1According to the dictionary, the word “diversity” means “variation” or “difference”. 2Today, the word is frequently used to describe variation in the kinds of people found in companies. 3Rather than see variation as a negative point, most companies consider diversity to be positive and will deliberatelyemploy people of different races, religions, and cultures. 4They do this because these employees may speak the same languages, share the same experiences, and hold the same opinions as people from similar background in societies where companies operate. 5Staff diversity may therefore suggest a company is trying to reflect the interests and values of its customers. 6Issues related to genderdiversity are among the most significant challenges that companies face. 7This is particularly so in Japan where the lack of women in the workplace in general, and in management positions in particular, has led successive governments to call for companies to correct the imbalance between men and women. 8To encourage greater gender diversity, in the past few years most large Japanese companies have begun to set targets to increase the number of women they employ at different levels within their organizations.
1Traditionally, school children are taught that there are two main types of elephants: the African and the Asian. 2However, African elephants can actually be classifiedinto bush elephants and forest elephants. 3African elephants prefer to be near water, but they can also live in forests, deserts, and savannahs. 4Male bush elephants are the world’s largest land animals, while the forest elephants are about half as big. 5Because of their size, other animals tendtokeeptheirdistancefrom elephants, while predators such as lions and hyenas usually target only the young. 6Even though they are generallysafe from being attacked by other animals, African elephants are increasingly being driven from their traditionalareas because people want to develop the land for farming. 7Perhaps the biggest threat to the survival of African elephants comes from illegal ivory traders who pay hunters to kill these magnificent animals for their tusks.
1Few people know the word dondurma, but many people may know it as Turkish ice cream.2Dondurma is unsusual because although it looks and tastes like ice cream, it can be stretched and chewed like bubble gum. 3In the same way as regular ice cream, it is made of milk and sugar, but unlike normal ice cream, it containssalep, a special flour made from a wild flower found in Turkey, and mastic, a sticky, gum-like material. 4These two materials also give dondurma another unique feature: it does not melt easily. 5In Turkey, dondurma is commonlyserved in ice cream cones and is sold from both street carts and store fronts. 6Outside of Turkey, dondurma is sold in stores in more than 100 countries. 7However, the increasing popularity of dondurma has led to a shortage in the supply of salep flour.8In response to this, other ingredients are being used in place of salep, ensuring that people all over the world can continue to enjoy this unusual dessert.