Video response paper (writer's choice) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Video response paper (writer's choice) - Essay Example It also forms part of the growing films on border-crossing as much as the Mexican migration became a dominant cinematic theme for both the US and Mexico. (Maciel and Garcia-Acevedo, p. 148) To say this, however, is tantamount to merely scratching the surface. The Syrian Bride is more than its obvious storyline. It is peppered with important themes and social issues that permeate in Israel today as well as its relations with its neighboring Arab countries. Plot The film depicted the story of Mona (Clara Khoury), a Druze woman living in Golan Heights, who in an arranged marriage, must travel to meet his groom, Tallel (Derar Sliman), in Syria. Everything was pretty straightforward, starting from the wedding festivities unto the wedding itself, which would take place at the border. Mona had to bid her family farewell and cross the border. It is at this point, however, wherein the story took an interesting turn. Israel and Syria do not maintain any diplomatic relations. In addition, both countries are claiming Golan Heights. Ebert (2006), in his review, expressed the dilemma in word best as he stated that Mona’s problem â€Å"is that Syria considers her to be already in Syria, and Israel considers her to be in Israel† and â€Å"how can she cross from a place one side says does not exist to a place the other side says does not exist?† The bureaucratic tangle was further complicated by the fact that Syria does not recognize Israeli passport, effectively barring Mona from entering the country. The entire caper was already comedic as the protagonist and the Salman family untangle their way to their destination. Symbolism Writing for the New York Times, Stephen Holden (2005) remarked that The Syrian Bride and its depiction of the impenetrable border symbolized all that’s wrong in the Middle East. This wrongness in bordered the ridiculous as complex norms and procedures applied at either side of the border defy logic, understanding and implemen tation. As has been shown by the film, everything was in fact insane. There are vague and conflicting security and political considerations resulting in a solid deadlock to which an Israeli border patrol officer could merely shrug in sympathy and perhaps in his own confusion as well. The entire caper disputed the opening claim of sadness for the whole film, making the film, in itself, hilarious with ridiculousness of Mona’s situation. The politics and the bureaucracy involved in the border defy reason and can actually victimize even the most fundamental and innocent needs and desires of people affected. In most respects, this situation is the same with the way relations between Israel and its neighboring countries are conducted – enforcing ridiculous legal norms and violating human rights in the process, just so security and political considerations could be satisfied. Apolitical More than anything, the film does not have a political agenda. It did not talk about which side of the fence – Israel or Syria – is correct, much less attack policymaking that would pit the two countries or their positions on several issues against each other. There was no suggestion of peace and/or some outright diplomatic resolution to the strained bi-partisan relationship or something to this effect. If there was some politics involved, it was, in the words of Ebert, just nibbling around the edges, â€Å"

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Research Paper - 2

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design - Research Paper Example 432). The real problem was that GM had developed too many levels of management. The number of corporate stuff was huge. So the decision making was slow and cumbersome, and, therefore, change was difficult. So the major challenge the new management faced was to eliminate the hierarchical levels and reduce the total number of managers. The top management expected that such a move will reduce operating cost, improve communication, and encourage innovation. Some analysts estimated a termination of 20,000 managers. The task was enormous (Jones & Mathew, 2007, p. 432). The board was of the belief that the shareholders’ interest can be served only by taking tough organizational design decisions. In 1993, GM announced its intention to cut 50,000 hourly and 24,000 salaried jobs and to close or consolidate 21 parts and assembly plants by 1995 to save money. The revolt by the board was an important mile stone in GM’s history. From that point on, GM’s performance improved every year (Jones & Mathew, 2007, p. 432). Conflict is not all about war, violence, and loss of life. By definition, a conflict is simply a disagreement among people on an issue. Conflicts can be small, as among two persons, or they can be large and complex, as among two or more countries. Conflict is a natural and normal part of human life and interaction. When communication to settle a conflict is constructive, the conflict is beneficial. Constructive approach stimulates new understandings and more socially just solution with stronger relationship. In case of a communication breakdown, conflict can lead to separation and hostility (Sughru, 2009, pp.7-8). While analyzing conflicts, it is better to break down the issue into five variables (Sughru, 2009, p. 10). First and foremost we need a complete picture of the actors and understand their direct or indirect role. In other cases, an actor may not be