Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final - Assignment Example As a successful executive, I will think outside-the-box to come up with creative solutions to organizational problems and foster an open work environment where employees contributions are part of the solution. By allowing a flexible approach to problem solving, I will foster a workplace where creativity and different approaches to addressing a problem,no matter how different the ideas defer from the accepted norm,will all be considered In order to lead effectively as a manager needs,I need to learn to master the four basic functions of management; planning,organizing,leading and controlling. An effective leader will always be very good at listening;it is an unappreciated management skill that leads to a better understanding of the problems at hand,be it personal or organizational. Of the tree basic management skills previously mentioned,the most important attribute a manager needs is to develop in order to succeed is effective leadership skills . The key to effective leadership, managing diverse individuals and complex situations effectively is to master four of the basic functions of management;planning,organizing,leading and controlling. As a manager,the first step is to analyze the situation or problem at hand and formulate a plan which best addresses the needs of the project. It is important to me as a business profession to become proficient at analyzing complex situations and coming up with innovative solutions to a problem. In order to hone my analytic and planning skills,applying the same level of care and analysis to certain everyday problems will help me become better at analyzing and planning solutions in my future professional career. In the organizing phase as a manager, I must be able to evaluate the employee skill-sets as well as identify the most suitable individuals for a specific tasks. Through taking the initiative to become a leader in any group environment

Three Events That Have Changed World History Essay Example for Free

Three Events That Have Changed World History Essay What three events, between 1500 and 1800, have changed the face of world history? Whenever we ask about historical change it is of primary importance that we first ask about the nature of history. What exactly do we mean by history? The preferred definition for the purpose of this essay comes from 20th century renowned historian, Marc Bloch; that is, that history essentially is the study of men in the past.[1]   Furthermore, that history is essentially a science of men and how their thoughts and actions affected the world around them. [2] Thus, when we address events that changed world history, we are not dealing with events per se, but the people behind the events. It is people who have changed history, and people who continue to do so this very day.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I propose that two individuals and one body of people could be argued to have changed the world within this three-hundred year span. I propose that Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the Founding Fathers of the New World could be argued as having such significance by their respective actions. Their actions should not be seen as instantaneous or immediate. Rather, they should be viewed organically. The actions such individuals took did not change the whole world all at once, but were, in their magnitude, significant enough to affect subsequent generations in nearly all aspects of life- religious, political, social and philosophical. Martin Luther   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483 and died in the same town in 1546. The son of a hard-working coal-miner, Luther grew up in a world of uncertainty. Late medieval Europe consisted of corruption, disease, pestilence, and tyranny. The life-expectancy for the average male was about 50 years-old and the black-death claimed hundreds of lives across the continent. Meanwhile, the Church, a place often sought for refuge, only showed itself to be abusive. Clergy-men were often guilty of cheating others for land-rights. Bishops and monks were often found to be in adulterous affairs. From Luther’s own account, he mentions: â€Å"So too the bishops, priests, and monks are not holy, Christian people, for they do not believe in Christ, nor do they lead a holy life, but are rather the wicked and shameful people of the devil.†[3] And, arguably one of the worst forms of abuse came in the form of indulgences- promises offered by the Pope for a certain fee to relinquish the sins of the buyer or upon another by request to escape divine punishment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The abuse of indulgences would motivate Luther’s act of nailing 95 theses, or â€Å"arguments† upon the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. Roman clergy would travel throughout townships in Germany selling contracts to citizens known as â€Å"indulgences†. John Tetzel serves as one of the more well-known clergymen offering indulgences to people through charismatic and emotionally-driven speeches. When Luther learned that the Church was offering the forgiveness of sins at a price, regardless of how small or high, he was furious. He was prompted to act. It was the proper form of his day to bring ethical matters to public debate, hence the posting of the theses. But Luther had no expectation of the consequences that ensued from his posting of the theses. When the other people of Wittenberg became aware of Luther’s arguments they took it to the local print shop to make copies. Copies began to be distributed in droves and eventually Luther was esteemed as a sort of heroic rebel who challenged the Church’s authority.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In actuality, Luther’s 95 theses were not a challenge to the Roman Church, itself. Luther challenged the abuses of indulgences while claiming that forgiveness of sins and salvation should only be sought by sincere faith and repentance. But the popular-audience at the time saw Luther’s theses as a symbol of someone willing to stand-up to the tyrannical hierarchy of the Roman Church. The 95 theses would turn out to be a pulling of a thread later unraveling into the Reformation. And, this second Great Schism (the first being in 1054) would prove to change the face of civilization because the world would no longer be under the Church’s authority both in religious and secular life. [1] Marc Bloch, The Historian’s Craft. (New York: Vintage Books, 1953) pp.25-26 [2] Ibid. [3] Timothy Lull, ed., Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989) p. 541

Business Strategies Between Regionalisation And Globalisation Commerce Essay

Business Strategies Between Regionalisation And Globalisation Commerce Essay The global market is a tough nut to crack. A company or an organisation must be competitive enough in order to penetrate this market. Todays competition for business supremacy has always been a battle. Its a battle on who will be the best, a battle that the end winner will be determine by the organisations ability to compete against other competitors. Competition is like a bottle neck road, who ever goes in first always have the advantage against the other. Because the domestic and international market undergoes a never ending phase, an organisation must be capable to adapt to these constant changes. A companys capacity to change should be given consideration. Discrepancy between an organisation capacity and the demands of its customers results in an inefficiency, either in under-utilised company resources or unfulfilled customers. Maybe, most of the organisations today want to initiate a management system and strategy that could maintain the organisations capability, strength and co mpetitiveness. And this is important for the management teams and the organisations per se that they would always be open minded for changes that they might encounter in order to cope and adapt to the latest development that are happening within and outside their environment. Businesses are continuously evolving just to maintain progress and being competitive. However, being competitive in international business arena should conform to the concepts in international trade such as globalisation and regionalisation. Globalisation and regionalisation are concepts known in international trade and businesses. These concepts are always attached in describing transactions done in international business arena. Basically, this paper, will be assessing the paper of Proff (2002) entitled Business unit strategies between regionalisation and globalisation. In his paper, Proff, (2002) argued that Regionalisation do not actually opposed the concept of Globalisation. Regionalisation does not create or build blocks towards globalisations. From the results of his assessment using the so-called cluster analysis, he justified that Regionalisation especially to those outside the triad-markets was actually creating a path towards grasping the idea of Globalisation- an open regionalisation. Assessment From the presentation of Proff (2002), he identifies that globalisation has lowered trade barriers in different economies making it easier for investments to flow across markets. Through benefiting from involvement in other economies the flow of capital from one economy to another intensified. Access to raw materials and resources, cost savings from lowering labour and operating costs, and expansion to other markets prove the benefit for investors when engaging in foreign investments. Basically, globalisation and trade reform are credited with improved income growth and poverty reduction in much of developing world. Empirical evidence points to the growth-inducing effects of open economies, where long term growth is like the rising tide, lifting all the boats, including those of the poor. Reality, however, is often more complicated. As described in the paper of Proff (2002), many organisations especially to those outside the triad-market have not reaped the perceived benefit of globa lisation but instead considering the advantage of regionalisation. Apparently, regionalisation via membership to trade organisations as shown in the paper of Proff (2002) and market integration has also made international trade appealing. As describe, the concept of regionalisation establishes long-term interests with expectations of high returns on investment. Furthermore, national governments who lost control of the traditional means of promoting local competitiveness by lowering trade barriers and exchange rate policies have allowed competitiveness to diminish in importance. Basically, governments turned to consider international trade as a means of improving their economies which was actually seen and based from the perspective of investors and recipient firms and economies. Actually, regionalisation can be characterized process on the regional stage with the assistance of governments. These regional consideration shows to be the express result of governmental exploits initiating regional trade administrations and making deeper assimilation of detach economies on the regional height. Regionalisation is a fresh occurrence. As described by Proff (2002) in his paper, regionalisation conforms to the intensification of investment and intra-regional trade, each suggest a procedure of deeper behind-the-border industrial incorporation. Within this course of regionalising economies liberalisation is seen as a power that assists in guiding the people and economies resources into actions where they are most expected to stand out. In basic assumptions, regionalisation materialises as a power that alleviates the outcomes of globalisation by pooling governmental policies and also pays off for the loss of national policy sovereignty. But as justified in the paper of Pr off (2002), regionalisation does not actually alleviate the outcomes of globalisation but instead it guides the organisation to grasp globalisation process. This creates regionalisation as a training ground or an arena for an organisation to learn the context of globalisation even though the organisation was outside the triad-market. Basically, the notion of region as an arena for the development of learning organisation is a complex concept. Relatively few cases of actual development are thoroughly researched, and most of the research done on the learning region in general does not focus on work organisation. What can be seen, however, from the cases that have been made subject to research, is that although one may talk about regions they are much smaller than the configurations generally associated with this notion. There is a need either for a multi-level notion of region or for another concept that can cover units that can function as a context for the development of learning organisation. So far, the concept of learning region may be the best option since it indicates that not any region falls under the concept but only regions that fulfil certain requirements. Another possibility is territory, but this concept may be seen as somewhat too geographical. On the other hand, it may not be a need for a sharply featured concept. The units that seem best able to promote learning organisation may be seen as end points on a scale where most real situations will occur in between; they will have some element of learning region but not all and will show variations in their ability to promote learning organisation. At the moment, the notion of learning region functions first and foremost through its ability to draw attention to the need for a democratic order with the ability to generate trust as the core condition for learning organisation. It is even possible to turn back to some of the historical cases and reinterpret them in the light of this point. As justified in the paper of Proff (2002), the notion of regionalisation was actually a good training ground or learning arena for considering the idea of globalisation. The internationally most well known example of systematic efforts to promote learning oriented forms in a large industrial corporation may be the Swedish automobile producer Volvo, a development that occurred during the two decades when Gyllenhammar was chief executive (Graehl, S., Fiumlchtner, Rentz, 2002). With its many plants and numerous managerial hierarchies and expert groups, its co-operation with unions and employees and its broad use of research and consultants, Volvo fulfilled many of the characteristics of a learning region (Graehl, S., Fiumlchtner, Rentz, 2002). In line with the single company, however, the efforts to spearhead this kind of development came to an end with the retirement of Gyllenhammar. In most cases management driven change lasts for much shorter periods of time. With placing the learn ing region in focus the intention is, consequently, not only to introduce a new reference point for organisation development in addition to the individual enterprise or for that matter units within each enterprise, such as groups or departments but also to point at the shortcomings of some of the established ones. Basically, Graehl, S., Fiumlchtner, Rentz, (2002) argued that the kind of drift towards regionalisation indicated above can be se seen as an example of a tendency that has acquired major proportions on the international scene: in some form or other regionalisation occurs in major parts of the world today. Against this background it is important to emphasise that this kind of process occurs for many different reasons and that the reasons underlying the above examples are only some of those that are operative within this area. It is also important to emphasise that far from all processes towards regionalisation have anything to do with work organisation. Furthermore, the reasons are not new in the sense that they have been emerging only in recent years. When the movement towards learning oriented forms of work organisation started with field experiments and other cases, a process of bottom-up learning was introduced and the challenges posed by such a process are dominating the agenda today as in the period immediately after the first experimental changes. What differs is first and foremost the view on how bottom-up learning can take place. For a long time the idea that single cases could be abstracted from their contexts and provide a basis directly for learning processes involving many organisations was maintained. Actually, what happens today is first and foremost a break with these perspectives to instead build the learning processes bottom-up without shortcuts. What this implies varies, between countries and even regions. New demands are placed on all the actors involved and how well they are met today and will be met in the future differs as well. One of the challenges is to handle the notion of learning region as an evolutionary phenomenon, often emerging from a smaller group of actors, growing through network formations and eventually including political-administrative actors. From this platform the growth can continue into formations where several units join each other to form broader regions. Fixed boundaries and given administrative dividing lines will block this kind of development. Learning regions will have to be defined according to the learning process and this has in itself fluid boundaries. From this assessment, it is evident that business operations across national borders are becoming the trend in the current era. And this trend continuously grows because of globalisation and regionalisation. In response to this globalisation and regionalisation issues, multinational corporations tend operate in other countries to have excellent advantage. According to Amponsah (2001), globalisation or regionalisation whether it is in or out the triad-market but the eagerness of a certain business organisation to operate across borders was there it always involves two dimension i.e. change in economic operations of various countries, and change in the participants of global economic operations. Conclusion In the development of globalisation and regionalisation are closely related and often interact. Of course, one could argue that the marketin other words, effective competitionshould be the sole determinant of providers attitudes toward customers, in particular the services to be supplied and to whom and in what quantity. Then, a situation would develop where only competition authorities intervene, because the sectoral regulator would have disappeared from the scene. From the previous discussion, regionalisation in accordance to organisations competitiveness continues to be regarded as a major element of economic reforms in most countries. In the majority of developing countries, it is an important component of the structural adjustment package sponsored by multilateral institutions. It has become geographically more widespread and has increasingly involved the telecommunications, energy and water sectors. Foreign investment linked to liberalisation has also become more prominent in d eveloping countries. However, while regionalisation can bring about benefits under certain conditions, transfer of ownership is by no means a sufficient condition for improved performance of firms and setting off economic growth. In other words, if regionalisation with respect to competitiveness is to benefit the organisations, the challenges facing these organisations have to be properly identified so as to inform policy makers and the necessary actions have to be taken to overcome them. In addition, the governments must regularly inform the public about the goals of competitiveness and regionalisation and explain how achieving these goals benefit their citizens and nations. Governments must also carefully analyse the political impediments to investment liberalisation and must develop plans to eliminate them. Introducing more market competition and effective state regulation may be crucial in ensuring that economic performance improves. In addition, a wider range of institutional issues, including improving political, legal, management and financial capacity within organisations will affect the impact of regionalisation on performance when regionalisation occurs in organisations outside the triad-market. With respect to globalisation, liberalisation and openness should be promoted which will in turn promote market discipline, competition, better corporate governance and public accountability. Disciplined and prudential regulations should be introduced in the financial sector where incomplete liberalisation has taken place. This can help prevent the continuation of state directed credit to funds, which often lead to misallocation of resources. In conclusion, the development of globalisation or even regionalisation faces several obstacles challenges which all have to be tamed by countries governments before substantial benefits can be realised. It is worth noting that competition law can improve economic performance but performance improvement heavily relies also on other structural reforms like liberalisation and regulation and the ability of developing countries to overcome the numerous challenges that they face during the investment liberalisation process. From here, the different strategies in different markets especially to those considering the international market helped the organisation have an initial feel of the different markets. The different strategies also helped the organisation have a better understanding of how the market works. The different markets help in introducing to the organisation the cultures and characteristics of the markets thus it became educated with how to adjust in the different setting. Lastly, the different strategies helped in making sure that the organisation encounters lesser problems while starting up a new market. By using different strategies with proper consideration towards globalisation and regionalisation, the organisation has not committed anything that will give it more problems.

Health Promotion and Teaching as Tools for Nursing Essay -- Healthy He

Laying the Foundation for a Healthier Future Health promotion and teaching are important tools for nursing. By promoting health and health teaching, nurses can help lay the foundation for a healthier future. Major Concepts and Definitions Belief–a statement of sense, declared or implied, that is intellectually and/or emotionally accepted as true by a person or group. Attitude–a relatively constant feeling, predisposition, or a set of beliefs that is directed toward an object, a person, or a situation. Value–a preference that is shared and transmitted within a community. Behavioral diagnosis–the delineation of the specific health actions that are most likely to effect a health outcome. Health Belief Model–a paradigm used to predict and explain health behavior that is based on value-expectancy theory. Perceive–how one views oneself’s health. Expectancies–outcomes and evaluation of how behavior is determined. Divided into three types. Environmental cues–subconcept of expectancies, beliefs how events are connected. Outcome expectation–subconcept of expectancies, consequences of one’s own actions. Efficacy expectation–subconcept of expectancies, one’s own competence to perform the behavior required to influence outcomes. Incentives– value of a particular object or outcome. Domains of learning–information, skills, and attitudes needed to be taught to achieve the appropriate level of learning. Cognitive domain–subconcept, development of new facts or concepts, building on or applying past knowledge to new situations. Psychomotor learning–subconcept, development of physical skills from simple to complex actions. Affective learning–recognition of values, religious and spiritual beliefs, family interaction patterns and relationships and personal attitudes that affect decisions and problem-solving progress. Teaching–a planned and purposeful activity that nurses use to increase the likelihood that individuals will learn. Major Assumptions Major assumptions are taken from Rosenstock’s (1966) Health Belief Model, Bandura’s (1986) Social Cognitive Theory (Edleman & Mandle, 1998), and the teaching process (Boyd, Graham, Gleit, & Whitman, 1998). According to Leddy & Pepper (1993), assumptions from the Health Belief Model include the following aspects: 1. Perceived susceptibility, the client’s ... ... and the Social Cognitive Theory can help the nurse to analyze factors that contribute to man’s perceived state of health. Working with the client in the proper domain of learning, the nurse will be able to assist the client to achieve the optimal level of functioning. This model can also be used with chronically ill patients. Again, the goal for the client is to achieve the optimal level of functioning. Difficulties in application to nursing practice would be the comatose patient or the terminally ill patient with no cognitive skills. Health promotion and teaching are valuable nursing tools but only if applied properly so the client is able to make healthy behavior changes with the goal being to achieve his or her optimal level of functioning. References Boyd, M. D., Graham, B. A., Gleit, C. J., & Whitman, N. I. (1998). Health teaching in nursing practice: A professional model (3rd ed.). Stamford, CT: Appleton & Lange. Edleman, C. L., & Mandle, C. L. (1998). Health promotion throughout the lifespan (4th ed.). St Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc. Leddy, S., & Pepper, J. M. (1993). Conceptual bases of professional nursing (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott.

Causes of World War One Essay

World War One was a turning point in history. Many scholars study this event and what caused this huge conflict. Germany used to be the sole one responsible for this war, but many controversial debates later, the blame was gradually put on the other great powers of Europe as well. In this essay, I will be analyzing the main causes of WWI, especially targeting the long-term causes. Most of these causes and events may be classified into 4 main themes: imperialism, the alliance system, militarism & nationalism. Imperialism contributed greatly to the outbreak of WWI. Imperialism is when a country takes over other lands and subjects them to their rule to extend their power and influence. In the pre-WWI era, the great powers of Europe strove to expand their empires. Germany, who only became an united nation in 1871, desired a large empire like Britain’s, who at the time had an empire that stretched out over 5 continents and colonized about 1/3 of the world. However, Germany only had a few pieces of Africa. Soon, though, they decided they wanted more. In 1896, Admiral Muller said to Prince Henry of Germany, â€Å"†¦either we harness the total strength of the nation ruthlessly, even if it means accepting the risk of a major war, or we limit ourselves to continental power alone.† This shows how much Germany would do for more land and power. It clearly shows they prioritized developing their empire over suppressing war if it arose. In 1897, Prince von Bulow of Germany said, â€Å"We don’t want to put anyone else in the shade but we too demand a place in the sun.† It is suggested that Germany wanted more of Africa and Asia. The fierce competition over lands caused incredible tension between the great powers. Each country wanted to dominate more lands to increase their trades and power. This can also be seen in the First Moroccan Crisis. France and Germany had begun to motion towards war over the colonization of Morocco. France, assisted by Britain and Russia, wanted to colonize Morocco, whilst Germany, who was weakly supported by Austria-Hungary wanted to annoy France and create strain in the Entente Cordiale’s friendship, as well as keep Morocco independent so it would be easier to conquer and keep trading with them. This shows how easily countries may begin to consider war and attack to take over new lands. Another event that shows clear intent of imperialism is the Bosnian Crisis in 1908, when Austria-Hungary took over Bosnia, tension grew so thick between Austria-Hungary and Serbia that with one tiny trigger, war would be a possible threat. Another main cause of WWI was militarism. Britain, who had the strongest navy at that time, felt threatened when Germany decided they wanted to build their navy power as well. The Anglo-German naval race of 1906-12 started when Kaiser William II of Germany released the Tirpitz Plan, which was a plan to increase Germany’s naval size. The British brought out the HMS Dreadnought, a deadly battleship, in 1906. Though Britain eventually won, it was clear Germany posed a serious threat. There was also an increase of armed forces which created the mood and atmosphere for war. By 1900, Russia had the biggest army of 1.1 million, though the number had decreased to 0.8 million by 1914. The armies of Germany and France had more than doubled from 1870, though England’s army had not increased much as they prioritized the naval race over building their army. With this attitude to building their military power, it was inevitable that these thoughts would eventually lead to putting the m to use. The alliance system also contributed greatly to the war. An alliance is when 2 or more countries form a type of ‘friendship’ where if one country is in trouble, the other/others would step in and help. The two main alliances were the Triple Entente, which consisted of France, Britain and Russia, and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Triple Entente, formed in 1907, remained strong as ever even when Germany tried to sever their bonds in an argument with France over Morocco. Additionally, Russia and Germany signed unofficial secret ‘reassurance treaties’ though it was not renewed in 1890 when William II of Germany took over. This led Russia to search for a new ally. In the end, France and Russia formed an alliance in 1894. This was exactly what Germany had hoped to avoid as now they were sandwiched between the 2 countries, leaving them extremely vulnerable in the case of an attack. However, William II was young and felt no need to have Russia on their side. It should be taken into account that if there wasn’t an alliance system, WII might not have been a ‘world war’, just one between Austria-Hungary and Serbia after an immediate cause- the trigger event of the assassination of the heir of the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Bosnia on 28th, June 1914. The assassination of the Archduke was committed by Gavrilo Princip, a Serbian nationalist. He was part of the ‘Black Hand’, a secret Serbian nationalist society. This links to nationalism as the Serbs were tired of being ruled by the Austro-Hungarians, and in return, murdered Austro-Hungary’s heir. This shows how much they were wiling to do to make their point. This also links back to the alliance system. France, bound by treaty to Russia, found themselves at war against Germany, and by extension, war against Austria Hungary. Meanwhile, Britain who was allied to France, declared war on Germany. Once again, it should be mentioned that if it were not for the alliance system, perhaps not as many countries would’ve been involved in the war.

Bal-A-Vis-X Program

Many of today's struggling students are falling through the cracks of our education system and are at risk of dropping out of school. The increased expectations of today's high standards force special education teachers to frequently seek effective research-based interventions to help these students to become successful. Bal-A-Vis-X is just one of such programs. The program founder claims the brain integration – movement-based learning program will increase a student's reading fluency, and comprehension by participating in the multi-level crossing of the midline exercises emphasizing on flow with rhythm. The basis of this research project is to validate the claim by incorporating the Bal-A-Vis-X program with students at Moore School in fourth, fifth and six-grade physical education class. Bal-A-Vis-X was developed by a teacher in Wichita, Kansas named Bill Hubert. Bill Hubert uses cognitive exercises which encompass the integration of balance, auditory, and vision exercises using racquetballs, balance boards, hand-sized sandbags and various complexity of rhythmic exercises. The exercises focus on rhythm, patterning, balance and visual teaming. The combination of 300 various exercises increase in complexity as the student masters the fundamental skills. The exercises can be reduced to accommodate the student with varying disabilities. The program is designed to help individuals who struggle with academics, post-traumatic stress, physical and social impairments. (Hubert, 2007)Bill Hubert suggest the lack of flow within a person can trigger the stressful occurrences which may cause the cognitive debilitation of an individual. (Hubert,2007). He further explains what he believes are the series of physical and developmental movement which occur and how this movement contributes to the cognitive aspects of the individual to perform a required task. The principals of the program are to introduce midline crossings in three dimensions which are designed to follow steady rhythm using the whole mind-body system creating the flow with in the student aligning the mind with the body. The idea is to listen to the rhythm of the sound of the balls bouncing or the sandbags being passed while simultaneously integrating patterned movement involving the whole body.The stress of academic performance can cause struggling students to display undesirable behaviors. When students struggle in school many behavior issues to avoid the task or to gain something to help them manage the task. This behavior coping mechanism is what inspired my research into the BAL-A-VIS-X program. Often special education teachers and interventionist are overwhelmed with the diversity of intervention programs offered to increase academic performance in students with learning disabilities and are struggling academically, developmentally, emotionally and socially. This program interests me as it was originally introduced to me by the adaptive physical education teacher form Central Montana Learning Resource Center. She explained the concept of the program. From there my research developed. I researched the resources I needed in order to purchase the products needed to implement the program with my students. Once I organized the pricing of the product, my next step was to request the funding from my superintendent. She was very interested in the program herself and has supported me in my quest. I obtained permission to teach the program to the select group in their weekly physical education class. This offered me the two fifteen-minute time slots to work with the students weekly for eighteen weeks. Our Learning Co-Op Center ‘s Adaptive Physical Education teacher shared she attended a training with a Resource teacher from Round Up Montana which was practicing using Bal-A-Vis-X with her students. She was fortunate enough to attend a training of the program from Bill Hubert, the founder of the program itself. I proceeded forward by inviting her to come observe, to give me some additional ideas and skills to help me implement the program effectively. She explained to teach Bal-A-Vis-X it is optimal to teach one on one over a group setting. However, under my time restraints, she shared it would be alright to continue with my research as a group setting. The stress of academic performance can cause struggling students to display undesirable behaviors. When students struggle in school many behavioral issues are to avoid the task or to gain something to help them manage the task. This behavior coping mechanism is what inspired my research into the BAL-A-VIS-X program. Currently, my professional peers use Brain Gym, Go Noodle or some form of conglomerating a self-designed movement curriculum in their classroom management techniques to diminish undesirable behaviors without addressing the underlying antecedent and trigger for the student's actions.Often Special Education teachers and interventionist are overwhelmed with the diversity of intervention programs offered to increase academic performance in students with learning disabilities and are struggling cognitively, developmentally, emotionally and socially. Trying to minimize which program is the most effective lies in the opinion of the teacher. In my personal observation in Moore school it is just getting students up and moving is the goal. As a Special Education teacher myself, I rely on resources presented at professional development conventions, multiple online resources, and peer networking opportunities to share what is working with which types of students with disabilities. Disabilities are as diverse as the resources and interventions offered to increase performance in students with deficits. Originally, this program was introduced to me by the adaptive physical education teacher form Central Montana Learning Resource Center. It piqued my interest as she explained the concept of the program. From there, my research developed. My main focus was not the scientific theory of the program, as in how and why the brain is functioning and operating through the implementation of the program, but my interest lies in merely, is it a highly effective intervention compared to similar kinesthetic based interventions. Basically, why would I use this particular intervention program compared to other similar programs available?The go to for interventions for Special Education teachers is the website What Works Clearinghouse. The information presented on this website shares.As the program was developing with the students I did not truly notice any improvements in flow or coordination until the thirteenth week. As my research is to collect data for reading fluency and comprehension, it was just an observation of mine in this area of balance and coordination.

School Violence1 essays

School Violence1 essays Violence in schools is a great concern in our society. The concern is heightened by the abundance of media coverage on a number of recent school shootings. With all of the news clips, sound bites, and Internet coverage swirling around in our heads, one might conclude that children are more violent today, than they were in recent years. But, school violence is not a new issue for the nineties; School violence has been around since the1950's, but then it was more an issue of juvenile delinquency than violent behavior. The difference between the two generations is that today student conflicts are more likely to be solved with the use of weapons. The fact is a gun is much more intimidating than a fist. There is nothing scarier than arriving at school afraid of what may happen next. Many students are faced with this problem everyday. Children should feel safe when they walk into school. Many people use violence as an expression to release feelings of anger or frustration. They think there are no answers to their problems and turn to violence to express their out of control emotions. Others use manipulation as a way to control others or get something they want. Violence is a learned behavior. Like all learned behaviors, it can be changed. This isn't easy, though. Since there is no single cause of violence, there is no one simple solution. The best you can do is learn to recognize the warning signs of violence and to get help when you see them in your friends or yourself. Teachers tend to believe that school violence is a result of sociological factors such as: lack of parental supervision, lack of family involvement and exposure to violence in the mass media. These factors could be traced to high divorce rates, both parents working and high availability of mass media, e.g. television, Internet, ect. Students who live in fear of violence, witness violent acts, or become victims of violence suffer an array of short-term and ...

Coffe Cafe Industry- Barista vs Cafe Coffee Day Essays

Coffe Cafe Industry- Barista vs Cafe Coffee Day Essays Coffe Cafe Industry- Barista vs Cafe Coffee Day Essay Coffe Cafe Industry- Barista vs Cafe Coffee Day Essay Scoop of Ice Cream ,Flavored Syrups ,Cold coffee, Iced Eskimo ,Arabian Heights ,Tropical Temptation, Tropical Iceberg ,Coffee on rocksMochachillo, Cappachillo,Vegan shake, Mango Frappe, Pineapple Frappe, Strawberry Frappe. At the third level, CCD while offering their product maintain its quality, (quality beans, hygiene drinks), service, taste etc. For service, It is always their endeavor that their employees grow to be skillful and competent mangers. Towards this ends, each of them is exposed to some specialized training programs in the areas of Food Beverages, Coffee, Customer service and Managerial skills They do a series of taste tests before the product is launched. They also adopt changes after the launch through a series of feedbacks. Since cafes are owned by them, they can do these dipstick studies at any time. For example, when they were launching a spinach sandwich, consumers said that they would prefer a spinach-cottage cheese combo and they improvised to deliver what the customers wanted. In order to promote Sugar Free, CCD launched a â€Å"Low calorie menu† in association with the former for the calorie conscious. Customers can also have an even more relaxed cafe experience by leisurely browsing through an interesting selection of books and periodicals while sipping their favorite coffee. At fourth level, the various formats (music-cafes, lounges, highway points, etc) adopted by CCD would give ample scope of recreation and entertainment to the consumers. At the fifth level stands the potential product, which encompasses all the possible augmentation and transformation the product or offering might undergoing future. A time would come when the cafe will eventually become a community hub, with even cafes such as pop music lovers cafes, an intellectuals-only cafe, and maybe even a communists cafe coming up soon. CONSISTENCY Consistency is often called Key to Branding, especially so in the franchising model that CCD follows wherein, with the purchase of franchising the brand CCD is also bought. To keep up with the brand image and consistency the daily operations are not handed over to the franchisee but kept with the company which indulges trained and efficient workforce in keeping with the set standards. The promotional activities (branding, marketing, and promotions) are also looked after by Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Co. Ltd. (ABC), owners of CCD. Quality control is another important factor in consistency, as the saying goes, â€Å"Nothing kills a product quicker than great marketing†. . This hurdle of standardizing the coffee being served has been overcome by installation of exclusive coffee vending machines, which have a pre-set mechanism to make coffee; just the coffee beans, milk and water needs to be added to a certain level which is again monitored by the machine. LEVERAGE On Price-being the cheapest organized cafe chain in India, gave a relative pricing leverage to CCD, which hit really well with the price conscious Indian consumers. Cafe Coffee Days vending machines have a special niche in the market compared to competitors because Cafe Coffee Day machines offer filter coffee unlike the instant coffee offered by competitors brands. Through in-house sourcing of coffee beans, they have leveraged on raw material procurement cost while brand expansion on foreign shores has helped the company in leveraging on the sky rocketing real estates’ prices in Indian metros. At the same time, its recent co-branding with Cadbury’s has helped leveraging on resources further. For many teenagers CCD has become an important part of their lives. They see it as an extension of their own personality and even when they grow older they would keep revisiting it to relive some of their cherished memories (it pays to catch them young! ); thereby leveraging on its association with youth. CCD team has made a commendable effort in leveraging the brand potential and the retail opportunity by introducing many brand extensions like mint, cookies, t-shirts, coffee mugs, etc. nd they even pioneered innovative concepts like jukebox and newsletter which were quite a hit among the youth. Cafe Coffee Day does not believe in mass media promotions. But they are involved in all the areas of serious consumer passion. Though CCD was the first to enter the coffee retailing business in India, it failed to leverage on the first mover advantage in terms of increasing the number of outlets. By 2002, Barista which entered the market in 2000 had 105 branches. CCD had only 50 branches. However, the situation has reversed in the current scenario. According to company sources, the reason for its slow growth was the time taken to complete the back-end operations of its retail outlets. INTEGRATION CCD has integrated all the components of the marketing mix for the overall enhancement of the experience offered to the customer. They have used the promotional strategy to their utmost advantage. First and foremost they have used it as a profit center and they have focused on co-branding thereby leveraging on the image and the brand of the cooperating company to their advantage and for roping in new customers who might not have otherwise visited had it not been for the promotional co-branding. They have used the loyalty scheme as a CRM tool for maximum customer retention. By leveraging on the place they reduce the energy cost and the psychological cost for the consumer thereby increasing the value delivered. By effectively blending the marketing mix they have created a strong brand equity for themselves. BARISTA VS CAFE COFFEE DAY – A COMPARATIVE STUDY Barista has experienced frequent changes in the management while CCD has not gone through any such second order changes in the management structure. The crowd coming into Barista can be divided into the corporate set (forming largest share), retired persons and senior citizens, families and college goers. On the same hand, CCD mainly targets the age group of 16-30 years. CCD has huge expansion plans to foray into the cities and towns in the country. It is planning to increase the number of outlets to 700 by the end of this year. The number of outlets of CCD is 435 compared to 160 outlets of Barista. Barista has not yet planned to go for huge expansion because of high real estate prices restricting them to a few outlets and focusing on the upper middle and higher income group. For example it has come up with new concepts of Barista Creme and Barista Espresso targeting the niche segment of true coffee lovers and offering a wider range of food and beverages, apart from luxurious comfort which will help them to increase the revenue contribution from food. CCD makes use of its own brand of coffee beans while Barista uses beans that are imported and roasted abroad. CCD has different private caterers in each city while Barista has a national caterer for the eateries available in each of their outlets. CCD generates revenue by having advertisements and promotion posters in their outlets while Barista does not do so. CCD has forayed into aviation hospitality, and the synergy with the low-cost airlines (SpiceJet) makes perfect sense for both parties involved. Barista on the other hand sco uts for premium tie-ups with MNCs (operating their cafeterias). Ambience and the settings (interiors) are contrasting for CCD and Barista. While the former is more relaxed and minimal, being pleasing at the same time; the latter has a more formal setting. As the two cafe houses target different set of consumers, the same is reflected in their pricing strategies and the tie-up partners they choose to associate with. CCD has a more reactive approach towards competition, as it opens an outlet wherever Barista does, hoping to lure Barista’s customers with a cheaper menu which has proven to be quite successful for CCD. REFERENCES retailindustry. com cafecoffeeday. com indiantelevision. com coffeeresearch. org indiacoffee. org barista. co. in thehindubusinessline. com/catalyst/2003/10/30/11hdline. htm brandintegrity. com/brandintegrityhomepage tatainvestment. com/0_media/news/media/index. htm coopdevelopmentcenter. coop/fairtrade/coffeecri

Ethical Issues in Research Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Issues in Research - Personal Statement Example Background: It describes the basic information and history about the programmes or the project which is being evaluated. Review of evaluation questions: This section describes the goals of the evaluation of the programmes. It includes specific evaluation questions and reasons for each question. Evaluation methods: These describe in detail the design and the process of the evaluation. This process of evaluation includes the major criteria used for selecting samples or the participants. It also explains the data collections approaches and the process of analysis of the data. Key findings: These are the main observation from the overall research programme which provides descriptions of the participants or the samples which include the demographics of the participants and the extent of participation. Conclusions: It contains the comparisons hypothesis of the research with the actual findings. It reflects the strength of the research programme identified in the evaluation and recommendati on for further improvement of the work i.e. the process of finding the results. It also describes the limitation of the research process and the evaluation process. ... A particular academic journal represents an in-depth analysis of a particular area of any subject. The main aim of this is to provide detailed analysis or information about a narrow topic of academics. An analysis is done in a much deeper level to find out the key outcomes and the limitations. Newspaper report: A newspaper report generally discuss the current or recent news or issues from diverse areas. It includes the accounts of eye witness for the happening events. Gene3rally newspaper reports answers almost all the questions like who, what, when, where, how and lastly the most important way. These articles are written keeping in mind the mass market knowledge base to understand and needful of the topic. These based on the study of the wide range of topic not in-depth research on a particular area. The main aim for this type of article is to make awareness of the mass about particular issues or detail facts which the readers need to aware of or sometimes they are interested to kno w to gain a wide range of knowledge. Section B Answer 1 The positivist research philosophy is derived from natural science and is characterized by hypothesis testing and development from the existing theories through the measurement of the social realities. This position assumes that the world exists for different externalities and objectives. The knowledge of the assumption is only valid if it is assumed based on the findings and the observations of any external realities and it needs to develop some theoretical models which can explain the cause and effectiveness of the possible outcomes.  

Demonstrations in Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Demonstrations in Middle East - Essay Example Bearing in mind that many countries in the Middle East have been suffering from bad governance, it is pertinent to find out how these countries that experience these demonstrations in the Middle East are affected and impacted. My interest in the topic was spurred by the dominant news and reports of these protests and demonstrations in the Middle East. Being a very recent issue, it is important for me to carry out investigations in this area and come up with new and substantial findings that can factually explain the motivation behind the uprising in the Middle East and their impacts. To this day, various countries in the Middle East such as Yemen, Libya, Egypt and Tunisia have seen their rulers forcibly evicted from power. Other countries such as Syria and Bahrain have been experiencing serious civil uprisings that have brought about numerous impacts to them. Major and minor protests have erupted in some Middle East countries, with the major ones being experienced in regions such as Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq and minor ones in Saudi Arabia and Oman. These wars, riots, protests and demonstrations have been christened the Arab Spring (Phares 34). This topic is fairly new because it is involves new and recent o ccurrences. I plan on moving from this broad interest to formulate a narrow topic and thesis by focusing on a single aspect of the Middle East demonstrations that interests me the most. In this particular instance, I intend on focusing on the role of these protests and demonstrations in attaining democracy in the Middle East. These demonstrations in the Middle East are landmark revolutions that have shown the rest of the world that citizens can unite and oppose bad governance and poor leadership. My thesis and primary focus will be on the impact and roles of these demonstrations in bringing about democracy in the Middle East. Countries in the Middle East

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 72

Reflection - Essay Example The mechanism of the cell cycle also provided an in-depth perspective on the occurrence of cancer (Morgan, 2007). Cancers of various body parts including the skin and breast are among the leading causes of death. This course has broadened my understanding of the disease and brought the realization that the introduction of certain changes to the genetic makeup of cells causes them to proliferate abnormally thereby leading to cancer. I have also understood that cancer seems to progress faster because cancerous cells divide faster than normal cells. Additionally, approximately 90% of cancerous cells are preparing for division at any given time. While researching topics related to cancer, I learned that environmental and genetic factors predisposed individuals to cancers. The environmental aspect included exposure to carcinogenic substances, which interfered with the genetic makeup of cells and led to the formation of abnormal cancerous cells. On the other hand, the genetic aspect meant that certain individuals possessed certain inherent genetic traits that increased their susceptibility to cancer. We cannot control our inherent genetic makeup, but we can limit exposure to carcinogenic substances.The course has taught me to protect myself from cancer by avoiding substances such as skin lightening products, unnecessary exposure to ultra violet rays, among many other substances. Various oncology societies advocate for early treatment of cancers, which can only be possible if the disease is detected early enough before it advances. As a result, individuals are required to have regular screening for various forms of cancers. For example, women of certain ages need to have annual breast cancer screening. I advocate for such practices because they improve the treatment of cancer. In addition, they prevent the metastasis of the cancerous cells into other parts of the body

Ethics and moral character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and moral character - Essay Example As a business man his primary motive was never to amass maximum profit. On the other hand, he held that â€Å"it is the function of business to produce for consumption and not for money and speculation† (Johannes 7). Thus, he was never moved by the money motive and he brought about revolutionary changes in the twentieth century American industrial culture through such radical measures as the introduction of high wages, lower prices and increased buying power. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Ford’s business ethics was his strong belief that business should not be solely aimed at making profit. On the other hand, he held that one should maintain business ethics in all his/her enterprises keeping in mind the demands and needs of individuals and society. Once Henry Ford himself stated that â€Å"for a long time people believed that the only purpose of industry is to make a profit. They are wrong. Its purpose is to serve the general welfare† (Ciulla 31). Similarly, good business leaders should not be egocentric; they should not be moved by ego but by reason. Henry Ford was a genuine and brilliant leader who was never overtly flattered by success but who always welcomed legitimate contributions from others.

Methodology chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Methodology chapter - Essay Example These differences, which can be considered to be improvements on the latter approaches, are what make design-based research a good fit for this research study. Design-based research differs from lab experiment re4search in a number of ways, especially in the education domain. While using lab experiment research in this case would have required a laboratory setting to ensure that there were no significant interruptions from confounding variables, design-based research will enable the current research to account for the dynamics, complexities, and limitations of the real world classroom (Behrendt, 2010). In addition, despite the existence of significant dependent and confounding variables in the classroom, DBR does not seek to consider all the former variables. This ability to choose from a number of dependent variables offers an advantage for using DBR to study the use Adobe Connect in learning a second language, especially since lab experiments have a fixed procedure due to attempts to manipulate one variable and control for the rest. By revising the research design iteratively and flexibly over the course of the research, it will be possible to characterize the complexities of how participants develop competency in the use of technology (Behrendt, 2010). Moreover, the fact that DBR will allow for social interactions with the ESL teachers, as well as between the ESL teachers and their students. This is due to its â€Å"real world† orientation, which lends it an added advantage over lab experiment research that would isolate the ESL teachers and prevent their interaction with researchers. Due to the complexities portended by the language barrier and learning new technology, it will be difficult to come up with a hypothesis from ini tial investigation of the research problem, which is a requirement of experimental investigations (Behrendt, 2010). By using DBR, however, the researchers will be able to develop practical design profiles

How Nafta has been framed since inception Research Paper

How Nafta has been framed since inception - Research Paper Example While discussing treaties and agreements, it is essential not to leave out the diverse types of agreements which are considered the most important and imperative. Some of these essential conformities include International Investment Agreement, International Taxation Agreements and most importantly Trade and Commerce Agreements. The most widespread term that we see when trade agreements are discussed, is â€Å"NAFTA†. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is one of the most important accords signed by the American government. This agreement has been shared with the governments of two most central bordering areas of the United States i.e. Mexico and Canada. This agreement came into power on January, 1994. The administrative centers of this agreement are in Mexico City, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. NAFTA was signed between President George H. W. Bush of US, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada and Mexican President Carlos Salinas. Following were the advantages and motivations of the generation of this agreement: NAFTA was signed by the three countries to amplify the trade the trade process so that more and more items could be imported and exported to and from these countries. It was about time that the trio apprehend and grasped the magnitude of trade for their realms. As Tamarkin and Bayer have clarified that â€Å"The lifeblood of global connections is world trade. There is evidence of human trading from prehistoric times.† (288) and this specifies the importance of trade and dealing for countries. As far as the area of benefit is concerned when it comes to the state of Mexico, signing this agreement was important because the NAFTA agreement ostensibly eggs on superior colonization among the trio. The increased immigration from Mexico to the US has become even more of a flashpoint. Although this is not the case when it comes to the relationship between Canada

Ethics and moral character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics and moral character - Essay Example As a business man his primary motive was never to amass maximum profit. On the other hand, he held that â€Å"it is the function of business to produce for consumption and not for money and speculation† (Johannes 7). Thus, he was never moved by the money motive and he brought about revolutionary changes in the twentieth century American industrial culture through such radical measures as the introduction of high wages, lower prices and increased buying power. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Ford’s business ethics was his strong belief that business should not be solely aimed at making profit. On the other hand, he held that one should maintain business ethics in all his/her enterprises keeping in mind the demands and needs of individuals and society. Once Henry Ford himself stated that â€Å"for a long time people believed that the only purpose of industry is to make a profit. They are wrong. Its purpose is to serve the general welfare† (Ciulla 31). Similarly, good business leaders should not be egocentric; they should not be moved by ego but by reason. Henry Ford was a genuine and brilliant leader who was never overtly flattered by success but who always welcomed legitimate contributions from others.

How Nafta has been framed since inception Research Paper

How Nafta has been framed since inception - Research Paper Example While discussing treaties and agreements, it is essential not to leave out the diverse types of agreements which are considered the most important and imperative. Some of these essential conformities include International Investment Agreement, International Taxation Agreements and most importantly Trade and Commerce Agreements. The most widespread term that we see when trade agreements are discussed, is â€Å"NAFTA†. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is one of the most important accords signed by the American government. This agreement has been shared with the governments of two most central bordering areas of the United States i.e. Mexico and Canada. This agreement came into power on January, 1994. The administrative centers of this agreement are in Mexico City, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. NAFTA was signed between President George H. W. Bush of US, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada and Mexican President Carlos Salinas. Following were the advantages and motivations of the generation of this agreement: NAFTA was signed by the three countries to amplify the trade the trade process so that more and more items could be imported and exported to and from these countries. It was about time that the trio apprehend and grasped the magnitude of trade for their realms. As Tamarkin and Bayer have clarified that â€Å"The lifeblood of global connections is world trade. There is evidence of human trading from prehistoric times.† (288) and this specifies the importance of trade and dealing for countries. As far as the area of benefit is concerned when it comes to the state of Mexico, signing this agreement was important because the NAFTA agreement ostensibly eggs on superior colonization among the trio. The increased immigration from Mexico to the US has become even more of a flashpoint. Although this is not the case when it comes to the relationship between Canada

Stereotypes in Film Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes in Film Essay Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary clearly defines ethnocentrism as the â€Å"characterization by or based on the attitude that ones own group is superior. † To address the deeper issues associated to ethnocentrism requires a more explicit definition. In this sense, ethnocentrism can be defined as the making of false assumptions regarding others ways based on our own limited experience. The key word is assumptions, because oftentimes we are not even aware that we are being ethnocentric we dont understand that we dont understand. These mannerisms lead to seeing other ways of life through a slanted perspective which can lead to unhealthy feelings of haughtiness and self-righteousness. A variety of cultures can appear differently, depending on our perspective. In many ways we are like the blind men in the fable written by the Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi, The Blind Men and the Elephant. â€Å"A beast of mystery appeared in the land of the blind. The raja sent his advisors out to investigate. Waiting until the mysterious beast was sleeping, they touched it. When the blind men had felt the creature, the raja went to each of them and said to each, Well, blind man, have you seen this beast? Tell me, what sort of thing is the creature? There upon the men who were presented with the body answered, Sire, this beast is like a wall. While the men who had observed the ear replied, No, this animal is like a fan. Those who had touched the tusk said, ‘The beast is like a spear. ’ Those who knew only the trunk said it was a snake; others said the leg was a tree; the tail, a rope. All of these blind men described parts of the same thing a sleeping elephant. As you can see, the blind men had only a partial view of the elephant. There moral here is that if you put together your partial views in proper order, you will get an idea of what an elephant looks like. As Americans we seem to be limited by our own perspectives of given cultures and groups of people and fail to see the variety of viewpoints present. Assumptions can also reflect false positive attitudes about others ways. For example, we in an urban industrial society frequently think of other cultures as being free of the stresses of modern society. Unfortunately this view fails to recognize that many stresses are present in their way of life, including the threat of disease, risk of starvation, and lack of transportation to name a few. False positive assumptions are just as misleading as false negative assumptions. Ethnocentrism leads to misunderstanding others and the generalization regarding a person or group of persons, stereotyping. We falsely distort what is meaningful and functional to other peoples through our own point of view. We see their ways in terms of our life experience, not their context. We do not understand that their ways have their own meanings and functions in life, just as our ways have for us. We develop stereotypes when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we would need to make fair judgments about people or situations. In the absence of the total picture, stereotypes in many cases allow us to fill in the blanks. Our society often innocently creates and perpetuates stereotypes, but these stereotypes often lead to unfair discrimination and persecution when the stereotype is unfavorable. For example, if you were walking downtown late at night and come upon three senior citizens walking with canes and wearing fur coats, you may not feel as intimidated as if you encountered three college-aged boys wearing leather jackets. Why is this so? In each case we have made a generalization. These generalizations have been formed based on experiences we have had ourselves, read about in books and magazines, seen in movies or television, or have had related to us by friends and family. In many cases, these stereotypical generalizations are reasonably accurate. Yet, in virtually every case, we are resorting to prejudice by ascribing characteristics about a person based on a stereotype, without knowledge of the total facts. By stereotyping, we assume that a person or group has certain characteristics. Quite often, we have stereotypes about individuals who are members of groups with which we have not had firsthand contact. So here we have a paradox: we falsely assume because we are not even aware we are assuming and furthermore it is the normal thing to do. We cannot not be ethnocentric, and we cannot will it away or make ourselves have a completely open attitude. Is it ever possible not to be ethnocentric?

The Corinthia Palace Hotel Company Ltd Company Tourism Essay

The Corinthia Palace Hotel Company Ltd Company Tourism Essay With 380 million international arrivals annually and market share of more than 40% of global tourism Europe commands the position as the number one tourist destination European Commission Vice-president Antonio Tajani- Journal of the Institute of Tourism Studies Dec 2010 pg 30. Company History Corinthia Palace Hotel Company Ltd is a Maltese registered company that owns The Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa. The hotel enjoys a central location in the San Anton area. This Boutique style hotel neighbours both the Official Residence of the President of the Republic of Malta and the San Anton Botanical Gardens. Initially in 1920s, the site was a private residence called Villa Refalo, which was later sold to the Pisani family in 1959. (IL-Haddiem, 1968). The villa was transformed into the Corinthia Restaurant in the 1962. The company name Corinthia stems from the trademark columns that remain a prominent feature in the Villa Corinthia Restaurant. The restaurant prospered and was particularly popular with both locals and expatriates on field breaks from Libya. The success of this fine dining restaurant led the Pisani family to engage the services of architect Dom Mintoff, who designed and supervised the building of one of the finest hotels of its time. The hotel was amongst one of the first five star hotels in Malta to have full conference facilities in addition to 141 rooms, 11 suites, Garden Spa and 5 food and beverage outlets. The official opening of the hotel in the June of 1968, was conducted in the presence of then Minister of Education, Culture and Tourism, Doctor George Borg Olivier, His Excellency Duke of Edinburgh and renowned actor Roger Moore. The success of this enterprise has set the foundation for Corinthia Group of Companies, as we know it today. The group is organised into four business units, each of which plan and implement well-defined strategies driven by single objective of continued growth. The unanimity of purpose, to achieve our founders vision, towards expanding the Corinthia Portfolio Internationally, is driven by Mr Alfred Pisani himself. To date the company owns or operates sixteen hotels in nine countries. Mission Our Mission is to provide our guests with the craftsmanship of care Company Philosophies The company philosophy is primarily based on the core values, mainly integrity, honesty, trust and respect, which form the foundation of relationships within the Corinthia Group as well as with our customers and business partners. Definition of an Industry. There are numerous sources that provide a definition of an Industry, however, the succinct description in The Oxford English Dictionary of an industry is as follows :- a particular form or branch of economic or commercial activity Snapshot of the Tourism Industry in Malta Economic Performance According to its 2010 report  [1]  , Travel and Tourism contributes towards 19.4% of the GDP (EUR1,151.4 million) with a forecasted increase of a further 3.6 % by 2020. Export earnings from International Visitors is expected to reap in the region of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 777 million with a forecasted growth to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 1443.4 million in 2020. Currently, 23.7% of the labour market are employed in industry related occupations and it is anticipated that this will rise to 28.9 % by 2020. These statistics substantiate that Travel and Tourism is perceived to remain one of the key engines for growth for the Maltese Economy. Tourist Performance Although the National Statistics Office has not issued the official statistics for 2010 Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism estimated that the total number of Tourists to the island was in the region of 1.3 million  [2]  . This is an .1 million increase on 2009 figures  [3]   Capacity : The National Statistics Office December news release Collective accommodation establishments :Oct 2010 reported that there are a total of 158 accommodation establishments on the Maltese Islands which equates to a total bedstock of 17,966 . During the month of October statistic report that the total amount of non resident arrivals in109,581 visitors who stayed an average stay of 6.3 nights. 5 Star Hotels on the Island Currently , there are a total of fifteen accommodation establishments that are classified with a 5 star rating. During the month of October, this accommodation tier enjoyed an occupancy of 73 %. Having an information at hand is invaluable when assessing the viability of an industry. The World Travel and Tourism Council uses set Indices which can be valuable to ascertaining an Industrys attractiveness and future economic potential. The use of PESTLE to scan the Broad Environment for drivers of change There are numerous characteristics or strategic elements that can influence the life cycle of the local tourism industry. One organisation, acting independently, may have very little influence on the broad environment: however, the forces in this environment can have a tremendous impact on the organisation (Enz, C.A, 2010).p16  [4]  . Consequentially, if one was to consider this statement in todays local business scenario, it consolidates the school of thought that theres a limited likelihood that organisations have opportunities to influence the broad environment. However, according to The principle of Enactment organisations do not have to submit to the existing forces in the environment. (St.John, Harrison ,2010)  [5]  . One example of how this is validated in the local context, is through management agreements that hoteliers have formed with Internationally renowned Brands. In contrast, the Corinthia Palace Hotel, has established its own brand called Corinthia Hotels International Ltd (CHI Ltd). The strategic choice to create a Maltese Brand is a means to differentiate between the International brand names such as Hilton, Inter Continental, Marriot and Starwood Hotels that currently operate on the Island. Through a concept of backward integration the Corinthia Brand has eliminated having to pay substantial contributions to third party Management Companies by forming its own unique Brand. Additionally, it has been able to penetrate the International Tourism Industry by offering Management Contracts to overseas operators in the Industry. The task of measuring competitiveness is full of complexities as there are numerous forces at play. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to have a thorough understanding of both the potential threats and opportunities available. This will then provide the basis for which a company responds to trends and influences by integrating its resources to achieve a strategic advantage on its competitors. Local firms competing within the Tourism Industry invariably have similar resources available to them. Additionally, each will be challenged by similar forces. Therefore, it is safe to assume that most will pursue similar strategies. However, the company that best acclimatises itself through capitalising on its strengths, its unique resources and capabilities is more likely to be successful. All organisations formulate business plans that will enable the firm to use its core competencies to achieve its mission, goals and strategies. PESTLE Analysis Therefore, in order for any business enterprise to adapt to the broad environmental forces it is common practice to analyse key indicators in the macro environment by situational analysis. The four areas that are believed to influence and form the context in which the firm operates are as follows :- Political Forces Economical Forces Socio cultural Forces Technological Forces The Political Environment can significantly influence an industry and organisations. Economic Performance Political Scenario in Malta The tou The Maltese Government recognises that Tourism is a key contributor to the Maltese Economy. The government has collaborated with Public Employment Services, Educational Institutions and Social partners to invest and improve on the current skills set of the current labour market. The broad environment. Forces within both the Broad and Task environment are critical determinants for strategy formulation for any organisation. However, the core of a firms business environment is formed by its interaction and between three key stakeholders and their impact on the market place :- Customers, Suppliers, Competitors. This is more commonly known as the Task Environment. All contemporary organisations within all Industries face forces that can significantly affect profitability. If a firm understands these forces, then it can develop a business level strategy that allows the business to either take advantage or protect itself from these forces, which in turn allows the firm to be consistently profitable.'(Ahlstrom.D,2009)  [6]  . Although many business models exist, most companies use the framework of environmental understanding established by Economist Michael Porter to measure potential of an in Industry. Porters Five Forces Model In the March- April 1979, one of the most cited authors in Business and Economics, Professor Micheal. E. Porter, published an article in the Harvard Business Review, titled How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy.  [7]  . In this article he wrote : Competition in an industry is rooted in its underlying economics, and competitive forces exist that go well beyond the established combatants in a particular industry. Customers, suppliers, potential entrants, and substitute products are all competitors that may be more or less prominent or active depending on the industry. The state of competition in an industry depends on five basic forces. The collective strength of these forces determines the ultimate profit potential of an industry. This article formed the basis of Porters Five Forces Model. This user friendly model is now widely applied by many organisations to formulate the firms business level strategy. Corinthia Palace Hotel is no exception. Key strategic decision makers within the company use this model in their business plan to represent their analysis of the dynamics of the competitive structure and each forces influences the Maltese Tourist Industry . Bargaining Power of Customers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Threat of New Entrants The Threat of Substitute Products or Services Function The hotel has two primary functions which are to provide accommodation and catering services to travellers. Market Although perceived as a business hotel, the main market is leisure travellers. The tour operator and Leisure Segments constitute approximately 64% of the hotels market share. The company enjoys amongst the highest customer retention rate within the Corinthia group, averaging in the region of 20%. Suppliers

Black Mustard (Brassica nigra) :: Botany

Black Mustard (Brassica nigra) The mustard plant has often been mentioned in the Bible, and most of us are familiar with Jesus' parable of the mustard seed. However, there is great debate as to what the "mustard" plant of Jesus' parable really was. Most modern commentators agree that it was the ordinary black mustard, Brassica nigra, but there are still a few who disagree. These others suggested that the mustard in the Bible could have been Salvadora persica, a shrub found in thickets around the Dead Sea, but authorities say that this plant did not grow where Jesus spoke his parables. Also Phytolacca decandra, the pokeberry, was theorized to be the "mustard tree". That too was discounted because it is now regarded as an American plant. One major argument against Brassica for the "mustard" of the Bible is based on the Biblical statements concerning its becoming a "tree", and "the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it". Supporters of this argument claim that the mustard plant never becomes a great tree, and it would not be sturdy enough for birds to nest. In rebuttal, it has been pointed out that we must realize that much of the language in the Bible is figurative, and that indeed small sparrow-like birds perched temporarily on the branches of the mature mustard plant to feed on its seeds. Even today birds are very fond of mustard seed. Guatama Buddha also told a parable about the mustard seed, and in India, mustard is the symbol of reproductive generation. Mustard is a very interesting plant with a lot of history and many uses. It has both medicinal and culinary value useful to man in the past and present. Its many relatives are ever present in our daily lives as well. Black mustard is scientifically known as Brassica nigra. It is of the family Cruciferae. The plant is native of Europe and Asia; it has become naturalized in this country and has escaped from cultivation, so that it is often a troublesome weed. Therefore, it is often found on the roadside, in vacant lots, and especially in grain fields. There has been some success in the use of chemical herbicides in ridding grain fields of mustard. These include iron sulfate and sulfuric acid in the form of a spray. All grasses are resistant to this spray, but the young mustards are killed by it.

Physical Inactivity Essay -- Health, Ageing, Nursing Home

Introduction and purpose Ageing is a common process in life. With ageing, functional capabilities deteriorate and lead to major risk in health. So for older people, keeping them physically active is an important role in their healthy ageing. This will help them to maintain their independence and value their life as long as they live. Engaging in physical activity will reduce the risk of chronic conditions and improve the state of mind and well being. Being physically active by participating in regular physical activities has a major health advantage which has been well documented. Despite the advantage of day to day physical activity a large number of older people go ahead with their inactive way of life. This study was conducted in older people who live in LTC about their barriers in performing the physical activity. In 2007, WHO urged the researchers to conduct a study on the reasons of physical inactivity in older adults. This study was able to improve patient outcomes due to the fact that older people a re aware of the importance of keeping themselves active and having a meaningful, healthy ageing life. Review of the literature The author has reviewed the previous studies on the barriers of regular physical activity in the community living older people (Jones and Nies 1996, Conn 1998, Heesch et al 2003, Lin et.al 2007). But the review shows that little study was done among older adults living in LTC about the barriers they face in their physical activity. The areas of nursing practices are to identify the barriers in older people that keep them away from their physical activity. Developing a plan of care and interventions depend on the individual problems. Study Design Qualitative exploratory design is used in this study... ...here are barriers among older adults who stays in LTC centers .The barriers are Physical health problems and physical frailty, Fear of resultant injury or falling, past sedentary lifestyle, insufficient understanding about physical activity and environmental restrictions. Health care providers have a major role in influencing these older adults to take up a regular physical activity. This study suggests that health care providers need to intervene these barriers to develop and maintain physical activity. Also it is important to provide supportive surroundings. Change in behavior cannot occur in overnight, so ongoing physical activity practice is needed. For most of the older residents the LTC becomes the permanent homes, so the health care provider needs to develop a continuous relationship with these residents. These findings contributed to the nursing knowledge.

Ethnocentrism: Culture and Editorial Board Essay

ABSTRACT There are many issues that can be attributed to an individual’s cultural beliefs and how they can relate to another individuals specific cultural beliefs and set standards. Sometimes these issues can be minor and dealt with appropriately, but in other cases these cultural differences can be monumental and cause different societies to wage wars against one another. The way that an individual judges or perceives other cultures beliefs and standards based on the guidelines of their own culture is what sociologist refer to as ethnocentrism and is what we are going to be looking at in further detail in this paper. There are many factors that contribute to the persistent societal disputes and disagreements that are forever occurring throughout the globe. There is a great divide that can be felt in regards to understanding and accepting each individual society; each one has its own unique culture and many individuals are not capable of viewing a culture different than their own without passing predisposed judgments and ideas that are typically instilled by their own culture. Ethnocentrism is a term that sociologists use to define this universally occurring unaccepting set of attitudes and behaviors. Ethnocentrism can be attributed to social evolution, local & foreign competition and can also be a result of cooperation with what is considered to be the in-groups and not the out-groups (Axelrod & Hammond, 2003). The main concept of ethnocentrism is individuals seeing their specific group or culture as being the in-group or the superior to the other cultures and the individuals that they are compri sed of. Judging another culture by the standards of their own; it is important to remember that ethnocentrism is not the same as racism (Rodriguez, 2013). Culture is a very important factor of ethnocentrism and it is vital to understand what is it; culture is everything that can be associated with a specific group of individuals, it is the way a group of individuals or society think and act in a common manner generally a result of how they were  raised, the way they communicate; a common set of ideas or the making and understanding of symbols special to that group as well as the traditions that unify that group of individuals by having established shared values, beliefs and customs. Culture includes also the things that we own, the material objects that we consider to be important and the social institutions that we value, mores and folkways and the technology that is available and depended on (Editorial Board, 2012). As Americans there are many things as a society and culture that we have become accustomed too; freedom of choice and speech, freedom to express our individuality; the United States was founded on the principle the equa lity for every individual is fundamental and is the reason we have become more commonly known as the melting pot. There are many various cultures that are represented throughout our society and many of which are to some degree maintaining the characteristics and traditions of their homeland (Editorial Board, 2012). The fact that America is considered to be a melting pot and is the land where foreign individuals come for their chance at the American dream is considered to be a large contributor of ethnocentricity mentality of white Americans. This mentality leads to a sense of power and superiority and the labeling of other cultures as unequal or unimportant in our country; in many this leads to a sense of resentment from both sides resulting in violence. There are many aspects of the American culture that we consider to be acceptable, the correct way of doing things; these behaviors are specific to our culture, our norms (Editorial Board, 2012) and just as we may be offended and by aspects of other cultural norms it is important to remember that the same is true for other cultures as well, they may find them to be extreme, disturbing or even unethical. It is important to remember that many cultures view us with the same predetermined judgments and perceptions Set by their own culture and that ethnocentrism is not only how Americans view other societies and why the violence and destruction due to these judgmental attitudes is so prevalent. Many of the fundamental concepts and behaviors of the American culture are not considered to be acceptable in other cultures such as our principle of freedom and equality, these are not common attributes of many societies,  equality and individualism are nonexistent in many; our general lack of informality both professional and personal has a tendency to make members of different cultures uncomfortable and can be punishable by law in some (Rodriquez, 2013). If an American were to go to a traditional Arab society in the summer months wearing our traditional summer attire, shorts, thank top and sandals it would likely cause an issue; this societies cultural standard requires women to be fully covered from head to toe and has very strict rules; I have no doubt that she would be harassed by local law enforcement and even made remarks to by local civilians, she would be started at and considered to be very unacceptable because this is not what is deemed acceptable in their society. This assignment required us to watch a movie that communicated the cultural values and norms of a different culture; for this I decided to use a tradition that has become a cultural norm in variations throughout many societies. This tradition originated in Egypt and was borrowed by many other cultures and changed to fit their own cultural & religious needs. This traditional ritual I still practiced today in many different cultures considering our own. This is not a topic I would generally consider for a paper but it certainly did provide me with a unique cultural experience. The movie I watched was called the cut it is a short documentary on the controversial ritual of female circumcision also know in many cultures as female genital mutilation. This documentary was on the prevalence of the tradition in Egypt but this is also a common procedure in many other cultures. This ritual has been performed for over 200,000 years and is deeply imbedded in the roots of the Egyptian culture (The Cut, 2013). FGM is just as common in many cultures, if not more as the circumcision of infant boys in the American culture but due to the nature of the procedure has been considered a highly controversial, undiscussed issue tha t affects many different cultures and more specifically a large amount of the female members of these cultures. The documentary reported that over 90% of the females in Egypt have been through the procedure and there are similar numbers in other practicing countries. Many young girls some as young as 9 years old are forced to go through this ritual often bound and gagged without regard to the children’s wishes, there are 2 different types of FGM both undoubtedly extreamly painful; the first type removes only the clitoris while the second type removes both the clitoris and the labia; this is done  by inserting pins into the top and bottom as well as the middle to stretch the skin and enable a mid-wife to cut the skin. This procedure is done with no anesthesia and due to the fact that it was outlawed in Egypt 5 years ago it is often performed in the child’s house. The outlawing of FGM has been of little benefit, if anything it has caused more damage. Infection and death have become more common as many parents fear prosecution and do not get medical attention when necessary result ing to an increase of deaths from the ritual. FGM was the main topic of the documentary but it also offered a visual image of their surrounding; the area where they were filming looked like a whole other world, a dust covered, and dirt road, full of clay hut like houses where the women were completely covered wearing traditional vales. I was surprised to see that many of the men who were filmed walking down the busy shop lined streets were wearing similar dress clothes to that of our American business men, they had on expensive looking suits some had ties, some did not, and I was also surprised that there were some wearing jeans and t shirts. One of the interviews was conducted inside the women’s house which was elaborately decorated with silks and beautiful gold statues and metal accents. There was also a strong behavior difference, in American society many people like and want to be on TV, news and radio interviews are conducted every day on sensitive subjects but this is not the case for the women on this documentary. Many of them appeared to be fearful and reluctant due to the fact that their culture considers it unacceptable to speak with anyone especially outsiders on camera about such a sensitive traditional subject (The Cut, 2013). There are many reasons that I personally had the reaction I did to th e documentary and more specifically the subject matter itself, being a women of any culture makes this an offensive tradition or cultural belief; this part of the female body is a very private if not sacred part of the body and to forcibly remove it with no regard for the young girls wishes is very disturbing. To imagine the pain they are subjected to and the lifelong consequences it can have; there have been no medical benefits associated with the procedure, in the Egyptian culture there is not much of a religious aspect of the ritual either it is conducted on behalf of the groom’s family and is often a requirement for marriage. I find it unfathomable that these young women are forced through this ritual with no anesthesia or pain medication during or after to remove the parts of  the female body that are capable of arousal or pleasure out of fear they will enjoy this experience to make them more desirable to be a bride. As American’s we are exposed to sex on a daily basis, TV shows, commercials, movies and even the news, American’s are fascinated with sex; it is a form of entertainment for us, a type of communication and for some even a career and others just a hobby, this just goes to show the level of difference that can be seen between various cultures. In many different cultures sex is not spoken about ever, in our culture it is hard to make it through the day without hearing a reference to sex. Many relationships in our culture especially one between a man and his wife have a foundation to some degree on physical romance and the connection that it forms. In many of these sexual relationships the ultimate goal is personal pleasure or satisfaction of both individuals, look at the abundance of his/her personal lubricants, condoms and other accessories that are present in our culture to ensure and enhance this process, there are even herbal remedies and prescription medications to help women achieve orgasm during sexual intercourse. This is not the case in Egypt and other cultures that practice FGM; this ritual is performed as not only a method of purification but to prevent female orgasm the pain is supposed to serve as a reminder that sexual arousal and pleasure is unacceptable (The Cut, 2013). There are many complications associated with this ritual and has been proven to be more harmful physically and mentally than beneficial; many of the members of these practicing cultures see it as a symbol of purification and not an act of violence. In many cases of FGM the mother in law will check to ensure their son is marrying a pure women and it is also believe that young women that are not circumcised will be short, stubby and unattractive. I find it shocking that this practice is still so common or ever was in the first place, many female members of these societies also find this ritual to be disturbing and unnecessary. I feel that many members of our society would find this aspect of the Egyptian culture to be disturbing and would certainly cause an ethnocentrism attitude. In our American culture we have a similar tradition, many still consider this to be controversial but the circumcision of infant boys is also embedded deep into our cultural roots and has been performed for many generations. In our society the cultural  norm is to remove the excess skin while the child is still an infant and the pain will not be remembered; this tradition is slightly religious and slightly attributed to medical benefits such as decrease risk of infection later in life but was originally used to signify the transition from boy to man as well as to purify the body as the openings were believed to be entrances for impure malignant spirits (Millett, n.d). There are critics and opposers to our tradition as well both inside and out of our own culture which can be seen as another example of ethnocentrism. Many associate both FGM and circumcision of infant boys to be a form of hierarchical control by subjecting young children to conform to a hierarchical system and religious beliefs and cultural norms that they may not wish to be associated with (Millett, n.d). It is often very difficult for members of a society to accept, understand or even conform to their own cultural standards never mind those of a different culture; how an individual or group of individuals act or react in relationship to others, especially a different culture is what sociologists refer to as social interaction and is fundamental to understanding and having the ability to understand the thoughts, actions and interactions with other individuals, especially those that are different than ourselves (Editorial Board, 2012). As human beings there is undoubtedly one thing that we have in common, our reluctance to accept that which is different, to understand the action of others in which we disagree with, these negative attributes of our species leads to a great deal of conflict and violence which and between both homogenous societies such as Egypt which is mainly comprised of the same culture and dichotomous societies such as America which is made up of multiple various cult ures. Homogenous societies generally have less controversy and issues than that of dichotomous due to the fact that most members are raised and socialized in the same manner and have a similar shared set of values but even in these societies there can still be conflict like that surrounding the controversial topic of FGM. A dichotomous society is much more likely to have conflict between the various cultures present and the complications it can bring when trying to communicate on an interpersonal level; these issues and complications are also large contributors to ethnocentrism. There are many consequences of  ethnocentrism and the attitudes associated with it and are a large part of our inability as not only a nation but globally to deal with many of the important critical issues that often get neglected due to the fear of being uncomfortable and lack of understanding as well as the effort necessary to effectively work interdependently with other societies and cultures and the individuals they are made up of too support and aide rather than to judge and wage wars based on our own specific cultural standards and beliefs. REFERENCES Editorial Board. (2012). Introduction to Sociology. (1st ed), Prentice Hall The Cut. (2013). Female Circumcision is Egypt is Custom, Tradition and Religion. Retrieved on 4/17/2013 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a25S9jrEmKc