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Saturday, August 31, 2019
Week 2 Cmgt 554
Patton-Fuller Community Hospital is a prominent hospital that is known for specializing in radiology, physical therapy, pharmacy, and surgery. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital was founded in 1975. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has been providing quality care to all its patients both children and adults alike. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital patients are accustomed to the quality service that the hospital provides with a focus on the different programs and services to help maintain a high degree of care for its patients.Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has an abundance of technology and can be segmented into many different areas providing an in-depth review of the advancements and shortfalls of organization. The networking department has the challenge of dissecting and breaking down the current infrastructure to ensure a comprehensive analysis is done to provide a solution that will last for the three to five years. Identifying the right solutions and architecture is key to ensuri ng the growth of the network infrastructure to support the demands of the current health care industry.The methods of how Information transmits within the hospital and externally are: Based on the Network Diagrams the Network has two segments; Administrative and Clinical. The backbone network structure for the entire hospital is 1000 Base T. The nodes of the administrative function network utilize CAT 6 cabling. The nodes of the administrative functions network are connected to an Ethernet backbone. A single mode fiber cable, transmitting 1000 Base F, physically connects nodes attached to the clinical segment. All nodes attached to the clinical function segment is physically connected by single mode fiber cable and transmitting 1000 Base F.Both segments connect via a network bridge. A DHCP server provides all workstations on the administrative function segment with IP addresses. A good security practice for the network black/white and color laser printers are to utilize a static IP, so the MAC address is registered with the DHCP server to prevent malicious activity. To prevent any unwanted malicious activity the Nodes on the clinical function segment IP addresses are static IP’s. The DHCP service is run on the Exchange Server housed in the IT data center. The domain naming solution is also hosted on this server.Active Directory centrally manages user account management in the domain. All web traffic is relay through a proxy that masked the identity of the IP address. To ensure the hospital has adequate Disaster Recovery (DR) capability the entire hospital has a complete power backup system that automatically cuts over to a large diesel motor generator set. The Patton-Fuller Community hospital network bridge connects to the logical network. The bridge connects multiple internal segments at the data link layer, which is Layer 2 of the OSI model.The Data Link Layer enables data to be transferred between network entities and might provide the means to detec t and possibly correct errors that may occur in the Physical Layer. The hospital’s network is an Ethernet network. Within the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital architecture the physical layer can be found within the appliance in the operating room and intensive care unit along with the patients rooms. The data link layer is where the physical transmission of data is managed. This creates and distributes messages boundaries. At the network layer the management of the data is routed where the routing takes place.This is the Internet level of the protocol stack. Routers are designed to forward packets of data to other routers and active switches. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital data center uses a Cisco router model 7609 to perform these tasks. At the transport layer it is responsible for breaking large strings of data into manageable smaller packets. Error checking and elimination of duplicate packets is done at this layer as well. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital utilizes a net work gateway device to interface both their clinical and administrative networks with the Internet. At the session layer it manages the session for all users on the network.The session layer also manages the amount of time spent to transferring the data. A network gateway is considered a session layer device. At the presentation layer this layer is concerned with formatting, and resolving differences of data format between two different machines. It also takes the data from applications format to the network format. One example of this method is the Advanced Encryption Standard utilized by the Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. At the application layer it defines the interfaces for communication and data transfer. This is also the end user’s access to the Internet.One good example of the application layer would web pages. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has the backbone infrastructure that provides adequate bandwidth to support video and other high quality of service services . However it does not have the necessary requirements for future needs. With the sale and deployment of networked equipment within the medical industry it is becoming more apparent that Patton-Fuller Community Hospital invest their future. References Patton-Fuller Community Hospital Virtual Organization, (Apollo group, 2011) https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Healthcare/PFCH/index. asp
Friday, August 30, 2019
Kim’s TimeLine Essay
There was a time when textbooks, a chalkboard, a set of encyclopedias, and a map of the world were considered teaching aids; boy how times have changed. Today all we have to do is flip on a computer, and the world comes to us in a matter of seconds. In today’s modern world teachers have access to an almost infinite amount of information. There are so many websites out there that cater strictly to educators, and their students. For example, one website that seems to be getting a lot of attention from teachers and their students, is one that a teacher created herself; her name is Kim. I will explore her website, along with other teaching aid websites, and see how they rate against hers. First of all let’s start with a basic outline of my research paper, and in what manner we are going to address the following questions: Explain the method of Kim’s TimeLine? Give a critique of Kim’s ideas, and how they relate to the TimeLine? List the advantages of Kim’s Time Line, from a student’s point of view? List the disadvantages of Kim’s TimeLine, from a student’s point of view. Introduce other teaching aid websites, along with journal articles, and how they measure up to Kim’s TimeLine? Give an objective conclusion of the researched material?  The purpose of this research paper is to focus on these six questions. Explain the method of Kim’s TimeLine?         When you click onto Kim’s TimeLine, a picture of a chalkboard, and an idiom: Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk, along with a yellow sun, pops onto your computer screen. Then in large black letters the following slogan grabs your attention: IDEAS FOR TEACHING THE WRITING PROCESS. Kim then introduces five steps of her writing process: Prewriting, Writing, Revising, Editing, Proofreading, and Publishing. The webpage also includes General Ideas For Teaching the Writing Process, such as: Writing Process Timeline, The Writing Process, Implementing the Writing Process, Sample Listing of Specific Writing Strategies (for each step), Ten Ways to Emphasize the Writing Process. (Writing Process 2006) Give a Critique of Kim’s Ideas and How They Relate to the TimeLine?        To be honest with you, I really enjoyed browsing over Kim’s TimeLine website, and  found it to be non-threatening. The information was laid out in an extremely simplistic manner, and I could actually picture students, along with their instructors, using and benefiting from the information that this teaching aid provides. List the Advantages of Kim’s TimeLine, From a Students Point of View?        As I already mentioned, the TimeLine is incredibly easy to operate. If you view the TimeLine through a student’s eyes, you will appreciate how the website makes you feel totally comfortable, and non-intimidated, in regards to the information that the TimeLine is trying to convey to you as a student. Before I began this research paper, I have to admit that I was filled with a certain amount of anxiety, and stress; I wondered if I’d do a satisfactory job. But then to my delight, I noticed that Kim’s TimeLine had a section that dealt with apprehension, and worry. Her coping strategies with writing anxiety goes as follows: Focus your energy by rehearsing the task in your head. Consciously stop the non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. If you have some â€Å"rituals†for writing success, use them. (Kim’s TimeLine 2006)        So stepping into a student’s shoes, I put her coping tactics to the test; and guess what? They actually worked. I honestly thought that the TimeLine, like the majority of website based teachers’ aids was going to be extremely hard to understand. Either that, or it was going to be some archaic method of teaching. Without sounding like some cheesy infomercial, I’m glad that I was wrong, and would strongly recommend the TimeLine to both students, and their teachers. List the Disadvantages of Kim’s TimeLine, From a Students Point of View?        Once again I put my feet into a student’s shoes, and tried especially hard to find the tiniest amount of a blemish with Kim’s web-sight, but was unsuccessful in my efforts. The only flaw I could find, didn’t involve the content of her TimeLine, but instead, how long her website address is: address: http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/general/timeline.html Introduce Other Teaching Aid Websites, Along With Journal Articles, And How They Measure Up To Kim’s TimeLine?        As this assignment mentions in its instructions, the internet provides you with so much information that you must develop a discriminating taste when it comes to the value of a website. I totally concur with this assertion, and acknowledge that there is an endless amount of facts and figures over the internet. But how does this relate to Kim’s TimeLine? Well in accordance to the assignment’s instructions I have chosen five teachers’ aids websites, and will evaluate them. I will also distinguish how these websites measure up to Kim’s TimeLine.        The first website is called â€Å"Free TeachingAids.com.† I found this website to be formless and vague, kind of like a big budget movie with a plot that goes nowhere. (freeteachingaids.com 2006)        The second website was simply titled, â€Å"Teachers’ Aids†. This website was similar to Kim’s TimeLine. It was non-intimidating, and from a student’s perspective, they will appreciate the fact that it is straightforward, and to the point. But nevertheless, as far as a writing tool goes, I would still have to put Kim’s TimeLine above this one.        The third website I chose was Java Applets for Teaching of AstroPhysics. Demonstrating the contrast between Kim’s TimeLine, and this website, would be like comparing apples and oranges; they’re entirely diverse. Astrophysics is not my cup of tea, however, if it was, I would urge those who plan a career in this field to definitely click onto this website. It has an easy to follow table of contents, along with an uncomplicated simple to follow outline. Key words are highlighted, and accompanied with a unproblematic definition. (JK’s Applets for Teaching Astrophysics 2006)        The fourth website is called â€Å"Classic Teaching Resources†, and deals with mnemonics, and other little tricks of the trade to help you as a student, memorize course material. It focuses on: grammar, music, dates and other numbers, and association and other subjects. The site was started by David Parsons, he articulates: â€Å"As a former teacher of Latin, Greek and Classical Civilization for nearly 25 years I have accumulated much teaching material to share, and also know what I would have liked readily available. This site is a small contribution to the teaching of classical subjects.† (Classic Latin Greek Teaching Aids 2006)        The fifth, and last website I will compare to Kim’s TimeLine is termed Parliament : Teachers’ centre. Like the first website, â€Å"Free TeachingAids.com†, I found it to be unclear, and for lack of a better term, some what indistinct. It offers an index of topics, so that you can select a subject that is to your liking; but that’s about it. It was designed to educate would be British citizens in attaining their British citizenship credentials. (Teaching Citizenship Resource Centre and British Citizenship Teaching Aids 2006)        Teaching aids aren’t only getting noticed on the internet, they’re also getting acknowledgment in the mass media, such as magazine articles. In an influential article, written by Greifner, she reports: â€Å"To help teachers discuss the most current events. Weekly Reader is also launching electronic Classroom News Breaks this fall. The e-mailed lesson plans will offer age-appropriate information, reproducible pages, and the web links about significant world news within 24 hours of the event’s occurrence.† (Education week 2006)        Another article gives teachers’ an internet â€Å"Book Study†guide: Gary Paulsen: webenglishteacher.com/paulsen.html This rich resource has lesson plans and activities for all ages. Plans include an integrated unit and a PowerPoint guide for creating a survival kit. Teacher Cyber guide – Hatchet sdco-k12.ca.us/score/hatch/hatchettg.htm This lesson plan contains language arts content standards, student activities and web resources for a study of the book. Hatchet, mce.k12tn.net/survival/hatchet/hatchet.htm A well-organized resource divided by book chapter. Each chapter category has online (and printable) questions for your book study, activities that tie into the chapter themes, writing lessons and vocabulary activities. (Teaching Prek-8 2006)        The web isn’t the only electronic medium that today’s teachers are using in the classroom. Video games have made it into our scholarly institutions, as this article declares: Video games teach deductive reasoning, memory, strategies, and often, content area knowledge. Teachers like Bill Mackenty, a computer specialist at the Edgartown School on Martha’s Vineyard, give praise to Playstation. It states that with teacher involvement and guidance, video games can be a powerful classroom learning tool. (Instructor 2006) Objective Conclusion of the Researched Material        In this thesis I have presented you with both facts, and opinions. In order for me to remain free of any bias, I must end this research paper by equally supporting, and expressing the disadvantages of Kim’s Timeline, and teaching aids like it. To sum things up I concur that Kim’s TimeLine, and websites like hers are needed in today’s schools; however, like the instructions of this assignment states, â€Å"There is so much information over the internet, that you must develop a discriminating taste, when it comes to the value of a website.†References Greifner. L. (2006. September 27) . Weekly Reader Gets New Look. Education Week             26 Mitchell. K. (2006. September ) . Getting to the Heart of a Story. Teaching PreK-8 66-66. Instructor. (2006). Playing To Learn. Instructor 116. 22-22 Classic Teaching Resources. (October 25, 2006). Classic Latin Greek Teaching Aids.           Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.parsonsd.co.           uk/teaching-aids.php Free TeachingAids.com. (October 25, 2006). Educators Progress Service, Inc.          Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web:http://www.freeteaching           aids. Com Java Applets for Teaching of AstroPhysics. (October 25, 2006). JK’s Applets for           Teaching Astrophysics. Retrieved October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web:           http://astro.u-strasbg.fr~koppen/apindex.html Kim’s Korner for Teacher Talk. (October 25, 2006). Writing Process. Retrieved           October 25, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/           /handouts/gl_anxiety.html Parliament : Teachers’ centre. (October 25, 2006). Teaching Citizenship Resource           Centre and British Citizenship Teaching Aids. Retrieved October 25, 2006 from           the World Wide Web: http://www.explore.parliament.uk/parliament.aspx?id=17 Teacher’s Aids. (October 25, 2006). MFL 195: Teachers’ Aids. Retrieved October 25,           2006 from the World Wide Web: http://facweb.furman.edu/~pecoy/mf195/aides.           html
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Apple Swot
Apple SWOT In the 2011 Fortune 500 rankings Apple finished 35th, jumping from the 56th position it established the year before. As of January 2012 Apple surpassed Exxon to become the largest Corporation in the world. Apple’s rapid climb from virtual bankruptcy in 1996 is an incredible story. (Eberhard) Strengths: The products The company's reputation as an innovator Strong, loyal following Control over applications and operating systems Brand AwarenessWeaknesses – Apple's â€Å"All In†philosophy has some drawbacks – for example, my Windows phone will not sync on my Macbook. This perceived â€Å"if you're not one of us, you are one of them†mindset makes new converts to Apple products wary. Apple doesn't â€Å"fail†often but when they do it makes major headlines. Apple Maps served to show how big of a blunder one Apple branded failure can really be. (Goldman). The lack of forethought into the iPad.No matter how great of a success – an d it certainly is – Microsoft's Surface's screen size and inclusion of USB ports and a keyboard is going to make the next generation of the iMac – which could very well be a super charged iPad with all the required ports and a new OS – make Apple look like it is playing catch up instead of leading the innovation themselves. Closed source applications and operating system Brand perceived as â€Å"elitist†Diversity of products Cost of product vs. competitors Over saturation (iPhone)Opportunities – Apple is readying a Pandora like streaming music service and Apple TV could change the way we view our programing much in the same way the iPod and iTunes revolutionized the music business. Music streaming service Apple TV Shifting more production to US factories The Chinese Market yet to be fully tapped Integration with automakers Threats – Basically everyone who isn’t Apple – Google/Android, Microsoft/Windows 8, Samsung, the list goe s on – if you plug it in and talk, listen touch, type, or surf on it and it isn't an Apple, it is a threat to Apple.Apple's threats come from all directions because Apple not only produces product, it also produces all of the operating systems for it's product and tightly controls what content outside vendors can sell on the App Store. Changes in economy Changes in marketplace Chinese labor controversies Google's Android OS Microsoft's Windows 8 and Surface tablet Windows retail stores http://www. heavy. com/news/2012/12/google-maps-returns-to-iphone/ http://robeberhard. com/? page_id=130 Samsung SWOT Samsung was founded in 1938 as a fish and vegetable grocer. After the Korean War, Samsung's assets were divested and the grocery business was laid to rest.In 1969 SEC, the Samsung Electronic Corporation was created, beginning the Samsung as we know them today. Samsung now produces televisions, mobile phones, tablet computers, DVD and Blu-Ray players, MP3 players, cameras and sem iconductors. Over the years as they acquired new business and branched out into new ventures they have been subject to a variety of lawsuits involving copyright infringement, including those with watchmaker Rolex, mobile phone maker Ericsson and most recently Apple Computer. Apple recently surpassed Samsung to take the number one spot in marketshare in the mobile phone category. Tinari) Samsung's partnership with Google has provided a consistent OS (operating system) for it's mobile devices with Android. Android is an â€Å"open source†operating system, which, unlike Apple's, allows for third party users to openly contribute application and programs without company interference or oversight. While this gives users a wider variety of applications, there is no quality control over them, nor is there a way for Samsung to provide the customer service often required of these applications as Samsung has no part in their creation and distribution.Samsung recently won one of many la wsuits with Apple over the design of their popular Galaxy tablet. The recently released Microsoft Surface tablet and the Kindle Fire are Samsung's largest non-Apple competition in this market, however there are a number of super low cost tablets coming out of China that are also relying on the Android OS. These low cost, low quality tablets are forcing Samsung to advertise more aggressively to assure they are not lumped into this sub group of iPad knock offs. Strengths: Wide range of products Multiple partnerships with other brands, particularly Google and their Android operating system Growing marketshareHigh brand value Open source operating system Weaknesses: Lack of control over product once it's partners become involved Slow to release new product Lack of focus on one core product Lower price means lower perceived quality Complaints of not being â€Å"user friendly†Opportunities: Open more retail outlets Partnership with new brands means more innovation Reintroduce phon es with more user friendly interface Capitalize on Apple's failures Provide more customer service Threats: Continuing legal battle with Apple over copyright infringement Low cost competition in the tablet marketEmulation phones with Android OS weaken Samsung's image Microsoft's Surface tablet Windows Retail stores Changes in marketplace Changes in economy image: www. businessweek. com image: www. talkandroid. com image: www. obamapacman. com http://www. intomobile. com/2013/02/01/apple-grabs-34-mobile-market-share-passing-samsung-become-1/ http://www. businessweek. com/articles/2012-07-03/samsungs-smartphone-pitch-fuels-mobile-ad-boom http://www. talkandroid. com/154223-samsung-ramped-up-advertising-in-2012-outspent-apple-by-68-million/ http://obamapacman. com/2010/11/fail-samsung-galaxy-tab-flash-pop-up-ad-annoys-cnn-users/
IT Solutions Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
IT Solutions - Research Paper Example The engineers of the contractor firm generate hard copies of inspection requests to the consultant firm mentioning the time of inspection. The firms are working on a very large construction project, so everyday, hundreds of inspection requests are generated. The consultant firm’s manager assigns individual consultants to specific inspection requests. Lately, the consultants have been missing out the inspection requests, and because of the consequential delays of work, the contractor is incurring undue costs. Upon asking, the consultant’s representative said that they have not been receiving the inspection requests timely. It remains unresolved whether the contractor’s engineers are not generating the inspection requests on time, or the consultants are rationalizing for their laziness. Causes of the Problem The cause of this problem between the contractor firm and the consultant firm is the fact that inspection requests are generate in hard copies. It not only inc urs the contractor firm a lot of cost to generate so many inspection requests on daily basis, but is also a huge waste to manage for the consultant firm once the requests have been received. ... Effects of the Problem The effects of the current practice are substantially bad both for the contractor firm and the consultant firm. On one hand, the contractor firm is bearing a lot of direct and indirect cost of generating the inspection requests. On the other hand, the consultant firm has a huge waste to manage on daily basis. The consultant firm is also not getting the inspection requests in time, as a result of which, a blame-game has started between the consultant firm and the contractor firm, which is very bad for the relations between both the parties. In conventional practice, the contractor firms tend to maintain very good relations with the consultant firms so that the latter approves the requests of the former on time, and accordingly, the contractor firm gets paid by the client on time. As a result of this situation, both firms are losing credibility in the client’s eye, and are also ruining their relationship. Solution 1 There are several possible solutions for this problem, the most important and cost-effective amongst which is changing the inspection requests from the hard copy form to the soft copy form. The inspection requests can be generated via email. Advantages A potential advantage of changing the form of inspection requests is that there is a record for every request that has been generated. While the hard copy might get replaced or go missing any time, the soft copy can always be retrieved from the previously sent emails’ list at a later point in time. Presence of the record of every inspection request, the time and date at which it was generated, and its content make it easy for everybody to locate the source of problem. Inspection requests generated via email are delivered
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 21
Personal Statement Example I want to apply the ONE-YEAR MBA under the full-time MBA. The program is more different and useful to me when I decide to go further with my education. This program is the perfect opportunity for me to show off what makes me special, it is perfectly reasonable for the school to do the same. I want to change my major to MBA and this is on the basis of what I believe is best for me. The main reason for my MBA is so that I can get managerial skills. I took 2 internships before I studied my undergraduate. The reason I did was because of my father. He wanted to know what I wished to do and also how it would help everyone in the long run. That’s why I chose Finance major and Management Science Minor. In addition, during my study time, I took two banks internship at the Bank of China and Zaozhuang Bank to practice the learning from my major. After doing the internship at the bank, I want to know that what I had learnt, and also the knowledge that I need in order to improve the one I have. The third internship experience tells me what I need to learn in my graduating year, and makes me have a clear career goal (Stelzer, 1997). Ever since I was young, my parents challenged me to strive to achieve more in the future and I have always followed this up to date. To start with, my name is LI HUI and I am of the female gender. I was born in China and I have an undergraduate major in Finance. My undergraduate minor is management schience. I have been able to attend the University of Miami, QUFU University and also No. 1 High school of Tengzhou. I have had a number of internship experiences such as; being an intern in Hezhi Materials Trading Co. Ltd; Bank of China, Zaozhuang Bank and Weishan Xingda Materials Trading Co. Ltd. Throughout my internship, I have come to acquire some experiences such as identifying key performance indicators to inform and guide patron behavior and ultimately financial performance and also, the influence of police on the level of crime. In
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Why do you think science fiction is so popular today Essay
Why do you think science fiction is so popular today - Essay Example the modern world is attributable to the great scientific progress that has been made in recent years, the expansive nature of the genre, and a general unease with contemporary society and our collective futures. One of the major reasons science fiction is widely popular today is because of modern technological advances. The last two decades have witnessed an infusion of technology the rapid progression of which the world has never before experienced. In these regards, one considers the development of the Internet and digital technology as some of the prominent developments. In addition, cloning and stem cell research has also presented great potential for the genre. Ultimately, with the explosion of these technologies a corresponding desire to explore their extreme potentials in literature and entertainment has largely fueled the genre. Another prominent reason science fiction is extremely popular in the contemporary world is because of the expansive nature of the genre. Science fiction is unique among genres in that it is restricted only by the imagination of the writer. This is contrasted with genres such as film noir, westerns, or even romantic comedies that are subject to highly restrictive genre conventions that grow tired after a number of years. Conversely science fiction is constantly able to reinvent itself in accord with specific changes in technology and the cultural milieu. This ability to constantly explore the spectrum of human knowledge and experience allows the genre to stay highly relevant in the contemporary world. A final reason science fiction is widely popular is because of general unease with society and our collective futures. The current world has problems. Countries such as Italy and Greece are facing bankruptcy and the rest of Europe and the United States face a considerable recession. There are growing concerns with global warming, world hunger, and HIV. With this great amount of social unease the need for a dream-like and imaginary
Monday, August 26, 2019
Both Young Goodman Brown ad Rip Van Winkle Have a dreamlike experience Essay
Both Young Goodman Brown ad Rip Van Winkle Have a dreamlike experience in the wildernessmountains versus woods what do both stories reveal to the reader ab - Essay Example As one might imagine, it took a while for American literature to develop as an independent genre: the tasks of taking a continental wilderness and turning it into a habitable region, and then into an independent country, left scant leisure time for the generation of literature. However, as the young United States of American began to enter its fourth and fifth decades, some of its first major authors began to emerge. Two of these were Washington Irving and Nathaniel Hawthorne, and their writings began to define the American experience for the rest of the world, and show how the North American continent had shaped its colonists and citizens. "Rip Van Winkle" and "Young Goodman Brown" are two different takes on the changes that the American experience had on European sensibilities. According to John Hardt, both "Rip Van Winkle" and "Young Goodman Brown" contain examples of "paradisal skepticism," or "a retreat from the paradisal ideal with a recognition of limits in human knowledge" (Hardt, p. 249). In other words, both works show an attempt by the protagonist to encounter some sort of paradise on Earth, and both see that such a paradise is not possible, because of the restrictions that human nature places on our possibilities. In "Young Goodman Brown," Hardt suggests that the woods that Brown enters were once the Garden of Eden. However, the serpent (here, represented by the old man) has taken over the wilderness. When Brown leaves his wife, Faith, he also leaves his religious faith behind. The ensuing journey is one of instability, one that examines his knowledge (Hardt, p. 255). Once Goodman Brown emerges from this experience, he realizes the limits of his knowledge, and lives the rest of his life in fear. If one relates this to the idea of the American Dre am, one can see Young Goodman Brown as the symbolic pioneer, heading out into the unknown, trying to make his fortune in an untouched wilderness. While he may have bold aspirations, his inner fears weaken him and keep him from fulfilling that promise. One can interpret this as meaning that the context in which most Europeans lived before coming to colonize the New World ensured that they would encounter failure in at least some of their ideals. Indeed, the same petty beliefs that held sway in Europe followed their holders across the Atlantic Ocean, as one might guess. Walter Shear has a somewhat different look at the significance of Young Goodman Brown's journey into the woods. He sees the separation of Young Goodman Brown from his wife as the creation of a psychological individual. Not only does he symbolically abandon faith, but he also leaves behind orthodox belief and worship practices (Shear, p. 545). He must fight with those that he encounters in the forest if he wants to retain his own morals and values. After this conflict, he returns to mainstream society, more conscious of himself and the way that he interacts with those around them. His transformation, according to Shear, is analogous to the transformation of Puritanism over time in North America, as the purity of its religious beliefs decreased over time, ending
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Mater and method of the dissetation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words
Mater and method of the dissetation - Essay Example Table 1 shows a list of some of the elements of the strains isolated and later on used in the study (figure 1). All the required strains were thereafter stored in glycerol broths of 10% at a regulated temperature of about -20oC (Oxoid, UK). The plates of mCCDA were essential in the 48 hour growth of the strains and passed through microaerobic incubation at a temperature of 420C. Before all the pending experiments were conducted, all the available strains were checked to ensure that they were pure. The peptone protective effect in the solution which is diluting combined the maximum Recovery Diluent with the physiological saline osmotic support. The multiplication of organism was highly reduced by the low concentration of peptone at the PH of 7.0 Â ± 0.2 in the diluents for at least one hour during the stage of dilution. (Straka, R. P., & Stokes, J. L. ,1957: Patterson, J. T., &Cassells, J. A. 1963). The recovery of solutions was ensured by the strength of the isotonic nature of the diluents solution from the numerous sources that had been susceptible in aqueous suspensions or in distilled water (oxoida ,UK). The Maximum Recovery Diluent was prepared by adding 4.75 grams of powder to distilled water of 500 millimetre (Oxoid, UK) and was then stirred to dissolve the powder. The solution that was re-suspended got sterilized by use of the autoclaving method at a temperature of 121 0C for approximately 15 minutes. The media was left to cool to 550C temperature before being poured on one of the chicken carcass available. The growth of non-fastidious wide assortment of organisms was supported by a general purpose medium called nutrient agar, and typically contains 0.3% beef extract/extract of yeast 0.5% Peptone 0.5% NaCl 1.5% agar distilled waterpH that was adjusted to the level of neutral at 25 Â °C (Oxido,Uk). The Nutrient broth No 2 (Cm0067) was prepared by adding 10.50 g
Saturday, August 24, 2019
The little school by Alcia Partnoy preface by Julia Alvarez Essay
The little school by Alcia Partnoy preface by Julia Alvarez - Essay Example "The little school" by Alcia Partnoy preface by Julia Alvarez The history reveals that most of the literature created during imprisonment attains the status of ‘master piece’ and ‘The Little School’ is one of them. Moreover, literary figures with their creative abilities give tough time to dictators even during their brutal regimes and leave everlasting images on history and literature. Deep observation and strong memory is considered an asset of any person. Alicia Partnoy proves in The Little School that she is not short of these qualities. From the first story of the novel, her kidnapping from the house, to the last story, she elaborated each and every detail of the event in artistic manners. She successfully points out the brutal aspects of the Dirty War. By utilizing her power of deep observation, she notices each and every incident during the course of her imprisonment; keeps them in her mind while using astonishing skill of memory and elaborated before readers after her release. â€Å"The guard’s shift was organized in three groups of four guards each†, the sentence shows her deep observation and memory. By giving a surprise to her admirers, she tells exact numbers of security guards in The Little School at different timelines of a day. By drawing a sketch of a security guard she writes, â€Å"Approximately 22 to 23 years old, 6 ft., 154 lbs., straight hairs, brown eyes, white complexion, regular featuresâ€
Friday, August 23, 2019
Erasmus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Erasmus - Essay Example In order to meet his financial obligation he started working as a tutor and later in 1499 he went on a tour to Europe where he made friends who were with him throughout his life. Later he went to Italy where he obtained his doctorate in the subject of theology. After Italy, he returned to England where he was appointed as Price Charles’ adviser and started living an independent life (Nauert 1). From here on his life experienced immense controversies as he created a revised version of the New Testament and his work recognized as the Discourse of Free Will was even welcomed with heavy criticism. After his death all he works was stored in an area which was not allowed to be accessed by others. Throughout his life he developed various pieces of literature and these pieces of literature were based on different subject including philosophy of education, politics, language and cynicism. The most important works of Erasmus includes the literature pieces of The Method Of Study, The Education of Children as well as the Method of True Theology (Rummel 24). These pieces of literature exhibited his philosophy regarding education. His literature recognized as The Education of A Christian Price is work that has been dedicated to his thoughts regarding politics (Erasmus(a) VIII). Another piece of his work called the On The Abundance Of Style is a pure depiction of his thoughts regarding language (Rhetoric.byu.edu 1). Erasmus’ educational philosophy contradicted with the educational philosophy that was been followed during his era. He believed that more focus needed to be provided to subjects including history language as well as philosophy of morals and at that time the focus was more on logic. He believed that education should not simply focus on helping students develop certain necessary skills and their intellectual ability (Erasmus.vic.edu.au 1). He believed that education should even promote civility and morals. He believed that education is a way through which human
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Financial Development In 1985 Essay Example for Free
Financial Development In 1985 Essay In 1985, the interest rates were lower and more stable than in other years. 1978 experienced lowest short-term interest rates while long-term interest rate declined to a rate that has never been seen since 1980. The real interest rates- nominal rates adjusted for inflation- were also lower in 1985 than other years though going by historical standards, they remained very high. From January to early march, both short-term rates and long-term rates rose moderately by yearly highs. This is partly because of the strong demand for business credit and the ending of a period during which the Federal Reserve eased the pressure on banks on their reserve positions. Interest rate declined by April and June. The factors behind interest rate ________________________________ 5. Douglas A. Irwin Joseph H. Davis. Trade Disruptions and Americas Early Industrialization, (2003). NBER Working Papers 9944, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. demand for business loans. Another factor that contributed to the second quarter drop in interest rates was because of the cut in the Federal Reserve’s discount rate. After midyear, the short-term rate fluctuated in a narrow range, slightly above June lows. By early December, the U. S. Treasury bill rate was 7. 10 percent. This was about one percent lesser than that of 1984. The long-term interest rate also fluctuated in the third quarter; however, in the late of October, it dropped rapidly. The continued drop in long-term rate was because of the low rate of inflation, the signs that showed that the economy would remain sluggish and that monetary policies would not tighten. Interest rates in 1985 were more stable than the most recent years. The rate of fluctuations for short-term rates was within the range of one and one-half-percentage points in the year compared to the three percent points in 1984 and considerably less than 1980-1984 periods. The long-term rates were also stable in 1985 and the rate of fluctuations was between a narrow range that was less than two percentage points. Nominal rates and interest rates were low in 1985 but going by historical standards, there were high. Growths in Monetary Policy in 1985 The growth in monetary policies in 1985 was moderately higher than that of 1984. M1 grew faster than most recent years while M2 grew fastest than in 1984. The growth rate of M3 in 1985 was less than that of 1984. M1, known as money supply grew at an annual rate of 11. 6 percent for the first 11 months of 1985. This is more than twice the growth in 1984. The resurgence in the growth of demand deposit and a rebound in the growth of 6. Diebold, Francis X Rudebusch, Glenn D, Have Postwar Economic Fluctuations Been Stabilized? , September 1992. American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(4), pages 993-1005. other checkable deposits caused the rapid growth. After exhibiting little growth on balance in the past five years, demand deposit grew to 8. 0 percent rate in the first 11 months of 1985. There was a sharp declination in M1’s turnover in 1985 just as it grew more rapidly than nominal GNP. M2 grew at an annual rate of 8. 6 percent in the first 11 months of 1985. This was somewhat more than that of 1984. In contrast to the growth of M1’s in 1985, M2’ growth was likened to the growth of 1980-1984 periods. Several other components in M2 grew rapidly in 1985 than in 1984. Savings deposit increased in 1985 after contrasting in 1984. Some of the 1985 growths may have come from the expense of small-time deposits. M3 slowed sharply in contrast to M1 and M2 in 1985. M3 grew at an annual rate off 8. 3 percent for the first 11 months of 1985. This is considerably less than that of any recent years. This slow growth was because of the declined growth in large denomination time deposits. Growth of term repurchase agreement and institution-only markets fund were slowed down in 1985. The growth of domestic non-financial debt also slowed in the first 11 months of 1985, growing at a rate of 12. 8 percent, which moderately low than that of 1984. This nonfinancial debt consists of outstanding debts of all governmental units, household, and nonfinancial businesses.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Immanuel Kant on law and justice Essay Example for Free
Immanuel Kant on law and justice Essay To be moral living human beings there must be a guiding action. This action varies depending on the degree of obligation: law, rule or maxim. A law should promote and protect the common good. Above all, a law must be just and reasonable to follow. A rule is a prescribed guide for conduct or action that indicates how we ought to act to behave in certain situations. Rules are not strictly legislated but are nevertheless obligatory guidelines for actions. A maxim is a general truth or rule of conduct. Immanuel Kants political teaching may be summarized in a phrase: republican government and international organization. In more characteristically Kantian terms, it is doctrine of the state based upon the law (Rechtsstaat) and of eternal peace. Indeed, in each of these formulations, both terms express the same idea: that of legal constitution or of peace through law. Rechtsstaat is a doctrine in continental European legal thinking, originally borrowed from German jurisprudence, which can be translated as a legal state, state of law, state of justice, state of rights or state based on justice and integrity. It is a constitutional state in which the exercise of governmental power is constrained by the law, and is often tied to the Anglo-American concept of the rule of law, but differs from it in that it also places an emphasis on what is just (i. e. a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion or equity). In a Rechtsstaat, the power of the state is limited in order to protect citizens from the arbitrary exercise of authority. In a Rechtsstaat the citizens share legally-based civil liberties and they can use the courts. A country cannot be a liberal democracy without first being a Rechtsstaat. German writers usually place Immanuel Kants theories at the beginning of their accounts of the movement toward the Rechtsstaat. Kant’s approach is based on the supremacy of a country’s written constitution. This supremacy must create guarantees for implementation of his central idea: a permanent peaceful life as a basic condition for the happiness of its people and their prosperity. Kant proposed that constitutionalism and constitutional government ought to be sufficient to guarantee this happiness. Kant had thus formulated the main problem of constitutionalism: The constitution of a state is eventually based on the morals of its citizens, which, in its turn, is based on the goodness of this constitution. A Kantian justice system would thus solely focus on what was done, rather than on the character of the person who did it. No excuses regarding a criminals genome, upbringing, history of mental illness, or socioeconomic status can exonerate him from receiving punishment for the criminal act. The fact that a man was abused during his childhood does not justify his infliction of similar abuse on others later in life. Many duties are developed into laws because society has deemed them important for the protection of the individual. There are some laws that are written to safe guard the individual and others for the community. All laws must be written to uphold society which includes protecting the rights of all people in both the majority and minority consequently all laws must possess certain common traits. Immanuel Kant believed that all humans are born inherently bad and must try hard to be good. This model of thought is of immense help to understanding what actions Kant saw as necessary for the creation of justice within the real world, since, once again, every individuals worldview is based upon that individuals own set of experiences. â€Å"Pure reason is a perfect unity; and therefore, if the principle presented by it proves to be insufficient for the solution of even a single one of those questions to which the very nature of reason gives birth, we must reject it, as we could not be perfectly certain of its sufficiency in the case of the others†. (Critique of Pure Reason, 3) Kant on Contemporary Issues Contemporary Issue: A proposal by the government to legalize theft. According to Immanuel Kant’s theories and views he would try to oppose this law. The general definition of theft is the taking of another persons property without that persons permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. Immanuel Kant would consider this an immoral action on the individual’s part therefore resulting in punishment. When someone is punished for something it is because they did something abominable. Humans act not only on impulse as effected by laws of nature, but also out of conscience choice based on principles and these principles tell us how we ought to act. Our conscience as a capacity has a fundamental sense of value and personal responsibility. If theft were to be legalized, it would result in a never-ending chain of people committing evil actions to further their own need. People would become more selfish and greedy. Because Kant believes humans are born inherently bad we must strive every day to avoid temptation which we can only be redeemed by good behaviour and the grace of God. This would also go against Kant’s ideal justice system. â€Å"Nothing can escape our notice; for what reason produces from itself cannot lie concealed, but must be brought to the light by reason itself, as soon as we have discovered the common principle of the ideas we seek. †(Critique of Pure Reason, 5). Kants theory is his belief that it should always be possible, within our power, to do the right thing. Kant believes that rational humans are agents, they have plans, and they make deliberate choices. It is this fact about humans that Kant’s ethical theory seeks to enshrine and protect. Human agency should never be sacrificed for anything less valuable and everything is less valuable. Justice has a moral obligation to always do. The first duty of justice is to never treat people as mere means to one’s own ends. But treating a person as an end in themselves is to do more than respect this duty: it is also to assist them in achieving their morally lawful ends. For these reasons Immanuel Kant would not allow to legalize theft. Our government, justice duty and morality would all be altered if such a thing were to happen and that was Kant’s biggest fear that our humanity would be consumed by materialistic things. We need laws and peace in order for us, as people, to be rational human beings. Work Cited: Germany. Understandings of the Rule of Law Wikis Der Freien UniversitA ¤t Berlin. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. Kant, Immanuel, J. M. D. Meiklejohn, Thomas Kingsmill Abbott, James Creed Meredith, Immanuel Kant, Immanuel Kant, and Immanuel Kant. The Critique of Pure Reason. Chicago: Encyclop? dia Britannica, 1955. Print. Rauscher, Frederick, Rauscher,. Kants Social and Political Philosophy. Stanford University. Stanford University, 24 July 2007. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. Immanuel Kants Critique of Judgment. Immanuel Kants Critique of Judgment. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Sept. 2013.
Sherlock Holmes And Christopher Boone English Language Essay
Sherlock Holmes And Christopher Boone English Language Essay In Mark Haddons short-story, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Christopher Boone, the protagonist has suggested several times that he, doing some detective work himself, is very much like Sir Arthur Conan Doyles famous character, Sherlock Holmes. Based on the protagonists strange behaviour and thoughts, many people think that he has some kind of mental illness. And, as he is so much like Sherlock Holmes, who is a rather peculiar figure himself, we can enlist the main similarities and differences between the two fictional characters. As of Holmes character, I chose to pick the BBC adaptation of 2010 and 2012, because it is much closer in time and setting than that of the original stories. But, before starting the list, lets see what the main syndromes of Asperger are, the assumed mental illness of Christopher. The severity of Asperger can vary from mild to severe. They usually do not tolerate well any changes and often have obsessive routines. They generally have a special interest, in which they are really good. At young age, these symptoms can lead to rigidity, but later in adulthood it actually might result in a sumptuous carrier. Especially if we considerate their ability to learn social skills as others can learn how to ride a bike. But, at least at the beginning, they cannot always read body language and other non-verbal language and cannot measure proper body space and they often avoid gaze. They appear to be especially sensitive to particular sounds, touch, light, to which other people are not. This causes a very strange and odd behaviour sometimes. As a result, their mates will often see them an outsider and mock them for this. It will not help to ease this situation the fact that people who suffer from Aspergers syndrome have an innate naivety and a normal IQ, but have extraordin ary skill in a particular area. In terms of their use of language, they seem to develop like everyone else. However, they often have a larger amount of vocabulary than others of their age, and also they are really straightforward in their choice of words. In other cases, they might encounter some hardships in language usage in social environment. [1] Now that we have seen the main symptoms of Asperger, we can go on to the examples from Haddons work and how much they actually apply for its protagonist, Christopher. Parallelled to this, we will see the similarities and occasional differences between him and Sherlock Holmes. Some scientists even presume that Holmes has many symptoms of Asperger, thus was the first character (although fictional), who suffered from this kind of mental illness, even thought it was described first in 1944 and acknowledged only in 1994. [2] Others think that Doyle, due to his medical studies, may have known some of these symptoms. [3] First of all, as we have seen, the main characteristic of this illness is being antisocial. In the short-story, Christopher does not seem to know many people, nor does he desire to. His most important contact is with his father, with whom he lives and who understand him and is able to deal with his sons illness, on the contrary to his own mother. His mother wrote Christopher this, how she could not cope with the strange behavior of his son, but how patient was his father usually with him. After his father he mentions especially a lot Siobhan, the school-psychiatrist, who helps him and tries to teach him about social contacts. Moreover, she is one of the few who can draw Christopher out from his usual uncommunicative state. Similarly to the role of Siobhan in the boys life, Dr. Watson constantly tries to keep Holmes from hurting others feelings, and in general tries to get him to behave in a socially acceptable manner. In some way, he is the normal counterpart of Holmes abnormal life.  [4] Lestrade: [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Weve found Rachel. Sherlock Holmes: Who is she? Lestrade: Jennifer Wilsons only daughter. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Sherlock Holmes: You need to bring Rachel in. You need to question her. I need to question her. Lestrade: Shes dead. Sherlock Holmes: Excellent! Sherlock Holmes: How, when and why? Is there a connection? There has to be. Lestrade: Well, I doubt it, since shes been dead for fourteen years. Technically she was never alive. Rachel was Jennifer Wilsons stillborn daughter, fourteen years ago. Sherlock Holmes: No, thats thats not right. How Why would she do that? Why? [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] John Watson: You said that the victims all took the poison themselves, that he makes them take it. Well, maybe he I dont know, talks to them? Maybe he used the death of her daughter somehow. Sherlock Holmes: Yeah, but that was ages ago. Why would she still be upset? (John stares at him. Sherlock hesitates as he realises that everyone in the flat has stopped what theyre doing and has fallen silent. He glances around the room and then looks awkwardly at John.) Sherlock Holmes: Not good? John Watson: Bit not good, yeah. When Christopher talks to other people, for example Mrs. Alexander, he states that it is difficult for him to converse with them, because he does not know them, thus does not trust them; and also because chatting with someone is not easy for them. But, interestingly, the boy occasionally can overcome his difficulties and for some time can maintain a normal conversation with the old lady. Parallelly, Sherlock does not seem to have many friends, but still is more social than Christopher, he does not have a problem with talking to anyone. Even though both of them seem to encounter difficulties at the area of social contacts, the also both try to improve their skills. In the short-story we often read that Christopher says or does something just because he is told that is the proper thing to say or do. For example, when Ed Boone, his father prepares him some meal, we read: And I said, Thank you for supper, because that is being polite. [5] In BBC Sherlock, in the episode Scandal in Belgravia at the Christmas party, Holmes jabbers a long and quite rude monologue about Mollys especially coquettish looks, with which she wishes to seduce a secret boyfriend. When it turns out it is actually Sherlock with whom Molly is in love with, thus humiliating Molly in front of the whole room, Holmes finally apologies. For a brief moment we can see Watsons face, which is clearly surprised by Sherlocks apology. From this scene we can see how he tries to redeem the insulting things he said out loud. In connection with this antisocial behavior, people who have this illness, tend to have some problem with emotions and their recognition. At the very beginning of his book, Christopher shows us some drawings of smileys. He says he can understand happiness and sadness, but not the other facial expressions which indicate more complex emotions. [6] It seems he is somehow insensitive to most kind of emotions. It especially shows in his choice of words and straightforwardness: And Mrs. Alexander said, Your mother, before she died, was very good friends with Mr. Shears. And I said, I know. And she said, No, Christopher. I m not sure that you do. I mean that they were very good friends. Very, very good friends. I thought about this for a while and said, Do you mean that they were doing sex? And Mrs. Alexander said, Yes, Christopher. That is what I mean. It seems that even death does not really bother him. This characteristic is found in Sherlock Holmes, too. In fact, this is his one of his most famous features: being the man of logic and not that of emotions. For example in the morgue, in the same episode of BBC Sherlock, the Holmes brothers see a family on Christmas Eve who probably lost a relative and they are, of course, devastated. But they just watch them, saying: Sherlock Holmes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Look at them. They all care so much. Do you ever wonder if theres something wrong with us? Mycroft Holmes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage, Sherlock. [7] Moreover, in The Hounds of Baskerville where Holmes deliberately poisons his only friend, and when Watson questions him about it, he does not seem to be very bothered about the matter. John Watson: So you got it wrong. Sherlock Holmes: No. John Watson: You were wrong. It wasnt in the sugar. You got it wrong. Sherlock Holmes: A bit. It wont happen again. [8] It is very important to note that on the contrary of Christopher, Sherlock can actually pretend any kind of emotion just to get some information, he easily manipulates anyone without a bit of regret. Sherlock Holmes: Mrs Monkford? (She turns to him tearfully.) Mrs. Monkford: Yes. Mrs. Monkford: Sorry, but Ive already spoken with two policemen. John Watson: No, were not from the police; were (Sherlock holds his hand out to her, his voice tearful and tremulous.) Sherlock Holmes: Sherlock Holmes. Very old friend of your husbands. We, um (As she shakes his hand, he looks down as if fighting back his tears.) Sherlock Holmes: we grew up together. Mrs. Monkford: Im sorry, who? I dont think he ever mentioned you. Sherlock Holmes (still tearful): Oh, he must have done. This is this is horrible, isnt it? Sherlock Holmes: I mean, I just cant believe it. I only saw him the other day. Same old Ian not a care in the world. (He smiles tearfully at her.) Mrs. Monkford: Sorry, but my husband has been depressed for months. Who are you? Sherlock Holmes: Really strange that he hired a car. Why would he do that? Its a bit suspicious, isnt it? (By now he has tears running down his cheeks.) Mrs. Monkford: No, it isnt. He forgot to renew the tax on the car, thats all. Sherlock Holmes: Oh, well, that was Ian! That was Ian all over! Mrs. Monkford: No it wasnt. (Instantly Sherlocks fake persona drops and he looks at her intensely.) Sherlock Holmes: Wasnt it? Interesting. In general, Holmes is quite rude to everyone, including Watson, and also, he sees himself as the only normal human being in the world. Here are two very good example of this from the first episode of the series, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾A Study in Pink: Sherlock Holmes: Took me less than an hour to find the right skip. John Watson: Pink. You got all that because you realised the case would be pink? Sherlock Holmes: Well, it had to be pink, obviously. John Watson (to himself): Why didnt I think of that? Sherlock Holmes: Because youre an idiot. (John looks across to him, startled) Sherlock Holmes: No, no, no, dont look like that. Practically everyone is. And elsewhere: Sherlock Holmes: Anderson, dont talk out loud. You lower the I.Q. of the whole street. [9] (A Study in Pink) This feature shares also Christopher, when he talks about his schoolmates and he states that he is the only normal among them. Both of them are aware of their special skills, therefore both of them are quite proud, almost arrogant. Christopher, without any trace of modesty, is a hundred per-cent sure he will get his A-level in maths. Holmes, too, is always sure he will solve the case, and when he makes an error, he is quite reluctant to admit it (see the The Hounds of Baskerville conversation above). They both has their special area of interest, although Christophers is much narrower (only maths) than Holmes, which includes everything from biology and chemistry to observation and deduction. They both tend to shut down when they occupy themselves with their work, they do not eat or speak for long hours, in some extreme cases, even for days. However, unlike Sherlock, Christopher has a range of special rules which tend to interfere with his everyday life, for example the quality of the day is based on how many red or yellow cars he sees on the way to school; or he cannot eat his meal if they touched each other on his plate. They do not only tend to shock people with their lack of emotion, but also with their actual behaviour, thus both of them being outsiders in some way. For example, at the beginning of the story, Christopher hugs the dead, bloody dog. That is surely something most normal people would not do. Similarly, at the beginning of The Hounds of Baskerville, Sherlock suddenly appears at the door, covered in blood, nearly giving poor Watson a heart attack. He explains he could not come home earlier because not a taxi would take him, so he had to travel on the metro. Also, at the beginning of The Blind Banker, Holmes meets his old acquaintance from the university. This man briefly mentions what an outsider was Sherlock even at that time, due to his extraordinary skills. Sebastian: We were at uni together. This guy here had a trick he used to do. Sherlock Holmes: Its not a trick. Sebastian: He could look at you and tell you your whole life story. John Watson: Yes, Ive seen him do it. Sebastian: Put the wind up everybody. We hated him. The description mentioned as one of them symptoms the sensitivity of touch, light or smell which others are not even aware of. Christopher does not like to be touched by anyone, even his own parents. Sherlock does not have any of this problem, but he does share the special ability to observe and remember people and characteristics which other people do not even see. When Christopher meets someone, he tends to mention the colour of his shoes, which is completely irrelevant, but still important to him. In the series, this ability of Holmes is illustrated by fancy texts which appear on the screen when he is observing someone, or he has many, rather inapprehensible monologues where he explains his deductions to the others. It is really interesting how similar is the way they both save their memories. Christopher describes it as a DVD, which he can rewatch again and again with the same accuracy, and Holmes has a mind palace where he can wander around and find the appropriate information. As a curiosity, both the short-story and the series mention the deerstalker, one of the most famous symbols of Sherlock Holmes, but in these works this hat does not seem to get as much attention as all the other adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Christopher writes: In the original Sherlock Holmes stories Sherlock Holmes is never described as wearing a deerstalker hat, which is what he is always wearing in pictures and cartoons. The deerstalker hat was invented by a ma n called Sidney Paget, who did the illustrations for the original books. And in the series, at the beginning of The Reichenbach Fall: Sherlock Holmes: Why is it always the hat photograph? [] Sherlock Holmes: What sort of hat is it anyway? [] Sherlock Holmes: Is it a cap? Why has it got two fronts? John Watson: Its a deerstalker. [] Sherlock Holmes: You stalk a deer with a hat? What are you gonna do throw it? [] Sherlock Holmes: Some sort of death frisbee? [] Sherlock Holmes: Its got flaps ear flaps. Its an ear hat, John. [] John Watson: [] this isnt a deerstalker now; its a Sherlock Holmes hat. As we can see, there are many similarities and differences between these two characters. But in general we can say that the detective is much more functional and effective than Christopher, only a little peculiar. Sources: Albrecht: Albrecht, Karl Ph. D.: Did Sherlock Holmes Have Asperger Syndrome? Published in October 13, 2011. From: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brainsnacks/201110/did-sherlock-holmes-have-asperger-syndrome-0 Haddon: Haddon, Mark: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Doubleplay, London, 2003. I used the page numbers from the copy found on this site: https://sites.google.com/site/janoskenyeres/readingliterarytexts 2012-11-02 17:50 Kirby: Kirby, Barbara L.: What is Aperger Syndrome? 2001. From: http://scholar.google.hu/scholar?q=what+is+asperger+syndromebtnG=hl=huas_sdt=0 2012-11-16 09:58 Sanders: Sanders, Lisa M.D.: Hidden Clues. Published: December 6, 2009, New York. From: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/magazine/06diagnosis-t.html?pagewanted=all 2012-11-16 11:34 Sherlock. Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. BBC, 2010 and 2012. Verhees: Verhees, Ingrid: From Hero and Zero to Butch and Sundance: On the Evolution of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson Throughout a Century of Adaptation. MA thesis, 2011, Universiteit Utrecht. From:http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/student-theses/2011-0919-201519/From%20Hero%20and%20Zero%20to%20Butch%20and%20Sundance%20-%20On%20the%20Evolution%20of%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20and%20Dr.%20Watson%20Throughout%20a%20Century%20of%20Adaptation.pdf 2012-11-16 14:22 Transcription of the series: Sherlock transcription: http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/tag/transcript 2012-11-16 19:11 Imdb: http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0036861/quotes 2012-11-16 17:59
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Machiavellian Advice from The Prince Essay -- Political Science
Niccolo Machiavelli was a middle-class and humanist-educated Florentine diplomat, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Renaissance in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Although bestowed with the title of the father of modern political theory, Machiavelli has been, and continues to be widely misunderstood and misinterpreted (Kreis). The term â€Å"Machiavellian,†and it is in the dictionary, is defined as subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty (Dictionary). In acknowledgment of the enduring impact of Machiavelli on society, psychologists have identified a distinct personality style that is characterized by manipulativeness, cynicism about human nature, and shrewdness in interpersonal behavior, and named this syndrome after Machiavelli (â€Å"48†). Machiavellianism is described as a manipulative strategy of social interaction and personality style that uses other people as tools of personal gain (â€Å"48†). In this excerpt from The Prince, Machiavelli’s most recognized and popular discourse on morality and power, the author discusses and compares numerous aspects of the necessary attributes of a successful ruler. While he debates the pros and cons of vice and virtue, Machiavelli presents a compelling case for the adroit application of vice, in the event that princely virtues will threaten the sovereignty of authority. Most of Machiavelli’s work, including the The Prince, was only formally published posthumously, and the assumption would be that his intention in writing The Prince was not to inform the general public, most of who had neither reading skills, the access to books, or held positions of leadership and government. Machiavelli’s true intention in writing The Prince was to gain the att... ...itics. That Machiavelli has become synonymous with treachery is ironic, for this essay unmistakably and definitely confirms that throughout the history of civilization, those leaders who persevered and gained recognition as icons of power, character, and intellect were those who understood the balance of virtue and vice. Works Cited Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Web. 12 March 2012. Kirszner, Laurie G., and Mandell, Stephen R. Practical Argument. â€Å"From The Prince.†New York: Bedford-St. Martin’s. 2011. Print Kreis, Steven. â€Å"Niccolo Machiavelli.†The History Guide. The History Guide. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Prince.†SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. â€Å"48 Laws of Power and the Machiavellian Personality.†Psychology and Mental Health Forum. Psychology and Mental Health Forum. Web. Mar. 12 2012.
Monday, August 19, 2019
Mountain Dew Essay -- Soft Drinks Soda Essays
Mountain Dew It's cool and refreshing. It's satisfying and invigorating. It's Mountain Dew. But it's not just regular pop. It's a lifesaver that keeps many college students alert during strenuous moments in their college life. Mountain Dew is a favorite of many students on the GC campus because it is relatively cheap to purchase and not difficult to come across. This power drink can be found in the cafeteria, at the Leaf Raker, and in many of the vending machines on campus. Students can get free refills at the cafeteria and may purchase this drink for 99 cents at the Leaf Raker and $1 from vending machines. It comes in cans and in plastic bottles of various sizes. One can buy it in bulk from places like Wal-Mart and other supermarkets. Why do students prefer this suspicious-looking, yellow-colored beverage to other popular drinks like Coca Cola or Pepsi? Many students say they like it because it tastes good and keeps them awake. They find this extremely sweet and caffeine-packed solution appealing and refreshing to taste. Senior Zach Bougner said he likes the citrus taste of Mountain Dew. "I used to drink a can every day before school in high school," said Bougner. "I drove with my left hand and drank with my right." Mountain Dew has the highest caffeine content of all the other pops. While Coca Cola has 45.6 mg of caffeine per 12 oz and Pepsi has only 37.2 mg of caffeine per 12 oz, Mountain Dew contains 55 mg of caffeine per 12 oz. If you are a student who is accustomed to staying up 48 hours straight while battling to block out the enticing call from your bed, this beverage is the way to go. Not only is it high in caffeine, it is also highly concentrated with sugar and other carbohydrates. A sin... ...of hours at a time. What alternatives do people have to stay awake? Should Mountain Dew even be an option? Foster feels it is okay to drink it. "People get addicted to coffee as with Mountain Dew," he said. "For something that isn't as life-hampering [as drug addiction, for instance], I don't think it's that big a deal." He feels there should not be restrictions, except for kids because they are already energetic. On the other hand, Foster says his caffeine tolerance is so high that nothing can really help him stay awake. "It's my own motivation, my own drive, that keeps me awake," he said. Perhaps other students can learn from Foster. Depending on Mountain Dew or other caffeinated beverages may not always be advisable. Sometimes they work and at other times they don't. There comes a time when people just have to make "dew" with what they've got.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Soulless Technology in William Gibson’s Burning Chrome Essay -- Willia
Soulless Technology in William Gibson’s Burning Chrome An old adage states that the eyes are the windows to the soul. What if, however, those eyes have a trademark name stamped onto them? William Gibson’s short story "Burning Chrome" depicts an advanced but soulless society where most of the technological advances are portrayed as being perverted by commercialization and human mechanization, rather than dedicated to improving the quality of life. This paper will touch upon the frivolous consumerism of as well as the dehumanizing uses of technology in the world of Automatic Jack, the reader’s companion throughout the story. Perhaps the most visible example of this perversion is the high degree of commercialized technology in their society. The character of Rikki, a female friend of Jack’s, has her heart set on a pair of Zeiss Ikon eyes, and, as Jack describes them as a "Brand of the stars" and "Very expensive" (Gibson 1015). Though she desires 20/20 vision, Rikki does not want the eyes because they will help her see better; rather, she has an entire catalogue full of the most fashionable and stylish eyes of the season. Rikki’s friend Tiger gets his eyes redone simply so he can go to Hollywood, risking his eyesight with the not-as-reliable Sendai brand. The fact that anyone would put fashion and fame before something as precious and irreplaceable as optic nerves goes beyond foolish consumerism. It becomes reckless consumerism, putting goods above all other concerns for self and others. As for Tiger himself, Jack describes him in the following manner: He had the kind of uniform good looks you get after your seventh trip to the surgical boutique; he’d probably spend the rest of his life looking vaguely like each new season’... ... newest way to connect to others without needing human interaction. It’s impossible to know when technology will become "too" invasive and society "too" hollow, but by the time anyone looks hard enough, nothing but empty, soul-devoid, trademarked windows will blink in return. Bibliography Gibson, William Ford. "Burning Chrome." The Prentice Hall Anthology Of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Ed. Garyn G. Roberts. NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001. 1006- 1019. Maddox, Tom. "Cobra, She Said: An Interim Report on the Fiction of William Gibson." Hall 142-144. Hall, Sharon K., ed. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 39. New York: Gale Research, Inc., 1986. Coleman, Howard. "Other Voices, Other Voices." Matuz 129-130. Greenland, Colin. "Into Cyberspace." Matuz 130-131. Matuz, Roger, ed. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 63. New York: Gale Research, Inc., 1991.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Challenges Faced by Managers in Practicing Organisational Behaviour
FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION MEI / 2012 BBGO4103 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR MATRICULATION NO: 800201085406001 IDENTITY CARD NO. : 800201085406 TELEPHONE NO. : 0127252294 E-MAIL : [email protected] com LEARNING CENTRE: BANGI LEARNING CENTRE Content Page 1. Introduction and Description of the Selected Organisation2 2. Description of Roles of Managers Based on Mintzberg’s (1973) Model5 3. Challenges Faced By Managers in Practicing Organisational Behaviour12 4. Recommendations On How Managers Can Better Handle The Identified Challenges. 16 5. Summary24 6. Reference 27 7. Bibliography30Introduction and Description of the Selected Organisation Manager, a term that is so ubiquitous that its definition is commonly assumed. But the need to seek a definition rises proportionally to the drive to increase the productivity and efficiency of business in an ever changing marketplace. Armed with the tools yielded by the science of organizational behaviour, a working definition of this common term can be rendered as well as an answer to, â€Å"What do managers do? †This paper will distinguish the managerial roles practice base on the work of Henry Mintzberg and analyses managerial challenges faced by managers.As a sample of case study I have chosen AirAsia Berhad as, one of the most leading airline companies in Malaysia. The company corporate data are as follows: Corporate Data Company Name:AirAsia Berhad Year Founded:1993 Year Incorporated:2001 Registered Office:AirAsia Berhad (Company No. 284669-W) 25-5, Block H, Jalan PJU 1/37 Dataran Prima, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Contact: (603) – 78809318 (T) / (603) – 78806318(F) Head office:LCC Terminal, Jalan KLIA S3 Southern Support Zone, KLIA 64000 Sepang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, MalaysiaContact: (603) – 86604333 (T) / (603) – 87751100 (F) Website : www. airasia. com Stock Exchange Listing:Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad (Listed since 22 November 2004) (Stock code: 5099) Type of business:Transportation > Airline/Aviation (Provision of air transportation services). Company Overview AirAsia needs no introduction in ASEAN, where it is the leading Malaysian-based low-cost airline. AirAsia is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills airline and a pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia, connecting people and places across 132 routes, 40 of which are offered by no other airline.Its main hub is the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). In 2010, the Group, which includes affiliates AirAsia Thailand and AirAsia Indonesia, reinforced its leadership position with two remarkable milestones: flying its 100 millionth guest and breaking the RM1 billion profit barriers. Voted by over 18. 8 million airline passengers from 100 different nationalities, the World Airline Awardsâ„ ¢ are the most prestigious quality recognition of front-line product and service standards for the world airline industry.With 200 airlines featured, the awards measure customer satisfaction levels across 38 different items of airline front-line product and service, AirAsia won the Skytrax World's best low-cost airline award in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It has the world's lowest operating costs at USD 0. 035/seat-kilometre in 2010. It is also the first airline in the region to implement fully ticketless air travel. Company Vision To be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares. Company Mission To be the best company to work for whereby employees are treated as part of a big family * Create a globally recognized ASEAN brand * To attain the lowest cost so that everyone can fly with AirAsia * Maintain the highest quality product, embracing technology to reduce cost and enhance service levels Type of Employees and Size According to the latest annual report (2011), AirAsia employees have reached about 5,137 staff at the year-end of 2011. This employment includes various levels of position which are Board of Directors, Senior Management, Manager, Head, Executive, and Non-Executive.Exhibit 1: Supporting data for employee size retrieved from the Air Asia Annual Report 2011 Description of Roles of Managers Based on Mintzberg’s (1973) Model An appropriate starting point to explore the duties of a manager lies within the function of the management position. The origins of a functional description of management can be found in the works of Henry Fayol. Fayol, originally an engineer that turned to management in late-nineteenth century, he set the foundation for management theory by outlining five primary functions of the manager; planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling.To fully understand the activities of the manager, it is necessary to delve beyond function to determine how it is expressed. For this, the work of Henry Mintzberg can be applied to illuminate how a manager performs these functions. In The Nature of Managerial Work (1973), Mintzberg proposed that a manager will utilize a combination of ten different roles to achieve their objectives. These roles can be grouped into three broader categories – informational, interpersonal and decisional. Exhibit 2: Mintzberg Managerial Roles Model and Relations Towards Information Handling. Interpersonal rolesInterpersonal roles arise directly from a manager’s formal authority and status, and shape relationships with people within and beyond the organisation. The interpersonal group links together the other groups by establishing and maintaining a framework and environment, both externally and internally, that dictates where and how that information is conveyed and to which objectives is it meant to fulfil. There are three types of interpersonal roles – figurehead, leader and liaison. A manager usually maintains a network of relationships, both inside and outside the organisation.Dealing with people, formally and informally, up and down the hierarchy and sideways within it, is thus a major element of the manager’s role. A manager is often most visible when performing these interpersonal roles. In the figurehead role the managers are the symbol, representing the unit in legal and ceremonial duties such as greeting a visitor, sign legal documents, presenting retirement gifts or receiving a quality award. For example, the AirAsia Berhad Group Chief Executive Officer, Tan Sri Dr.Tony Fernandes responsible in signing the company legal documents such as statement by directors for auditing purposes, receives â€Å"Value Airline of the Year†awards from ATW Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards on behalf of AirAsia Berhad and spokesperson for press interviews by the Starbiz, The Star newspaper on Friday, June 15, 2012 with the headlines â€Å"Tony Fernandes speaks to StarBiz on AirAsia's future plans†. The evidence of these responsibilities is as follows: Exhibit 3: Signing Legal Documents – retrieved from Airasia Berhad Annual Report 2011Exhibit 4: The Group CEO on behalf of AirAsia receives Awards â€Å"Value Airline of the Year†The leader role defines the manager’s relationship with other people (not just subordinates), including motivating, communicating and developing their skills and confidence. As leaders, managers have to consider the needs of an organisation and those of the individuals they manage and work with. The leadership roles practice by the Group CEO meets the Mintzberg values as some commented: â€Å"(At AirAsia) there’s no such thing as a male of female pilot. Only good or great pilots. It’s thanks to people like Tan Sri Dr.Tony Fernandes who advocate equal rights. †Nadira Ramli, AirAsia Woman Pilot. â€Å"I ask him what is it that makes this company so different, so successful, and so passionate about everything it does, creati ng a culture that shows on the faces of every single person in the company. He says, â€Å"Our corporate culture is it. It’s what makes us. †So what is this corporate culture that changes lives and makes this company one of the most successful airlines in the world? It asks the question, â€Å"Hierarchy, what hierarchy? †Tony is a leader and a manager, but he is one of the team also.So his office is smack at the heart of the company, with no walls and no doors. Everyone sees him and he sees everyone. He is Tony to everyone and he is in his polo shirt and with his famous baseball cap. His only vice is that he gets a special parking slot right next to the door of his building, for his two-door white Peugeot. †Fadi Ghandour, Chairman of Wamda and Founder and CEO of Aramex. The liaison role focuses on contacts with people outside the immediate unit. Managers maintain a network in which they trade information and favours for mutual benefit with clients, gove rnment officials, customers and suppliers.For some managers, particularly chief executives and sales managers, the liaison role takes a high proportion of their time and energy. From my observations, this role also has been practice in this company. For example, its Commercial Public Relations Executive, Ms Linda Foo Yan Yan, one of her job responsibilities is as liaison and point of contact with respective airports organizations, tourism bureaus and internal departments in order to gain support in promotion and marketing activities. Informational rolesManagers must collect, disseminate and transmit information and these activities have three corresponding informational roles: monitor, disseminator and spokesperson. In monitoring what goes on in the organisation, a manager will seek and receive information about both internal and external events and transmit it to others. This process of transmission is the dissemination role, passing on information. A manager has to give informatio n concerning the organisation to staff and to outsiders, taking on the role of spokesperson to both the general public and those in positions of authority.Managers need not collect or disseminate every item themselves, but must retain authority and integrity by ensuring the information they handle is correct. In AirAsia Berhad, this responsibility is hold by Head of Communications, Ms Sherliza Zaharudin. The position is actually similar as company spokesperson and representative. The company image and presentation lies on her hands as she responsible in producing press releases, answering interviews and other corporate affairs. For example, one of her job is writing a press release.First, she must monitor and look up what is goes on in the company by obtaining the true source of the information or verified data from the immediate superior or resources. Then, before she disseminates the information, she needs to analyse and interprets and write up a report in the form of press releas e. Then, the press release will be submitted to media and press as an official document of announcement to be announced to the public. As a spokesperson, she also has to be alert at the company product and updates as she needs to promote and lobbying the entities. 4. 3. 3 Decisional rolesMintzberg argues that making decisions is the most crucial part of any managerial activity. He identifies four roles which are based on different types of decisions; namely, entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator. As entrepreneurs, managers make decisions about changing what is happening in an organisation. They may have to initiate change and take an active part in deciding exactly what is done – they are proactive. The board of directors of AirAsia Berhad have made many decisions towards being a proactive such as initiate new projects, spot opportunities and identify areas of business development.For example, in October 31, 2003, AirAsia announces the setting u p of a new hub in Senai, Johor Bahru, with direct flights to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi and Penang. The full listing of their successful entrepreneurships decision making can be seen in the company annual report 2011, page 5 in the 10 years of achievement section. However, it is very different from their role as disturbance handlers, which requires them to make decisions arising from events that are beyond their control and which are unpredictable.The ability to react to events as well as to plan activities is an important aspect of management. Unfortunately, AirAsia Berhad has been tested in facing such disturbance. It was a first incident that happens to Malaysian aircraft that is most unbearable situation to handle and overcome. The incident was when an AirAsia Airbus A320-216 passenger jets, registered 9M-AHH, sustained substantial damage in a runway excursion accident at Kuching Airport (KCH), Malaysia. Exhibit 5: Cranes are used to remove the plane off the runway Tuesday The airplane operated on flight AK5218 from Kuala Lumpur Subang International Airport (KUL) to Kuching Airport (KCH). The flight landed on Kuching's runway 25 in heavy rain around but skidded to the right and went off the side of the runway. It came to rest in the grass with the nose gear dug in or collapsed. At the moment of the incident, there were 123 guests on board the flight. Four guests were sent for observation as a precautionary measure and were released shortly after. All other guests are safe and have been attended to accordingly.The resource allocation role of a manager is central to much organisational analysis. A manager has to make decisions about the allocation of money, equipment, people, time and other resources. In so doing a manager is actually scheduling time, programming work and authorising actions. This role without a doubt, have been comply by managers in AirAsia Berhad, especially by the Board of Directors as mentioned in the Statement on Corporate Governan ce, Annual Report 2011 under the Roles and Responsibilities of the Board.The negotiation role is important as a manager has to negotiate with others and in the process be able to make decisions about the commitment of organisational resources. Mintzberg found that managers don’t perform equally – or with equal frequency – all the roles he described. There may be a dominant role that will vary from job to job, and from time to time. It is important to note that many non-managers in organisations seem to have these sorts of interpersonal, informational and decisional roles. In contrast, the ituations managers deal with differ in the degree of routine, the size and scope and complexity of the activities in which they are involved, and the responsibilities associated with these activities. Challenges Faced By Managers in Practicing Organisational Behaviour The world is changing and as is the case with companies. Companies are no longer steadfast on the theory of rec ruiting workforce from the same geography for their work to be done. At the end of the day, the businesses especially the ones which have an unconventional business model believe in the work being done, it does not matter who does it.In such a scenario, recruitment of workforce has become a global activity with at least 25-30% of a company's workforce being made up of employees recruited offshore. It is quite natural for companies to boast of employees from a cross section of cultural backgrounds. With that comes the challenge of managing and practicing Organizational Behaviour in such companies Challenge of Globalisation One major challenge facing managers in the early 21st century arises from what many commentators have identified as an increasingly international or global business environment.The following factors are frequently cited as potential explanatory factors underlying this trend: i. Communication – improvements in international communication facilities leading to an increased consciousness of differences in workplace attitudes and behaviour in other societies; ii. International competitive pressure – for example, the emergence of newly industrialised and/or free-market nations (the Far East region and former communist bloc countries are often viewed as examples of this phenomenon); iii.The spread of production methods and other business processes across nations and regions; international business activity, for example: overseas franchising or licensing agreements; outsourcing of business units to other countries (call centres provide a topical example); direct foreign investment and the activities of multinational corporations which, by definition, operate outside national boundaries. In broad terms, globalisation refers to organisations integrating, operating and competing in a worldwide economy. The organisations’ activities are more independent across the world rather than confined nationally.Globalisation will also impact on the nature of social responsibilities and business ethics. With globalisation, strategy and structure are inextricably linked. As organisations, and especially large business organisations, adopt a more global perspective this will have a significant effect on the broader context of management and organisational behaviour. Challenge of Workforce Diversity Workplace diversity exists when companies hire employees from various backgrounds and experiences. Many companies see workplace diversity as an investment toward building a better business.Although workplace diversity provides many benefits, it also poses many challenges to employees and managers. To reap the benefits of workplace diversity, employees and managers must understand the challenges and know how to effectively deal with them. Taking full advantage of the benefits of diversity in the workplace is not without its challenges. Some of those challenges are: i. Communication – Perceptual, cultural and language barri ers need to be overcome for diversity programs to succeed. Ineffective communication of key objectives results in confusion, lack of teamwork, and low morale. i. Resistance to change – There are always employees who will refuse to accept the fact that the social and cultural makeup of their workplace is changing. The â€Å"we've always done it this way†mentality silences new ideas and inhibits progress. iii. Implementation of diversity in the workplace policies – This can be the overriding challenge to all diversity advocates. Armed with the results of employee assessments and research data, they must build and implement a customized strategy to maximize the effects of diversity in the workplace for their particular organization. v. Successful Management of Diversity in the Workplace – Diversity training alone is not sufficient for the organization's diversity management plan. A strategy must be created and implemented to create a culture of diversity th at permeates every department and function of the organization. Challenge of Technology Change The major advances in technology that have emerged over the last several decades have had an impact on virtually every aspect of modern life, and the hospitality industry has also been affected by these changes.While keyboards and microchips are probably among the last things guests want to think about as they dip into a creme brulee or lounge in a penthouse suite, hospitality industry insiders know that modern technology plays a big part in keeping things on track behind the scenes, from the back-of-the-house order management systems that help chefs keep their plates straight to the reservation systems that ensure that a soft bed will be waiting for a weary traveller at the end of a long day on the road. Just like all types of technology, the technology that helps power the hospitality industry is constantly evolving.A brief stroll through the product exhibition hall at any industry confe rence will reveal just a slice of the hundreds of new styles of software, systems, gadgets, programs, and equipment that are released in the hospitality market each year. Sooner or later, it’s likely one organization will be faced with a challenge that can strike fear into the heart of even the most intrepid of managers: implementing new technology in the workplace. Whether it’s a POS program for the cafe or a reservation system for the bed and breakfast, the prospect of managing technology change can be daunting.Challenge of Downsizing/Layoff Many companies are under intense economic pressure. Reorganizations, takeovers, mergers and downsizing are increasingly common as today’s companies try to grow, compete and survive. Downsizing presents new challenges and demands for everyone in the organization, from the CEO to the telephone receptionist. For managers, the challenge is even greater. Not only do managers have to cope with their own fears and frustrations, t hey have to support others who are emotionally distraught, even while remaining positive and productive.There’s no doubt about itâ€â€it’s a tough time to be in business. Whether one owns the company, hold a position in senior management or work in human resources, there is a lot of pressure on him/her to ensure that the organization makes it through the recession with the fewest battle scars possible. Laying people off is easily one of the hardest roles that a manager faces, but it is almost inevitable that at some point in the career one will need to do it. Although it may sound odd, laying people off and retaining people actually go hand in hand.How to conduct layoffs and how to deal with those who remain will directly impact the bottom line. Mishandle either of those two things and will be facing productivity and morale problems. Challenge of Managerial Ethics Ethics is difficult to define in a precise way. In a general sense, ethics is the code of moral princip les and values that governs the behaviours of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong. Ethics sets standards as to what is good or bad in conduct and decision making. An ethical issue is present in a situation when the actions of a person or organization may harm or benefit others.Yet ethical issues can sometimes be exceedingly complex. People in organizations may hold widely divergent views about the most ethically appropriate or inappropriate actions related to a situation. Managers often face situations in which it is difficult to determine what is right. In addition, they might be torn between their misgivings and their sense of duty to their bosses and the organization. Sometimes, managers want to take a stand but don’t have the backbone to go against others, bring unfavourable attention to them, or risk their jobs.Recommendations On How Managers Can Better Handle The Identified Challenges. There are new leadership and management challenges for the 21st Century, to be met against the backdrop of financial uncertainty, technological change and global economic downturn. The world we live and work in is vastly different from that we inhabited just a few decades ago and our approach to leadership and management must adapt to it. Here are the recommendations on how managers can better handle the identified challenges previously discussed: Managing Globalisation i. A cross-cultural approach to managementOne rationale for taking a cross-cultural approach to management lies in the potential benefits to be gained in performance terms. In addition to practically based benefits in considering our own ‘home’ culture, there has been a long tradition of looking to other cultures for examples of ‘successful’ practice which could be transplanted into work organisations in different societies. Different models may be dominant at different times. ii. Managing people from different cultures a. Recognise the variations in wor kplace attitudes and behaviour between individuals and groups in different cultural contexts. b.In examining the centrally important topic of motivation managers must develop organizational systems that are flexible enough to take into account the meaning of work and the relative value of rewards within the range of cultures where they operate. iii. Managing Workforce Diversity Recommended steps in managing workforce diversity in organizations are: a. Assessment of diversity in the workplace – Top companies make assessing and evaluating their diversity process an integral part of their management system. A customizable employee satisfaction survey can accomplish this assessment for the company efficiently and conveniently.It can help the management team determine which challenges and obstacles to diversity are present in the workplace and which policies need to be added or eliminated. Reassessment can then determine the success of diversity in the workplace plan implementatio n. b. Development of diversity in the workplace plan – Choosing a survey provider that provides comprehensive reporting is a key decision. That report will be the beginning structure of the diversity in the workplace plan. The plan must be comprehensive, attainable and measurable. An organization must decide what changes need to be made and a timeline for that change to be attained. . Implementation of diversity in the workplace plan – The personal commitment of executive and managerial teams is a must. Leaders and managers within organizations must incorporate diversity policies into every aspect of the organization's function and purpose. Attitudes toward diversity originate at the top and filter downward. Management cooperation and participation is required to create a culture conducive to the success of the organization's plan. iv. Recommended diversity in the workplace solutions include: a. Ward off change resistance with inclusion. Involve every employee possible in formulating and executing diversity initiatives in the workplace. b. Foster an attitude of openness in the organization. – Encourage employees to express their ideas and opinions and attribute a sense of equal value to all. c. Promote diversity in leadership positions. – This practice provides visibility and realizes the benefits of diversity in the workplace. d. Utilize diversity training. – Use it as a tool to shape the diversity policy. e. Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey that provides comprehensive reporting. Use the results to build and implement successful diversity in the workplace policies. Managing Technology Change Here are some recommendations on managing the technology change in an organisation: i. Provide as Much Advance Warning as Possible. Human beings are naturally resistant to change, but change that is sudden and unexpected is often most difficult to accept. As soon as one is certain that technology change is in his/her or ganization’s future, announce the news to the staff. This will give them more time to adapt mentally to the prospect of a future change.If possible, begin training sessions that introduce the basic concepts of the new technology well before the actual date of implementation. ii. Recruit A Group of Staff Facilitators. Call on a few ambitious, interested, or tech-savvy employees to act as project leaders for the technology change. They can sit in on the planning and implementation meetings and convey new developments to the other employees in their departments. Also, having a few key â€Å"cheerleaders†who are in favour of the project from the start can help bolster the staff’s morale during the challenge of implementation. iii.Begin System Training in a Low-Pressure Environment. The hospitality industry is famously fast-paced, so booting up a new POS system right before the dinner rush is probably not the best way to boost the team’s confidence in the new technology. If possible, set up the new equipment in a back room for several weeks of training before the full-scale implementation. Remind the staff of the old adage that the only â€Å"stupid†question is the one that remains unasked. iv. Have a Plan B†¦and Maybe Even a Plan C. Remind the self that a few snags and roadblocks are likely to arise during the first few weeks of using new technology.Make sure that one has developed one or more contingency plans that the team can rely on if the new system becomes inoperable. v. Training Shouldn’t Stop after the New Equipment is up and Running. Don’t disband the technology committee after the new system has been installed successfully. Instead, plan on meeting every month or every quarter to discuss issues, concerns, or suggestions for future upgrades. One can task one or more of the staff with the responsibility of keeping up with new products from the manufacturer and new developments in the field.With the ra pid pace of technological change that’s occurring within the hospitality industry today, it’s probably more helpful to think of technology implementation as an on-going process, rather than a one-time project that ends with installation. Although the prospect of change is always unsettling, one can significantly increase the chances that the organization’s shift to a new technology will go smoothly by sticking to these simple strategies. Managing Downsizing/Layoff Here are some suggestions on how one should handle downsizing/layoff: i. Plan layoffs carefully.If one find himself in a position where he need to let people go, don’t act indiscriminately. Take the time to ensure that the layoff plan and the business plan are in sync. Look at the current projectsâ€â€particularly those that are critical to the businessâ€â€and don’t forget to plan for the future. Make sure that one has a clear idea of the projects that will get underway once the cr isis is over. The last thing one want is to suddenly realize that a mission-critical project is in jeopardy because of letting the wrong people go and now don’t have the talent and resources to proceed. ii.Be prepared. One will make things easier both for oneself and the people he is laying off if one is well prepared. If one need to, write a script and practice it in front of a mirror until one can do it without sounding forced. Make a list of questions that might be asked and have answers ready. Be confident and get to the pointâ€â€don’t make small talk. Keep in mind that much of what is said in a layoff meeting will not be retained, so have resources available for affected employees, such as information on benefits, separation terms, and important contacts and other written information.Also, make sure one have fully planned the necessary post-layoff logistics. Will employees be allowed to say goodbye to colleagues? Will they be permitted some time to gather thei r belongings? Will you offer to pack up their things and have the boxes delivered to their home address? iii. Know the law. One thing one really don’t needâ€â€in a recession or at any timeâ€â€is a costly court battle, so make sure one know the responsibilities as an employer. The law stipulates that employees must get either some notice prior to dismissal or be compensated instead, although the particulars vary depending on the province or territory.There are also certain rules that apply when lying off groups of individuals, but again, the laws are different depending on the province. Speak to a lawyer or contact the provincial labour board to make sure that one are meeting the obligations in accordance with the law. iv. Treat people with dignity and respect. It is human nature to shy away from uncomfortable situations, but as a manager one don’t have that luxury. Distancing yourself because you feel bad won’t make anyone feel better. Remember, this is not one fault, and avoiding people will not minimize feelings of guilt or hurt. In fact, it will make them worse.Be kind and compassionate. Losing one job can be a humiliating experience, so give people the respect they need. However, the recession will end eventually, but what one should do between now and then could have a direct impact on whether your business thrivesâ€â€or nosedives. When the recession is finally over and business starts to return to normal, make sure that one and one’s employees are ready. Managing Ethical Decision Making Most ethical dilemmas involve a conflict between the needs of the part and the whole – the individual versus the organization or the organization versus society as a whole.Sometimes ethical decisions entail a conflict between two groups. Managers faced with these kinds of tough ethical choices often benefit from a normative strategyâ€â€one based on norms and valuesâ€â€to guide their decision making. Normative ethics u ses several approaches to describe values for guiding ethical decision making. Four of these approaches that are relevant to managers are the utilitarian approach, individualism approach, moral-rights approach, and justice approach. i. Utilitarian approachUnder this approach, a decision maker is expected to consider the effect of each decision alternative on all parties and select the one that optimizes the benefits for the greatest number of people. In organizations, because actual computations can be complex, simplifying them is considered appropriate. ii. Individualism Approach The individualism approach contends that acts are moral when they promote the individual’s best long-term interests. Individual self-direction is paramount, and external forces that restrict self-direction should be severely limited.Individuals calculate the best long-term advantage to themselves as a measure of a decision’s goodness. The action that is intended to produce a greater ratio of good too bad for the individual compared with other alternatives is the right one to perform. Individualism is believed to lead to honesty and integrity because that works best in the long run. Lying and cheating for immediate self-interest just causes business associates to lie and cheat in return. Thus, individualism ultimately leads to behaviour toward others that fits standards of behaviour people want toward themselves. iii. Moral-Rights ApproachThe moral-rights approach asserts that human beings have fundamental rights and liberties that cannot be taken away by an individual’s decision. Thus, an ethically correct decision is one that best maintains the rights of those affected by it. iv. Justice Approach The justice approach holds that moral decisions must be based on standards of equity, fairness, and impartiality. Three types of justice are of concern to managers which are: a. Distributive justice requires that different treatment of people not be based on arbitrary c haracteristics. Individuals who are similar in ways relevant to a decision should be treated similarly.Thus, men and women should not receive different salaries if they are performing the same job. However, people who differ in a substantive way, such as job skills or job responsibility, can be treated differently in proportion to the differences in skills or responsibility among them. This difference should have a clear relationship to organizational goals and tasks. b. Procedural justice requires that rules be administered fairly. Rules should be clearly stated and consistently and impartially enforced. c. Compensatory justice argues that individuals should be compensated for the cost of their injuries by the party responsible.Moreover, individuals should not be held responsible for matters over which they have no control. Summary Henry Mintzberg concluded that managers perform 10 different roles or behaviours. He classified them into three sets. One set is concerned with interper sonal relationships (figurehead, leader, and liaison). The second set is related to the transfer of information (monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson). The third set deals with decision making (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator). This chart summarizes a manager’s ten Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles: Category| Role| Activity|Informational| Monitor| Seek and acquire work-related information| | Disseminator| Communicate/ disseminate information to others within the organization| | Spokesperson| Communicate/transmit information to outsiders| Interpersonal| Figurehead| Perform social and legal duties, act as symbolic leader| | Leader| Direct and motivate subordinates, select and train employees| | Liaison| Establish and maintain contacts within and outside the organization| Decisional| Entrepreneur| Identify new ideas and initiate improvement projects| | Disturbance Handler| Deals with disputes or problems and takes corrective action| | R esource Allocator| Decide where to apply resources| | Negotiator| Defends business interests| Building an internationally competent workforce whose members know the business and are flexible and open-minded can take years. Multinational organizations can no longer rely on just a few managers with multicultural experience or a few experts on a particular country to succeed. In short, all employees must have some minimal level of international expertise and be able to recognize cultural differences that may affect daily business communications and working relationships.As a result of the increasingly global business environment, many companies are building teams that cross-national borders and/or include members from different countries of origin. Although many of these teams are designed to pool resources and increase operational efficiencies, the cultural diversity of team members may create a longer learning curve for establishing effective processes than culturally homogeneous gro ups. This chart summarizes a manager’s challenges and recommendations in managing the challenges: Challenges| Description| Recommendation| Challenge of Globalisation| Organisations integrating, operating and competing in a worldwide economy| i. A cross-cultural approach to management ii.Managing people from different cultures| Challenge of Workforce Diversity| Leading a diverse work force| i. Ward off change resistance with inclusion ii. Foster an attitude of openness in the organization iii. Promote diversity in leadership positions iv. Utilize diversity training v. Launch a customizable employee satisfaction survey that provides comprehensive reporting| Challenge of Technology Change| Advancing and implementing technological innovation in the workspace| i. Provide as Much Advance Warning as Possible. ii. Recruit A Group of Staff Facilitators. iii. Begin System Training in a Low-Pressure Environment. iv. Have a Plan B†¦and Maybe Even a Plan C. v.
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