Theories Of Inequality Essays - Economy, Marxian Economics

Theories Of Inequality In briefly evaluating the classical and modern explanations of social inequality, it is essential that we step outside the realm of our own lives, class position, and discard any assumptions we might have about the nature of inequality. This process of critical pedagogy allows us to view our world, not from our perspective, but from a wider, more critical analysis of inequality's nature. Also, it should be considered within this wider perspective that all theories of inequality have a class perspective, where the theorist, based on the position their theory takes, is making claims from (or for) a particular class (whether they want to or not). With this in mind, it seems that most of these theories come from fairly elite class perspectives and, in turn, tend to be more pessimistic about bringing change to the inequalities they are evaluating. Of the classical (elite) explanations of inequality, Max Weber's seemed to be most accepted within the domain of sociology and other social sciences dealing with modes of inequality. Weber, who believes that we are living within a sort of ?iron cage? which cannot allow us to look beyond the rules and regulations of our capitalist system, emphasizes the importance of power relationships in society. Those who are in class positions at the top of the apex (of power distribution) are the people who, one, hold most of the power in society, and two, make the choices for the direction and reproduction of society. The majorities at the bottom of the apex, with very limited power, are unable to make choices that would bring them to their ends. The core attributes of the economic system are alienation and the bureaucracy, which create a dehumanizing effect on the characters within the system. The bureaucracy, with its rational legal authority, clear division of labor, career systems, and impersonality, is technologically more perfect than any other system (according to Weber). Within this structure, Weber describes there being three dimensions of inequality: class (which correlates with the economy), status (which correlates with the social aspects of society), and party (which correlates with the political aspects of society). I believe most of the modern explanations of inequality, at most, help build upon Weber's general theories, and at least, reflect the same elitist pessimism that Weber also holds. The dual-labor market thesis contends that there are two labor markets (in terms of income), in which the higher income market is of primary importance and the lower income market is of secondary importance. This tries to justify those people within high power positions by (somehow) trying to prove that our system is objectively rewarding higher incomes to professions that have higher social importance than lower income professions. Similarly, the functionalist theory of stratification ?views societies as social systems that have certain basic problems to solve or functions that have to be performed if the society is to survive? (243). So the reason for inequality, for functionalists, is because our system must reward (with significantly higher incomes) those individuals who are motivated enough to yield the stresses of such functionally important positions. The fact that our system reproduces classes into the same class assumes the neo-classical labor-market theory is correct, in which we have a perfect system based on an equal opportunity playing field. So, according to these elite theories, the problem of inequality is an individual problem. If an individual is not motivated enough, then someone else will be, in so that the crucial functions of society can be carried out by the most competent, talented individuals. Clearly, I think, these theories are poor analyses of inequality. These theories, especially the functionalist theory, are based on solely subjective measurement schemes, and are in no way objective (nor does it seem that these aspects can be objectively measured). If the theory requires that society must measure class and power positions in terms of importance, then who will be the measurers? Always, it seems, the power elite will be the ones who really have the control of measuring importance?and doesn't it seem likely, if not natural, that they would perceive themselves as being the most important people within the whole of society? Surely the underpaid educator would disagree with societies ability to

Norma Rae essays

Norma Rae essays In true Hollywood fashion the movie Norma Rae takes its viewers on the turbulent journey of a widow trying to make a better life for she and her children. Academy Award winner Sally Field portrays Norma Rae; a strong willed and somewhat uneducated heroine who almost single handedly revolutionizes a small Southern town. Rae, coupled with Reubin Wychovski a New York Labor organizer, attempts to battle O.P. Henley Textile Mills in hopes of forming a Union. This movie allows its audience to see: unfit labor conditions, Unfair Labor Practices committed by both a Company and the Union organizers, the steps in forming a union, and how unhappy employees can rally to make a difference within their working environment. One of the reasons employees want to form a union is because they are unhappy with management and their current working conditions (Handout 10). O.P. Henley Textile Mills was in violation of many safety regulations that are covered under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970(OSHA). The purpose of OSHA is to assure a safe and healthful workplace for every American worker (Mondy 392). During the movie there are several violations of OSHA that occur. Rae mother temporarily loses her hearing and the company doctor tells her not to worry about it. Furthermore, there is no action taken by the company to prevent the conditions that may cause the deafness. Also, there is no place to rest if an employee is not feeling well. When Rae father starts to experience pain in his left arm and is told by management to hold on another 15 minutes for break, he falls over and dies of a heart attack. There is mention of woman who experiences severe menstruation cramps and is not able to take a break, or another woman who suffers from foot problems and is not given a stool to sit on. These are a few examples where O.P. Henley could have taken proactive measures to show its employees that they care and want to provid...

Comprised of Revisited

Comprised of Revisited â€Å"Comprised of† Revisited â€Å"Comprised of† Revisited By Maeve Maddox More than one reader has chided me for writing â€Å"comprised of† in a recent post. Here’s the culprit: In the ancient Roman army, a centurion was the officer in charge of a century, a unit originally comprised of 100 men. Anyone who has ever read a popular language blog has seen this dictum stated as an adamantine rule: One must never use the phrase comprised of. I’ve certainly read many articles that explain in great detail why â€Å"comprised of† is not only merely wrong, but really, most sincerely wrong. I was on the verge of writing to Daniel to ask him to change comprised to composed, but then I read my sentence again and had to admit that I don’t see anything wrong with it. Plenty of other writers reach for â€Å"comprised of† without remembering that it’s a no-no. The usage is found in edited articles published in The American Scholar, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. This confession from Francine Prose, a contributing editor to the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus and author of a string of books published by the world’s most prestigious publishing houses, illustrates the writer’s dilemma: It has been pointed out to me, more often than I care to admit, that you can say: The book comprises five sections. But you should not say: The book is comprised of five sections. In the second example, use compose instead: The book is composed of five sections. I have lost hope of ever getting it straight, so for now I find synonyms, and wait for so many others to make the same mistake that- as so often happens- grammarians simply give up, and decide that both usages are correct. I mistrust a rule of usage that is not only supremely forgettable but also targets a phrase that writers of formal English have been using for centuries. Even respected language commentators who officially uphold the notion that â€Å"comprised of† must not be used with the meaning of â€Å"consists of† recognize the hopelessness of remembering this particular â€Å"rule†: And no one will mind if you avoid â€Å"comprise.† Just say, â€Å"made up of.† Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl. But there’s so much confusion surrounding the usage of [comprise] that it may be better to avoid it altogether. Paul Brians, Common Errors in English Usage. The editors at Oxford Dictionaries Online state that â€Å"comprised of† is â€Å"more or less synonymous† with â€Å"consists of† and that this usage is â€Å"part of standard English.† The Oxford English Dictionary- without any indication that the usage is nonstandard- includes this definition for the â€Å"passive form† of comprise: â€Å"To be composed of, to consist of.† The earliest OED citation for this use is dated 1874. Several linguistic discussions of the topic reference earlier uses dating from 1704. Even the editors at Merriam-Webster, after defending the use of â€Å"comprised of† as acceptable usage, capitulate to the bogus rule: You should be aware, however, that if you use [â€Å"comprised of†] you may be subject to criticism for doing so, and you may want to choose a safer synonym such as  compose  or  make up. Geoff Nunberg calls the â€Å"comprised of† proscription â€Å"a pedant’s veto†: It doesn’t matter if you consider a word to be correct English. If some sticklers insist that its an error, the dictionaries and style manuals are going to counsel you to steer clear of it to avoid bringing down their wrath. That can be the prudent course, especially in an age when email and Web comment threads make things easy for what William Safire used to call the â€Å"gotcha gang.† All of us have our linguistic pet peeves, usage that produces â€Å"blackboard moments† of discomfort. They may not be defensible, but that doesn’t make them any less annoying to us. In deference to readers who cringe when they hear or see the phrase â€Å"comprised of,† I won’t use it in future DWT articles. But I will permit my centurion sentence to stand. Related post: Usage That Provokes â€Å"Blackboard Moments† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersDo you "orient" yourself, or "orientate" yourself?Using Writing Bursts to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm

German Foreign Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

German Foreign Policy - Research Paper Example World development agenda depend on foreign policies adopted by member countries. It is important to note that foreign policies usually influence the economic prowess of a country. Bilateral trade usually depends on foreign policies adopted by the country. Some countries are not able to buy products from Germany due to the poor relationship between these countries. Some policies adopted by the United Nations influence the relationship between Germany and partner countries. Policies that influence trade and politics in various countries are very crucial because many countries depend on each other for economic development. Some foreign policies influence German contribution to the development of the developing countries (Robinson 14). The purpose of this paper is to describe, explain, and perhaps predict the foreign policy of Germany. The relationship between Germany and members of European Union hang on sound foreign policies adopted by Germany. European Union policies influence commer cial relationship among various member countries. Research indicates the one of notable steps made by the European Union is the development of a single currency that would be acceptable across Europe. This move intended to lift barriers to trade among the member countries. German traditional practices are contrary to the new move it has taken in handling foreign issues. Research reveals that Germany has adopted new foreign policies, which intend to enhance its relationship with other members of European Union. German foreign policy on international responsibility is very crucial for the economy of the country. Economist argue that Foreign policies of various countries including Germany are important than Domestic policies. Globalization is the major factor behind the revelation of various foreign policies that affect Germany. The international responsibility policy defines the role of German in promoting peace, security, trade, and politics in the world (Germany's foreign policy 1). Germany respects human rights, democracy, and approaches that promote dialogue among cultures. For instance, participation of German soldiers in world peace keeping is a show of international responsibility that Germany has. World peace is very crucial because peace influence trade, human rights, politics, and social lifestyle among others. The need to promote peace is one of the pillars United Nation. German influences many decisions that United Nations makes because it is a member of the Security Council. Studies indicate that globalization has influenced the stand that Germany takes when voting in the Security Council. The German vote influences the move that members of the council would take when handling issues of international concern. The effects of international responsibility policies include the move made by the Germany to send his soldier to fight against terrorism (Germany's foreign policy 4). The fight against terrorism calls for a collective approach that countries ta ke towards stumping the vice. Research indicates that the war does not belong to one country or the members of the Security Council, but to the world. This would call for a collective participation of various countries. The relationship between Germany and many countries depend on the international responsibility policy. Foreign department of various countries evaluate the role that bilateral relationship would play. The relational should benefit the countries

Why the Euro Crisis Is an American Problem Assignment

Why the Euro Crisis Is an American Problem - Assignment Example It is estimated that the collapse could generate a 25% decrease in Europe’s gross domestic product (GDP). In effect, the euro crisis would represent a Great Depression of the current century, and this would be a threat to the global financial system (Zuckerman, 2011). According to Frum (2011), if the Euro falls, bonds will lose value in the European banks. This is because banks in the European region hold euro-dominated bonds. The bonds will lose value such that the banks will be forced to either seek assistance from the government, or put to a stop their lending to individual consumers and/or businesses (Frum, 2011). The fall of the euro will adversely affect other nations like Canada and the United States. For one, the financial institutions in Europe may lose their capacity to repay creditors in the United States. The net effect of the crisis will be more pressure on the financial system of the United States. Yet again, it should be considered that majority of the investors in the United States are from the euro zone , and if the eurozone economies fall, the Americans will have a difficult time raising capital for their businesses and new projects (Frum, 2011). The genesis of the crisis is very clear. Just like the United States, Europe was a victim of over-leveraging. The past decade has seen the European Central Bank overseeing easy credit, cross-border lending, and low interest rates which was instigated by a property boom and the increase of debt in households. The bubble has already burst, and the outcome has been the risk of failure to negotiate currency defaults and a series of frighteners (Zuckerman, 2011). It is worth noting that the majority of the Americans see the euro crisis as a crisis generated by government debt and government deficits. The same can be true of Greece, but it is not certainly true of France. If the Euro falls, each nation in the European region will be forced to have its own currency. This means that each nation will have to pay its debt using its own currency and not the euro (Frum, 2011). Europe’s option to avert the crisis is either to stop using the euro to restore each government to its own curren cy or to develop a single pan-European government to manage the new pan-European currency. Both options are not attractive to the United States. The United States has no option but to either suffer from the first option or contribute in support of the second option. Both options will have a considerable effect on the United States, and thus, the American cannot escape the euro crisis, it is their problem. Question 2: State Based Teaching Incentives to Improve Quality of Education Offered to Public Schools For a long time, the focus of the policymakers has been on improving or enhancing teacher quality. In the past few years, most reform efforts or initiatives have included strategies to enhance the overall quality of teachers and the equitable allotment of teachers within states, districts, and schools. The federal government endorsed an act in 2001in respect of education. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is aimed at ensuring teacher quality and fair distribution of teachers. Th e act demands that all states evaluate the allocation of teacher quality, create, and implement plans to enhance teacher quality and assure fair distribution of quality teachers (Fuller, 2010). In the past, local districts have been designing and supporting their individual recruitment programs. This isolated approach generally develops inequities across the states. This is because

Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Starks Analysis

Their Eyes Were Watching God Joe Starks Analysis The character of Joe Starks in the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God written by Zora Neil Hurston is Janies second husband and an entrepreneur who is very charismatic and well off financially. However, Starks is a bit overzealous in his ambition. There isnt a lot of communication between him and Janie, or anyone else for that matter, and he has a huge a superiority complex, which leads to an uncontrollable jealousy over his most prize possession, Janie. Starks has envisioned himself as a big man in the novel. During the course of the story, Starks, in the beginning, is seen as a charming man, with a big dream and good intentions, ends up becoming the most powerful man in town, who is somewhat disliked because of spending practices and actions. Starks is somewhat seen as an imitator of the white man on top and the people of Eatonville resent him for it. When Starks is first mentioned in the novel, Starks a well dressed man, not usually seen in the parts Janie was from, he was dressed nice and looking good for the world to see, Janie sees Starks coming down the road. He wasnt just another passerby, he sees Janie, this beautiful girl on the road and he heads right for her, shes the one thats what he wants (Hurston 27). The character Joe Starks is an example of a man who knows what he wants in life, though he seems kind, and generous in nature, it is all a faà §ade. Starks is a selfish person, playing a role of a big man who sees himself above others. Through his strong sense of confidence, charismatic personality, and his financial background, Starks is able to gain the power and influence that he seeks within the town of Eatonville. He uses Janie his wife, as a symbol of personal success. She in his eyes is more of a trophy than someone he loves. Mr. Starks shallowly believes that with all his money and power should he be entitled t o a beautiful wife. From the moment that Starks meets Janie, he promises her the world. He guarantees all kinds of nice and exotic of things to her, not because he genuinely likes the girl, but because Starks sees something that he would like to have, and in order for him to get it, he has to promise the world to take Janie away from Logan Killicks, to whom she was currently married. There wasnt really a distinction between the two men, well besides physical appearance and age. They were two men wanting the same thing. The use of Janie as a way to progress in life, for Killicks, it was to work the land, to make it more valuable in the promise to turn it over to Janie. To Starks she would be a symbol of his power and success. Their Eyes is a lyrical novel that correlates the need of her first two husbands for ownership of progressively larger physical space (and the gaudy accoutrements of upward mobility) (Gates 197). Starks eventually succeeds in taking Janie away from Logan. After that she came to where Joe Starks was waiting for her with a hired rig. He was very solemn and helped her to the seat beside him. With him on it, it sat like some high, ruling chair (Hurston 32). In leaving with Mr. Starks, Janie assumes a role in a higher class, among the people who sit in a high, ruling chair. The same people whom Starks wishes or believes himself to be in. With running off and marrying Starks, Janie has moved up a notch in social standing. It was not because of her education or talents, but because shes beautiful and thats exactly what Starks wanted, a trophy. Starks does what he promised to do with Janie, which is buy her all these nice things and introduce her to a life of riches and luxury. On the train the next day, Joe didnt make many  speeches with rhymes to her, but he bought her the best things the butcher had, like apples and a glass lantern full of candies. Mostly he talked about plans for the town when he got thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Janie took a lot of looks at him and she was proud of what she saw. Kind of portly like rich white folks. Strange trains, and people and places didnt scare him neither (Hurston 34). Mr. Starks reveals his intentions or feelings that he already is in a higher class by flaunting his wealth. He buys Janie different kinds of things like fancy clothes and treats like apples and a glass lantern full of candies. Buying Janie all these fancy things is his way of trying to endear himself to her, as well as showing off the type of social class that he comes from. By buying his way into Janies life, Starks s ees to believe that rhymes and speeches are a poor mans way of romancing the woman. But through money and gifts as a form of romance, would be more of a higher class thing to do. Starks comes to Eatonville as a type of vivid dreamer, he has big plans for this little town of shacks and dirt. He brings his money, charisma, and a beautiful young bride to a developing town. The town starts off really small, too small for the town Starks had envisioned. No one really has thought about adding acreage to the town, or let alone about expanding. So here goes Mr. Joe Starks, the self-believed savior of this fledgling little burg. He guarantees the towns people a better place to live. So Starks, being the big man he envisions himself to be, goes right up to the white landowner and comes back with a deed to for the 200 acres the town needed. With the first task of Starks agenda finished, he gets everyone to go to work. So thats where the meeting was held with Tony Taylor  acting as chairman and Jody doing all the talking. A day was named for roads and they all agreed to bring axes and things like that and chop out two roads running each way. That applied to everyb ody except Tony and Coker. They could carpenter, so Jody hired them to go to work on his store bright and soon the next morning. Jody himself would be busy driving around from town to town telling people about Eatonville and drumming up citizens to move there (Hurston 40-1). Mr. Starks is the one who initiates the new building projects and construction of roads, hiring people to work for him, and giving himself the position of a spokesperson. After all, he was the one who bought all the land and the one with the plan itself. Who would argue with the man who come to Eatonville and change it for the better? Having attracted all the attention of the towns people, Joe calls a town meeting and gets himself elected as the mayor of Eatonville. Starks strong sense of self-confidence, execution of his plan for the town, and money, lead to control, and a sense dominance and power over the town. Starks shows off his new wealth and power in a strong resemblance of wealthy southern white man. Use the layout of the town for example. Starkss house sits almost in the middle of town, around his house sit in the rest of the people of the towns homes, but is far less as nice. Take for instance that new house of his. It had  two stories with porches, with banisters and such things. The rest of the town looked like servants quarters surrounding the big house. (Hurston 47). Starks spends his money on extravagant items like fancy spittoons for himself and even his wife. This type of free spending makes the citizens of Eatonville jealous and resent him for it. Before Starks moved into Eatonville, the people had never even thought of or had a reason to think of themselves in a different way, or even as low class, because they were all the same. The people of Eatonville before Starks came were all the same race and poor. Starks brought social differences and a type of class warfare to town, and now everyone else can see what theyre missing out on. It sort of made the rest of them feel that they had been taken advantage of. Like things had been kept from them. Maybe more things in the world besides spitting pots had been hid from them, when they wasnt told no better than to spit in tomato cans It was bad enough for white people, but when one of your own color could be so different it put you on a wonder. It was like seeing your sister turn into a gator. A familiar strangeness. You keep seeing your sister in the gator and the gator in your sister and youd rather not. There was no doubt that the town respected him and even admired him in a way. But any man who walks in the way of power and property is bound to meet hate (Hurston 47).   Starks whole life entails this high sense of esteem that his manhood brings. He has formed this feeling of entitlement because of what he brings to the table. He feels that with what he has done to the town he has a right to power, wealth, and authority. Starks considers himself justified because he was the one basically in charge of building up the town that only he should be the one to run it. He gets to decide what goes on there and whose opinion counts. He runs the town with somewhat of a first of tyranny and the people of Eatonville are often grumbling and comparing him to memories of the old white slave owners and rightfully so. Starks resembles the white man on top in many ways. He is well-fed appearance, dressed in the finest clothes, like the well-to-do white people at the time. He believes himself to be above the townspeople, they are lower than him. Even in the case of his wife Janie. He did not marry her for love. It was all for show. In his marriage to Janie rep resented his control of the people, the town, as the mayor, and the most of the money in town. The only love expressed by Starks, was the love for Joe Starks. He was the big man around town, everything else in his mind, was just symbol in the testament of greatness that is Joe Starks.

Empirical Articles Summary Essay

Empirical research is a study that is based on experimentation or observation. This kind of research gathers evidences coming from collective experience in the field. It is often conducted in order to answer a specific question or to test a hypothesis or an educated guess. Moreover, it is different from other types of research because it goes beyond simply reporting an observation but rather it enhanced the understanding of a theory’s relevance to the real environment (Manor College, 2006). An analysis of two articles involving empirical research would aid in further understanding the nature of this kind of study. The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations is studied by three researchers namely: Leaf Van Boven, Thomas Gilovich, and Victoria Husted Medvec. This empirical research aims to examined the question of whether negotiators are susceptible to having an â€Å"illusion of transparency. † Illusion of transparency is the belief that ones’ private thoughts and feelings are obvious or known by their negotiating partners than what is really happening. Basically, it is the idea wherein the negotiator overestimates their negotiating partner’s knowledge of their preference. The discussion also looks at how such idea could affect negotiations, on whether it impedes the negotiators’ success. The qualitative method of empirical research was utilized in order test the educated guess made in this study. They experimented by using a controlled group composed of participants that have to make preferential choices about various cases and situations. These participants have to negotiate among each other based upon the instructions given by the researchers. The results of the experiment where interpreted by utilizing the t-test method. The t-test is conducted in order to see the statistical relationship of these groups of data. The findings show that in Study One, negotiators overestimated their negotiating partners’ ability to identify their preferences. Upon the utilization of the t-test, results show that percentage from the early negotiation was not statistically reliable. It was during the post negotiation that this result was obtained because the data shows that 3. 30 is statistically reliable as it is greater than the significance level of p < . 05. Study Two, proved that negotiators who were trying to show rather than hide their preferences to other negotiators tended to overestimate those preferences’ transparency. The data supported this finding. Based on the first round of voting, negotiators overestimated the number of their corresponding partners’ ability to see the importance of a particular issue to them. These differences were all reliable because they all resulted to ts > 2. 30. During the final round of voting, it was concluded that negotiators overestimated their fellow negotiators ability to identify their top important issues. This is proven by the statistically reliable results of the t-test, which are all t > 2. 25. Study Three, proves that negotiators showed an illusion of transparency. This is supported by data that shows negotiators overestimated their partners’ ability to find out they preferred the most by 20 percent, which is statistically reliable. They also overestimated the probability that their partners’ would identify their least preferential choice. Data supported this findings by 25 percent, which is statistically reliable at t = 4. 34. Moreover, the study also find out that control participants showed a â€Å"curse of knowledge† because they overestimated the probability that their negotiating partner would identify correctly their counterpart’s preferences. It is statistically proven by ts = 2. 58 and 4. 49. The empirical study made by the researchers about illusion of transparency in relation to negotiation is very interesting because it gives an idea of what goes around inside the minds of these negotiators while they bargain and compromise among each other. The researchers were also able to devised a method where this idea could actually be applied and tested on situations that actually take place in the real environment. The three studies that they conducted where able to tests their hypothesis and the utilization of the t-test method is also appropriate in measuring the participants outlook on their counterpart’s preferences. However, further study needs to be conducted in order understand the other dimensions of illusion transparency like its impact in the negotiating process and its outcomes. Strategic behavioral mimicry facilitates negotiation outcomes The researchers, namely William Maddux, Elizabeth Mullen, and Adam D. Galinsky investigated in this empirical research the hypothesis that the outcomes of negotiations can be facilitated with strategic behavioral mimicry. This means that a negotiator who follows or imitates the actions of his counterpart could greatly affect what would take place in the negotiation. Since negotiation is an interpersonal activity wherein it is largely dependent upon the negotiator’s ability to influence, persuade, and interact effectively with one’s opponent, it becomes possible that the idea of behavioral mimicry is applicable in this kind of interaction. The Quantitative method is used in this research that is composed of two sets of studies. The researchers measured the viability of their hypothesis by conducting an experiment using a controlled group of individuals. These participants were asked to perform certain activities based upon the instructions of the researchers. Study one, tested the hypothesis through an employment negotiation with numerous issues. On the other hand, study two focused on the ability of mimicry to influence a negotiator’s ability to find out the underlying compatible interests of ones’ negotiating partner. The data gathered was interpreted by using ANNOVA. In study one, the researchers’ examined the joint gain obtained by the negotiators through summing the individual scores of the negotiators in each dyad and then forwarded it to a one-way ANNOVA. Results show an essential effect for mimicking condition on joint gain, which is supported by F(2, 49) = 4. 02, p = . 02, n2p =. 14. They also found out that the more negotiators’ mimicked their opponents, the more points the parties’ obtained. Moreover, the increase in joint gain is also tested in terms of individual benefits for each party. The findings proved that recruiter individual gain showed a significant effect for mimicking condition at F(2, 28) = 4. 45, p = . 017, n2p = . 15. They also found out that increase in joint gain for both parties also resulted in an increase in individual gain by whichever of the two parties did the mimicking. However, mean comparisons exemplified that the idea of â€Å"being mimicked† had no adverse effect to one’s individual gain. In study two, the researchers’ examined the percentage of deals that was obtained in dyads wherein the buyer mimicked as compared with dyads where the buyer did not mimic. Results show that ten out of fifteen dyads or 67 percent, in which a buyer mimicked achieved a deal unlike when a buyer made a deal but did not mimic, which is only two out of sixteen dyads. Moreover, the researchers also performed a binary logistic regression analysis. The results obtained from this experiment indicated that the amount of mimicking was an essential factor in determining whether a deal was reached with this data, Ratio = 1. 047, Wald test = 6. 36, p = . 012 proving it. Therefore, the greater the number of participants mimicking their opponents, the greater the possibility of these people getting the deal. The mediating role of trust was also examined. The researchers utilized the Sobel’s test in order to validate that the mediational effect of trust was essential to negotiation. Results show z = 1. 99, p = . 047, which could conclude that mimicry affects the process of deal making and this was mediated through trust. The study about the role of mimicry in negotiation is an example of a contemporary approach to this subject. Previously, mimicry was simply tested through actions whether a participant would mimic someone who dropped a pen. In this case, however, it becomes more essential because it included the way people analyzed situation in order to make their corresponding decisions. The researchers were able to properly interpret the data as they performed numerous tests as well as various methods in order to assure the validity of its results. Further study would also be beneficial in testing the efficacy of mimicry in negotiation that does not only involve a single issue. Testing mimicry to distributive issues or those zero-sum situations could be a good way to enhance this study. Empirical research indeed has a huge contribution to the pursuit of knowledge. It is through this kind of research that vague concepts could be clearly understood. This gives a reality-based application of ideas that makes a simple study essential in the everyday lives of people. References Van Boven, L. , Gilovich, T. , & Husted Medvec, V. (2003). Research Reports: The Illusion of Transparency in Negotiations. Negotiation Journal. Plenum Publishing Corporation. Maddux, W. W. , Mullen, E, & Galinsky, A. D. (2007). Chameleon bake bigger pies and take Bigger pieces: Strategic mimicry facilitates negotiation outcomes. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from www. sciencedirect. com.