Reaction Paper for personality developement Essay

I learned a lot with the seminar, the presentation about Personality development is appropriate with the business student like us. The discussion and the explanation are very well set, we truly understand and inspired, and we learned so much about what we are going to do. What I have learned is that, there is no end to the process of self-development, it is just like a lot of things in life which is kind of solid and maybe hard to specify now and again. Every individual should be more effective independent and self-directed learners and It is a continuous improvement process which helps an individual to improve performance in the current job, develop skill and competences realize own full potentials and of course personality makes a person distinctive, unique and exceptional. Every person has different personality and some personalities are better than the others. Human personality should be always praised and no one should ever put anyone down for having a different personality because it will determine the limit of success in order to understand what personality is. This topic that we have emphasizes the stable difference between people and social, emotional and motivational characteristic. It can limit or expand options and choices of lives. It is also been said that personality is shaped through environment, learning, parental and development factors. What I can only say is that, Personality development is a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual whom reflected upon their own learning, performance and achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development. It was been thought that we need to improve general skills for study and career management and encourage positive attitude to learning throughout life. The aim and objectives for this Is to improve our capacity to understand what and how we are learning and to review, plan and take responsibility for own learning and career choices. We as a student should keep growing and never stop on learning as it will be a way to our success. I learn so much with the talk. Now I think I will study hard more and develop my skills for me to become successful and have a good life someday.

Grand jury paper Essay

Explore the right to a preliminary examination and the role of the grand jury A preliminary hearing may not be held in every criminal case in which a â€Å"not guilty† plea is entered. Some states conduct preliminary hearings only when a felony is charged, and other states utilize a â€Å"grand jury indictment† process in which a designated group of citizens decides whether, based on the government’s evidence, the case should proceed to trial. Last but not least, the possibility always exists that any time prior to the preliminary hearing a criminal case will be resolved through a plea bargain between the government and the defendant. A Grand Jury determines whether there is enough evidence for the trial. Grand juries carry out this duty by examining evidence presented to them by the prosecution, and issuing indictments, or by investigating alleged crimes and issuing, presentments. A grand jury is traditionally larger and more distinguishable from a petit jury, which is used during trial. Both of these are good for both parties because it gives a chance for both parties to see what evidence and figure out how the state is going to proceed. The DA must only present enough evidence to convince a judge that he has enough evidence to go to court. The Defense may not know if the DA has much more damning evidence in the future, so it can be unknown to the Defense and be a guessing game. It offers a chance for a judge or jury to decide if the case merits going to trial, and if it doen’t then the defendant is released. But if there is very good evidence, and the Defense realizes that they perceive that the Prosecution has very good evidence, then it is a chance to plea bargain, in which both parties may wish to do, in order to avoid drawing out proceedings.

Studies on Employee Satisfaction

With the increased competition, fast-paced environment and globalization efforts, companies are finding that they need the support of their employees more than ever. However, the new breed of personnel wants more than pay as a benefit. They are increasingly being motivated by other factors such as greater involvement with business decisions. Recent studies are researching ways that successful organizations are encouraging positive employee morale despite ongoing business changes. Full employee participation is required for any organizational change to succeed. Joint development of programs gives people ownership and the motivation to ensure the support of the change process. At SmithKline Beecham and Levi Strauss, for example, the strategy is view employees as business partners (Reid, 2004, p. 40). Some of the ways that Beecham and Strauss are instituting change include: 1) An emphasis on values as well as goals, since employees want to know how the organization expects to meet the desired results; 2) Along with #1, encourage joint goal setting that leads to greater involvement and dialogue. Joint goal setting can be a powerful motivator (Reid, 2004, p. 40). 3) Support anonymous real-time feedback through the Internet or the traditional suggestion boxes. 4) In tandem with #3, respond to feedback to let employees know their ideas have been heard. 5) Test and reward new ideas and response to challenges; 6) See employee involvement as an ongoing process that builds over time, rather than a one-shot deal; and 7) Continually review the goals established to see what headway is being made and changes needed. Survey employees regularly to measure whether needs are being met and the degree of interest in the company's success. Employee specialist Joel Schettler also notes the importance of updating training that in many cases still treats personnel as â€Å"grist for the mill† (2003, p. 56). Training programs should be cast as enhancing a right rather than negating a wrong. Employee motivation and incentives and training programs must go hand-in-hand to become an effective tool in today's environment. Training should also develop teamwork and foster pride in one's work. Pay-for-performance approaches bring only short-term, skin-deep results. When an employees' emotional involved, unexpected positive results occur. Arnett (2002, p. 87) stresses that companies are always putting an emphasis on external marketing programs when they should be marketing their internal customers, â€Å"the employees,† as well. He argues that a successful internal-marketing strategy can enhance both job satisfaction, organizational pride and positive employee behavior that is characterized by a commitment to customer service, cooperation with other employees, and to the company. Looking at the research that has thus far been conducted on employee motivation, Arnett (2002, p. 88) says that the effects of employee satisfaction have been researched extensively, but not the effect of pride. In a study, he hypothesized that both job satisfaction and pride are important variables that managers can use to encourage employees to engage in desired behavior. Further, developing a good relationship with employees is a precursor to building a good relationship with customers. Specifically, the study looked at job satisfaction, or an employee's general affective evaluation of his or her job; pride, an emotion that is crucial to understanding human behavior that is derived from both self-appraisals and others' opinions and represents a belief that one is competent and viewed positively by others; role clarity, where employees are clear about the scope and responsibilities of their job; a reward system where employees know they will be measure on how well they perform their duties and that positive performance brings rewards; work environment that is pleasing and offers rewarding experiences; managers that provide the proper training, listen to employees and are fair; an organization that promotes its performance to employees so they know they are a part of that performance; and activities that foster positive employee behavior and the well-being of the organization. Arnett (2004) developed a questionnaire that was responded to by 860. The majority of the respondents had been with the organization for between 1 and 5 years, 26 percent had been with the corporation less than one year, and the remaining 3 percent had been with the company for over five years. Most respondents were hourly employees, 9 percent were supervisors, 4 percent were salaried non-management employees, and 4 percent were managers. The results showed that job satisfaction and pride have the desired goal of promoting positive employee behavior. Three factors seem especially critical to building job satisfaction among employees–role clarity, the work environment, and employees' evaluations of managers' performance. Employees who believed they had a clear understanding of what it took to do their job were more likely to be satisfied. Therefore, employers should try to ensure that employees have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and expectations. Interestingly, the employees' evaluation of the reward system did not influence their job satisfaction. However, the researchers feel this is not an indication that employees do not care about the reward systems in their organizations. Instead, it may be an indication that other factors are more important for changing employee behavior. The results do support the proposition that the work environment affects job satisfaction. Therefore, organizations should not focus solely on the guests' environment, but should also examine that used by their employees as well. Employee evaluations of managers is related positively to job satisfaction, so managers should monitor the perceptions that employees have of the management team and make changes as necessary. In fact, the workers' evaluation of managers is most important to job satisfaction; role clarity is the next most important, followed by work environment. The study also showed that job satisfaction effected pride positively. Employees who were the most satisfied with their jobs exhibited the most pride in their organizations. Therefore, we suggest that job satisfaction influences employee behavior. Second, it affects positive employee behavior indirectly by encouraging, pride in the organization, which then leads to positive employee behavior. The results support the fact that employees' evaluation of managers has a positive effect on pride in the organization, as well. The Arnett research concluded that both job satisfaction and pride in the organization are important factors that influence employee behavior. Therefore, organizations that wish to promote positive behavior in their employees should focus on both of these factors. Although many organizations have specific programs and procedures designed to improve employee satisfaction, fewer organizations make a concerted effort to increase employee pride. Our results suggest that more organizations should focus on improving employee pride. What these above studies demonstrate is that if a company wants to encourage positive change and employee behavior, they need to look at other factors than pay and other material incentives. Although these will always continue to part of an employee incentive package, it is also necessary to reward personnel with the knowledge that their feedback and involvement are important to the company's success.

New Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

New Terrorism - Essay Example This led to several groups who were a part of this era were specifically opposed to the government and political systems and focused on committing assassinations of those who were in power to overthrown the current system and to re-establish a different system. The rise of terrorism from the 1900s created the understanding of traditional terrorism, which was based on weapons such as guns that were used for assassinations. The motivations and strategies were always based on killing the leaders in power as well as the ability to overthrow specific powers. Most would separate themselves from society by different ethnic groups and through religious beliefs (Laqueur, 24: 1996). During the 1980s, the intensity of terrorism increased. The Cold War and the associations with international conflicts for the first time became the main conflict that was associated with terrorism. The main focus during this time was with state based terrorist groups who were taking part in guerrilla warfare, asso ciations with Civil Wars and which were creating specific statements against the government. During this time, there was a rise in small groups of terrorists that were interested in spreading a specific message across the state that opposed the government and system that was in conflict. The main initiative of these terrorist groups was based on finding ways to cause a level of destruction to the national governments while creating domestic problems in different regions. While some of these were based on domestic attacks to get international countries out of the country, the main objective was to work on attacking the current system and political affiliations that were in the country (Laqueuer, 25: 2006). The types of terrorism began to change after the... Even though there are several groups that use specific tactics that are upgraded and which have a specific mission, there are also similarities between the traditional and new groups. The first is based on the individualistic ideologies that are a part of terrorism. There is a known psychology which is related to terrorist groups which are based on specific personality disorders. Opposing groups to the government will act in a similar manner, despite the traditional or modern concepts used. In the traditional forms, this irrationality moved into attacking political leaders and creating assassinations, usually which was followed by delivering a message that the system needed to change. Today, the same commitment to delivering this message and to the irrationality of killing civilians to get a message across is the main agenda. The concept has led terrorist campaigns to be linked to the same irrationality and fanaticism throughout history and has altered the way in which all groups act in response to given situations. The concept of commitment to a message is one which is also driven by the concepts of how one begins to believe in the specific message and mission to be delivered as well as the fanaticism which is used to carry this out. In modern terrorism, most groups are religiously based and pride themselves on delivering a message from a sacred script which is ignored by political leaders and which is causing the destruction of specific systems.

International Trade & Institutions Business Report Essay

International Trade & Institutions Business Report - Essay Example hip brands namely Levi’s, Dockers, and Levis Strauss Signature suitable for a variety of consumers and have a strong global appeal (Just-Style, 2006). The corporation is organized into three geographic divisions – the Americas with San Francisco as the headquarters, Europe, Middle East and Africa (LSEMA), based in Brussels and the Asia Pacific Division (APD) based in Singapore. As of November 2005, the company sold through 55,000 retail locations across 100 countries. It has 107 own retail stores (those operated by self, independent franchisees and licensees) while in Europe and Asia it has 348 and 492 stores respectively (Just-Style). The company grew through acquisition and also licensed its name to be used on other products like shoes and socks. When the company ran into difficulties in early 1980s it entered into agreements with mass merchandisers to market its products (Mistler, 2001). By mid 1990s the company was back on track and started expanding in Eastern Euro pe and India as well. This report would look into the factors that led it to adopt a different approach in marketing its products in different regions and countries. Due to trade liberalization and enhanced communication, international trading has become a necessity in many sectors, one of them being the apparel sector. The internationalization process involves strategic and tactical decisions (GEB, 2006). The strategic decisions include foreign market selection, mode of entry decision, product portfolio strategies and market expansion strategies. The tactical decisions include the marketing mix strategy for individual country markets. Massive changes have come in after the apparel industry was freed from quota restrictions on 1st January 2005 after over forty years (Saheed, 2006). The enormous garment production capacity of many countries, so far locked due to quota has become available now. This has resulted in increased imports by US and Japan but lower imports in EU market due to decline in

System enhancement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

System enhancement - Essay Example re cases when the previous ticket is nicely documented, the engineer is even able to find troubleshooting commands as well as specifics on how to solve the customer’s issue. Escalation engineers are usually the best resort for the TAC engineer but, given the ratio of escalation persons to TAC engineers, a TAC engineer will ONLY reach out to his escalations when he doesn’t know the answer, or is unable to locate a Cisco document that would solve his issue and is not able to find a similar previous ticket or at least a previous ticket with valuable and relevant information. Topic tool, however, is at the TAC engineers’ disposal at any time and readily available with a tremendous amount of information. The real challenge is being able to search for the information you need and be able to find the answers you want on topic in the shortest time possible. The goal is not only to solve a case but to solve it quickly. Experience has shown that the more information added to the topic database and the shorter the time required to find that information equals the shorter the resolution time. This enhanced the overall customer’s experience with TAC. In some cases, the customer is a person with more experience than the TAC engineer himself but they still call in with a firm belief that their issue will be resolved because they know that a TAC engineer has the resources and will be able to find the answer from a previous ticket, filed notice, or a documented bug, all of which reside on our topic database. Out of all the resources available for TAC engineers there is consensus among TAC engineers that they get most of the answers to resolve their cases from the information found on the topic tool. The goal of this proposal is to make topic search a richer tool by adding more information to it, hence enabling TAC engineers to find solutions to a wider spectrum of issues. Based on my investigation, research and discussions with other engineers I found that an engineer

Evidence to Critically Discuss the Potential Consequences of Essay

Evidence to Critically Discuss the Potential Consequences of Implementing ERP Systems - Essay Example into a single information system5, ensure that financial data is consistent with other departments on a real-time basis6, improve resource planning, enhance the integration of global and supply chain system, and requires less computer applications7. Most of the routine accounting tasks will no longer be necessary8. Therefore, it is expected that there will be lesser cost on hiring accounting staff. Furthermore, the use of ERP can help reduce the risk of data redundancy. Therefore, problems related to financial integrity is possible. Due to the fact that real-time financial data will be available anytime of the day, managers can easily make important business decisions9. Despite the advantages of implementing ERPs, the use of this technology can be very costly because of the need to maintain and upgrade the system, hire additional consultants and technical experts who can convert existing data and customize the system based on the nature of business10. Aside from the need to re-train people on how to maximize the use of ERP system, the company also need to consider the need to change their normal business process. 11. Implementing the use of ERP could result to lesser accounting personnel by eliminating routine jobs12. Because of fear of losing their job security, implementing ERP increases the risk of creating resistance-to-change among its people13. As a result, there is a risk wherein internal problem such as work-related attitude and behaviour would arise. How the Role of Management Accountants Change when ERPs were Introduced Ever since the ERP has been introduced in the market, the role of management accountants has been subject to a lot of changes. Instead of focusing on pure book-keeping practices, management accountants who are obliged to use the ERP system are expected to play the role of an â€Å"internal consultant† to the business14. It means that management accountants should one way or the other serve as the financial adviser of the company. Through the use of ERP system, the future book-keeping would definitely become automated in terms of data collection15. Even though management accountants are expected to retain their knowledge in book-keeping, the future role of management accountants is not limited to having a vast knowledge and understanding about the basic business management theories and practices but also strive hard to improve their communication skills, interpersonal skills, consulting skills, IT skills, and ability to work in team16. Associated with the implementation of ERP system, the line managers are somehow expected to play a significant role in the management of allocated financial budget17. To ensure that the management accountants will be able to allocate sufficient budget to line managers, the management accountants should be able to forecast necessary budget based on historical data18. One of the main reasons why management accountants should acquire sufficient knowledge and skills in business management is because of their need to constantly communicate and interact with a group of business managers with regards to several bu siness issues19. By doing so, management accountants will be able to gain better understanding on how different business indicators can be used in gauging the overall business performance. In the process of learning more about how the daily business operations work, management accoun

Analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Analysis - Essay Example This environment exposes him to the knowledge of the scientists living within it. For example, Victor gains his knowledge of natural philosophy, â€Å"I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. I opened it with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate and the wonderful facts which he relates soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm† (36).   Victor becomes fascinated by natural philosophy as described by the author, and thus desires to experiment with what the author says. This eventually leads Victor to create The Monster, causing Victor to have a miserable life. Also, because Victor believes that the knowledge he has gained can enable him to create the living thing that can be able to lead life just as human beings. When Victor meets with two professors, Krempe and Waldman, he learns from these two professors. He realizes that the knowledge he has is not sufficient to carry out his experiments. Professor Krempe scolds Victor for what he has studied: ‘Have you,’ he said, ‘really spent your time in studying such nonsense?’ (43). From here, it can be noted that Professor Waldman supports him, â€Å"‘I should advise you to apply to every branch of natural philosophy, including mathematics’† (46). With Professor Waldman’s support, he is able to pursue his desire to understand natural philosophy and continues to study it. He does not give up with his passion of creating a kind of a human being; it thus leads him to the creation of The Monster. In as much as sciences environment it affects Victor’s knowledge, his Monster also is greatly changed based on his surroundings. The Monster created by Victor Frankenstein show readers how he is shaped by the conditions surrounding him. For instance, The Monster learns about the world and nature from what he faces after his birth, â€Å"I saw, felt, heard, and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the

Finance and Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Finance and Accounting - Essay Example According to most business firms, the definition employed by COSO relates to the aggregate control system of an organization. This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the forms of documentation presented by auditors. In most organizations, the auditors obtain information regarding the internal control of an organization and summarize the information in a form of documentation. In most instances, they use questionnaires, flowcharts, written narratives in order to present their findings. For example, an internal control questionnaire contains questions regarding the organization. In this form of documentation, negative responses signify weakness while positive answers signify the strengths of the organization. Questionnaires are normally easy to use. Furthermore, they cover a wide a topic of discussion. Contrarily, questionnaires are not flexible, and they may also require assistance while filling the answers (Giove 44). This proves that questionnaires are somewhat time-consuming and ineffective. A written narrative can also be used in the description of the main transaction cycles in an organization. Written narratives have also proved to have both merits and demerits. For instance, a written narrative substantially enhances the understanding of the personnel of the organization. However, this method is time-consuming and presents a difficulty of clear clarification of the content (Giove 45). Lastly, flowcharts can be described as diagrammatic representations of documents and procedures in a sequential manner.

United States Army Essay Example for Free

United States Army Essay The rhetoric writing skills that I have been learning as a modern-day student in English composition is certainly relevant to me because of my profession. To be an effective leader of the United States Army and to be able to provide adequate counseling to my soldiers, I must be able to get my ideas across effectively in both writing and speaking. Rhetoric, being the art of using language to communicate effectively, involves communicating my vision and effectively being able to express my ideas and disagreements. It is essential to me as a Signal Support Systems Specialist and my units ability to accomplish its mission. The study of rhetoric is valuable in allowing me to further enhance my abilities in persuasion, public relations, and technical writing that I use in my job. As a leader, my first priority is to ensure that I not only understand the mission assigned, but that I am able to communicate the intent, standard, and goals to my team. This is accomplished through writing out operation orders that are later discussed in detail in a small forum. Since there are cases where the decision that was made may not be in the best interest of my team, rhetoric is applied to communicate such concerns. There are also instances that the Senior Advisor in Signal Support to the commander delivers briefings and presentations. Having studied rhetoric, I am able to easily provide a presentation that is not only is informative but also gives various courses of action that can be implemented. Currently, under my supervision are three soldiers. As their leader, I must communicate consistently and effectively and this is done through verbal and written counseling. The purpose of counseling these soldiers is to ensure that they are sufficiently equipped and informed about their tasks and responsibilities. This highlights rhetoric’s importance in my ability to perform to standard. Rhetoric may be an ancient form of communication; however it is still prevalent today and allows me the ability to perform effectively daily. New Orleans is more than a tourist city to me. It is my home. It is where I was born and raised. To others, New Orleans may only be known for its Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street, and more recently, Hurricane Katrina. But this city is known for so much more that just these things. New Orleans is alive with culture, music, heritage, and great food that not many have even heard of. New Orleans is famous all over the world as the birthplace of Jazz, and is nicknamed Hollywood South for the numerous movies that have been filmed or produced in or around the city, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Last Holiday, Glory Road, and others. New Orleans has hosted nine Super Bowl games and the Nokia Sugar Bowl. This place is also the home of the Essence Music Festival, New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival and other events. New Orleans is a multicultural city that is rich with heritage and history that dates back to 1718. The multicultural environment can be owed to the fact that this place is a major port city. A testament to this is the presence of Americas oldest black neighborhood, Faubourg Treme. The Faubourg Treme is located between the boundaries of North Rampart Street and North Broad Street and from Canal Street to St. Bernard Avenue. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, Faubourg Treme was the first place free persons of color could purchase ownership of land and real property during a time when America still patronized slavery. New Orleans is a very musical city. It can be heard all throughout the city from local jazz musicians, brass bands, and high school bands. Music can be called the heart of New Orleans where people can enjoy them from street performers to any night club to where live performances are done. This is the only city where death would be celebrated with a jazz funeral, which begins with a march by the family, friends, and a brass band from the home, funeral home or church to the cemetery. I have a lot of recorded music from multiple arts and performances that people can listen to and enjoy as a testament to the musicality of the community. New Orleans is also known for its great food. There are a variety of food choices including fine dining restaurants to the local cafes, delis, and pizzerias. One of my favorite restaurants that is a must-try is Copelands Cajun Bistro located 1700 Lapalco Blvd. in Harvey, LA on the Westbank. The variety of Cajun dishes and seafood platters are worth the two hour wait without reservations on Friday and Saturday nights. A must-try dish is the ricochet catfish, which is great combination of Cajun and seafood mix. New Orleans is unlike any other city in the world. It has a great past and a promising future. When coming to visit, plan on returning for additional trips because no one can experience everything this city has to offer in just one visit. I mentioned a few places can be enjoyed doing on your trip but, there is so much more. I have lived here my entire life and I still have not taken in all of the culture, music, heritage, and great food New Orleans has to offer. Enjoy your trip! Being a Signal Support Systems Specialist in the United States Army, I use technical documents daily. In the field of Tactical Radio Communication, I refer to technical manuals to be my guide. There was a sixteen week course of training I went through to learn how to operate various equipment. The technical manuals used for the equipment I use have complicated flow charts and diagrams that contain instructions on how to effectively operate them. By fully understanding the technical manuals and how to operate the equipment, I transform the technical language into simpler terms others less versed with them will be able to understand and operate the equipment. If my audience was unfamiliar with the equipment, it wound be difficult for them to understand the text inside of a technical manual. This is why, when I give instructions to personnel who do not have the same knowledge as I do, I reconstruct my text so that that my class would understand. When explaining the contents of the technical manual, common words are used to explain the point of the book. Words like SINCGARS, Cypher Text, and DAGR are changed to better understand into simpler words such as radio, secure communication, and GPS. Choice of vocabulary for a general audience will get your point across without confusing your audience, and give them a general idea of what you are saying. When crafting the sentence structures, short and concise sentences are used to capture the attention of my audience. The technical manual is filled with a lot of safety warnings and limitations that are very lengthy. Constantly reading these limitations can confuse, scare, and take away the attention span of my audience. Instead of constantly reading safety warnings every three to five lines, I omit the scenarios the audience would not face to make it easier to follow. This will simplify the understanding of what they are reading. In any writing, it is important to pay attention to your choice of text, sentence structure and sentence length. Breaking down the contents of the technical manual taking out the use of technical terms and replacing with common words, it would be easier for my audience with no knowledge of the equipment to understand. The use of basic terms makes it easier to keep the audience attention and help them understand them importance of what you are describing to them. I chose threes three essays to be in my portfolio because these are where I learned so much. These three essays show different styles of writing that I can use both in my personal, everyday communication as well as in my profession. These three essays also contain many of the points that were important for me to improve on. From vocabulary to grammar to mechanics, I have seen where I can improve my written English skills to best serve me now and in the future. The way I edited my work is through reading it first. There are many cases when I thought that the sentence just doesn’t read or feel right. So in the first instance, I focused on style before I went to the detailed nitty-gritty of the whole essay. Such cases like the first sentence of my first paragraph, â€Å"As a modern-day student of English composition, the style of rhetoric writing is most applicable to me because of my profession† I changed to â€Å"The rhetoric writing skills that I have been learning as a modern-day student in English composition is certainly relevant to me because of my profession. † I did this because I felt that the flow was better and that it hammers the point across better than the previous sentence. Another example is the change of the sentence from â€Å"Since the city serves as a major United States port, New Orleans is a multicultural city† to â€Å"The multicultural environment can be owed to the fact that this place is a major port city. † To aid these changes, I also extended my vocabulary so that I would not sound redundant in my work. Such instances include deleting nouns and using pronouns in their place or using other nouns (such as â€Å"city† for â€Å"New Orleans†). Sometimes, I even revise whole sentences in order to reduce the number of times I need to write the actual noun I was referring to. In terms of vocabulary, using a more extensive choice of words also worked to keep the flow of the sentences moving, but more importantly, make the point clearer. A case in point is when I used â€Å"Faubourg Treme was the first place free persons of color could purchase ownership of land and real property during a time when America was still immersed in slavery† in my earlier work and replaced it with â€Å"Faubourg Treme was the first place free persons of color could purchase ownership of land and real property during a time when America still patronized slavery. † The precise use of the words made it clear that America was using slavery instead of the former which can be confused as Americans being in slavery themselves. This highlights the importance of using precise language in delivering our messages and getting our points across more clearly. I was also careful of the use of punctuation marks when I revised my three essays. I noticed that I often do not use a comma when a comma is required. I also observed that I use the wrong spacing in between words; most especially in between two sentences (after the period and before the first word of the next sentence). These errors, I also removed. I also followed comments given on my papers. One such example is cutting a redundant paragraph in the last essay (on the point that most of the key information can already be found in the first paragraph). Other things I followed are accepting the comments and revisions made on the paper when some sentences and words were changed or deleted or added to. I also took notes on important comments and internalized them, such as giving out topic sentences. I revised my work to accommodate the comments and revisions made on my paper and kept an open mind about the mistakes that I made to make sure I learn my lessons well. In all, I learned so much from the exercise of drafting my writing and editing them. I have learned the importance of editing because without it, I make so many mistakes and these mistakes might become a source of confusion to those who will read my work. I also know that if I edit, I can make my points clearer and that I can even emphasize things that are needed to be emphasized when they are not done so in the first place during the first draft of my work. In all, many of my editing came from conscious decisions that I learned in class.

Effect of the Traditional Practices on Modernization

Effect of the Traditional Practices on Modernization Effect Of The Traditional Practices On Modernization: Roaring Dragon Hotel (RDH) and Hotel International (HI) Executive Summary In this paper in working the proposal for smooth transition of organization from tradition workspace culture in case of Roaring Dragon Hotel (RDH) and Hotel International (HI). I will address major issues which effected the modernization of the one of the largest and famous hotel in southwestern china. (Grainger, 2008). Transition of the well establish and tradition organization from the routine style of the work culture is difficult and required well understanding of local sentiment and cultures, transition can successful when respect is paid to local work culture and making the people to realize need of the this transition and make transition working together. In case of RDH well established and well reputed hotel which had tradition and local custom kind of the work culture. When the HI tried to modernize RDH irrespective of the employee’s interest and without knowledge of the workflow of the hotel caused failure (Grainger, 2008). Introduction: Modernization of RDH The RDH is famous and one of the original three start hotel in southwest china is a state owned enterprise (SOE). Employees are working for long time with hotel and new employees are transferred from other SOE, by following guanxi connections. Work culture is grounded to more toward native work culture, with lazy managers, unorganized work manners, unprofessional employees. State government decide to modernize the hotel and they hired HI to implement the modernization (Grainger, 2008). Work environment was more relaxed and casual, with more benefits and less stressful workload compare to other organization, and more leisure time for worker to relax and even some manager are running private business by leaving the work place in mid of the shifts. With market economy slowly growing in china doesn’t concerned the RDH management in fading reputation and slowing profits, still management doesn’t want to practice new work culture, nor think how to improve hotel in growing competition. In 2000, Provisional government realizing the concern over RDH and declining the popularity and profit, decided to modernize the hotel and starting searching for well reputed and experienced international management for modernization of RDH. After deep research they decided the Hotel International is best choice for implementing this process. In 2001, after series of agreement they appointed HI to take over the management from 2002 (Grainger, 2008). . Background : Knowing market is Important China is one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world, it is experiencing a great deal of change in the management style and organization culture (Yipeng, Woywode Yijun, 2012). Provisional government realizing this fact and concerned about the declining quality and profit, hoped that appoint international reputed and experiences HI can bring modernization in to RDH (Grainger, 2008). Paul Fortune GM of HI has appointed for implementing the modernization of the RDH, after taking up management from SOE in 2002 (Grainger, 2008). Problem: Making Connections Fortune realized in modernization of RDH involve massive change in the current work practices, educate the employees for regulated work environment, increase the professionalism in the workplace and takeout the irregularity in the employees day to day activities. Major change he proposed to sidetrack the guanxi hiring process by introducing two month training and hiring process and reducing the staff size as demolition of part of hotel decrease the serviced rooms in hotel which caused over staff (Grainger,2008). This actions without proper understanding the local traditions and belief had cause dissatisfaction among the employees caused in decrease in productivity from employees. Failed to retain longtime customers further decremented the profit caused the shortage of money (Grainger, 2008). In the transformation influenced by culture may cause the misinterpretation among the management and employees being with the organization long time and well incorporated in current organization culture (Yipeng, Woywode Yijun, 2012). Guanxi rooted deeply in to RDH, which in positive side increase the satisfaction rate in employees and kept trust in the organization. Guanxi â€Å"refers to personal ties between individuals as well as to an individual’s whole network of personal relationships† (Olwen Hwang, 2013). According to Bedford and Hwang guanxi play key role in career success, because it improve ability to maintain connection in and out of a circle which ultimately increase circle and contact with resources needed for development (p1). In case of the Guanxi this connection are ignored which broke the relationship factors (Grainger, 2008). Other factor which effect in this transformation is trust. While cutting down the resources, employees were mentioned about their termination after leaving the workplace, thinking they may steal the property of RDH in angry (Grainger, 2008). This broke the trust factor between the management and employees who are working trustfully for year with RDH. Opportunities: Future is important HI had started the implementing the modernization for change the status of the RDH with current reputation and putting it in to future economic market. It focused on the improving in long term prospective, it motive was exactly the RDH needed but failed to see the consequences while this implementation. It made strict work place but lacked the motivation (Grainger, 2008). It had seen the negative effect of the guanxi, but it forgot see the positive side. While the factor of globalization coming in to picture connection play major role in flow of knowledge the across which help in the growing not only one domain but in all the prospective domain (Xiaoying, 2013). If you consider case of guanxi in RDH if it had utilized in efficient way it would have increase the reputation of the RDH across the globe. Recommendation: Communication, Teamwork, Leadership Communication is key factor is any organization. When we come across cross culture migration like case study of the RDH, it is important that the continuous communication is establish between the low level and high employees, where in this case it is lacking. Poor communication creates a gap vacuum between the layers and cause the breakage in the flow (Malcolm Pegg, 2012). Utilizing the current guanxi process and building from the strong is important, in concept the guanxi builds strong relationship between the individual’s breaks the barrier in the teams and bring everyone in to one roof. Guanxi serves as median team building and access to other group with strong relationships â€Å"Guanxi should play a critical role in influencing team interaction processes and members’ effectiveness† (Chou, Cheng, Huang Hung-Yueh, 2006). Leadership is other factor which is lacking the RDH case. RDH lack proper leadership which is ready take up the responsibility, they took the things for granted. RDH required an authentic leadership who have â€Å"self-awareness, internal regulation, balanced information, authority, relational transparency† (Kinsler, 2014). A strong leader who can integrate his idea in to present system, able to express and pass the message strong across the organization and taking barrier away (Kinsler, 2014). Conclusion: Understanding Understanding the process is important part, making every one understand the process is challenge task and important task. HI need to understand the importance of the interpersonal connection and utilize them to benefit of the RDH rather than pushing out. As Guanix is rooted deep in to the Chinese culture it can’t be uprooted in a short span (Liu, Woywode Xing, 2012). HI need to incorporate the connection in and out circle. References: Bedford, O., Hwang, S. (2013). Building Relationships for Business in Taiwanese Hostess Clubs: the Psychological  and Social Processes of Guanxi Development.Gender, Work Organization,20(3), 297-310. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0432.2011.00576.x. Grainger, S. (2008). Roaring Dragon Hotel. Western Ontario, Canada: Ivey Publishing. Hill, M. L., Jones, P. (2012). Measures and Metrics Shape and Sustain a Cultural Change Initiative in a  Global Research Division.OD Practitioner,44(4), 34-41. Kinsler, L. (2014). Born to be mewho am I again? The development of Authentic Leadership  using Evidence-Based Leadership Coaching and Mindfulness. International Coaching Psychology Review, 9(1), 92-105. Li-Fang, C., Bor-Shiuan, C., Min-Ping, H., Hung-Yueh, C. (2006). Guanxi networks and members’ effectiveness in  Chinese work teams: Mediating effects of trust networks.Asian Journal Of Social Psychology,9(2), 79-95.  doi:10.1111/j.1467-839X.2006.00185.x Qi, X. (2013). Guanxi, social capital theory and beyond: toward a globalized social science Guanxi, social capital  theory and beyond: toward a globalized social science.British Journal Of Sociology,64(2), 308-324.  doi:10.1111/1468-4446.12019. Liu, Y., Woywode, M., Xing, Y. (2012). High technology start-up innovation and the role of guanxi : an explorative  study in China from an institutional perspective.Prometheus,30(2), 211-229. doi:10.1080/08109028.2012.661558

Culture in South Korea

Culture in South Korea Have you ever thought about how many different cultures there are around the globe? No two cultures will ever be the same, they are all very unique in their own ways. One of these global countries is South Korea. The United States has a great relationship with South Korea. After World War II and the Korean War, the United States is currently at peace with South Korea. The relationship with the United States is just one of the many things that South Korea can offer from its country. From the amazing physical features, exciting holidays and traditions, and also to the government and economy, this is just one of the beautiful countries to look into. The country we are researching is South Korea. It is located on the continent Asia, below North Korea, and it is near Japan and China. South Korea is 38,691 miles squared while the U.S is 3,797,000 miles squared. That is about 20% of the size of California! Even though South Korea is that small, it has a population of about 55.22 million people. South Korea consists of mostly mountains in the east, and has many coastlines and beaches in the south. Unfortunately, many of the mountains and coastlines are taken up by buildings, and apartments, but still many of them exist allowing one to travel these natural formations. Even though with many of the natural formations still around, South Korea is starting to lose many of their natural resources due to theÂÂ   resources being over harvested. Some of the natural resources are still around and grown, like food, but most of it are brought in from other countries because Korea had either gotten rid of these natural materials by building many factories and housing over them, or over harvested them. Going through the list of South Koreas physical features, South Korea has very different climates all throughout the 4 seasons. The spring and fall are very short with temperatures that are between summer and winter. On the other hand, summer is very humid and hot while winter is long, cold, and dry. South Korea has the fourth largest economy in the world. South Korea made about 1.679 trillion ppp dollars in their gross national product in 2013, and their per capita income for 2013 was 33,440 ppp dollars. Most of the economy of South Korea comes from the companies and business that the people make. Many people in South Korea work in some form of business rather than agriculture. Usually people in the countryside work with the agriculture and livestock. Typically the farmers grow barley, wheat, rice, soybeans, and root vegetables, and they have livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens. Koreas form of government is a Parliamentary Democracy. This means that that the country has a president and a prime minister. Currently the president in South Korea is Park Geun-hye and the prime minister is Hwang Kyo-ahn. Their Judicial system consists of the Supreme court of South Korea. The constitutional court of South Korea, six high courts, 13 district courts, family court, and a Administrative court. Their military headquarters are in Seoul, South Korea, and their minister of defense is Han-Min Goo. Also, Koreas crime rate is considered low. Now the tour heading towards the South Koreans culture, money holidays, etc. The currency for South Korea is called won. The country was created in around the 1950s after the war between North and South Korea. The main language for Korea is Korean, but other languages are starting to come in, for example English. Korean or Hangul was created by King Sejong in 1443 to help the common people to speak and write, before that a writing style called Hanja was used. The Capital of South Korea is Seoul. Like the capital Seoul, many other cities are urban cities, but that doesnt mean that there is not rural areas. Most of the rural areas are inhabited by much older people, while the urban consists of many younger people. South Koreans eat many different types of foods. Two biggest foods that they eat is Kimchi and Rice. Koreans even eat rice for breakfast, so they dont really eat the traditional things like cereal, pancakes, eggs and bacon. They also eat all sorts of seafood, and eats some th ings that people will call disgusting. One of the greatest thing about Korea, is that they deliver many different types of food to peoples homes, and they also have many places where they sell street foods. There are many different holidays and events in Korea. The Two big holidays in Korea are Chuseok, Koreas version of Thanksgiving and Seollal or Korean Lunar New Year. Both years are celebrated by seeing family and eating many different types of food. In Seollal, a tradition food called Tteokguk (rice cake soup) is eaten. Also, people play yutnori as a fun games. In Chuseok a food called Songpyeon, a Korean traditional rice cake which usually contains sesame seeds and honey as stuffing, but other ingredients such as black beans, mung beans, cinnamon, pine nut, walnut, chestnut, and jujube are used, is eaten and trade with neighbors. In both holidays, Koreans give respect to their elders and their ancestors, and wear traditional Korean clothes called Hanbok, hanbok is also wore during weddings by the bride and groom. Both holidays dont have an exact date and change each year depending on the Lunar calendar. Besides these holidays, Koreans have many special events. For example on Novemb er 11th, it is Pepero Day. This day is really meaningless, but it is a fun day where Pepero is on special discounts and sales. It is on November 11th because 11/11 is like the Pepero sticks. There are also many other meaningless, but fun holidays like Pepero Day. Other holidays, for example, are like Childrens Day. However, even with these fun holidays, education still plays a big important role to the people of Korea, and the holidays shouldnt take away the students focus of their work. In South Korea the literacy rate is 99.2% for males and for female its 96.6%. If you think school is hard here in America, well you are wrong. Most high school students in Korea attend school from 9am to 5pm, and they also take additional night schools and after school. However, students only take high school for three years because a year in a grade is usually longer than America. Even by a young grade like first grade, children start going to after school and are given a lot of work. Many of these students end up taking up the business career because that is what most of the Koreas economy is made out of. South Korea is unique from the U.S because of many reasons. One of these reasons is that in South Korea people eat seaweed soup, miyeokguk, during their birthdays. This is unique because in the U.S we eat cake. Another reason is that originally it was illegal to marry someone with the same surname. This is because the same surname makes someone distantly related, so you are technically marrying someone you are related too. Another thing is Koreans are actually very strict about a lot of things. For example, if a famous person makes a tiny mistake of driving after drinking, they could lose all their fame and may never even be able to come back in television. These are some unique things that South Korea has. South Korea is a very interesting and fun country. It is not just a country about K-Pop, (Korean pop), it is more than that. In our tour we experienced government, economy, holidays, and education. If you are a traveler or want to go to somewhere for a short vacation trip, South Korea is a place for you.

The Smoking Truth :: essays research papers

The Smoking Truth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three major stereotypes when it comes to people who smoke. The three stereotypes are; all smokers are unhealthy, all smokers can’t stop smoking because they are so addicted, and they all started smoking to fit in with the group. Growing up I can remember everybody telling not to smoke because it was bad for you, but I never understood why until I took notice to my dad. My dad smokes maybe a half a pack a day and his teeth and clothes show it. He is always out of breath and coughing up Phlegm but you just can’t judge all smokers by just one smoker. So I chose a specific group of smokers to observe them because they were the perfect group to prove or disprove the stereotype since they resembled many of the groups of smokers around the campus. On the balcony right beside my window is the perfect place for a group of smokers to socialize because there is a nice view of Morgantown and it’s not really in the open so they have some kind of privacy to talk about what ever they want. I watched a specific group of smokers who got together about five times a day to share stories and make plans for the night to come. This group consisted to two girls and three guys. The first guy always wear’s a white West Virginia University hat turned around backwards, looks as if he works out, about five foot eleven and usually has on a T-shirt and shorts. The second guy is what you would call chubby. He’s not really sloppy fat but he’s not skinny either. He has a couple of chins and a pretty hefty gut. Like the first guy he always a white West Virginia hat with a slightly different logo and he tip’s the hat up slightly so it looks as if a strong breeze could blow it off. The third guy is huge. I think he may p lay football because I see him wake up early every morning with his gym gear on walking down the street with the other football players. He usually wears a tight t-shirt to show off his bulging muscles and a pair of Kaki shorts. The first girl has blond hair and deep blue eyes. She likes to wear tight t-shirts and pants even though she isn’t the fittest girl.

managerial accounting :: essays research papers

Management accounting is concerned with the provision and use of accounting information to managers within organizations, to facilitate the managers in their decision making and management control functions. Unlike financial accounting information (which, for the most part, is made publicly available), management accounting information is used within an organization and is usually confidential. (Jiambalvo) The distinction between traditional and innovative management accounting practices can be illustrated by reference to cost control techniques. Traditionally, management accountants’ principal cost control technique was variance analysis, which is a systematic approach to the comparison of the actual and budgeted costs of the raw materials and labor used during a production period. While some form of variance analysis is still used by most manufacturing firms, it nowadays tends to be used in conjunction with innovative techniques such as lifecycle costing and activity-based costing, which are designed with specific aspects of the modern business environment in mind. Lifecycle costing recognizes that managers’ ability to influence the cost of manufacturing a product is at its greatest when the product is still at the design stage of its product lifecycle (i.e., before the design has been finalised and production commenced), since small changes to the product design may le ad to significant savings in the cost of manufacturing the product. Activity-based costing recognizes that, in modern factories, most manufacturing costs are determined by the amount of ‘activities’ (e.g., the number of production runs per month, and the amount of production equipment idle time) and that the key to effective cost control is therefore optimizing the efficiency of these activities. Both lifecycle costing and activity-based costing recognize that, in the typical modern factory, the avoidance of disruptive events (such as machine breakdowns and quality control failures) is of far greater importance than (for example) reducing the costs of raw materials.

Uncertainty and Volatility

Uncertainty and volatility are common attributes of today's national economies. While Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent major players in these economies, their stability and profitability are crucial issues that need further investigation. This statement is particularly significant in the Saudi Arabian context, because such enterprises have relatively recently begun to emerge and are beginning to play a dominant role in the country's economy. At the same time, the SME sector in Saudi Arabia is currently facing many barriers related to their relatively new economic situation (Kuada, 2006), as the atmosphere of the economic world is constantly changing and tends to be somewhat uncertain. As a result, companies, including SMEs, need to be more creative and flexible as they seek to get maximum profits in the minimum amount of time. Moreover, it has been noted that human resources play a vital role for every company to achieve its goals (Barney & Wright, 1998), hence most companies seek to recruit high aptitude managers who can be a valuable addition to a workplace and can lead a company to achieve sustained success. In this respect, employee retention is considered one of the most serious challenges facing the stability of small organizations, since employee turnover can be harmful and expensive. When an employee intends to leave the company voluntarily, the issue is of such importance that numerous researchers have investigated the causes and effects of voluntary turnover (Al-A'Raj, 1989). Whilst the cost of losing skilled employees can be harmful for any organization (Ballinger, Craig, Cross, ; Gray, 2011), it is particularly so in SMEs as the effect is proportionally greater. According to O'Connell and Mei-Chuan (2007), the average cost of employee turnover is approximately $13,996 per employee. Further, Ballinger, Craig, Cross and Gray (2011) estimate that the direct cost of hiring and training a new employee can range from 25% to 500% of the employee's annual salary, and, as such, Boushey and Glynn (2012) found that the replacement of highly educated executive employees averages 213% of the annual salary bill for a company. It has been noted that because this significant turnover is such a costly process (Al-A'Raj, 1989), it could lead to serious negative consequences for an organization. Indeed, in some situations, the consequences of significant turnover rates could expand beyond the organization to influence the labour market, the economic cycle and communities in general. Furthermore, Hyson (2016) and George (2015) argue that an organization can both conserve knowledge and manage resources more cost-effectively through being proactive in attempting to retain valuable employees. As a result of such deliberate actions to maintain staff, organizations are likely to increase their overall performance and develop long-term stability. In this respect, it has been suggested that manager behaviour plays a vital role in staff turnover. For example, Snyder and Lopez (2009) have specifically asserted that the encouragement of skilled employees by managers is vital in this regard. Of particular interest to the current study is that, in the SME sector, because enterprises are fiscally smaller their resources are generally scarcer. In the light of this scarcity, employee turnover is a more harmful occurrence than in large organizations which are able to absorb the consequential additional financial outlay described above. For this reason, the SME sector constitutes an important area for further research. Moreover, researchers analysing the behaviour of managers in SMEs report that the manager's emotional intelligence is of great importance, as it significantly affects the management processes and outcomes within their enterprises. It is telling that the debate over topics related to EI and employee's behaviour is ongoing in different cultures and parts of the world (Ang et al., 2007) , and it is asserted here that the role of EI in reducing turnover is one particular area that requires further investigation. Therefore, it is postulated that the analysis of the role of EI in the SME context should be carefully investigated in order to understand the way it affects employee's retention outcomes in Saudi Arabia. It has also emerged that there is an extensive amount of controversy surrounding whether there are any differences in the levels and perceptions of EI in managers from different backgrounds and cultures, and, in addition, to what extent EI can be affected by these factors. limited research has been conducted on the relationship and/or link between EI and employee turnover in SMEs, specifically in the Middle Eastern context. Thus, this research aims to fill an important void in the literature.

Chrysalis module four behaviourism Essay

‘Behaviourists explain maladaptive behaviour in terms of the learning principles that sustain and maintain it. Discuss this statement and show how a behaviourist’s approach to therapy is in stark contrast to a psychoanalytic one’ In this essay I will first of all explain the main principles and theories that underpin the behaviourist approach to psychology. I will subsequently outline how behaviourist theory can provide therapists with some insight into both the causes of maladaptive behaviour and how that behaviour might be sustained and maintained. Having discussed the main behaviourist principles and how they relate to maladaptive behaviour, I will then compare and contrast the behavioural approach with the psychoanalytic (Freudian) approach. I will also comment on ethical issues especially as they relate to behaviourism and some of the experiments on which the theory is founded. Behaviourism is a school of psychology that emphasises the scientific study of obs ervable behaviours especially as they relate to the process of learning. It was highly influential and dominated psychological theory for some thirty years between the early 1920’s and 1950’s. The early formulation of behaviourist theory was in the work of an American psychologist John B Watson. In some respects, his research was a response to the prevailing psychoanalytic approaches to therapy at the time. In his work ‘Psychology from the Standpoint of a Behaviourist’ published in 1929, Watson believed that behaviourism, ‘Attempted to make a fresh, clean start in psychology, breaking with current theories and with traditional concepts and terminology’ (www.britannica.com). His vision was one of psychology becoming a purely objective branch of natural science, where the only admissible conclusions were those that could be obtained by independent observers of the same object or event, as would be the case in scientific experiments. Behaviourism is concerned with explaining how behaviour arises and is maintained. Also to identify and characterise influences on behaviour and to explain how, under certain conditions, behaviour can change. The roots of behaviourist theory can be found in the work of Ivan Pavlov, a Russian scientist. He researched what is known as reflex, an automatic reaction to a particular stimulus. Specifically, his research looked at the reflex that stimulates the production of saliva in dogs when given meat. The meat is the stimulus for the reflex, but what Pavlov noticed was that the dogs in his experiments would start to salivate even at  the sight of the person who regularly fed them. In his famous and now well- known experiment, Pavlov then introduced the sound of a bell every time the food was presented. He found that just the sound of the bell would produce the same reaction in the dogs even if there was no food. He concluded that the dogs had learned that the bell signalled food. Watson brought Pavlov’s findings to the attention of fellow psychologists and then conducted his own experiment involving a young boy, Albert. This came to be known as the ‘Little Albert’ experiment. Watson initially presented Albert with a tame rat and observed his response; at that st age the boy had no fear of the rat. Watson subsequently observed Albert’s reaction to a loud noise when it was made behind his head. Not surprisingly, the child cried at the sound and tried to move away from it. Watson then presented the rat to Albert just before making the loud sound. This time the child reacted by moving away from the rat thereby demonstrating to Watson a change in behaviour as a result and linking the rat to the loud noise. Watson’s experiment showed that Albert had learned to show a defensive reflex reaction. This came to be known as classical conditioning and this approach to understanding behaviour was described as stimulus response psychology. These days the ethics of this experiment would be highly questionable however, subjecting a child to fear in this way and conditioning his response as a result would not acceptable. Several contemporaries of Watson were also working in this area of behavioural research. The work of Edward Thorndike and B.F. Skinner made a huge contribution to behaviourist psychology. Thorndike pioneered the study of animal behaviour with his ‘puzzle boxâ €™ into which he placed a hungry cat. Food was placed outside the box and he found that the cat learned to manipulate the door catch to get out of the box to obtain the food. Unlike Pavlov’s dogs, the cat in his study had some element of control given that being able to get the food was conditional on the cat opening the door. The consequences of the cat’s behaviour (getting the food), Thorndike argued, altered the cat because it learned to open the door. As the cat was ‘instrumental in opening the door he called this instrumental conditioning. Skinner, who was influenced by Thorndike’s work, argued that learning through reinforcement is common to all species not just animals. Much of his work involved studying the behaviour of rats and pigeons. He conducted several experiments using a special device he designed called the ‘Skinner  box’. This provided a controlled environment in which animal behaviour could be observed in a systematic way. His experiments were designed to shed light on how behaviour is initiated, maintained and how under certain conditions it can be changed as a result of consequences of the beha viour. He argued that behaviour takes a particular form because it has consequences that both give rise to it and maintain it. When the consequences change, so does the behaviour he said. Skinner placed a hungry rat in the box where it had to negotiate a maze to find the food. At first the rat would run up blind alleys in the maze but with experience it gradually learned how to negotiate the maze to find the food more quickly. Behaviourists like Skinner believed that the principles involved in these learning processes were applicable to people and underpin complex human behaviour. Skinner proposed that behaviour changes as a result of its consequences and that behaviour is also reinforced by reward. Behaviour that is reinforced will also increase in frequency Skinner suggested. Similarly, he argued, negative reinforcement works in the same way as positive re inforcement. For example, if a loud noise is made every time a rat pokes its nose through its cage, the rat would stop doing it. He promoted the idea that as humans are just another species, giving praise for desirable behaviour in a child would reinforce that behaviour in the same way that getting food by pressing a lever in a box would reinforce behaviour in a rat. Skinner went further by suggesting that there is no such thing as free will; he called it the principle of determinism, the assertion that all human behaviour is determined by what went before. Skinner’s hypotheses created widespread debate amongst psychologists and not surprisingly, his critics pointed out that humans are very different to animals and that results from experiments conducted on rats in a laboratory couldn’t just be applied to human behaviour. Behaviourist critics reasoned that human behaviour is immeasurably more sophisticated than animal behaviour, rooted in language and operating within complex cultures. Humans have insight into their behaviour and have conscious awareness, they contended and therefore are able to make conscious choices. Skinner fell out of favour in the 1970’s following the publication of his book ‘Beyond Freedom and Dignity’ where he urged society to reject the assumption that free will is the main determinant of behaviour. In contrast to the psychoanalytic school of psychology, behaviourists regard  all behaviour as a response to stimuli, with the underlying assumption that what we do is determined by the environment we are in that provides stimuli to which we respond. Also that the environments we have been in in the past, caused us to learn to respond to stimuli in particular ways. ‘Behaviourists are unique amongst psychologists in believing that it is unnecessary to speculate about internal mental processes when explaining behaviour’ (psychlotron.org.uk). Behaviourists believe that people are born with some innate reflexes such as fear and rage which do not need to be learned, but that all of a person’s complex behaviours are as a result of learning thr ough interaction with the environment. It is therefore assumed that the individual plays no part in choosing their own actions and behaviour. Today only a few psychologists would label themselves as behaviourists and the arguments about free will and conscious choices still continue. However, studies since the 1950’s have in fact brought an increasing recognition that conditioning probably occurs more widely than was previously understood. It is recognised for example that drug or alcohol use can be triggered by environmental cues – places and situations where drug taking or alcohol consumption is present. Contemporary therapy for some types of psychological distress owes much to insight derived from behaviourism. Children who self -harm can be treated with techniques of re inforcement for non- harming behaviours for example. Apparently one of the techniques used for treating people with obsessional and phobic disorders involves identifying and removing reinforcement for behaviour that is excessive and reinforcing the more positive behaviour with praise. The behaviourist approach is also relevant in understanding addiction and habitual behaviour – whether it be smoking, drugs, alcohol, drugs, gambling or sex etc. With this type of maladaptive behaviour there is a strong and fairly immediate positive reinforcing consequence of the behaviour. Whereas the unpleasant consequences of the behaviour are delayed i.e. potential serious illness in terms of smoking for instance. It is also recognised that someone who regularly exhibits violent or aggressive tendencies may well have grown up in a violent household where violent behaviour was modelled and reinforced. The psychoanalytic approach to counselling and psychotherapy has its roots in Freudian theory which essentially espouses that it is repressed memo ries and sexual wishes that are the root of psychological problems. In the  psychoanalytic approach there is an assumption that client’s difficulties have their ultimate origin in childhood experiences and that the client is not usually aware of the motives or impulses behind their actions. Prior to Watson and Skinner’s experiments, psychology had almost entirely been based on a psychoanalytic approach – the study of what happens in people’s minds. In therapy, people would report what was on their mind and this was documented and analysed by psychologists such as Freud. This approach to understanding people’s behaviour was considered highly subjective and unscientific by behaviourists. Freud espoused a range of theories to account for maladaptive behaviour; he argued that in early childhood three phases of psycho sexual development set the stage for a series of conflicts between the child and its environment, its family and most importantly its parent. He proposed that that the way in which parents responded to th e child would have a powerful influence on the later personality of the child and a significant impact on adult relationships. Psychological problems according to Freud arise because a person’s impulses and drives are driven underground and continue to influence the person subconsciously. There is significant emphasis in psychoanalytic theory on the quality of the relationship between child and parents. The fundamental viewpoint shared by all psychoanalytic counsellors and therapists is that in order to understand the personality of an adult client it is necessary to understand the development of their personality through childhood. Freud did not suggest however that that childhood experiences directly influence adult personality; he stated that the influence occurred in a particular way through the operation of the unconscious mind. This is perhaps where there is the most stark contrast between the behaviourist and psychoanalytic approaches. Behaviourists concern themselves with actual, observable behaviour rather than internal thoughts processes. Freud however not only advanced the idea of the unconscious mind, he also developed a complex theoretical model explaining the human mind as comprising three regions which he labelled the id the ego and the superego. The id being a reservoir of primitive instincts and impulses that are the ultimate motives for the behaviour; the ego which is the conscious rational part of the mind that makes decisions and deals with external reality and the superego a sort of store house of rules and taboos, mainly an internalisation of parental attitudes. Conflicts between  these elements can lead to stress in Freudian theory. An individual’s behaviour can be understood according to Freud, as being under the control of forces such as repressed memories, childhood fantasies which a person cannot acknowledge. The role of the psychoanalytic therapist is to look for ways of getting beneath the surface of what the client is saying and what is immediately observable. One could of course explain t he ‘forces’ mentioned above in behaviourist terms; that a person has simply been conditioned to do, act, say things in a certain way. A child repeatedly subject to violence or witnessing violence may well be more prone to aggressive behaviour in adulthood for example. But in Freud, I feel there is a richness not found in behaviourism. People and relationships are complex and therefore some emotional problems equally complex. In my view a psychoanalytic approach attempts at least to reflect this complexity – where therapy aims to enable clients to become more aware of their inner emotional life and therefore be more able to control feelings in an appropriate manner and gain the freedom to behave differently. A key aim of psychoanalysis is to achieve client insight into the true nature of their issues/ problems. Genuine insight usually being attained as result of the quality of the relationship between client and therapist. There is little reference to the quality relationship between client and therapist in the behaviourist approach. In the psychoanalytic approach there is as much emphasis on what the client doesn’t say as on what he or she does say about his or her problem – Freud wrote about what he termed defence mechanisms, which seek to protect an individual from emotionally disturbing or threatening unconscious impulses. These defence mechanisms might include such things as repression , denial, projecting one’s unacceptable thoughts and feelings to another person; or displacement, where an individual might channel impulses to a different target or regression where an individual responding to internal feelings triggered by an external threat, might revert to childlike behaviour from an earlier stage of development. This aspect of Freud’s theory provides powerful insight I feel into certain maladaptive behaviours. Of course the work of the proponents of behaviourism such as Watson and Skinner and Freud’s psychoanalytic theories have been developed and redefined over the years. In my opinion both approaches can have a valuable role to play in understanding maladaptive behaviour in spite of  their very different emphases, depending on the type of behaviour being treated. Behaviourism was the precursor to social learning theory developed by Albert Banduras and this emphasises both the social and physical context people find themselves in and how children in particular learn by observing and then imitating others who effectively act as models. This is more complex than simple stimulus response theory and it can be very important and enlightening for a therapist to understand the current and past social contexts of a client and its potential impact on their behaviour. Equally important, in my view, is the recognition that people have a complex inner mental life and an emotional inner world and responses that sometimes can’t be explained by environmental factors alone. In the same way that behaviour theory has developed, psychoanalytic theory has also a dvanced. The work of psychologist Melanie Klein for example, who researched the early relationship between mother and child, concluded that human beings are motivated by the need to establish and maintain relationships. This suggests to me that the quality of relationship between client and therapist is of significant importance. This thinking has little or no place in behaviourist approaches to therapy. Even contemporary cognitive behaviour therapy, which has its roots in behaviourism, places less emphasis on the relationship between client and therapist. Whereas the psychoanalytic counsellor would emphasise exploration and understanding, the CBT approach would be more orientated towards demonstrable action to produce change. It would seem sensible, in treating stress and anxiety to try to combine both approaches. A client suffering from anxiety is more likely to respond positively to a therapist with whom they have a trusting relationship; without that it would be very difficult for a client to face fears that may be buried in their subconscious. And for the therapist, it would be necessary to be able to establish/ understand the potential environmental and social triggers or stimuli (both current and historic) for the client’s anxiety. This could involve exploring the clients past in terms of their relationship with their parents perhaps and also searching for other relevant information about the situations that provide the cues for the client’s anxiety. In conclusion, although the assumptions made by early behaviourist psychologists seem overly simplistic nowadays , this work laid the foundations for more extensive research that has advanced our knowledge  about social learning and how this can affect behaviour. Although behaviour modification therapy doesn’t necessarily sit easily within a collaborative counselling relationship, some of the principles of behaviourism can be applied and adapted to understanding maladaptive behaviour. Behaviour modification therapy has been shown to be very effective with certain types of disorder such as obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, addiction, anxiety disorders, fears and phobias. Sources: Mcleod J. (2008) Introduction to Counselling, third ed, Open University Furnham A. 50 Psychology Ideas You Really Need to Know, Quercus Publishing Hayes N. (2010) Understand Psychology, Hodder Education Ltd Chrysalis Year Two, Module Four course notes. www.britannica.com 17/11/2014 www.wikipedia.org/behaviourism 17/11/2014 www.psychlotron.or.uk 17/11/2014

Racism Definition Essay

Racism is something something we’ve all witnessed. Many people fail to believe that race isn’t a biological category, but an artificial classification of people with no scientifically variable facts. In other words, the distinction we make between races has nothing to do with genetic characteristics. Race was created socially, primarily by how people perceive ideas and faces we are not quite used to. The definition of race all depends on where and when the word is being used. In U.S. history, the meaning of the label â€Å"white† has changed over time, eventually adding groups like the Italians, Irish and Jews. Other groups, mainly African, Latino, American Indian, Pacific Islander, and Asian descendants, have found the path for worldwide social acceptance much more difficult. The irregular border of ethnicities touch educational and economic opportunity, political representation, as well as income, health and social mobility of people of color. So where did this type of behavior begin? There are many ideas thrown around as to how racism began, though the truth lies in the history of mankind. Before people were able to travel and experience difference groups of people, we predominantly stayed in the same kind of area with the same kind of people. We feared things that were different, and were lacked the power to face those kinds of things. All this changed once we did, in fact, obtain this level of human advancement, but the fear never drifted. The truth is, racism began as soon as people faced those of different races. We’ve always the fear of change, not to mention the unknown. It seems that is racism has been around so long we would have been able to overcome it as our species developed, but contact with those of whom we are afraid of often lead to disputes, which, in time, is what caused racism to transform from people simply disliking each other, to the permanent and indestructible foundation of common racism and prejudice. Contemporary racism is said to have been derived from many places, one of the most common ideas being upbringing. As a child, you are reliant on your parents to help you become who you are. Part of that involves their own, distinct opinions, that of which children don’t have the maturity to form on their own. They need the help of their parents, and this is often where the problem starts. If you were told that all Asians were sneaky or all Whites are evil or all Blacks are criminals, you can bet that you are going to feel this way about them. â€Å"Upbringing is the largest cause of racism†-Anonymous. Even if we allow yourself to get to know some of them, this will always be in the back of your mind. Another suggestion as to how racism makes it’s way into our heads is through the almighty media. As we grow up, media becomes a factor of our lives whether or not we want it to be, and is also a major source of how racism keeps itself active. Since the 70’s the media has been giving us racial labels, one of the largest supplies coming from crime shows like â€Å"Law and Order†, and â€Å"CSI†. When dealing with crime, people of color are reflected in the demarcation of â€Å"them† and â€Å"us†. Whites are often represented as the â€Å"good guy†, or the strong, law obeying citizens. They often target people of color, sometimes without any sort of evidence. Directors and writers use racial stereotypes to make a more complex story with more suspects. In the novel, â€Å"The Power of One,† by Bryce Courtney, a young, white, African boy named Peekay lives in a world where the government, the country, and the world revolves around racism. World War II is coming to an end, and in South Africa, the whites seem to hate the blacks just as much as the blacks hate the whites. Peekay was raised by a compassionate and loving black woman he refers to as â€Å"Nanny†, due to the unsafe conditions at home with his bad, mentally ill mother. He grew up with Nanny and his best friend, who was also black. To Peekay, racism didn’t exist. The author, Bryce Courtney, didn’t intend on writing a book fully based on racism in South Africa. He grasps a trace of apartheid by Peekay’s experiences as a white boy by unhurriedly soaking it into South Africa as a toxin. â€Å"Adapt, blend†¦develop a camouflage.† This thought went through Peekay’s mind once he had been exposed to racism, having been forced to attend a boarding school full of bigger, darker students. In Chapters One and Two, as a mere five-year-old, the bright protagonist Peekay is already addressing the necessity of affecting camouflages in order to survive the system. He is often forced to act differently around people of different skin colors in order to fit in better to prevent himself from getting beaten or teased. Peekay faces his first taste of racism the very first night at the boarding school. One boy, known as â€Å"The Judge†, who was much older, stronger, and darker than Peekay, comes up with the nickname â€Å"PissKop† for Peekay, because of Peekay’s habit to wet the bed that was caused by The Judge’s, along with the help of many other older black students, tendency to beat Peekay and spit in his face. The Judge also convinces Peekay that Hitler is determined to march all Englishmen in South Africa into the ocean, and even forces Peekay to eat human feces. Upbringing is a very strong factor of what influences people to become racist, or to have even slight racial views. In Peekay’s case, he had gone from one extreme to another. At home, Nanny and his best friend were the only people he could call family, besides his mother who spent time at what Peekay called â€Å"The Mental Breakdown Place†. When sent to the boarding school, he wasn’t expecting the black students to dislike him because of his skin color. He saw the black kids as merely bullies, and before they started bullying him hadn’t anticipated them to gang up on him because they were black. This is what caused Peekay’s neutrality with the racist society in which he lived. He gave each person a chance to be a good person, because he had seen the good in different ethnicities to which many people were stubborn to open up their minds. The power of one, or the idea of how one person can make a significant difference, is an important idea in relation to challenge in the novel. Giel Piet, one of Peekay’s boxing coaches who had been sneaking tobacco to all of the prisoners, was forced to eat feces by Sergeant Ballman, a white racist who works at the prison. If Giel Piet had refused to eat the feces, the guards would have found the tobacco, resulting in the prisoners getting beaten along with Giel Piet . As Peekay witnessed this happen to his coach, he thought, â€Å"It made me angry. Angry it was done. Angry I couldn’t do anything to stop it.† But how does racism really affect society? Visibly identifiable members of racial and ethnic oppressed groups continue to struggle for equal access and opportunity, particularly during times of stringent economics. Often, the targeted race has a harder time doing things such as finding a well-paying job or house. While there have been some sizeable gains in the labor force status of racial minorities, significant gaps remains. Racism is rampant in all areas of employment. For many members of exploited racial and ethnic unit, there is always an economic depression. Studies show that people of color are the last hired and the first fired. As a result, budget cuts, downsizing, and privatization may disproportionately hurt people of color. In February 1995 the unemployment rate for African Americans was 10.1 percent as compared to 4.7 percent for white Americans (Berry, 1995). The unemployment rate for adolescents of color is approximately four times that of white adolescents. Whatâ€⠄¢s more, In America, the Majority of unemployed men are black, and compared to other races, Blacks and Latinos on average have disproportionately low income. Other than simply getting a job, getting and keeping a house is often a difficult task for those of color. The job of a landlord is to rent out houses to reliable people or families, though a racist landlord could make it difficult for a family of color to find a home. Widespread housing discrimination against Americans of color in U.S. neighborhoods is sometimes referred to as a â€Å"national† problem, something that must be fixed by new government policies. Housing segregation in the United States developed slowly and deliberately. By law, property owners may not refuse to rent or sell housing, make housing unavailable to, set different conditions or privileges for sale or rental of a property, impose different rates and terms on a loan, refuse to make a mortgage loan, or discriminate in appraising property due to a client’s ethnicity, and because racism cannot be seen, these rules are very vague. Available evidence suggests that blacks and Hispanics face higher reje ction rates and less favorable conditions in securing mortgages than do Whites with similar credit characteristics (Ross & Yinger 1999). It has been reported that blacks pay more than 0.5% higher interest rates on home mortgages than whites do and that this difference persists with income level, date of purchase, and age of buyer. During the Great Depression, people of color had a much harder time getting past the financial hardship because of the racial stereotypes that had before been thrown around. In the book, Whitewash Race: The Myth of a Colorblind Society, Michael K. Brown says â€Å"In the late 1930’s, black unemployment rates were two to four times higher than white unemployment rates.† Few Blacks had any financial savings to caution them from the full affect of the Depression. Blacks that had before has troubles getting a well paying job the faced the same challenge with a much larger margin for failure. Mrs. Roosevelt was particularly fretful about the financial difficulties encountered by racism. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, is a story about a black family, the Logans, from the south, living frugally in order to preserve and keep their patch of farmland. Because the story takes place during the end of the Great Depression, one of the worst times in history to be a black farmer, money has become very sparse for the family and for the neighborhood. The children of the family, Cassie, Stacey, Christopher-John, and Little Man, live in a world where white kids rule and they know it. White kids had the freedom to do anything they wished to do, from threatening the kids they thought were inferior to hammering kids who socialized with black kids, or even walked with them to school. This was the case for T.J., a friend of the Logan kids who often walked with Cassie and her brothers to school, more often than not with a price. While walking to school on the first day, Cassie and her brothers are cascaded in red dust as a bus full of white kids skids past, though they eventually get their revenge on the kids by sabotaging the bus. This is significant not only because it shows us just how boorish white kids were to black kids, but it also shows that black kids had to walk to school, and to some black kids, according to Cassie, the walk is so long they are forced to drop out of school. Cassie, being in fourth grade, attends a school especially for black kids. On the first day back to school, she and the other students are staggered to realize that that year they would be having books in the class, something that at that time was a luxury for an all-black school. Though once Cassie sees the books, she quickly sees why the books were given to them. The books were old and dirty, and on the inside of the front cover clenching to stay on was the label â€Å"Nigras.† Infuriated, Cassie refuses to take the bo ok, and is ultimately whipped for her quarrel. It isn’t until a black man is killed by a group of white men without consequence that the Logan kids grasp the idea of how dangerous living in a racist, white community could be. Racism becomes the problem revolving around the Logan family. Cassie doesn’t understand why they are treated differently and doesn’t want to back down because of the color of her skin. Stacey, on the other and, agrees to keep a low profile in the white community as to not trigger any alarms that may cause an issue. This novel does a good job of showing how the effects racism on a specific race simply cause racism itself to stay functioning. After all they endure, at the end of the book the Logan family are a healthier family than they were at the start, mainly because of their capability to see through each other’s skin color, something the rest of the town was unable to do. The disruption of the school bus, though it was simply a small revenge, shows how close the kids had become because of everything they had been through because of the white kids. Racism brings races together, making races seem like a tighter bondage, and ultimately making it easier to target races. Racism had existed throughout human history. It is regularly defined as the detestation, or belief that someone is less than human, because of skin color, place of birth, and mores. All of these arguments are based on a false understanding of race; in fact, some contemporary scientists could argue that the classification of races used today is inadequate, and that there are more meticulous and proper ways of categorizing humans. What may seem to be considerable â€Å"racial† differences to some people, such as skin color, hair, and facial shape, are not of much scientific significance. It has been said that there have been greater biological differences between people of the same race than if we were to compare the same trait to a different race. One philosopher writes: â€Å"There are few genetic characteristics to be found in the population of England that are not found in similar proportions in Zaire or in China†¦.those differences that most deeply affect us in our de alings with each other are not to any significant degree biologically determined.† Often what causes people to act racist is the fact that they have learned to conceal fear with racism. Many individuals react with fear towards those who look or appear different than them. Fear is what makes us uncomfortable, making us need to protect ourselves and defend, mostly causing pain and discomfort to the person or object of the fear. Instead of attempting to fix and deal with the differences, the wall between the two maintains; union and agreement are never attained. So how do we put an end to this? The sad fact of the matter is that, during this age, we won’t. People were born differently, and it’s only human to retaliate negatively to things or people we aren’t used to. Scientists believe there is the tendency in all animals to selectively preserve their own kind even at the cost of a different animal type, which is in essence what caused racism, not to mention prejudice in general. As humankind progresses, our way of thinking becomes more complex, as does the world around us. The values we once had aren’t forgotten, but replaced with new values as our old ways hide in the back of our minds. Though they are present and may re-emerge if a change in life conditions calls them up, they are no longer the dominant. This genuinely is the hope for mankind in their fight to end racism. In the future, if we can surmount the silliness of racism to the point where no one senses it, we will be in fine condition. The most effective way to begin this, through the words of Morgan Freeman, is to â€Å"Stop Talking About It.†

Pallister Case Study Essay

Background and Problem Palliser Furniture Ltd. is Canadian second largest furniture company. They currently have production facilities in Canada, Mexico, and Indonesia. Due to increasing competitive pressures from Asia, Palliser Furniture must decide whether to expand into the Chinese market, and if so through which entry strategy? SWOT ANALYSIS Internal Analysis: (Firm) Strengths: 1. Brand Name Recognition: Palliser has high brand name recognition especially domestically in Canada with the majority of its revenues are generated and it is known for its innovation, high quality, and contemporary design. 2. Recruited product managers/designers from all across the world including Sweden, Hong Kong, and Italy. 3. New distribution channel through the dealer-owned stores was very successful. Weakness: 1. Employees lay off at the Winnipeg factory. Downsizing activities such as this often decrease employee morale, impact employees’ perception of job security, and increase turnover rates. External Analysis: (Industry) Opportunity: 1. China’s total furniture output value was $20 billion and accounted for 10 per cent of world total furniture output value. 2. China’s furniture export was growing at an annual rate of over 30 per cent. 3. China could offer Palliser lower labor costs and high-quality workers. Along with minimum income tax and social costs is giving China a solid competitive position. 4. Producing the same product in China was up to 30 per cent cheaper compared to North America. 5. China offered cheaper supplies including leather, wood, foam, and packaging. Threat: 1. Increased Competition: America, Japanese, and Italian firms had established factories in China. Strong competition that will compete for the same skilled employees. 2. Chinese language and cultural barriers. Industry Attractiveness: China has made significant progress in the furniture market and will likely continue to see further growth due to its low labor costs and low tariffs making this a very attractive market for Palliser. Strategic Alternatives A) Maintain status quo (Do not invest in China) Pro: Simple Con: Lost market potential and possible cost savings B) Enter Chinese market through subcontracting with another firm Pro: Lower involvement, requires less financial commitment, and reduces risk Con: Conflict or unable to meet delivery dates, etc. C) Expand Palliser relationship with China through foreign direct investment (wholly owned) Pro: Cheaper labor and allows Palliser to focus on cost leadership strategy. Con: Higher risk, more involvement required Recommendation/Implementation In order for Palliser Furniture to remain competitive it critical for them to invest and expand into China immediately. Palliser should manufacture the motion products in this market due to the possible savings of $130 per product and identity the most effective market distribution channels in order to better achieve its cost leadership strategy. However, before entering this market Palliser should conduct a thorough industry analysis in order to understand any potential barriers such as China’s laws and regulations, shipping, tax structure, and supply of infrastructure in order to prevent any future problems (as experienced in Mexico). References Paperadepts.( 2011). Pallister furniture, S.W.O.T. analysis. Retrieved from: http://www.paperadepts.com/paper/Pallister-furniture-S.W.O.T.-analysis-185519.html Writework (2005). Pallister furniture, S.W.O.T. analysis. Retrieved from: http://www.writework.com/essay/pallister-furniture-s-w-o-t-analysis