Recent spur in economic development of the UAE was followed by a rapid increase in the rates of cultural diversity within the state;
Though affecting the local culture negatively, cultural diversity allows for a positive change in the UAE society due to enhancement of cultural understanding and improved social ideas, concepts and values.
Question: Can the diversity observed in the UAE be used as a positive factor in developing the states economy and relationships with other states?
Because of the increasing amount of job opportunities and a comparatively high standard of living in the state, the UAE have recently witnessed a major increase in immigration rates. According to the nationwide statistics, only 11% of the UAE residents are native, whereas the rest belong to other cultures.
Demographic Imbalance
UAE Vision 2021: creating a business hub and a tourist destination by using natural resources (oil) as the key financial asset;
Increase in foreign workers is going to exacerbate the cultural issue;
Foreign labor increase affects job opportunities for the local people.
Table 1: Native-Born and Foreign-Born Populations in GCC Countries
Year
Number
Share
Annual growth
Total
Native born
Foreign born
Native born
Foreign born
Native born
Foreign born
1975
9,731,259
8,790,223
941,036
90.3%
9.7%
3.2%
14.5%
1990
22,522,620
14,201,239
8,241,381
63.4%
36.6%
3.3%
5.0%
2010
41,093,624
23,536,409
17,557,409
57.3%
42.7%
The increase in the number of foreign workers affects the UAE economy rather negatively. Because of the availability of cheap labor, the local entrepreneurs are not interested in the native labor market. Thus, unemployment rates among the local population are likely to increase with the rise in immigration to the UAE.
Security Issues
Human rights abuses are a frequent occurrence among the UAE migrant workers;
Threats of terrorism are increased with the rise in migrant labor;
Demographic imbalance leads to demise of the UAE cultural traditions;
Popular culture is altered to satisfy the tastes of migrant workers.
As the chart above says, the integration of multicultural elements into the realm of the relatively homogenous UAE setting has triggered major security issues. Moreover, crime rates seem to have grown significantly over the past few decades in the state. Therefore, there is a necessity to manage the changes that immigrant labor brings to the UAE.
Foreign Workers in UAE
Positive Impacts:
Boost for the tourism industry (Forstenlechner et al., 2014);
local SMEs development;
New sociocultural ideas (Khraim, 2010).
Negative Impacts:
Cultural assimilation;
Unemployment among locals;
Possible deterioration of public companies.
Despite the fact that changes in the cultural landscape of the UAE might pose a threat to the cultural values and traditions of the state residents, they open new opportunities for the state economy to evolve. Therefore, avenues for addressing negative impacts of cultural fusion need to be designed.
Conclusion
Summary
Changes in the economic landscape of the UAE are related directly to the cultural ones.
In order to succeed in promoting economic development, the UAE residents need to accept the idea of cultures fusion within the state.
Recommendations
A more elaborate approach towards introducing cultural diversity into the state is required;
Development of the UAE tourism sector should be prompted;
Intellectual capital must be used for enhancing social citizenry.
It is imperative that the UAE government should focus on the development of the tourist sector, as well as the enhancement of the principles of multiculturalism. Particularly, cultural sustainability, where balance should exist between the UAE culture and the one of the foreign workers, needs to be introduced into the UAE society.
Reference List
Croucher, M 2014, UAE authorities dispute UN statistics that UAE has highest murder rate in GCC, The National UAE, Web.
Forstenlechner, I, Selim, H, Baruch, Y & Madi, M 2014, Career exploration and perceived employability within an emerging economy context, Human Resource Management, vol. 53, no. 1, p. 45.
The study determines the importance of SDGs and leadership in society as well as the management of disability using the case study of Iran. At the administrative level, SDGs collaborate with leadership to ensure that there is a global sustainable global environment (Sadabadi & Mirzamani, 2021). From the study, the successful living of people was investigated using qualitative study. The findings show that the laboratory was created by the Iranian government to solve problems relating to unemployment and people living with disabilities.
Reliability
Sustainable development goals and leadership provide the solution for some of the global challenges facing the community. To the study, Iran has set up a factory that provides the solution to people with disability as well as providing employment. The SDGs help in the attainment of the global goal of managing economic, social, and political challenges. Another global challenge facing society is people living with disability whereby are neglected.
Relevance to the Report
The global solution report aims at identifying measures that can be used in providing remedies to challenges facing the community. Among the challenges is a disability, and this has led to stigma and depression among the affected parties. This study helps in identifying ways that can be useful in solving the challenge by providing employment opportunities to the disabled as well as utilizing SDGs in promoting the development of the economy.
The article focuses on well-being and good health, with the main focus on women. The primary objective of the study was to determine the indicators which are used to determine the physical fitness and well-being of women as much as their health is concerned (Lee, 2020). Women are faced with unique healthcare challenges in society hence the need for determination of a sustainable solution. The literature adopted for the study involved the use of market study and the community design characteristics as the menthols of inquiry (Lee, 2020). The findings from the study show that the well-being of women in society is highly affected by their space and place in the community.
Reliability
The source is reliable for this report as it covers one of the critical issues affecting global solutions. The well-being and good health of the women in society can be accounted for when identifying some of the remedies for global solutions. Some of the reliable concepts from the article which can be relied on comprise the act of women being subjected to strict and updated cultural practices, financial constraints, and stress related to taking care of young children.
Relevance to Report
The utmost goal of global solutions is to provide good health and well-being for every person in the community. Women play a vital role in society; hence using the theme in the case would determine the possible solution that can help in having a sustainable global solution. The study is also relevant as it identifies some of the solutions that can help in maintaining physical health, that is, training, cycling, swimming, and running. Such measures are a solution to preventing people from getting lifestyle diseases and being mentally ill.
The study focuses on global access to water and sanitation. Among the sustainable goals in society is to ensure that there is the provision of clean water and sanitation is maintained. The research focuses on identifying the innovation proposals that would be useful in improving the management of water in terms of its supply, sanitation, and water waste management (Tortajada & Biswas, 2018). From the findings, the global water supply is predicted to increase from 3500km3 to 5500km3 if effective measures are effectively put in place.
Reliability
Water management and sanitization have been global challenges. Globally, research is being conducted on how to transform the globe by having a reliable source of water for the growth of plants, animal feeding, agricultural activities, and the well-being of people in society. The study is reliable as it focuses on water and sanitization, which are among the major global topic that is focused on providing solutions to water shortages in different parts of the world.
Relevance to the Report
Water shortages and sanitation has been the major challenge facing the global. There is a need for training on how to manage water in order to minimize global misuse. Some of the global challenges relating to water comprise inadequate supply, drought and famine, the poor performance of agricultural activities, and poor sanitation. Therefore, with this study, it will be possible for the global solution report to determine a possible measure that can be put in place to utilize water which has become a scarce community effectively.
The paper focused on identifying different approaches that can help in the achievement of global sustainable goals in 2030. The authors utilize the use of regression analysis to analyze variables of data collected from different entities. The study identified some of the measures used to reduce inequalities as ending poverty, hunger, gender imbalance, and marginalized communities and building the resilient infrastructure for industrialization (Ionescu et al., 2018). The results of the study show that regions that fight to eradicate inequalities promote achieving sustainable global goals.
Reliability
One of the global solutions is to reduce the inequalities in society. Some of the challenges for sustainability comprise gender imbalance, inadequate access to resources, poverty, hunger, and marginalized community. The paper is relevant as it provides measures that can be helpful in promoting a sustainable global environment for both social and economic growth. Therefore, the study can be relied on when making strategies on how to enhance a good and sustainable environment.
Relevance to the Report
The global solution report can rely on the above study to formulate strategies that promote the achievement of global goals as much as political, economic and social factors are concerned. Some of the indicators in promoting a sustainable environment have been highlighted in the study through the reduction of inequalities. The major goal of the global resolution report is to provide a measure of hove to eradicate poverty and other economic and social challenges.
I decided to interview the Working Woman from the nursing field. For the purposes of privacy, her hypothetical name is Mary, and she has almost 20-year experience in the healthcare industry. In 2001, she received a Bachelors Science in Nursing degree, which allowed her to look for positions in nursing management roles. Up to now, she has worked at the University of Michigan Hospital and the Lake Huron Medical Center as a nursing manager. During her career, Mary regularly participated in professional training sessions and events to improve her skills and expertise as well as enrich her knowledge of the profession. She has additionally cooperated with multiple people, faced many challenges, and coped with different problems. All this information demonstrates that Mary is a valuable person for this assignment since this Working Woman has rich professional experience.
Current Role
Currently, Mary is a Nurse Manager at the Lake Huron Medical Center. Her responsibilities include making budgetary decisions, managing nurses, developing schedules, coordinating meetings, and making staff decisions. The Lake Huron Medical Center is a successful and requested healthcare facility in the community, and it provides high-quality service to meet patients health needs. According to the organizations official website, it relies on four specific values, including quality, compassion, community, and physician-led (Lake Huron Medical Center, n.d.). Even though it is not mentioned explicitly, the medical facility is woman-friendly. The rationale behind this statement is that females represent a significantly higher portion of the workforce. However, Mary admits that the organization does not offer any effective policies to support womens needs. The Working Woman stipulates that she has come across various adverse phenomena in her professional experience because of this fact.
The largest portion of the interview was devoted to the barriers that Mary has experienced in the workplace. At her first employment position, she faced a type of discrimination based on her family status. Since she had a 4-year-old son, she frequently asked for days off to take care of her child. Her employer did not like that fact, and the Working Woman started receiving reprimands, which worsened her psychological well-being. That challenging condition led the Working Woman to a decision to leave her first employment position.
However, Mary stayed home for a few months and decided to find a new job because she could not limit herself to the role of homemaker. It was a challenging task, but Mary did not lower her hands, and she kept looking for a suitable employment opportunity. The rationale behind that fact was that the Working Woman already had a 4-year-old son. That is why she was forced to deal with work-life balance issues. According to Marys words, she successfully coped with the challenge because she settled to take work home if she needed to take care of her child.
In addition to that, the interviewee admitted that she suffered from harassment at the workplace. The patients and male colleagues could rely on verbal and even physical violence as well as try to coerce her into a sexual relationship. Even though this phenomenon was rather an exception than a rule, it is challenging to overestimate its negative impact on the Working Woman. Mary also stipulated that many of her female colleagues faced the same problem, which denotes that multiple women suffer from harassment in the workplace.
Reflection
This interview is informative because it allows for making a few essential conclusions about the state of women in the workplace. Mary is not unique in the fact that her role as a mother resulted in various problems for her professional practice. According to Verniers and Vala (2018), females are often subject to recruitment, salary, and promotion discrimination. The rationale behind this fact is that women are more often responsible for homemaking, and this role can interfere with their professional sphere. That is why many employers are not willing to hire females or promote these individuals to significant positions because these individuals are likely to ask for additional days off. This information denotes that the Working Woman suffered from a widespread issue that adversely affects many other women from various companies. It is good that Marys current employment position is free from this adverse phenomenon.
Another essential aspect of the Working Womans interview refers to her discussion of how she was forced to deal with a work-life balance. According to Powell (2019), employers should understand that their employees have a life outside of work (p. 180). This information denotes that individuals should not be expected to devote all their time and effort to perform their professional obligations. Mary was successful because she managed to find a job where she could balance her roles as an employee and as a mother. Powell (2019) explicitly states that individuals are not obliged to limit themselves to a single role. In the past, society believed that males did not need to deal with domestic chores, but this stereotype is not active today, while females were expected to devote themselves to homemaking. That is why Marys interview clearly demonstrates that it is possible to reach a work-life balance and perform various roles successfully.
Finally, it is worth attention to discuss the harassment that the Working Woman experienced. Even though men are subject to this problem today, women are historically the most common victims of this violence type. Mary reported the problem and stipulated that it was rather an exception. Raj et al. (2020) stipulated that women experience less harassment in female-dominated industries. This information demonstrates that the problem is more widespread in the workplace if employees represent an even distribution according to their genders. This information is essential for my future professional activity because it is necessary to be prepared for potential challenges. If I know that the problem is likely to occur, I will develop a potential response in advance. For example, if I experience harassment, I will immediately report this fact to senior management or even the police. This statement denotes that Mary raised an essential topic in her interview.
Conclusion
The interview of the Working Woman was a valuable and informative activity. On the one hand, a female with rich working experience has presented useful information about the industry that I would like to work in beyond graduation. This activity provided me with a better understanding of what it means to work in the healthcare field and manage a medical facility. On the other hand, Mary raised a few essential topics that introduced barriers for women in the workplace. Additional research has indicated that these issues are widespread, which denotes that women should make an effort to address them. The Working Woman is a suitable example that a female can reach successful outcomes in the workplace even despite various challenges.
The incident which occurred on Tuesday 20th April 1999 has been simply referred to as the Columbine High School Massacre. At the center of the killing were two students, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. The two went on a killing spree; killing twelve students and a teacher and injuring twenty-four others before turning the gun on themselves and committing suicide. The incident was ranked fourth-deadliest in the history of United States after the Bath school case in 1927, Virginia Technical College disaster of 2007 and the University of Texas, 1966 Massacre (Cullen, p.214). The incident elicited a heated debate on the law on gun control and gun violence, among the youth. Also included in the debates were the high school cultures and subcultures, cliques as well as bullying; the role played by violent movies available to everyone in the movie stores were also discussed. This essay paper will look at the case of the Columbine Massacre and draw emphasis on Rachels challenges, a program that was established to address the above-highlighted problems impacting the youth regarding the overall security of schools, morals, gun culture, teenage internet use and effects of violent games and movies.
The Killings
According to a witness statement, the first victims of the gun-wielding duo were Rachel Scott and Richard Castaldo, who they found taking lunch on a grassy loan at the Western Entrance. Rachel died on the spot while Castaldo was critically injured. Some reports hold that the rampage targeted Christians, and that the gunmen first asked Rachel if she believed in God, and when she replied affirmatively, the shooting began&she received four deadly shots at a point-blank range and her friend got eight. A lot has been said about the experiences of Rachel Scott, but none could be satisfying were she around to give her own account of the real ordeal.
The best next character though to fill her shoes was therefore her father, Darrel Scott. Darrel gave a powerful speech, which was deeply personal and quite penetrating worth being listened to by parents, sociologists, psychologists, educational experts and all professionals at every level. The challenges faced by Rachel during her life were just a manifestation of the existence of evil and good forces in the society, and while the good can not be differentiated or rather be appreciated in the absence of bad, it should be eliminated by any means possible. The resultant of what happed was more of a spiritual force, something which Rachel alone could not counter, but called for the intervention of the whole society to address (Brown and Rob, p.3).
Rachels Experiences
Rachels kindness and compassion could never be marched, through an organization started by her parentsRachels Challenge, individuals have learned to make the best out of their lives and create a positive environment for themselves. By bringing back the memories of Rachel to the scene, it helps teens as well as parents to realize the benefit drawn from returning good for evil and how important is to treat others the way one wants to be treated. Such will help the school administration in addressing bullying and oppressive related incidences that were blamed on the Columbine Massacre. Some Americans upon hearing of the massacre rushed to a quick conclusion that the Trench Coat Mafia Outcasts were on a revenge mission against the bullying and the unbearable treatments that the school administration had on them. They therefore resorted to such a horrific violence to send a strong message to the society which they believed was wholly against them (Brown and Rob, p.4).
The challenges that Rachel had to endure are made public so that the number of people who will be moved to a point of striving to live in a society of peace and stability would increase. If told in the right context, tone and by a person who really understands the predicament, Rachels challenges are bound to have a profound effect on students and inspire them to spread the dream that Rachel held all her life; that was to create a chain reaction of kindness (Cullen, p.222). The experiences and challenges Rachel are the best place for this course. It has helped students dispel any fear that they have and overcome shyness as well as pride. Self-confidence has been made a priority and above all, the students will come to realize their needs and worth in the society. Even the society takes pride in the youth, the youths therefore will strive to make a difference and by so doing, Rachels Challenge will be averting any incident like the Columbine Tragedy. The publication is a practical proof that all was not lost by slaying the good-hearted Rachel, but all the remaining students, including the survivors, the teachers and parents can carry the message of good hope to greater heights. It doesnt need a saint or a perfect being; only a kind heart is required for one to be good.
It is a great value to always have a positive influence on the people that surround you; and never take anyone for granted. The Rachels Challenge, which is composed of five Columbine students is making its rounds around Americas middle and high schools talking to an audience of students, teachers and parents on how to forge a way forward against all odds. Even though life may deal you a blow, it is better to pick up your pieces and start all over again. When such goodwill messages are spread to pupils from a lower educational level, there is no doubt that such acts of violence will never be witnessed again. The streamlining of students should never be left to teachers alone; but parents, community leaders and law enforcers need to put together their might and help in shaping the youth. The problem however presents itself when the whole responsibility is left to the school administration. The youths get exposed to a lot of stuff that contributes to violent behavior. The violent packed video games, movies and sex explicit magazines are attributed to the latest character development in the teens. The tragedy could not be solely blamed on gun control, but on the latest rot in the society; thus putting all stakeholders on the spot and not only the parents, police or the teachers (Brown and Rob, p.4).
Rachels Challenge
The memories of Rachel for over ten years now are being used to inspire students the nation over to realize the best character in them, thanks to the Rachel Challenges foundation. On the day of her death, Rachel was carrying a notebook in which she had written I wont be labeled as average and surely just had she had stated, the foundation has ensured that her short-lived life has had positive impacts in the lives on many teens, parents and teachers. Rachels Challenge is driven by her family and friends who are geared to make the world a more compassionate place. The organizations objective is to reach as many schools as possible. For the period that it has been in operation, Rachels Challenge has managed to initiate programs that encourage students in middle and high school to recognize their purpose in life and see the best there is in others in the society. The simple writings of Rachel have become a spring of consolation to many. The organization has sparked hope and encouragement and made a difference in the lives of many individuals; young and adults alike.
Benefits of Rachels Challenge
The foundation has made the entire American society look positively at the tragic event&so it is true that something this good can come out of such an evil act. It ha has been received positively world over. The K-12 is even making a proposal to have it accessible in colleges to spread the great kindness and compassion there. Tragedy does exist everywhere and it is never known when it would finally strike, Rachels smiling picture and soothing words have managed to help people understand senseless tragedy that befalls them. To Darrel, Rachel was a daughter who had time for everyone and friends to all; very soul was important to her. Much about her and her programs are presented on her website which also features more news that brings hope to the downtrodden. The movement has so far touched the lives of millions of people and presented Rachels real philosophy, just the way she could have done it were she alive. She was denied life beyond teenage, but her legacy and dream continue to live despite the odds. To show how much she loved to help people, the Scott family made public a discovery in Rachels dresser drawer her drawing (trace hand) and writings these are Rachels hands, someday; they will touch millions of hearts . She surely did, but not with her hands, but her good heart (Cullen, p.219).
Conclusion
All said and done, the facts represented in this essay paper holds it that, it is the responsibility of all the members of the society; parents, leaders, adults, teachers, police and the youths themselves to ensure that any evil act is routed out, or rather made public before it develops into a monster. There should be collective responsibility and the community should ever try to support one another rather than commit felonies against one another. But until then, peace will still be a far off dream and the younger generation would never live to appreciate one another. The challenges and the life that Rachel lived should be like an inspiration to every living soul, which needs to lift the spirits of the faint-hearted and give hope to the hopeless. Limitations and restrictions should be put on what the youth get their hands on; be it the video games, movies, internet, guns and anything that might prove dangerous to the developing minds, lest they get corrupted. Repots in (www.acolumbinesite.com/ericpage.html) revealed that it is through the internet that Harris and Klebold got the recipe for making explosives. But despite all these, Rachels dream of having a society that serves the public interest will surely come to pass, thanks to the publication of her challenges.
Such kinds of tragedy related to the Columbine clearly show that there is need to capture the life of every individual before they are finally punctuated by death, we should make the best of whatever we have in life. In a nutshell, Rachels Challenges have reinforced positive behavior in many social systems.
Work Cited
Brown Brooks and Rob Merritt. No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine. New York, NY: Lantern Books. (2002). pp. 34.
Cullen, Dave. Columbine. Grand Central Publishing. (2009). pp. 214-226.
A person who was forced to move from their native country due to a complicated political situation or any other factors is defined as a refugee.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
An IDP is a person who was forced to move from their home, yet is capable of staying within their own country.
Protracted Refugee Situations
A protracted refugee situation occurs in the scenario in which a refugee still feels that their economic and social lives have been unfulfilling and that they have been a part of the underserved population after having lived overseas.
Non-Refoulement of Refugees
According to the existing legal definition, the principle of non-refoulement is the prohibition of deporting refugees to the countries where they may face persecution based on their race or any other protected category.
Voluntary Repatriation, or Voluntary Resettling
Voluntary repatriation occurs when a refugee willingly returns to their home country after the dangers that made them flee in the first place have been removed.
Rights and Challenges
According to the existing legal standards of the UN, each refugee is entitled to the right of opinion and expression and the right to security. The specified rights allow refugees to ensure that the factors which have compelled them to escape their native country will not affect them in the environment of the UN. However, there are several challenges for refugees to face in the foreign setting as well. For example, the absence of second language skills affects refugees significantly, preventing them from communicating their needs. In addition, when assisting refugees, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees often faces the problem of locating refugees since a lot of them have the status of illegal migrants. Finally, prejudices against certain migrants, such as Syrian refugees, affects the extent to which foreign communities are willing to accept immigrants.
The statistics on International Students in Victoria
According to the Victorian government (2008) statistics, the enrolment rate of international students has been on the rise since 2002 to present. The Victorian trends indicate that 74,433 overseas students were enrolled in 2002 alone. This represented 27 percent of the total share of students enrolled in Australian universities. In 2004, the figures had gone up to 89,565, marking a 1percent increase in terms of the overall student share in Australia. This percentage increase remained the same by 2006 although the enrolment rate had topped 106,476 international students. Between 2002 and 2007, the growth in terms of overseas student enrolment had reached 59,021 compared to 26,978 growths recorded in 2006 and 2007 (Victorian government, 2008).
It is imperative to note that the year 2007 was very significant because it recorded almost half of international student enrolment growth realised since 2002.
Additionally, 42 percent of foreign students in Victoria were admitted in higher learning (Australian Government, 2010). These students account for 30 percent of all the enrolment into higher education in Victoria. Furthermore, the Vocational Education and Training also witnessed about 30 percent of foreign students being enrolled. This included admissions both in the public and private sector. Those students who were enrolled to undertake courses on English language were 24,219. Similarly, the same number of international students taking on holiday working visas took the same course (Australian Government, 2010).
In 2007, a total of 8,045 overseas students were admitted and pursued their learning in Victoria. The private schools accommodated 4,854 of these international students while the public schools absorbed the remaining number which was 40 percent. In the same year, students from 187 nationalities undertook their studies in Victoria. Out of these countries, India has the largest enrolment ratio with a total of 33,953 students representing 25 percent of the overall enrolment in Victoria while over the last half a decade, Pakistan has increased its enrolment of international students in Victoria by three times.
The problems faced by International Students
Security
There has been a considerable degree of examination into the safety of foreign students within all the areas of jurisdiction in Victoria (State Government of Victoria 2010). There have been a lot of deliberations on the security needs of international students following grisly events which have occurred in the recent past. For instance, in 2005, an international student passed away in ACT. Three years earlier in 2002, there were horrible gun firing incidents which took place at Monash University. This triggered the attention of stakeholders in education key among them the government and student unions. As these occurrences when gaining momentum in the face of insecure international students, the media also added its voice by highlighting the events thereby increasing the public awareness of all that was happening.
Nevertheless, the attention of the government on the lack of safety on international students was mainly geared towards protecting the image of the export market which was experiencing expedited growth at this time. The main impression which educational providers and the government at large are attempting to create is that international students in Australia are not only secure but are also assured of successfully completion of their education (State Government of Victoria 2010). Moreover, some recent research has been carried out on the welfare and wellbeing of international students in Australia and it all seems to be in agreement with what the government and other education stakeholders are proposing. Nevertheless, this is not the true picture on the actual situation on the ground bearing in mind that international students have been facing security challenge in the course of their studies (Baldwin, 1997).
There are other ugly security incidents which followed the ACT death which in spite of being addressed by the media, the government has not taken any firm or decisive step to address the challenge. For example, violence against race has been one of the security threats not just in Melbourne but also the rest of Australian institutions of intermediary and higher learning. The most notable location where racial violence has been perpetuated is Southern Australia. Further, Melbourne also suffered racial attacks before the start of 2008. During the same year, several international students were drowned and consumed by fire in Victoria.
The student associations and representative bodies have often felt that the Australian government has not done much in addressing security issues surrounding the welfare of international students. Although institutions like Victoria University and University of Queensland have been on the forefront in tackling security concerns of international students, there is much more which need to be done. The National Code of Practice which has been pushed by the Australian government is yet to yield positive result owing to the fact that agents which deal with providing information for prospective international students often tend to conceal some pertinent details which may be useful to foreign students. It is therefore the responsibility of education providers as well as the government to ensure that the safety of international students is guaranteed (Marginson et al., 2010). The following proposals may be handy in addressing the safety of overseas students in Melbourne and the rest of Australia.
Recommendation: The security officers need to boost their professional capacity so that they can handle matters surrounding the safety of international students more effectively. For instance, the officers should be in a position to understand the different cultures and how visa requirements are affected by the same factor. This is the sole duty of the state government to assist the police officers to develop their professionalism. Additionally, both the government and the local community should have a comprehensive understanding of the lifestyles of international students. This includes hours when these students are supposed to be at work and their respective departure time. Safe transportation logistics should be put in place especially at night and in areas where security is of great concern. The public transport should therefore be availed at all times to cater for the needs of the international students.
There should be legislation enacted by the commonwealth government which would make sure that all information regarding safety matters are well documented. All the international students who are being enrolled in Australia ought to be oriented and this should not be optional.
The government should establish a centre where international students can refer all matters related to their safety. All those students who are foreign and may not be familiar with the local setting should then make use of this centre. Advocacy alongside other important details in regard to safety support to international students should be key in this centre. Hence, both the local and state government should collaborate on this establishment.
Employment
The international students do face a myriad of employment challenges which have mainly been aggravated by the outdated visa laws which do not favour the working experience of these group of employees. Employment plays a cardinal role in this case. The existing laws are not friendly to international students since they are not protected at all (Baker, Roberson, Taylor, &Doube, 1996). They are highly vulnerable to poor working conditions which encompass low pay and discrimination. Evidence shows that international students are restricted by the requirements of their visas which greatly limit them in terms of the number of hours they can work in period of seven days (International Development Program Australia, IDP Education Australia, 2007).
Whenever international students receive information which is not complete regarding the actual situation in their host country, they end up making wrong decisions especially in relation to how much they need to spend in the course of their studies. When such affected students run out of their financial resources, they opt to search for part-time employment so as to suffice their needs. They eventually end up suffering and living in poverty because they are not on work visas. Research statistics from Melbourne University which was conducted in 2004 indicated that less than 50 % of foreign students were employed contrary to AEI data which previously showed that about two-thirds of international students were partly employed. The main reason why there is a variation in these figures is that all the data is collected and analysed using qualitative and quantitative research and which may sometimes not reflect the reality because students may sometimes fail to give reliable information especially on the number of hours they are working per week owing to the fear of breaching the visa rules (Ong, 2009). Even for those who secure work, they still encounter several challenges which include but not limited to
Poor pay
Lack of understanding on the job description as well as how much they are supposed to be paid due to lack of information on the same.
Lack of job security because they are paid in terms of cash in hand
Sometimes, the working students are compelled to work for extra hours to meet their needs therefore limiting their class time.
Recommendation: It is highly recommended that the state government should work out ways and means of providing for additional funding so that international students may equally enjoy working rights through a familiarisation program to bring all the international students up to speed with the working environment in Australia. The orientation ought to be made compulsory for all the foreign students so that they become more familiar with the rules, regulations, rights and obligations at work place.
In addition, the commonwealth government should review the immigration act so that foreign students may also have the opportunity to fair working conditions including the consideration to work for 20 hours in seven days in relation to how much a student has in terms of academic work.
Accommodation
One of the main concerns on the welfare of international students is housing. The high demand for housing in 2008 which was aggravated by skyrocketing prices led to a serious shortage of accommodation facilities in Melbourne and other educational institutions which accommodate international students (Marginson et al. 2010). The equally smaller cities also experienced housing shortage during this time period and the challenge is still on the offing. Although initiatives have been developed to tackle accommodation needs for overseas students, there is much more which still to be addressed. Nevertheless, addressing housing needs in a decisive manner may not be that swift bearing in mind that it is within the power of the state to enact legislations necessary to improve the standards and capacity of housing in both urban and suburban settings. A legislative process
A case example is the housing forum which was conducted in 2007/8 by the government of Victoria. The forum aimed at seeking viable solution to the housing challenge facing international students. Negligible improvement has taken place even with a series of housing forums being done.
Besides, most international students are oblivious of their rental rights especially in cases when they happen to rent a private property (Ong, 2009). There are a myriad of housing regulations which these students are not familiar with apart from the fact that most of them do not understand the procedure for pursuing complaints related to accommodation.
Recommendation: It is necessary for all the educational institutions in Australia to make accommodation arrangements for international students who are admitted into their institutions for a period of at least one year since the date of admission. In achieving this, both the state and commonwealth government should work hand in hand to ensure that there is a working legislation in place which each and every learning institution admitting international students should adhere to.
Awareness
The media has quite often referred international students as potential source of income to the government. Notwithstanding this positive contribution of international students to the Australian economy, there has been emerging complaints that these groups of students tend to compromise the standards of education in Australia in addition to taking up education vacancies which are meant for local students (Australian International Education Foundation, 1998).
The argument is that international students have taken up places in universities which would have benefitted the domestic learners. Unfortunately, this is not the case at all. The Australian majority are not aware of the numerous contributions; both culturally and socially, which are advanced by foreign students. It is against this backdrop that international students have often been perceived as a liability contrary to the truth.
Recommendation: The state as well as the commonwealth government should launch an aggressive awareness crusade in order to educate and enlighten the public on the immense contribution of international students in Australia. The public should be made to dispel the myth that international students do lower the standards of education. They should instead be informed of the checks and balances which are often put in place to ensure proper educational standards are maintained. Further, the awareness campaign should not just focus on the economic benefit of international students alone. It should be noted that international students also contribute immensely to both cultural and social aspects (Li & Kaye, 1998).
Conclusion
In summing up this report, it is important to note that international students in Melbourne and Australia in general are usually faced with several challenges in spite of the growing statistics captured from 2002. Although Melbourne and other institutions of higher learning in Australia remain to be centres of excellence, there is a lot which remain to be done in regard to the well being of international students. Some of the challenges noted such as security, accommodation and community awareness can best be resolved by adopting the proposed recommendations. This is necessary bearing in mind that the enrolment rate of international students continues to rise each year and if the emerging challenges are not tackled effectively, it may compound to intolerable levels.
References
Australian Government (2010). Statistics. Web.
Australian International Education Foundation (1998).1997 Survey of International Students Studying in Australia. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
Baker, M., Roberson, F., Taylor, A. and Doube, L. (1996). The Labour Market Effects of Overseas students. Canberra: AGPS.
Baldwin, D. (1997). The concept of security. Review of International studies, 23(1), 526.
International Development Program Australia, IDP Education Australia (2007). Overseas Student Health Cover. Web.
Li, R. and Kaye, M. (1998). Understanding overseas students concerns and problems. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 20(1), 41-50.
Marginson et al. (2010). International Student Security. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ong D (2009). The International Students Handbook: Living and Studying in Australia. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
State Government of Victoria (2010). Protection for International Students. Web.
Victorian Government (2008). International Education Statistics. Web.
Within the semester, our team has been proactive in tackling several assignments within the goal of scoring optimal points. Group assignments are often complex because each member of the group has a different writing style and flow of ideas. Despite these differences, sharing a common goal makes the group experience interesting. In the group assignment, I was tasked with the responsibility of doing research on the aspect of Organization Culture in designing the research poster. In order to draw a narrow and convincing content, I had to do a lot of secondary research on the organization culture to the general perception in the practical work environment. I then proceeded to review the common perceptions on the culture within the dynamic information technology career. I then narrowed down my research to four steps that every manager needs to follow in managing organization culture in order to make the presentation more focused and constructive. The four steps I discussed were Teach It, Live It, Measure It, and Reward It (Rosso, Dekas, & Wrzesniewski, 2010). In discussing these steps, I discovered that the core values of organization culture in information technology career are reliability, professionalism, confidentiality, and team work.
This assignment required explanation of an issue through an evidence based research. Before commencing this report, I had to draw a research timeline and literature review. I divided the research paper into four parts to cover each step. I had to define these steps in a rough draft and review the chronological pattern of how each step works for my paper to make sense and embrace the basics of a well written paper. Upon finishing the rough draft which consisted of over eight paragraphs, I decided to narrow down these steps in a second draft and introduce the aspect of flow and sentence connectivity. The second draft was fair enough, but had several sections which did not flow with my initial writing style. I had to edit the second draft to match my skills with the effort-performance (E-P) expectancy theoretical model (Rosso et al., 2010).
Since a properly written paper requires creative ingenuity, I had to write the final copy which was better arranged and nicely presented. Despite the constraint of time, I was in a position to create a good paper as was confirmed by other members of the group. I realized that the main challenge towards writing a quality paper on ordinary topic is conflicting thoughts since the entire information is out of personal creation. I was very confident and interested since the sub topic on organization culture was related to my career interests. Since I had done a comprehensive research before the group presentation, I was very certain in the responses to different questions raised by the team. The certainty was also as a result of past training in the art of public speaking besides personal mastery of the subject of discussion (Yaffe, 2010).
Despite the confidence and deep interest, I realised that I needed to improve on my intra and inter communication skills since I noticed that some of the members, especially the secretary was finding it difficult to keep up with my presentation. The disagreement was whether I carried out the four-step research from a single source or many sources. I made a lot of assumptions that other members were conversant with the steps I was presenting. In order to improve as a team in the meetings, it was necessary for the members to understand personal motivation and self targets, the need for aggressiveness in discussion, and development of proper personal etiquette (Yaffe, 2010).
Besides, it was essential for the team to limit the scope of activities to contain only relevant discussions since some members were involved in irrelevant discussions about personal issues. During the first meeting, I noticed that uncontrolled discussion might limit the seriousness and professionalism in constructing and presenting individual views to a team. For instance, our team became a victim unregulated discussion and had to spend a lot of time on irrelevant issues. In order to prevent problems that might arise, it was essential for the team to embrace teamwork, personal discipline, and need for proactive contributions. Besides, each member was made to feel appreciated and instrumental in the discussions.
The most difficult part in the compilation of the work done in a group was the editing and selection of information to include in the final copy. There was a lot of information which had to be summarized in my allocated space. At the same time, the presentation was supposed to be as short and interesting as possible to ensure that the target audience does not lose concentration. Since this was a group assignment, I must admit that the research process was restrictive because each member was limited to doing a portion of the paper. In the end, we presented a well researched and carefully written paper. Unlike other groups, the clarity of our presentation was apparent because the other groups did not have questions or negative observations on our project. This was the best project for me since I benefited from the team spirit in the group.
I must admit that there were series of challenges along the way as my assignments required research and creativity in compilation. I was generally intimidated by the complexity of the research topic and the analytical approach that I had to use to gather enough content about organization culture (Rosso et al., 2010). Being a scientific research, I had to further my understanding of doing this form of research by referring to the class notes and the library. The challenges involved in collecting the relevant information alone made writing this assignment a gruel some experience. However, I was able to arrange the major and minor premises to create a sensible report. Besides, being the creative and flexible person I am, I was able to improve my writing skills and minimize the research challenges. In fact, I can authoritatively describe my section in the assignment as a mature piece of literature consisting of well researched, properly written and clean paper.
References
Rosso, B.D., Dekas, K.H., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2010). On the meaning of work: A theoretical integration and review. Research in Organizational Behaviour, 30(5), 91-127.
Yaffe, P. (2010). Techniques of persuasive Communication. Web.
Introducing Initiative and Addressing Necessary Support
The problem of peer pressure in community stands out when it comes to the welfare of teenagers. In particular, youth have difficulties in developing skills that will help them resist peer pressure from teenagers who are still abusing drugs. Therefore, the question of peer pressure needs to be addressed because it requires an in-depth analysis of social, cultural, and political backgrounds of teenagers.
The role of social workers here is confined to evaluating how family and educational environments influence teenagers. Lack of support from the close relatives and friends seems to be the major obstacle in resisting negative influences of drug-addicted teenagers. With regard to this background, the implemented initiative should reduce the peer pressure and introduce a healthy social and psychological environment in schools.
Recruiting the Committee
In order to put the initiative into practice, a specialized committee should be organized to take responsibility for creating new principles and regulations. The first step for the initiative plan accomplishment refers to encouraging adults, particularly to problematic teenagers parents who should take an active part in lives of their children (Ambrosino et al., 2005).
The group should conduct lectures on the basis of education and upbringing for families to be aware of the challenges and constraints. There should also be volunteers who would agree to work with the teenagers under peer pressure.
Mission: Development and Challenges
Making positive changes in community is the most challenging task and, therefore, the mission will focus on the prompt techniques promoting those changes. The first step to accomplishment will include creating new principles of moral and character development among the teenagers.
My vision of the initiative, therefore, is strongly associated with shaping and cultivating new moral skills and social competencies that can allow teenagers to resist negative impact of peer pressure. In order to achieve the main goals and visions of the initiative, it is necessary to redefine the previously established norms of ethics and morale in society (Fisher, 2003).
This step is especially challengeable because it entails significant efforts that parents should make to improve the situation. While implementing the change, I provide strict instructions both to parents and to volunteers about the negative consequences of peer pressure. In such a way, I have managed to come to an agreement concerning the measure to be taken to alleviate the problem.
Community Focus
Lakewood, California, is a great place for raising family and participating in recreation programs. Lakewood Center is a perfect sit for initiating these programs and promoting training and development for the target group. The community should be on guard of such social problems as substance abuse among teenagers (Nucci, 2008).
To be more exact, they should be interested in the underpinnings of the problem, including psychological and moral background in families and school. Academic counselors in schools should pay attention not only to teenagers experiencing peer pressure, but also to the children who negatively influence their peers.
Explaining the Initiative with Regard to the Five Action Strategy
The concept of the Five Action Strategy provides efficient approaches to encouraging, identifying, and connecting all necessary people, activities and programs to empower the collective effort and solve the problem. Within these perspectives, the given initiative manages to incorporate all five action strategies, including adults engagement, mobilization of young people (volunteers), program introduction, activation of sectors, and introduction of civic decisions.
References
Ambrosino, R., Ambrosino, R., Heffernan, J., and Shitlesworth, G. (2007). Social Work and Social Welfare: An Introduction. US: Cengage Learning.
Fisher, D. (2003). Assets in Action: A Handbook for Making Communities Better Places to Grow Up. Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute.
Nucci, L. (2008). Handbook of Moral and Character Education. US: Taylor & Francis.
Historically, homosexuals have encountered many challenges due to their erotic orientation because there exist certain people in society who view them as a deviation from the norm. Discrimination against an individual on the grounds of their sexuality is known as homophobia. This form of bigotry is found in many societies in varying degrees. Conservative communities tend to be more prejudiced in comparison with progressive ones. The problems encountered by homosexual persons can be broadly categorized as either psychosocial or economic.
Psychosocial issues are those found in an individuals environment that affect their mental and emotional health. People who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ community) experience loneliness due to being ostracized by their intolerant parents and loved ones. Some guardians oust their children when they find out they are gay and withdraw their support. Additionally, about 70 countries in the world have criminalized same-gender unions (Stromberg, 2020). This may further lead to loneliness and dejection for homosexuals since they are not permitted to marry their desired partners or adopt children and start families. Aside from the lack of a support system, gay people face systemic challenges such as being denied medical care. A persons well-being would decline due to such troubles stemming from their environment.
A person might also encounter financial barriers due to their sexuality. In conservative regions such as the Gulf countries and most parts of Africa and Asia, an employer can legally fire someone for being gay. The US passed laws to protect LGBTQ workers in 2020. However, in some states, bankers may refuse to process an applicants loan request based on their orientation, while in others, it would be permissible for a landlord to refuse to lease property to queer people (Stromberg, 2020). All these examples represent a form of economic hardship encountered due to romantic preferences. Additionally, they are all systemic problems that can only be solved through legislation. From the discussion, it is evident that homosexuals still face many challenges despite the advancements that LGBT rights organizations have made.
Cultural identity is among the most important factors identifying personal affiliation. It also characterizes individuals attitude to various social and ethnical issues. Moreover, culture identifies our feelings, as well as how it influences our vision of the world.
According to Bautista, our cultural identity is weighted against the other as our feelings of acceptance change with each relationship in our communities and our society (n. p.).
Therefore, cross-cultural interruption has both negative and positive experiences for encountering identities. On the one hand, communicating with people from different cultural background allows a person to gain experience in accepting the traditions of alien culture.
On the other hand, hyphenated identities face challenges while accepting change because it can have a potent impact on their perception. For instance, some individuals may consider balanced identity to be a negative experience leading to loss of connection.
Individual identity highlights the position of a person in a community. In case the identity you belong to is a minority, you can face significant challenges in terms of social status, political situation, and cultural acceptance. The point is that dominating culture will always dictate the principles of ethics and morale for the ethical minorities.
Therefore, maintaining strong feeling of cultural identity is important for possessing and developing the sense of self. It also contributes greatly to better evaluation of the surrounding people.
Understanding individual identity provides people with a greater understanding other identities; it also makes possible to acquire profound knowledge of oneself, including individuals perception of alien culture.
In the article at issue, the author argues that understanding and learning more about personal identity provides wider opportunities for self-development and social welfare. It also provides approaches to adjusting to new environments by means of comparing and contrasting various cultures.
Value of culture and sense of belonging are crucial criteria for preserving the national identity. Each person should feel that he/she is part of greater cultural group with a set of ethical and moral principles. Currently, the people get accustomed to living in a multicultural society, which implies greater challenges to cross-cultural interaction.
In particular, due to the dominance of a certain culture, the minorities encounter difficulties in adhering to their ethnic identity. Nevertheless, cultural identity is the only means by which individuals can remain faithful to their culture (Samovar 215).
More importantly, cultural identity can also be regarded in a broader context within which culture act like an umbrella for shaping racial and ethnic identity.
Due to the fact that there are plethora of perspectives and definitions of identity, the concept should be considered from a dynamic angle. Enclosing variations of identity from personal to social permits individuals to be aware of their roots and origins.
As it has been mentioned previously, it is natural for the people to retain the sense of belonging. However, when people of foreign origin have to live in a host cultural environment, they unintentionally create a new identity, which often relates to mixed or hyphenated identities.
This is of particular concern to the immigrants who face new cultural and ethnic dimensions. The adjustment to new identities, therefore, is a serious challenge because of the ambivalence of experiences (Bautista n. p.).
Hyphenated identity, therefore, can be considered an integral element encouraging immigration in Canada. In particular, the annual growth of the Canadian immigrants proves a strong homeland community because the newcomers feel immediately members of a community.
The blended identity cannot be regarded as a serious challenge to maintaining cultural and ethnical heritage of minority group. Rather, the policy of hyphenated communities lies in promoting multiculturalism. Cultural capital of the country needs to be internalized by each member of the community for successful integration.
Within this context, hyphenated community is not a problem, but a commitment to the country land. Alternatively, opposing to the dominant culture, there is a possibility of creating psychological ghetto distorting social cohesiveness.
Looking the phenomenon of blended ethnicities and races, hyphenated identity is main condition for creating social identity. Alienation that previously took place in the region generated conflicts and misunderstanding between cultures.
Therefore, blending identities is a kind of compromise for peaceful existence of several cultures. Geographical limitation should not be the major cornerstone for rivalry.
Living in a host country does not imply loss of connection, but searching for the new one that would combine both the old origin and the new identity. In such a way, people can normally co-exist in a multicultural society.
Despite numerous advantages, there are certain controversies that make the concept of hyphenated identity less attractive. According to Bautista, some many identify at one end of either spectrum where a negative experience may have worked to alienate the other (n. p.).
To support the idea, it should be stressed that hyphenated identity prevents the immigrants from realizing and establishing the connections. The extent to which people are affiliated to their cultures while living in an alien country influences their awareness of their identity.
Therefore, it is possible to adhere to the original cultural roots and embrace the culture of the host country. However, if an individual seeks to be part of a new culture, it is the right of everyone. According to Dasgupta, &Individuals have felt the desire to define themselves as part of larger community&[a]t the same time, a large community can often trigger a search for distinctiveness (11).
Thus, willingness to be recognized as a member of community is natural, but inclusion into a huge community, such as Canadian society, makes individuals search for differentiation. In order to solve the problem, it is purposeful to consider the communities formed by human race, gender, religion, nation, profession, and family.
Aside from controversies about the question of remaining authenticity and personal identity, the hyphenated identity can also cause future shock. In particular, the Canadian immigrants can be overwhelmed with changes and, as a result, they can experience disorientation and distress.
Though the change occurred to individuals is short-term, it may have a potent impact on belief systems and attitudes to the roles they should perform in the Canadian community. Within these perspectives, hyphenated identity can become dangerous to the future and welfare of a multicultural society.
Therefore, better definition of multicultural identity can provide more optimistic perspectives for further development of the Canadian society. According to Dasgupta, Canada is a grand experiment of ethnic mixing, blending, coexisting, interrelating and communicating, which are fare better than ethnic cleansing, suppressing and annihilating (13).
Thus, it is highly important to distinguish between the process enculturation and acculturation. Thus, originating from other than Canadian culture does not mean that a person should adhere strictly to individual identity. Bautista asserts that being Filipino or native of other country means preserving culture as a second nature.
At the same time, living in Canadian community means accepting the present reality. Moreover, the importance of expressing attitude to reality is enormous because immigrants may respond to, imbibe, accommodate, absorb, or deflect to the new identity. All these decisions are matters of personal choices.
The difficulties in adjusting to the Canadian community as a new social medium lie in the opportunities that the ethnical minorities can take advantage of. This is of particular concern to the second-generation immigrants who are not linked to their cultural roots.
In such situations, they might face tangible confrontation on the part of older generations who prefer observing their ancient traditions rather than endowing the values of the Canadian community.
One way or another, freedoms and rights assigned to individuals should be prioritized to all people irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, and religious beliefs.
Living in the Canadian community, a plethora of ethnic minorities need not face challenges of blending identity. Hyphenated identity should be a problem for the Filipinos because they are not confined to exercising their own beliefs and values.
However, respecting the community they live in should be a sign of creating a multicultural society. The challenges might occur as long as a person starts adjusting to the new cultural and social environments leading to cultural shock and disorientation.
At the first stage, individuals strive to search for their own identities for the purpose of remaining self-confident. Therefore, in order to live in a hyphenated society, a balance should be struck between personal beliefs and the principles accepted in an alien community.
