Monday, December 30, 2019

Contextual Conditioning of Drug Tolerance and Drug Addiction

Contextual Conditioning of Drug Tolerance and Drug Addiction Research on the contextual conditioning of drug tolerance shows it is an important factor in understanding drug addiction in humans. Context is a way of noting that the likelihood of a behavior or response depends on certain conditions. Contextual conditioning is said to occur when a person becomes conditioned not only to the drug but also to the environmental circumstances or cues in which the drug is taken. Studies have shown that tolerance develops when these cues come to reliably predict physiological or behavioral responses in the presence of those stimuli—the smell, people, administration and sight of the drug (Domjan, 2005). What Current Research States Researchers†¦show more content†¦(2006) further explain that addictive behavior is motivated by the expectancy of the drug. Essentially, when an addict is exposed to cues previously paired with drug-use, for example drug paraphernalia or contexts in which drugs were taken; they elicit responses such as drug-seeking behavior and withdrawal symptoms that result in drug abuse. Hogarth amp; Dickinson (2007) further demonstrate that depending on the context, instrumental drug-seeking behavior is goal-directed or habitual (Hogarth, Dickinson, 2007). They conclude that drug seeking is the result of expectancy and is goal-directed; however they were unclear of the factors that contribute this behavior to either goal-directed or habitual learning processes. Extinction and Spontaneous Recovery (Relapse) Taylor, Olausson, Quinn amp; Torregrossa (2008) propose that recovering addicts continue to respond to drug cues long after they have stopped using drugs. In a study on rats, Chaudri, Sahuque, amp; Junak (2008) concluded that environmental contexts trigger relapse of drug seeking behavior after extinction has occurred. According to the study, rats were tested to see if they responded to cues paired with one context and not paired in the other. They found that the rats increased their responses to ethanol. This study provides evidence that failure to extinguish conditioned responding to non-reinforced drug cues may be an important factor in relapse. It was also a proof of the role of contextualShow MoreRelateddrug addiction1059 Words   |  5 PagesReseach Paper About Drug Addiction Introduction These days, drugs can be found everywhere, and it may seem like everyone s doing them. Lots of people are tempted by the excitement or escape that drugs seem to offer. But learning the facts about drugs can help you see the risks of chasing this excitement or escape. And just as there Premium4645 Words19 Pages Research Paper About Computer Addiction CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION A. Background of the study It is known that we are living in technologicalRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesEmployee Rights Legislation and the HRM Implications 86 The Privacy Act of 1974 86 The Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1974 87 The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 87 The Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 88 The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 88 Current Issues Regarding Employee Rights 90 Drug Testing 90 DID YOU KNOW?: Why Organizations Conduct Drug Tests 91 Honesty Tests 92 Whistle-Blowing 92 Employee Monitoring and Workplace Security 93 DID YOU KNOW?: By the Numbers 93 WorkplaceRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesDEVELOPING SELF-AWARENESS SKILL ASSESSMENT 46 Diagnostic Surveys for Scale Self-Awareness 46 Self-Awareness Assessment 46 Emotional Intelligence Assessment 47 The Defining Issues Test 48 v Cognitive Style Indicator 52 Locus of Control Scale 52 Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale 54 Core Self-Evaluation Scale (CSES) 56 SKILL LEARNING 57 Key Dimensions of Self-Awareness 57 The Enigma of Self-Awareness 58 The Sensitive Line 58 Understanding and Appreciating Individual Differences Important Areas of Self-AwarenessRead MoreOcd - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment131367 Words   |  526 Pagesrelieve distress associated with the obsession or to prevent some anticipated dreaded outcome. 8 THE NATURE OF OCD It is not performed to obtain pleasure or gratification and so can be distinguished from impulse control disorders like sexual addictions or gambling. As stated in DSM-IV-TR, for a diagnosis of OCD, it is necessary that at some point in the illness the person recognizes that the obsession(s) or compulsion(s) are excessive or unreasonable. However, many individuals with OCD are not

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Identity vs. Role Confusion Essay - 892 Words

In today’s Western society, self-identity and social roles are important dimensions that are at times challenging to face. Social roles have always been a fundamental part of society and yet as time goes on, it seems to be increasingly difficult to understand. As discussed in class, in the medieval period, people were assigned roles based on family status. In modern days, however, societal roles have expanded and opportunities are endless, which raises the question: Is there more uncertainty about identity in modern society? In entering adolescence, people heavily contemplate their ego identity. In the early 1900s, theorist Erik Erikson believed in eight stages of ego development from birth to death. For the purpose of this paper I have†¦show more content†¦Exploring different aspects of yourself in the different areas of life has never been so pertinent. As previously mentioned, there has undoubtedly been a shift of roles when comparing the past to the present. Tradi tionally speaking, men and women’s roles have been that of providers and nurturers respectively. Although through time, these traditional mentalities have transformed, allowing for more possibilities. Even though men’s roles have altered, women have emancipated themselves from a very narrow view of appropriate social norms and can now enjoy the freedom to choose from an array of roles. The quest for self-identity is very significant in this time of my life, which is the reason I have chosen this topic for my project. I am a definite opportunist and I seize every occasion if the possibility of learning something new arises. Although it is very exciting to experience moratorium, it is also at times stressful and daunting having to continuously explore different roles and opportunities. Along with my peers, I am attempting to resolve many existential dilemmas such as â€Å"What career path should I follow?† or â€Å"What roles apply to me?† These questions g ive rise to the feeling of identity uncertainty and role confusion. Coming from an art background, I felt most comfortable expressing myself through sketch. Therefore, I chose to convey my internal struggles through a drawing of a ballerina who is surrounded by my inner thoughts. TheShow MoreRelatedErikson’s Theory: Identity vs. Role Confusion1222 Words   |  5 Pagesabout identity versus role confusion. Finding one’s identity is not always an easy task. Everyone at some point in his or her life has had, as Erikson puts it, an identity crisis. Everyone experiences different struggles that can have either a positive or negative impact on their identity. On my path to identity, I have reached identity achievement, which means I have explored and made commitments. I will also be focusing on two articles highlighting a fifth possible outcome regarding identity andRead MoreCharacter Analysis : Claire Standish 1549 Words   |  7 PagesClaire Standish, the prom queen, fit s into Identity vs. Role Confusion, Conventional Morality, and the Moratorium stage. Starting with Kohlberg’s Moral Development, Claire fits into the Conventional Morality stage. Claire is the most popular girl in their high school and is constantly surrounded by many friends. Bender even goes as far as to say, â€Å"School would probably shut down if you didn’t show up!† Claire agrees with this statement and when talking to Alison later in the movie she says, â€Å"YoureRead MoreErickson888 Words   |  4 Pagesdespair must both be understood and embraced, in order for actionable wisdom to emerge as a viable solution at the last stage. The Erikson life-stage virtues, in order of the eight stages in which they may be acquired, are: 1.Basic trust vs. basic mistrust - This stage covers the period of infancy. 0-1 year of age. - Whether or not the baby develops basic trust or basic mistrust is not merely a matter of nurture. It is multi-faceted and has strong social components. It depends on the qualityRead MoreLiterature Review. Sigmund Freud, The Father Of Psychoanalysis,1497 Words   |  6 Pagescompetencies valued and needed by an individual’s society (Berk, 2014). Berk (2014) lists in order from birth to old age, the stages follow as: basic trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair. Each of Erikson’s stages includes the possible negative outcomes that one could possibly be faced with, depending on the experiences they have duringRead MoreErickson: The Stages of Development954 Words   |  4 Pagessteps that focused on the changing of personality and developing your identity. Erickson developments stages differed from Freuds because Erickson focused on social environment and not sexual drives. Erickson believed that each stage in a person life that have to over come a psychosocial crisis and also learn a new skill. The stages took place through out your lifespan (Funder, 1997). Stage one of Erickson development is trust vs. mistrust. This stage happens at 0-18 months. this stage infants developsRead MoreErik Erikson s Theory Of Psychology760 Words   |  4 Pageshad blond hair, blue eyes, and Nordic looks. Thus, he was teased for having Nordic looks in the community. On the other hand, he was teased at the grammar school for being a Jewish. Erik struggled with his identity and had difficulties not fitting in with either culture. In this way, Erik’s identity crisis began at an early age. Erikson was inspired by the psychosexual theory of Sigmund Freud. In this theory, Freud described development in series of five different stages. He called these stages, oralRead MoreErikson s Theory And How It Affects My Life969 Words   |  4 Pageslife Erik Erikson created a theory, in which he created eight stages of development based on Freud’s theory of development. The eight stages are trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, ego identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and ego integrity vs. despair. As someone develops in age, going through these stages, it increases in complexity. Erikson believed that each stage becomes a crisis that needsRead MoreAnalysis Of Eric Eriksons Eight Stages Of Identity Theory1423 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Identity or Self-concept is something that evolves or matures right along with us; it changes from physical concepts to more complex thoughts. (Damon Hart, 1988) Questions like Who am I? and What is my Purpose? Have perplexed humanities greatest philosophers; the complexity of these questions has even created a study of purpose; Teleology, the study of purpose. John Locke held that personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity. He considered the self to be founded on consciousnessRead MoreErickson s Theory On The 8 Stages Of Development Essay1143 Words   |  5 PagesFreud (Erickson 2016). Erickson’s theory on the 8 stages of development are based around three parts of identity: social identity, personal identity (the differences between one person and another) and the identity of self. Freud exemplifies the conflict between id (the instinctive component of personality) and the superego (morals of society that are learned), whilst Erickson focuses on the role of culture and society, and the conflicts it can create in the ego itself (McLeod, 2013; McLeod, 2016)Read MoreTheory Of Kalief Browder1324 Words   |  6 Pagesstage 5 Identity vs Role Confusion, of Erikson’s theory of social-emotional development. This stage occurs between the ages of 12 and 26. During this time, society expects adolescents to be responsible and are held accountable like adults. Though Browder did not commit the crime he was accused of he was held accountable like an adult and received the same punishments. Also noted, adolescents are beginning to define who they are by experimenting with various roles. During this time, they need role models

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Abercrombie Fitch and American Eagle Free Essays

The article reports that U.S. retail stores have posted only a modest increase in sales of 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Abercrombie Fitch and American Eagle or any similar topic only for you Order Now 5 per cent for May, which might be a sign that consumers are taking a break from shopping. This figure was 3.3 per cent for January, 4 per cent for February, and 4.8 per cent for March and April combined. High-end retailers (such as Saks, Nordstrom, TJX Companies and Ross Stores) and apparel stores did well, and discount chains (such as Costco, BJ’s Wholesale, Fred and Target) reported the strongest sales growth of any sector with a 5.3 per cent increase. Shops selling teenager clothing (such as Abercrombie Fitch and American Eagle) suffered a decline. Reasons behind the slowdown are believed to be bad weather at the beginning of the month and the late Memorial Day, since some companies choose to include Memorial Day weekend sales into their June reports. Analysts believe that lackluster sales might be a sign that recoveries come in waves. Stronger growth is expected during the summer month, due to pent-up demand and start of the school year. The importance of the article is associated with the fact that retail sales are a good indicator of the pace of economic recovery. Sharp contraction of consumer spending has exacerbated the recent financial downturn, and it took a long time for spending to rebound. Consumer spending is used as an indicator of economy’s health because it is first of all related to consumer expectations and confidence levels. Furthermore, it indicates whether economic resources flow freely among various economic agents: companies need sales revenues to expand their production, which in turn leads to job creations, and decreasing unemployment levels mean that more people have disposable income to spend at stores. Coming back to the issue of consumer confidence, if citizens are optimistic about prospects of the economy, they tend to spend even more, propping up the production-consumption cycle. Works cited Hauser, Christine. â€Å"U.S. Retailers Report Lackluster Sales Gains.† 3 Jun. 2010. New York Times. 5 Jun. 2010. Web. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/04/business/economy/04shop.html?ref=economy How to cite Abercrombie Fitch and American Eagle, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Continuous Improvement Plan for Lucent Technologies-Free Samples

Question: How Do Continuous Improvement Plan For Lucent Technologies? Answer: Introduction Mackay Regional Council (MRC) is installing a shared footpath in Quota Park for which the company is looking for contractors. A tender has been prepared to seek services from construction contractors for carrying out all the required activities for construction. MRC project has been funded by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) under the Cycle Network Local Government Grants program for the construction. This report is prepared to develop a continuous improvement plan for the construction project of Quota Park Pathway. A continuous improvement process begins with the identification of current business processes which in this case would be the current improvements in the construction project. These processes are then analyzed to identify scope for waste elimination and value creation(Lee, et al., 2007). Case Study Mackay Regional Council (MRC) is in the process of constructing a shared footpath in Quota Park for the public use for which a tender was prepared to call for vendors for managing construction project. The work would involve supply of all resources including labour and material and construction of culverts, footpath, turf, fencing, pavement and installation of signage as per given drawings in the tender. The project scope also includes waste removal and disposal. The work has to be completed in compliance with the safety, traffic, and environmental standards which include provisions of site establishment, traffic, environment management, drainage management, protection, landscape management and revegetation, earth work, road furniture, and construction of paving. The contract that would be prepared for the execution of the project would include all the operations and terms related to labour management, plant provisions, material, supervision, survey, and more. Continuous Improvement Plan Description This project involves construction of a footpath in Quota part for which a construction tender has been published to call for suppliers and contractors. The purpose of continuous improvement plan is to endure that the construction project gives the best results to the organization using continuous improvement processes. Rationale A continuous improvement process follows Demings Plan Do Check Act cycle in which a plan is first developed on the basis of scope for improvement. This involves selection of a process, identification of purpose, defining of process, data collection, visualization and analysis. Once data analysis is complete, a plan is developed, approved and implemented in the pilot phase. The outcomes are verified and performance is measured to further identify scope for improvement so that new procedures can be established and required changes can be standardized and managed. Objectives The continuous improvement plan has following objectives: To identify if there are wastages in the construction processes and make a plan to eliminate the same Analyse current facilities to come up with a plan for value addition Explain the process of continuous improvement and apply the steps to the case of the construction project Responsible Group The continuous improvement project would include some considerations for planning the responsible team for executing the plan. These considerations include complexity of issues, need for expertise, time requirement, functional areas, and complexity of implementation. A team leader would be involved in managing the entire team as a coordinator who would take information from all the members of the team during the improvement process. The team leader would have certain roles including: Serve as primary coordinator between the project team and sponsor Coordinating the logistics in teams Plan and evaluate meetings with the facilitator Keep the record of all activities carried out the by the team Provide information to all the team members that is required for continuous improvement The team facilitator would have following job responsibilities on the project: Providing assistance to the team leader in meetings Coach the members of the team on the improvement processes Facilitate the group dynamics to enhance productivity Get advisors from outside if required(CCME, 2007) Members for the continuous improvement team would be selected on the basis of the following criteria: Ability to attend all the team meetings Make decisions on the basis of facts and data Have an open mind for learning methods of process improvements Be committed to the continuous improvement Follow the rules set by the project team Independent from each other in making improvements Interested in improving processes Have the knowledge about all the processes to be improved One has to be motivated to bring the process improvements Who are involved in the entire process of improvement from beginning till end(The Pennsylvania State University , 2005) Tasks and activities The continuous improvement plan would have some steps followed through the planning and implementation of continuous improvement for the construction project. They include: Obtaining commitment from the CEO of the company to get buy-in for continuous improvement Educate the top management about continuous improvement concepts such as Demings cycle Create a steering committee to have a monitoring and control over the construction project continuous improvement Identify vision, mission and guiding statements Prepare a workflow of the existing processes in the project Conduct surveys of people including owner, customer and employees Provide training to project team on continuous improvement Establish standards for quality improvement for teams Implement process improvement Use continuous improvement tools to make improvements. The process can be divided into three major stages including Preparation: In the preparation phase, organization identifies a vision for continuous improvement and identifies goals. Present status of the company would be studied and desired state in the future would be analyzed to understand that gap between current and future states. Based on the requirements for improvement, managers would be prepared for leading the activities and tasks. The project would require development of right infrastructure to carry out the activities for continuous development. People responsible for managing processes would be identified. Launch: In this phase, the activities planned for improvement would be carried out and the resulting performance of the company operations would be measured. The phase involves communication of strategies and tools for improvement with all those involved such that a collective understanding of the vision for improvement would be obtained. Good practices for improvement would be identified by involving the staff and pilot processes would be implemented for improvement. The pilot phase would lead to a learning which can be used for the actual implementation at a later stage in execution of the continuous improvement plan(HAMID, 2015). Implementation phase: In this stage, the scope of the improvement activities is increased as decisions can be made based on the measurements obtained from the pilot stage. At this stage, it is very important that processes are aligned and people are managed well. Staffs that contribute to the continuous improvement can be rewarded to keep the motivation on. At this stage, even stakeholders are involved to ensure that expected benefits are achieved from the execution of the continuous improvement plan(Wallace, et al., 1991). Opportunities for Improvement The opportunities for improvement need to be identified for all the processes involved in the construction project. This would involve identification of the problems on the project such as: The sequence of the execution of the construction plan may be explored to identify if sufficient resources or input elements are present before the actual construction would begin. If it is not the case then an improvement may be required by adding provisions before construction began The construction plan may cause high production lead times that can be due to wait time, cycle time, work-in-progress time wastage which can be reduced by applying lean tools for identification and elimination of wastages on the project(GRAHAM Group, 2010) The pace of the production may not be clearly defined which can improved with proper identification of activities and desired durations by the management before execution The monitoring on the project progress may not be very close which can lead to poor control of production. A reliable monitoring technique maybe introduced for improvement The pace of the production can be changed with hiring or releasing resources. In case of decline in the number of resources, higher compensation to others can be done to offset the loss of labour count. The project needs deliveries of materials to be made before the actual construction began and thus, it is important that the cycle time for material procurement and delivery must be less Inspections are required mostly for assessing project progress but at the same time it adds to the lead time. Thus, inspection time must be reduced as a measure for improvement(Vivan, et al., 2016). Certain improvement strategies can be suggested for the construction project for various construction project phases including deigning, procurement, planning and construction such as: Principles of waste reduction can be applied in the deigning stage to eliminate waste, improve design efficiency, and enhance flexibility. These principles include designing for reuse, off-site construction, material optimization, waste-efficient procurement design, and designing for deconstruction and flexibility. For improving the ordering accuracy in procurement, the supplies can be taken from nearby vendors such that order can be placed close to the actual utilization of materials for construction Reusable packing can be used by suppliers of the construction materials. If the sub-contractors are involved in early processes of construction project, communication can be improved. Potential opportunities where waste can be reduced may be identified and steps may be taken for waste reduction such as setting of surplus targets for waste reduction, use of take-back schemes for wasted material, use of re-usable packing and JIT for procurement and inventory management. Communication The communication on the continuous improvement would be managed through the formal procedures where the opportunities identified would be communicated to the change management team which would be followed by a meeting between team members and project manager. In this, meeting, a plan would be formulated for bring the required changes in the organization units for improvement of its processes. Based on this improvement plan, activities would be planned to carry out for the improvement of the old methods by adopting critical chain methodology. Regular communicating would also be made between different team members on improvement program using calls and emails. Stakeholders would also be involved on the project through meetings and emails at the time of requirement development, project outcomes assessment, and acceptance of the outcome of the continuous improvement(Achtmeyer, 2008). Monitoring Progress Continuous improvement tools can be used for monitoring the progress of the project and assess if the improvement has been made as per expectations. These include: Histograms: Histograms can depict frequencies of events or actions. These events could be those hindering the progress of the construction or adding wastages in terms of time or cost such as delays, waiting time and additional costs beyond allotment(Meiling, 2010). Cause and Effect Diagram: Factor that contributes to problems can be identified using cause and effect diagram. The cause and effect diagram would be prepared for the whole construction process as it progresses such that whenever there are problems occurring on the project, appropriate cause can be easily identified and worked upon Check Sheets: Check sheet can be used for collecting data related to problems(AISWARYA.K.LALAJI SIVAGAMI.M, 2014). Pareto Diagrams: Paretos rule can be used for illustrating the priorities of various problems. As per the rule, there would be 80% of the problems that would be contributed by 20% of the factors. Scatter Diagram: Scatter diagrams can be used for displaying relationships between the cause and effect of problems Flowcharts: Flowcharts can provide visual representations of the project activities, stages and decisions related to products or services of the organization(Ashworth, et al., 2013) Budget and Resource Implications For establishing control and reputing structure for the business units through critical chain methodology, both resources and budget would be required. The critical chain plan can be made based on the estimates of the probability of accomplishment of the tasks. To develop a budget that keeps the highest margin for safety and profits of the practices, cost element and resources have to be adjusted. If the deployment of critical chain methodology on projects needs more costs and effort then the schedules would be adjusted based on the need for increases duration that would result from expansion of the scope. A baseline would be created for the determination of need for costs and efforts as per the project buffer time. Adjustments can be made between the time required for impletion and the budget to be allotted(CMS, 2005). Resources can be alternatively utilized on multiple projects depending on the demand of customers. However, this multitasking of resources can result into reduction of the throughput of the whole organization. When resources would migrate from one project to another, intermittent spurts would be caused. This would result into change in the date of completion of the project(Hermansson Karlsson, 2016). Risk Prevention Methods While managing continuous improvement in the organization, risks have to be managed by the organization as risks can occur at various stages of continuous improvement. A strong risks management culture has to be created in the organization going through process improvement. This would involve defining of purpose and values of improvement, adoption of the improvement methods, creating a learning organization that takes lessons from improvement outcomes, and building communication mechanism that allow communication and management of risks. There can be three stages of the risk culture including building of cultural awareness for risk management, changing the organizational culture as per the requirement of risk management, and refining the culture to make improvements thru integrating risk related lessons in the culture, holding people accountable for the risks, and refining risk measurement processes to reflect upon the changes in the business strategies(ACHS, 2013). Conclusions This report was prepared to explore the case of MRC that is planning to construct a footpath in the Quota Park. The company has released a tender to seek construction contractors. In response to the tender, the company is expecting a construction plan and a continuous improvement plan for the construction project. The report involved preparation of the continuous implement plan that is presented covering essential sections of the plan including responsible groups, tasks and activities, opportunities for improvement, monitoring progress, communication, sustainable improvements, budget and resource implications, and risk prevention methods References ACHS, 2013. RISK MANAGEMENT QUALITY IMPROVEMENT HANDBOOK, s.l.: EQuIPNational . Achtmeyer, W. F., 2008. Continuous Process Improvement at Deere Company, s.l.: Tuck School of Business. AISWARYA.K.LALAJI SIVAGAMI.M, 2014. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES (KERALA). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IJCIET) , 5(12), pp. 230-234 . Ashworth, M., Ahmed, S. M., Azhar, S. Castillo, M., 2013. Measurement of Construction Processes for Continuous Improvement, Miami: Florida International University. CCME, 2007. GUIDANCE DOCUMENT on CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT (CI) and KEEPING-CLEAN-AREAS-CLEAN (KCAC) , s.l.: Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment . CHAKOUR, P. MAZZOTTI, P., 2015. Construction Management Transformed by the Critical Chain Method. [Online] Available at: https://www.tocico.org/mpage/Chakour9_7IND [Accessed 10 May 2017]. CMS, 2005. Continuous Business Improvement Plan, s.l.: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools . GRAHAM Group, 2010. Demonstrating continuous improvement in reducing construction waste, s.l.: GRAHAM Group. HAMID, H. B., 2015. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CSF FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING CI MATURITY IN ISO AND NON-ISO CERTIFIED CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTING ORGANIZATIONS, s.l.: Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. Hermansson, M. Karlsson, M., 2016. Replacing discontinuous change with continuous improvement , Gothenburg, Sweden: CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY. Lee, D. H., Song, Y. W. Choi, Y. K., 2007. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLAN OF BUSINESS PROCESS IN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, Seoul, Korea: Soongsil University. Meiling, J., 2010. Continuous Improvement and Experience Feedback in off-site Construction: Timber-framed Module Prefabrication, s.l.: Lule University of Technology. Reference for Business, 2000. Lucent Technologies Inc. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Lucent Technologies Inc., Murray Hill, New Jersey: Lucent Technologies. The Pennsylvania State University , 2005. Leading for Continuous Improvement, s.l.: Innovation Insights. Vivan, A. L., Ortiz, F. A. H. Paliari, J. C., 2016. Model for kaizen project development for the construction industry. Gest. Prod., So Carlos, 23(2), pp. 333-349. Wallace, G. W., Hybert, P. R. Knicker-McCully, T., 1991. Continuous Improvement and Training , s.l.: Society of Manufacturing Engineers

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Colour Purple Essay Example

The Colour Purple Essay From reading the novel it could be said that the first half is concentrated on how men hold the power over women. This view is supported by Stuart who highlights the exploitation of black women by black men. However I do not agree with this view. I dont think the focus is jus on gender itself although it does play a part, but I think their sex and colour was also brought up. During the novel we see that males dominated females and white families were classed as more important than black families. This was caused by the time in which the novel was set in, slavery had been abolished however it was still in peoples minds and we see it still carried on in some areas of the novel. One example of this is when Alphonso is almost selling Celie. He barters by adding a cow to the deal and points out her positive sides, she aint no stranger to hard work, and she clean. Celie has the power to move on and almost start life again, partly through gaining financial power. This is portrayed to us when Celie leaves with Shug and sets up her own business making pants for women, which had only started as a hobby. We will write a custom essay sample on The Colour Purple specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Colour Purple specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Colour Purple specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer However Celie made it work for her, she started making money and became independent as she was making her own money now. I am as Mary O Connor quoted an extract by Gates, Celie writes herself into being. This shows a change amongst Celie showing she believes in herself whereas before at the beginning of the novel she crossed I am out and replaced it with I have. Celie making trousers may have given here this power because they are often looked at as a symbol of freedom for women. Within the context of the time period in the novel, women wearing trousers would have been looked upon as rebellious which itself gives that person a form of power. This however was not true for Albert; after Celie left him he became a mess. He locked himself in the house and Harpo had to go and get him out. Albert, probably shocked that Celie had actually left him later became a changed man who Celie began to like as he was into all kinds of new things like nature. We also find Albert used to sew with his mother, something Celie and Albert now have in common. He says people used to laugh at him and Celie said, well, nobody gon laugh at you now here help me stitch in these pockets. We now see that Albert has started to respect Celie and doesnt just look at her as his own property, took me long enough to notice you such good company. Mary OConner says that Alphonsos exhortation towards Celie at the beginning of the novel gave her a way out. He threatens Celie that she cannot tell anyone what he had done to her apart from god. He tells her she can tell god but no one else or he will kill her mother, you better not never tell nobody but god. Itd kill your mammy. Through the threat from Alphonso, Celie may feel he has power not only over her but also over her loved ones as her mothers life is at risk, as shown by O Connor speaking would be an act of murder, a matricide. By giving Celie the right to write to god he had given her a way out and saved her from becoming insane or mentally ill. Although she cannot tell another person, she has someone to confide in and to share her problems with. The threat from Alphonso supports Stuarts perception that men are mostly troublesome, sometimes cruel. Alphonso here has shown a psychological strength because by threatening her, hes forced her into not speaking to other people about any of her problems and teaching her to keep all her problems to herself. However he is not aware that Celie writing to god allows her to offload and share her problems with someone other than herself. O Connor says that Celies existence to be denied this explains that in her rape experience and also in the fact that she has a lack of voice she is therefore not able to share her bad experience with anyone. However I think she is able to express her feelings through writing so is therefore giving herself a voice and existence which goes against what O Connor states. Walker shows Alphonsos psychological power over Celie in the beginning of her writing letters. Celie crossed out I am. This is almost as if she is crossing herself out. She changes it to, I have always been a good girl. It seems that Celie is taking the blame for what Alphonso has done to her. This is the first time we see an authority figure abuse Celie which reinforces male dominance in her life. The rape not only shows physical power strength and power but also emotional authority, due to Celies naivety, for his own pleasure. Another time in the novel in which we see Alphonsos power over Celie is when he is trying to get rid of her by marrying her off. However its more like he is selling her as they barter, he even throws in a cow. This again relates back and shows how black females in this time period were still being treated as slaves. O Connor tells us her feminist analysis is interested in the voices, as its a male dominated conversation where Celie only gets in a few words on a highly important decision which can affect her whole life. Here Alphonso shows his total power over Celie and the fact that not only does he control her life now, but he also controls her future and how or who she will spend it with. The fact that she cannot decide herself who she wants to marry takes all control away from her. Throughout this Celies voice is absent, and even when its important decisions about her own life she still seems to have no voice. Religion to the lives of the people in the novel was not the sanctuary it might have been according to Mary OConner, Alphonso gave Celie one way out perhaps the result of some dialogical residue of his Christian culture. However Celie received a beating after church, cause he say I winked at a boy in church. The colour purple itself is a symbol of violence which runs throughout the novel as its the colour of bruises. However it can also portray authority as its the colour of royalty. Walker symbolises power through this quote, womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender. This tells us Walker thinks womanism as a stronger form or feminism as the colour purple is brighter than lavender. Shug tells us that the colour purple is everywhere and that God has used this colour to portray beauty, I think it pisses God off if you walk pass the colour purple in a field somewhere and dont notice it. It can also be said that Gods love for this colour made black people in this complexion as in one of Netties first letters to Celie when she arrives in Africa she talks about the Senegalese peoples skin, So and so is blacker than black, hes blueblack. Celies getting married and it looks as if shes getting away from Albert and also from the abuse and suffering. However we find its going to be the same life for her its just a different set of males throwing and shouting abuse at her, The children be outside the room peeking through the cracks. It all I can do not to cry. I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. Thats how come I know trees fear man. We can see how unhappy Celie really is, she explains she trys to make herself like wood so that they cannot affect or hurt her anymore. Another section of power in the novel is the physical domination of the women. Celie being a black woman is disadvantaged as not only is she looked upon as a slave but she is also dominated by the male authorities in the novel. She suffers at the hands of men. We can therefore argue that the emancipation proclamation of the post civil war era freed men but not the women because the male authority then saw the woman as their slave which is how Celie is treated by both Albert and Alphonso, we see this when Albert does not get off his horse to meet Celie but also speaks about her in third person, Hes still on his horse. He look me up and down. This shows us his power over her. Alphonso treats Celie like a slave. He shows no respect towards her, from this we can learn that men are not in Celies heart which is why I agree with what Andrea Stuart says, Rather like the weather, men are part of womens (usually) hostile environment, a perennial force to be dealt with daily, but not the centre of their emotional existence. Another male figure that dominates over Celie is Albert. The main and the most obvious way we can see Albert dominates is that Celie does not call him by his name, she calls him Mr. This gives us evidence Albert controls the relationship. This again links back to slavery as slaves would not call their master or owner by their first name. When Albert went to see Celie he did not get down from his horse showing more power due to the fact he is higher and therefore in a higher position than she is, He still on his horse. He look me up and down. Another view of Celie as a slave is the fact that no loving relationship exists, it seems like Celie is there to cook, clean, look after the kids and Alberts needs, so therefore he just uses her, Mr clam on top of me, do his business. She says do his business. From this we see its for Albert and that Celie is being used like a piece of meat and gets no pleasure out of it, He abuses her physically and verbally, humiliates her publicly, and is responsible for her decades-long separation from her much loved sister Nettie. Celie doesnt say anything she lets Albert get on with it, Mary OConnor says, Celies voice would seem to be absent from this account of male voices around her. I also agree with Mary O Connor at this point in the novel, I think Celie had lost her voice from the time Alphonso had told her to write to God but not to tell anyone. However later in The Colour Purple we find that Celie with help from Shug regains her voice, takes a stand and calls Albert by his name and threatens him. She later leaves with Shug and her full confidence back. Albert acts totally different in the two relationships he is in, with Celie he dominates and controls the relationship however in the relationship Albert and Shug share he is the opposite. Shug controls what happens and Albert does anything she tells him to. This also shows us the difference in character of Celie and Shug, Celie is easily controlled but Shug is a strong character. One critics view is some women wear pants; and some of the men wear dresses. Mary OConnor is telling us that in some relationships women can rule and have the men listening to what they say and do as they tell them, this is defiantly true for Shug. We also see that when Albert is with Celie he wears the pants but when hes with Shug he would appear to be wearing the dress. Another relationship where the woman dominates is between Sofia and Harpo. Sofia has total control over their relationship, she holds the power and it seems Harpo hates this. On the other hand it may not be that he hates it but the pressure from society forces him to act in certain ways. Tony Brown says, Love has been drained out by the brutality of a society panic-stricken over black masculinity. This gives us the idea that culture is the main reason for the need to hold power. Harpo is an example of this violence in society, for example when his mother was killed by her boyfriend in front of him. He associates being dominant as a way of asserting himself. He wants the power in the relationship because he has seen the way his father holds the power in his relationship with Celie. We know Harpo wants the power as Sofia tells us once he git on top me I think bout how thats where he always want to be. Harpo confides in Celie and asks what he should do, Celie tells Harpo to beat Sofia to gain control. This advice is surprising but coming from Celie can be understood because she has suffered abuse all her life and she is used to it. Its all she knows and therefore she believes its normal. Power and the placement of it is also shown in the African part of the novel and it is through these tribes we are able to compare Celie with the traditional African way of life. The Olinkas, one of the main tribes that are introduced to us, hold the power of life and death over their wives. The men are also looked upon as better than women in the tribe. The structure of power in that who holds it and who doesnt in the tribe is also shown in Celies life through her being raped and that fact she is not able to enjoy sex with her partner Albert, I know what he doing to me he done to Shug Avery and maybe she like it. The fact that she cannot enjoy it may be cause by Celies feelings and emotions towards males as she has been abused by them all her life. This is supported by Stuarts view that men are never the source of emotional sustenance or long term happiness for women. However this is does not seem true for Shug as she looks happy with her male partners, this may be because she always seems to have control over her relationships. In conclusion I can say that in the beginning of The Colour Purple it is the men who hold all the power, however as new characters are introduced it is slightly more balanced as Shug and Sofia speak there mind and stand up to any man. Also later Celie and Squeak both stand up for themselves, they take control of the situation but also take away the power from the men and hold it themselves. At the beginning of the novel Celie writes to God, she then starts writing to her sister Nettie, this shows a change in her and in the end all her hopes pay off as she breaks away from her abusing husband and lives with her family; her sister Nettie and her kids with Shug.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Television Sending the Wrong Message essays

Television Sending the Wrong Message essays Television: Sending the Wrong Message Everyday, human beings make assumptions by what they can see physically. Even in the supermarkets, they distinguish good products from bad products based on how those products look. Being a human, I would say we are apt to choose good-looking products because they don't have flaws, cracks, and bruises. Those "good" products are shaped nicely, colored and look great. Moreover, we assume those products to have good qualities and good tastes. However, we pick things because of their beauty. This is due to human nature. Part of the development of human nature is brought on through television. Since people judge human beings based on how they look, it is called discrimination. Unfortunately, the society we live in benefits beautiful people more than physically unattractive people who could end up with better qualities. Therefore, advantages enjoyed by those beautiful people are countless. We like to expect to be treated equally, but we are not treated as the same in the real world. I believe judging people based on their appearance only disadvantages those people. Success must depend on effort, talent, and intelligence. As long as we can't stop discriminating against people based on appearance, we can't achieve positive opportunity and real success. There is the question of how to change the system of unfair treatment based on appearance. Watching commercials on television, lots of people have had cosmetic surgery on their skin. Some religious beliefs teach their people that altering their body is profane because bodies are gifts from god. However, cosmetic surgery introduces us to cutting edge technologies. People have surgery performed simply to improve their appearance. Some Americans believe gaining acceptance in society is by looking a certain way. The benefits for those people are success in their careers, marriage with rich men, and more chances to bec ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Case Study Of A Leadership Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Of A Leadership - Case Study Example Various leaders often possess different traits thereby imposing their rulings as well as operations differently. While others are born leaders, some leaders tend to use coercion as a strategy for leadership making them an enemy of the people who are left to their mercies but have to follow by default. Leaders rule based on their leadership styles that vary depending on each leader. Basing on their leadership styles, some leaders are a friend of the people and a real idol to their followers who see them as role models such as re-known African leader Nelson Mandela. On the hand, some leaders are a pain to the people as they abuse power by forcefully dictating rules making people loathe their leadership style. A perfect example of this is world’s famous African leader Idi Amini popularly referred to as Dictator Idi Amini. Leaders all over the world are governed by specific traits that determine their leadership skills and style of leadership. Bearing in mind the fact that a leader is a force behind many decisions guiding a bigger fraction of people, a good leader has to be emotionally upright so as to be in a perfect position to make wise decisions as well as straight rulings. Having been down the responsibility of ruling many people all of whom share different thoughts, perceptions, and ideologies, a good leader has to be able to put up with all their people, welcome views, suggestions, as well as ideas from all irrespective of their status in the society. A leader’s personal judgments should, therefore, be concealed and not be a reflection of their thoughts in the public domain. Leadership comes with feelings of mixed reactions and is bound to face criticism as well as opposition from various quarters hence a leader should be able to welcome critics and positively dissolve views from those i n opposition.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Study Skills & Academic Enrichment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Study Skills & Academic Enrichment - Essay Example On this note, I feel that the institution will provide me with a better learning environment where I can develop both academically and enrich my talents. One of the things that my former school taught me is the value of integrated learning in academic success. I learnt how to use both play and studies to prepare succeed in academics. While it is crucial for learners to optimize on instructional teaching, the ability to mould an all-round character is crucial. Sports makes a person’s mind more complete helping them to remain physically healthy that is important for academic concentration. In UCSB, a wide range of social and sports activities are available for students to participate in. The institution encourages every student to enroll in these characters so that they have an all-round experience. The institution offers students the opportunity to discover their parents. As an athlete, I feel comfortable to enjoy the same talent improvement that I enjoyed in the previous school (Utotherescue Para. 1-4). I feel that I still have a dream in succeeding in athlete along my academic achievement. In UCSB where talent improvement is encouraged, I feel that it is the best environment to develop my sporting skills. In my former school, I was great fan of research as part of my study methods. The school emphasized on the need for students to engage in research to build on their knowledge and to enrich their learning skills. A well-equipped library was available for the students to find research materials of their choice at any time. I had developed a culture of spending my evening studies in the libraries making research on a wide range of subjects. This skill has helped me in acquiring comfort in UCSB. UCSB has a culture of research and encourages the students to utilize their time in developing research skills. The school upholds this culture and encourages young learners to

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Lebanon Crises (1958) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Lebanon Crises (1958) - Term Paper Example In Lebanon, the big problem was the fragile nature of the social and political structure of the country. Lebanon was a multi-confessional state with Christians and Muslims sharing power. The new Government appointed by President Chamoun in 1956 seemed to tilt more towards the West. On January 5, 1957, President Eisenhower appeared before Congress to announce a new US policy for the Middle East. He asked Congress to pass a resolution authorizing economic assistance and the use of US forces to prevent a Communist takeover in the Middle East (Meo 132-144). Lebanon was the only Arab country to announce publicly its support for the doctrine. The decision by President Chamoun to endorse the new US policy, and accept aid under the terms of the Middle East Resolution, caused a major foreign policy rift between the Government and the opposition in Lebanon and led to the formation of the united National Front, an opposition grouping composed of Muslims and Christians (Meo 132-144) This rift coincided with Chamoun's plans to amend the electoral law before the elections in June 1957. The passage of the new law increased the number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and had a direct impact on the outcome of the elections, outside influences also affected the outcome. The United States provided covert funds for pro-Government candidates, while Egypt and Syria supported and funded the opposition (Eveland 248-250). Since assuming the Presidency, Camille Chamoun had made a determined effort to destroy the power of the feudal landowners who formed the backbone of the Lebanese political system.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Religious Freedom and the US Constitution

Religious Freedom and the US Constitution In America, one of the greatest civil rights we have is that of religious freedom. This, along with several others are granted to all citizens no matter where in the country they live, what country they are originally from or what religion they chose to practice. In light of the attacks on America, in September 2011 there are those who have claimed that they are no longer allowed to freely practice their religion freely; that they are persecuted by those who are supposed to uphold the laws, however there is no concrete proof to back up these claims. What has happened, whether due to these claims or not are laws being passed to solve a problem that actually doesnt exist (Asam Uddin). When reading the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment reads Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances How does this affect federalism? The question that comes to mind is: does federalism truly support religious freedom for all and if so what impact does it have? For this, Id like to use the case of county clerk Kim Davis, of Rowan County, KY who refused to sign marriage certificates for same sex couples and sighted her own religious beliefs as a reason. Miss Davis was sued by many couples who she refused to give a license to and in Miller v Davis, (ACLU, 2017) she was ordered to issue the licenses and when she defied that order was jailed for five days. Miss Davis asked that her name be removed from the license and a law was passed that allowed for a marri age certificate with no clerks signature. This case made huge headlines and since it was also during the 2016 presidential campaign was made an even bigger issue, in the end Miss Davis won her battle, if it can be called a battle, against having to issue marriage certificates with her name and names of other clerks in the Kentucky county clerk office to couple of the same sex. The debate that followed Miss Davis refusal to issue marriage certificates ran the gamut on both sides. For many years same sex couples have been seeking to be recognized as legal unions with the same benefits and protections offered to the traditional male, female union, According to Corvin and Gallagher, 2012, for the first time in May of 2011, the gallop poll showed a small majority of Americans favored legalizing same sex marriage, with 53% for and 45% against. What is hotly contested is that marriage is between a man and a woman, however in this book; both authors have differing views with Corvin for same sex marriage and Gallagher firmly against. The negative impact of religious freedom in this case is that because of where miss Davis and others like her work, or even other businesses who now must service openly gay people, is that they are forced to go against their own beliefs and issue same sex marriage licenses or provide service to same sex couples. This impacts people all across this country even if they are not as vocal as Miss Davis was. Most cannot afford to lose their jobs so they remain silent hoping that somehow things will change. Unfortunately the change those people are hoping for may not come to fruition unless they themselves take a stand and then live with whatever the outcome is. The positive impact of this case is the ruling that a bill was passed where one single marriage license form is used for all couples, heterosexual and gays, the county clerks names are no longer on the licenses and those applying can check bride, groom or spouse. Also, unless one volunteers to sign as a notary public, that is not a requirement either. This satisfies both the request for a marriage license by gays and no names being required on the licenses for people such as Miss Davis. In this case, all concerned can still work without infringing on their own religious freedoms while doing so. The most significant impact in this case is the compromise that was reached. Society has taught us that marriage is traditionally between a man and a woman and although now the issue of same sex marriage is out in the open, for decades couples have lived together as an unrecognized marital unit. Some lived in fear because that lifestyle was frowned upon and others just simply lived together and if asked claimed the person as a family member. Is it right to have to live in fear? The answer any sane person would give is no, yet that is exactly how many gay couples have lived. With the event of legalizing same sex marriage and offering the same benefits and protections as a man and woman couple, many have finally chosen to come out in the open. They now faced other challenges such as the one in Kentucky where they were unable to get married. The issue that most people believe was not taken into consideration was how others would react to legalizing same sex marriage. On the one hand it is good for those who felt as if they were living on the fringes of society, shunned for who and what they were and having no support. On the other hand, for the majority who feels that marriage is between a man and a woman, this posed a huge acceptance problem. Is it now fair for these very people to go against everything they have been taught since childhood and engrained in their very core that anything other than a man and a woman was wrong as a married couple is wrong? Now, at least in Kentucky, no longer will the county clerks have to worry about that particular issue. It has been settled by the bill that was signed by the governor. Still, there is the business side of things; however, businesses must make a profit to survive so they are working on that without involving the courts. No person should ever have to go against their own religious beliefs to appease someone else but we live in a world that is evolving and to survive, we too must evolve. Doesnt mean we must go again st our beliefs, it only means we must find ways to compromise without infringing on someone elses first amendment rights. In conclusion, when it comes to freedom of religion, we all have the inherent right to practice our religion without fear of retaliation against us. As with everything there are positive and negative aspects and impacts. No single person should feel persecuted or discriminated against because of their religious beliefs and no person should have to go against their religious beliefs to appease the masses. The issue discussed was same sex marriage and even though it is still not widely accepted by society, as a whole, society will have to learn to make compromises because without compromise, people in the LGBT community will find themselves being discriminated against whether it is intentional or unintentional and that in and of itself is a shame we all must live with. References Academic Freedom and the First Amendment in the Supreme Court. Retrieved from  scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1751context=facpubs Asma Uddin, The First Amendment: Religious Freedom for All, Including Muslims, 20 Wash.   Lee J. Civ. Rts. Soc. Just. 73 (). Available at: http://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/crsj/vol20/iss1/9 John Corvino-Maggie Gallagher (2012). Debating Same-Sex Marriage. New York: Oxford  University Press. http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/14/kentucky-clerk-kim-davis-just-officially-won-the-same-sex-marriage-license-battle/ Miller v. Davis | American Civil Liberties Union ACLU. Retrieved February 19, 2017, from  https://www.aclu.org/cases/miller-v-davis

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Tony Earley :: essays research papers

Memory and Imagination within Human Experience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tony Earley delves into his own memories in his book, Somehow Form a Family. In the introduction, he instructs the reader on the purpose of narrative form, defines a personal essay, and reveals the true nature of creative nonfiction. In the ten essays that follow, he provides sketches of the events and people who shaped his life. Earley focuses on a different bit of common ground in each story, giving his readers everything they need to know within a relatively short span of pages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The uses of discernable facts, such as actual places, names, past events and past conversations, add elements of authenticity to Earley’s writings. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the name Bill Ledbetter, to the numerous shows he watched throughout his adolescence, Earley presents these facts to the reader in order to tether the woven script to a tangible source. He repeats these facts over and over within each story, reflecting again and again on personal memories. Memory and imagination, Earley states, â€Å"seem to me the same human property, known by different names.† Earley makes this important point as he reflects on the individual’s ability to perceive an event uniquely due to imagination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Miracles are not uncommon within Earley’s vivid memories. The imagination prevalent within his work reflects his own willingness to accept the supernatural into his reality. Earley relishes in his memories, now infused with the essence of his own imagination:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first time I attended the Episcopal Church in my hometown with a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  girlfriend, I was shocked by the complexity of the melodies the organist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  played, by the sheer, tuneful competence of the singing. Until then I don’t   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  think I knew it was possible to worship God in cadences and keys actually   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  indicated in a hymnal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the years since I left, Rock springs has added air-conditioning and a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sound system and a fellowship hall, but has changed little in one important   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  way: the congregation still sings out of green, dog-eared copies of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1940 Broadman Hymnal. Though I heard the songs in the Broadman sung   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  well only once a year, on Homecoming, the third Sunday in May, when   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the church overflowed with visitors and our musical shortcoming were   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  hidden inside a joyful noise, they have always been the songs I love best.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would be hard-pressed to recall even a single sentence from the hundreds   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of sermons I heard growing up

Monday, November 11, 2019

Relationships controlled assessment Essay

On the other hand, Slim’s relationship with Crooks exhibits a number of crucial aspects such as the fact that he uses Crook’s name when mentioning or conversing with him: ‘sure, Crooks’. This indicates that Slim, unlike the rest of the ranch men, possesses morals which prevent him from abusing Crooks in the same manner as them. This is due to the merciful and benevolent character which Slim is reputable for in the ranch. Steinbeck displays Crooks’ attitude towards Slim as respectful but servile due to the formal way in which Crooks addresses him: ‘Mr Slim’. However, Crook’s formal manner towards Slim can also be viewed as a protective mechanism because he knows exactly where he stands in the white society, therefore, he is formal in order to live up to the expectations of the relationships between black and white people, and to protect himself from their wrath. Furthermore, through the use of ‘That won’t do them no good’, Steinbeck contextualises Crooks as wise and intelligent, and conjures the theme of a ‘silent protest’ as Crooks does not verbalise his direct opinion of ‘you are wrong’ and ‘I know more than you’ because he completely accepts his status within the ranch. Adverbs such as ‘quietly’ are used in reference to the way Crooks entered the bunkhouse to emphasise that Crooks understands that he is inferior to white people, so he must maintain his distance from them despite the fact that he longs for their companionship and friendship due to his intense loneliness. This is emphasised further by ‘put his head in’ which displays the concrete barrier separating black and white people, and the fact that Crooks comprehends that he must not cross this barrier in order to prevent his life from being snatched away from him. Moreover, Crook’s eyes are ‘patient’, revealing that patience is a regime for him within the ranch and he has grown accustomed to it. The relationship between Crooks and Lennie is by far the most captivating of all relationships. It is quite different to the relationships between Crooks and the other characters due to a range of distinct reasons; the main reason stemming from Lennie and his innocent mind. Steinbeck deliberately uses Lennie as the first white man to speak to Crooks and enter his room, with the intention of highlighting the possibilities of unity between black and white people, as Lennie is incapable of developing prejudiced views about people. He cannot judge them by the colour of their skin or by their status due to his stunted mind; he simply sees them as human beings. This accumulates the idea that racism and discrimination is instilled within people, they are not born to hate. In addition, repetition of ‘light’ symbolises hope and a pathway to freedom for Crooks, and Lennie himself represents a key to unlock the door of hope and freedom within Crook’s being. ‘light’ also represents purity, and due to Lennie’s pure and innocent nature, he is drawn to this light like a magnet which pulls towards it what it is attracted to and sees friendship with another man at the end of that light. Furthermore, Steinbeck creates pathos and sympathy towards Crooks when he repeats ‘i have a right’ because it emphasises the very few precious rights Crooks has and his struggle to cling onto each and every one of them dearly. In addition, pathos is created with Crook’s confession as we realise that Crooks had lived the ‘Dream’ before, but it was taken away from him due to the taboo of racism and the fear of his rights taken away from him similarly to his dream. In addition, Crooks constantly refers to his rights because his pride gets in his way, he cant go into the bunkhouse so why should he allow white men to enter his property whenever they wish? Crooks and Candy’s relationship conveys that racism exists even amongst the mere outsiders themselves, in this case the older generation (Candy). Upon arrival at Crook’s door, Candy deliberately doesn’t enter as he is aware of the taboo which this could cause. He is cautious of the fact that mingling with a black man would be deeply frowned upon by the white society which refrains him from entering straight away like lennie: ‘he made no attempt to enter’ despite the fact that he wants some company, even if its from a ‘nigger’. This denotes the degree of loneliness which is experienced by predominantly all of the ranch men. Candy asks Crooks if he’s ‘seen Lennie’ and Crooks casually replies ‘ya mean the big guy? ‘ which reiterates the bitter truth of the fact that under other circumstances; they would be very close friends as they both have a great deal in common, such as the fact that they both don’t fit into the society comfortably. furthermore, Candy looks into the room ‘blindly’ as he is unable to see the hope and purity as clearly as lennie. Also due to racism, foul treatment towards crooks, and the fact that he sides with the oppressors rather than the oppressed, Candy’s heart has formed a sinful barrier which obscures his vision from viewing the elements of purity protruding from Crook’s room. Eventually, Candy is invited into Crook’s room and he walks in ’embarrassed’ in contrast to the way Lennie entered which indicates that he is well aware the taboo, yet he somehow finds it shameful that he hasn’t spoken against it for all these years; and now he is being invited into Crook’s room by Crooks himself. Candy takes it upon himself to develop his relationship with Crooks by introducing the dream to him, this makes Crooks hopeful especially when money is mentioned: ‘you say you got the money? ‘ and for a split second, Crooks sees a chance of a better future for himself:’ if you†¦ guys would want a hand’ he seizes the chance to probe them further into letting him participate in their dream, however Steinbeck uses ellipses to generate the idea that Crooks is an intelligent man and he is still wary of his place in the white society, so he is careful with his words and with the level of trust that he shows towards Candy. Alternatively, a sharp reality check is created upon the entrance of Curley’s wife and George into Crook’s room. Steinbeck brings in Curleys wife just when Crooks is beginning to turn over a new leaf with white people to lure him back to reality and erase any glimmer of hope which he may have experienced about ever reaching the same level as white people. Her sudden entrance and elimination of hope through one short yet sharp statement: ‘any of you boys seen curley? ‘ creates a sense of pathos for Crooks as he only had hope for a few seconds, yet she managed to steal even that from him just as quickly; depicting her dominance and control over him as a white woman and also how unpredictable life can be. She also stand ‘still in the doorway’ meaning she blocks his pathway to escaping the torture he endures, and she blocks out his hopes and dreams. Furthermore, Crooks switches to attacking her with his standard defence mode ‘you got no right’ when she becomes exceedingly insulting, however when she snaps back with ‘you know what i can do to you if you open your trap’ he stares ‘hopelessly’ at her indicating that for a split second, he believed that he may have gained control over her. in addition, Crooks ‘drew into himself’ and returned to his usual servile manner: ‘yes maam’ as a way of confirming that he now knows where he stands in the white society and he knows that in order to survive, he must make himself invisible in order to stay out of trouble’s way. Similarly, George stands ‘framed in the doorway’- he, as the leader of this dream permanently blocks the significant doorway as a way of concluding that Crooks can never be part of them, except that Crooks withdraws before he is refrained from joining due to his pride which prevents him from being downgraded: ‘well just forget it’. Moreover, Steinbeck refers to the door again: ‘Crooks looked at the door’ symbolising that just as lennie had brought hope into his life, that hope had been robbed from him when Lennie departed, leaving Crooks to resume his life as usual, as if nothing had happened. to conclude, Steinbeck presents and develops the relationships between Crooks and other characters as very complex and each of them explores a different theme. however, the theme of racism is present within nearly all of the relationships apart from with lennie. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Key Players in Curriculum Development Essays

Key Players in Curriculum Development Essays Key Players in Curriculum Development Essay Key Players in Curriculum Development Essay Axia College Material Appendix E Fill in the table by describing the role and influence each group has on curriculum. Some may have direct influence and some may have indirect influence. Identify whether their influence deals with selecting, maintaining, or evaluating the curriculum and in what ways they participate in that process. The first answer is provided as an example. Key Players in Curriculum Development Key PlayersRole and Influence on Curriculum Federal GovernmentThe federal government passes federal legislations, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, to which schools must measure up. NCLB mandates can directly influence the curriculum in schools. They mostly influence the selection of curriculum. StateThe state determines what the students should learned based upon grade level and also selects the materials to be used in order for them to learn. They give guidance through teacher aid material to help the teachers know how to present the material to the classroom such as syllabi or other documents created for each subject. DistrictThe district also plays a key role in supporting and evaluating whether the curriculum mandated by the state standards is being met. Districts may evaluate each grade level to ensure the curriculum is being presented effectively and the standards for each grade is being met. The main role of the district is ensuring the implementation of the set curriculum. SchoolThe school’s role is to present the materials given by the state and district to the teacher and ensure the curriculum is being taught in the classroom. Schools must make sure the student’s state standard of learning is being met and that the teachers are being held accountable in the classroom. TeacherThe teacher’s role has little control but probably the most responsibility. It is their role to ensure the students’ success as a learner. They must also evaluate the curriculum and materials given to them and make recommendations for changes hat may help students to be more successful. They must give positive and negative feedback so that the curriculum choices can be a constant improvement in the educational system. CommunityWhile the community does not have a direct role in the choosing of the curriculum, they do play a role in the allocation of funds through tax dollars. They play a role in voting for members who make the decisions about the curric ulum but control whether there is an increase in funding for schools based on their success.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Why Did Enron Collapse

Enron was one of the world’s largest electricity, natural gas, and broadband trading companies, with revenues of over $100 billion until its crash in the fall of 2001. Enron’s strategic intent was to become the blue-chip energy and communication company of the 21st century through its business efforts in four core areas: Enron Wholesale Services, Enron Broadband Services, Enron Energy Services, and Enron Transportation Services. Enron management claimed that each of these business units supported the company’s vision of â€Å"offering a wide range of physical, transportation, financial and technical solutions to thousands of customers around the world.† But Enron’s aspirations of becoming the leader in the energy and communications came to a screeching halt because of a strategy that was flawed by unethical behavior mainly GREED. But how does a corporation that becomes so successful become so greedy? I am of the opinion that the main reason was due to the corporate strategy that was implemented that was more concerned with the continuing growth of stock prices instead of looking at the long run. In the following paragraphs it is shown what constitutes a good strategy and examples of what went wrong. We can start of by saying that a good corporate strategy is one that is shaped by management having an ethical view of external and internal considerations. External considerations include societal, political, regulatory, and community factors along with competitive conditions and overall industry attractiveness; a company’s market opportunities and threats. External considerations on the other hand are of great importance in today’s business world due to the global market that exists. Primary internal considerations are company strengths, weaknesses, and competitive capabilities; managers’ personal ambitions, philosophies, and ethics; and the company’s culture and shared values. Internal considerations have ... Free Essays on Why Did Enron Collapse Free Essays on Why Did Enron Collapse Enron was one of the world’s largest electricity, natural gas, and broadband trading companies, with revenues of over $100 billion until its crash in the fall of 2001. Enron’s strategic intent was to become the blue-chip energy and communication company of the 21st century through its business efforts in four core areas: Enron Wholesale Services, Enron Broadband Services, Enron Energy Services, and Enron Transportation Services. Enron management claimed that each of these business units supported the company’s vision of â€Å"offering a wide range of physical, transportation, financial and technical solutions to thousands of customers around the world.† But Enron’s aspirations of becoming the leader in the energy and communications came to a screeching halt because of a strategy that was flawed by unethical behavior mainly GREED. But how does a corporation that becomes so successful become so greedy? I am of the opinion that the main reason was due to the corporate strategy that was implemented that was more concerned with the continuing growth of stock prices instead of looking at the long run. In the following paragraphs it is shown what constitutes a good strategy and examples of what went wrong. We can start of by saying that a good corporate strategy is one that is shaped by management having an ethical view of external and internal considerations. External considerations include societal, political, regulatory, and community factors along with competitive conditions and overall industry attractiveness; a company’s market opportunities and threats. External considerations on the other hand are of great importance in today’s business world due to the global market that exists. Primary internal considerations are company strengths, weaknesses, and competitive capabilities; managers’ personal ambitions, philosophies, and ethics; and the company’s culture and shared values. Internal considerations have ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Environmental Racism and Justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Racism and Justice - Research Paper Example During the 19th century, the pollution of the Matanza-Riachuelo began, but unfortunately the matter has become extremely critical, and even dangerous. A catastrophe that will affect people’s health is bound to occur and this is according to the General of the Nation Auditor. Also, the matter cannot be governed, as there are no policies of a public nature, which exist. Three jurisdictions have the mandate of taking care of this matter, thus the reasons why complications have arisen. The population is at risk of suffering greatly, due to the consequences of the Matanza-Riachuelo river basin (Hoshaw, 2008). The environment has not been spared either, as it is degrading fast and its improvement is being hampered. Society will benefit if the river basin is well taken care of. The judges of this court issue, further want to make sure that a healthy environment exists. The government has the responsibility of ensuring that a constitutional mandate exists concerning this matter. All t he companies, which have been implicated in this matter, must provide information concerning the contents in the river and what they have dumped. They should make available their insurance, as well as the treatment used to treat the pollution in accordance to the country’s law on the environment. In environmental racism, often decision making opportunities are not offered to communities who are affected by pollution (Hoshaw, 2008). In the case of pollution of the river basin at Matanza-Riachuelo, environmental racism occurred.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The woman In US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The woman In US - Research Paper Example Yoshiko Chuma was originally born at Osaka in Japan. Chuma migrated to America in the year of 1978 and hence forth, her struggle with life and at the same platform, the struggle to establish her thoughts, beliefs, perceptions and conceptions regarding the aesthetic features and stylistics of modern dance commenced. In the pursuit of her dreams, she arrived in America and started her career from Manhattan. Her stay in America and her dedication towards her work made her a leader in modern American dance within a very short span of time. In 1998, she almost made the world spell bound by her scintillating performance in Astoria Pools in Queens. She tried to recreate and stage an audience-participatory performance art named â€Å"swim-dance†. Her pieces, which are Avant –Grade include â€Å"Sundown†, a marvelous performance that takes seven long hours. â€Å"Sundown† is an exposition of cubism and is mounted at the Issue Project Space in the year of 2006. This is a quite unconventionality as an artist as Ms. Chuma prefers to walk apart the queue. Dance for Ms Chuma is more than an art, it is an expression and a platform to say things unsaid, feel things never felt and she bears the witness of an entire period framed in a time in which she grew up. Ms Chuma said, â€Å"The majority goes one way, and I’m always kind of biting my finger.† In her words, â€Å"I don’t want to go in that group, and I don’t know why. My generation in Japan might have something to do with it. We are postwar children, and probably some of my childhood is hitting this landscape. Nobody would choose this space for a dance performance† (Kourlas, â€Å"For Dance, a Cubism of a Different Sort†). â€Å"The area reminds me of a painting of Brooklyn, maybe from the 70’s,† she continued. â€Å"It’s not very clean. Manhattan is totally clean now. I think, I want to introduce audiences to this difficult

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Personal Learning Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Learning Management - Assignment Example This application will use a methodology known as Object Oriented Programming where each object in the system can process the data and interact with the other objects. The benefit of this methodology is that it makes re-use of data through objects. It also is a collection of interacting objects that can be reviewed at any time (Batra, 2005). This methodology is also favorable since it creates instances within the application. This means that the programmer can place the data where it is not directly accessible to the rest of it. This application is split into different modules. The use of modules ensures that changes in one module do not necessarily affect the states of the others. The systematic approach of the software development life cycle (SDLC) ensures that timelines are conserved and the quality of the application is maintained. This purpose of this program is to prompt the user to input values of leaning items. These inputs will preferably be numerical. The program should use a function to save or store the information in a local database. The economic values the user will input should correspond to the items of learning. This can only happen when constraints are created to relate these two objects in the system. When these constraints are met then the user may save the information. The user should be able to re trieve the data stored in the system through a function in the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Understanding Economic Policy Reform Essay Example for Free

Understanding Economic Policy Reform Essay What is the point of loudly proclaiming reforms if these are not aimed at improving the well-being of a large majority of the population? And if that is their goal, why should reforms be unpopular? In many areas of policy, there may ex1 Quoted by Jose Maria Maravall in Luiz Carlos Bresser Pereira, Maravall, and Adam Przeworski (1993). â€Å" T ist â€Å"technical† uncertainty as to what the appropriate solution is to the problems at hand. Think of President Clinton’s health care plan, for example, or of global warming. Consequently, reforms will arouse opposition if they are viewed as applying the wrong fix or if they are perceived as being primarily redistributive (that is, zero-sum). What is remarkable about current fashions in economic development policy (as applied to both developing and transitional economies), however, is the extent of convergence that has developed on the broad outlines of what constitutes an appropriate economic strategy. This strategy emphasizes fiscal rectitude, competitive exchange rates, free trade, privatization, undistorted market prices, and limited intervention (save for encouraging exports, education, and infrastructure). Faith in the desirability and efficacy of these policies unites the vast majority of professional economists in the developed world who are concerned with issues of development. 2 2 The convergence is not complete of course. But compared to two decades ago, the various sides have moved substantially closer to each other. One indicator of this is the recent book by Bresser Pereira, Maravall, and Przeworski (1993), which advocates a â€Å"social democratic† approach. The views expressed in this book concede an inor- 9 10 Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. XXXIV (March 1996) we observe such instances of collective irrationality. The events of the last decade have underscored the need to understand the political-economy of policy making. One of the eventual consequences of the global debt crisis that erupted in 1982 was a wave of market-oriented economic reforms, the likes of which have never been seen. The reforms were strongest and most sustained in Latin America, where countries like Bolivia, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, and Brazil joined Chile in orthodoxy. But this was very much a global phenomenon. â€Å"Stabilization† and â€Å"structural adjustment† became the primary preoccupation of government leaders in Asia and Africa as well, even though the commitment to economic orthodoxy varied across countries and over time. These countries were in turn soon joined by the previously socialist economies of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Economists who had cut their teeth in Latin America’s economic quagmires became the advisors and analysts of these transitional economies. Even India, the giant archetype of a closed, import-substituting economy among developing countries, embarked on a process of economic liberalization in 1991 (see Jagdish Bhagwati 1993 and Arvind Panagariya 1994). These reforms were encouraging to economists and a vindication of sorts to those among them who had long advocated market-oriented reforms. But they in turn raise their own puzzles. Most fundamental of all, why are so many governments reforming now, after decades of adherence to policies of an opposite kind? This question poses a particularly important challenge to political economists: an understanding of these countries’ experiences now requires a theory that explains not only why seemingly dysfunctional policies had been initially un- Hence economists are often torn between two conflicting perspectives: on the one hand, good economic policy should produce favorable outcomes and therefore should prove also to be good politics; on the other hand, the implementation of good economic policy is often viewed as requiring â€Å"strong† and â€Å"autonomous† (not to say authoritarian) leadership. The experience of Chile, a country which has perhaps gone further than any other in implementing liberal economic policies, provides a good example. An essay on Chile’s reform strategy by Jose Pinera (1994), an economist and minister of labor and social security under General Pinochet, concludes: â€Å"[i]n the end, good policy is good politics† (p. 231). The irony is that most of the reforms the author glowingly discusses in the preceding pages required the suspension of normal politics and as heavy a dose of authoritarianism as seen anywhere. Good economics does often turn out to be good politics, but only eventually. Policies that work do become popular, but the time lag can be long enough for the relationship not to be exploitable by would-be reformers. In Chile’s case, free market policies (implemented after 1973) were eventually resoundingly endorsed in the presidential elections of 1989 and have become the envy of Latin America. 3 Conversely, bad economics can be popular, if only temporarily. President Alan Garcia’s popularity soared in Peru during his first two years in office (1985–86), thanks to expansionary fiscal policies whose medium-term unsustainability should have been obvious to anyone with common sense (see Ricardo Lago 1991). The puzzle is why dinate amount to the consensus view, and depart from it in remarkably few details. I will discuss this book in Section IV. 3 For a recent evaluation, see Barry Bosworth, Rudiger Dornbusch, and Ral Labn (1994). Rodrik: Understanding Economic Policy Reform dertaken and then maintained for so long, but also why these policies were suddenly abandoned en masse during the 1980s, often by the same politicians who had been among their most ardent supporters. Second, while the reforms were inspired at least in part by the East Asian experience, they took place much more quickly and, in many areas, are going considerably beyond those undertaken in East Asia. This raises the question of whether the new wave of reformers have internalized the correct lessons from the East Asian experience. Finally, are there any helpful rules for reformers to follow in guiding their policies through complicated political terrain? Can one hope to develop a â€Å"how-to† manual for the reformist politician? Puzzlement over such questions has led to a large and growing literature. A very short bibliography would include books by Merilee Grindle and John Thomas (1991), Robert Bates and Krueger (1993), Krueger (1993), Przeworski (1991), Ranis and Syed Mahmood (1992), Bresser Pereira, Maravall, and Przeworski (1993), Stephan Haggard and Robert Kaufman (1992), Dornbusch and Sebastian Edwards (1993), Haggard and Steven Webb (1994), Lance Taylor (1994), Williamson (1994), and Ian Little et al. (1993), not to mention countless papers. As this partial list indicates, both economists and political scientists have devoted their attention to these issues, often together in coauthored or coedited works. Indeed, no other area of economics or political science that I can think of has spawned so much interdisciplinary work. 5 In this essay, I will provide an econo4 One recent survey—Mariano Tommasi and Andres Velasco 1995—which overlaps with this one deserves special mention. 5 The litera ture on the economics of policy reform is of course even larger. For recent surveys, see Vittorio Corbo and Stanley Fischer (1995) and Rodrik (1995b). 1 mist’s perspective on the political economy of policy reform. I begin by examining the origins and analytical content of the new orthodoxy in development policy (Section II). I will focus here on two issues in particular which I feel remain in need of clarification. One of these concerns the distinction between (a) macroeconomic policies aimed at economic stability, such as fiscal, monetary, and exchange rate policies, and (b) liberalization policies aimed at structural reform and growth, such as the removal of relative-price distortions and the reduction of state intervention. It has become commonplace to conflate these two groups of policies, but for analytical purposes they are best kept apart. As we shall see, they also have different political-economy underpinnings. Moreover, maintaining the distinction reminds us that the consensus on what constitutes appropriate structural reform is based on much shakier theoretical and empirical grounds than is the consensus on the need for macroeconomic stability. The second issue concerns the appropriate lessons to be drawn from the experience of East Asian success stories. The new orthodoxy has tended to draw a somewhat biased picture that needs correction. Next, I will turn to the reforms of the 1980s and 1990s. This experience has opened an important window on the motivations of politicians, as well as on the nature of interactions between the economy and the polity. As indicated above, an important question is why so many countries have suddenly caught the reform bug. The confluence of economic crisis with reform has led to the natural supposition that crisis is the instigator of reform, a hypothesis that keeps reappearing in the literature and yet is inadequately analyzed.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Organizational Theories of Max Weber

The Organizational Theories of Max Weber Bureaucracy is a distinct concept within organizational settings since it exemplifies a working organizational design as per the ideologies of Max Weber. The principles of bureaucracy derive their basis from the organizational practices and theory. It is thus noted that Weber deduced that bureaucratic organizations conformed to streamlined organizational practices and constructs that improved productivity and efficiency. Diverse factors contributed to efficiency and productivity thus a rational career structure that typifies relations among positions. It is equally noted that such positions are arranged in reference to hierarchy thus according rights, responsibilities to the position within the hierarchy. It is noted that Weber stressed that current bureaucracies need to be managed in accordance to the stipulated rules, procedures and policies that can be learnt. Furthermore, a need arises to record events and transactions so that corrective measures can be initiated. In as much as t he current understanding of bureaucracy differs from Webers ideologies, it is crucial to exemplify its ideal characteristics, the roles of power and authority, the models weaknesses and potency. Bureaucracy as per the ideologies of Weber is characterized by specification of jobs consequently illuminating scope of authority, rights and responsibilities. It is crucial to understand the concept of job specification within the constraints of organizational theory since it highlights the strategies required to satisfactorily complete a task. Arguments by technocrats posit that specification of jobs accords a worker the right to engage in practices within the organization thus attaining stipulated objectives. It is also argued that Weber shunned the operational and tactical levels of an organization consequently focusing on the managerial levels thus limiting specialization (Du Gay, 2000). Authority is a distinct concept that exemplifies bureaucracy, it is thus crucial to deduce this concept by analysis of theoretical constructs and literature. First, authority is widely deduced as the legitimate use of power within the constraints of an organization. Such an organization needs to be defined by rules that enhance appropriate relations. Secondly, authority is derived from a position within an organization and not a person. Assumptions made indicate that for a person to reach a position of authority he or she must be subjected to scrutiny. This is with reference to seniority and skills; furthermore, this process should be conducted in a legitimate and organizational based manner. This will consolidate the position consequently making it simple to exercise authority. Another assumption pertaining to authority is that an individual may lose his or her authority, upon deviation from the norms established within an organization (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2008). This is part of the discipline process and adherence to the stipulated policies, laws and regulations. As illustrated in popular literature, power and authority assumes a personal dimension. This contradicts Webers ideologies on bureaucracy (Daft, 2007). Organizations are consequently urged to strive to enhance legitimate authority controlled by respect for personnel rights and responsibilities. Centralization is a key bureaucratic concept that needs to be explored by drawing reference to the organizational theory. This highlights the organizational level constructs which are cogent and indispensable for a functional bureaucracy. In order to explore this concept further, it is crucial to hypothesize the degree of specialization since it emphasizes distinct roles played by organizational members; thus, centralization refers to the extent to which such roles are correlated. This is by relations that draw their functionality from a familiar central position or set of positions with the ability to issue commands. Organizational theory and literature affirm that the degrees of centralization in organizations are different. This means that some organizations are more centralized thus they have a single center of command through which all decisions pass. This characterizes a typical bureaucracy thus indicating that possible deviations from this concept lack the spirit and letter of Webers ideologies. A key concept pertaining to centralization indicates that growth in bureaucracy is commensurate to increase in the level of centralization. However, when the level of centralization in an organization is high then the ability to communicate among the members is significantly diminished. This is because other aspects of the bureaucratic organizational design such as formalization and specialization are increasingly manifested (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2008). Additional key arguments pertaining to centralization indicate that large organizations with departments responsible for definite processes are habitually accorded the opportunity to make their own decisions. This means that when organizations become increasingly large, they decentralize in order to enhance competence and productivity. The classical theory provides insight thus comprehending the concept of centralization through reconciliation of the contrary requisites of centralization and decentralization to attain flexibility in the functioning of different constituents of an organization. Several theories and practices as pertains to public administration equally illuminate the concept of centralization. First, it is a move based on increased administrative competency consequently empowering leaders to engage in elaborate decision-making exercises. Secondly, centralization in the public sector is based on the need to provide uniform services to the people. This becomes simpler when the power to make decisions is with a well-defined position (Denhardt, 2007). Rules within the bureaucratic model constitute the formalization process. These are exemplified by processes or procedures that exemplify the goals and objectives of an organization. These rules are derived from written manuals, policy documents or job descriptions that indicate the rights, as well as the duties of personnel. The classical theory indicates that organizations that are more developed rely, on formal structures such as policies and rules, to achieve discipline and concerted efforts. This is because decision making authorities are unlikely to maintain discipline and control through observing the actions of employees. Furthermore, such actions will only result to conflicts and diminished levels of understanding. It is worth mentioning that Webers ideologies on rules are best exemplified when they are formally coded. The rules that specify tasks need to be distinct and specific; furthermore, they need to be achieved by formal categories of personnel who are qualified and c omprehend the nature of the tasks. Hierarchy is an important constituent of bureaucracy since it supports other organizational attributes such as specialization and centralization. Weber highlights a key constituent of hierarchy, which entails span of control and reporting process. This means that there should be a clear illustration of which leader or manager reports to whom. This enhances unity of command or direction consequently exemplifying the principles of management as fronted by Fayol (Daft, 2007). At this point, it is interesting to note that the characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy are related to the aspects fronted by Fayol with regards to the principles of management. In the event that spans of control are diminished thus the employees reporting to a supervisor are few then the hierarchy assumes a tall stature; furthermore, the vice versa is equally true. A key definitive principle of hierarchy indicates that it is an aspect of complex systems, which are likely to evolve rapidly when stable intermediar y forms are exemplified (Morgan, 1995). Diverse positions within a hierarchy require different qualifications; thus, the need to adopt a clear career structure. This means that personnel can only be promoted on the basis of seniority or distinguished performance within the organization. This will enhance the level of respect for the hierarchy within the organization. It is not forgotten that positions in a hierarchy are paid differently since they carry out different functions and roles. Supervision of personnel is a key concept in bureaucracy since it enhances growth of organizations. The process ensures that personnel act in accordance with the knowledge descriptions that exemplify their roles. Supervision as per the administrative theory fronted by Fayol enhances adherence to rules and technical specifications. It is crucial to highlight that supervision draws recognition for the hierarchy within an organization together with the sources of power. Grey and Willmott indicate that organizational supervision is the key to governance within an institution (Grey and Willmott, 2005). In order to accord the supervision process increased influence, it is crucial to train employees on requirements so that the supervision process does not seem like a learning process. Supervision and training reduces the problems that are associated with specialization within an organization thus the need to ensure they are included in organizational processes (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2008). Power and authority play distinct roles within an organization as exemplified by the bureaucracy model. It is notable that the cornerstone of any organization that enables it achieves its goals and objectives are the people. This means that power and authority focus on enhancing relations among people. This concept is further exemplified by the argument, which states that loyalty in an organization is directed towards a position and not personalities. This culminates in the impersonality of relations thus focusing on objectives and roles. An additional argument indicates that exercising power and authority in reference to Webers principles means that rules, directives, and discretion are applied uniformly (Daft, 2007). This is concerning definite situations in organizational settings. In the end, this positively influences organizational practices thus facilitating growth. Secondly, power and authority is instrumental in enhancing communication within an organization (Daft, 2007). This is concerning communication theories within organizations, which highlights that top leaders usually surround themselves with loyal executives. This is to stay in touch with events taking place within organizations. It is further acknowledged that authority makes it simple to issue directives to this effect. Furthermore, authority and power makes it simple to build alliances since it enhances unity in direction. Consider the following hypothesis; a management team that supports a leaders decisions and policies contribute to the alliance building within an organization. This ideology works in a reverse direction since lower-level managers can exercise greater authority. This enhances building alliances especially when they relate positively with their superiors. Empowerment is a theory explored within the organizational setting that differs significantly from Webers ideologies; however, technocrats argue that it exemplifies bureaucracy in light of the changing organizational environment. It entails pushing power and authority down the organization to enable the lower-level managers to achieve their target. This eventually contributes to the attainment of organizational goals and objectives (Daft, 2007). Power and authority in this scenario aids in the sharing of responsibilities and delegation of roles. In order to attain significant empowerment levels in an organization, it is crucial that, employees receive information concerning the performance of an organization. Secondly, employees need to draw sufficient power to make decisions (Daft, 2007). Thirdly, employees need to have abilities and skills to make use of the power accorded to them. Resource dependence as a theory exemplified during the 1970s exemplifies the role of power and authority in an organization (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2008). It states that these aspects define the organizational structure by highlighting organizational considerations. This theory departs from the traditional explanations that expound the formal structure. It is noted that this status is achieved when power and authority are utilized to maintain organizational autonomy. This eventually makes an organization stand out, upon comparison to other entities in the society. Power and authority necessitates a shift from productivity and efficiency as the sole determinants of the success of an organization. It exemplifies the fact that efficiency can only be attained when relevant entities exercise power so as to achieve control and command. It is thus reinstated that power and authority exemplifies an organizations structure making it distinct. This makes it stand out in the market, a facto r that contributes to success and proper positioning. It has been fronted within organizational settings that Fayols theory with regard to management functions can only be attained when power and authority are exercised with reference to bureaucracy. It is necessary to mention the management functions which include planning and control; furthermore, organizing and leading are equally crucial. These functions can only be attained when a leader, executive or related personnel within an organization can exercise authority consequently wielding substantive power. The strengths of organizations that are aligned to bureaucracy are best illustrated by the specialization of tasks. Literature indicates that this enables employees to gather skills on a particular activity within an organization consequently doing it well, upon comparison to job rotation which culminates in diminished specialization levels. It is thus noted that this model augments the efficiency with which tasks are handled in an organization. It is necessary to illustrate the Japanese theory of management, which advocates for job rotation and its effects on an organization (Grey and Willmott, 2005). This can be summarized as lack of specialization such that tasks are accomplished by persons who lack refined knowledge. It is further noted that Webers ideologies on specialization can be equated to Fayols administrative theory. The second strength of bureaucracy is exemplified by the principle of a well-defined career structure. This means that promotion to a senior level or position within a hierarchy is attained on the basis of seniority or attaining the relevant qualifications. It is affirmed that this accords legitimacy to the authority and power wielded by positions within an organization (Grey and Willmott, 2005). Thirdly, bureaucracy allows for the incorporation rules and procedures that guide the actions of employees within an organization. These rules equally stipulate the rights of such employees. This ultimately reduces the need for supervision by observing employees and deducing changes in their performance and attitude. Literature analyzed from organizations such as the UPS, in US indicates that formalization thus initiation of rules and procedures positively influences other processes (Daft, 2007). These processes include specialization and standardization; furthermore, discipline in an organi zation is wholly dependent on the ability to focus on formalization. Finally, bureaucracy propagates hierarchy consequently contributing to respect and adherence to the concepts of scalar chain as exemplified by Fayol. However, Weber failed to forecast a circumstance when a junior person within the hierarchy may need to contact a higher authority, upon notification of his or her immediate boss. This means that scalar chain as exemplified by Weber draws its foundation from hierarchy (Castells, 1996). The benefits of the hierarchy are illustrated exercising power and authority. The weaknesses associated with the bureaucratic model are numerous; however, the most significant entails focusing on the rational and instrumental aspects of human beings. It thus forgets that emotions and societal aspects also affect an organization. This model fails to address moral personality as a determinant of the success of an organization. It is worth mentioning that such a weakness is addressed later in history by Elton Mayo, as exemplified by the human relations theory. This deduces that an organization needs to exist as a technical, social, and economic entity consequently addressing the needs that come with such a position. Secondly, bureaucracy poses a challenge when it comes to the ethical comportment of an organization (Du Gay, 2000). Weber illustrates that this model is a manifestation of ethics since personal capacities are exemplified. However, counter arguments indicate that focusing on leaders and managers consequently forgetting the tactical level amounts to unethical practice. Thirdly, bureaucracy is associated with difficulty in making decisions and executing strategies. This is in light of competitive pressure from an organizations external environment and quality management. Furthermore, increase in the knowledge based roles indicates that decisions need to be made swiftly. This calls for decentralization with the aim of empowering teams and groups so that they can engage in decision-making processes. Consider the following argument that exemplifies the concept mentioned above. Swift decision-making, managing eminence at the point of production and provision of services at the location of customers means that decisions must be made at the lower-levels of an organization (Clegg, Kornberger Pitsis, 2008). These ideologies depart from the principles highlighted by Weber thus highlighting a weakness. Lastly, bureaucracy is cumbersome when poorly executed. Consider General Motors bureaucracy, which is faulted for its inefficiency and diminished productivity. The regional managers indicate that it is impossible to run their branches when directives come from headquarters. These managers have to wait for a long time to receive authorization thus influencing the process (Daft, 2007). Weber visualized an efficient organization that is capable of meeting its objectives through adhering to the concepts of bureaucracy. In conclusion, Webers ideologies focused on a structure of authority that enhances order within an organization. He thus indicates that the model values accountability, precision, reliability and productivity. However, bureaucracy is currently mistaken for officialdom and circumstances associated with red tape. It is noted that organizations currently employing bureaucratic strategies are embroiled in organizational inefficiencies. This is partly attributed to the fusion of this model with unrelated practices. The success of this model is dependent on the effectiveness with which power and authority are exercised in diverse organizational circumstances.