Knowing Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience is some form of knowledge, belief or research that claims (or appears) to be scientific, but is not actually following a scientific method.   Peer review and independent research by others may fail to prove the claims.   Superficially, such claims may appear scientific to people. Some of the techniques mentioned in the article that are used by the website to sell their products include:- 1. The research findings or market findings provided by the pseudo-scientists appears to be unprofessional and sloppy.   They may often quote newspaper reports, media coverage, people’s gossip, ancient books, and other pseudoscience books. 2. Pseudoscientists provide facts that emotionally appeal to the audience and provide spectacular results to problems experienced by them.   They may even provide facts to support these results. 3. Pseudoscientists often make people indulge in an irrational form of thinking known as ‘magical thinking’ which is an age-old human habit.   Scientific investigations conducted to prove such facts may be unsuccessful. 4.   Pseudoscientists provide evidence that is different from those provided by systematic studies.   Often a lot of importance is given to unverifiable testimony from people and eyewitnesses, stories, real-life experiences, rumors, gossips, anecdotes, etc.   Studies conducted by professionals are ignored, misinterpreted or even proven wrong. 5. The pseudo scientists do not give reference to previous systematic studies and investigations conducted.   The only give false facts directly, which often cannot be proven right.   They may not allow their claims to be put to a more meaningful test, but may instead suggest some unscientific crazy experiments. The website claims that the tapes can make the individual achieve ‘anything and almost everything’ and ‘As you grow, a series of events occur which build your personality†¦.and your whole self†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚   The article says that pseudoscientist often make extraordinary claims that may be not scientifically true.   Repeated scientific experiments conducted independently by others fail to prove such clams. They also try to influence the individual by encouraging him/her into magical thinking (belief that one’s thoughts, words or action will create results that will defy the laws of nature).   Magical thinking is an old human habit, and often unknowingly we tend to indulge in it.   Pseudoscience may begin by providing facts that emotionally apply to the audience, and provide spectacular results to people’s problems.   They may even provide evidence to support their results. The Websites claims appreciation from renowned organizations and references such as the Russian Government, CNN, Boston University, etc.   The Russian Government may not be able to monitor implementation of ‘Subliminal messages’, as Private TV channels are free to broadcast what they want.   The website gives a positive comment by CNN. However, it did not give the exact person or the date on which these observations and comments were made.   The article says that pseudo-scientists often quote newspaper articles, press reports, collect rumors and gossips, and may even quote other books or organizations that are false or even non-existent.   The research done by the pseudo-scientists usually appears to be unprofessional and careless. The website gives testimony’s of several ‘satisfied customers’ (as claimed by the company) such as George Montgomery, Philadelphia; Joe Martin, Tampa, Florida; Carole Dallas, Portland; Paul Smiley, Richmond; Sherry Fusco, Bois; etc.   Often pseudo-scientists do not give importance to systematic studies provided by professionals and instead give undue importance to the views and testimony’s from unverifiable customers.   They may not permit their products to be subjected to true scientific studies. The website also offers a one-year guarantee for their products.   The Website has not quoted any proven studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of their products.   Guarantee may be a method of compensating for this (to attract the customers into buying their products). References: Coker, R. (2001). Distinguishing Science and Pseudoscience. Retrieved December 17, 2006, from Quack Watch Web site: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/pseudo.html Subliminal Self-Improvement.com. (2006). Home. Retrieved December 17, 2006, from Subliminal Self-Improvement Web site: http://www.subliminal-tapes-self-improvement.com/index.html      

A Critique: “My Boys Like Shootouts, What’s Wrong With That?”

â€Å"My Boys Like Shootouts. What's Wrong With That?† by Jonathan Turley (The Washington Post, 25 February 2007) discusses how parents are becoming increasingly against the play of toy-guns, and how such gun-paranoia will inhibit children's development. Turley, a professor at George Washington University, speaks against those negative attitudes and hopes to educate parents and fellow activists with regards to how toy weaponry contributes to children's development and emotional progress. In general, Turley portrays the image of a concerned father seemingly disgruntled at attitudes encountered from his personal experiences. The tone adopted is casual and the author's use of examples serve to reinforce his ideas and arguments. Turley claims that the allowance of gun play is not an idea which should be condemned and its impact exaggerated. He supports this claim by citing references concerning this topic giving toy guns credit for â€Å"channeling of aggression† (2007, Para 7) and amplifies the requisite to â€Å"distinguish between the two† with reference to â€Å"play† and â€Å"violence† (2007, Para 8). While Turley's sentiments do reflect some truth, this truth is belittled by the one-dimensionality of his discussion and lack of consideration of other concerns such as â€Å"encouraging aggressive behavior and violent attitudes† and â€Å"reinforcing gender stereotypes† (2007, Para 4). Part Two: Turley's arguments are logical but are discredited by their one-dimensionality as he does not accord sufficient discussion to other pertinent issues identified. There seems to be a lack of impartiality in the discussion as Turley is inclined to his own ideas. For instance, Turley used an example from his personal experience relating to his efforts to â€Å"avoid any gender stereotypes† (2007, Para 5) which did not strengthen his argument as he did not give depth to the point raised. Furthermore, the informal tone Turley used undermined the seriousness of the issue, and the example used was lacking as its scope cannot be reflective of an entire societal issue. Hence, Turley's ideas, though valid, are weakened as he fails to present a just, two-sided argument. The examples cited in the article succeed in substantiating Turley's arguments as they are quoted from several published sources with experience and the necessary expertise. These examples exemplify important ideas such as the use of toy weaponry as a form of catharsis for children â€Å"to make meaning of what they have experienced in life† (2007, Para 9) and â€Å"to be able to discharge their anger through symbolic play† (2007, Para 10). They also demonstrate the existing need for a certain degree of change in mindset with regards to allowing gun play. In that sense, Turley has succeeded in delivering his message pertaining to the necessity of such play in children's development. However, the impact may be contracted by his use of a casual tone in a matter of significance to his target audience. Turley clearly describes the importance of gun play in children's development and explains that such play is acceptable as long as â€Å"strict guidelines† (2007, Para 5) are imposed. He is considered to have achieved his intention as he cites useful and credible examples in substantiating his ideas. However, the casual tone adopted undermines the seriousness of the issue as despite it being a topic about play, it is one which parents and relevant groups view with significance. The lack of a balanced argument also weakens the ideas presented. Therefore, for an issue of societal scale, the scope covered by Turley may be too narrow.

Sony Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8250 words

Sony - Coursework Example The diverse product and brand line of Sony Corporation makes it one of the most versatile entertainment businesses in the world, aiming to satisfy a vast portion of the target market (Sony, 2014). Despite the fact that Sony Corporation’s research and development initiatives differ from that of other businesses in the industry. Unlike its competitors, Sony utilizes its research and development initiatives to diversify the product offering and at the same time, keep the business portfolio flexible in order to cover up the loss of one business from the profits of other businesses. Due to the environment established within the organization that promotes long-term commitment with the organizational goals and objectives, employees consider it an honor to serve the conglomerate for a longer period. The management at Sony Corporation is also responsible for supporting and motivating newly hired employees and interns to put their best efforts towards making the business the most successful business in the world (Global Data, 2014). The business structure of Sony Corporation stands on the different pillars termed as Strategic Business Unites (SBU), which is a multidivisional format of carrying out business practices in the modern world. By operating these SBUs, Sony Corporation aim at adopting a diversification strategy at corporate level and further divide the SBUs in 3 levels of business communication flow which are as following: These entire 6 SBUs of Sony Corporation have further sub-divisions that are responsible for taking care of different aspects of production and marketing of different products. It should be noticed here that each sub-division of Sony Corporation is interlinked from the viewpoint of shared products and services but the sub-divisions nothing in common with each other. The headquarter of the business in Tokyo is primarily responsible for looking after the financial and business level aspects of each SBU, but the SBUs

UK Visa Regime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

UK Visa Regime - Essay Example reign tourists, the number of tourists originating from Europe was much higher when compared to the tourists coming from both the United States of America and Canada who make up only 3.5 million, while tourists from Europe total up to more than twenty one million. With reference to the writings by Lickorish and Middleton (2013), it is stated that domestic tourism is a major component of the United Kingdom’s tourism sector and it contributes the highest amount in terms of total revenue earned by the sector, the contribution by this sector stands at more than GBP 21 billion. The four top regions for domestic tourism include West Midlands, East of England, East of Midlands, and London. The peak of domestic tourism is usually during the summer periods, bank holidays, and in specific, the month of August is the busiest in terms of domestic tourism (Lickorish and Middleton, 2013). Other statistics about the tourism sector in the UK is that on average tourists spend GBP 580 per visit and the average duration of stay for each visitor is usually seven nights. Majority of the visitors come to UK for leisure and business purposes while a small number come for further their studies in the UK. Thirdly, majority of the tourists spend most on transport services, accommodation, and food and beverage services (Lickorish and Middleton, 2013). In regards to the tourists’ attraction sites, it is noted by Cook et al. (2009) that the tower of London is the most popular attraction site in the UK with visitors ranging between 2.5 and 2 million each year. Other attraction sites in the UK include amusement parks, Anglo-Saxon sites, aquariums, galleries, art museums, beaches, casinos, castles, and festivals that are usually held in the country, which attract a huge number of audiences both... According to Schengen Visa Services ( 2013), the UK’s tourism visa requirements and policies are complicated to a greater extent than its key rival in the international tourism industry. For example, despite the fact that the UK is a key member of the European Union, the UK operates only in the Common Travel Area alongside Ireland instead of the Schengen area where the majority of the majority of the European Union member countries operate. This, therefore, means that visitors from other countries apart from Ireland, which also operates in the Common Travel Area have to comply with some few UK’s stringent visa requirements before gaining access into the country such as limited duration of stay within the country. Because of the exclusion from operating within the Schengen area, the UK tourism sector fails to attract an additional number of tourists from the other EU member countries, who would have easily toured the country if there were giving the common access that is only shared with Ireland. However, it is important to note that the UK has exempted visitors from a few selected countries other than the EU member countries from its stringent Visa requirements but these exemptions only apply to visitors who intended to visit the country for a limited period of time i.e. six to nine months. Therefore, this explains why the majority of the UK’s tourists are largely drawn from the EU member countries as they are exempted to a greater extent the stringent visa requirements.

Community Health Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Community Health Project - Coursework Example With this concern, the community of Minneapolis MN can be determined as one of the largest cities in the United States with more than 387,000 citizens situated in the banks of the Mississippi river. The demographic description of Minneapolis signifies its increasing population which has been considered as one of the most populated areas among the 906 cities in the state of Minnesota. The average household income of Minneapolis can be estimated as USD 46,075 in the year of 2010. In the similar context, the median age has been estimated as 31.4 years old young people involving white, black and Hispanics within Minneapolis ethnic/racial groups (Cubit Planning, Inc., 2012). Windshield Survey The windshield survey of any community involves the collection of subjective data in a personal observation about any population or community. With this regards, the surveyors implement his/her good judgments in data collection process. In the context of conducting windshield survey for Minneapolis c ommunity, the assessment will be comprised with the comprehensive study of significant informational areas where the population or community resides. ... ding to systematic plans The general condition of the housing in the community were mostly traditional and hence require regular maintenance Open Space The space location within the community can be considered in a proper way of using open space among each building The open spaces are constructed noticeably in safe and attractive forms in Minneapolis community Common Areas The common areas for hangout in Minneapolis are the banks of Mississippi and Stone Arch Bridge The families, schools and college students spend their weekends in various attractive hangout areas within the community as well Transportation The transportation facility in Minneapolis consists of bus services, personal vehicles along with car rental facilities Moreover, the inhabitants use their motorbikes and bicycles as an efficient source of transportation Social Service Centers The community is surrounded with more than 25 healthcare institutions, both government and private as well Various healthcare facilities to cure different health issues are rendered to the locales A sufficient number of recreation centers along with special treatment centers and medical institutions are also present within the community Stores The resident shops in Minneapolis are mostly situated in the major streets of the community The shoppers of the community use personal as well as commercial vehicles during shopping The shops mostly serve with fresh food items including, groceries, fruits along with other necessities Street Scene The street environment of the community is significantly efficient due to a proper arrangement of shops and other business complexes There are no stray dogs and cats or â€Å"watchdogs† found on the street of Minneapolis community Condition of the Area The community can be considered as well-kept

About fear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

About fear - Essay Example Dr. Ivan Kos presents a number of diverse stages of fear. The first is real fear that is based on life experiences and states. If something or someone causes hurt to an individual, there is a reason to fear similar scenarios. The basis of this kind of fear is entirely dependent on past familiarity with emotions that cause tension and mixed interpretations with respect to an individual’s understanding of fear. The second articulates a sense of realistic fear. This focuses on the realities that grounds and drives people to steer clear of risks. The last is the poignant and the larger-than-life fear that heavily reflect on an individual recollecting past occurrences whilst injecting those events into the current state of affairs. Also, this group is particularly applicable to arguments. It generally affects the line of attack of people in dealing with varying positions (Willa 138). Often, conflict is the equivalence of unfulfilled needs and this highlights fears linked to the nec essities. The most prevalent fear in intractable inconsistency is the fear of loss in regard to one’s security or identity. Social groups and individuals recognize themselves in varied ways in the context of language, culture, religion, and race and this renders them opinionated.

Inuit Education Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inuit Education Outline - Assignment Example By the 1960’s a global push was underway for â€Å"decolonization† of the education of indigenous communities, which included instruction in native languages (Patrick 255). The reasoning behind this shift was that students would be more successful in their academic pursuits when instructed in their native languages, while such instruction would provide avenues for advancement among adults in indigenous communities. At a deeper level, decolonization of education was linked to the broader political and cultural effort to â€Å"decolonize the mind† of indigenous communities, a phrase made popular through the writings of Franz Fanon. Instruction in Inuit languages would allow students to avoid the destructive colonial condition of viewing oneself and one's communities through the eyes of colonial authority and instead promote the development of a sophisticated, literate Inuit subjectivity. Now, forty years later, bilingual education and other anti-colonial educational reforms have had a chance to take on this enormous task. This paper aims to assess whether the aims of such reforms have been achieved, to note any unintended consequences of the policy and to assess the potential of future reform policy. c. Thesis: Bilingual education had limited success in achieving its original aims. While Inuit subjectivity has been strengthened in the process of policy change, cultural imperialism in education and society as a whole have not been entirely eliminated. a. Bilingual education had limited success in achieving its original aims. While Inuit subjectivity has been strengthened in the process of policy change, cultural imperialism in education and society as a whole have not been entire.

Sustainable Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sustainable Development - Essay Example Whatever we do here, has consequences, and we must individually and collectively strive to assure that the consequences are mitigated by positive actions. In an article written on the Principles of Sustained Development, the author emphatically stresses the scope and purpose of sustained development, he says: Sustained development focuses on improving the quality of life for all of earth’s citizens without increasing the use of natural resources beyond the capacity of the environment to supply them indefinitely. It requires an understanding that inaction has consequences and that we must find innovative ways to change institutional structures and influence individual behavior. It is about taking action, changing policy and practice at all levels, from the individual to the international. (Principle) This attitude has led to a number of world conclaves assembled around the concept of sustained development. The latest of which was the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002. This summit has been heralded as a participatory and contributing success, and the attendees brought to bear the local, regional and national concerns. These concerns were aired in a series of roundtables. The participants were determined to make this summit a productive event and produce items of substance which they could take back home with them and continue the works they commenced in Johannesburg. Recognizing that whether they were citizens of a developed country, or small developing state, the need for coordinated efforts were essential. essential. Merely to sit and exchange dialogue on the ills of the earth and simply codify those dilemmas, take them back home and have them collect dust until the next vision or summit, was no longer an option. These delegates recognized the need for the establishment and functioning of regional partnerships, which will feed off of and into each other concerning the local, regional, national and international technologies and

Statement of Purpose for applying master program Essay

Statement of Purpose for applying master program - Essay Example For example, back then I would make small investments in form of lending money to my roommate for his sandwich, and waiting for him to return the favor in form of a sandwich and an extra cup of coffee. After I attended college, I realized that in theoretical terminology the coffee I got along with the sandwich was the interest payment. Such small associations between simple life instances and the field of Finance allured me all the more and initiated my love for the subject. My mother, who has a Masters in Finance, would often enquire what I learnt at school over video chat from Beijing and my answers would include terms such as â€Å"journal recording, cap rate, Excel usage for IRR calculation etc.† Obviously she understood the terms and would advice me to practice and apply the acquired skills. However a single question had always been embedded in my mind- a question that even my mother could not answer- Why do the concepts I learnt at school look so simple?I would often try to understand the reason behind learning and applying the skills, because if a simple Excel function and basic coding was enough to calculate the things such as the IRR, then according to me ,investment banks such as J.P. Morgan simply wasted money in hiring financial analysts to do the â€Å"simple calculations† that even a computer programming could do. Similar questions related to this has always been on my mind for example even though tons of NBA players have the ability to shoot the basket well, why does Kobe Bryant earn the highest salary? I would always look for an answer that would help me understand such puzzling occurrences.Lastly, I have found the answer to my question in just three words- â€Å"Nearest to perfect† and even to this day I believe in it. The truth is, every single student attending a valuation class learns the skills of forecasting a firm’s next year’s cash flows and using Discounted Cash Flow Model to calculate the NPV.

Waiting for Death in `A Rose for Emily` and `Old Ladies Home’ Essay Example for Free

Waiting for Death in `A Rose for Emily` and `Old Ladies Home’ Essay William Faulkner wrote, â€Å"A Rose for Emily† at a time when society was undergoing change. The South had lost the Civil War and the southern people were finding it hard to let go of the past. Emily is the symbolic representation of this resistance to change. She becomes numb emotionally simply carrying out the routine of life without any characteristic resistance while the people around her become onlookers. Similarly, Sylvia Plath’s poem â€Å"Old Ladies Home† relates the dehumanization of the inhabitants. The people in the Home have ceased to exist for the outside world. The women in the Home are existing like insects quiet and without character as the people around them move about, detached and cold. Analysis of the Theme and Symbolism In Faulkner’s short story, Emily, after her father’s death she became a recluse and stopped living. Her life became a part in history and it seemed she and the people around him simply waited for her death. She was described as, †¦a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eye-sockets as imagine a lighthouse-keepers face ought to look (Kirszner, 58). Faulkner shows the concept of death and how death can become a release when life becomes status quo. The reader is told in great detail about the position of Emily and her father in the town and the manner in which their life has changed. In Plath’s poem we read about the ladies wearing black and being ‘sharded’ in it. The words used to describe these women are, â€Å"Sharded in black, like beetles, Frail as antique earthenwear One breath might shiver to bits†¦ Age wears the best black fabric Rust-red or green as lichens. † The decay of the fabric represents the decay of their life. The nurses call them ‘ghosts’ and the beds are said to resemble ‘coffins’. The nature of the Home and the change in their life from youthful to aged shows the contrast of life to death. The concept of death and decay is prevalent in the story by Faulkner as well for he describes the decaying house as an eyesore among eyesores (Kirszner, 55). The decay represents the decay of Emily’s family’s position in society. The decaying body of Homer found after Emily Greison’s death also represents how things can get corrupted when change is not accepted. Emily was so steeped in her life in the past that she could not function in the present. Her father’s death and the death of her fiance caused her to give up on life and start a slow wait for her own death. The words Faulkner used to describe Emily and her situation included the smell and people going to her slunk around while the actual reality of Emily’s life became a tableau for the people of the town shown through the words, â€Å"We had long thought of them as tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door (Kirszner, 57). † Both Plath and Faulkner used the symbols and imagery of decay to show the progress of death. As the story and poem progress, death becomes the ultimate goal. The words and imagery in both the texts shows the frailness of the women. Through a description of the house Faulkner showed the change in Emily’s life. Her house decayed from a mansion to one that became a representation of failure and death. The crumbling walls became a source of fascination for the people and Emily ceased to exist as a person to them, rather she became a representation of the past [Allen, 1984]. The townspeople did not try to reach out or help her, they just focused on her life in fascination. Plath too, created a picture of the old women as decaying objects rather than human beings. They are described as insects and their progression towards death becomes inevitable. The words, ‘The old women creep out here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are used to describe them and the word ‘creep’ is similar to Faulkner’s use of ‘slink’ to show the dehumanization of Emily and the others view of her as a symbol rather than a human. We see Plath go on to write, ‘Needles knit in a bird-beaked Counterpoint to their voices: Sons, daughters, daughters and sons, Distant and cold as photos†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The relationship between the women and their relatives is similar to the one Emily had with the townspeople. There was no warmth or love between them and the only connection was one of the past. The women’s relatives came out of a sense of obligation and duty and the visits were like looking at old photographs with no feelings. Like Faulkner writes, â€Å"Thus she passed from generation to generation dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse (Faulkner, 5), Emily’s life stood still. Her relationship with the world at large became stagnant and there was nothing to associate her life with being alive. Similarly, Plath [2009] uses the words, Age wears the best black fabric, to show how the women have stopped living and are in a constant state of mourning. They cling to every morsel of life and their very fragility shows the fragile threads of life and death. Conclusion: As we have seen Plath and Faulkner both wrote about the decay of life and the approach of death. They focused on the slow decomposition of human life physically and emotionally and how people become a ghost of their old selves as death approaches. However, while conceptually the similarities in the two texts may seem extraordinary there is a basic difference between these two narrations. Faulkner, wrote more of the decay and destruction of life figuratively, and how through the resistance to change humans become corrupted in their life. He wrote more of the death of a way of life, creating Emily and her life as a symbol of societal change. Plath, on the other hand discussed death in the physical concept. She presented the decomposition of human life and the loss of individuality as the progress of old age becomes eminent. The ladies in the poem were waiting for their death and had become mere shells of their former body. This stark contrast between the two texts creates a broader theme which suggests that without change human life ceases to exist and with the decay of the human body, life is but a wait for death. References: Allen, Dennis W. Horror and Perverse Delight: Faulkners A Rose for Emily. Modern Fiction Studies, Vol. 30, No. 4, Winter 1984, pp. 685-96. Plath, Sylvia Old Ladies Home accessed April 20, 2009 http://www. angelfire. com/tn/plath/home. html Kirszner, Laurie G. , and Stephen R. Mandell. A Rose for Emily. Fort Worth. Harcourt, 1997.

Identity Formation and the Development of National Interest

Identity Formation and the Development of National Interest Constructivism Ideas, Identity and Foreign Policy In the analysis of international politics, the process of identity formation and how national interests are conceived should represent central issues, as they are inextricably linked to a states foreign policy. The importance of identities results from the fact that they perform two vital functions: expressing to the self and others who the self is, as well as expressing to the self who others are. Due to the first function, having a certain identity determines an associated set of preferences regarding the choices of action in various circumstances and when different actors are involved. That is why a states identity generates its interests and subsequent behaviour towards fellow members and situations related to the international system. The second function implies that a state perceives others according to the identities it attributes to them, while simultaneously reproducing its own identity through social interaction and practice (Tajfel, 1981:255). These notions have been conce ptualised and emphasised in IR theory by constructivist scholars, who argue that global politics originates not only in the international system but also in an international society. Constructivists stress the constitutive effects of ideas and norms that set the parameters within which identities and interests are formulated (Brown and Ainley, 2003:49). When studying inter-state relations, it has become essential to analyse how ideas are created, how they evolve and influence states perceptions and response to their situation. In order to achieve such an objective, constructivism plays a key role by promoting the tenet that the manner in which the material world shapes and is shaped by human action and interaction depends on dynamic normative and epistemic interpretations of the material world (Adler, 1997:322). From this perspective, constructivist frameworks show that even the most enduring institutions are based on collective understandings. Their important contribution to the st udy of IR lies mainly in emphasising the ontological reality of intersubjective knowledge, along with its epistemological and methodological implications. That is why constructivism argues international relations consist primarily of social facts, which have acquired such a status due to human agreement. They represent reified structures that were conceived ex nihilo by human consciousness, subsequently being diffused and consolidated until they were taken for granted (Adler, 1997:322-323). Constructivist scholars also believe that actors attach meanings to and cognitively frame the material world as well as their experiences. So collective understandings or the distribution of knowledge offer the reasons why certain elements are as they are, as well as the indications as to how actors should deploy their material capabilities (Wendt, 1992:397). One might deduce from the previous statement that the context of collective meanings structures the preferences and behaviour of political actors, which would suggest that constructivism features deterministic tendencies. On the contrary, its theoretical premises have a much more nuanced nature and the constructivist position within the agency-structure debate asserts that the two elements are mutually constitutive. Constructivism argues that meaningful conduct is possible only within an intersubjective social context, since agents develop relations with and understandings of others via ideas, norms and practices. In their absence, actions like the exercise of power would be devoid of meaning because ideas and norms have constitutive effects on identity, specifying the features that will enable others to recognise that identity and respond to it accordingly (Jepperson, Wendt and Katzenstein, 1996:54). In this process, agents exert their influence by consciously perpetuating and repro ducing the social context through their prolonged actions and practices. A significant point to remember is that structure becomes meaningless without some intersubjective set of ideas and norms, so neither anarchy nor the distribution of capabilities alone can socialise states to a particular conduct (Dessler, 1989:459-460). Until now the discussion of constructivism has mentioned several times the notions of constitutive effects or being mutually constitutive, but without describing more elaborately what they entail. The relation of constitution must be differentiated from that of causality, as constitutive theories enquire about the conditions which instantiate a phenomenon, rendering it possible. In this respect, Robert Cummins employs the concept of property theories because they have a different objective from causal explanations: to account for the properties of things by reference to the structures in virtue of which they exist (Cummins, 1983). Another key aspect of constitutive theorising refers to the fact that the counterfactual claim of necessity is conceptual or logical, not causal or natural (Wendt, 1998:106). For instance, the conditions constituting a phenomenon define what the latter is, which conveys a relationship of identity not causal determination. These two components are inextricab ly linked, so that when the conditions come into being, the phenomenon comes into being with them. By contrast, causal explanations rest on two different assumptions: the factors causing an event exist independently from their outcome and are also temporally prior to it. If one applies these theoretical assumptions to the context of ideas, several implications become immediately apparent. The significant role that ideas play in international relations is fully acknowledged only when we recognise their constitutive effects (Wendt, 1999:87). The relationship of constitution derives from the fact that ideas create political outcomes by shaping their properties, meanings, perceptions or interpretations. These are in turn dependent on their ideational source, they exist only in virtue of those ideas terrorism cannot be conceived apart from a national security discourse that defines it. The national security discourse is in turn inextricably linked to constructing a notion of terrorism, since without it the concept would be meaningless. When analysing foreign policy, dominant schools of thought in IR theory usually ignore ideas and identity or regard them as intervening variables at best, helping to account for outcomes which surpass the explanatory abilities of traditional materialist factors like power and interests. The approach in question is problematic as it does not encompass fully the ideational impact ideas in fact create materialist causes. The bottom line of what becomes most contested in the materialist-idealist debate is the relative contribution of brute material forces to power and interest explanations as opposed to ideas (Wendt, 1999:94). At this point it might be useful to consider briefly the traditional view of materialism which originates in Marxism. The classical Marxist dichotomy portrays the material base as the mode of production, while culture, ideology and other ideational factors belong to a non-material superstructure. Wendt believes the same principles can be extended and applied to re alism; after all, modes of destruction are as basic as modes of production (Wendt, 1999:94). Both instances contain a crucial issue, namely that ideational factors become completely separated from economic and military considerations. Here D.V. Porpora noted a conceptual contradiction, considering the fact that Marxism defines the modes of production not only via forces, but also via relations of production. Relations represent ideational phenomena embodied by institutions that ultimately refer to shared norms (Porpora, 1993:214). The obvious implication points to the fact that the material base of Marxism is actually infused with ideas and norms, which also reveals their constitutive role concerning materialism generally To further reinforce such an argument, it is necessary to challenge the conventional materialist view of interests by acknowledging their nature interests are actually cognitions or ideas. This perspective has been promoted by two distinct fields of knowledge and their associated scholars: cultural anthropology and philosophy. Drawing on cognitive psychology, the anthropologist R.G. DAndrade (1992:28) sees interests, desires or motivations as schemas (frames, representations, ideas), which reflect knowledge structures that make possible the identification of objects and events. A significant aspect to remember is that schemas are not given by human nature. DAndrade (1992:31) admits that some interests can be rooted in biological drives which alludes to their material nature, but biology fails to explain most of the goals human beings seem capable of pursuing and these are learned through socialisation. In this sense, the anthropologist offers the example of an interest for achievem ent: it implies a social standard about what counts as a legitimate aspiration and the individuals desiring to achieve have internalised that standard as a cognitive schema (DAndrade, 1992:35). A very similar opinion has been advanced by R.B.K. Howe who draws on philosophy to articulate a cognitive theory of interest or desire. He too acknowledges that biological mechanisms influence interests, yet even very primitive desires are mostly directionless and depend on beliefs or ideas about what is desirable to render them meaningful (Howe, 1994). That is why ideas play a key role in defining and directing material needs; one perceives a goal as valuable, which in turn determines ones interest in accomplishing it. These perceptions are learned sometimes by interacting with nature which resonates with materialist factors, but mostly they are learned through socialisation to culture an inherently idealist phenomenon (Howe, 1994). Consequently, having reached similar conclusions starting from different premises, scholars in cultural anthropology and philosophy identify the cognitive basis of interests, or that ideas and not material drives create interests to a great extent. In foreign policy analysis, the concept of national interest has been accorded considerably more explanatory ability compared to other variables, particularly due to the influence of the classical realist and neorealist frameworks. However, is its nature inherently materialist and objective as the realist school of thought would have one believe? Or does it rather represent the product and construct of different interpretation processes, in which case ideas and identity become essential? The neorealist approach to international relations rests on the assumptions that the distribution of material capability in the states system can be objectively assessed and that threats to national interests can be accurately recognised. Such a perspective largely ignores that threats are not self-evident and the national interest, when confronted with a problematic situation, becomes a matter of interpretation (Weldes, 1996:279), hence the significant influence of ideas and identity. Moreover, cons tructivism convincingly challenges the objective and materialist view of realism concerning national interests, reintroducing the crucial role of ideas and identity. It does so by promoting the tenet that people act towards objects, including other actors, on the basis of the meanings that the objects have for them (Wendt, 1992:396-397). Wendts work has had a fundamental contribution in reconceptualising the national interest as the product of intersubjective processes of meaning creation. Nevertheless, consistent with the neorealist tradition, he regards states through the black box metaphor, their internal processes being irrelevant to the construction of state identities and interests. Wendt (1992:401) argues that the meanings which states attach to phenomena and subsequently their interests and identities are shaped via inter-state interaction. This does reflect an important facet of identity formation, but also neglects the historical and political contexts in which national in terests are deeply embedded, because the interpretations defining state interests cannot be restricted to the meanings and ideas generated by inter-state interaction. After all, any state is inextricably linked to the domestic actors that take decisions in its name. These agents do internalise the norms characterising the international environment, yet they also approach politics with an already formed appreciation of the world, the international system and the position of their state within it (Weldes, 1996:280). The national actors ideas and interpretation of all these issues stem partly from domestic political and cultural contexts. As Antonio Gramsci (1971:112) noted, civil society is the sphere in which the struggle to define the categories of common sense takes place. After revealing interests as expressions of ideas, one might advance the counterargument that such a conceptualisation applies only to individuals, becoming irrelevant in the case of states and the international system. The latter brings forward another essential point of this paper, which argues that states articulate a constructed collective identity that influences what they perceive their interests to be. It is best shown when taking into account the example of foreign policy, a domain in which various actors make decisions according to their ideas and perceptions of the national interest. Following the collapse of the communist regime, Romania and its political leaders were faced with the opportunity to choose the appropriate future course for the emerging democracy. Their decision was to actively pursue a transformation for the new state, seeking to create a collective identity with the West. But before proceeding with the empirical discussion, it has become imperative to defin e and conceptualise one of its central notions identity. This context particularly deals with state identity because it represents the most relevant instance for analysing foreign policy. In the philosophical sense, identity can be defined as whatever makes an entity what it is, although such a definition is too broad to render the concept meaningful. That is why, for analytical purposes and conceptual utility, identity will be understood using a two-faceted definition. On the one hand, it can be regarded as a property of intentional actors that generates motivational and behavioural dispositions (Wendt, 1999:224). On the other hand, identity cannot be conceived without recognising that which is like, other and simultaneously like and other, or without an understanding of the self which comes from this recognition (Norton cited by Campbell, 1992: 78-79). Both facets of the definition suggest that identity contains at base a subjective or unit-level quality rooted in an actors self- understandings. Their meaning will often depend on whether others represent that actor in the same way, a feature which configures the inter-subjective quality of identity (Wendt, 1999:225). Even a simple example can illustrate the point in a more enlightening manner: Helen might think she is a lecturer but if that belief is not shared by her colleagues and students, then her identity will not operate in their interaction. In other words, both internal and external structures constitute an identity and it takes form under two types of ideas: those held by the Self and those held by the Other. The character of this internal-external relationship varies, which leads to the existence of several kinds of identity, rather than one unitary phenomenon susceptible to a general definition. Building on the work of James Fearon (1999), a typology that features several kinds of identity will be presented here, all inextricably linked and feeding into each other: personal and social, type, role, corporate and collective. First, personal identity is constituted by the self-organising, homeostatic structures that make actors distinct entities (Greenwood, 1994). These structures have a material base represented by the human body, as well as a social component. The latter points to a set of attributes, beliefs, desires, or principles of action that a person thinks distinguish her in socially relevant ways and that (a) the person takes a special pride in; (b) the person takes no special pride in, but which so orient her behavior that she would be at a loss about how to act and what to do without them; or (c) the person feels she could not change even if she wanted to (Fearon, 1999:25). What differentiates the personal identity of intentional actors from that of other entities is a consciousness and memory of Self as a separate locus of thought and activity (Wendt, 1999:225). It cannot be denied that people constitute distinct entities in virtue of biology, but without consciousness and memory a sense of I they are not agents. This aspect resonates even more in the case of a state, since its people must have a common narrative of themselves as a corporate actor. Therefore, the state itself might be considered a group Self capable of group-level recognition (Wilson and Sober, 1994:602). In the former, an identity is just a social category, a group of people designated by a label (or labels) that is commonly used either by the people designated, others, or both. This is the sense employed when we refer to American, French, Muslim, father, homosexual, (p.10) National identities, like American or Russian, are examples of type identities. There are almost no contexts in which it would make sense to speak of the the role of an American, except in a theatre play where role means part. Other social categories that are almost wholly type identities include party a_liation (e.g., Democrat or Republican), sexual identity (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, etc.), and ethnic identity. Some identities or social categories involve both role and type. For example, mother is a role, but nonetheless we expect certain beliefs, attitudes, values, preferences, moral virtues, and so on, to be characteristic of people performing the role of mother (understandings that may change through time.) On the other hand, some role identities, which mainly but not exclusively comprise occupational categories, have few if any type features associated with them (for example, toll booth collector). Lastly, collective identity brings the Self-Other relationship to another stage and its logical conclusion identification. The latter represents a cognitive process in which the distinction between the two becomes blurred and sometimes even transcended, namely Self is categorised as Other. Identification tends to be issue specific and always involves extending the boundaries of the Self to include the Other. In this respect, collective identity uses both role and type ones and at the same time goes beyond their limits. It builds on role identities since both depend on the mechanism of incorporating the Other into the Self, which generates a socially constituted Me. The essential difference refers to their contrasting objectives: role identities use the mechanism to enable the Self and Other to play distinct roles, whereas a collective identity aims to merge the two entities into a single one. In the case of type identities, the situation is slightly more complicated. Collective iden tity builds on them as both require shared characteristics, but not all type identities are collective because not all involve the identification process Especially over the past decade, the discipline of IR has experienced what Yosef Lapid and Friedrich Kratochwil (1996) called the return of culture and identity in IR theory. The 1950s and 1960s had brought for IR scholars an intense preoccupation with the role of national identities, particularly in the context of early EU integration studies by Karl Deutsch and Ernst Haas. Unfortunately, later on the concept became once again marginalised in favour of more objective and scientific approaches like neorealism and rational choice. The recent return of identity does not necessarily imply that the current use of the term may be considered equivalent to that of the 1950s-1960s. Rather, since the late 1980s, a new strand of theory regarding identity has emerged and slowly developed, which rejects essentialist notions while emphasising the constructed nature of social and political identities (see for example McSweeney, 1999; Albert et al., 2001). One of the works that is most often cited when discussing the relationship between state identity and foreign policy is that of David Campbell. In his 1992 book Writing security, he challenges the traditional narrative of asking how foreign policy serves the national interest and instead examines how the practice of foreign policy helps write and rewrite state identity. According to Campbell Danger is not an objective condition. It is not a thing which exists independently of those to whom it may become a threat (Campbell 1992: 1). As danger is an effect of interpretation (Ibid: 2), nothing is more or less dangerous than something else, except when interpreted as such. In terms of the non-essentialistic character of danger, the objectification and externalization of danger need to be understood as an effect of political practices rather than the condition of their possibility. As danger is never objective, Campbells argument continues, neither is the identity which it is said to threaten. Rather, the contours of this identity are subject to constant (re)writing, and foreign policy is an integral part of the discourses of danger which serve to discipline the state. Campbells theory a declared challenge to conventional approaches which assume a settled nature of identity is thus that state identity can be understood as the outcome of practices assoc iated with a discourse of danger. We speak about the foreign policy of the state x or state y, thereby indicating that the state is prior to the policy, but Campbells creative insights come to challenge such a position. He explains that national states are paradoxical entities which do not possess prediscursive stable identities (Ibid: 11). As states are always in the process of becoming, for a state to end its practices of representation would be to expose its lack of prediscursive foundations'(Ibid: 11). Ironically, the inability of the state project of security to succeed is the guarantor of the states continued success as an impelling identity. The constant articulation of danger through foreign policy is thus not a threat to a states identity or existence: it is its condition of possibility'( Ibid: 12). Building on such theoretical understanding, this paper offers an account of the processes through which Romanian state identity and its insecurities are produced, reproduced, and potentially transformed.

Speech In Favor Capital Punishment -- essays research papers

Speech In Favour Of Capital Punishment Capital Punishment is the lawful infliction of death and has been used in Britain since the 5the century. It was not until 1964 that capital punishment was abolished and this has been described by many historians as Britain's worst decision in over 500 years. Along with these Historians, I also believe that our country was much better off with the death penalty as a punishment for sick and twisted people, murderers, rapists and peadophiles. Did you know for instance that in 2003 there were 1048 murders and 172 attributed to one man. . . Harold Shipman. Compare this to 1963 when the death penalty was used as an active deterant to murder, how many? 300. Three hundred murders compared to 1048. Another statistic for you to chew on. In 1961 there were 9 hangings for murder. These seemed to warn people off because the next year there were 2. I have said all I need to say. That is clearly conclusive evidence that the Death Penalty works in deterring criminals, and in a world where you deserve safety, with capital punishment, that is what you would get. Let me go back to my last point. Harold Shipman, responsible for the murders of 172 people. 172 innocent people. People with families. Families that are destroyed. Left with agony. Knowing that their relatives killer is still living and well. Treated in prison to a comfy bed, three meals a day, a wide-screen television and pool table as well as being able to learn read and write. This is what our judicial system calls a â€Å"punishment† All this at the cost to the tax payer of  £432, 000 per 15 years or a life sentence. That's  £600 a week. That s more that some people earn! If Harold Shipman had not been the coward that he was and k... ...cent man, it has happened before and would happen again. In fact, it was a member of my family who had the unpleasant job of hanging an innocent man and finding out what he had done after. So spare a thought not just for the innocent deceased, but the guilty hangman who has to live with it as well. I also understand that there are cases where the penalty is given because we cant be seen to be slacking, like that of Derek Bentley and the film of Let Him Have It. Once again it was my family who had to live with that. So, spare a thought for what that man has to live with for the rest of his life. As I said, these thing are inevitably going to happen and many people will suffer. But even after seeing what it can cause with my own eyes to my own family, i still think it Is a risk worth taking for the better of our country. That is why I am in favour of capital Punishment.

Affirmative Action Essay -- Affirmative Action Essays

After you graduate from college, you will be putting in your application for a job that you went to college for. Even though you might be the most qualified for the job you still might not obtain the position. Affirmative Action sometimes causes this because companies have to hire a certain number of minorities relative to the size of the company. This means that if there are no minority citizens available, immigrants who aren’t even US citizens can take the position. This is why Affirmative Action should be readjusted, because it is helping immigrants instead of the people it was meant for, American citizens. The fact is that the current Affirmative Action plan is helping immigrants more than it is helping the American people. For instance, millions of immigrants and foreign visitors are eligible for, and many are actually using, Affirmative Action benefits to grab a head start of US born minorities because they do not have enough US minorities to fill the positions. In effect, many of today’s immigrants are coming to this country and moving right to the head of the line. James Robb, a Senior Analyst of the The Social Contract, a quarterly journal and the author of the study, â€Å"Affirmative Action For Immigrants: The Entitlement Nobody Wanted† came up with a great example of how immigrants are using affirmative action to there advantage. He states, â€Å"Of all US science doctorates awarded in 1993, forty-six percent went to foreigners. There were ten science PhD’s awarded to non-citizen Asians to every one awarded to a US Asian† (Robb). It doesn’t en d there, because after they receive their PhD’s many immigrants will stay in the US to take jobs. This is bad for American citizens who have their PhD’s because they struggle to find jobs, many of which are already taken by people who aren’t even U.S. citizens. It is a big deal that immigrants are using Affirmative Action to their advantage. There is something wrong with giving opportunities to non-US citizens over US citizens. Yes this is a big deal because if you put non-citizens and US citizens in the same job market, you are taking away opportunities from people that have been living here their entire lives. This creates a feeling of hatred between US and non-US citizens, which is the last thing we need. In contrast, there is nothing wrong with giving immigrants job opportunities because this is America, the lan... ...tive action would count if and only if they are minority citizens, which would give American citizens a better chance of finding a job because immigrants wouldn’t be accepted towards the number of minorities companies have to hire. After this subparagraph would be added, the president would then have to sign an executive order stating that although contractors may hire immigrants, only US born minorities would count toward meeting the affirmative action set goals. I think this would then take care of the non-citizen immigrants hiring problem. By reading the facts and opinions of this paper, I believe you will understand that this is a problem that needs to be faced. Affirmative Action is not pulling its weight in what it was initially created to do. Steps need to be taken to right this wrong, so people who deserve a shot, in turn receive a shot. Works Cited Robb, James S. â€Å"Affirmative Action For Immigrants: The Entitlement Nobody Wanted† 1996. http://pwz.netcom~jimrobb/NR-article.html(July,1996) Skerry, Peter. â€Å"Borders and quotas: immigration and the affirmative-action state Available from http://humanitas.ucsb./cgi-bin/mfs/11docs/skerry.html?99#mfs

Herb Brooks: Charismatic Motivation in Coaching Essay -- essays resear

Herb Brooks: Charismatic Motivation in Coaching In the following essay, I will argue that Herbert â€Å"Herb† Brooks was a charismatic leader due to his powerful motivation and his high expectations. He expected great things from the players he coached, but mostly, he expected them to think of the team and not themselves. He motivated with a powerful punch, mostly through fear, but was able to unite his teams and eventually the country. Herb Brooks was born on August 5, 1937 in St. Paul Minnesota (Herb Brooks). Growing up in Minnesota, he became attached to the sport of ice hockey. He spent years practicing and playing this sport, and in 1955, he led his high school team to the state championship. After three years of college at the University of Minnesota, he joined the 1960 Olympic hockey team, but was cut from the team just before the Olympic games. He played for the United States in the next two Olympic games, and in 1970 he picked up his coaching career at the University of Minnesota. In his six year’s of coaching at the university, he led the team to three national championships (Herb Brooks). In 1980, his United States Olympic hockey team, consisting of all college students, achieved one of the greatest spectacles in sports history: â€Å"The miracle on ice.† His team beat the Soviets in a white-knuckle, heart pounding game with a score of four to three. The Soviet’s were a well trai ned, terrifying team that were considered to be the greatest hockey team that has ever taken the ice. After leading his team to this miraculous victory, he continued his coaching career up until his tragic death in 2003. His high expectations for his team and his fearful, powerful motivational techniques led him down a path of greatness that helped him become an inspiration to all. Brooks' 1980 Olympic hockey team consisted of college students whose average age was 22 years, and was full of rivalry because of players being from different universities. This young team was being matched against some opponents who had played and practiced together year-round, for several years. The Soviets had beaten a team of National Hockey League all-stars the year before, and they triumphed over this young U.S. team at an exhibition game in New York a week before the Olympiad (Herb Brooks). Herb did not ... ...out the best in every player that played for him. Although he seemed harsh at first, the team members bought into his methods of motivation, and became united as a team. Herb communicated to them his goals and aspirations, and the team was able to set its sights on the future. He had many dreams, and once said, according to the ESPN website, "You know, Willie Wonka said it best: We are the makers of dreams, the dreamers of dreams. We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams. I’m a dreamer.† His dreams bringing out the best in every player became reality, and it not only united his team, but it united the country. Herb Brooks was a great inspiration to his many team members throughout the years, and now he is remembered as a powerful motivator and an inspiration to the nation as a strong charismatic leader. Works Cited Herb Brooks. Retrieved April 14, 2005 from the world wide web: http://galenet.galegroup.com. Coach Known Best for 1980 Hockey Gold. (2003, August). The Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.espn.com.

Is Sharing Caring or Not Essay

Want to wear Gucci for a day? or maybe own a Ferrari for a week? Wondering how? Just like how you rent DVDs with a slight modern touch to it, mobile technology(you should have seen this coming) Can’t believe it? The future beholds us the sharing economy. What is the sharing economy? BBC defines it as â€Å"Everything from cars, central city parking spaces and designer clothes to accommodation are available from individuals and companies that are making billions from providing easy access to what people need in a difficult economy. However let me make one aspect very clear, this isn’t just all related to saving money (I know it is surprising in a money minded world like ours. ) Apart from helping people live in unstable economic conditions, some of those already using such an economic structure are utilizing it to conserve resources and save the planet. It will help you feel like a â€Å"better† person by saving the community taking simple small steps. You don’t want to own all those fancy electronic equipment in your households and not use it. Simply, hire one when you need it! In this technological age where you don’t know what to expect tomorrow (maybe your mobile generating a visual image in the air, it is very likely that â€Å"tomorrow† might apply in the literal sense here) you can use the sharing economy with transactions that can be made quickly through a cell phone app or a web site. This is very convenient and accessible at the same time. Wait a minute†¦ This looks too good to be true. Wondering what the drawback is? 2012 looked galaxies away for retail outlets in the world. However now, it looks like the doomsday for massive retail outlets is closing by. In simple words, the end of consumerism. If consumers can hire almost anything they want what will happen to retailers, what can they sell? It is obvious that this won’t be seen as a rapid change, but the effects can definitely be seen in the long term. Here is a fun fact,†Researchers say that we only use our cars eight per cent of the time and we spend billions on the space where we store stuff that we almost never use, such as power tools. They also say the sharing economy is expected to be worth $110 billion within the next few years. â€Å"No Pain. No Gain. † Consumers can get items for cheaper exactly when they require it conveniently, but lose jobs at the same time. It is time for every company to gear up, hire IT wizards, and make their e-commerce absolutely world class. The day you want to ride that Bentley or rent the finest villa for a day to spend with your family isn’t far.

Leadership in the Team

Capability to manage a team effectively is one of the main qualities which any employee seeking success needs to possess. However, the position of a leader requires many outstanding skills, and it may be very challenging at times. According to Sun Tzu, Chinese General who lived in the 5th century B.C., â€Å"when one has all 5 virtues together: intelligence, trustworthiness, humanness, courage, sternness, each appropriate to its function, then one can be a leader†. The combination of these qualities can very rarely be seen in people’s characters, therefore not everybody can be a good leader. Leadership means the ability to influence other people and guide them to the success. During many centuries it has been believed that the key to success in a team lies in the skills of the manager. No company can remain on top unless it has an outstanding manager who guides it into the right direction. The task of leading 3 members of the team in a philanthropic organization with 1 million dollars capital is very challenging, and it requires the leader to have deep understanding of the tasks which are set before the team. In order to manage the team efficiently, first of all I need to get a full idea of the characters of employees in the team. It’s very important to understand the group members from the very beginning, and become a part of their group. All the members of the team have similar working skills because they all have worked in the consulting field for a long time. Since A.T. Kearney consulting company has very high requirements for its employees, there is no need for me as a leader to worry about the employees’ knowledge and capability to perform. They are all very knowledgeable in the consulting field. They all have lots of experience in consulting companies and government. Besides, all the employees have very good communication skills, outstanding problem-solving skills, creativity and capability to learn new things fast which are all required in consulting. However, the task of the leader is to manage the team in such a way that all the skills which the members of the team possess turn out applied at their maximum. This task is very complicated because â€Å"building the winning team requires more than just hiring a bunch of talented people. It means hiring people who will work well together. It means developing a shared vision and commitment. It means physically bringing people together in formal group meetings for open discussion of broad-based issues. It means encouraging positive, informal interactions between group members. It means instilling a â€Å"winning† attitude throughout the organization. It means watching for and quickly trying to reverse team-building problems such as jealousy, cynicism, and defensive behavior.† /www.businesstown.com/ My task of building a winning team is not easy to achieve because I need to show to members of the team first my capability of being a leader. The team needs to know that they are managed by a strong leader who is able to guide them to the success. The members of the team need to perceive me as a leader, even though some of them may be even more experienced than me in the field of consulting. However, through showing my undoubtedly good leadership skills, brilliance, good knowledge of consulting, deep insight, setting correct and realistic goals for the members, choosing right forms of motivation for them, I can become a leader against whom they will not rebel but will want to cooperate with. The most important issue in managing the team is choosing the right form of motivation for them. Since all people are different, all the employees in the team need different forms of motivation. For some employees, only money works, and they don’t get motivated by any other benefits. For others, there is nothing more important than social recognition of their efforts. Other employees will care about the possibilities of future promotion in case of their successful performance. Therefore, in order to manage the team effectively, the first task to do is to define where the needs of employees fall in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. After some communication with the members of the team it was easy to discover that out of three employees two are very ambitious. They have a very high need of esteem. They need to be praised for the work they do, get recognition from senior-level management, be aware about the possibilities of their future promotion, and fulfill tasks which require lots of responsibility, like consulting the largest and the most important clients of the company. These employees are very experienced in the consulting field, they have already made large contributions into the company’s success, and therefore they can be motivated only through getting more and more complicated tasks to fulfill. The third member of the team is not as success-oriented, and he is not as experienced. He is rather knowledgeable in consulting but he doesn’t seek promotion because he is quite happy with his present work. Therefore, he can be motivated by money awards and praise for his work because his needs fall into the category of belonginess and love. The next step of successful management of the team is defining relationships between employees, and making a sociogram which identifies the types of interactions within the social network. Without the knowledge of interactions between the employees, there is no way to manage the team effectively. In order to manage the members of the team, it’s useful at times to apply the approach of influencing some members of the team through other members. It’s necessary to identify the member of the team who has the strongest influence on other members because teams are usually aligned to such employees. The last step of managing the team is choosing the leadership style. In order to manage the team effectively, the leader can apply the following styles when managing the team: supporting, directive, coercive, â€Å"transformational leadership† styles. Each of them has special recommendations for usage in different situations. For example, supporting and â€Å"transformation leadership† styles are very efficient in situations when a new leader comes into the organization, and seeks to establish warm relations with all the members of the team. Directive and coercive styles can work only in the teams which welcome this style and are ready to fulfill all the management’s assignments. However, nowadays such employees are quite rare, therefore, in my work, it’s necessary to combine the styles. I should be supportive in many situations but I should also be directive in certain issues when I know that I’m providing the most efficient policy. It’s very difficult to make the team function effectively, but this task can be achieved through the right choices of employees’ motivation and leadership style. The field of consulting requires a leader with good communication skills, able to provide success-oriented policy, capable of solving all the possible problems which may arise in the team. Due to my strong leadership skills, good analytical skills, capability to achieve all of the goals I set for myself, I can guarantee success to the team I’m managing.                                 

Dear Board of Directors Essay

Upon implementing a Broad Differentiation strategy, Andrews Company desired to have highly demanded products in each of the market segments, hold the majority market share compared to our competitors and increase the value of our firm by the year 2021. We believed that this strategy could get us to that point and we have successfully done so. The start up of Andrews Company proved to be more difficult than anticipated due to high costs in marketing and R&D, investing in automation of sensors and due to our decision to take out most of our loans in the early stages of our product, leading to negative profits for the first two years. However, Broad Differentiation lucratively brought Andrews market share up to 30.93% outweighing the competition (Exhibit 1). Andrews Company will continue to implement this strategy with the goal to hold high demand, continue cutting costs with total quality management initiatives and by reevaluating our capacity and production issues, which will be discussed throughout the course of our analysis. Research and Development Proper allocation of funds towards research and development proved to be of high importance, allowing customers to have access to better-quality products. Andrews Company effectively adjusted each product to their proper ideal spot on the perceptual map by using the segment centers and ideal spot offsets annually. This allowed Andrews to gain optimal market demand, leading to us being able to charge a higher price than competitors later on, thus obtain higher profit among other initiatives. Our high demand was essential in offsetting the costs associated with investing in marketing and promotional budgets, buy/sell capacity and automation of products. Marketing By investing insistently in promo and sales in all the market segments, we were able to increase accessibility and market demand. It was Andrews’s goal to have our products be in the minds of customers of all types and charge a premium for our excellent designs. Another advantage Andrews had over our competitors was that we forecasted at our potential market share, rather than our actual, based on the presumption our customers will be loyal to our brand and we would continue to invest in marketing expenditures. Once we feel comfortable that we hold enough market share, we can then start to cut costs in this department. Finances Monitoring spending and Andrews finances was perhaps the most vital part of our success. In the earlier years of our company we took out large quantities of long-term debt to help finance investment in automation and lowering the cost of producing sensors. Each year Andrews experienced a steep increase in sales, while variable costs gradually increased (Exhibit 2). The extra debt we took out early on we believe to have assisted with the dramatic increase in profits each year (Exhibit 3). One thing Andrews could have done to also assist with the increase in profits was to issue stock, which would have helped raise more capital to invest in capacity capabilities. However, we felt that issuing stock would have diluted the price. We successfully raised our stock price to $281.95 by the end of 2021 (Exhibit 4). A 723% increase from the start of 2014. Production A barrier for further success of Andrews Company was production versus capacity. While production was upwards of 18,000+, capacity only resulted in roughly 11,000. Each year we gradually invested more and more in automation and capacity due to our rising profits, which allowed us to improve our margins (Exhibit 5). We should have properly invested in capacity in the earlier rounds to help bridge the gap between capacity and production. However, Andrews’s strategy was to focus on correctly adjusting our products on the perceptual map to their ideal spots and we planned to never invest so much so that this could not happen. TQM and Human Resources In 2017, Andrews met labor demands and we paid our employees a higher rate than competitors. This tactic was able to put some of the other employees in competitive firms to go on strike for several days, resulting in a higher market share and a better reputation among customers and potential employees. Andrews also spent money each year on training employees for a maximum of 80 hour and recruiting spend of about $4.5 million each year, increasing our productivity index to 129.9% by the end of 2021. At the beginning of 2016, Andrews made an executive decision to invest in total quality management. Of a budget of $4 million, we allotted $1.5 million in 2016 and 2017, then another $600 thousand in 2018. After this amount was spent, we would have seen diminishing returns and opted to cap out at $3.6 million. The substantial investment allowed us to reduce labor and material costs, while increasing demand, thus allowing us to steadily increase profits each year, especially during this three-year span when competitors did not spend enough in TQM. The Future of Andrews Andrews Company will continue to use its method of broad differentiation in the upcoming years and plans to issue stock in order to help with investing in capacity issues that we’ve had in the past. We will continue to spend on marketing, research and development and compensating our employees adequately in order to keep our high market share. Distinguishing our products will continue to be of the utmost importance, offering clientele a superior design. Appendix

The Service Company Can Differentiate Its Service Delivery

Principles of Logistics and Marketing Essay â€Å"The service company can differentiate its service delivery in three ways: through people, physical environment and process† (Kotler P, 2005). Introduction: In today’s competitive marketplace companies are competing strategically through service quality for better differentiation. In certain time of period the successful companies were using marketing mix model of four elements: Product, price, promotion and place. However later on, Booms and Bitner suggested the extension of the 4-Ps framework to include three additional factors: People, Physical evidence and process as marketing.The additional 3-Ps has been adopted in the service marketing literature, and also 7-Ps marketing mix model is more useful for services industries like Transport and Logistics. People for most services are the most important and irreplaceable element of the marketing mix. â€Å"Successful companies focus on the services-dominant paradigm with i nvestment in people, technology, human resource policies and compensation linked to service performance of employees. It’s very important because contact employees’ attitudes and behaviours significantly influence the quality of service. (Johnston R, & Clark G, 2005). In other words they represent the â€Å"face and voice† of their organizations to customers. Personnel, who come into contact with customer, have to make positive first impression to achieve customer satisfaction. They are responsible for representation of the image of the service company for which they operate. It is important that employees’ attitudes and behaviours are suitable to the delivery of service quality. For example in Travel industries, service personnel must have knowledge of advertising.The advertising should have positive effects on contact personnel. It should provide tangible clues to the customers and make service offering well understood. It is also necessary for service companies to make sure that employees are giving the best quality performance. The ways to do that can be very simple, for example providing personnel with a necessary tools and equipment, such as mobile phones, computers, or creating better working environment by offering employees: child care service; health care service; family support service; family sick days; flexible return.However to have an affective marketing strategy, service companies have to make eye-catching image of the company for customers satisfaction. To achieve this, service companies are using another marketing mix element: Physical Evidence. â€Å"Physical Evidence in the Booms and Bitner framework refers to the environment in which the service is delivered and any tangible good that facilitate the performance and communication of the service. Physical evidence is important because customers use tangible clues to assess the quality of service provided. (Rafiq, M. & Pervaiz, K. A. 1995) The physical evidence of service is composed of all the physical representations of service. I. e. in transport and logistics service these tangible representations are: buildings, exclusive colour-painted vehicles, letterhead, carry-bags, uniforms of the personnel, package materials with coloured logotypes. Colours also have a meaning for physical evidence. For example red and yellow colours symbolize speed, energy and power.These colours are widely used in transport and logistics services, for example delivery services company DHL, used both colours in their company logo, also the flag carrier airlines of Spain – Iberia, are using these colours in their company logo and on the aircraft they own. By noticing these tangible cues, customers understand what company wants to say about its quality and performance. Also transport and logistics services create its appearance by using the newest model vehicles.From the companies which are using the latest model vehicles, customers automatically expect good service quality and fast transportation. On aircraft when customer is flying in the first class, he expects enough room to lay down, comfortable seats, cabin crew which wears clean and tidy uniforms. Generally speaking, physical evidence is capable to visually reflect what the company stands for, and simplifies the activities of employees. And the main purpose of physical evidence element is that it should be helping potential customers to see what kind of service they are buying.However to achieve customers expectation and satisfaction of the delivery service, an attractive environment is not enough, companies should show visualization of the service processes to the customer. â€Å"Processes are the lifeblood of the service operation. Rather like DNA provides the patter for living organism, a good process ensures that service is delivered consistently, time after time. â€Å"(Johnston R, & Clark G, 2005). It is said that logistics is a process of resource management providing: The right product, in the right place, at the right time. Therefore logistics companies should make this process visible for their customers.I. e. the world largest courier companies such as DHL, UPS, FedEx and TNT are using shipment tracking systems, customers can track their packages on companies’ web sites . On these web sites customers can find out where there shipment is. In other words, courier companies can offer customer real-time details of their shipment’s progress as it speeds through the companies’ network on the way to its destination. By seeing this process customer can evaluate the courier company and if these service processes satisfy him, he probably will be using the company’s service in the future.Therefore the power of IT should be integrated in this segment because it can speed up the availability of the information. Also, service firms use â€Å"service blueprinting† to better manage the service encounter and to allow clearer visualization of the service processes. â€Å"In typical service blueprint, the customer occupies the top zone, management occupies the bottom zone and service operations are inserted between them. † (Shostack, L. G. 1984). Although it should be remembered that, â€Å"Badly designed processes are likely to annoy customers because of slow, bureaucratic, and ineffective service delivery.Similarly, poor processes make it difficult for front-line staff to do their jobs well, result in low productivity, and increase the likelihood of service failures. †(Lovelock, C. H. , Wright, L. 2002). Conclusion: The additional elements of people, physical environment and process, have vital meaning for marketing services. Customers’ satisfaction of service delivery depends on how well these elements: people, physical environment and process, function together. These segments composed of the people who operate the service in the delivery service, the physical environment in hich the services are performed and the service processes which maintains these performances. Besides these three elements of service marketing mix have main influence on clients decision to purchase the service or not. In transport, the core product is service (movement) but there still are number of physical goods needed i. e. vehicles, roads, offices, for the business to operate. Whiles today’s marketplace is on competitiveness peak and the competition between service delivery companies is at the highest level it is important for delivery service companies to provide best quality of service to acquire and retain their customers.Bibliography: Johnston, R. & Clark, G. (2005) Service Operations Management Improving Service Delivery 2nd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Lovelock, C. H. , Wright, L. (2002). Principles of service marketing and management . 2nd ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. p14. Rafiq, M & Pervaiz K. A. (1995). Using the 7Ps as a generic marketing mix. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 13 (9), pp4-15. Shostack, L. G. (1984). Design Services that Deliver. Harvard Business Review pp133-139.

Organization Culture Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organization Culture - Case Study Example According to the report findings the CCO is tasked with the responsibility of protecting the culture of the organization as it undergoes growth and development. The growth of a company reduces the number of activities that can be controlled directly by the management. Therefore, it is reasonable to appoint someone who can make sure the organizational culture does not deviate from the foundational values and beliefs that facilitated success and growth of the organization.As the study stresses a Chief Cultural Officer in this organization would be responsible for setting the tone for communication. The organization has a diverse workforce with people from different backgrounds. The COO would be expected to monitor communication and liaise with the Head of Human Resource on how to improve effectiveness.   The COO would also be tasked with the responsibility of defining the goals of the organization and aligning all the departments. This is a very crucial responsibility because the org anization was started to achieve specific goals.   Success and greed can make organization members to deviate from the principles and values of the organization. Ensuring the goals of the organization are remembered is necessary. It is also an opportunity to make new employees understand the importance of being motivated by the mission and vision of the organization. The COO should explain these goals to gain their support.

GLOBAL MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GLOBAL MARKETING - Essay Example The techniques and the methods that the companies incorporate to adapt these factors determine not only their ability to distinct or differentiate their products and themselves from their competitor but also their success holistically (Sutltle, 2009). This encompasses the norms, culture, population changes, demographics, and lifestyle. They influence the industry in different ways. For an instant, a clothing company has to create innovatively styles that are appealing to different cultures especially of the groups that are dominant and represent the largest segment of the company’ market. The creation of the different styles of cloths should be within the norms of the society that is perceived to produce the prospective consumers (Sutltle, 2009). These include factors such as demand, production, and the availability of resources. For an instant, the scarcity of material for production may compel the companies to engage in substitute products. In addition, a competitor may introduce clothing styles that have the potential of luring the consumers hence shift in the demand for the earlier fashioned cloths (Sutltle, 2009). The industry has been influenced by issues such as the rights of the workers and laws related to child labour. Union workers have often called for industrial actions such as strike and picketing in aggravating for increases in wages. In turn, it impact negatively on the production of clothing products (Sutltle, 2009). The influence of the economy can either be positive or negative. During periods of economic boom, individuals tend to have relatively more disposable income hence they spend a lot on cloths hence increase in companies’ sales. The converse is true during economic crisis. These factors therefore, shape the competitive structure and the intensity of competitive rivalry in the industry (Roll, 2005). The trends of the industry in the US are characterized by the companies operating retails that are

Critically discuss your current understanding of the role and Essay

Critically discuss your current understanding of the role and importance of interaction in teaching and learning gained from your independent reading and research - Essay Example The main purpose of their questions is to explore the environment around them, and learn as much as they can from their older peers, or parents. When they grow up, and in classrooms, the numbers of their questions drop significantly. There are three kinds of classroom interactions, namely teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and student to others interaction. Others refer to the invited guests, or speakers who possess a particular knowledge that they want to impart on the student (Brooks et al, 2007). Interaction in a learning process is an important element of learning, and this is because it creates a culture of learning, and encourages students to take responsibility of their learning process, and outcomes. This paper analyzes the role and importance of interaction in the process of learning and teaching (Capel et al, 2005). This paper denotes that interaction is an important practice in the teaching process and any educator must practice this policy in order to achieve efficiency while imparting skills, and disseminating knowledge. Interaction in teaching and learning enhances efficiency in the use of language, therefore creating an efficient communication process amongst the various parties concerned. Gardner observes that by efficiently using a proper and understandable language in a class room set up, an instructor gets the capability of disseminating knowledge and information to the learners (1999). During interactive sessions, a leaner manages to develop his or her use of language. This is because they express themselves; in the process of asking a question, or making a point. By using language effectively, an instructor gains the capability of imparting knowledge by using the necessary resources and materials. Gardner (1999) denotes that this will enable a student to acquire a wider base of knowledge, and therefore enhancing the process of learning. Effective

International Finance & Capital Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

International Finance & Capital Markets - Essay Example The company has the desire to acquire China COSCO Holdings Company Limited, which is mainly a logistics and shipping supplier company. The plan for acquisition is evaluated in order to examine whether it will be a success for both the companies. Babcock International had been planning for expansion internationally for the past few years. However, they were targeting the Chinese market in particular. The acquisition plan has been in the negotiation stage and thus there is a need for providing the Board of Directors of Babcock International with recommendations from the financial director regarding the collaboration with COSCO. The cross border acquisition brings a number of issues like the exchange rate risk along with the cross border trade. The plan is evaluated by evaluating the solvency, liquidity and the profitability position of both the companies. The balance sheet of the companies is compared in order to make a decision regarding the collaboration plan. The recent acquisitions of Babcock International are also examined in order to evaluate the strength of the company and get an idea whether it is capable for the acquisition of COSCO. Introduction Babcock International Group PLC is an established company in United Kingdom which is the part of the European Union (EU). The European economy is the world’s largest importer globally in 2011 (16.4%). It is also the largest exporter in the world, exporting 15.4% of all the exports across the globe. Rules and regulations are very strict in EU which possesses restrictions to the companies at different levels of business. Thus it is important for Babcock to obey the rules and regulations of the country and take decision regarding the acquisition China COSCO. The EU also provides investors with a unique market for investment after passing the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) in 2008. Merger and acquisition is viewed as the change agent for any company. The action is taken for expanding or co ntracting the basic operation of the firm which is also known as corporate restructuring. There are different types of acquisition which includes the cross border, local country and home country acquisition. Babcock is panning for cross border acquisition as it is deciding to acquire China COSCO which is leading logistics and shipping Supplier Company in China. The acquisition plan of China COSCO by Babcock will be successful if the following conditions are fulfilled: 1) The creditors and the properties of China COSCO are protected by courts. 2) Babcock has clear knowledge regarding China COSCO. 3) The growth of China COSCO encourages rapid market penetration of China. 4) The entry barriers are considerably high. 5) The cultural difference between UK and China are low. 6) Babcock is relatively larger than size of China COSCO. 7) Babcock has the ability to take the risk of acquisition. 8) Babcock has experience of the local markets of China. 9) Babcock is quite late in entering China market (Clark, 2002) The above conditions are necessary to be fulfilled if the acquisition has to be successful. Babcock has a plan for entering the markets of China for a long time. The proposal of the acquisition is examined by evaluating the financial strengths of both the companies. The benefits of the investors are also concentrated upon. The negotiation

The source Code for the implementation of Python Coursework

The source Code for the implementation of Python - Coursework Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that for each of the data files, the program performed multiple query execution. There were 7 questions, each with a separate SQL command to be executed in the program. The outcome is that the output is also displayed as a continuous block at the end of each source code. Essentially, because the questions applied to all the datasets, all the sections of the source code remained the same except the name of the table, which varied in all the source codes, from table2, to table3 then to table4. With this, the results were obtained differently. The second area of modification involved introduction of advanced methods in the management of the data files. This involved the introduction of GUI interactive platform to replace the command line. For example, the user is prompted by the system to enter the file name as shown in the paper. The program worked as per the requirement. This is confirmed by the screenshots captured during the execution of the program. The screenshots contain accurate values for the answers to the 7 questions in each stage. In that regard, the program is not only running, but also it is answering all the 7 questions in various ways. The program was executed in python 2.7.6. The challenge faced in its development process was to eliminate numerous errors. Various syntax and runtime errors were faced in the preparation of the program. The second challenge was the integration between python program and SQLite program. In this project, I have been able to develop the program to perform the analysis of the data in the CSV data files. The future of this program focuses on the ways of increasing the use of graphical tools and objects to further simplify the entire process. The level of success in this project can be given an overall rating of 77%. Once the transformation is done and the system becomes a full GUI application, then the rating can be increased beyond the current 77%.

The legend of Sleepy Hollow Washington Irving Research Paper

The legend of Sleepy Hollow Washington Irving - Research Paper Example It is also worth noting that the comedic and foolish nature of Ichabod is detectable from the strength of his imaginations. The writer uses this story for the main purpose of accentuating the fact that imaginations form a significant part of human life. Just like any other aspect of life, imaginations can lead to failure or success of the subject individual as depicted by Ichabod. The story shows that imaginations can have influence on lifestyle of an individual and may end up alienating him or her. Further the writer also shows the impotence nature of Ichabod as an element of his much involvement in imaginations. This research paper cites some of the instances used by Irvins to illustrate the power imagination in â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow†. Imaginations reinforce a lifestyle Irving also uses the allegory to show that imagination may also reinforce a way of life into an individual. As depicted in the story, Ichabod’s imagination about ghosts, demons and witches, acts as the main reason for his preference in reading the ghost stories. His imaginations make him feel that the ghosts are real thereby increasing interest for knowing about them. Most of his life he sits down to read and hear about the ghostly stories. Intuitively, these stories make him believe that anything around him is supernatural. His affection for the stories is also evident when he goes to apply everything he reads about in the real world. He walks out during the night believing that there are ghosts roaming in the midst. Just as stated by the stories he always read. The writer also depict his love for the ghostly stories, when instead of contributing to the harvest party, he divert his attention to listening to ghostly legends told by Brom (Damon-Bach & Lucinda, 38). Even though owning the farm and proposing to Katrina was the major aim for attending the harvest party, Ichabod wholly diverts to his darling stories about the ghosts. Just like the environment and family ba ckground can shape individual’s lifestyle, Ichabod’s imaginations models his love for the ghostly stories. He believes that reading the ghostly stories is the only fulfilling way he can live his daily life. The incidences show that there is no day Ichabod would have changed his lifestyle because of the belief that the ghost exist in the real world. As shown through Ichabod’s experience, in the whole story, it is true that the imaginations held by individuals can serve in alienating their life from the usual. Ichabod, whose imaginations concentrates around the existence of ghosts, lives a tough life albeit living among other human beings. He easily gets frightened at littlest things which a normal human being will always assume. When walking home during the darkest hours, he gets frightened most of the time, by the invisible thing because his imaginations had made him believe that there is a headless horseman who usually rides back in quest for his head. This sho ws a clear alienation of Ichabod from the reality just because of the imagination he holds. His alienation is also detectable in the relic that people of the society associate to him. His brand in the society was a wandering horse, trampled saddle, discarded hat, and a mysterious shattered pumpkin (Irving & Jane 56). Naturally, an individual can only associate these paraphernalia to an insane person who has lost in his societal ways. However, it is worth noting