The Curious Ncident of the Dog in the Night Time

The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time demonstrates how challenging life is, not just for the disabled but for everyone. Discuss, making sure you support your ideas with detailed references to the text. Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time which is written from the view of a fifteen year old boy Christopher who has Asperger’s syndrome, not only does this book demonstrate how challenging life is for the disabled, but also for everyone.Having the main character Christopher narrate the story gives you the chance to connect with him and also to experience and understand the challenges he faces in his everyday life because of the disability that he has. Christopher is not the only character in the novel to face challenges. His mother Judy and his father Ed both face challenges. For example, bringing up Christopher who has a disability and also maintaining a solid relationship with each other.While the reader is shown how challengin g life can be, the author also leaves the reader with a feeling of hope with what can happen in the future. Because Christopher has Asperger’s syndrome life is very challenging for him in more than one way. It is hard for Christopher because he can’t understand facial expressions, so he doesn’t know if someone is sad, happy or angry which can be hard because he has to try and guess their mood from the tone of voice they are using.Christopher tries to understand facial expressions because he ‘got Siobhan to draw lots of†¦faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant’. Another way that life is challenging for Christopher is that he can’t deal with lies and does not like them. In some situations Christopher thinks that it is alright for him to tell white lies but others have to tell the full truth all the time. ‘I do not tell lies. Mother used to say that this was because I was a good person. But it's not because I am a good person.It is because I can't tell lies. ’ Christopher says that he can’t tell lies but what he does not realize, is that he is telling white lies which are lies. Christopher thinks that telling the truth is a way of life, not just something people choose because it is the right thing to do. Christopher has had many situations where he has been lied to and has not handled it well. He has been lied too about his mother being dead and also about his father killing Mrs Shears dog Wellington.Christopher does not react to this well, because when he found out he ran away and no longer felt safe around his father. Both Christopher’s parents Judy and Ed Boone find life challenging because they are trying to raise a child with a disability. Christopher’s mother finds life challenging because she has to live her life wondering if her only child is alright because she is sending him letters and she doesn’t know whether he is getting them, she also isnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t getting any replies from Christopher to ensure her that everything is alright.Even though she has been writing letters to him for a while she has not been getting any letters back because Christopher’s father, Ed, has been hiding them from Christopher because he hadn’t told him that his mother was not actually dead. Christopher’s mother never stopped loving him even though he made her life really hard sometimes and she still kept writing to him and never stopped. ‘You haven’t written to me yet, so I know you’re probably still angry with me. I’m sorry Christopher. But I still love you’.Another way life is challenging for Judy is that she finds that her only son gets on better with his father. As a mother this would be very heart breaking. She always found it difficult when she took him to the shops or the mall because he would end up crouched down on the floor with is hands over his ears and he would be in the way of eve ryone. If she tried to move him he would just start screaming. Judy didn’t believe that she had the patience like Ed to look after Christopher and then she was having lots of other problems and that is when she decided to leave.Judy is not the only person who is finding life challenging but Ed, Christopher’s father is also finding life challenging. Life is challenging for Ed because it is hard to raise a child with a disability especially when you are left to look after them all by yourself. Ed and Christopher’s relationship also struggles when Christopher found out that his own father killed the next door neighbour’s dog Wellington. Christopher started not to trust him anymore and did not feel safe in his company and did not want to be left alone with him.Life is challenging for Christopher as his Asperger’s syndrome makes if difficult to communicate and to understand others. Life is not only difficult for Christopher but also for his parents, bec ause coping with a child with a disability is not any easy thing to do, but not only that they have also put a strain on their relationship. Though life is challenging not just for the disabled but for everyone, Mark Haddon demonstrates how facing life’s challenges builds a person’s character and ability to cope. Word Count: 910

Pros and Contras About Facebook

There are a large number of people that have a Facebook page as it is a great way to get in touch with your old friends and to share information about your life with your friends all over the world. While facebook reigns as the most popular social media site out there, it does caution it’s users to limit the information they post online as it is accessible by anyone and this can lead to identity theft and many other concerns. If you are investigating facebook and trying to figure out if you should start up your own profile, here are some pros and cons to facebook that will aid in making your decision a little easier.Pros of facebook Let’s start with all of the things that make facebook a great thing to have. First of all it has the highest user percentage of all social media sites, which means there is a good chance that most of your friends, co-workers, and relatives will have a facebook page that you can interact with. Facebook is a great way to connect with your old high school and college classmates. This is the biggest selling point to facebook because it really does allow you to reconnect with a lot of old friends and to make new friends.There are a lot of people that use facebook to find dates by checking out the friends of their friends. Do you have loved ones that live far away? Facebook helps you to stay connected but it also allows you to share your pictures with them of recent family vacations and other things. For grandparents and aunts and uncles, facebook provides a great outlet where they can see their grandkids and nieces and nephews grow up. Companies and individuals use facebook to promote their companies and services.If you have a charity event, facebook is the way to get people to connect with you and hopefully support it. Facebook has a lot of opportunities for self-promotion, making it a great outlet for anyone that really needs to find clients and to get supporters. Do you have celebrities and tv shows that you follow? Face book allows you to â€Å"like† on their page and you will be able to get status updates about what episodes are airing along with other great information like access to concert tickets before the rest of the public.Having the â€Å"insider† scoop to your favorite sports teams will also allow you to hear about who is starting at quarterback this week and other great information about your favorite teams. Cons of facebook Now that you see some of the big reasons why you need to try out facebook, we will look into some of the things that make facebook annoying and also scary to your privacy. The â€Å"friend† game. Remember the old high school bully who has now changed his or her ways? Well what do you do if they want to be your Facebook friend?It seems like everyone takes the term â€Å"Friend† differently. There are some people that want to be your friend and you might have said â€Å"hello† to them once 20 years ago. The good thing is you really do n’t have to add everyone. The facebook newsfeed. This is where all the new information is posted or the profiles that have status updates with a lot of comments. The newsfeed can be nice but it can also become really annoying. This is where you will end up blocking a lot of status updates and other things because they do become simply too annoying.The newsfeed is where a lot of information is shared and you may be thinking to yourself â€Å"who cares that your neighbor’s dog barks? † There are a lot of people that just want to talk and they use Facebook as that outlet. Spam is another problem with facebook because it seems like everyone will send you invitations to games and things that they like. Farmville invitations will get old along with other invitations like â€Å"which celebrity are you like† and so on

Case study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study 2 - Essay Example ased on the projected sales of Delissa in Japan prior to the launching of the product and based on the feasibility study undertaken related to the distribution of the yogurt products can be considered in an unsuccessful state. This can be attributed to the fact that although 8.5% share in the yogurt market is expected in the first year and 10% in the third year, the sales only reached 3% as its best (Jeannet, Gale, Kashani & Turpin, 1995). Based on the pool of data gathered on the sales and performance of the product line in Japan it can be considered that there are different possible reasons to the status of the sales and market share in Japan. These are marketing strategies, the image of the product, the delivery system and most importantly the preference of the target population. The marketing strategies can be related to the advertisements and the methods used to be able to make the product known and thus increase sales. The image of the product on the other hand can be related to the reason that can make the consumers buy the product such as the source, etc. This can be related to the preferences of the consumers. The said possible reason for the failure of Delissa is the fact that the taste of the Japanese people is different from that of the Swedish people. For that matter, the taste that the public is looking for in a yogurt can only be addressed by the local manufacturers, which can explain the continuous suc cess of the local brands. It can be assessed that Agria applied similar strategies used in other countries and expected to get similar results in spite of the knowledge that the Japanese market is a unique target having a strict culture and way of life. In addition, although Nikko can be considered as an ideal partner in Japan in relation to similar vision, mission and even operations as Agria, the distribution system has its weak point which was known by Agria at a late stage indicating lack of in depth market analysis prior to the launching

The Impact of the Black Death Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Impact of the Black Death - Essay Example As a result of the massive deaths of sheep, Europe was plunged in wool shortage and even had to import wool (Byrne, 2012). The other impact is that between 1348 and 1349, Jews were massacred and many others chased or ran away to avoid being killed. The killing was in the name of purging the European community and a way of seeking forgiveness since they believed that the plague was a form of divine punishment (Hamm, 2009). In the Byzantine Empire, the plague was brought by soldiers from Mediterranean in 1347 and infested Constantinople, the empire’s capital and it spread as fast among them. Since it was first discovered among soldiers, it killed so many of them that military power declined sharply (Byrne, 2012). The other impacts were the same as those experienced in Medieval Europe (death that led to decline in population) because they also believed it was divine punishment. The plague killed their animals most of which were for trade since the empire was thriving with merchant trade and hence the economy declined also sharply (Gottfried,

Competitive Strategies and Government Policies ECO 365 Essay

Competitive Strategies and Government Policies ECO 365 - Essay Example ype of merging in which two or more organizations, dealing in similar products, and operating in the same market combine to make a single organization. The reason why this type of merging has been affecting the industry is that it increases the competitiveness of organizations. According to Gerber (2010), changes in various aspects of the economy have great effects on the level of competition experienced in an industry. One of the changes that have greatly affected the motor vehicle manufacturing industry is the introduction of new government policies and regulations. Tax waives and regulations designed for encouraging global investments have resulted to emergence of new organizations in this industry. This has greatly affected the global competition in the industry. As a result, this industry has been facing an increased labor demand, reduced supply of resources, and lack of good relations with each other. Motor vehicle manufacturing could handle these identified points in various ways. This ways include improving service delivery and employing various types of merging. Organizations in this industry should employ horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate merging when expanding their operation. Another way is making organization’s policies to be in line with the government policies and regulations. The point of effects of global competition could be avoided through merging, acquisition, and

ABC Company Final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ABC Company Final - Assignment Example In the US alone there are, several companies dealing with the same product of Cedar roofing and siding shingles. Therefore, ABC Company has a large market to supply to raising its market share although in a very competitive market. ABC Company is a company that specializes in making cedar roofing and siding shingles. It has a 25% sales margin and has a growth target of three million in the next three years. Besides the competition, the demand for roofing sidings and shingles remains high because of the high rate of forthcoming real estate ventures. Apart from facing competition generated by several other companies, dealing with cedar in production of roofing and siding shingles, ABC tends to, also face high competition resulting from products manufactured using iron and clay, companies that operate in the same market. The prevailing fact is that, cedars products have do have a higher competitive gain over similar products that are made of iron and clay. There is also a little disadva ntage of cedar roofing and siding products, the prices tend to be too high thus scaring away potential customer, who resolves to cheaper iron products. ABC Company has a high chance of maintaining its development with minimal deviation from either downwards or upwards. The deviations could be because of the tough economic patterns forcing many homeowners who would prefer cheaper clay or iron products or clay products that are meant for their roofing and siding. ... I. Risk profile for ABC Company A risk profile evaluates an organization willingness to take risks as well as the threats to which an organization is exposed. Acceptable level of risk With a target growth of 3000,000, in the next three years, the risk associated with the growth should be laid out. The risk in introduction of a new product should also be included to ascertain the amount of risk ABC Company can take. As much as expansion comes to pave way for leverage on the skill in employees and the state of their manufacturing facilities, the risk involved should be evaluated to see whether the expansion will reduce or increase current risk. Possible threats One of the biggest threats will include competitors. The question here is; how much risk is already there and in presence of competitors, how much are they willing to expand or change to gain more consumers? The answer will be found once they evaluate risk associated with competition Another threat is that of trying to find addi tional products to leverage on their employee skill set and manufacturing facilities. Introduction of the products depends on probability, which in itself has high risk. The skill set and manufacturing facilities are certain Key risk areas The company’s has had a profit increase of 25% from the previous year. They will have to maintain of better that outcome and with the introduction of a new idea will increase on costs. They have to ensure their cash flow is on a positive trend. This will ensure positive cash flows that will encourage investment. In addition, another key risk area is on the financing of the project. They have to ensure that they pick the

HRM individual assignment performance management Essay

HRM individual assignment performance management - Essay Example "Corporate Services/Corporate Capability service"- provides solutions such as management of records, facilitation management, carry out the work procedures and policies documentation, develops plans for purchasing and procurement. "Human Resources service"- handles the matters like fraud, grievances and misconduct handling, job designing and evaluating. They take into account Performance management, provide psychometric assessment and sets remuneration benchmarking. It also includes providing a complete strategic human resource management and planning. "Organisational Services"- assist in reviewing the business process, changing the management and bringing the organisational change. Thus they provide a complete solution for business and strategic planning. This service also covers risk management. Recruitment & Selection- the company maintains high standards for recruitment and selection process. They go for different screening technique such as personality test, intelligent quiescent, emotional quiescent, stress test, health test and checking the references. These entire tests are being done to check before hand that will the work force be able to take the work load. Training- the employees who are selected has to be trained so that they can develop the required skill for performing their job. Training is a continuous process. It should be provided as and when required for development of employees. Setting rules and regulation- rules and regulation provide the frame work within which the whole organization has to work. The performance of employee is appraised by comparing against these standards. They make the organization work smoothly and efficiently. Performance appraisal- the performance of the employees has to be appraised. This helps the organization to identify the employees who are performing above average and also helps to identify those employees whose performances are below average level. The management can drill down to find out the reasons behind. If required training and further assistance can be arranged. Career development - management should set the career path and provide proper training as and when required Grievance handling- it is the duty of organization that employee should feel satisfied with their job. They should have the feeling that organization cares for them and if any injustice happens they can easily approach the management and their problem will be solved. Compensation- the management should take care that each employee should be paid as per his/her performance. The

Arms, Mines, and Use of Explosive Force Research Paper

Arms, Mines, and Use of Explosive Force - Research Paper Example The working structure shown by Rutherford of how NGOs advanced their cause included two sections into which the agenda setting components could be divided. The first takes a keen view of level-one agenda setting called â€Å"cognitive agenda setting,† and the second takes another keen view of level-two agenda setting, called â€Å"norm agenda setting†. The first section investigates how NGOs placed the landmine issue on the agenda of the government and the public. The second investigates the influence of the particular elements of the landmine issue on the agendas of the public and the government (Rutherford 78). Another reason why Rutherford’s explanation is more compelling is that he shows the three important components of agenda setting that were addressed by NGOs in both sections, as they advanced their cause leading to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty. These are framing, schema, and priming. Framing means the selection of elements within a particular issue . These elements are used in the promotion of a particular problem definition, evaluation in moral terms, and treatment recommendation for the item viewed. The core of the second level of setting agendas is the transference of the salience of attributes. Schema on the other hand is a concept linked closely to framing, but takes a deeper view on how people organize their thinking. Priming is the process of activation of schemas. It assumes that features of a stimulus or frequency activates cognitive structures that were previously learned and has an influence on ambiguous stimulus interpretations. These three important components of agenda setting were then addressed in both sections. In addressing framing in section one, the landmines were listed as a new issue and in the process, get people to think about landmines as a humanitarian issue. In section two, the horrible effects and disproportionate consequences of landmines were exposed. In addressing schema in section one, outrageou s landmine statistics were listed, and in section two, leadership games to control the landmine issue were revealed. In addition, in addressing priming in section one, landmine victim stories were told, most of them sad. In section two, incoherent arguments among anti-ban states were brought up. This is more convincing (Rutherford 78). Hubert on the other hand chooses to focus more on the proceedings of conferences that were held prior to the signing of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban treaty. This, in my view, is not very convincing, as it does little to show how the NGOs and other organizations influenced the debates and proceedings at those conferences. For example, at The Conference on Disarmament, he explains of how supporters of the CD approach were opposed by the supporters of the Ottawa Process. He does not go further to explain how the CD process was reached at and who exactly came up with the process (Hubert 19). The third reason why Rutherford advanced a more compelling argume nt is that, apart from coming up with a structure of how NGOs advanced their cause leading to the Anti-Personnel Landmine Treaty, he went ahead to explain the structure comprehensively. Hubert had no comprehensive structure in the first place and therefore, his explanations were not very catchy. Rutherford explained his structure well by stating the three agenda-setting components in the two levels. In stating the agenda-setting c

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Management - Essay Example C). Strategic decisions of an organization want to ensure its economic goals like profit maximization, volume, and the growth of organization. These decisions are largely influenced by their employees, customers and other stakeholders. Study of business ethics can be seen from different direction of business. Business Ethics relates to the need of ethical values in business decisions and plans. Ethics is also relevant in the context of corporate responsibility of an organization. Each organization has its own responsibilities to the society. Business ethics is a feeling of obligation to consider other human beings who are directly and indirectly involved in business activities. Business ethics also relates with good behavior of organization. Business ethics can also be deemed as an organization’s ability to ensure ethical value in its corporate decisions. The business strategy of each organization should depend on their ethical views; as such decisions affect various stakeholders. An organization’s responsibility to these stakeholders differs on the basis of its objectives. Example: An organization’s responsibility to its owner is making maximum profit and minimizing the cost. It further aims to ensure the growth and value of the business, the manager want to satisfy this responsibility at the same time they want to continue other responsibilities to the society, government, customer, employees etc. In this context all managers find themselves placed in a dilemma to take proper decision so that ethical decisions and corporate objectives stay in tandem with each other. This study aims to discuss about the problem of organizations’ social performance and economic performance. Economic performance is dealing with an organization’s main objective like making profit, generating revenue and reducing cost. On the other hand, the social performance of an organization pertains

Autobiography Example Essay Example for Free

Autobiography Example Essay My name is Gelliza Z. Quiambao, and I am currently in college studying education. I was born on 12th of September year 1996, four o’clock in the afternoon, in Jose Payumo Memorial Hospital. My parents are Gilbert and Josephine and I have two brothers who are Gil Joseph and Gianni. I started studying when I was three. My grandparents are the ones who served as my babysitter since my parents weren’t home for work, so my granddad enrolled me in a Daycare Center. You may not believe this but my grandma told me that I always sleep and cry in school. After that, my parents enrolled me in Kindergarten then to Elementary. I was only five years old when I was on the first grade. Had to say, I was the youngest but I’m subsequent. Â  My elementary days are incredibly awesome. I gained many friends; I achieved honors and awards, academic and sports, specifically chess. It’s been quite jaded studying six years on the same school but it’s totally fine with me because I have friends to laugh with, have fun with, and learn with. In 2008, I graduated from elementary and became a high school freshman in Bataan Peninsula State University. It’s great that I found true friends that same year, and it’s quite funny how I always wanted a sister and God gave me nine super cool and amazing friends that actually treated me like a sister. I had so much fun with them. We went hiking on a mountain. It’s really unforgettable because we took a ride on a horse. It’s my sophomore year in 2009, and the best moment that I remembered back there is when we ditched class. Yeah, I know it’s not a really good thing to do but, best moments come from worst ideas, right? We cleaned the faculty room as our punishment. We did it for three months. In 2010, I fell in love with music. It’s like, my world revolves around music. There’s something about the songs that I can somehow relate myself into the lyrics. I learned so much from it. Also this year is when I fell in love with a boy. Honestly, it wasn’t a pretty story. I fell deeply in love with him then when we broke up; it’s like my worst nightmare ever. But I learned that maybe we’re not really meant to be together. Then, I realized that the fact between ‘boy love’ and ‘boy hate’ is the belief that whatever happens, I’ll be fine. Good friends, competitive teachers and one wonderful family are the ones who mold me for who I am today. Everything good I have inside of me, I get from them. Â  I experienced lots of challenges that test my skills and personality. All those challenges and problems that I’ve been through leaves a wonderful lesson. Good days gave me happiness, bad days gave me experiences, which are both essential to life. Success keeps me growing and failures make me humble. Right now, I’m studying very well so if I finished college, I can have a good job in order for me to help my family and raise the style of living that we have now with Gods grace and guidance. Just always remember that, life is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs. But it’s your choice to scream or just enjoy the ride.

The Effect Of Semantic Category Psychology Essay

The Effect Of Semantic Category Psychology Essay Tuving, suggested that in order to attain good memory banks, one way of retrieving information is to organize words that have a relationship with one another. For example, clustering words together in one category could help achieve better recall, rather than words that are randomly mixed. Clustering could help re-organize memory, therefore, attaining information more effectively. The aim of this study was to replicate Cofer, Bruce, and Reichers (1966) experiment of presenting semantic category instances in blocked lists. This method was used and it was predicted that memory for words will be superior, when words are visually blocked by semantic category, as opposed to being blocked randomly. This hypothesis was fully supported. Thus, the null hypothesis, there will be no difference when words are blocked by semantic category or blocked randomly across categories, was rejected. An unrelated design was used and opportunist sample of 40 1st year psychology undergraduates at City Univer sity took part in the experiment. The independent variable, blocking by semantic category had two levels. Half of the participants were assigned to the first level of the independent variable, blocked by semantic category. They were presented with six blocks of related category list words, which consisted of six related instances in one category. The second half of the participants was assigned to the second level of the independent variable, blocked randomly. The participants were presented with six blocks of listed words of randomly mixed instances, of several categories. The dependent variable was memory for words that were visually presented. The memory for words was measured under each condition, by the mean score of the written free recall, out of 36 words correctly remembered, after a 90 second period. The results indicated that people in the blocked by semantic category condition recalled more remembered words, with a mean score of 24, than those in the blocked randomly cond ition. The blocked randomly condition mean score were much lower; their mean score was 19. It was therefore concluded that this current research was very consistent with Cofers et al (1966) findings that clustering related words together in one category could help re- organize memory, so information could be attained more efficiently. Introduction: word count: 824 According to Kalat (2009) memory is organized by a complex network of interrelated neurons within the brain; that can hold millions of pieces of independent data. It is this ability of our mind to store detailed, organized memories of past experiences that makes us capable of learning. These experiences stored in the form of memories help us learn from mistakes, protect us from danger, and achieve the goal that we set, by harnessing the power of our memory. We are better able to learn life lessons that help us avoid mistakes in the future, based on our own past, and the malfunction of others. Tulving (1972) recognized that individuals had two types of long-term memory, episodic and semantic memory. According to Tulving (1972) episodic memory is autobiographic, which is a memory system that consists of episodes of individuals past experiences, of particular objects. Normally these objects are stored in our long term memories and can be retrieved, at any given time. For example, remembering loved ones, or a representation of a meaningful event, or even what one might eat for breakfast, are all forms of episodic memories. Semantic memory however, is referred to the memory of meanings, and understandings. Eysenck and Keane (2000) suggested one way of thinking about memory organization is coding. Semantic memory could be held for a few minutes or several years. This model suggests that some information is stored and coded visually. Yet to gain access to our memory banks and retrieve relevant pieces of information, is trying to gain access to our memory banks of the learned inf ormation. One way of achieving this, is with organization and practice. Craik and Tulving (1972) described this as deep semantic processing in their levels of processing approach. They suggested that when a particular stimulus is processed, we need to concentrate on word meanings to help aid our memory banks as opposed to paying too much attention to visual and phonemic features. When people use this approach for a particular task or even revision for exams in real life, empirical evidence has shown that deep semantic processing could even be achieved when one is not trying to remember, as demonstrated by Craik and Tulving (1975), incidental task. In order to attain good memory banks, one way of retrieving information is to organize words that have a relationship with one another. For example clustering words together in one category could help achieve better recall, rather than words that are randomly mixed. Clustering could help re-organize memory, therefore, attaining information more effectively. Gross (2005) suggested that while poor memory can sometimes be the result of a mental handicap or disability, it most often has to do with a lack of attention or inability to concentrate, poor listening skills, and other types of bad habits. Fortunately, you can re-train yourself with proper habits to develop and fine-tune your memory. The basic tool for developing better memory is the clustering technique. There has been many experiments that have demonstrated this particular organization for attaining memory. One study was Bousfeilds (1953) experiment; words that were placed into categories were more accurately remembered than a list of unrelated words. Another particular study conducted by Cofer, Bruce, and Reicher (1966). They identified that presenting semantic category instances in blocks actually increased recall. The remembered words of instances of one category, was much higher than the recall of the blocks of instances of the randomly mixed categories. Subsequently, this current study replicates Cofer, et als (1966) clustering technique experiment. The independent variable was the presentation of blocking by semantic category. There were two levels of the independent variable, blocked by semantic category, and blocked randomly. The manipulation of the independent variables was the way the participants corresponded to the presentation of 36 words, grouped into six blocks of six words. Half of the participants were assigned to the first level of the independent variable, blocked by category. The participants were presented with six blocks of listed words, consisting of six instances of one category. The second half of the participants was assigned to the second level of the independent variable, blocked randomly. The participants were presented with six blocks of listed words of randomly mixed instances, of several categories. The dependent variable was memory for words that were visually presented. The memory for words was measured under each condition, by the mean score, of the written free recall, out of 36 words correctly remembered, after a 90 second period. If the reasoning behind Cofer, et al s (1966) experiment was correct then we can then expect that memory for words will be superior, when words are visually blocked by category, as opposed to when they are blocked randomly. This is the experimental hypothesis and is directional, as it predicts the results. However, if Cofer, et als (1966) experiment cannot be explained, then there will be no difference in recall when words are blocked by semantic category, or blocked randomly across categories. Design: word count 215 The independent variable was the presentation of blocking by semantic category. The first level of the IV was, blocked by category, and the second level, blocked randomly. The manipulation of the independent variables was the way the participants corresponded to the presentation of 36 words grouped into six blocks of six words. An unrelated sample design was used. The advantage of this design was that both samples were seeing the same materials (words). However, the disadvantage of the design was individual differences. To control for this, random assignment to conditions to one of the two levels of the independent, (refer to appendix for allocation). Half the participants were assigned to the first level of the IV, blocked by category. They were presented with six blocks of listed words, consisting of six instances of one category. The second half of the participants was assigned to the second level of the IV, blocked randomly. They were presented with six blocks of listed words of randomly mixed instances, of several categories. The dependent variable was memory for words that were visually presented. The memory for words was measured under each condition, by the mean score of the written free recall, out of 36 words correctly remembered after a 90 second. Participants immediately recalled the words after the presentation. Participants: word count 72 In total there were 40 participants. 34 females and 6 male participants were 1st year psychology undergraduates at City University. Participants ranged in age from 18-40, with a mean age of 21-22. Each participant was currently taking part in a laboratory course in the social sciences building. Therefore the sample used was an opportunist one. However, due to the sample design, random allocation to conditions was very relevant due to individual differences. Apparatus and Materials: word count 215 Each participant was presented with a plan sheet of A4 sized paper. The experimenter, Dr. Stuart Menzies, randomly allocated half the participants material that consisted of either 36 nouns that were presented visually together into six blocks of listed words on one page. Each block consisted of six instances of one category. This condition was the first level of the independent variable and was named the blocked by category group. The other half of participants were randomly given, 36 nouns that were also visually presented together into six blocks of listed words on one page. This time however, each block consisted of randomly mixed instances of several categories. This condition was the second level of the independent variable, and was referred to as the blocked randomly group. (Please refer to the apparatus and material section for the blocked lists categories, in the appendix). The response mode was the written free recall of the remembered words after a 90 second period. The ti me was monitored by a stop watch. Participants immediately recalled the words in any order after the presentation (refer to appendix, instructions and words lists). The results were taken away and recorded by the experimenter, who noted them down on a data sheet. (See results section in the appendix for the raw data sheet,). Procedure: word count 252 The experimenter handed out material in a random fashion to participants. A list of 36 nouns were visually presented in six blocks, consisting of either six instances of one category on one sheet of sheet of paper, or randomly mixed instances of several categories on one sheet of paper. Blocked by semantic category consisted of six instances of one category. This condition became the first level of the IV. Randomly blocked categories consisted of randomly mixed instances of one category. This condition became the second level of the IV. The experimenter verbally translated the instructions of the task ahead, (please refer to apparatus and material section for instructions in the appendix). The dependent variable, memory for words was measured under each condition, by the mean score of the written free recall, out of 36 words correctly remembered. Each participant had 90 seconds to remember as many words from the six blocked lists. A stop watch was used to count down the time, after t he 90 second period expired, the experimenter then informed the participants to stop! Both word lists from the two conditions were taken away. Immediately after the presentation the participants were then asked to note down all of their remembered words in any order that they preferred. The experimenter had given a further 90 seconds to recall the remembered words. The written free recall scores was recorded, and measured by experimenter. The mean score of the two calculated differences were then obtained, (please see the mean scores in the appendix). Results: word count 313 The dependent variable was memory for words that were visually presented. The memory for words was measured under each condition, by the mean score of each condition of the written free recall, out of 36 words correctly remembered, after a 90 second period. Table 1 shows the difference of the mean scores of the two conditions, blocked by category and blocked randomly. The results indicated that more people in the blocked by category had remembered more words in the six blocks of listed words, consisting of six instances of one category, than the randomly blocked category lists condition.. (Refer to the results section in the appendix for the raw data, graph of the mean scores, and the full calculations of the Mann -Whitney U test). Memory for words visually presented. Measured by the written free-recall-score X/36 words Table. 1 Blocked by category condition Blocked Randomly condition Mean Spread Range 24 15-33 18 19 13-27 14 Mean score from the two calculated differences Since the samples were unrelated and can be ranked on an ordinal scale, a Mann Whitney U test was employed. A 1 tailed test was employed because the experimental hypothesises was directional. Using the statistical formula and tables, obtained from QM PS1007. Runyon and Haber (1976) The Mann -Whitney U test indicated N1=20, N2 =20 participants, Uobs = 0, p = 0.05 (1 tailed test). Ucrit = 138 =p= .005. Since the Uobs Discussion: word count 688 The aim of this study was to replicate Cofer et als (1966) experiment of blocked presentation, of presenting category instances in blocked lists. This method was used and the prediction that memory for words will be superior, when words are visually blocked by semantic category, as opposed to whose words are blocked randomly, was fully supported. Thus, the null hypothesis, there will be no difference when words are blocked by category or blocked randomly across categories, was rejected. The results indicated more people in the blocked by category condition recalled more remembered words, with a mean score of 24 than those in the blocked randomly condition. The blocked randomly condition had much lower recall scores; the mean score was 19. Eysenck and Keane (2000) suggested that gaining access to our memory banks is best applied through organization. Tulving, (1972) recognized that there are two memory system for long term memory. One is semantic memory and the other is episodic. Semantic memory, as mentioned in the introduction, is referred to the meanings and understandings of general objects based in the world we live. Semantic memory could be held for a few minutes or several years. This model suggests that some information is stored and coded visually. Yet to gain access to our memory banks and retrieve relevant pieces of information, is actually gaining access to our memory banks, of the learned information. One way of achieving this, is with organization and practice. Summarizing the previously learned literature has helped to illustrate how memory could be obtained and re- trained by applying clustering techniques for memory organization. This could be just some of the possibilities of why the blocked by category condition had produced a much higher recall of remembered words, than the randomly blocked condition. It would seem from the results of Bosfeilds (1953): Cofer, et als (1966) and this current study could be achieved by organization. Semantic memory does liked to be organized, and if this organization is not in sight, then the less likely it is, for us to attain good memory banks for recall. Consequently, Cofer, et als (1966) experiment identified that presenting category instances in blocks, actually increased recall, and the remembered words of instances of one category was much higher than the recall of the blocks of instances of the randomly mixed categories. Therefore, this current study was very consistent with Cofer, et als (1966) findings. The data suggests that there was an overall majority of recalls made in the blocked by category condition. Thus, there were some methodology limitations in this current study. Individual differences was a concern however, randomization to conditions was effective. However, larger randomized controlled trails could provide more definitive evidence, the bigger the population, the better the results would indicate, (Miller, 1984). A number of caveats need to be noted regarding this present study. Firstly, there was the unrepresentative sample, such as more females than males, and the unlimited range of ages. This study could be improved by having an equal amount of males and females and a wider range of ages. Further research may want to look at gender differences in clustering. Females may attain a good memory compared to men and vice versa. Also this study could also be improved by implementing more conditions, for example, blocked by category, followed by blocked randomly. Blocked randomly, followed by blocked by category. This could be achieved by comparing the related samples with both blocked presentations to find out if organization for words in categories is better than mixed word instances in memory recall. Another limitation could be that more time is needed to encode the words more effectively. Practice may help participants encode more information. With more time added several conditions could be c ompared. The blocked by category could have two or three conditions but with new participants each time. Each of the conditions could have varied times to encode the blocked category lists. One condition could have two minutes; the next condition could have three. The same procedure could then be applied to the randomly blocked condition. All of the mean scores could be compared to establish whether time has an impact on clustering words together. A further limitation could be the use of the stopwatch to time the participants. The time may not have been entirely accurate. Participants may have had more or less time to encode the information presented to them, or to recall the words. This could have confounded the findings. To control for this, future research could perhaps use a large digital clock counting down the time left. Many memory experiments find out if clustering is effective for memory recall. According to Tulving (1972), clustering could help re-organize memory, therefore, attaining information more effectively. The findings of this study have a number of important implications for future practice. Psychologists could perhaps look at children of different ages. The experimenters could investigate when memory organization emerges. This could help provide an insight to when our organization for memory begins. Words could perhaps be visually presented to children in the form of animal characters which are either related or not related. The children could then recall the remembered animal characters. If the children recall more of the related animal characters, than the unrelated characters, then this may determine when organization for memory begins. Another reasonable approach is to look at whether organization for memory declines with age. Youths and pensioners could be compared to see which ag e group has a better organization for words. It can be concluded that organization of memory does aid semantic memory. The research literature has shown effective techniques such as clustering words together to help aid our memories. The results of this current study did show that memory is aided well, if our organization of words is structured. References Bousfield, W. A. (1953.) The occurrence of clustering in the recall of randomly arranged associates. Journal of General Psychology, 49, 229-240. Cofer, C.N., D.R. Reicher, G. M. (1966) Clustering in free recall as a function of certain methodological variations. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 71, 858-866. Craik, F.I.M. Tulving, E. (1975) Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journey of Experimental Psychology, 104, 268-294. Eysenck, M, W. Keane, M, T. (2000) Cognitive Psychology- a students handbook. Psychology Press. Gross, R. (2005) Psychology -The Science of mind and Behaviour. Typeset by GreenGate publishing services, Tonbridge Kent. Miller, S. (1984.) Experimental Design and Statistics. London, Typeset LTD. Kalat, J. W. (10Eds,), (2009). Biological Psychology. USA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Tuving, E (1972) Episodic and semantic memory. In E. Tuving W. Donaldson (Eds.), Organization of Memory. London: Academic PressAppendices: Table of context Page Appendix 1: Design section: P12 Allocation to conditions. Appendix 2: Apparatus and Material section: P13 Instructions, word lists. Appendix 3: results section: P15 Raw data graph showing mean scores Appendix 4: Mann- Whitney U test: P17 Full calculations Appendix 5: Stimulus and response: P19 Participant 9, recalled words Appendix 1: The table below is showing the allocation of participants (Ps) to conditions. 15 females and 6 male participants were 1st year psychology undergraduates at City University. Each participant was currently taking part in a laboratory course in D112 of the social sciences building at City University. Therefore, the sample used was an opportunist one. Because there were two unrelated samples, an independent measures design was employed. Blocked by category condition Blocked randomly condition P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12 P13 P14 P15 P16 P17 P18 P19 P20 P21 P22 P23 P24 P25 P26 P27 P28 P29 P30 P31 P32 P33 P34 P35 P36 P37 P38 P39 P40 Ps =20 Ps =20 Appendix 2 Your investigation The aim of you experiment is to investigate whether presentation of category instances to participants in a blocked or in a randomly mixed fashion affects recall. You are thus attempting a replication of the study by Cofer, Bruce and Reicher (1966), and the basis of their finding and the other evidence mentioned above it would seem appropriate to state a directional (one tailed) hypothesis. State the null hypothesis as well. Remember that both the aims and the hypothesis need to be formally stated in a very clear and specific manner at the end of the introduction section of you report. Employ an independent groups design, with at least 10 participants in each of the two conditions (the larger you overall sample size the better). The dependent variable (the measure) will be the number of words correctly recalled. The independent variable (the manipulation) will have two levels corresponding to the different ways of presenting words to participants in two conditions. Describe the two conditions and any controls against confounding variables. Remember that, apart from the manipulation of the independent variable, everything should be held constant (standardized) across the two conditions of the experiment. Materials consists of 36 words (6 from each 6 categories) presented visually together as 6 blocks (lists) on one page; each block consisting of either instances of one category or randomly mixed instances of several categories. Condition A Condition B Apple Tulip Chair Apple Buttercup Cabbage Banana Buttercup Bed sofa Bed Giraffe Pineapple Rose Wardrobe Snake Cauliflower Wardrobe Orange Carnation Table Aeroplane Pineapple Lily Lemon Pansy Sofa Pea Elephant Motorbike Pear Lily Desk Carnation Pansy Lemon Dog Potato Car Ship Parsnip Lion lion Pea Bus Table Rose Chair Elephant Cauliflower Train Onion Desk Pea Monkey Cabbage Aeroplane Car Orange Bus Snake Parsnip Motorbike Tulip Monkey Dog Giraffe Onion Ship Banana Train Potato Instructions in a moment you will be asked to turn over the sheet of paper in front of you. On this sheet will be 36 words. You will have one and a half minutes in which to try and memorize all the words. After this period of this time the words will be removed. You must then immediately recall as many of these words as you can. Write them down on the piece of paper in any order you like. Results section should contain: Summary descript statistics comparing the two samples ( ie measures of central tendency nad dispersion, and perhaps graphs/charts) Summary of inferential statistics analysis by an appropriate test for the two independent samples ( e.g. Mann Whitney U Test ). The observed value of the statistic must be compared to a critical table value in order to determine its significance. Statement of the decision to retain or reject the null hypothesis will conclude the results section. Remember that both the raw data (individual scores) and all statistic calculations and formulae must appear in the separate Appendix (at the end of the report). They must not appear in the results section Appendix 3: Raw data Blocked by semantic category Participants Written free recall x/36 Blocked free recall randomly Participants Written Free recall x/36 P1 13 P2 30 P3 27 P4 26 P5 21 P6 22 P7 17 P8 21 P9 24 P10 24 P11 15 P12 25 P13 15 P14 28 P15 18 P16 19 P17 20 P18 15 P19 21 P20 27 P21 22 P22 21 P23 21 P24 26 P25 18 P26 17 P27 18 P28 29 P29 20 P30 23 P31 17 P32 33 P33 22 P34 21 P35 22 P36 23 P37 22 P38 29 P39 13 P40 20 Data of raw scores obtained from written free recall scores. Chart showing the two differences of mean scores between the two levels of the independent variable. The graph above shows the differences in mean scores for the two levels of the independent variable. The blocked by category condition showed that more participants recalled more words than the blocked randomly condition. Appendix 4 Full calculations of the Mann-Whitney U test Free -Recall Mann-Whitney U Test Blocked by Category Rank1 Blocked Randomly Rank2 N=20 N=20 13 1.5 30 19 27 20 26 13.5 21 13 22 8 17 5.5 21 6 24 19 24 11 15 3.5 25 12 15 3.5 28 16 18 8 19 3 20 10.5 15 1 21 13 27 15 22 16.5 21 6 21 13 26 13.5 18 8 17 2 18 8 29 17.5 20 10.5 23 9.5 17 5.5 33 20 22 16.5 21 6 22 16.5 23 9.5 22 16.5 29 17.5 13 1,5 20 4 R 1 = 210 Mann -Whitney U Test calculations U = N1 N2 U = 2020 + 400 + 400+210-210=400 N1N2-U = Uobs = (0) U = 400 = 400 400 = 0 Uobs = 0 = Ucrit = 138 = p =0.05 (1 tailed test) Since Uobs Reference: Runyon and Haber (1976)

Necessary Evil for Men vs. Sexual Exploitation of Women :: social issues

Necessary Evil for Men vs. Sexual Exploitation of Women Abuse – transitive verb 1: to put to a wrong or improper use; 2: obsolete (deceive); 3: to use so as to injure or damage (maltreat); 4: to attack in words (revile). noun 1: a corrupt practice or custom; 2: improper or excessive use or treatment (misuse); a deceitful act (deception); 4: language that condemns or vilifies usually unjustly, intemperately, and angrily; 5: physical maltreatment. Abuse, in any and all of its forms, is something many Korean women and girls deal with every day. In 2002, a survey done by the Korean Institute of Criminology, the number of sex purchases in Korea equaled to 4.4 of the countries GDP (Gross Domestic Product), almost the same as agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries combined. The survey also showed that there were at least 33,000 women working in prostitution. 8% of women working in Korea in their twenties and thirties were prostitutes. Also, a survey done by the Korea Women’s Hot Line showed that 42.6% of Korean men have purchased sexual service when having a drink. 12.9% of men said that they have bought sex when on business. 41.3% of all Koreans did not know that prostitution was illegal in Korea. Despite these outrageous numbers, prostitution has been illegal in Korea since 1961. A common place that prostitution takes place in is Miari Texas Village (Also known as Miari Texas, Texas Village, Texas Miari, or just plain Miari.) an area in north-eastern Seoul, with over 250 prostitution houses. In these houses, liquor and food are served in the front and in the back, sex services take place in the back rooms. On average, a woman will see five to ten men a night. The women usually get paid 1.5 million won ($1, 340.00) monthly, along with 1,500 won ($14.00) for each client they see. One very disturbing thing about Miari Texas is that 30% of about 1,000 prostitutes are under the age of eighteen. Even though prostitution is illegal, it is tolerated, if the women are over eighteen. Many of the young prostitutes in Miari Texas are runaways who feel they have nothing more to lose. The first prostitution house (brothel) was established in the 1920’s when Korean women were taken as sex slaves by the Japanese military during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910 – 1945). After the Korean war ended in 1953, the large American military presence led to the building of â€Å"camp town prostitution† for the U.

The Seaweed Is Always Greener :: Essays Papeers

The Seaweed Is Always Greener The idealized portrait of love painted in Disney’s The Little Mermaid leaves a sad impression for reality. The love at first sight and concept of a soul mate are not only portrayed as the romanticized â€Å"true love† (a common theme in Disney films) but are questioned by reliance on physical attributes. The necessity to change in order to obtain that love is portrayed to extremity. The film’s focus on â€Å"true love†, and the self sacrifice made to obtain it, give the target audience a notion that it is not only acceptable, but mandatory, to alter one’s self in order to achieve acceptance and love. Ariel’s state of being an unhappy teenage girl targets an audience not only of young girls, like most Disney films, but ones who are unhappy with their life. Her father is portrayed as over-reactive with a volatile temper, which many girls at such an age think of their fathers as being, though he is redeemed throughout the movie. She wants to travel, to run away, and is displeased with her physical attributes, all characteristics of many teenage girls. Her actions, however, make her a poor role model, as she goes through with all these changes. Eric says to Grimsby after being rescued by Ariel that †she’s the one.† All he remembered of her was her song and perhaps a dim recollection of her face. He has made the decision of his life mate based on that alone, a meeting in which he was not even conscious. All he had to do to fall in love with her was to be in her presence, not even awake. They never spoke, never even met eyes, and Eric doesn’t even know that this girl with whom he is in love is not even of the same species as he is. Ariel has a bit more information on Eric, but is caught by his appearance. She is somewhat acquainted with his character from her observations on the side of the boat, but only that which was shown in a brief window. In order to meet him, with no guarantee of success in winning his love, she sacrifices herself to the sea witch. She terminally abandons her family and friends, her home and her life, never able to return, in a gamble to attempt to fulfill her lustful desires.

Ayckbourns Short Plays and Themes of Isolation and Loneliness :: Ayckbourn Essays

Ayckbourn's Short Plays and Themes of Isolation and Loneliness Isolation and loneliness are common themes in three of Ayckbourn's short plays. It appears, in varying degrees within MF, DC and TP but always is a problem/theme inside each play. MF starts off with on the first page with a strong image of Lucy being isolated from the world outside., "she lifts the receiver then replaces it immediately" and "the door chimes again. Lucy ignores these". Lucy is isolating herself from people at the door and anybody trying to ring her, we discover in the next play why she ignores the phone but the door must just be a way of keeping all her outside troubles and upsets away. I.e. Harry her husband who has 'abandoned' her and left her on her own with the multiple children. An adult in a home with no other adults to talk to may feel very alone intellectually speaking. With nobody around to discuss 'adult issues' e.g. the reason why she is so isolated and why Harry has left her. This ties in with the loneliness of Harry in DC. Here Harry is isolated from females in general, he is away from his wife, but he is miles apart from the girls he's trying to impress. You can see, especially with the arrival of Paula that neither of the girls find him remotely interesting or amusing, on page37 Bernice says, "Oh my God, I thought we'd never get rid of him" just before the pair quickly exit the restaurant. Also Harry turns to attempting to have an affair, probably affairs observing how he behaves, either from obsession and lust-or he truly feels so distant from Lucy he cannot sort out any marital problems. Harry and Lucy are a married couple with children and commitments to each other, but both are lonely, and feel remote from the other. They deal with it in different ways though-Harry attempts to cure loneliness with brief sexual companions, while Lucy just cuts herself off from everyone or at least tries to. Lucy's display of role reversal with Terry and Rose shows how distant from the adult community she appears to be becoming. She turns the pair into squabbling kids, and sends them on their way. When it was they who came to help her! The waiter in BM shares a similar problem, he must be friendly and warm to everyone while keeping a respectable isolated stance from their affairs. Meaning in his everyday working capacity he is lonely and having to present a distance between himself and his customers. This is impressed every time the waiter wanders

Example of education because during that time Essay

In the text, Pocho, by Jose Antonio Villarreal, education plays an important role of explaining the characteristics of the immigrants during the 1930’s. Education is one way for readers to have an experience of what they have been through. During the investigation between the protagonist Richard and sheriff, Richard speaks out some words that the sheriff does not understand. Villarreal writes, â€Å" You mean homosexual? No, he wasn’t- this was a new word to the man. He was on the force because his sister had married a man who had something to do with the Chief of Police†¦ Goddamn! Where’d you learn the big word?† (Villarreal, 89). This is an example of education because here the sheriff is investigating Richard by asking him for information about Joe Pete Manoel. Richard responds with a big word â€Å"homosexual† to the sheriff that he did not understand. This is a highlight of the time period when it does not need any education to be a patrol man in Santa Clara. Education is the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, at a school. Jose Antonio Villarreal directly mention in the texts of Richard’s thoughts about his teacher at school. During the conversation between Richard and Mary, Richard gives out his thought when the teacher does not inform the same answer from what he read on a book. Richard said â€Å"Well, the teachers teach us all kinds of things, and sometimes they’re not really honest about it†¦ sometimes I read things in books that show me teachers are wrong sometimes†¦ they cant be all right, and I don’t like them to always tell me that they know everything, that’s all†. (Villarreal, 71). This is an example of education because during that time, teacher feels like their students are not smart enough to learn two sides of the story. Richard feels that sometimes books can teach him more than what he learns at school. It highlight that during that time education is not an important aspect of the immigrant lives. During the time of 1930’s, Education is not important to most of Mexicans families. But what makes Richard so special and unique is with his intelligence and desire to learn for his own good. Education make Richard shine as a main character, instead of a twelve-year-old kid, he talks like he is an adult. Richard said, â€Å" Try to understand me. I want to learn, and that is all. I do not want to be something- I am. I do not care about making a lot of money and about what people think and about the family in the way you speak. I have to learn as much as I can†¦ you would not understand me if I could† (Villarreal, 64). This quote is a portrait of Richard as a young kid with the mentality to learn. Education helps Richard speaks for him and not what his mother wants. It highlight that even in the period of poverty, Richard’s family believe that with education, they will have a better life.

Body language Essay

I wasn’t too sure on what to wear when I performed my interaction. From previous research into communication I am aware that this can affect the quality of communication. For example dark and gloomy clothes sometimes can indicate you being in bad mood and could prevent clients approaching you. However if you were to wear bright and colourful clothes then it would give the impression that you are happy and friendly and easier to approach. I decided to go for clothes in the middle of bright and dark, however I am still unsure whether this had an effect on the communication shown. At the end of my interaction I gave a member of the group my questionnaire to fill in about the interaction (appendix 1). I wanted to make sure that I gained some feedback from interaction to see whether I was effective in achieving my purpose. I structured that questionnaire very simply, and clear so the child would have no problem in being able to fill it in. the child who I asked to complete my questionnaire filled it all in, and they ticked YES for every box. This would indicate to me that my interaction was a success on the basis of that it was fun, exciting, and there was nothing too bad that affected them in the interaction. This would show that I was successful in achieving my purpose, which to me is a great accomplishment. I got some feedback from this pupil on the questionnaire which was very interesting and useful, however I wanted to make sure that I had an assessment sheet filled in about me to look more specifically at my skills that I demonstrated, what was good about them, what was bad and also to see if I achieved my purpose. Therefore I gave Mrs Paterson, an observation sheet about me to fill in (appendix 2) you can see from the sheet that Mrs Paterson rated me highly on most of the skills. However there were a few points which she had to make. PERSONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND ACTION PLAN One of my main problems that occurred during this interaction was that I found it very hard to observe the type of communication, group layout which was going on as well as performing my own personal communication skills within the group. I think that if I was going to do the interaction again I would probably video record it therefore I could go back and see what I did wrong but also what type of communication skills and patterns occurred. This would be a very effective way in which I could evaluate myself critically in order to create a more efficient action plan. I expressed before about how I felt very nervous and intimidated by the interaction. I think that this could be improved by practice, and just making sure that I remain as calm as I possibly can. Being aware of my body language too is essential too. I also feel that to improve the quality of the interaction I would need to find out ways in which I could include other group members, which were lacking in joining in. I am not entirely sure on a method which I could choose to help me learn this other than teacher training, and obviously this is not possible. However what would be possible is to talk to some teachers, to find out information about how to make clients feel valued and belonged within the group more than what I know already. I gave the observation sheet to Mrs Paterson to write about my interaction. Mrs Paterson did rate me slightly lower on a couple of issues. These were really useful to me in aiding me to create a realistic action plan. For example she quoted: Tone of voice – at times she found it difficult to calm her voice down, due to nervousness. Â  Appropriate responsiveness and calmness – again Leanne found it hard at times to remain calm, however it did improve towards the end. I completely agree with the comments that Mrs Paterson made about my poor communication. I knew that I was finding it hard to calm down and make my voice and body language relaxed during the interaction. I did feel that I made an improvement towards the end whilst I got into the activity more. This is definitely something I need to work on and improve for further interactions such as this. I am going to make a conscious effort to improve on the poor things about my interaction, because it is vital that I can be effective whilst communicating. Im going to make sure that when I’m in an interaction such as this I am going to try and calm myself down before I enter the group interaction. There were so many things that I have become aware or further whilst doing this interaction. And again I feel that it is essential for me to be trained, or get more experience in interacting within a group. For me to improve my interaction I would need to study my assessment sheet to look at where I went wrong, and how I could improve it to make sure that a next interaction is I’m proved and that I have learnt from my poor communication. CONCLUSION This experience has been a very large learning experience for me. Before this I had learnt about all the different types of effective communication, however I never actually knew how incredibly difficult it is to put them into practice. There is so much for and health and care social worker to remember when interacting with their clients. I think that it takes a very talented person to be good at their job within this area. I enjoyed my interaction with the group so much, and I have already decided to go back in the future, to try my group interaction to perhaps try out my action plan. What made this experienced even more enjoyable is the fact that the children relished the activity as much as what I did. When I went to go after my interaction I was actually disappointed on how quickly the time had gone. The children who I was working with seemed to have formed a bond with me and were also upset to see me go too. I think that I was very successful in achieving my purpose of the interaction, and this was reflected through not only the effective communication skills I demonstrated but also that of the amount of enjoyment we all experienced. This has certainly given me a lot to contemplate on, I have learn a lot about myself, as well as how imperative effective communication is in this type of setting. Another thing, which I think has been a vital learning point, is the fact that health and social care workers give so much to their clients. Teachers need to make sure that they are demonstrating communication skills the whole time, but also to leave their own personal or emotional problems at home, because it can effective the relationships between them and the clients. This must be extremely hard to do. I would imagine that this job is very satisfying.

Developmental essay

The term development means a progressive series of changes that occur as a result of maturation and experience. This means that development does not consist merely of adding inches to one’s height or of improving one’s ability. Instead it is a complex process of integrating many structures and functions. Many theorists have proposed concepts or theories on the developmental aspect during adolescence. One of these theories is Erikson’s Eight Stages of Development.The goal of developmental changes is to enable people to adapt to their environment in which they live. To achieve this goal, self- realization, or, as it is some times called â€Å"self- actualization† is essential. I have known an adolescent long ago, he was my neighbour. He used to be my childhood friend then. I have seen him since he was still five years old. During those times I already see him lacking the self- confidence, very pessimistic, he has fear of wrong doing and over control and over restriction of own activity.When he was in his school age, six to twelve years old; I was just surprised seeing him very creative, and already developed a sense of competence and perseverance. When he reached his adolescent stage, I noticed that he has a coherent sense of self and always plans to actualize one’s abilities. There will be a very great difference in the development aspect of a person if he belongs to an ethnic or a dominant culture. Development is influenced by many factors and these are appearance, behaviour, cultural stereotypes, cultural values, role changes and personal experiences.Behaviour is influenced by the environment the person has been brought up to. When behaviour changes are disconcerting, as during puberty and senescence, they affect attitudes toward the changes unfavourably. From mass media, people learn cultural stereotypes to judge people of those ages. Every culture has certain values associated with different ages. Because maximum productivi ty is associated with young through early middle age adulthood in the American culture of today, attitudes toward this age group are more favourable than attitudes toward other ages.Personal experience also has profound effects on an individual’s attitude toward developmental changes. Self- esteem greatly plays an important role in identity development of an adolescent. Self- esteem is one’s perception towards his self- worth, appearance and how other’s sees him in the society. So when one has a very negative or low self esteem then that would greatly affect his development and how he interacts with the people around him.Parents and teachers should let the adolescents explore and socialize. In that way they would develop their self- confidence. They should help them learn the degree to which assertiveness and purpose influence their environment as well as the beginning ability to evaluate one’s own behaviour. They should inculcate in their minds that ever y individual is unique in so many ways and that every person is indeed biologically and genetically different from every one.

Personal Reflection Paper Essay

I have learned a lot of important information throughout this course of Critical and Creative Thinking. I have learned mainly what critical thinking is and how it works. I think that it is important to be a critical thinker. I am going to share with you some information that I learned during this course that helped me use critical thinking more effectively. Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally. When you use critical thinking you can examine and analyze questions, issues, situations, and information of all kinds. It is important to use critical thinking because it helps you evaluate all decisions. When you are using critical thinking you are using different combinations of skills. By using critical thinking, it helps you gain a better understanding, concentrate, and deal with frustrations that are blocking your thinking. There are six different stages of critical thinking. These stages are the unreflective thinker, challenged thinker, beginner thinker, practicing thinker, and advanced thinker. It is important to know what stage you are at. By knowing what stage you are at it will help you distinguish what you need to do in order to move to the next stage. In the beginning of this course I placed myself as a stage one thinker, the unreflective thinker. I placed myself here because I was deceiving myself about the effectiveness of my thinking. I always thought that my thinking was fine. I had not identified the problems that were affecting my thinking. Since taking this course I would have to identify myself as the practicing thinker. I know that I am still not where I need to be but I am continuing to push myself to practice. I have realized that practice is a must and I am  not giving up. In order to move to the next stage, the advanced thinker, I have got to see that practicing has made me a better thinker. I also have to keep at practicing even when I get tired of practicing and lose my motivation. One important thing that I learned during this course is the difference between an issue and a problem. A problem is a situation that you regard as unacceptable, and an issue is a matter in which people disagree on to some extent. I always looked at everything as a problem. It is important to distinguish between the two so that you know how to approach it and solve it. You have to use your critical thinking in order to identify the problem or issue and know how to come up with a solution. To solve a problem you have to figure out what action to take that is the best way to change the situation. When you are resolving an issue you have to decide what viewpoint is more reasonable. I also learned three key strategies that can help stimulate my imagination. These three key strategies are use free association, visualize the solution, and construct pro and con arguments. There are other strategies but these are the three that best suite me. It is important to use imagination because it helps you to be more open minded. In order to be a critical thinker you have to be open minded. By being open minded it helps you to look at all possibilities. It also helps you considered other people’s thoughts and opinions. It is always important to consider other people’s ideas and opinions because there is always room for improvement. I had to realize that I am not always right and that I do not know everything in order to be more open minded. I have learned a lot in this course as you can see. This is just a summary of what all I have learned. I think this course will help me be a more effective writer and thinker. I am going to keep on practicing until I reach the stage of master thinker. Even when I have reached that final stage I am going to continue to practice and use critical thinking. As we learned in this course, â€Å"We can always use room for improvement.† I think that this course is an important course to help you be able to succeed. I have really  enjoyed this class and I have learned a lot. References: The Art of Thinking: A guide to Critical and Creative thought, Tenth Edition, By Vincent Ryan Ruggiero

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Case Study Example s a partnership with its major competitors like the University Hospitals Health systems (Porter and Teisberg, 12), it can gain several ideas including practices and services offered. Furthermore, there are instances when the patients prefer the main campus, an indication that the services provided at the community and county hospitals are minimal (Porter and Teisberg, 5). Therefore, Cleveland Clinic should also consider addition of new services in community branches. Generally, as a recommendation, Dr. Cosgrove should consider adopting these strategies because they will help in ensuring that the clinic offers more effective services to its patients, and also ensure satisfactory services in community and county hospitals. Cleveland Clinic’s focuses much on retaining and growing the existing clients (Exhibit B). In other words, the clinic aims at providing the best services to the patients so that it can ensure patients’ satisfaction, thereby receiving more new patients or retaining continuing patients. Generally, according to the clinic’s rationale, when it focuses much on the experience that the patient has, then it would be easier to recognize whether the patients get full satisfaction from the services provided. The clinic therefore, focuses on the â€Å"patient first† (Porter and Teisberg, 9) aspect in order to ensure the satisfaction of the patients. As a result, the clinic has applied some strategies, for instance; For years the clinic established an open record policy, but currently the clinic has created a system whereby the records are included online as personal health records. In addition, the clinic, since 2012, has ensured an elevated access to electronic patient information, starting with the lab results. As a result of these changes, patients have an online access to the physicians’ notes for review after a visit. Since the clinic made decision to make it easier for their patients to see the physicians, it came up with a system whereby the

Outline and critique the main themes in martin luther kings Jr.s Essay

Outline and critique the main themes in martin luther kings Jr.s theology. can it inspire the contemporay church to be a 'voice of conscience' in society today - Essay Example Other than the colored church traditions, King sought from other intellectual sources to back up his noble course of liberating his people from oppression. National and international public figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Thoreau inspired him with their individual philosophies. He borrowed the nonaggressive protest tradition that the two advocated. He also gave secular interactionism a chance, alongside protestant liberalism in an attempt to have in place a harmonized approach of theology amid struggle for equality. It’s apparent that the key hindrance to Martin King talented theologian is the narrow, shallow, elitist, and racist definition of theology. These flaws restricts its methods and subject matter to problems and issues that other races tend to identify. King at all times steered from the front. He passionately sought to transform all the forms of oppression in his society. He aspired to establish a fair and a nondiscriminatory society. Thus, it is possible to analyze his involvement with such events as the famous successful Montgomery bus boycott (1953-56). In addition to the defeat in Albany (1961), the Birmingham demonstrations(1963), the Sejma March for goring rights (1965) and his encounter with racism in Chicago (1966). Moreover, Kings had dialogue with black power advocates during and after the Meredith Mississippi March (1966). He arranged the preparation for Poor Peoples March on Washington (1967), had a stand against the Vietnam War (1967-68), and had his last march with garbage workers in Memphis (1968). Martin King was keen not to restrict his theological pursuit to the afflictions of one minority group. As much as his initial drive was motivated by the oppression of the black, his theological vision was diverse and in fact, universal. He targeted the entire humanity as he thought of the brown Vietnamese

Can organizational cultures be changed Research Paper

Can organizational cultures be changed - Research Paper Example Despite the many changes that occur worldwide, an organization can stay impermeable towards change. According to Miller, et al. (2003), if the organization is deeply rooted with their institutional context, thickened and insulated from the outside world and with predefined organizational dynamics, then the said organization can be impermeable with change. An organization can be measured with its history. The values, philosophies, vision and strategies of the organization during their foundation years contribute to the culture of that organization. Every personal history of the individual within the institution contributes to the current and future decisions, behaviors and choices of the organization as a whole. And with time value, this organization becomes formalized and standardized thereby making them change resistant. The managerial practices and the core values demanded by this organization require new entities to follow their norms and whoever disagrees from it can leave anytim e. If the leaders of the organization are tightly bounded with their set of standards and rules, they are bound to stand resistive of what is around them making culture change impossible. This has been a reality in countries such as China, which is embedded with Confucianism, and Russia rooted with Communism (Miller,et al., 2003:393-394). Culture contributes highly to the overall functioning of an organization. It has an impact on the effectiveness of the organization which reflects the reasons why the organization existed in the first place. There have been a lot of researches done by various organizations to achieve that optimum effectiveness and functionality. According to Denison and Mishra (1995), for the function of a certain organization to be highly effective, there are various elements involved such as involvement, consistency, adaptability, and sense of mission or long-term vision. These traits can indicate the organizations flexibility, sense of response, open-mindedness, direction, and integration. With these traits evident in the culture of an organization, it is easier to predict the growth, quality, satisfaction, profitability and the overall performance. To gain these traits, it is inevitable for the organization to steer with change throughout time. With time factor drifting from one era to another, it is imperative for everyone to adapt with change. The change in technology, communication, transport, machineries and other aspects, humanity are forced into dependence upon these changes for greater gain. The advent of 20th century has toppled the traditional practices and various individuals and organizations must be creative in using their knowledge-based human capacity to balance their organization’s culture with the fast paced change happening in the world today. This has been a challenge for various minds, scholars and individuals to develop new and keen theories and methods applicable for organizations. Organizations of today are no longer conformed to the geographical location, religious beliefs and nationality. Instead, there is a global vision, expansion, influence and competition going on (Walsh, Meyer and Schooenhoven, 2006). This has been evident to the many industries that are present today. Multinational industries with global influence have adapted various changes in their organization culture to cope with the realities that

Work, People and Productivity Mgt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Work, People and Productivity Mgt - Essay Example These include; Preoccupation with failure, sensitivity to operations, reluctance to simplify interpretations, deference to expertise and commitment to resilience. People in HRO work in recognition of the high risk environments and occupations. In order to enhance productivity and reliability the HRO must carry out self-assessment and evaluation. These characteristics provide a guide to the thinking and mindfulness in the organization (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). It is important to recognize that policies and manuals in an organization constantly change; the HRO should be mindful and be sensitive to the complexity of the systems and environment of the HRO. The HRO should quickly work to identify and anomalies and problems and quickly eliminate potential problems. As an HRO it is important to always be aware and have updated information on the state of the systems and processes in the organization. This is key to identifying possible problems and preventing them (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). It is important that the HRO offer concrete and detailed explanation and documentation of processes in the organization. Simple explanations to processes and activities are not ideal for proper diagnosis of problems in the organization. This eliminates the problem of not knowing what’s going on in the organization until it’s too late. Concise and clear explanations of processes improve reliability and productivity of the organization (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2001). Failures and errors are bound to occur in any HRO, it is the roles of the HRO to identify, predict and eliminate possible catastrophes rather react to them. An HRO constantly keeps in mind that they might have omitted something that might put the organization at risk. This should be viewed as opportunities to improve current systems by determining weaknesses, examining

Company Analysis and Valuation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company Analysis and Valuation - Essay Example This will be done by comparing the financial ratios to other companies within the same industry so as to get a feel for the true or normal performance of the company. Finally, the report will use the valuation models in trying to compute the intrinsic value of the company and then compares it with the current value of the company to decide if this stock is overvalued or undervalued. Ratio analysis refers to the systematic use of ratios to interpret a company’s financial statements in order to determine its weaknesses and strengths, financial health as well as its current performance and historical performance. The profitability ratios of Masraf Al-Rayan have been fluctuating, however, they shows an upward trend from 2012 implying that the profitability of the company has been increasing over the period. The net profit margin and ROA are relatively equal to the industry average value indicating that the company has the same profitability as other firms in the industry. However, other firms gives their shareholders more returns that Masraf Al-Rayan because their average ROE is higher than that of the firm. Management efficiency ratios indicates how well a firm is managing its liabilities and how effectively it is utilizing its assets. Efficiency ratios indicates the efficiency with which the assets of the company are working to generate sales revenue or income (Kapil, 2011). The company’s management efficiency ratios have been fluctuating throughout the period implying that Masraf-Al-Rayan’s efficiency has been changing over the period. In comparison to the industry average, the Company’s efficiency ratios are lower; this indicates that the company is relatively less efficient than other firms in the industry. The company’s leverage ratios have been fluctuating throughout the period implying that Masraf-Al-Rayan’s solvency has been changing over the period. From the ratios, the company is highly leveraged

Syrian & Libyan Revolution (Case Study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Syrian & Libyan Revolution (Case Study) - Essay Example When citizens start calling for a different political system, existing governments are bound to resist such pressure in a bid to preserve power. Accordingly, the citizens are forced to use violence to achieve the desired political structures. A political revolution, therefore, takes place when the citizens of a given country start advocating for changes in the political system but the ruling class rejects such calls. What caused the Libyan and Syrian revolutions of 2011? Research shows that a myriad of factors including political (dictatorial governments), economic (class inequalities), and social (massive abuse of human rights) issues. The Arab uprising, as it has come to be known, began in 2010 and continued throughout 2011 affecting a number of countries across the northern part of Africa and the Middle East. Among the countries affected by the uprising were Tunisia, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, and Algeria. The aforementioned countries all experienced wide spread civil unrest accompanied by subsequent violence perpetrated by disgruntled statesmen. According to Bhardwaj (2012), as the waves of revolution began sweeping over the region, dictatorial regimes that were historically considered invincible started crumbling under massive pressure caused by over-arching civil unrest. As such, it is clear that despite how long an authoritarian regime may last, there will come a time when the citizens decide to take back power from the dictators and establish a more tolerant form of governance. The process of citizens deciding to oust an incumbent government and the actual ousting and subsequent replacement of the said rul ers is what is this study terms as a revolution. What were the probable causes of the Libyan and Syrian revolutions? Various theorists, scholars, and observers have come up with various ways of explaining the causes of the respective revolutions. An exhaustive appraisal of appropriate literature on the origins of the revolutions in Libya and

Pricing Strategies for NIVEA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Pricing Strategies for NIVEA - Essay Example For this reason Nivea launched the ‘Nivea for Men’ in the year 2008 (The Times 100, 2008). In the face care category, Nivea Visage is the most successful product in the markets of Europe, France, Austria, and Germany. In Germany this product captured 1% market share, in Austria it surpassed 1% market share just 3 months after product launch, in France it covered more than double the target market share (Maschauer & Et. Al., 2004). In Germany’s shower segment, Nivea Bath Care occupied 11.9% share, in bath product segment Nivea Bath Care occupied 11.5% share, in the liquid soap segment, it occupied 7% of market share and in solid soap segment Nivea Bath Care occupied 13.6% market share (European Cosmetic Markets, 2007). Beiersdorf operates in imperfect competitive markets. There are generally many sellers in this type of competition. The offered products are primarily differentiated. There are competitor brands present such as Rexona, FA, Palmolive, Dove and many ot hers. There is free entry for entering the market and company can sustain in the long run. The products are also differentiated. The product cost in this type of competition is determined by market power and buyers or sellers have ideal information about the brand of the company (Reynolds, 2005). During 1970 to 1980, Nivea extended the brand to a wide range of skin care products, such as Nivea creme and Milk Soap among others. Nivea creme first came in the market of Germany in the year 1912. In Europe, this creme was launched in the year of 1912, in the United States it was launched in the year of 1922 and in other countries including South America, it was launched in 1926. The other products of the brand are body soap, powder and sun protection... Nivea is one of the leading names in the global consumer products market pertaining to skin care and beauty related products. The discussion will further proceed with identification of certain factors such as market share and products of Nivea along with the competition that the company faces. In the subsequent section of the assignment, value based market segmentation will be applied along with its six relevant steps in order to comprehend the market and consumer segment of Nivea. Nivea has emerged as a popular name in superior quality skin care and beauty products. It is one of the biggest cosmetic brands which transformed from a skin care product to a trustworthy personal care product for all family type. Nivea has been able to create a niche for itself in not only European market but also global market. It has been able to withstand tough competition globally and has emerged as a leading player. It has expanded its operations in many new markets such as South America, Eastern Eur ope, Central America and Asia. Nivea occupies almost 15% of men’s fairness market. Sales of male skincare products have increased after launching of the ‘Nivea for Men’. The company wanted to raise its share in the UK male skincare segment. Value based segmentation facilitates pricing with actual value perceived and delivered to customers. This provides information that which type of customers are paying most profitable price. For making a value based segmentation six steps are needed.

The Italian Americans Essay Example for Free

The Italian Americans Essay The dream of America has always been a powerful beacon of hope for people of other countries searching for a better life. The Irish came in droves to escape starvation, the Jewish came to seek safety, the Russians looking for improved living conditions. Regardless of the reasons, millions have sacrificed everything at the chance for something better. It is the same for the Italians. The real immigration of Italians didn’t start until the early 1900’s when the number of immigrants mushroomed from 70,000. â€Å"This figure changed to close to four million who arrived between 1880 and 1914. † (Davison, 1998) The reasons for immigration are varied and include overpopulation, a scarcity of jobs and the hope for better economic opportunity. Italy at that time was fairly agricultural with most of the land being owned by a small group of wealthy families. Many of the immigrants that came to America during this period continued their tradition for growing and cultivating things and many sold the small crops they grew in their little gardens. And many Italians came temporarily, working and sending money back to family in Italy. Regardless of the reasons, the Italians had one strong trait in common, they came to work. Although they were a predominantly agri society, many found work here using the various skills and trades that they brought with them from Italy. Oftentimes, however, they changed what they did to fit into the new life they were creating. As they landed in port towns they spent their time recreating the country from which they came and generally segregated themselves in this way. The concept of paesani, or little villages, was kept in tact by blocks of Neapolitans sticking together, and blocks of Calebrese living together. This tradition of paesani helped with the cultural assimilation that many Italians found difficult. During the rush of immigration the greatest number of Italian immigrants focused on America and Brazil. However, because the English language, family values and traditions, and religion were very much different from their own, â€Å".. The Italians in New York confronted significantly greater cultural differences. † (Italain American Civil Rights, 2007) These cultural differences reared their heads in a variety of different forms. Religious persecution was one of them. When the immigrants arrived they found that the predominant religion was white Protestantism as opposed to the Catholicism they came from. However, things became even more difficult when the Irish, who also practiced Catholicism, found the Italian from of practicing their same religion unsatisfactory. They began to be â€Å"†¦ attacked for being prejudiced against blacks and for being super patriotic hard hats with little sophistication or with connections to the Mafia. † (Bailey, 1999) Tensions rose quickly as the once disparaged Irish were now replaced by newly immigrated Italians. A common thread of prejudice began to grow and immigrants that were not of an Anglo-Saxon decent were looked at as less than human. There are many factors that aided this prejudice. One of the most important was the issue of racism. In the summer of 1989 a sixteen year old African American was shot and killed during an argument by a group of youth in an Italian neighborhood. Although the community was aghast and all applauded the severe punishment of the boys, the Italians were labeled â€Å"racists†. This is both interesting and strange because at the same time in the south the Italians were a threat to white solidarity as they were more apt to side with black rights. This so enraged the southern whites that it was not uncommon for Italians to be hung for their beliefs. It was obvious then that American had found a new scape goat. † Since then, the stereotype of the Italian American-as-bigot has become accepted by the general public, thanks in large part to the U. S. entertainment industry, which routinely portrays its fictional Mafia characters as racists. † (Faegin, 1978) In addition to trouble with racism, and false stereo-typing, Italians found problems with class walls. They were portrayed by the media as illiterate and diseased, and the general public accepted this view. It was not helpful that Italians seemed to like to stay close to the city centers, often as home owners, and they blame for crime and other offenses also began to be laid at their feet. However, it was shown that, this mafia based criminality blame was also unfounded. â€Å"Italian Americans had relatively low crime rates, close to those for all native-born Americans. † (Faegin) However, regardless of the facts, these myths provided difficulties for Italians to overcome in all facets of society. Nevertheless, overcoming them is exactly what they did. Italian Americans today continue to play an active and vital part in American society. They continue to hold strong family and cultural ties, and to work within the fabric of America to make it a better place. Bibliography Bailey, S. (1999). Immigrants in the Land of Promise. Ithaca: Cornell University. Davison, B. (1998, May 2). Italains Immigrating to Maryland. Retrieved March 17, 2007, from www. oriole. umd. edu Faegin, J. (1978). Racial and Ethnic Relations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Italain American Civil Rights. (2007). Retrieved March 18, 2007, from Order of the Sons of Italy: www. osia. org