Nisbett Summary Essay

Main Points: Evidence shows that there may be little or no direct introspective access to higher order cognitive processes. Subjects are sometimes (a.) unaware of the existence of a stimulus that importantly influenced a response, (b) unaware of the existence of the response and (c) unaware that the stimulus has affected the response. It is proposed that when people attempt to report on their cognitive processes, they do not do so based on any true introspection. Their reports are based on a priori, implicit casual theories or judgments about the extent to which a particular stimulus is a plausible cause of a given response. Although the evidence points that people are unable to use introspection in respect to cognitive processes, they may sometimes be able to report accurately about them. Accurate reports will occur when influential stimuli are salient and plausible causes of the responses they produce. Notes: * Social psychologists routinely ask subjects in their experiments why they behaved as they did (i.e., why did you choose that graduate school) * Mandler, Miller and Neisser proposed that people may have no direct access to higher order mental processes, such as used in evaluating judgment, problem solving and behavior * Problems with new anti-introspectivist view: (1) Mandler, Miller and Neisser never stated that people have no direct access to higher order mental processes. Instead, the speculation is not based on research on higher order processes, such as â€Å"thinking,† but rather research on more basic processes of perception and memory. There is no conscious awareness of perceptual and memorial processes. (2) People readily answer questions about the reasons for his behavior or evaluations. Subjects usually appear stumped when asked about perceptual or memorial processes, but are quite able to describe why they behaved in such a manner or why they dislike a person. The refore, it would appear like people have some introspective access to a memory or the process involved. (3) The anti-introspectivist view does not allow for the possibility that people are ever correct about their higher order mental processes (intuitively unlikely that such reports are ALWAYS inaccurate). * Much of the evidence that casts doubt on the ability of people to report on their cognitive processes comes from a consideration of what was not published in that literature. A review of the nonpublic research leads to three conclusions: (1) subjects frequently cannot report on the existence of the chief response that was produced by the manipulation (2) even if they can report the existence of the responses, they do not report that a change process (evaluational or attitudinal response underwent any alterations) occurred (3) subjects cannot correctly identify the stimuli that produced the response. * Insufficient justification or dissonance research states if the behavior is intrinsically undesirable will, when performed for inadequate extrinsic reasons, be seen as more attractive if done for adequate reasons. For example, if people have done something unpleasant without adequate justification, it becomes painful – therefore, people will revise his opinion about the behavior in order to avoid the psychic discomfort * Attribution theory – people strive to discover the causes of attitudinal, emotional and behavioral responses (their own and others) and the resulting casual attributions are a chief determinant of a host of additional attitudinal and behavioral effects. For example, if someone tells us that he likes a horror film, our acceptance of the opinion is based on our causal analysis of the persons’ reasons for the evaluation – does he like movies, does he normally like horror films, etc. Insufficient-justification studies and attribution studies where the subject makes inferences about himself have employed behavioral dependent variables. Two studies are discussed, one regarding painful electric shocks and the other with snake-phobic subjects. In the one with the electric shocks, patients were subject to shocks and asked to learn a task. Those with insufficient justification justified taking the shots, by deciding that they were not that painful, so their evaluation of the painfulness of the shots was lowered and their physiological and behavioral indicators reflected this indication. In the second study, subjects underwent the attribution paradigm in which snake-phobic subjects were exposed to slides of snakes and a second slide that stated â€Å"shock† in which they were electrically shocked. As a result, the subjects learned that they were frightened of the shock slide because of the electric shock that accompanied it, but not frightened of the snake slides and realized that they may not be as afraid of snakes as they thought. They were armed with a new self-attribution of snake fearlessness. * Verbal stimuli in the form of instructions from the experimenter can result in a changed evaluation of the relevant stimuli and an altered motivational state, which are reflected in subsequent physiological and behav ioral events. Stimuli => cognitive process => evaluative and motivational state change => behavior change * There is a problem with the assumption that the subject consciously decides how he feels about an object and this evaluation determines his behavior towards it. Typically, behavioral and physiological differences are obtained in the absence of verbally reported differences in evaluations or motive states. * Three generalizations made about the electric shock and snake-phobic studies are: * No significant verbal report differences were found at all. * The behavioral effects were in most cases stronger than the verbal report effects * The correlation between verbal report about motive state and behavioral measures of motive state was found to be zero. Negative/zero correlation are difficult to understand/interpret in terms of the cognitive process involved. * Results from studies confounded the assumption that conscious, verbal cognitive processes result in conscious, verbalizable changes in evaluations or motive states which then mediate changed behavior. * Author provides evidence that casts doubt on the studies that find differences in the verbal reports of experimental and control subjects. There is an important difference between awareness of the existence of an evaluation (does not imply true recognition of the process induced by insufficient justification and attribution manipulations – they are not aware that a change has taken place in consequence of such manipulations) and awareness of a changed evaluation or motive state. An experiment was done in which people had to write essays opposing their own views. Subjects who were coerced into writing essays showed no change in evaluation of the topic. Those who were given insufficient justification or manipulated shifted their evaluations in the direction of the position they originally opposed. However, those who were given insufficient justification or manipulation reported that their attitudes towards the subject were no different after the essay than they were one week prior-this suggests that they were unaware that the evaluation has changed. * Thought process – a study is described in which a control group was subjected to electric shocks while the experimental group was given a placebo pill that reportedly helped with the electric shocks. The experimental group was able to take more shock. After the study, 9 out of 12 subjects stated that the pill did not cause some physical effects and that they were only worried about the shock. * The explanations that subjects offer for their behavior in insufficient-justification and attribution experiments are so removed from the processes that investigators doubt there is direct access to higher level cognitive processes. * Results of insufficient justification experiments could never be obtained if subjects were aware of the critical role played by the social pressure from the experimenter. If subjects realized that their behavior was produced by this social pressure, they would not change their attitudes. If people were aware of position effects on their evaluations, they would attempt to overcome these effects or counteract the influence (i.e., see below about helping someone in distress with many people around – may be more willing to help someone knowing that naturally people are less likely to help others with more people around). * The theory that people can respond to a stimulus in the absence of the ability to verbally report on its existence is more widely accepted now than years before. The new acceptance is due to (1) methodological innovations in the form chiefly of signal detection techniques and dichotic listening procedures and (2) persuasive theoretical arguments in regards to deriving the subliminal perception phenomenon from the notion of selective attention and filtering. An experiment was done regarding playing tone sequences into an attended and unattended auditory channel while subjects tracked a human voice in the attended channel. Subjects reported hearing nothing at all in the unattended channel. Subjects were unable to discriminate new from old stimuli at a level exceeding change, but preferred tone sequences previously presented to the unattended channel over novel stimuli. The conclusion is that affective processes are triggered by information that is too weak to provide verbal recognition. * Many more stimuli are apprehended than can be stored in short-term or long-term memory. Subliminal perception (we perceive without perceiving) can be derived as a logical consequence of the principle of selective filtering. We can perceive without remembering. The subliminal perception hypothesis: some stimuli may affect ongoing mental processes, without being registered in short-term memory or long-term memory. It also suggests that people may sometimes be unable to report even the existence of influential stimuli and, as reported by creative people (see next bullet point), this may frequently be the case in problem-solving. * How creative people (artists, writers, mathematicians, scientists and philosophers) speak about the process of production and problem solving: they state they are the first to witness the fruits of a problem-solving process that is almost completely hidden from conscious view. For these people, the y have no idea what factors prompted the solution and the fact that a process is taking place is sometimes unknown to them prior to the point that a solution appears in consciousness. * People are increasingly less likely to help others in distress as the number of witnesses or bystanders increases. However, subjects always claim that their behavior was not influenced by other people around them. * The authors performed a series of small studies to fill in the gaps from the other studies, choosing cognitive processes that were used routinely with minimal deception. The results were not as expected: most of the stimuli the authors expected to influence subjects’ responses turned out to have no effect, and many of the stimuli that the authors expected to have no effect turned out to be influential. Subjects were virtually never accurate in their reports – if the stimulus component had a significant effect on responses, subjects typically reported that it was noninfluential. * Erroneous reports about stimuli influencing associative behavior: 81 students in introductory psychology were asked to memorize a list of words that may target them towards a response. When asked if the words memorized affected them, they stated distinctive features of the product (Tide is the b est known detergent) rather than the words leading them to say Tide. They also did an awareness ratio for the target words – the results were that for some of the target words the subjects reported no influence and for others many more subjects reported an influence than were probably influenced. * Erroneous reports about the influence of an individual’s personality on reactions to his physical characteristics: A study, known as the halo effect, showed that the manipulated warmth or coldness of an individual’s personality had a large effect on rating of the attractiveness of his appearance, speech and mannerisms. Many subjects actually insisted that their feelings about the individual’s appearance, etc. had influenced their liking of him/her. * The studies discussed do not suffice that people could never be accurate about the processes involved. The studies indicate that introspective access as may exist is not sufficient to produce accurate reports about the role of critical stimuli in response to questions asked a few min utes or seconds after the stimuli have been processed or response produced. People often make assertions about mental events to which they may have no access and these assertions may bear little resemblance to the actual events. * Evidence indicates it may be misleading for social scientists to ask their subjects about the influences on their evaluations, choices or behavior – those reports may have little value. Observers who read reports from experiments reported similarly to how subjects themselves predicted how they would react to the stimulus situation (e.g., other people around would not affect their behavior) – therefore, since their reports are similar, it is unnecessary to assume that observers are drawing on â€Å"a fount of privileged knowledge† when they make their predictions on how they would act. * A Priori Casual theories may have any of several origins: * The culture of subculture may have explicit rules stating the relationship between a particular stimulus and a particular response (I came to a stop because the light changed) * The culture of subculture may supply implicit theories about causal relations (one particular stimulus may â€Å"psychologically imply† a particular response) – Jim gave flowers to Amy so she’s acting nice today. * An individual may hold a particular causal theory on the basis of empirical observation of covariation between stimuli of the general type and responses of the general type (I’m groggy today – I always get grouchy when I don’t break 100 in golf). However, it has been found that powerful covariations may go undetected when the individual lacks a theory leading him to suspect covariation and, conversely, that the individual may perceive covariation where there is none if he has a theory leading him to expect it. * In absence of a culturally supplied rule, implicit causal theory or assumption about covariation, people may be able to generate causal hypotheses linking even novel stimuli and novel responses. If the stimulus is connotatively similar to the response, then it may be reported as having influenced the response. * The authors state that they are not implying that a priori causal theories are wrong – verbal reports relying on such theories will typically be wrong because they are incorrectly applied in the particular instance. * Therefore, when subjects were asked about their cognitive processes, they may have done something that felt like introspection, but was only merely a simple judgment of the extent to which input was a representative or plausible cause of output. It seems like people, when interrogated about cognitive processes, resort to a pool of culturally supplied explanations for behavior or search through a network of connotative relations until they find an explan ation. * Criterion for awareness: should not be equated with â€Å"correct verbal report† but, instead, â€Å"verbal report which exceeds in accuracy that obtained from observers provided with a general description of the stimulus and response in question.† * Accuracy and inaccuracy in verbal explanations: Tversky and Kahneman proposed that a chief determinant of judgments about the frequency and probability of events is the availability in memory of the events at the time of judgment. Events are judged as frequent in proportion to their availability, and their availability is determined by such factors as the strength of the network of verbal associations that spontaneously call the events to mind. The representativeness and availability heuristics are undoubtedly intertwine in the appraisal of cause and effect relations. If a particular stimulus is not available, then it will not be adduced in explanation of a given effect, even thought it might be highly representative or plausible once called to mind. A second circumstance that decreases accuracy in self-report is a separation in time between the report of the actual occurrence of the process. If asked immediately after the occurrence about a cognitive process, the subjects are leas t aware of the existence of the effective stimuli at this point although here may be no direct access to process. Subjects have some chance of accurately reporting that a particular stimulus was influential. At a later point, the existence of the stimulus may be forgotten or the vagaries of memory may invent factors that were not there, and there would be little chance it would be correctly identified as influential. * Reports will be accurate when influential stimuli are (1) available and (2) plausible causes of the response and when (3) few or no plausible but noninfluential factors are available (if a stranger hits you, you respond afterwards that you do not like the person) * There is some evidence that when even relatively minor steps are taken to disguise the connection between stimulus and response, subjects will fail to report such a connection. * In general, people will be accurate in reports about the causes of their behavior and evaluations wherever the culture, or a subculture, specifies clearly what stimuli should produce which responses, and especially where there is continuing feedback from the culture or subculture concerning the extent to which the individual is following the prescribed rules for input and output. * It seems likely that there are regularities concerning the conditions that give rise to introspective certainty about cognitive processes. Confidence should be high when the causal candidates are (1) few in number, (2) perceptually or memorially salient, (3) highly plausible causes of the given outcome (especially where the basis of plausibility is an explicitly cultural rule) and (4) where the causes have been observed to be associated with the outcome in the past. * Confusion between content and process: an important source of the authors’ belief in introspective awareness is undoubtedly related to the fact that people do have direct access to a great storehouse of private knowledge. People do have access to a host of personal historical facts, they know the focus of their attention at any given point in time and have knowledge concerning his emotions, evaluations and plans superior to that of observers. Therefore, it is less surprising that people would persist in believing that they have direct access to their own cognitive processes. The only mystery lies in why people are so poor at telling the difference between private facts that can be known with near certainty and mental processes to which there may be no access at all. We are also often capable of describing intermediate results (or intermediate output) of a series of mental operations in a way that promotes the feeling that we are describing the operations themselves. For example, one psychology professor may state that they envisioned monkeys swinging from trees, which lead to finding a cord-swinging solution – however, it is scarcely reasonable to propose that such imagery was the process by which the problem was solved. * The authors argued that perceived covariation between stimuli and responses is determined more by causal theories than by actual covariation. There are probably some cases where individuals have idiosyncratic reactions to a particular stimulus that only have knowledge of. For example, a person may believe that he generally loathes strangers who slap him on the back and this belief may make him superior to observers in explaining his feelings in such a situation – however, the authors believe this situation is rare. * Occasionally, noninfluential stimuli may be more vivid and available to the individual than to an outside observer and thus the observer might sometimes be more accurate by virtue of disregarding noninfluential stimuli. * Another reason for the writers belief in introspective awareness stems from lack of feedback. Disconfirmation of hypotheses about the workings of our minds is hard to come by. If an insomniac believes that he is unable to get to sleep because of the stress of his life situation, he will always be able to find evidence supporting this view. * Final belief to sustain the writers’ belief in direct introspective awareness is motivational. It is naturally preferable for us to believe that we have access to the workings of our own mind. Conclusions: * People often cannot report accurately on the effects of particular stimuli on higher order, inference-based responses. Indeed, sometimes they cannot report on the existence of critical stimuli, sometimes cannot report on the existence of their responses, and sometimes cannot e even report that an inferential process of any kind has occurred. The accuracy of subjective reports is so poor as to suggest that any introspective access that may exist is not sufficient to produce generally reliable reports. * When people report on the effects of stimuli, they may base their reports on implicit, a priori theories about the casual connection between stimulus and response instead of discussing a memory of the cognitive process that operated on the stimuli. If the stimulus psychologically implies the response in some way or seems â€Å"representative† of the types of stimuli that influence the response, the stimulus is reported to have influenced the response. If the stimulus does not seem to be a plausible cause of the response, it is reported to be noninfluential. * Sometimes subjective reports about higher mental processes are correct, but these instances are not due to direct introspective awareness. Rather, they are due to the incdentially correct employment of a priori causal theories.

Race in america Essay

At the turn of the last century, WEB Dubois wrote, â€Å"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color-line, –the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea. Every study has come to the same conclusion that biologically, there are no ‘races’, yet the social construction of race as a category is alive and well today. The classification system, which radicalized different groups – typifying them according to their skin color and/or other defining features has a long history. With the advent of colonialism, racism underpinned the different and negative valuations attached to skin color. The racism of today is much more subtle and is no longer the blatant discrimination based on the color or your skin. It exists within the institutions of our society. It is the combination of government, corporate and media institutional racism that is largely responsible for the inequities of today. Unfortunately, these divisions impact the way in which we live our life and how we advance socially. Race has always been a complicated subject and is inevitable. Although we have made tremendous strides to dismantle the foundations of racism, it is clear and evident that racism still persists within the institutions of our society. I believe that America is one of greatest countries on the earth and it is a land of opportunity for everyone. The American dream is alive and well and many people of all races have had tremendous success. With these positives in place, it is no wonder why there have been so many incredible achievements by African Americans in the 21st century to include the obvious – the first black president. Over the years there has been much success in trying to dismantle discrimination against different races. By the time the modern civil rights movement arose during the mid-20th century, subjugation had prospered for nearly three hundred years. It was precisely this legalized subjugation that was the major target of the modern civil rights movement. Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954; Rosa Parks sat down in a Montgomery bus in 1955; the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in 1963; and in an exhilarating five year period, three federal laws were passed-the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968-that taken together established a legal framework for racial justice. Over intense, opposition, the civil rights movement had succeeded, by 1968, in dismantling the legal structure of Jim Crow laws and replacing it with a legal structure designed to ensure equality and dismiss discrimination on all levels. Although these laws were very successful, you will still find racism within the institutions of our society. This â€Å"institutional racism† impacts every aspect of life in the 21st century from schooling to employment. It forms an invisible barrier that is hard to comprehend among all ethnic groups. Racism in our institutions can enter in every part of a person’s life and make it extremely difficult to advance socially, financially or politically. What is even worse is that racism does not just affect individuals; it affects entire communities and has an affect African American progress in the 21st century. These divisions in society create a whole cycle. If you don’t get the same job opportunities, you cannot afford the same education as some others, which lead to poor decisions because you don’t know any better. It is not because they are inferior; it is because they do not have the same opportunities because of racial prejudice. Racism is present in government bodies, private business corporations, and universities. Redlining is a clear example of how institutional racism is present in our society. The ability of Banks, mega-corporations, and major financial institutions top pick winners and losers has setup a system of vast inequality between poor black communities and the middle class. Many of these private businesses use redlining to systematically shut minorities out of business opportunities, healthy food choices and banking options. Another example of how we see race in our society today is through college admissions. One of the first things we are asked to fill out in our applications is what race we are. Affirmative action has been created that takes factors such as race, gender, religion, into consideration in order to benefit an unrepresented group in education. This policy has been taken place in order to counter the effects of past discrimination. Although this seems like a good policy to equalize educational opportunity, it can also presents controversies on how different races are treated. For example, Abigail Fisher a white Texan was denied admissions into the University of Texas while less qualified Latinos and African Americans were accepted. University of Michigan’s college applications you automatically receive 20 points out of 100 if your black. The policies presented in the institutions of our society clearly present how race discrimination is still evident in our society. Because we have been so ingrained with racial differences it is hard to escape, we need to be willing to hold equal values for everyone in order to truly see change. As another major institution in society, the media plays a critical role in racial discrimination. They provide us with definitions about who we are as a nation; they reinforce our values and norms; they give us concrete examples of what happens to those who transgress these norms; and most importantly, they perpetuate certain ways of seeing the world and peoples within that world. Racism has been evident in media for quite some time and has influenced many people. Birth of the Nation by D. W. Griffith was one of the many ways that displayed African Americans as inferior. The film featured two themes in which suggested that the KKK had been responsible for quelling the unrest in the South after the civil war, and that African Americans were the cause of all the problems in the United States. â€Å"Griffith seared images of degraded images into the minds of millions. A whole new generation of consumers of American mass media was fed the same old stereotypes of shape images of African Americans† (Lee Baker). Even as it did back then, the media still plays an important role in reinforcing our thoughts about racial inferiority. Today the Media have divided the working class and stereotyped young African-American males as gangsters or drug dealers. As a result of such treatment, the media have crushed youths’ prospects for future employment and advancement. The media have focused on the negative aspects of the black community (e. g.engaging in drug use, criminal activity, welfare abuse) while maintaining the cycle of poverty that the elite wants. Because we have been brainwashed by racism in media for so long, it has affected the way we view people today and has created divisions in our society in the 21st century. The 21st Century has brought about many attempted changes in society. There is legislation against discrimination in its many forms. Affirmative action has been used as an attempt to ensure individuals are given equal opportunity for employment, housing, and other types of advancement. Television shows have changed format and characters to seek political correctness. Nevertheless, society cleverly and subtly maintains its separate views of the races. With this the racism in the institutions in our society such as the in the media or education, makes it extremely difficult for certain people to advance in life. There will always be those who will fight for change while others resist, seeking to maintain the status quo. But overall there can still be no improvement unless many individuals work together for equality.

The Variasian Experience Analysis Art Essay

VariAsian was held at the University Cultural Centre Dance Studio in NUS on 12th March 2011. It was the 6th NUS Arts Festival and they had many different creative persons from different Fieldss and different states to come down and execute in jubilation of this festival. The public presentation was about the disregarded times of the past. With the new and up universe of engineering, we tend to bury the memories and the things we one time loved buttocks. What we used to play with when we were kids such as the five rocks, hopscotch and the congkak is now replaced with high engineering games such as the play-station games and the iPhones. The new coevals of childs are now exposed to the new appliances that would do the traditional games ‘disappear ‘ even faster. Sometimes as life base on ballss us by, we tend to go forth those memories behind to be forgotten whereas VariAsian brings us back to the life we used to hold, when everything was simple and was about holding merriment with friends compared to the complexnesss of the current engineerings that people are so caught up with now. ‘When the bell rings†¦ ‘ by Sufri Juwahir was the gap act of the eventide. He was invited to be a invitee choreographer in this production. This piece was performed in silence and the terpsichoreans used the sound of their motions, their breath their linguas and the slippers that they wore throughout the piece as their music. It started out with five pupils have oning bag battalions and slippers with ice pick in their custodies. They walked onto the phase with boxes laid out as chairs and continued to eat their icy comeuppances. They easy started speaking and before you could register what they said, their words became sounds. Like a codification linguistic communication that merely your friends that know you would understand, but the people that does non cognize you every bit good, would non. The conversation started acquiring intense and looked like they were reasoning or contending over something, like how childs would reason over bantam things. One started to travel off from the others, one Saturday on the floor alternatively of the ‘chair ‘ , one was being nescient to everything that is around her and merely concentrating on eating her ice pick while the other two tried to work out the state of affairs. I reminded me of how I was when I was a pupil in primary school during my lunch interr uption. My friends and I would ever play with the five rocks and hopscotch. Sometimes when there are misinterpretations or merely kick unreasonable statements, we would travel off in different waies but the following twenty-four hours, it would travel back to the same modus operandi with the games and it would be a normal twenty-four hours in school. It was the same for this piece of work. They developed from words to sounds so from sounds into motions. They were confronting different waies and at their ain single infinite on phase. The blocks on phase were moved and were now their private infinite, their safe topographic point. They were ‘speaking their heads ‘ through motions, seeking to talk what they feel. The motions that we used were about similar but after awhile, they started making the same motions like they were doing up for the battle. They easy came together and stacked the boxes into a wall for a game of fell and seek. They would take bends to conceal behind the wall of blocks and making the same motions. The 1s that were caught would take a block and played a game of ‘hitting the slipper ‘ . Two of them that we caught formed a pyramid of their slippers on top of the blocks and the game is to strike hard it down with another slipper. One by one got caught and every bit shortly as the two misss formed their pyramid, the remainder mes sed with it and destroyed it intentionally over and over once more like how toughs in schools would pick on you over and over. It happened once more and once more until the two misss picked up their slippers and started dancing with the slippers on their custodies, standing up for themselves against those toughs. They broke out and they all were playing their single games. Some played with their bags, some played with a friend and one was playing the congkak, a long disregarded game, by herself in the corner. It felt like she was conveying back the memory of the game or conveying back an old memory of something she had forgotten for rather some clip and so did the others. All their motions were related to that congkak in one manner or another. Either doing sounds and noises like the beads that hits the wooden base or puting on the floor like the congkak and merely moves when person touches it or places it someplace else. When the miss played with the existent congkak, the others fol lowed her by imitated the motions or the sounds like they were remembering the yearss of their childhood when they used to play that game. Like how when you were younger, you had more freedom to make whatever you wanted with lesser jobs and things to believe about. The lone thing that mattered was that every twenty-four hours that was spent was an gratifying one. This piece was concentrating more on the narrative is wants to state alternatively of the technique and the motion as it was largely gestures that were used and game playing. It was a public presentation that people can associate to and can see themselves in it as it was something that everyone has gone through earlier in their lives. It was about the memories that we keep throughout our lives and the ideas that are most cherished to you. There might be times when you merely want to throw a specific memory off but no affair what you do, you can look to allow it travel. It depends on us if we want those memories to populate on or non. We have the power to do it come back or let it to vanish everlastingly. Traditions that used to be so close to our Black Marias that was passed down to us from our great grandmas are now on the brink of extinction due to the engineering that has been overmastering our universe. How it can take away traditions and take off cherished memories that have yet to go through down to our coevals of kids. Even though those memories or experiences that we ‘ve went through are mistily at that place, it will ever linger in our heads particularly those that affairs. As for the 2nd piece, it had more of an wellbeing and playful sort of feel compared to the first. ‘Variasian ‘ which is the name of this piece was choreographed by Zaini Mohd Tahir. He is the Artistic Director, the Resident Choreographer and the laminitis of the NUS Dance Ensemble. This piece was besides about the games we play and how games used to be simpler when we were younger and how it became more complex as we grew older but we ne'er stop playing. It merely advanced into a more technological version of the traditional games. Some games we grew up with and some had to turn up with us but we still play. There were a choir standing at the sides of the phase when we walked into the studio of where it took topographic point. As I sat down, they started singing. I had thought I walked into the incorrect public presentation infinite. After they were done with the first vocal, the terpsichoreans came out and started running about on phase playing the really old and traditional game that people still play today, the ‘scissors, paper, rock ‘ game. When the say the word ‘stone ‘ , they had to remain still in whatever place they were in and travel when the said the remainder. Watching them reminded me of how I used to love playing that game during recess period when I was in primary school. The volume and the velocity of the game increased as each unit of ammunition passed until it got so feverish and helter-skelter in the public presentation infinite. Their voices got louder and louder every 2nd and it felt like it could make the other side of the school evidences. Th en all of a sudden there were silence and terpsichoreans started vanishing into the wings go forthing half the sum of terpsichoreans on phase. As the terpsichoreans were easy vanishing, the choir sang a slow and dramatic vocal while walking through the infinite on phase, from one side to the other like altering the chapter in a narrative or a drama. The terpsichoreans get downing dancing with flow like motions that looked like they were drifting through the infinite. Their motions and the choir mashed and complimented each other attractively like a absolutely fitted pealing on your finger. Their motions were insistent throughout the piece but they changed it a small by utilizing cannons and different degrees. Once the vocal was over, the terpsichoreans at the side wings rolled in with a cute, wellbeing vocal that came on. It sounded like a vocal you would here when you play a specific game in the arcade. The terpsichoreans were like the life in the games with green and pink lighting , it made it experience like we were besides in the game. Some were ‘crabbing ‘ sideways while the others are running and jumping around them like they were supposed to catch them in order to win. That had to be my favorite portion of the whole public presentation. Then there was a sudden alteration in music and a techno like vocal came on and all the terpsichoreans ran off except for one cat, merely standing at that place like it was his clip to reflect and acquire the limelight, and that ‘s what he did. He started ‘Para Para ‘ dancing entirely in the center of the phase. Para Para is an arcade game that you play entirely where there are colored pointers lined with electronic detectors, and you have to dance and hit all the pointers to win. Slowly all the terpsichoreans came on phase and joined him in his game of Para Para but one by one they could n't catch up and died like they lost the game. One by one collapsed onto the floor and including the male terpsichorean who looked like the male monarch of the game. Surprisingly, the last one standing was a miss and she walked off with an evil laughter with deathly music following her as she left the phase. It was such an unexpected stoping for the piece and I think it made it more interesting and made an impact on me. I left the public presentation with that stoping tarriance in my caput throughout the dark. The eventide was a really interesting one as it genuinely spoke to me and I could associate to both pieces in many ways. It was a dark that took me through memory lane.

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International business - Essay Example    Table of Contents    Sl. No. Title Page No. 1 1. Introduction   4 – 5 2 2. Entry Strategy   5 – 10    2.1 Rationale for choosing Indian Market       2.2 Entry Mode       2.3 Advantages of Chosen Strategy       2.3.1 Licensing Vs. FDI       2.3.2 Joint Venture Vs. FDI       2.3.3 Strategic Alliance Vs. FDI       2.4 Possible Risks of Adopting FDI    3 3. Conclusion   10 – 11    Works cited    1. Introduction Market entry is one of the most crucial strategic decisions that every business organization takes. Market entry can either be an entry into a new market within the country or entry into a foreign market. In both the cases, it is very important to have an effective planning regarding the market entry process because it determines the future of the company with regard to success in the new. This report will make a detailed look into the market entry strategy suitable for Reliance Retail, one of the largest retail com panies in India, to enter the UAE retail segment. Reliance Fresh is one of the largest retail companies in India. It is founded in the year 2006 and is headed by Mukesh Ambani, the wealthiest person in India. Reliance Fresh is part of Reliance Industries Limited which has interests in petroleum, power, chemicals, textiles, polyesters, telecommunications, polymers, natural gas and petrochemicals. Reliance Fresh had huge success ever since it was established in the year 2006. Reliance fresh currently has a network of more than 560 outlets spread over in India. (Reliance Industries Limited, 2011) Reliance Fresh was placed as a retail company focussed on selling fresh fruits and vegetables and thus named as Reliance Fresh. But recently the company had announced its plan to shift its focus from fruits and vegetables to emerge as a super market or multiband retail store. One reason for this decision is the political and social issues faced by the retailer in many parts of India regarding dearth of vegetables and fruits. Another reason is to rebrand itself as a multi-brand retail store. Therefore, the company is now gradually reducing its exposure of fruits and vegetables in their outlets. As part of the expansion plan, Reliance Fresh is planning to invest around Rs. 25000 crores in the coming years. Reliance retail now operates under several brands namely, Reliance Super, Reliance Footprint, Reliance Timeout, Reliance Jewels, Reliance Wellness, Reliance Mart, and Reliance Digital catering to the specialized needs of consumers. Apart from all these Reliance also operates the brand Reliance IStore which is a specialized store selling only the products of Apple Inc. Reliance Footprint is now one of the largest footwear retailers in the country. The store caters to all the income groups of the society. Reliance Jewels is its jewellery brand and has entered the jewellery market by setting up its stores in major cities of the country. Jewellery business is one of the most promising business segments in India. Similarly Reliance Timeout is now of the largest book store in India. (Reliance Industries Limited, 2010) As of now, Reliance is only confined to the Indian market. It is now time to take the brand to a global market. Expanding retail to a global market is not easier. The main reason is that the global organized retail sector is highly competitive than the Indian retail sector. This report is intended to make an analysis of the best strategy

Interview a manger with regard to the various managerial functions Essay - 1

Interview a manger with regard to the various managerial functions - Essay Example According to Taylor, Nikesh has several managerial functions that include planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. Nikesh is tasked with setting out plans of actions in order to attain the pre-determined organisational goals. Together with other executives, he prepares the strategic plans and operational plans for the entire organisation. Nikeshy is also tasked with organizing function in the company. For instance, he is tasked with providing personnel, raw materials and an organisational structure that contributes to the success of the organisation. He designs the job descriptions and creates reporting relationships within the organisation. According to Fayol’s commanding function, Nikesh is tasked with ensuring optimum utilization of human capital in the organisation. In this function, he delegates responsibilities and inspires the employees towards the attainment of the organisational goal. In the coordinating function, Nikesh is responsible for unify ing and harmonization of all activities and resources in the organisation (Williams 54). For instance, he coordinates the new product development and sales department in order to ensure that new products meet the changing customer needs. He is responsible for the creation of harmonious and coordinated working teams and groups in the organisation. The last managerial function of Nikesh according to Fayol is controlling function. He is responsible for evaluating the attainment of organisational goals. He evaluates the degree of conformity to organisational policies and attainment of budgeted financial performance (Williams 53). Nikesh Arora aspires to the interviewee since he has contributed highly to increased profitability and market share of Google. Nikesh has the management experience at this position since he has previously worked in a multicultural environment and other markets such as Europe and Africa. Nikesh has also

Family Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family Heritage - Essay Example In Dalianliaoning, I was fortunate to attend Dalian elementary school before we relocated to Shanghai again. My father’s business was growing and a result we have been living in Shanghai since the year 2000.The aim of coming to the US was to pursue my education (Travel China guide, 2014). The Han group is believed to have settled in America with the aim of engaging in certain economic activities including building of railways and mining. They mainly settled in California and other places such as Rocky Mountains. They started participating in economic activities in order to meet their means because they were finding facing challenging of serving in the new land. The Chinese Americans experience discrimination despite heading lucrative jobs in the military and other science fields (Every Culture, 2014). The Putian County came into existence in the year 568.The borders the coastal town of Fujian. It has no plantations. It also enjoys a serene weather condition and experience sufficient rainfall, and enough sunshine thought the year. Putian is mainly visited during the winter season of the year. The main centers of attraction include the Meizhou Island and Guanghua temple. The Mazu goddess is believed to occupy the temple. Tourist from around the world troop the town every year because the town fascinates many people around the world. The Jiuli Lake is located some kilometers Xian you town. It has gorgeous scenery and has historical views that were designed by ancient architectures. The Jiuji waterfall is a renowned natural site in a place and interests many visitors. The main means of transport from a town called Fuzhou to Putian is with public transport. In Meizhou Island, the goddess is well respected, and the culture dictates events be held to be occasionally held to celebrate he r. Specific days have been set aside in order to mark her achievements

Case study IT and Business (Maturity rating) Essay

Case study IT and Business (Maturity rating) - Essay Example ] a culture of plain talking, and telling it as it was†¦removed the notion of an individual win (p.7) and that for special arrangements†¦ all were treated straight forwardly and professionally (p.7). The relationship between business and IT for Sunshine State was commendable considering that they formed joint teams to work on the project. Leadership was also evident in that we see the external suppliers being given autonomy so long as they meet their deliverables. This element of trust and knowledge sharing must have been a big contributor to the project’s success. And what about the number of dissatisfied customers? In the end, there were only 167 of them, and most of these were dissatisfied with their share allocation rather than the share dealing system (p.9). The fortnightly report†¦ was a list of milestones... it had a list of things achieved in the last 2 weeks, a list of things to be achieved in the next 2 weeks, and a set of issues for management attention (p.6). The aim here is to have a formal process that ensures that assessment and reviews of the IT investment by Sunshine State allows for changes to be made based on the outcome of the reviews. Thus by instilling a culture of open communication the company is able to ensure that assessments based on the IT and business metric and service level agreements are analysed and spoken of truthfully such that an iterative process of constant improvement is developed. The programme office was tasked with the development of high level plans that would steer the company towards its longer term objective while not losing sight of the immediate need for an IT system ready for the IPO. The nominee account and bulk dealing where all cost control measures that fitted well with the IT strategic plan and allowed for budgetary control. The longer term objectives concerned the capability for further development and it was recognised early on that it would be possible to make share dealing and related activities a

Discuss the Markets Impact on Ethnicity in china Essay

Discuss the Markets Impact on Ethnicity in china - Essay Example inorities seem to enjoy a pretty harmonious relationship with each other and also with Hans, which is more economically prosperous than the other minorities. But sometimes these social and economic inequalities have led to tensions and violence; China is a booming economy with tensions that have resulted from unequal growth opportunities. Riots in Northwestern Xinjiang, dissatisfaction in Uyghurs etc. show that these minorities are feeling left behind, even though the Chinese economy is prospering because increasingly, the economic opportunities are being taken up by the Han locals or other migrants. This paper attempts to bring out the impact of the markets on the ethnicity in China. During the period of 1970s, China was suffering from the problems of stagnation in the economy, disguised unemployment and low productivity in both rural as well as the urban sector. To overcome these problems, the Chinese government had embarked some programs of economic reforms, as a result of which, the last two decades has seen a remarkable change. The real per capita GDP has seen a more than 5 fold increase, with an annual growth of about 9% (Wu & Song, 2010, p. 2), whereas millions and millions of people have been lifted out of absolute poverty. However, these benefits have not been distributed evenly as a result of which inequality has risen rapidly in the last few years. Gini coefficient, a very popular measure of income inequality, shows that in 1978, China’s gini coefficient measure was 0.317 whereas in 2005 it was 0.449 (Wu 2010, p. 2). It is further seen that the eastern provinces that are nearer to the sea have developed more than the interior western provinces. Again, these reforms have resulted in increased gender wage gap as well as increased urban-rural income gap. (Fazio & Huges, 2004) Minority groups were initially classified on the basis of common territories, language, culture, economy etc. However, many a times, the members of these minority groups did not

Strategic Marketing at Waitrose Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Marketing at Waitrose - Case Study Example Company's main focus area is the UK. Having the backing of a strong group helps not only in the form of giving it an identity but also in the form of experience, reaching out to potential customers, clubbing the marketing decisions, planning out marketing communication strategies etc. And, the company has been able to establish itself quite well, despite squeezing of the profit margins(No author, 1998). The category leadership strategy, in particular, has provided it with more than 5% of the market share The weaknesses of the company are: still, the company is primarily is concentrated within the south of England. Despite having been in the business for so many years. The company requires to strengthen its presence in other markets as well, to take on the competitors. And, Waitrose doesn't take stock of its business on a quarterly basis(No author, 1999). The opportunities of the company are: the UK is just about 20% self-sufficient in fruits, and the demand for fruits is on the rise gradually. Though the traditionally UK is not known to be a fruit lover nation, with a growing number of consumers, better opportunities will certainly emerge. The threats of the company are: UK consumers have a lesser appetite for fruits as compared to European counterparts. If sufficient efforts are not made to widen the consumer base, this may result in a lesser intake of fruits, which will ultimately lead to less than expected sales of fruits. And, with the number of suppliers becoming less, the leveraging power of the supermarket stores may be affected as well. Also, the UK supermarket industry is fiercely competitive, with the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, and Safeway holding the lion's share of the market's SWOT analysis is a necessary tool for decision making(No author, 2000). Still, the company is primarily is concentrated within the south of England. Despite having been in the business for so many years. The company requires to strengthen its presence in other markets as well, to take on the competitors(Hunger, 1996). If the company will set up shop in the north, east and west of England and the larger United Kingdom, then there is a strong probability that the revenues will increase by three times the current revenues generated from the South of England alone. Although the expenses will also increase by three times the current expenses, the net income will surely increase by three times under its current location in the South of England if the company will set up shop in the North, East and West part of England and the wider United Kingdom(Thompson, 1999). Waitrose is implementing a well known competitive marketing strategy. Price water house coopers stated that "Marketing strategy is the most significant planning challenge regardless of industry or size of the company. Our goal will be to re-evaluate and examine constantly our marketing position. Our emphasis will be on market strategy, technique and product innovation." When they did research on two

H.W 12 GSC125-01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

H.W 12 GSC125-01 - Essay Example More intense cells (tropical squall clusters) can form that are similar to middle latitude squall lines. In contrast to middle latitudes, there is very little horizontal pressure gradient. 3. Describe the typical weather in the eye of a hurricane. Answer: The eye is at the center of a hurricane and is an area of almost cloudless skies, subsiding air and light winds. The eye generally ranges from 10 to 65 km across, shrinking in diameter as the hurricane intensifies and winds strengthen. Passage of the hurricane eye is followed by heavy rains and ferocious winds blowing from the opposite direction. 4. What three conditions are required for a tropical cyclone to form? Answer: A relatively high sea-surface temperatures, adequate Coriolis Effect, and weak winds aloft are the three necessary conditions for a tropical cyclone to form. 5. Why does a hurricane weaken when the system tracks from ocean to land? Answer: A hurricane over land is no longer in contact with its energy source, i.e. warm ocean water. Additionally, the frictional resistance offered by the rougher land surface slows the wind and shifts the wind in direction toward the low-pressure center of the system causing the storm to fill and weaken. The system may still produce tornadoes after making landfall, partially due to strong wind shear between the surface and aloft. Chapter 12, Critical Thinking Questions 7.

Relationship Between Land Use and Transportation in European Cities Essay

Relationship Between Land Use and Transportation in European Cities - Essay Example Increased land usage for preparing better transportation facilities is causing big problems in most parts of the world. â€Å"In the urban context, almost 80% of the citizens of the European Union are concentrated and most of transport related environmental, health and social problems occur there† (Achieving Sustainable Transport and land Use With Integrated Policies, p.4). â€Å"Although most land use factors have modest individual impacts, typically affecting just a few percent of total travel, they are cumulative and synergistic†(Land Use Impacts on Transport, p.3). This paper briefly analyses the relationship between land use and transportation in European cities, and how these help to address issues related to sustainability with the help of examples. Around 80% of the EU15 population lives in urban areas, and the transport of goods and people in these urban areas accounts for an important share of all transport kilometres in Europe. Per capita car ownership rates have increased over the past decades in virtually all cities (Achieving Sustainable Transport and land Use With Integrated Policies, p.6). Compared to the people in other parts of the world, Europeans are staying mostly in urban areas and therefore their reliance on automobiles and other transportation infrastructure are more. ... Better infrastructure related to transportation may motivate people to purchase more vehicles for their person al use whereas lack of transportation facilities may demotivate people from doing so. Traffic congestion often leads toward road accidents and thousands of Europeans die in every year as a result of that. Increased land use for construction of roads and rails may cause decreased availability of land for other purposes. It should be noted that the market share of the public transports in Europe is decreasing every year because of the increase in private carriers. To achieve sustainability goals, Europe should think seriously about â€Å"decoupling of transport growth significantly from growth in Gross Domestic Product in order to reduce congestion and other negative side-effects of transport† (Achieving Sustainable Transport and land Use With Integrated Policies, p.9). More focus should be given to the development of rail facilities than road facilities. Increased rail facilities and decreased road facilities would force the public to use public carriers more frequently and thereby sustainability goals with respect to transportation can be achieved up to certain extent. â€Å"Land use patterns affect accessibility, people’s ability to reach desired services and activities, which affects mobility, the amount and type of travel activity† (Land Use Impacts on Transport, p.6). In a rapidly moving world, the importance of transportation cannot be neglected. The value of time is increasing virtually in very second and therefore better transportation facilities are necessary to avoid wastage of time. At the same time, it is unwise to expand the transportation facilities beyond certain limits. There should be a

Regarding possible influences on thought Essay Example for Free

Regarding possible influences on thought Essay There is an undeniable connection between thought and language. And as thought is so crucial to our knowledge, a study of our language itself is necessary. This essay examines how our language might affect our thought. In doing so, I shall examine the question, what is language?.  So, what is language? Etymologists, those who study language (in how it develops and changes), generally agree that language first started developing thirty thousand to a hundred and fifty thousand years ago. It began when, by an evolutionary chance, the oesophagus moved in human beings. This did two things: firstly it made them very prone to choking (this is often taken as proof that the ability to speak is innate in human beings for if benefits of speech were not developed quickly this should have died out almost immediately in accordance with the theory of evolution) and secondly it dramatically increased the range of sounds they could produce orally. It is thought that the natural calls animals make shrieks of alarm to show danger etc developed and became more complex to form a very basic language. Soon, these developed connotations: variations of alarm calls could be used to convey fear, pain or sadness whilst variations of triumphant calls could be used to show happiness, safety or the location of food. Imitations of the sounds things made also developed: a stream could be indicated by a gurgle, wind by a whoosh and so on. Examples of these two phenomenons continue: laughter and crying is pretty universal in babies whilst young children often refer to police cars as whah whah in an imitation of their sound. Language was further developed, reflecting the need to talk about the speakers environment. A commonly quoted example of this is that the Inuit have twenty words for snow. Not only is this debateable Inuit nouns are formed as in German, where nouns are tacked onto each other but also, English has at least fifty! However, a better example would be the aborigines of Tasmania who have a separate word for every kind of native tree, over two hundred in total, but do not have a word for tree. This is because in their environment, all the trees which surround them appear to be drastically different. It is also said (perhaps somewhat dubiously) that Arabic has approximately six thousand words for camels and camel-equipment. T is doubtless that language is affected in its evolution by our surroundings and our need to communicate about them. The main problems with language can be its vagueness and also the fact that it evolves according to our needs. Language is very vague and words can have myriads of meanings. In the English language, the word set has fifty eight non-obsolete uses as a noun, one hundred and twenty eight as a verb and ten as a participial adjective. The Oxford English Dictionary uses sixty thousand words, including abbreviations and symbols, to define it and set is by no means alone. The fact that language reflects its environment means that when someone has an original thought they often have to come up with an entirely new vocabulary to explain it. An example of this would be the concept of the big bang. When the idea originated, the language used to describe it was completely new and very few understood it. As the theory grew in popularity, its language was accepted into common usage. However, when the majority of the populace does not concern itself with that idea, the vocabulary become jargon, to be known only by experts. Language reflects or needs of it. Written language originated as logograms in the form of pictograms where to write house, one would draw a picture of a house. Soon these became ideograms where, as in language, associations where used e.g. a sun to represent heat. This is the basis of all languages and today can be seen in Chinese and Japanese, as well as the ancient hieroglyphs, Linear A and Linear B. Some languages went one step further, changing from logograms to phonograms. This resulted in syllabic or alphabetic symbols, where words were written using their sounds in spoken language. This was the first link between written and spoken language. Written language, in our society, is now completely dependant on spoken language so the two are often seen as synominous. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis argues that the nature of a particular language influences the habitual thoughts of its speaker. Different patterns of language would therefore lead to different patterns of thought. Thus this challenges that the world can be represented objectively, as language will influence its user. The most extreme supporters of this theory argue that thought is reliant on language and that therefore there can be no thought without language. The twentieth century Austrian philosopher, Wittgenstein says that, because of this, language hinders us. For example, when we say that we saw nobody on the road we have not actually seen nobody. More accurately, we did not see anyone on the road. Another twentieth century philosopher, a Rusiian named Vigotsky, would disagree with this. He held that language helps us to think. He says that the thought is ordered and is clarified by using language. However, a large number of people disagree with the extreme view that thought is impossible without language. Look, they say, at when we are lost for words or the words are on the tip of our tongue: we know what were thinking but cant say it. Another example would be that we can often imagine in our heads as an image something for example, the beginning of the universe but cant describe it. This theory states language is created by thought, although language may later by used as a means through which to think. Many etymologists would agree with this theory as it complies with their theory on how language develops: you see something, you think about it and then you develop language to convey these thoughts and to clarify them. So, our language is shaped by the world around us, and our thoughts are shaped by our language. So our thoughts are influenced, not just out of practicality, but empirically by our surroundings. For if we are not familiar with a concept or object or person then we are unlikely to have the language to describe it: and if we dont have the language then we are unlikely to be able to think about something properly, even if we wished to.

The motivation theories used by management

The motivation theories used by management This chapter provides a brief outline of motivation, types of motivation, major motivation theories and leadership theories on increasing employee motivation. Lastly this chapter identifies the impact of employee motivation on the productivity of the company. 2.2 Motivation The level of performance of employees relies not only on their actual skills but also on the level of motivation each person exhibits (Burney et al., 2007). Motivation is an inner drive or an external inducement to behave in some particular way, typically a way that will lead to rewards (Dessler,1978). Over-achieving, talented employees are the driving force of all firms so it is essential that organizations strive to motivate and hold on to the best employees (Harrington, 2003). The success of any business depends largely on the motivation of the employees.  Every person has their own set of motivations and personal incentives to work hard or not as the case may be. Some are motivated by recognition while others are motivated by cash incentives. Motivation can be internal or external. Deadlines are an example of external motivation. The fear of losing a contract or of not finishing a job you started is an example of internal motivation. Both internal and external motivation can be equally powerful. Financial Motivation is money, incentives, bonus, commission, fame and recognition which are External and Monetary benefits or Non-Financial Motivators like pride, sense of achievement, responsibility, belief, challenge and interesting job, Respect which are Internal. Perhaps the most significant impact of increased employee motivation is that of increased productivity. This is a central aim when adopting an incentive program. If you can increase employee motivation, productivity will follow and with that the inevitable increased bottom line. Table 1 Four most powerful types of motivation Type of Motivation Description Intrinsic motivation Satisfaction in the work itself (pleasure, stimulation, learning etc) Extrinsic motivation Rewards for doing the work (money, promotion, perks etc) Personal motivation Individual values (a love of knowledge, power, security, self-expression etc) Interpersonal motivation The influence of other people (competition, collaboration, commitments etc) Human beings are multifaceted creatures, and we are typically motivated by a mixture of all four elements. This diagram can help make sense of this complexity The types of motivation combine to produce four key areas to focus on when trying to motivate people. For example, prior to taking a work, employee will most likely to have a minimum anticipation in terms of pay and opportunities for career progress (personal rewards). You will also want to be certain that it offers you an opportunity to use your skills, learn and stretch yourself in pursuit of a meaningful challenge (personal satisfaction). Probability are you will also want to be given due recognition for your involvement (public recognition). And given how long you are going to spend in the group of your co-workers, you will probably want them to be interesting and enjoyable company (social interaction). Combining different forms of motivation will have the biggest impact on performance. Taking a more balanced approach to motivation will also help you develop better relationships with everyone on your team. How to Motivate People During a Recession Deci and Ryan (2000) conducted and replicated an experiment that showed the negative impact of monetary rewards on intrinsic motivation and performance. A group of college students were asked to work on an interesting puzzle. Some were paid and some were not paid for the work. The students that were not being paid worked longer on the puzzle and found it more interesting than the students being paid. When the study was brought into a workplace setting, employees felt that their behavior was being controlled in a dehumanizing and alienating manner by the rewards. It was discovered that rewards would seriously decrease an employees motivation to ever perform the task being rewarded, or one similar to it, any time in the future. Another observation of the study was that employees would expect a reward every time the task was to be completed if the reward was offered at one time. Employees would require the reward in order to perform the job and would probably expect the reward to increase in amount. If the rewards were not increased or if they were taken away they actually served as negative reinforcement. 2.2 Major Theories of Motivation Motivation is not only in a single direction i.e. downwards. In the present scenario, where the workforce is more informed, more aware, more educated and goal oriented, the role of motivation has left the boundaries of the hierarchy of management. The Fig below shows the major theories of motivation that can be applied in the working environment as well on the employees to see the impact of motivation on the organization as a whole. Fig shows Major theories of Motivation 2.2.1 Need Approaches Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Fig Shows Maslows Hierarchy of Needs If motivation is driven by the existence of unsatisfied needs, then it is worthwhile for a manager to understand which needs are the more important for individual employees. http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/maslow/ By applying Maslows theory of motivation, modern leaders and managers find way of employee motivation for the purpose of employee and workforce management. The basis of Maslows theory of motivation is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed. As per the teachings of Abraham Maslow, there are general needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) which have to be fulfilled before a person is able to act unselfishly. These needs were dubbed deficiency needs. While a person is motivated to fulfill these basal desires, they continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization. http://www.abraham-maslow.com/m_motivation/Hierarchy_of_Needs.asp As a result, for adequate workplace  motivation, it is important that  leadership understands which needs are active for individual employee motivation. In this regard, Abraham Maslows model indicates that basic, low-level needs such as physiological requirements and safety must be satisfied before higher-level needs such as self-fulfillment are pursued. As depicted in this hierarchical diagram, sometimes called Maslows Needs Pyramid or Maslows Needs Triangle, when a need is satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place. http://www.abraham-maslow.com/m_motivation/Hierarchy_of_Needs.asp Table 2 shows Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Needs Example Biological and Physiological needs Air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc Safety needs Protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc. Belongingness and Love needs Work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. Esteem needs Self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc Self-Actualization needs Realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Source: http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm Alderfers ERG Theory Fig: Clayton Alderfers ERG Theory Needs Source:http://www.envisionsoftware.com/es_img/Alderfer_ERG_Theory.gif If the ERG theory holds, then unlike with Maslows theory, managers must recognize that an employee has multiple needs to satisfy simultaneously. Furthermore, if growth opportunities are not provided to employees, they may regress to relatedness needs. If the manager is able to recognize this situation, then steps can be taken to concentrate on relatedness needs until the subordinate is able to pursue growth again. http://www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/motivation/erg/ Herzbergs Two Factor Theory Fig: Hygiene and Motivation Factors Source:http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/figures/1472-6920-9-49-1.jpg The psychologist Fredrick Herzberg asked the questions from employees in the year 1950s and 60s for understanding employee satisfaction. He set out to determine the effect of attitude on motivation, by asking people to describe the circumstances where they felt really good, and really bad, about their jobs. What he found was that people who felt good about their jobs gave very different responses from the people who felt bad. Herzbergs findings revealed that certain characteristics of a job are consistently related to job satisfaction, while different factors are associated with job dissatisfaction shown in Fig? The conclusion he drew is that job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are not opposites. The opposite of Satisfaction is No Satisfaction. The opposite of Dissatisfaction is No Dissatisfaction To apply Herzbergs theory, managers need to adopt a two stage process to motivate people. Firstly, managers need eliminate the dissatisfactions the employees are experiencing and, secondly, managers need to help them find satisfaction. http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_74.htm McClellands Learned Needs Theory One of McClellands most well known theories is that human motivation is dominated by three needs. McClellands theory, sometimes referred to as the three need theory or as the learned needs theory, categorizes the needs as follows; The need for achievement The need for power The need for affiliation The importance of each of these needs will vary from one person to another. If the manager can determine the importance of each of these needs to an individual, it will help the managers to decide how to influence that individual. McClelland asserted that a persons needs are influenced by their cultural background and life experiences. He also asserted that the majority of these needs can be classified as the needs for affiliation, achievement or power. A persons motivation and effectiveness can be increased through an environment, which provides them with their ideal mix of each of the three needs. http://www.learnmanagement2.com/DavidMcClelland.htm 2.2.2 Cognitive Approach Expectancy Theory The expectancy theory says that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they have certain expectation. Individuals choose behaviors based on the outcomes they expect and the values they ascribe to those expected outcomes (Borders 2004). Vrooms Expectancy theory is based upon the following three variables which he calls Valence, Expectancy and Instrumentality valances (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston Scott-Ladd 2006). Valence refers to the value an individual personally places on the reward or upon the expected outcome of a situation. The Valence is high if the reward available is of interest to us. When you have a higher valence you tend to have higher motivation (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston Scott-Ladd 2006). Expectancy is the belief that your efforts will result in attainment of the desired performance. This belief is generally based on an individuals past experience, self confidence. Expectancy would be zero if an individual felt it were impossible to achieve a given performance level (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston Scott-Ladd 2006). Instrumentality is the belief that the success of the situation is linked to the expected outcome of the situation, e.g. its gone really well, so Id expect praise. It is also the belief that if one meets the performance expectations, he or she will receive a greater reward. This reward may come in the form of a pay increase, promotion, recognition or sense of accomplishment. (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, Riston Scott-Ladd 2006) Equity Theory/ Social Comparison Theory Source: http://www.businessballs.com/adamsequitytheory.htm According to Equity theory the employees perceive what they get from a job situation (outcomes) in relation to what they put into it (inputs) and then compare their inputs-outcomes ratio with the inputs-outcomes ratios of relevant others (Shown in Fig). If an employee perceives her ratio to be equal to those of relevant others, a state of equity exists. In other words, she perceives that her situation is fair-that justice prevails. However, if the ratio is unequal, inequity exists and she views herself as under rewarded or over rewarded. Source: http://www.businessballs.com/adamsequitytheory.htm Goal Setting Theory of Motivation Goal-setting theory focuses on identifying the types of goals that are most effective in producing high levels of motivation and performance and explaining why goals have these effects. Goal-setting theory is found within the field of organizational behavior; however, it can be applied to any general area where goals may be achieved. http://www.ehow.com/about_5382265_goalsetting-theory-motivation.html Source: http://faculty.washington.edu/janegf/goalsetting.html In order to direct ourselves we set ourselves goals that are: Clear (not vague) and understandable, so we know what to do and what not to do. Challenging, so we will be stimulated and not be bored. Achievable, so we are unlikely to fail. If other people set us goals without our involvement, then we are much less likely to be motivated to work hard at it than if we feel we have set or directed the goal ourselves.http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/goals.htm 2.2.3 REINFORCEMENT THEORY Reinforcement theory of motivation overlooks the internal state of individual, i.e., the inner feelings and drives of individuals are ignored by Skinner. This theory focuses totally on what happens to an individual when he takes some action. External environment of the organization must be designed effectively and positively so as to motivate the employee. This theory is a strong tool for analyzing controlling mechanism for individuals behaviour. http://www.managementstudyguide.com/reinforcement-theory-motivation.htm Table 3: Reinforcement schedule Apply Withhold Reward positive reinforcement (raise above baseline) negative reinforcement (raise up to baseline) Stressor punishment (bring down below baseline) extinction (stay at baseline) Source: http://motivationcentre.blogspot.com/2006/03/reinforcement-theory.html Table 4 Types of Reinforcement Types of Reinforcement Description Positive reinforcement This implies giving a positive response when an individual shows positive and required behavior. Ex. You make a sale, you get a commission. You do a good job; you get a bonus a promotion. Negative reinforcement This implies rewarding an employee by removing negative / undesirable consequences. Both positive and negative reinforcement can be used for increasing desirable / required behaviour. Extinction It implies absence of reinforcements. In other words, extinction implies lowering the probability of undesired behaviour by removing reward for that kind of behaviour. For instance if an employee no longer receives praise and admiration for his good work, he may feel that his behaviour is generating no fruitful consequence. Extinction may unintentionally lower desirable behaviour Punishment It implies removing positive consequences so as to lower the probability of repeating undesirable behaviour in future. In other words, punishment means applying undesirable consequence for showing undesirable behaviour. For instance Suspending an employee for breaking the organizational rules. Source: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/reinforcement-theory-motivation.htm 2.3 Leadership Style Influencing Motivation Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people (Kurt Lewin,1939). Leadership Style influences the level of motivation of employees. Different Leaders have different style for managing the employees working under them. Fig explains the style of leadership influencing the motivation of employees. Fig: Leadership Style Vs motivation Source: http://www.motivation-tools.com/workplace/leadership_styles.htm

Acute Inflammation 2nd Degree Burn Case Study Biology Essay

Acute Inflammation 2nd Degree Burn Case Study Biology Essay A 43 year old female presents with a burn on her left forearm. There is significant erythema that covers the entire proximal forearm in the shape of a circle. She complains of numbness and tingling down her pinky. There is only pain upon contact of the wound so she has to wear a short sleeve shirt. She burned herself while boiling hot water and spilling it on herself. The wound became red and swollen and gradually became worse over the course of two days. She has mild blistering and scalding across her forearm. She is determined to have a second degree burn because of the severity of the erythema and blistering, but the lack of charring and discoloration does not indicate a third degree burn. She presents with a classic case of a second degree burn, although many different variations have been documented. The first method of treatment is to clean and cool the wound. Once the burn has been cleaned and cooled, it can be managed by the use of antibiotics, analgesics, and sometimes local anasthetics. The prognosis for burns depends primarily on the age of the patient and the surface area of the wound. Also, since burn injuries often present as comorbid conditions, the presence of smoke inhalation injury, debris, or bone fractures will strongly influence the prognosis. Skin burns can manifest in a variety of ways depending on the cause of the burn and also the severity of the burn. There are up to six degrees of burning, with each level of burn penetrating deeper into the skin layer. Burns can also be assessed in terms of total body surface area, which is the percentage affected by partial thickness or full thickness burns. Severe burns may require amputation, surgery, or skin grafting. When the first layer of skin (epidermis) is burned through and the second layer of skin (dermis) is also burned, the injury is called a second-degree burn. Blisters develop and the skin takes on an intensely reddened, splotchy appearance. Underneath the epidermis is where the hair follicles, blood vessels, nerve endings and sweat glands reside.  Underneath the dermis lie the muscles, nerves, larger blood vessels, and bones. Heart rate and peripheral vascular resistance increases following a major burn injury. This is due to the release of catecholamines from injured tissues, and the relative hypovolemia that occurs from fluid volume shifts. Initially, cardiac output decreases and approximately after 24 hours, cardiac output returns to normal and then increases to meet the hypermetabolic needs of the body. Immediately following injury, vasodilation is the first step in acute inflammation. Arterioles become dilated and then new capillary beds are formed in the area. This causes heat and redness to form, which allows for increased blood flow. There is increased vascular permeability which causes exudate to flow out in the intravascular tissues. The increase of extravascular fluid leads to swelling, or edema. An important function of acute inflammation is to activate and send out leukocytes to the site of injury. In the lumen, there is margination, rolling, and adhesion to the endothelium so the leukocytes can bind to the lumen. The next step is called transmigration, which is the migration of leukocytes to the endothelium. Chemokines act on the adherent leukocytes to help the cells migrate through endothelial spaces toward the site of injury. This process occurs predominantly in the venules. Next, leukocytes emigrate toward the injured area through a process called chemotaxis. All granulocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes respond to chemotactic stimuli at their own unique rate. Phagocytosis involves three distinct but interrelated steps: recognition of the particle to be engulfed by the leukocyte, ingestion, and degradation of the ingested material. Binding of a particle to phagocytic receptors causes the process of active phagocytosis to occur. The particle to be engulfed is completely surrounded within a phagosome. The membrane of the vacuole combines with the limiting membrane of a lysosomal granule, which results in the release of the granules contents into the phagolysosome. Throughout the process, the neutrophils and monocytes become increasingly degranulated. Microbial killing is largely carried out by oxygen-dependent mechanisms. Phagocytosis stimulates an increase in oxygen, increased glucose oxidation, and production of reactive oxygen intermediates. The regulators of inflammation have short half-lives and are manufactured in quick bursts, only for the amount of duration that the stimulus persists for. As inflammation progresses, the process also activates a variety of stop signals that actively terminate the reaction. These mechanisms cause a switch from the secretion of leukotrienes (pro-inflammatory) to lipoxins (anti-inflammatory). References Kumar V, Abbas A, Fausto N, Robbins S, Cotran R. Pathologic Basis of Disease. 7th ed. Saunders; 2004 Burns (Medline) Web site. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/burns.html. Accessed October 22, 2010. Burns: First aid (MayoClinic) Web site. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-burns/FA00022. Accessed October 22, 2010. Burns-Topic Overview (WebMD) Web site. Available at: http://firstaid.webmd.com/tc/burns-topic-overview. Accessed October 22, 2010. Ernest Kim General Pathology Chronic inflammation à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Chronic Bronchitis A 24 year old male presents with shortness of breath and an expectorating cough. He has been smoking hookah tobacco daily for the past six years. He has always had a weak immune system and has recently developed a constant cough within the last three months. A chest x-ray revealed hyperinflation of the lungs and auscultation of the lungs revealed prolonged expiration. The patient was determined to have chronic bronchitis due to the past history of chronic tobacco smoking and the consistent cough that has lasted for months. Common manifestations of chronic bronchitis include wheezing, productive cough, and occasionally chest pain, fever, and fatigue. There are a few different treatment protocols but the main one is smoking cessation and rest. In some cases, antibiotics or bronchodilators are prescribed. Early diagnosis of chronic bronchitis as well as smoking cessation, can drastically improve the probabilities of a good outcome. Individuals with chronic bronchitis that quit smoking e arly on can greatly slow the progression of lung deterioration; otherwise they risk becoming permanently disabled at some point. One major component of the mononuclear phagocyte system is macrophages, which consists of related cells such as tissue macrophages and blood monocytes. Monocytes migrate into many different tissues where they become macrophages. The lifespan of monocytes in the blood is about 24 hours, whereas tissue macrophages have a half-life of about several months to years. Early on during acute inflammation, monocytes emigrate into extravascular tissues, and within 48 hours they are established as the predominant cell type. The same factors that control neutrophil emigration, govern the extravasation of monocytes. When the monocyte gets to the extravascular tissue, it is transformed into a much larger phagocytic cell, which increases its cell size, metabolism, and ability to properly ingest microbes. In acute inflammation, when the invading cell is destroyed, macrophages eventually undergo necrosis or migrate back into the lymphatic system. However, in chronic inflammation, macrophage accumulation continues, and is regulated by different mechanisms. This army of regulators makes macrophages important and also powerful mediators in the bodys defense system, but the same arsenal can also create detrimental tissue damage when macrophages are activated inappropriately. As a result, tissue necrosis is one of the main setbacks of chronic inflammation. A wide range of substances in addition to the residual leftovers of macrophages can also contribute to tissue injury in chronic inflammation. Necrotic tissue can elevate the inflammatory response through the indirect activation of kinin, complement and fibrinolytic systems. Other cell types that contribute include mast cells, plasma cells, eosinophils, and lymphocytes. Mast cells are widely spread out in connective tissues and partake in both acute and chronic inflammatory conditions. Although neutrophils are mainly characteristic of short-term inflammation, many types of chronic inflammation continue to exhibit large numbers of neutrophils. Neutrophils are especially important in chronic lung damage induced by persistent tobacco smoking. Granulomatous inflammation is a distinguished pattern of chronic inflammation most notably characterized by its focal accumulations of triggered macrophages, which often assume an epithelial-like appearance. It is only activated in a limited number of infectious and some noninfectious diseases. The lymphatic system along with the lymph nodes filters and mediates the extravascular fluids. Along with the phagocyte system, the lymphatic system represents a secondary or backup defense mechanism that is activated whenever a local inflammatory reaction fails to terminate or neutralize an invading cell.

U.S. Budget :: essays research papers

Caffeine   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A lot of people often wonder what caffeine is. When isolated in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that tastes very bitter. The chief source of pure caffeine is the process of decaffeinating coffee or tea. Caffeine is used to provideâ€Å"boost energy† or a feeling of heightened alertness. It is often used to stay awake longer and late into the night. Many people feel as though they â€Å"cannot function† in the morning without a cup of coffee to provide caffeine and the boost it gives them. Caffeine is an addictive drug. It operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin use to stimulate the brain. Caffeine effects are more mild than amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin, but it is manipulating the same channels, and that is one of the things that gives caffeine its addictive qualities. If you feel like you have to have caffeine everyday and cannot live without it, then you are considered addicted to caffeine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caffeine also increases dopamine levels in the same way that amphetamines do (heroine, and cocaine also manipulate dopamine levels by slowing down the rate of dopamine reuptake). Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that, in certain parts of the brain, activates the pleasure center. Caffeine’s effects are obviously much lower than heroin’s, but it is the same mechanism. The long term problem with caffeine is the effect it has on sleep. The half life of caffeine in your body is about 6 hours. That means that if you have a big cup of coffee with 200 mg of caffeine in it at 3:00pm, by 9:00pm about 100 mg of that caffeine is still in your system. You will still be able to fall asleep but your body is going to miss out on the benefits of deep sleep. The next day you are probably going to feel worse, so to make yourself feel better, you will need caffeine as soon as you get up and out of bed. This cycle can start to continue day after day. This is why 90% of Ame ricans consume caffeine everyday. Once you get in the cycle, you have to keep taking the drug (home.howstuffworks.com). Caffeine raises adrenaline levels and heavy coffee consumption can lead to a state of adrenal gland exhaustion where the adrenal glands are no longer able to adequately respond to stress by releasing enough adrenaline. Adrenal insufficiency can then lead to a host of other problems, including a weakened immune system response, anxiety and panic attacks.

Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing? Essay -- Essays P

Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing? Introduction With the commercial advent of the Internet and cell phones in the late 1990’s, technologies such as instant messaging (IM) and text messaging (TM) have achieved increasing prevalence in our society. These types of messaging technologies are widely used among adolescents today. To cite just one personal example of this widespread usage, my friend’s daughter, who is now 11 and lives in Ireland, got a cell phone last year, and, according to my friend, â€Å"was the last person in her class to get one.† This is quite an amazing change, given that ten years ago, instant messaging and text messaging were in their infancy, and cell phones were only readily available as tools for roadside assistance. Given the newness of these types of technologies, it is only in the last few years that educators have started to notice them and explore their effects on student behavior and performance. While there is supporting evidence to suggest that these technologies have a large influence on the social development of adolescents, an even more pertinent issue for classroom teachers is what effects these technologies have on the academic development of young people. In this article, I examine how students’ use of text messaging technology, specifically IM, affects their writing skills. How does IM use affect students’ interest in traditional writing (as learned in school)? In what ways does IM usage affect students’ writing ability? How does â€Å"IM-speak† change students’ views of what is considered â€Å"proper† language? How can classroom teachers build on student use of this increasingly popular technology? In this paper I provide a discussion of the current issues and current teacher pra... ...lts. If students understand where and when it is appropriate to use certain types of language, then allowing them to use IM-speak can be beneficial in building student-teacher relationships, in enhancing students’ comfort level in school settings, and in improving academic performance. IM lingo is evidence of the evolution of language, and as Brown-Owens, Eason, and Lader (2003) point out, teachers need to realize that – for better or for worse – IM is widely used among many adolescents and is consequently a strong influence on student academic performance. For who knows? Given its roots in other languages, sometime soon we may even be teaching IM-speak as a legitimate form of language. Works Cited: Connor, Amanda. "Instant Messaging: Friend or Foe of Student Writing?" From http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/literacy/oconnor.htm. Access Date: April, 2005

Essay --

Change management Change is constant, integral part of our personal and professional lives. Change occurs in our world and beyond, at national and global level, in political and socio-economical areas, in management of organisations. As the contemporary world becomes more complicated and significantly interrelated, it forces companies to change their work strategies and become globally competitive (Jeritt, 2013). These pressures for change should be identified by management and immediately enact change management process to increase productivity and performance (Marked By Teachers, 2004). Achievement of such objectives is paramount for organisations; despite of challenges which may originate during implementation of changes (Content Writing, 2012). According to Techopedia (2013): ‘Organisational Change Management is a framework structured around the changing needs and capabilities of an organization. OCM is used to prepare, adopt and implement fundamental and radical organizational changes, including its culture, policies, procedures and physical environment, as well as employee roles, skills and responsibilities.’ Kotter (2009) defines change management as the utilization of basic structures and tools to control any organizational change effort. Today for implementation and monitoring changing process are known plenty of different models. It will be analyzed and evaluated most common models which are Lewin's Change Management Model, ADKAR model and Kotter's Eight Step Change Model. Each model provide particular approach with own advantages and disadvantages therefore it’s significantly important to clearly understand each of the three change management models (Cellars, 2007). Lewin's Change Management Model Kurt Lewin presente... ...tion. Organisational culture provides as opportunities as well as issues for companies. If culture combines with organization’s strategic and operating targets, it can stimulate improvement of performance and efficiency. At the same time dissimilarity of organisation culture and targets may lead for pernicious results (Katzenbach Center, 2013). Thus, organisational culture affects practically on all aspects of the company and it’s exceptional for every organisation and also one of the arduous objects to change (Business Dictionary, 2013. Hence, applying of culture within organisation include analysis of complex of features as beliefs, ideologies and values of company. According to Investopedia (2013) organisational culture define as: ‘The beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company's employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions’.