Social characters of Jews and essays

Social characters of Jews and essays In chapters 7-8 of Valhalla, Calvary and Auschwitz, author Giora Shoham examines the social characters and relationship of Jews and Germans prior and leading up to the Holocaust. Shoham believes Jews participant qualities clash with German separant identities which contributed to the Jews vicitimization during the Holocaust. Hitler;s leadership escalated these already established differences into a larger, bloodier conflict. Chapter 7 outlines the different characters of Jews and Germans. More based on a pagan tradition and Teutonic mythology, Germans focus on power, expansion, grandeur and unity. Shoham uses Gothic churches as an example of German desire to overtake their surroundings and almost compete with God. In contrast, the author describes Jews as self effacing, focusing on individualism and peace. With such skewed and opposing characteristics, Shoham suggests these groups enter a bully victim relationship where the Jews desire to be swallowed by German society and German society is eager to oblige (270). Shohams desire to explore a new area of holocaust study focusing on roots of anti Semitism within Germany is interesting but has the potential to be dangerous. Sweeping generalization regarding any group are difficult to prove and can be misleading. For example, the author asserts Jews are historically bad planners but offers little evidence to support his claim. Chapter 8 expands on the bully vicitim relationship created by opposing Jewish and Germanic social characteristics. Shoham believes Jews possessed a love affair with Germanic culture which was not reciprocated by Germans. Shohams premise that Jews willingly disregarded their own cultural institutions is misplaced. YIDDISH, REFORM SYNAGOGUES....... ...

The Inclusive Classroom Best Supports Student Success

The Inclusive Classroom Best Supports Student Success Federal law in the United States (according to the IDEA) prescribes that students with disabilities should be placed in their neighborhood school with as much time as possible in a general education setting. This is LRE, or Least Restrictive Environment, provides that children should receive educational services with their typical peers unless education there cannot be achieved satisfactorily even with appropriate supplementary aids and services. A district is required to maintain a full range of environments from least restrictive (general education) to most restrictive (special schools).   The Successful Inclusive Classroom Keys to success include: Students need to be active - not passive learners.Children should be encouraged to make choices as often as possible, a good teacher will allow students some time to flounder as some of the most powerful learning stems from taking risks and learning from mistakes.Parental involvement is crucial.Students with disabilities must be free to learn at their own pace and have accommodations and alternative assessment strategies in place to meet their unique needs.Students need to experience success, learning goals need to be specific, attainable and measurable and have some challenge to them. What is the Teachers Role? The teacher facilitates the learning by encouraging, prompting, interacting, and probing with good questioning techniques, such as How do you know its right- can you show me how?. The teacher provides 3-4 activities that address the multiple learning styles and enables students make choices. For instance, in a spelling activity a student may choose to cut and paste the letters from newspapers or use magnetic letters to manipulate the words or use colored shaving cream to print the words. The teacher will have mini-conferences with students. The teacher will provide many learning manipulatives and opportunities for small group learning. Parent volunteers are helping with counting, reading, assisting with unfinished tasks, journals, reviewing basic concepts such as math facts and sight words. In the inclusive classroom, a teacher will differentiate instruction as much as possible, which will benefit both the students with and without disabilities, since it will provide more individual attention and attention to What Does the Classroom Look Like? The classroom is a beehive of activity. Students should be engaged in problem solving activities.   John Dewey once said, the only time we think is when were given a problem. The classroom that is child centered relies on  learning centers to support whole group and small group instruction. There will be a language center with learning goals, perhaps a media center with opportunity to listen to taped stories or create a multimedia presentation on the computer. There will be a music  center and a math center with many manipulatives. Expectations should always be clearly stated prior to students engaging in learning activities. Effective classroom management tools and routines will provide students with reminders about the acceptable noise level, learning activity and accountability for producing a finished product or accomplishing the center tasks. The teacher will supervise learning throughout the centers while either landing at one center for small group instruction or creating Teacher Time as a rotation. Activities at the center take into consideration multiple intelligences and learning styles. Learning  center time should begin with whole class instructions and end with whole class debriefing and evaluation: How did we do with maintaining a successful learning environment? Which centers were the most fun?  Where did you learn the most? Learning centers are a great way to differentiate instruction.  You will place some activities that every child can complete, and some activities designed for advanced, on level and remediated instruction. Models for Inclusion: Co-teaching:  Often this approach is used by school districts, especially in secondary settings.  I have often heard from general education teachers who are co-teaching provide very little support, are not involved in planning, in assessment or in instruction. Sometimes they just dont show up and tell their general ed partners when they have scheduled and IEP.  Effective co-teachers help with planning, provide suggestions for differentiation across abilities, and do some instruction to give the general education teacher the opportunity to circulate and support all the students in a classroom. Whole Class Inclusion:  Some districts (like those in California) are placing dually certified teachers in classrooms as social studies, math or English Language Arts teachers in secondary classrooms.  The teacher teaches the subject to both students with and without disabilities and carries a caseload of students enrolled in a specific grade, etc.  They would most likely call these inclusion classrooms and include students who are English Language Learners or struggling with grades. Push In:  A resource teacher will come into the general classroom and meet with students during centers time to support their IEP goals and provide small group or individualized instruction.  Often districts will encourage teachers to provide a mix of push in and pull out services. Sometimes the services are provided by a para-professional at the direction of a special education teacher. Pull Out:  This sort of pull out is usually indicated with a Resource Room placement in the IEP.   Students who have significant problems with attention and staying on task may benefit from a quieter setting without distractions.  At the same time, children whose disabilities put them at a significant disadvantage with their typical peers may be more willing to risk reading aloud or doing math if they arent worried about being dissed (dis-respected) or mocked by their general education peers.   What does Assessment Look Like? Observation is key. Knowing what to look for is critical. Does the child give up easily? Does the child persevere? Is the child able to show how he got the task right? The teacher targets a few learning goals per day and a few students per day to observe for goal attainment. Formal/informal interviews will help the assessment process. How closely does the individual remain on task? Why or why not? How does the student feel about the activity? What are their thinking processes? In Summary Successful learning centers require good classroom management and well known rules and procedures. A productive learning environment will take time to implement. The teacher may have to call the whole class together regularly in the beginning to ensure that all rules and expectations are being adhered to. Remember, think big but start small. Introduce a couple of centers per week. See more information on assessment.

Term paper( summarize articles) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

( summarize articles) - Term Paper Example The two democrat presidential aspirants Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barak obama of Illinois voted against earmark project, there was also a symbolic vote against earmark by Mr. McCain and this was to pass a message across. There were those from both parties who voted in favor of earmark but they couldn't meet up to the 60 votes needed to proceed on the issue. Mr. McCain was not particularly happy with members from both parties who don't see earmark as a wasteful project. An open seat in the congress that has been long held by Republicans in the conservative district was taken over by a Democrat. This happened after a special election, and has given the party an early boost in its drive to get a higher majority inside the House of Representatives. Woody Jenkins, a newspaper publisher lost to Don Cazayoux, a state representative, 49 percent to 46 percent, in a keenly and closely contested race for a seat left open as a result of the retirement of Richard Baker, a Republican. Mr. Cazayoux overcame the Republicans' view of him as a "liberal" by showing himself a little different from Mr. Jenkins with regards to social issues, by locking horns with figures like Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, and Senator Barack Obama, who happen to share billing with him in a barrage of Republican attack advertisements.The Louisiana race was seen by the two parties' as an important test for the fall, given the fact that the district has been safe for Republicans for over three decades. a potential victory by Democrats is seen by them as a measure of Republican vulnerability; it is as an indication that it will be difficult to defend more than two dozen open seats that are in play in November, from the Republicans point of view. Mr. Cazayoux, who happens to be a low-key member of the State House and a one time prosecutor, matches the conservative model that Democrats deployed successfully in the 2006 elections when they took seats from Republicans. 4-Obama Wins Guam From NEW YOR TIMES By Sarah Wheaton Published:May 3, 2008 According to The Pacific Daily News, senator Obama won in Guam by a margin of only 7 votes. This result will probably not affect the outcome of the delegate calculations, given the proportional allocation of the delegates. Obama did pick up one superdelegate though, as a supporter of his was elected into the party's vice chairmanship position. 5-Narrow Victory for Obama in the Caucuses in Guam From NEW YORK TIMES By SARAH WHEATON Published: May 4, 2008 Senator Barack Obama defeated Senator Hillary Clinton by a margin of 7 votes to win the democratic caucuses in Guam. Delegates pledged to senator Obama received 2,264 votes, while those with Mrs. Clinton got 2,257 votes by the time hand-counting

Is Preventing Further Global Warming a Social Responsibility Essay

Is Preventing Further Global Warming a Social Responsibility - Essay Example Scientists have estimated that by the beginning of the next century, temperatures of the earth would have increased by approximately 2.1 degrees Celsius. An increase of only one degree is highly detrimental to animal and plant existence. Therefore, if the dangers of global warming do not undergo immediate intervention, then plant and animal lives might face partial or absolute extinction in the near future (Leroux 15). Causes of global warming For vey many years the concept of causal in global warming evaded human understanding. Until the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel by the UN, little was understood. The panel later found out that the presence of heat trapping gases in the air was majorly responsible for causing global warming. In this regard, they classified the heat trapping gases that cause what they referred to as the greenhouse gas effect. These gases range from simple CO2, methane, Nitrous Oxide to water vapor. Further research revealed that the amount of these gase s in the atmosphere was directly proportional to the increase in atmospheric temperatures. Major sources of these greenhouse gases are human activity-based. The beginning of industrialization in the nineteenth century brought about changes in fuel consumption. Due to demand from industries in fuel, exploration and extraction of fossil fuel has dramatically increased. Despite refining, fossil fuel provides a large amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. Smoke from industries and fuel burning by locomotives are powerful source of carbon dioxide in the environment (Pumphrey 23). Other gases are highly harmful to the ozone layer that protects the earth from harmful emissions of light rays from the sun. Continual depletion of this protective blanket leads to exposure to these harmful radiations which in turn lead to increase of global temperatures. This has been identified as a hazardous effect caused by such gases as methane and other chlorofluorocarbons. Emissions of nitrous oxide inc rease the risk to global warming, 300 times more than carbon dioxide does. This shows the potential risk of continual increase of such industrial gases in the atmosphere. Debate in global warming Since its discovery, global warming has remained a debated issue in all its dimensions. Starting from its causes to how to curb it, there have been unclarities concerning the responsibilities involved. From the beginning of discovery of the concept, the responsibility was only pushed to governments. According to Leroux (98) statistics obtained in 2009 from different regions of the world indicated that awareness of the concept was still low. The question of responsibility has thus continually raised endless debates. With a general understanding that causing of global warming is largely done by industries, blame has only been shifted to industries. Responsibility has evaded direction. The general societies have thus remained unclear whether they should be involved or not. This is one major de bate that has rocked the human mind. Responsibility With increased rates of this disaster, there was need for a collaborative approach towards combating the dangers of the situation. Given that its effects will largely affect the causers and victims of increasing greenhouse gases in the

Intimate Partner Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intimate Partner Violence - Essay Example It occurs on a continuum, ranging from one hit that may or may not impact the victim to chronic, severe battering. Victims of domestic violence who are overwhelmingly women, are at high risk for mental problems (Intimate partner violence: Intervention in primary health settings by Carlson and McNutt, 1998). There are four main types of intimate partner violence (Intimate partner violence surveillance: uniform definitions and recommended data elements by Saltzman et al. 2002): Physical violence is the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing death, disability, injury, or harm. Physical violence includes, but is not limited to, scratching; pushing; shoving; throwing; grabbing; biting; choking; shaking; slapping; punching; burning; use of a weapon; and use of restraints or one's body, size, or strength against another person. Sexual violence is divided into three categories: 1) use of physical force to compel a person to engage in a sexual act against his or her will, whether or not the act is completed; 2) attempted or completed sex act involving a person who is unable to understand the nature or condition of the act, to decline participation, or to communicate unwillingness to engage in the sexual act, e.g., because of illness, disability, or the influence of alcohol or other drugs, or because of intimidation or pressure; and 3) abusive sexual contact. Psychological and emotionalIntimate Partner Violence 2 emotional violence may involve trauma to the victim caused by acts, threats of acts, or other coercive tactics. Compared to White women, Latinas tend to be younger, to have lower socioeconomic backgrounds and lower educational levels, factors that are known to increase intimate partner violence. (Sociodemographic predictors and cultural barriers to help-seeking behavior by Latina and Anglo American battered women by West, Kantor and Jasinski, 1998).In the field of practice, intimate partner violence among Latino households had increased over the years. Krishnan etal. (1997) in Documenting domestic violence among ethnically diverse populations: Results from a preliminary study, noted that approximately 61% of Anglo Americans reported experiencing partner violence in the past compared with 36.5% of Latina women in the U.S. There is a need to address the specific requirements of the Latina situation.I would like to focus on the frequency and extent of IPV in terms of the ethnic and soci odemographic data. The socioeconomic data I will propose are the age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors (SES). An added data that I will use is the data on past physical abuse and present physical abuse. The theoretical framework that I will use is the Anderson and Umberson framework which characterizes gender as performance. They found that the men in their study "attempted to construct masculine identities through the practice of violence and the discourse about their violence that they provide" (GENDERING VIOLENCE: Masculinity and Power in Men's Accounts of Domestic Violence by Anderson and Umberson 2001; 359). They also contend that the subjective accounts provided by men about their viole

How Communication Affects Relationships Essay Example for Free

How Communication Affects Relationships Essay Communication affects relationships at work in a big way. Communicating in a positive manner will give me a very different response to communicating in a negative manner, it is also important that I alter the way i communicate dependant on who I am speaking to as everybody will respond differently to different styles and variations of communication. One of the parts of my job is to communicate with my colleagues. I must insure that as the environment I work in can and often is stressful, that I speak in a calm manner and that I am clear and concise. By doing this I lessen the chance of information that I passed on being misheard or misunderstood and by being calm I have a reassuring effect on my colleagues. When speaking to families of patient I must insure that I an understanding and come across friendly and professional as a good relationship with a patient’s family can have positive effects on the patients because it is important that families understand the patients treatment plan and how they can have positive influence on the patient. I must communicate with the patients in the most effective way possible. As a health Care worker I need to be able to build trust and a good relationship with those I look after. It is important that I use variation of communication skills to relay what I am trying to get across, this will help the patient understand what is be communicated and in turn will help the patient communicate there needs.

Main Reason Behind Trade Union Decline Commerce Essay

Main Reason Behind Trade Union Decline Commerce Essay Trade Union decline is today common across the world. However, in the first half of the last century unions were at the zenith of their power, and were almost synonymous with employment relations in most of the industrialised nations. They were perhaps the only vehicle for employee voice through collective bargaining and industrial action in those times (Freeman and Medoff, 1984). Since the early 1950s, the union movement started seeing a downfall in the United States (Blanchflower and Bryson,2008). While the effect was more pronounced and early in the USA, the trend soon caught up in the UK and European nations. By the 1980s, the effects started to show dramatically on union membership and density figures in UK. Countries like Australia (Waddoups, 2001), Japan, India, and China (Kuruvilla et al.,2002) have also seen a southward trend in membership since the 1990s. Even in a country like Germany where the union membership has not declined sizeably, a variety of factors suggest that u nion power has been declining (Katz, 2005). In the UK, as per the WERS2004 data, aggregate membership density fell from over 50% in the late 1970s to around 30% by 2000. The number of workplaces with union members present fell from 73% in 1984 to 54% by 1998. The proportion of workplaces where unions are recognised by employers fell from 53% in 1990 to 45% in 1998. The number of employees whose pay is determined by collective bargaining fell from around 70% in the late 1970s to 27% in 2004 (Bryson and Forth, 2010). But why is membership so important? Unions derive power by controlling the supply of labour through union organisation and thus union membership is an indicator (or rather a prerequisite) of trade union power (Blyton Turnbull, 2004 p138). The other headspring of union influence is their voice within the political arena and the ability to clog businesses through industrial action. All of these have taken a hit since the 1980s owing to multiple influences arguably leading to membership decline. The scope of this essay is to examine the critical reasons for this decline through the workers lens largely in the UK, with support from similar trends in other parts of the world. It is now beyond dispute that union membership and density have fallen beyond imagination causing much agony to unionists, but, what needs to be explored is whether the perception of unions in the eyes of the worker has indeed diminished. Hence Diminishing Worth, Increasing Woes might have been an apt title for this essay. The CBIs Director of Employment Affairs had once quoted: collective bargaining no longer presents itself as the only or even the most obvious method of handling relations at work; fewer employees and employers feel the need for union mediation in their dealings (Gilbert 1993: 252 as cited by Claydon in Beardwell,1996 p144); Millward et al, (2000) have also concluded that union membership decline was the result of a withering of enthusiasm on the part of workers ( cited in Charlwood, 2003); So, one might be tempted to agree that workers no longer see value in membership; but there is not one single reason which can be attributed to this precipitous fall in union membership. A myriad of factors like the political landscape of the times along with the legal reforms, some macro and micro-economic issues, and the socio-demographic changes have to be considered. In fact, some researchers have looked internal to hint that unions are the architects of their own fall (Dunn, 2009). In order to understand the reasons for decrease in union membership, it might be prudent to ask , Why do workers join a union? Why or Why Not Unions?: The main motive for employees to join a union comes from a pluralist view where they feel they have different interests from managers (Bacon in Redman Wilkinson, 2006). Waddington and Whitstone(1997), provide the top two reasons as to why employees continue to join unions; first, to get support if there was any trouble and second, to improve their pay and conditions. Guest Dewe, advocate a relationship between job dissatisfaction and willingness to unionise (1988); Ratified to some degree by Charlwood,(2002). The rational choice theory explains that workers are inclined to join a union if the benefits they receive exceed the cost of joining (Guest and Dewe,1988). The sociological point of view provided is that, an individuals social context, parental occupation and pattern of social interaction are likely to influence the desire to be a union member (Guest and Dewe,1988; Visser, 2000). Therefore, people do come with a pre-conceived belief whether to join or not join a union which might get subsequently modified based on their experience and political inclination(Charlwood, 2002). Hyman was quoted on BBC News, (2004), being a union member has ceased to be the social norm, and a new generation has grown up who not only are not trade unionists, but whose parents have never been in unions either. John Monks (2001), former General Secretary of the TUC, also confessed, there is a general assumption among non-union workers that unions are for blue collar workers with problems, not white collar workers with opportunities (Blyton and Turnbull,2004 p141). These socio-psychological contexts are to be borne in mind before we look at the other reasons which might have influenced workers attitudes and thereby union membership. Thatcherism: 10 Downing Street is considered to be the place where it all began; where the future of employment relations in the UK was rewritten by the conservative government under Mrs Thatcher in 1979. The impact of the iron ladys legislative reforms on trade unions and membership is an all time favourite with most writers. The exclusion of unions from any role in national policy making, encouraging management to assume greater control within the workplace (Waddington, as cited in Edwards 2003 p216) were direct hits on the source of the Unions power. At the peak of union membership and density in 1979, almost 40 per cent of all trade unionists (23% of all workers) were covered by a closed shop (Dunn and Gennard, 1984). So in 1980, when closed shop agreements were almost made illegal, coverage fell to 8% and in 1990 to 2 %.(Millward et al., 2000 as in Blyton and Turnbull 2004). The 1982 Employment Act, also delivered a severe blow to the Unions which had its desired repercussions ( Taylor, 2000). In fact, the WERS98 data indicates that only a minority of members (46%) believe that unions can make a difference to what it is like to work here'( Cully et all,1999, p213) Blyton and Turnbull suggest the reason behind this cynical view might be the impact of the legislation that weakened both individual and collective employment rights (2004). Hence government legislation combining with employer policies can be seen as a synergistic project to create a potent gradualist route to union exclusion (Smith and Morton 1993: 100 as cited in Beardwell 1996 p156). But this might not hold true in hindsight today, since the Conservatives have lost power for over 15 years and yet the trend has not reversed or even rectified even after some of the future governments have taken a liberal view of the unions with the statutory support for unions reinstated in 1999. In his book charting the growth and leadership of the TUC, Robert Taylor (2000) indicates that the union leadership wa s well aware of the changing times much before the Thatcher government came into power and that the termites of ineffective leadership had already hollowed the unions from within; so when the winds blew hard after the winter of discontent the structure just fell apart as a natural process. Union De-recognition: Managements attitudes towards unions and their growing indifference to union recognition has also been considered to be an additive to union decline (Disney et al., 1995). Ackers and Payne are of the view that, businesses are increasingly turning hostile to unions (1998). Edwards, mentions a unitary view where unions are looked upon as external pathological elements causing disturbance [to management] (2003). Encouraged by the changing legislations, management in the private sector did not miss the opportunity to sideline unions. While they did not really work towards de-recognition, they carefully eliminated collective bargaining rights affecting pay conditions from unions in newer and private sectors (Beaumont and Harris, 1995). This has been a key determinant in membership decline as mentioned by Bryson and Forth, (2010). Thus, Charlwood, (2003) agrees any withering of enthusiasm for unions on the part of the workforce was a response to the assertion of manag erial prerogatives. Undoubtedly, the presence of a union is the least required for an employee to join a union. Green (1990), for example, found that ( using data from the general household survey) 30% of female part-time workers were Union members, but where a union was available to join, the membership rose to almost 60%. The 1998 British Social Attitudes survey shows 40% of non union employees expressed a willingness to join a union if they had one. If all these people join a union then membership will increase by 3.2 million, this is consistent with similar studies in North America (cited in Charlwood, 2003). Rise of HRM: When the news of alternative practices in non unionised companies like IBM and HP travelled the Atlantic in the early 80s, it affected management practices here in the UK and Europe as well. It has been suggested by Lucio and Weston(1992, as cited in Blyton Turnbull,1992) that unions were unable to focus on the emerging issues concerning employment such as health and safety, equal opportunities, worker participation and others and continued to reflect on the narrow areas of pay and conditions; and as they neglected to tie the new issues back into collective bargaining , the legislative framework surrounding these issues left management the task of unifying these rights within Employment relations as HRM. In a study of an IBM plant in the UK by Dickson et al(1988), employees identified with the individualistic ethos of the company and deemed no requirement for a Union, since the company provided them with good pay and conditions, fair performance management systems and i ncentives, opportunities for growth and development, job security and grievance mechanisms, and a positive ER climate which might have been the functions of a union (cited in Redman and Wilkinson,2006). The rise of newer practices of voice representation and direct employee participation have added to the agony of traditional IR practitioners. These HRM strategies are perceived by trade unionists as an encroachment into their territory (Blyton and Turnbull, 1992) However, empirical evidence does not support this view in totality. The first general finding from WERS98 is that HRM practices are strongly associated with a recognised union presence (Cully et all 1999). Guest (2001), mentions in the 1998 IPD survey among union members 26% employees felt they were more fairly treated because they were union members; only about 3 percent felt that they were treated less fairly. This means about 69% were indifferent about unions; a similar trend showed in non union members where almost 70% thought union membership made no difference. It also showed that workers are more likely to put credence to a union at work where they felt management did not have great HRM practices (Storey, 2001). Workforce Composition: In the 1950s union membership was largely concentrated among the 3M workers male, manual and manufacturing (Visser, 2000). Between 1999 and 2009, the pedigree of union members became more feminized, older, educated, dominated by workers in non-manual jobs and those working in the public sector (Bryson and Forth, 2010). Many researchers (Brown et al., 1997; Millward et al., 1992, Bryson and Gomez, 2005, Towers, 1989) have argued that the changing composition of the workforce, like the shift in employment from manufacturing to services and the growing labor market participation of women and part- time workers have been important contributory factors to lesser propensity to unionisation . However, this is just a symptom, not a diagnosis of the problem. As Kelly(1990) pointed out there is no reason why a decline in manufacturing or growth of female employment should automatically signal a decline in union membership'( as cited in Blyton and Turnbull, 2004 p142). A point worth considering is that with the rise in real wages, workers had no stipulation to join unions, while the rampant unemployment of the times provided employers with wider choices and hence an opportunity to resist unionisation. The increase in free-riding and never- membership have also posed a setback to unions as mentioned by Bryson and Forth(2010). There are currently almost three million free-riders among the eight million covered employees in Britain. This increasing trend is causing more problems for trade unions since they are representing such workers in collective bargaining without receiving anything in return in terms of membership dues. By 2006-8, half of all employees were never- members (Bryson and Forth,2010). This might be attributed to a rise in individualism among workers as opposed to a collective approach in the past or it might be an indication of failure to organise on part of the Unions. Failure to Organise: Undoubtedly, the perception of union power has diminished over the years leading to the waning of appetite to join unions. One of the primary causes might be that Unions could not organise themselves well in the changing years to retain their agenda or increase their agenda. Whether pressurised by legislation or de-recognition by management, unions have accepted concessions in collective bargaining in recent years, which has led to further erosion of their perceived powers. Trade unions were initially slow to meet the neo-liberal challenge posed by the Conservative government, with the consequence that its impact was amplified. Until 1987, the majority of unions openly opposed the legislation and hoped for the election of a Labour Government that would repeal the legislations (Taylor, 2000; Edward 2003). Millward et al, (2000) and Machin (2000) believe the key reason for union decline is their failure to organise workers and gain recognition for collective bargai ning in new firms and workplaces. The poor organisation of the union leaders and stewards has also led to a loss of faith in members and left no choice for workers but to renounce their collective rights and give in to the devils bargain in lieu for a more individualistic employment contract. Geary, (2006) found that only 24 percent of non union employees in unionised companies were ever asked to join the union and the remaining 76% were never even approached. In difficult times as these, this lackadaisical approach has cost unions a lot more than what they could anticipate. Union Response and Future Trends: Unions of late have embarked on a series of reforms to policy, structure and activity to pull up their act (Williams, 1997; Wright ACAS, 2011). In spite of the decline in membership, Unions still have many areas of opportunity. As Hyman (1997) has indicated, workers have a broad range of potential and competing interests, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (as cited by Heery, 2003) and Unions as representatives have the choice both in terms of picking the interests and the methods. Some studies suggest that HRM initiatives introduced over the past 20 years have had little impact on workers perceptions of them and us ( Kelly and Kelly 1991;Dart and Turner 1999) So unions will benefit if they were to take a more proactive approach rather than reactive to HRM practices. Guest (in Storey, 2001) mentions that WERS98 offered a list of nine conventional items like pay, payment systems, grievances handling, health and safety and training. There was no negotiation with union re presentatives over any of these nine issues in half the workplaces where unions were recognised. On a average unions negotiated on only 1.1 of the nine issues while non-union reps negotiated over 0.9 issues. Hence, the picture that emerges is one of limited industrial action. There are almost half of all organisations and a majority in the private sectors where there is neither a union presence nor great HR practices this could be an opportunity for unions. the other ray of hope for unions is that, the percentage of employees in British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) who say the workplace union is doing its job well has been rising since 1997 both among union and non-members (as seen in Fig 1. Bryson and Forth, 2010). There is thus some support for the notion that unions have re-oriented themselves in recent years. Fig. 1 Percent age agreeing union doing its job well, 1983-2008 (Note: Employees working 10+ hours in unionised workplaces.) Source: British Social Attitudes Survey. In conclusion, it cannot be denied that the perceived power of unions has been severely affected and this could have led to workers not seeing value in their membership. The reason why workers might have been indifferent to unions are manifold but the key reason that emerges is the inability of the unions to organise and sell their benefits to their customers. The legislation, alternative management practices, undoubtedly aided the workers feelings and so the statement given cannot be the main reason for trade union decline. But if we take the BSA in fig 1. above, this notion is slowly giving way to some expectations from unions. While the image and brand of trade unions has been severely affected and the damage is considered beyond repair by many, as Purcell (1993) said, this is the end of institution IR, but there are areas where unions can make a difference only if they organise themselves well and there are pockets of opportunity if they are willing to look beyond traditional IR practices. But can they reverse the trend? Do they have the will or skill to do it ? Only time can tell.