbarrow (Poon, n.d.).   On an economic standpoint, the period of the Three Kingdoms was among the wealthiest periods in Chinese history.   The prosperity of the Han dynasty was also carried over unto this period as leaps and bounds in trade and commerce as well as transportation were evident (â€Å"Three Kingdoms†, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a socio-cultural standpoint, the period of the Three Kingdoms saw the assimilation of the so-called â€Å"barbarians† in mainstream Chinese culture.   This was also the time when Buddhism was spreading across China. This form of Buddhism was a cross of Indian Buddhism and Taoism (Frankenstein, n.d.) Life during the Sung Dynasty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Sung Dynasty (960-1127 B.C.) emerged almost 700 years after the affairs of the Three Kingdoms and is widely revered as the â€Å"Chinese Renaissance†.   Much of this period is characterized by political stability and prosperity just like in the period of the Three Kingdoms.   This was the time of what is known as â€Å"civilian rule†, which favors the appointment of commoners (such as civilian scholar-officials) into government office. This centralized the current Emperor’s dominion over China. In terms of economy, the Sung period is known for the emergence of a new caste of wealthy commoners called the mercantile class.   It can be said that in this period, Chinese trade and commerce were at its peak.   This was also the time when printing made publications more available to the common folk, leading to the improvement of the education status of commoners all around China (Poon, n.d.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The socio-cultural impacts of this period is shown by the adaptation of a new form of Confucianism called â€Å"Neo-Confucianism† which took on a more metaphysical view of Confucian teachings, taking Confucianism into greater heights that were never perceived off in the past.   Also, at this time, Buddhism continued to flourish into what is known as the â€Å"Tang age of Buddhism† (Theobald, 2000). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both the Sung dynasty and the period of the Three Kingdoms showed economic growth and prosperity during their existence.   This growth in the economy greatly favored merchants and commoners alike, especially in the Sung Dynasty when â€Å"civilian rule† was in effect.   Though prosperity was also evident in the time of the Three Kingdoms, civilians were the one’s who were near the losing end because of the constant turmoil and death that surrounds them. The time of the Three Kingdoms on the other hand favored men of science and warmongers, as it is to be considered as a time of breakthroughs and innovations particularly in the field of warfare.   For those who are involved in social and political matters, it can be said that the Sung Dynasty was the more favorable among the two time periods as there was at least some political stability at that time.   For Buddhists, both periods are to be considered favorable as Buddhism continued to grow in spite of all the conflict and confusion that surrounded both time periods. REFERENCES Frakenstein,   Pual. (n.d.). Song Dynasty. Condensed China. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://condensedchina.com/china2.html#3Kings â€Å"History of China†. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://www- chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial.html#han. Poon, Leon (n.d.)   The Imperial Area. History of China Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/imperial.html#han. â€Å"Song Dynasty†. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty Theobald, Ulrich (2000).   Chinese History.-Three Kingdoms. CHINAKNOWLEDGE a universal guide for China studies. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song.html â€Å"The Three Kingdoms†. (2006). Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2006 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms#Three_emperors

Techniques of Cloning :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Techniques of Cloning â€Å" It is now possible to make clones, or exact genetic copies, of sheep, cows, goats, mice and, probably, humans. This opens the way towards the production of replacement body parts from adult cells † ( Gurdon and Colman 743 ). Cloning techniques have been in use for centuries. The practice of taking cuttings is universal among gardeners, and large companies now propagate desirable plant strains in their millions. Lower invertebrates can also be cloned. For example, cut an earthworm or flatworm in half, and the missing halves will regenerate to create two genetically identical individuals. Although vertebrates cannot be cloned by these routes, identical twins are naturally occurring genetic clones. Moreover, the method of nuclear transplantation, first developed about forty years ago in frogs, has been successfully used to make clones of sheep, mice, cows and goats, and it could probably be applied to people too. By taking a few non-reproductive cells from adult mammals, identical replicas can be created without damage or even inconvenience to the donors. In vertebrates, fertilization begins with the union of the sperm and the egg. The unfertilized egg is stopped at a certain stage of the cell-division cycle, and the sperm provides an activation stimulus that triggers the resumption and completion of cell division. â€Å" The egg and sperm 'pronuclei' then swell, their chromosomes unravel from the tightly packed, 'condensed' state in which they are stored, and DNA replication can proceed † ( Gurdon and Colman 743 ). The chromosomes then recondense, the nuclear membrane dissolves, and the fertilized egg divides into two identical daughter cells. Nuclear transfer subverts fertilization by replacing the female genetic material of an unfertilized egg with the nucleus from a different cell. â€Å" This was first done successfully on frogs in the 1950s, in the United States and Britain † ( Gurdon and Colman 744 ). A non-reproductive (somatic) cell, such as an intestinal epithelial cell, was ruptured by suction into a glass microneedle. Its nucleus, surrounded by a layer of cytoplasm, was then injected into an unfertilized egg from which the female genetic material had been removed or destroyed by ultraviolet irradiation. Some of

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions 3 Countries

Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture: An overview of Venezuela, Belgium and Japan International Business ADM 3155 Table of Contents Introduction to Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture3 Individualism3 Masculinity3 Power Distance4 Uncertainty Avoidance4 Conclusion5 VENEZUELA5 Introduction to Venezuela6 Individualism6 Masculinity7 Power Distance7 Uncertainty Avoidance8 Conclusion8 BELGIUM11 Introduction to Belgium11 Individualism12 Masculinity12 Power Distance13 Uncertainty Avoidance14 Conclusion14 JAPAN16 Introduction to Japan16 Individualism16 Masculinity17 Power Distance18Uncertainty Avoidance18 Conclusion19 Conclusion to Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture20 References23 Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture Introduction to Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture In 1984, Geert Hofstede published a book called Culture’s Consequences. In this book, he divides cultures into four basic categories. These categories are individualism, masculinity, dower distance and u ncertainty avoidance. Hofstede assigns different cultures a number on a scale between 1 and 100 for each category depending on how their culture corresponds to the description.By analyzing how a country fits into each section a person can get a better understanding of how a culture operates in their daily lives and also in their business. Individualism Individualism refers to how people within a culture interact with one another. Knowing how people work with one another will help you to understand how they will work with you in a business setting. High individualism will display characteristics like importance of employees’ personal life, emotional independence from the company, calculative involvement and more importance attached to freedom and challenge in their jobs (Hofstede).People with high individualism prefer individual decisions as opposed to group decisions. Society encourages individuals to show their own initiative which relates to them finding smaller companies m ore attractive. High individualism can be seen as a more selfish and self-serving way of living (Nasierowski). This is very important when conducting business in a different culture. If you are looking for innovators, new ideas, and self-motivated people, who will contribute more than just labour to your company you should look for a country with high individualism.When conducting business in a high individualism society it is important to recognize individual achievements and reward people on an individual basis. Recognising individual differences and ideas is important as well as giving individual praise and recognition. This will keep employees satisfied and motivated. Individual workers want to chance to excel and they tend to look after themselves and their own needs and advancement and are not concerned with â€Å"stepping on others to get ahead†. Masculinity This dimension is not looking at gender roles specifically, but at the characteristics generally associated with masculinity and femininity.Masculinity is referring to aggressiveness, the desire for power, wealth and achievement. A country with a high masculinity will show traits including admiration for the strong, importance placed on earnings, recognition, advancement and challenge, employees attracted to larger organizations and higher job stress. They also find it acceptable for the company to interfere with their private life. This can be an advantage if you are looking for highly motivated individuals (Hofstede). High masculinity is good for doing business because these employees will be competitive, aggressive and driven for success.They are willing to make sacrifices in their personal lives to achieve success in their business. When working in this type of environment people are more willing to work over-time. You can easily get results from your employees by throwing money and power at them. These employees are not as concerned with ethics or the environment as they are with economi c growth (Nasierowski). Power Distance Inequality is the main issue that power distance addresses. Power distance measures how a culture, group or organization views themselves and each other in terms of authority and value.In a county with a high power distance value is placed on obedience to the person who is seen as in charge. Children obey parents, students obey teachers, employees obey employers, etc. , without question. There is a large amount of fear associated with high power distance and those seen as â€Å"lower† or â€Å"less important† show resentment towards those higher than them and also show distrust to one another. In business, employees do not have input into the company and simply follow orders. Employees are viewed as unmotivated and unhappy with their jobs (Hofstede). Uncertainty AvoidanceUncertainty avoidance is a fear of the unknown. If a culture has high uncertainty avoidance then they are looking to escape any type of difference or change that would occur in their lifestyle, job, culture, government, etc. Characteristics typical of high uncertainty avoidance include a fear of failure, higher job stress, frequent worry about the future and less achievement motivation. Loyalty to ones employer and a tendency to stay with that same employer are also characteristics. This could be viewed as a very positive or negative quality depending on your type of business (Nasierowski).In a business that requires controls and regulations, for example a factory. You would prefer a country with high uncertainty avoidance because you know that they will not try to change any of the products you are producing. They will be more likely to continue following the exact rules, regulations and policy that you have placed in front of them. In business, you will not have to worry about any radical changes or interference. If you want anything new it will have to be introduced slowly and carefully with clear direction. However, you know that once an idea is taken on it will not be tampered with.Conclusion As the world continues to â€Å"shrink†, we begin to experience more globalization and must interact more frequently with other cultures. Through Hofstede’s dimensions we can gain a greater understanding of how to integrate our business with other countries. Being able to understand a country’s culture and how it is different from your own is vital to success in international business. We can decide where would be the best place to do business and how to make it more successful. Before entering a new market the culture and values inside and outside the workplace need to be understood.Almost all businesses are to some degree impacted by globalisation and therefore having knowledge of other countries and other cultures is vital. In this paper we will address three countries from different culture groupings: Japan, from the Independent block, Belgium, from the Latin European block, and Venezuela from the Lat in American block. These blocks are clusters of countries that share common aspects of culture; including geographic location, language, and history. For example, the Latin European block includes not only Belgium but France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Nasierowski). By explaining how these three countries fall into Hofstede’s dimensions we will be able to help you understand some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing business with these cultures (Nasierowski). Advantages include being able to understand what will motivate your employees and business partners and how to communicate properly in different business settings. For example, depending on what country you were in, Hofstede’s dimensions of culture will help you to know the best way to communicate changes to your business partners and employees.VENEZUELA Introduction to Venezuela Venezuela is a Latin country that occupies most of the northern coast of South America on the Caribbean Sea. The rest of Venezue la is surrounded by Brazil, Colombia, and Guyana. Venezuela has a population over 27 million, which could be considered relatively small compared to other countries with thinking in terms of expanding business markets. The capital city is Caracas which has a population of over 3 million. After gaining independence from Spain in 1821, Venezuela continued to go through a period of unstable dictators.In the early 1900’s it became a major exporter of oil. The oil wealth contributed to the large gap between the countries extremely wealthy and extremely poor. Venezuela’s current President is Left wing Socialist Hugo Chavez who promised to even the gap between the rich and the poor. He is dedicated to loosing Venezuela’s dependence on the U. S. for oil exportation and is therefore trying to strengthen his oil shipping business with China. This could be attributed to his close friendship with Dictator Fidel Castro of Cuba. (â€Å"http://www. state. ov†) When revi ewing the country of Venezuela within Hofstede’s dimensions of culture we find that it falls into extremes with both very high scores and one very low score. (Hofstede) Individualism In contrast to the rest of the scores Venezuela has received in Hofstede’s rankings, in this dimension they are only a 12 out of 100. This means a very low individualism in this culture. Low individualism means that they are group oriented people. They are concerned about how decisions will affect everyone in the group. They have in-groups and out-groups and think of people in terms of how they fit into such groups (Hofstede).It is important when doing business to realize that they will be concerned with the training and physical conditions the organization provides. They have a moral involvement with the company and they place a great deal of emphasis on duty, expertness and prestige as life goals. This type of mind set is called collectivism. If you are doing business with a group of peo ple with high collectivism, you must understand that they are looking at the age of a person. Age is an indicator of knowledge and experience. Collectivists want to do business with people who have been around for a while and know them as a group.They do not like outsiders; you must earn your way into their trust and fit into their group the same way they want to fit in to their own group. For doing business with this group of people you must first learn to belong. You as an outsider will not be able to tell them anything or get them to follow you unless you first belong. The same can be considered when marketing or advertising to these countries as they will only want purchase things that will fit into their already preconceived ideas of life and work. Masculinity At 73 out of 100, Venezuela once again has a high ranking.This means that it tends to be a male dominated society and power structure. This can cause the female population to become more competitive and assertive; however , they are still not on the same level as the male population. Masculinity also means that they are looking for earnings, recognition, advancement and challenge (Hofstede). This would be important to keep in mind when doing business with a Venezuelan company or employees because it can help you identify how to appeal to them to get better work or dealings from them.You can recognize that they are looking for larger corporations and organizations and they are attracted to wealth and success. For countries with high masculinity you can easily motivate your employees with money and success. They are looking to own fancy material objects and have the latest technology and accessories. If you want your employees to do something or achieve something all you have to do is entice them with prestige and power. If you are having a business meeting, take them to an expensive restaurant, ear your best designer suit and pick them up in a flashy car. Power Distance This is Venezuela's highest ran king dimension with 81 out of 100. This is an indication of a high level of inequality of power and wealth which is accepted by the culture as a whole. Hofstede states that Venezuela is in the top 5 in the â€Å"employees afraid† category. This means that Venezuelans show a clear distinction between â€Å"boss† and â€Å"employee†. The boss makes all the rules and the employees follow. A Venezuelan employee would not offer their opinion or any ideas to management.They would not ask questions or for clarification of their job either. The large power distance means that people are concerned with getting favour by saying â€Å"yes† to whatever the boss says (Hofstede). This means that when you are doing business with them you must always remember that if they are looking at you as being the one â€Å"in power† they will not contradict you or tell you if they do not understand anything that you are telling them about how your business is going to be co nducted. They will not offer any suggestions.It also means that if they consider themselves to be the ones in power they are not looking for you to disagree with them or ask them any questions. They are also not looking for any suggestions or ideas either. They are only looking for a â€Å"yes sir†. There is also a large wage difference between the top employees and the labourers. Uncertainty Avoidance Venezuela scores 76 out of 100 on the Uncertainty Avoidance Index. This indicates a high level of uncertainty avoidance. As we have discussed earlier, high uncertainty avoidance indicates a resistance to change and new ideas.There are three indicators for uncertainty avoidance, rule orientation, employment stability and stress (Hofstede). Venezuela being a country with a long history of dictatorship and having a large gap between the rich and the poor can easily fit these three indicators and therefore explain the high uncertainty avoidance. People are used to having on leader and being forced to follow their rules. They are very concerned with their employment because there are not a lot of good jobs to be found. Stress can mean many different things and have many different triggers.For a citizen it could be fear of punishment for rebellion and for an employee, a fear of losing one’s job. When thinking about doing business with Venezuela, you would have to take into account that their high uncertainty avoidance would mean that your employees or business partner are looking for rules and regulations to follow. They want stability and are looking for a routine. They do not like change or progression in their jobs. They are not risk takers in business and would need reassurance. ConclusionWhen viewing the country of Venezuela through Hofstede's dimensions of culture, you can get a better understanding of how decisions are made in this culture and how you can create more profitable business dealings within this country or with companies from this coun try. For Venezuelan’s we see that there is a high power distance which means you should appeal to those who are in power if you are looking to create a business deal or if you are looking to make a change. It will also help you to know that you would have to accommodate your employees who would not be willing to contradict you or ask questions.You must also remember that no one appreciates change or is willing to initiate it, which can be very difficult to deal with in today’s ever changing society. Large corporations are more appealing to Venezuelans, as is money, power and appreciation, but Venezuelans live within groups and therefore are concerned about what is best for all those involved in their group. With these things in mind you would be able to create a successful business relationship as long as you are willing to show understanding for the differences in our shrinking world.Other things that need to be taken into account are the political factors. For Venezu ela this is a negative factor as the government has control over everything in this country. The banking process is very complex and so is the purchasing system. You require identification and verification for all purchases. The government is very concerned about citizens investing their money in other countries and would therefore be very involved in any business associations with companies in Venezuela.Your business would have to have some sort of gain for the country as well as your own profits (â€Å"BBC News†). Another indication of the possible difficulties in doing business in Venezuela is that of the ranking given to this country from the World Bank, International Finance Corporation. Each year they show the results from a series of questions they ask of each country for things like getting a permit, property rights, etc. ; all things that would be considered when starting a business in that country. With these results they rank the countries in order.Venezuela is ver y close to the bottom of the list, which means that obtaining permits, business rights, starting a business, paying taxes, and dealing outside of the borders are all more difficult compared to other countries. The official ranking is 177 out of 183 countries (â€Å"Doing Business: Measuring Business Regulations†). This is all an example of Porter’s Diamond which is a theory that helps you look at a country and see certain factors that affect business. Porter discusses how business has several different factors and government is a specific element that can make a difference at any one of the four points in the diamond.The four areas include: firm, strategy and structure; demand conditions; related and supporting industries; factor conditions (Nasierwoski). This country shows an example of how government is heavily involved in the firm, strategy and structure as well as the related and supporting industries. In fact, you could suggest that government is a factor in the e ntire diamond. This is why it is so difficult to do business in Venezuela. Not only is government involved in everything but it is a very strict and controlling government. BELGIUM Introduction to BelgiumBelgium is a small country surrounded by France, Germany, The Netherlands and Luxembourg. Located in one of the world’s most advanced continents and industrialised regions, Belgium is an important international trading partner and a powerful force in the world of international business. Belgium relies heavily on both imports and exports to fuel its growing economy. It was one of the founding countries of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The country also belongs to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.Currently it has the 9th largest GDP in Europe (World Bank) and its per capita GDP ranks among the worlds highest. The country is also home to Europe’s second largest port, importing and exporting goods internationally, in 2010 exports made up 261 billion dollars. The country has a large industrial sector which includes; steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobile, electronics, and machinery fabrication. (â€Å"Belgium Europe†) It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of over 10,400,000. â€Å"Belgium Facts†)Belgium has three official languages; Dutch, French and German although English is widely spoken. The country grants more new citizenships than any other country besides Canada. (â€Å"Eupedia's Belgium Guide†)Belgium is one of the most economically and technologically advanced countries in the world and has very high standards of living. They were one of the first countries to legalise gay marriage and the first county to issue electronic passports. The country is number the one chocolate exporter in the world and ninety percent of raw diamonds are negotiated and distributed in Belgium.The country also has the highest proportion of female ministers in the world and the smallest salary gap between males and females in the EU. (â€Å"Eupedia's Belgium Guide†) This small but powerful country continues to grow and expand its international reach. Individualism Belgium’s second highest dimension is individualism with a score of 80 which means that they put a strong emphasis on the individual rather than the group. There is a large focus on individual achievement, initiative and success. When doing business in Belgium it’s important to treat everyone as an individual who has their own ideas and personality.Individualism is something to be celebrated and standing out is important. Therefore, when working with this type of society, it is important to recognise individual achievements and give rewards and recognition to employees on an individual basis. Recognition and rewards are good ways to motivate employees. In this society personal time and personal freedom are highly valued and therefore it is important to give employees their space and freedom to work. It is important not to monitor employee’s work too closely as this can be interpreted negatively, and employees expect to have the freedom to work independently.Work life and personal life are two different and separate things and privacy in both are respected. High individualism is reflected on the emphasis of ‘I’ as opposed to ‘We’. Individuals look out for themselves and their immediate family and therefore look out for ways to better themselves and advance themselves and their immediate family. It is common to pursue individual goals and self advancement at the expense of others. When making decision people think about how the decision will affect them and do not always think of what is better for others.Employees will often change jobs and job loyalty is not very high. When working in this society it is important not to depend on others or on group s and to work on your own. Promotion and ranking often depend on individual performance and not on seniority. (â€Å"Individualism,†) (Hofstede) Masculinity Belgium’s lowest cultural dimension is Masculinity, at 49 putting it in twenty-second place. Belgium is almost right in the middle so therefore they don’t have any extremes towards masculinity or femininity. The country falls in the middle and value both femininity and masculinity equally.It is important to have both these traits. As a leader it is important to display the traits associate with both a masculine and a feminine work ethic in order to fit in and be accepted. A culture that is more masculine tends to focus more on advancement and earning whereas a culture that is more feminine tends to focus more on a friendly atmosphere and position security. Because Belgium is almost in the middle its important when conducting business to maintain both masculine and feminine characteristic and not bend toward extremes.Realise that although advancement, earnings and money are important it is also important in the Belgium business setting to have cooperation, security and a good work environment. High masculine societies prefer large businesses and high feminine societies prefer small busyness therefore the idea business size for Belgium’s is somewhere in the middle. Big enough to be competitive and aggressive, yet small enough to have a nurturing stable environment for the employees. In the Belgium society there is less of a distinction between genders and gender roles.Therefore when conducting business do not assume that someone has certain responsibilities or has a certain roles due to their gender. Support and friendliness are just as important as brilliance and performance in Belgium. To be successfully in business dealings with Belgium remember to display a mix both feminine and masculine qualities and to treat both genders as equally important. (Hofstede) Power Distance Belgi um’s third highest dimension is power distance. Belgium has a power distance of 60 which means that to some degree it is thought that power is not distributed evenly.Although Belgium has a higher power distance they do not have a really high power distance so people respect authority but are not always afraid to ask questions to superiors. Although there is some two way communication, it tends to be more one way communication. A high power distance means that decision making is more centralised and roles and responsibilities are more clearly defined. Organisations have more bureaucracy and larger pay difference exist between jobs and positions. In Belgian businesses there exists a more vertical organisational structure and more vertical communication.In an organisation with a vertical structure there tends to be more rules and policies and it is important to be aware of these rules and policies when conducting business in the country. Information and communication move upward and downward throughout the ranks. It is important when doing business to give clear and precis directions to insure that everyone understands because they might not be comfortable asking for clarification. The relationship between the member of the top of the hierarchy and the bottom of the hierarchy are limited and very professional.Relationships within organisations are more distant. Therefore in business it is important to know the different levels of jobs and who makes the decisions. Depending on what position you hold you will answer to others who hold higher positions of authority and make most of the rules and decisions. It is important to show respect to those in higher positions. If you are on a lower level you may be restricted to certain information. Problems are usually blamed on the people who work in lower positions. (â€Å"Power Distance Index. â€Å")(Hofstede) Uncertainty AvoidanceThe countries highest dimension is uncertainty avoidance, with a 94 which mean tha t Belgium as a society not mot like taking risks. This high level also indicates the country’s low tolerance for uncertainty. Belgium’s very high level of uncertainty avoidance affects how they do business and must be considered and understood before conducting business with a Belgium company or with someone from Belgium. If you think you can change a Belgian businesses way of thinking or doing something in a short period of time you will not be successful.One of the main aspects is that they like to avoid risk and stay away from uncertain and risky situations, including foreigners and foreign ways of doing business. Having things well planned out and prepared in advanced and having things clearly explained is important. Resistance to change is high and therefore changes must be slowly introduced. Laws of the workplace as well as all other laws tend to be carefully followed so it is very important to understand and abide by Belgium laws when doing business in Belgium. They rely heavily on rules, laws and regulation in order to avoid risky situations.When doing business in Belgium it is important to know your facts and be very organised. Belgians will move towards stable low risk investments and avoid unstable high risk investments. Unstructured and uncertain situations are avoided. Because they fear the unknown, foreigners and new ideas are regarded warily and foreigners who want to conduct business with the country must be careful. Because of the fear of the unknown employees are often stressed and anxious, if it is possible to reduce stress and anxiety you will be a lot more successful.Changing jobs is done less frequently and therefore employee turnover is much smaller and employee loyalty is much higher. (Hofstede) Conclusion When doing business in this country foreigners have to take the cultural dimensions of Belgium into careful consideration of they want to be successful. According to The International Finance Corporation 2011 economy ran kings, Belgium is in 28th place out of 183 countries. The countries are raked on various variables, such as permits and taxes, that look at the ease of doing business in the country.Belgium’s reasonably low score indicated that it is possible to enter the market without too many difficulties. Therefore it is a country that should be given much consideration when looking at foreign markets. Before conducting business with any foreign business it is important to look at the cultural differences and how these differences impact business. In order to understand the culture and values of a society it can be usefully to look at the country’s history and past. Belgium has some similar cultural dimensions to Canada and they are used to working with foreigners and different ways of doing business.Because of this Belgium tends to be fairly open and understanding of other cultural differences. However, in order to be successful and gain the trust and acceptance of local workers a nd businesses it is vital to understand the countries cultural dimensions and how to act inside and outside the boardroom. The biggest disadvantage to working with or in Belgium is their extremely high uncertainty avoidance. The Belgium’s avoid risk and unknown situations in order to protect themselves and their country. If there is anything new or risky it has to be introduced very carefully and slowly, the Belgians would never change overnight.This does not mean however that they are narrow minded or unwilling to change. If you are well prepare, respectful and follow the rules of the country and company you can be very successful in the Belgium market. JAPAN Introduction to Japan Japan is an island surrounded by Russia, China, and Korea. Japan has a population of 127. 08 million, this is a fairly large number considering Japan is only an island, as the population gets bigger the island stays the same size, creating a deficiency of land. The capital city of Japan is Tokyo. ( â€Å"U. S.Department of State†) After the second world war ended Japan started to prosper in their business doings, in 1956 they joined the United Nations, 70 percent of Japan's workforce is in services while the remainder 30 percent are in agricultural and industry. The agricultural good that they produce include rice, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat, and fish, they also export some of these items. The official language of Japan is Japanese, while their business language is English . The Japanese have a parliamentary government and a constitutional monarch. (â€Å"U. S.Department of State†) Japan has a free market economy, it is currently the third largest in the world, its economy is highly competitive and efficient in international trade. Productivity is low in agriculture, distribution, and services. Since Japan has few natural resources trading helps them to earn foreign exchange needed to purchase raw materials for its economy. (â€Å"U. S. Department of Stateâ⠂¬ ) Individualism When doing business with Japan it is important to remember that they have very low individualism and high collectivism. Japan does not believe in individual freedom or rights, it is all about the group and what is best for the group.When doing business with Japan, you must never address a single individual as the company, you must address the entire group. When working in Japan, your work becomes your life and whenever your work needs you must put everything else on hold. Japanese emphasize teamwork and loyalty, groups/colleagues learn to trust and work together at a young age. When entering the Japan market you must first be accepted by the group, once you have the groups support you will be able to trust them to your company good and they will be willing to work long hours for you if provide them with what they need.When working for a company in Japan, the likely-hood of you being promoted is based on your seniority in the company, someone who has been there lo nger than you is more likely to get the promotion, even if you are more qualified for the job. Masculinity During the IBM study for Hofstede's five dimensions Japan ranked number one out of all the countries for the highest masculinity, not only is the country masculine but the citizens are as well. It is unacceptable for a woman to wear pants in a business setting, the men find it extremely offensive. The women must either wear skirts or dresses when in a business environment.Men are the masculine ones of the society, during business discussions when things are not going as planned it is normal for individuals to become aggressive in order to get things completed. The women are the ones to calm the men down and provide comfort for them. Women who are in more qualifying jobs are very assertive, just so that they can be seen as equal to their male co-workers. The management structure of a business is built on rules and order among individuals, there is a hierarchy of power in Japan s ociety and in business'. An employee at the bottom of the ierarchy has no right to talk to someone higher up or even suggest ideas that they feel will benefit their company. It is the employees’ job to do what is told of them and to never question their employer. In Japan, one must sacrifice everything for their work, that includes family and social life, the term â€Å"karoshi† is Japanese for dying because one is overworked. Since the population in Japan is so large, the men and women learn to become competitive and have placed a high importance on achievements, if children were to do poorly in school it would be a disgrace to their family. Power DistanceJapan's power distance is a little higher than average. When doing business with them one must watch out for a few things. When working in Japan, for a Japanese company, it is unacceptable for an employee to talk to their superior with disrespect or talk to someone higher up in the working chain about their current m anager, doing such a thing is considered disgraceful and could cause you to lose your job. In Canada it is common for an employee to comment and try to make their company better, where in Japan if an employee were to make such a comment their employment with said company would be terminated.The employees are dependent on their managers, to tell them what to do and how to do it, it is not their responsibility to think for themselves, that is the job for their superiors. Finding a job in Japan could be difficult for people who are migrating to the country and do not already have a job lined up for them. Japan has a caste system in place, once you are born into a caste it is not very likely that you will move away from it, this being said, the occupation that your father has would be the occupation that you will take over.There is a large income difference in Japan, it is easy to tell what class you belong to. Business cards are very important for the Japanese, when going on business m eetings you should always have about 100 business cards on hand for a one week business trip. Having a double sided business card is very important, make sure that one side of the card is in Japanese and the other side is in English. When giving your business card to others you must hold it in both hands, with the Japanese side facing upwards, also, make sure to bow while passing on your business card.Never forget to pick up the business card and put them in your case, if you forget one of the business cards it is like a slap in the face for the other individual. You will have to bring a small notebook to write notes in and never write on the business cards, it is another sign of disrespect. (â€Å"Venture Japan†) Uncertainty Avoidance Hofstede gave Japan a score 92/100 for uncertainty avoidance, it is Japans most prominent cultural characteristic. Citizens do not like change so they tend to stay with the same company for the rest of their lives, staying loyal to their employ er.Individuals are willing to work if they are provided with job security in return. It is important to remember that Japan does not take well to foreign companies that they do not know, coming into their country and starting a business there. You must first gain the citizens trust and acceptance if you want to do well with your business venture. With uncertainty avoidance comes anxiety. Japanese individuals put up with a lot of anxiety about their work and colleagues. â€Å"In Japan there is the outlet of getting drunk along with colleagues after working hours.During these parties, men release their pent-up aggression, even towards their superiors; but the next day business continues as usual. Such drinking bouts represent one of the major institutionalized places and times for anxiety release† (Hofstede, 118) An important thing to remember is that if you want to work in Japan it is accepted to drink in the office after working hours, during the day it is unacceptable to rel ieve your aggression towards your superiors but it is accepted during â€Å"such drinking bouts†.In Japan it is common for others to ask straight forward questions like â€Å"how much do you make? † and â€Å"how big is your house? † such questions are asked so that they are able to assess what position of the hierarchy you at. Conclusion When viewing Japan through Hofstede's dimensions, you get a better understanding of how they do business based on cultural differences. Japan has a high masculinity, and low individualism, this is beneficial for companies seeking loyalty, and who wish to get tasks done on a timely basis. There are many advantages with doing business with Japan, when you gain heir trust and confidence then they will always be loyal to you and assist with what they can. They will get work done when asked and on time, as long as they are provided with instructions they will do the work to the best of their ability. Only a few disadvantages exist w ith doing business with Japan, a reason why someone would not want to do business with them would be that they consider work to be very important, you would not be able to be sarcastic with them or even try to discuss ways to better the company if you are positioned slightly lower than them on the hierarchical business poll.In the end, if you are doing business with Japan you will always be able to count on them, making Japan an excellent country to do business with. Another factor of doing business in Japan is based on the study that The World Bank does each year that addresses the ease of doing business within a country. Japan has a score of 18/183, they have a relatively low score which indicated that doing business with them would be easy and have benefits in the long run, such as obtaining permits, business rights, starting a business, paying taxes, and dealing outside of the borders is very easy for foreign companies to do in Japan.Japan ranked second as the most technological ly powerful economy in the world, after the U. S.. Technology innovation is very important for a countries development, having a company in Japan helps that company because of all the technology advancements that they make, helping them become first in a market and having an advantage above everyone else. Conclusion to Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture As the saying goes â€Å"our world is shrinking†. This means many different opportunities for businesses to grow and expand.It offers more opportunities to people for competition, access to new goods and services, new technology and knowledge. Everyday our world continues to gain new inventions and ideas. However, with this progress also comes a great responsibility. It is the responsibility of each individual to make sure that they have a respect and understanding for this new accessible world. Another saying is â€Å"knowledge is power†, in the world of business this is very true. In the world of globalization th is is even truer.The more knowledge you have about the customs and beliefs of a certain culture, the more successful your dealings with them will be. Geert Hofstede understood this thought and through his research we are able to gain a better understanding of many different cultures and how when we apply them to the business world we can become more successful. In this paper we reviewed three different cultures from three different areas of the world. Although, we did find many differences in the history, background and specifics of the cultures, we also found some similarities in the behaviours of the people who live in these different cultures.Through these observations we are able to understand that when doing business in Venezuela, if you want to be successful you must look and act as though you already are successful because the country has a high masculinity which means they value money, power and success. We also know that to succeed you must be ready to deal with the difficu lties and interference of the government. Venezuelans are collectivists and so they look out for one another inside their perceived groups however this also means that you must appeal to the group when marketing or dealing with them.They also have a high power distance and so they will not disagree with the boss nor will they let you know if they don’t understand. All of these differences are not necessarily bad things but they can make it more difficult to do business with this country. The important thing to remember is that if you know these things about them then you can work around these obstacles to achieve success. Japan is a very masculine country, making them more aggressive which helps to increase efficiency among employees which benefits the company that they work for.Japan also has high uncertainty avoidance, with high uncertainty avoidance employees do not take change very well, Japan has been doing business the same since World War II ended, some would see this as a bad thing but in reality it is very good, this is helpful because it provides a more secure environment and no one is afraid of what they already know. When doing business in Belgium it is important to keep in mind their high cultural dimensions and how this affects doing business.Their highest dimension is uncertainty avoidance flowed by individualism, therefore, it is important to introduce new ideas slowly and celebrate individuality. Although there are differences that must be considered if you do your research Belgium can be a warm and welcoming environment to do business in and to expand your international reach. We have presented in out paper three very different countries from different sides of the world. But which one is best to do business with? Venezuela, although it is the cheapest market to enter, has a very high rating on the WBI and is extremely difficult to enter and presents many obstacles.Also, as we have discussed earlier in this paper Hofstede’s dime nsions of culture outline the differences and difficulties that one would encounter when dealing with the work force in Venezuela. Japan, although the highest ranking on the WBI, has a very different culture and very different language when comparing it to Canada and therefore would present many different challenges also outlined in the paper according to Hofstede’s dimensions. Belgium is therefore our best choice when considering internationalising into a broader market.Its ranking is close to Japan, well above Venezuela however, it is also a lot similar in culture, demographics and attitudes to Canada. One of Belgium’s official languages is French, which is also a benefit to Canadian business people. However, Belgium would be definitely a smaller market expansion according to population size. References About Belgium. â€Å"Eupedia's Belgium Guide. Eupedia, 2010. Web. 21 Oct 2011. ;lt;http://www. eupedia. com/belgium/trivia. shtml;gt;. â€Å"Ease of Doing Business in Venezeula, RB. † Doing Business: Measuring Business Regulations. The World Bank, 2011. Web. 19 Nov 2011. ;lt;http://www. oingbusiness. org/data/exploreeconomies/venezuela/;gt;. â€Å"Economy. †Ã‚  Belgium Europe. Travel Document Systems, Inc. , 2011. Web. 7 Nov 2011. ;lt;http://www. traveldocs. com/be/economy. htm;gt;. â€Å"Facts about Belgium. †Ã‚  Belgium Facts. Greenwich2000. ltd. uk, 2011. Web. 20 Oct 2011. ;lt;http://wwp. greenwichmeanti me. com/time-zone/eu rope/european-union/belgium/facts/ ;gt;. â€Å"Interesting Facts Hofstede, Geert. â€Å"Itim International. † http://www. geert-hofstede. com. Itim International, n. d. Web. 19 Oct 2011. ;lt;http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_venezuela. shtml;gt;. Hofstede, Geert. Culture's Consequences. 1st.Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. , 1984. Print. Page 153, 158, 166 Hofstede, Geert. Culture's Consequences. 1st. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. , 1984. Print. Page 189, 200, 205, 207 Hofstede, Geert. Culture's Consequences. 1st. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. , 1984. Print. Page 65, 77, 92 Hofstede, Geert. Culture's Consequences. 1st. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. , 1984. Print. Page 110, 122, 132, 133 Hofstede, Geert. Culture's Conswquences. 2end. California: Sage Publications, 2001. Print. Hofstede, Geert. Cultures and organizations : software of the mind. 1st ed.New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991. Print. â€Å"Individualism. †Ã‚  KwintEssentials. N. p. , 2009. Web. 7 Nov 2011. <http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/intercultural/individualism. html>. â€Å"International Business Center. † Geert Hofstedeâ„ ¢ Cultural Dimensions. Geert Hofstede – itim , 2009. Web. 20 Nov 2011. <http://www. geert-hofstede. com/hofstede_japan. shtml> â€Å"Japan. † . InternationalBusinessCenter. org , 2008. Web. 20 Nov 2011. <http://www. cyborlink. com/besite/japan. htm>. â€Å"Japanese business etiquette. † Venture Japan. Venture Japan LLC, 2009. Web. 20 Nov 2011. <http://www. venturejapan. com/japanese-business-etiquette. tm>. Nasieroswki, Wojciech. â€Å"Communication is the Key. † International Business. University of New Brunswick. Tilley Hall, Fredericton. 24Oct2011. Lecture. Nasierwoski, Wojciech. â€Å"International Competitiveness. † International Business. University of New Brunswick. Tilley Hall, Fredericton. Lecture. â€Å"Power Distance Index. â€Å"Kwintessential. N. p. , 2009. Web. 7 Nov 2011. <http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/intercultural/power-distance- index. html>. â€Å"The Challenges of Doing Business in Venezuela. † BBC News. (2011): n. page. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. <http://www. bbc. co. uk/news/world-us-canada-15486080>. U. S. Department of State. † http://www. state. gov. U. S. Government, n. d. Web. 19 Oct 2011. ;lt;http://www. state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35766. htm;gt;. â€Å"U. S. Department of State. † U. S. De partment of State. Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 23/08/2011. Web. 20 Nov 2011. ;lt;http://www. state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142. htm;gt;. World Bank, . â€Å"Economy Statistics > European countries by GDP per capita > GDP Per Capita (most recent) by country. â€Å"NationMast N. p. , 2010. Web. 20 Oct 2011. ;lt;http://www. nationmaster. com/gr aph/eco_eur_cou_by_gdp_per_cap_gdp_per_cap-european-countr ies-gdp-per-capita;gt;.

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Essay

Although dropping slightly the second year they have managed to improve this in their third year increasing their overall profitability Safety Styles has also increased both its Return on Assets and Return on Equity, this demonstrates the ability of the company to efficiently make use of its assets and equity which ultimately reduces requirements for more funding and reduces cost making better use of what they currently have. Efficiency: Safety Styles Pty Ltd appears on average over the last three years to be improving its efficiency to make better use of their assets and turning over their inventory. Safety should also focus on this area and strive to improve their efficiency. Whilst the values may seem quiet higher their total sales amount has raised which may not be taken into account with averages. Safety Styles may need to revisit their inventory strategy as their turn over period is quite high; this would be a benefit for them in the long term by having quicker access to cash for investment in other assets. They should also pay attention to their Accounts Receivable Turnover and aim to reduce this. Liquidity: Whilst Safety Styles Current ratio and Quick asset ratio is declined they are both still very healthy numbers. Safety Styles non-current assets have been increasing annually. They may want to pay attention to reducing their inventory levels and accounts receivable to give them more cash and the opportunity to invest into non-current assets or reduce their liabilities as they currently has a low level of cash compared to inventory and accounts receivable. This will make the company more â€Å"liquid† in the short term. Safety Styles also has a very healthy quick asset ratio compared to the industry standard of 2. It should be noted that Safety Styles currently do not have a high level of liabilities and seem to be maintaining their levels of dent in relation to their assets Capital Structure: Safety Styles currently have a very low gearing ratio and are using retained earnings for most of their financing. External sources of financing will be a benefit to Safety Styles to help them grow and invest in additional non-current assets.

Gender dysphoria in children Essays

Gender dysphoria in children Essays Gender dysphoria in children Paper Gender dysphoria in children Paper He even insisting to urinate in a sitting position as the manner of a girl does. His parents try to understand the condition of their son. But then, when he began schooling Rona hardly refused to go to school for the reason that he dont want to wear the appropriate uniform assigned for boys. He also wants to use the Female Comfort room which is prohibited. He feels that attending to school restrict him from everything he wants. Resulting Rona repeated tantrums in class. Causing recurrent suspended over 30 times for behaving badly at school for throwing chairs and lashing out at his teachers. Ronas mom ask him what does it take to make him change, Rona replied he wants a girl stuffs in his room and he wanted to be a girl and wear girls clothes. Some nights Rona H. Cries and screams out of distress. His mother caught him one night with a knife in his hand, planning to cut off his genitals. He says that it doesnt belong there and he doesnt want it there. Fortunately, this attempt Just leaves a scratched on his pens. Even though Ronas parents are now separated, they decided to support the Psychological needs of their son. They already allowed Rona to dress girls clothing at home. Mrs.. : H. Already oiled out Ronas room Feminine stuffs he likes and even designed his room into Princess inspired. But what Rona really wishes is to be called with a girls name, enable him to feel Just like a real girl. Right now, he uses the name Emma which he chooses, instead of his real name Rona. CASE ANALYSIS As according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder fifth edition (ADSM) all of the proposed signs of Gender Dysphasia in Children show in Rona H. Conditions. Rona exhibit strong belief that he was born with the wrong sex genitals and he fundamentally persons of the opposite sex. Individuals with gender dysphasia eke Rona H. Have a marked incongruence between the gender they have been assigned to and their experienced or expressed gender. Experienced gender may include alternative gender identities beyond binary stereotypes. As what presented in his background, Rona was distress out of this incongruence. School refusal, Development of depression, Anxiety, and Intense Crying when parents tell that he is not really a member of the other gender he desires are signs of distress in Ronas Condition. Indication of having the disorder shows strongly preferred engaging cross dressing and simulating female or woman attire. Desiring for toys, games and activities stereotypically used or engaged by the other gender. Another is Persistent preferences for cross-sex roles in play and in fantasies and also, a strong dislike of ones sexual anatomy. All of these are shown in Ronas Condition, thus, he meet the Diagnostic Criteria for Gender Dystrophy Children.. There are various disciplines offer perspectives on the understanding of Gender Dysphasia. Some are Biological theories offers many hereditary, hormonal, and anatomical cause, which merely act as precursors to the numerous environmental stresses to come. On the other hand, most of the contributing explanation are psychological theories identify parental influence, primary needs, and personal cognition as main factors. Based on Sigmund Freud psychosocial theory, he believed that childs gender role is determined during the phallic stage, wherein the focus of its libido was believed moves to the genitals and the development child diverges. Here, Boys enter the Oedipus complex in which the child realize that their father stands in the way of the satisfaction of their desire and this frustration of the ids desires results in aggressive feelings, which are directed towards the father. At the same time, the boy realizes that his father is more powerful than he is and starts to fear that if the father finds out about the boys desire for his mother he will castrate him (castration anxiety). In this phase, the child sexual desire for their mother leads them to acquire some feminine disposition on his mother. Gender Dystrophy child probably had a failure to separate himself with his mother in early boyhood, instead of identifying his father. Social learning theory regards gender identity and role as a set of behaviors that are learned from the environment. Gender identity develops as he result of imprinting and conditioning processes. The main way that gender behaviors are learned is through the process of observational learning and at the core of observational learning is modeling. Learning through modeling involves adding and subtracting from the observed behavior and generalizing from one observation to another. Children observe the people around them behaving in various ways, some of which relate to gender. They pay attention to some of these people (models) and encode their behavior. At a later time they may imitate the behavior they have observed. They may do this regardless of whether the behavior is gender appropriate or not but there are a number of processes that make it more likely that a child will reproduce the behavior that its society deems appropriate for its sex. However, Parents respond, verbally and nonverbally, to childs emerging sexuality has an impact on sexual attitudes and feelings that child develops with the father, the boy identifies with the mother. Another theory that might explain Gender Dysphasia is the theory of Cognitive Development Theory of Goldberg. His theory proposes that a child understands gender moves forward in stages. At each successive stage, the child thinks in characteristic ways about gender. As the child moves through the stages its understanding of gender becomes more complex. The first stage is gender identity, which is usually reached by the age of 2 years. At this stage the child is able to correctly label its own sex and this may serves as the core motivation for future gender-related behaviors. So, a child recognizing the fact that he is a boy leads him to seek and perform activities his society defines as boy like. The second stage is gender stability, which is usually reached by the age of 4 years. At this stage the child realizes that gender remains the same across time. However, its understanding of gender is heavily influenced by external features like hair and clothing. A boy at this stage might say that if he put a dress on he would be a girl. It is not until the third stage, gender constancy, where the child starts to understand that gender is independent of external features. This stage is usually reached by the age of 7 years. An alternative view, gender schema theory, suggests that children play a more active role in their own gender development from an earlier age. In cognitive psychology, a schema is a cognitive structure used to organize information bout a particular type of object, person or situation. People make sense of new information by matching it to the schemas they have produced from past experience. Gender schema theory suggests that a childs gender development reflects the increasing complexity of the schemas it develops around maleness and femaleness. By about the age of two the child is able to label himself and others as female or male. This reflects the development of a basic gender schema. The child then starts to seek out information from its environment in order to increase its understanding f maleness and femaleness and thereby to guide its own behavior. The child identifies activities and objects associated with its own gender and start to ignore or reject those that do not fit in with this. At this early stage their understanding of gender is simplistic and quite rigid and this is reflected in their behavior. As their gender schemas increase in complexity, however, the child becomes better at coping with ambiguity and their ideas about what is acceptable or appropriate start to relax somewhat.

Biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady, UN Delegate

Biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady, UN Delegate Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884–November 7, 1962) was one of the most respected and beloved women of the 20th century. When her husband became president of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt transformed the role of first lady by taking an active role in the work of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt. After Franklin’s death, Eleanor Roosevelt was appointed as a delegate to the newly formed United Nations, where she helped create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Fast Facts: Eleanor Roosevelt Known For: First Lady to President Franklin Roosevelt, writer, and diplomatBorn:  October 11, 1884 in New York CityParents: Elliott and Anna Hall RooseveltDied: November 7, 1962 in New York CityEducation: Allenswood SchoolPublished Works: You Learn by Living, The Moral Basis of Democracy, Tomorrow is Now, This I Remember, This is My Story, This Troubled World, many othersSpouse: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (m. 1905–1945)Children: Anna Eleanor (1906–1975), James (1907–1991), Franklin Delano, Jr. (1909), Elliott (1910–1990), Franklin, Jr. (1914–1988) and John (1916–1981).Notable Quote: In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility. Eleanor Roosevelt with Father and Brothers. Bettmann/Getty Images Early Life Eleanor Roosevelt, born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in New York City on October 11, 1884, was the eldest of three children of Elliot Roosevelt, the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt, and Anna Hall Roosevelt. Despite being born into one of the â€Å"400 Families,† the richest and most influential families in New York, Eleanor Roosevelt’s childhood was not a happy one. Eleanor’s mother Anna was considered a great beauty while Eleanor herself was not, a fact that Eleanor knew greatly disappointed her mother. On the other hand, Eleanor’s father Elliott doted on her and called her â€Å"Little Nell,† after the character in Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop. Unfortunately, Elliott suffered from a growing addiction to alcohol and drugs, which ultimately destroyed his family. In 1890 when Eleanor was about 6 years old, Elliott separated from his family and began receiving treatments in Europe for his alcoholism. At the behest of his brother Theodore Roosevelt (who later became the 26th president of the United States), Elliott was exiled from his family until he could free himself from his addictions. Anna, missing her husband, did her best to take care of Eleanor and her two younger sons, Elliott Jr., and baby Hall. Then tragedy struck. In 1892, Anna went to the hospital for a surgery and afterward contracted diphtheria; she died soon after when Eleanor was 8 years old. Just months later, Eleanor’s two brothers came down with scarlet fever. Baby Hall survived, but 4-year-old Elliott Jr. developed diphtheria and died in 1893. With the deaths of her mother and young brother, Eleanor hoped she would be able to spend more time with her beloved father. Not so. Elliott’s dependency on drugs and alcohol got worse after the deaths of his wife and child, and in 1894 he died. Within 18 months, Eleanor had lost her mother, brother, and father. She was a 10-year-old orphan. Eleanor and her brother Hall went to live with their very strict maternal grandmother Mary Hall in Manhattan. Eleanor spent several miserable years with her grandmother until she was sent abroad in September 1899 to Allenswood School in London. Education Allenswood, a finishing school for girls, provided the environment 15-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt needed to blossom. While she was always disappointed by her own looks, she had a quick mind and was soon picked as a â€Å"favorite† of the headmistress, Marie Souvestre. Although most girls spent four years at Allenswood, Eleanor was called home to New York after her third year for her â€Å"society debut,† which all wealthy young women were expected to make at age 18. Unlike her wealthy peers, however, Eleanor did not look forward to leaving her beloved school for an endless round of parties she found meaningless. Meeting Franklin Roosevelt Despite her misgivings, Eleanor returned to New York for her society debut. The entire process proved tedious and bothersome and made her once again feel self-conscious about her looks. There was, however, a bright side at her coming home from Allenswood. While riding on a train, she had a chance encounter in 1902 with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Franklin was a fifth cousin once removed of Eleanor’s and the only child of James Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt. Franklin’s mother doted on him- a fact that would later cause strife in Franklin and Eleanor’s marriage. Franklin and Eleanor saw each other frequently at parties and social engagements. Then, in 1903, Franklin asked Eleanor to marry him and she accepted. However, when Sara Roosevelt was told the news, she thought the couple was too young to marry (Eleanor was 19 and Franklin was 21). Sara then asked them to keep their engagement a secret for one year. Franklin and Eleanor agreed to do so. During this time, Eleanor was an active member of the Junior League, an organization for wealthy young ladies to do charitable work. Eleanor taught classes for the poor who lived in tenement houses and investigated the horrible working conditions many young women experienced. Her work with poor and needy families taught her a great deal about the hardships many Americans faced, leading to a life-long passion for trying to solve society’s ills. New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Historical/Getty Images Married Life With their year of secrecy behind them, Franklin and Eleanor publicly announced their engagement and then married on March 17, 1905. As a Christmas present that year, Sara Roosevelt decided to build adjoining townhouses for herself and Franklin’s family. Unfortunately, Eleanor left all the planning up to her mother-in-law and Franklin and thus was very unhappy with her new home. Plus, Sara would frequently stop by unannounced since she could easily enter by going through a sliding door that joined the two townhouses’ dining rooms. While being somewhat dominated by her mother-in-law, Eleanor spent between 1906 and 1916 having babies. In total, the couple had six children; however, the third, Franklin Jr., died in infancy. In the meantime, Franklin had entered politics. He had dreams of following his cousin Theodore Roosevelt’s path to the White House. In 1910, Franklin Roosevelt ran for and won a State Senate seat in New York. Just three years later, Franklin was appointed assistant secretary of the navy in 1913. Although Eleanor was disinterested in politics, her husband’s new positions moved her out of the adjoined townhouse and thus out of the shadow of her mother-in-law. With an increasingly busy social schedule due to Franklin’s new political responsibilities, Eleanor hired a personal secretary named Lucy Mercy to help her stay organized. Eleanor was shocked when, in 1918, she discovered that Franklin was having an affair with Lucy. Although Franklin swore he would end the affair, the discovery left Eleanor depressed and dejected for many years. Eleanor never truly forgave Franklin for his indiscretion and although their marriage continued, it was never the same. From that point forward, their marriage lacked intimacy and began to be more of a partnership. Polio and the White House In 1920, Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, running with James Cox. Although they lost the election, the experience had given Franklin a taste for politics at the top level of government and he continued to aim high- until 1921 when polio struck. Polio, a common disease in the early 20th century, could kill its victims or leave them permanently disabled. Franklin Roosevelt’s bout with polio left him without the use of his legs. Although Franklin’s mother Sara insisted that his disability was the end of his public life, Eleanor disagreed. It was the first time Eleanor had openly defied her mother-in-law and it was a turning point in her relationship with both Sara and Franklin. Instead, Eleanor Roosevelt took an active role in helping her husband, becoming his â€Å"eyes and ears† in politics and assisting with his attempts to recover. (Although he tried for seven years to regain the use of his legs, Franklin finally accepted that he would not walk again.) Franklin reentered the political spotlight in 1928 when he ran for governor of New York, a position he won. In 1932, he ran for president against incumbent Herbert Hoover. Public opinion of Hoover had been decimated by the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression that followed, leading to a presidential victory for Franklin in the 1932 election. Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt moved into the White House in 1933. Eleanor Roosevelt gets Worlds Greatest Volunteer citation from Jacques Coe, Treasurer of the National Cancer Foundation. Bettmann/Getty Images A Life of Public Service Eleanor Roosevelt was not overjoyed to become the first lady. In many ways, she had created an independent life for herself in New York and dreaded leaving it behind. Most especially, Eleanor was going to miss teaching at the Todhunter School, a finishing school for girls she had helped purchase in 1926. Becoming first lady took her away from such projects. Nevertheless, Eleanor saw in her new position the opportunity to benefit disadvantaged people nationwide and she seized it, transforming the role of the first lady in the process. Before Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office, the first lady generally played an ornamental role, mainly one of a gracious hostess. Eleanor, on the other hand, not only became a champion of many causes but continued to be an active participant in her husband’s political plans. Since Franklin could not walk and did not want the public to know it, Eleanor did much of the traveling he could not do. She would send back regular memos about the people she talked to and the sorts of help they needed as the Great Depression worsened. Eleanor also made many trips, speeches, and other acts to support disadvantaged groups, including women, racial minorities, the homeless, tenant farmers, and others. She hosted regular Sunday â€Å"egg scrambles,† in which she invited people from all walks of life to the White House for a scrambled-egg brunch and a talk about the problems they faced and what support they needed to overcome them. In 1936, Eleanor Roosevelt began writing a newspaper column called â€Å"My Day,† on the recommendation of her friend, newspaper reporter Lorena Hickok. Her columns touched on a wide range of often-controversial topics, including the rights of women and minorities and the creation of the United Nations. She wrote a column six days a week until 1962, missing only four days when her husband died in 1945. Reg Speller  / Getty Images The Country Goes to War Franklin Roosevelt won reelection in 1936 and again in 1940, becoming the first- and only- U.S. president to serve more than two terms. In 1940, Eleanor Roosevelt became the first woman ever to address a national presidential convention when she gave a speech to the Democratic National Convention on July 17, 1940. On December 7, 1941, Japanese bomber planes attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Within the next few days, the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany, officially bringing the U.S. into World War II. Franklin Roosevelt’s administration immediately began enlisting private companies to make tanks, guns, and other necessary equipment. In 1942, 80,000 U.S. troops were sent to Europe, the first of many waves of soldiers that would go overseas in the coming years. With so many men fighting the war, women were pulled out of their homes and into factories, where they made war materials, ranging from fighter planes and parachutes to canned food and bandages. Eleanor Roosevelt saw in this mobilization the opportunity to fight for the rights of working women. She argued that every American should have the right to employment if they wanted it. She also fought against racial discrimination in the workforce, the armed forces, and at home, arguing that African-Americans and other racial minorities should be given equal pay, equal work, and equal rights. Although she vehemently opposed putting Japanese-Americans in internment camps during the war, her husband’s administration did so anyway. During World War II, Eleanor also traveled all over the world, visiting soldiers stationed in Europe, the South Pacific, and other far-flung places. The Secret Service gave her the code name â€Å"Rover,† but the public called her â€Å"Everywhere Eleanor† because they never knew where she might turn up. She was also called â€Å"Public Energy Number One† due to her intense commitment to human rights and the war effort. First Lady of the World Franklin Roosevelt ran for and won a fourth term in office in 1944, but his remaining time in the White House was limited. On April 12, 1945, he passed away at his home in Warm Springs, Georgia. At the time of Franklin’s death, Eleanor announced she would withdraw from public life and when a reporter asked about her career, she said it had ended. However, when President Harry Truman asked Eleanor to become Americas first delegate to the United Nations in December 1945, she accepted. As an American and a woman, Eleanor Roosevelt felt that being the U.N. delegate was a huge responsibility. She spent her days before the U.N. meetings researching issues of world politics. She was particularly concerned with failing as a U.N. delegate, not only for herself but because her failure might reflect badly on all women. Rather than being seen as a failure, most regarded Eleanor’s work with the United Nations as a resounding success. Her crowning achievement was when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she had helped draft, was ratified by 48 nations in 1948. Back in the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt continued to champion civil rights. She joined the board of the NAACP in 1945, and in 1959 she became a lecturer on politics and human rights at Brandeis University. Death and Legacy Eleanor Roosevelt was getting older but she didn’t slow down; if anything, she was busier than ever. While always making time for her friends and family, she also spent a lot of time traveling around the world for one important cause or another. She flew to India, Israel, Russia, Japan, Turkey, the Philippines, Switzerland, Poland, Thailand, and many other countries. Eleanor Roosevelt had become a goodwill ambassador around the world; a woman people respected, admired, and loved. She had truly become the â€Å"First Lady of the World,† as U.S. President Harry Truman once called her. And then one day her body told her she needed to slow down. After visiting a hospital and undergoing lots of tests, it was discovered in 1962 that Eleanor Roosevelt was suffering from aplastic anemia and tuberculosis. On November 7, 1962, Eleanor Roosevelt died at age 78. She was buried next to her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in Hyde Park. Sources Eleanor Roosevelt Biography. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. National Archives 2016. Web.Cook, Blanche Wiesen. Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 1: The Early Years, 1884–1933. New York: Random House, 1993.Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 2: The Defining Years, 1933–1938. New York: Random House, 2000.Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 3: The War Years And After, 1939–1962. New York: Random House, 2016.Harris, Cynthia M. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Biography. Greenwood Biographies. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2007.Roosevelt, Eleanor. The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. HarperCollins.Winfield, Betty Houchin. The Legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt. Presidential Studies Quarterly 20.4 (1990): 699-706.