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How would you define -specifically- the problem that Altruist is facing? What are the main causes? As It seems, Altos had believed a lot In their success because they believed In the balls they were producing and its quality. With the budget amount far beyond of competitors budget, its management believed that Its success has been secured ultimately. However, it seems like pricing strategy was overlooked. Quality of the product Is one aspect, and pricing and the way you deliver the product In the market Is another aspect.With the economy going down and many crises occurring time to time, people have become each day more price-sensitive and they often overlook product value. Here communication channels should be used wisely to raise awareness about the value and not only price. If Alts had price as mall competitive Indicator than It risks Its future because other competitors are way more affordable and their main target is pricing-strategy that pushes clients away from Alts. Indeed in dustry trends speak that the more people are declining their interest in this sport.This also is an indicator that once people do onto perceive this sport as valuable 2. – Would you support the launch of the Elevate product line? Which criteria would you use for the decision? Would you connect the brand name with Altruist? 4. – How would you decide the marketing resources that it needs? If you did not want to launch Elevate, what would you advise Altruist to change in their present marketing strategy? How will different distribution channels view the decision?

Leadership Reflection

Personal Leadership Reflection My whole life I’ve been fascinated with great leaders and had been fortunate to be in close proximity with some of the people leaders of my country at a very young age. You see, my family’s business is politics or public service as it is often referred to in the United States. My grandfather was among the very few that had the opportunity to get a college education in the U. K. in the 1940s before we gained independence in 1961. They were trained as leaders to run the country when the British left.As a kid growing up I watched many of the leaders in my country including my mother and father, uncle and aunts, interact, nurture, motivate and empower their people. All these people have had an important role in shaping my life and helped me develop my own unique leadership style. Leadership is define as â€Å"the process by which individual exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates and directs their activities to help achieve group or organizational goals. (Contemporary Management P317) When I think of great leaders that I try to emulate, I always think of people like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Colin Powell to name a few. These three are not only transformational leaders but they transcends race, culture and boundaries in their leadership roles. I would characterize my leadership style as that of transformational leader, because I nurture, inspire, motivate and empower my people not only to get the best out of them but to also put them in positions to achieve self-actualization according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.I have had some leadership role working with a diverse group in terms of age, race and gender, and they appreciate my down to earth and very approachable style with everyone I deal with. I engage in transformational leadership by being attune with our industry and leading my people with a bold vision that inspires and challenge them to be creative and bold while nurturing t heir talents. I would not be the kind of leader I am today without the help of aforementioned individuals.Whenever I see someone in a leadership position, I try to learn from him or her. Whether the example is positive or negative, there are lessons I can learn and apply (or not apply) to my own leadership style. I will build upon this foundation by listening and staying attune with the rank and file even as the organization grows. I am currently working on improving my communication of expectations for my working relationships.I will ask specific questions to best understand the working environment within the organization. Leaders set the example. I will be honest with myself and with others. I will seek feedback and utilize this information for personal improvement. Leaders are also dedicated and hardworking and I will continue to work hard because my people deserves it. These are all influenced in some way by my ethnicity, national culture and maybe my gender as well.I am remembe red by people I worked with previously as someone who is knowledgeable and who cares, someone who always did his best. I will not accept the status quo when the status quo can be improved. I will continuously push myself to learn and observe so that I can remain a highly effective leader who supports others and myself in all that I do. My leadership style will continue to evolve and show up in who I am and how I am in both personal and professional relationships.

Double Standards in Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Double Standards in Sexuality - Essay Example Today just like in the past generations, sexual double standards has progressed to a level that it is no longer considered as an issue worth frowning at (Gerodetti, 2004). In this paper, the issue of sexual double standards will be discussed to evaluate the existence of the issue from a historical and contemporary position. The difference in the men and women sexuality as has been perpetuated within the society thus gaining an acceptable status within the communities will also be discussed in the paper. In the Victorian era, the attitude towards sexuality differed and this is believed to have strengthened the double standards issue as we know it today. For example, sexual activities and practices such as masturbation in women and men were viewed from a different angle and this led to varying support to the different genders on the same topic. For example, during this era, it is believed that men were more concentrated on the effects of masturbation to them as compared to having a sexual relationship with men. Masturbation during this period was associated with a wide range of physical and mental disorders and conditions such as syphilis and other venereal conditions were attributed to men who were engaged in the activity. During the Victorian era, it is believed that people were unaware of their sexuality and this gave the aristocrats the leeway to manipulate those they deemed fit. Though there exists the perception that Victorian England was marked by the presence of female distaste and male indulgence, evidence points to a situation where the couples enjoyed mutual sexual pleasure as seen today in the modern society (Alexander & Fisher, 2003). Attitude towards prostitution also changed as the leadership legalized and made the issue of prostitution public as opposed to the venerated act of the 17th century.

Hamlet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hamlet - Essay Example Hamlet’s madness leads him to commit revenge for the death of the King who was his father. Hamlet’s crafts a scheme to force his uncle to accept that he murdered the King. In Act I scene V of the play, Hamlet’s father’s ghost encourages him to murder the current King who is his uncle as revenge for poisoning his father (Shakespeare 35). As part of his aim to make his uncle confess to the crime, he feigns madness. His first characteristics of madness appear when he encounters Ophelia, a woman who he had made countless presentations of his affection. He acts insane towards her before the opening of the tale. He acts mad by grabbing her hands, caressing her face, and by staring at her closely as he exits the room. Ophelia’s father Polonius attributes Hamlet’s madness as a result of his love for her. Through his madness, Hamlet alienates Ophelia by making it known that he never loved her at all. Hamlet further confuses her when he decides to sit next to her during the play within a play in Act III. Ophelia is unsure of his melancholy to ecstatic attitude change. Hamlet almost avenges his father’s death when he finds the king kneeling down in prayer. He contemplates upon this by questioning the morality of killing him when he is in prayer. In Act III scene IV, his father’s ghost visits him again to remind him that he has not avenged his murder (Shakespeare 95). In Act V scene II, he ultimately kills the king before he dies too. Hamlet’s feigned madness leads to him becoming obsessed with revenge for his father. In the play, Ophelia is daughter to Polonius, and Hamlet’s love interest. She gets trapped between Polonius and Hamlet’s world as she gets confused as to whether to become obedient towards his father or fall in love with Hamlet. This confusion results to her tragic end. Ophelia as demanded by society at the time is obedient towards his father. He lives by his father’s rules an d gets used by him as a catch to spy on Hamlet. Ophelia’s obedience towards men also leaves her at the mercies of Hamlet’s constant abuse of her. Hamlet accuses Ophelia of being a breeder of sinners and if she were to marry she would turn her husband into a monster as she would cheat on him. The constant barrage of criticism directed towards her by Hamlet crushes her. She gets crashed when Hamlet declares that he never loved her (Shakespeare 30). As a young woman, Ophelia is under too much pressure from both her father and Hamlet. She eventually cracks and goes mad. She sings of a girl who gets tricked into losing her virginity for a false promise on marriage. Her madness leads her to commit suicide by drowning. Her mental breakdown is real and as a result of the patriarchal pressure and abuse he receives from his father and Hamlet. Ophelia’s madness gets contributed by the overall state of confusion existent in the entire play. She gets confused as to whether t o surrender to Hamlet or her father. She gets caught in both worlds. It is this confusion that leads her to breakdown mentally. Ophelia’s madness can also get attributed to the misogynistic and gender themes existent in the play. As demanded by society at the time, women were to be obedient to every move by their male counterparts in society. Ophelia gets forced to obey the men in her lives. It is this submission to both her father and Hamlet that contribute to her state of confusion and apparent mental breakdown. She complies with his father’

Conflict Management In The Area Of Public Management Essay

Conflict Management In The Area Of Public Management - Essay Example Conflict management is an art, and when dealing with public issues, this becomes a major challenge. In the broad context of defining conflict management with the tag of public issues, the scope moves beyond the office set-up and can involve, for example, union-management issues, public-counsel issues, etc. Seemingly, these words are fairly common terms used in the English language, but the gurus of the language speak themselves that at times, the most common terms are the most difficult ones to describe. Following the same, it is essential to describe these key terms with reference to the given topic. Logical sense generally implies, understanding a certain issue in a manner that it makes sense via the route of logic i.e. the explanation contains logic and has substances, and makes sense. For example, raising salaries can deteriorate profits makes perfect logical sense, but the solution is not not-raising-salaries, but rather a good way out can be introducing performance-based bonuses because salaries are fixed and bonuses vary with relation to the profits. Arguments are the cross-charge statements whereby one entity disagrees to the viewpoint of the other and presents its statement of disagreement. Managerial advice is simply put the advice placed to the management, and likewise any other entity getting advice, the management also needs to comprehend and analyze various factors including the outcome of the application/implementation of the advice. The three terms described by far can be combined together to comprehend that the arguments, when presented to the management should make logical sense for the application. However, in line with the given statement for discussion, it is difficult to make logical sense out of the arguments presented to the management.

World War 2 - War in the Pacific Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World War 2 - War in the Pacific - Essay Example e Imperial expansion occurred from the time that the Empire was founded in 1868 until its ultimate dissolution as a result of its defeat and the conclusion of the Second World War. After the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese Empire began what would become a very long period of territorial expansion, belligerence, and colonialism within the theater of the Pacific. As with many empires, the expansions and quests for territory and resources were not merely limited to a small region within the Pacific; rather, when taken as a whole, the Japanese conquest which lasted up until the conclusion of the Second World War was something that spanned thousands of miles, ranged across peoples, culture, religions, and languages, and sought to bring a wide area of places under Japanese Imperial rule. Yet, as has been stated, this did not occur all at once. Instead, the territorial expansion under the Japanese Empire began as early as the First Sino-Japanese War (fought between 1894-1895). As one might expect, the origin of this war was not over Chinese or Japanese territory as such but rather over control of the buffer zone between the two powers; the Korean peninsula. Balance o f power politics dictated that as soon as Chinese sent troops into Korea at the request of the Korean government as a means to quell an uprising that Japan responded by sending troops of its own. As a result of this war, Japan came to be in command of almost the entirety of the Korean peninsula as well as the island of Taiwan; ceded to Japan as a result of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Such marked the first true foray into territorial acquisition that the Japanese Empire experienced. Following this acquisition, Japan participated in the Boxer rebellion by way of sending troops into parts of Manchuria and other areas under the pretense of suppressing the rebellion. To the Empire’s credit, such an action was not taken alone; in total a full six European powers plus the United States also participated in

Moral Corporation Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Moral Corporation - Personal Statement Example Moral Corporation Since every organization operates in a given community, it is important for it to pay back to the community for allowing it to run its business in the community. An organization may not be able to achieve its objectives without the involvement of the members of the society. It is, therefore, necessary that the company should take care of the interests of the society as it does with its own objectives. That is a moral corporation. An organization’s stakeholders are the key success drivers. Therefore, behaving morally towards them will give a company a good image which will motivate the stakeholders to work harder to achieve the organization’s objectives. The practice shows that companies which show moral responsibility towards its stakeholders perform better than those who do not. This is because a morally responsible organization attracts better human capital and increases the cooperation of the stakeholders in executing the company’s operations. In order for a c ompany to exercise a moral social responsibility successfully, it needs to establish a Corporate Social Responsibility Program which will ensure that the needs of all stakeholders as well as the welfare of the society are well taken care of by the company. Moral responsibility concerns an organization’s behavior towards the society as well. It means that the company should behave ethically towards the members of the community within which it conducts its business. First of all, it should be responsible for its actions. Morally responsible organizations ensure that their operations are not only in line with the law, but also responsive to the welfare needs of the society at large. Appropriate mechanisms need to be put in place in order for companies to contribute towards a sustainable working environment and economic development. One of the ways to take care of the needs and welfare of the society is environmental conservation. Organizations in such industries as oil, automobi le, and mining have a great impact on the environment by their activities. In order for such businesses to contribute to a sustainable development, they should use approaches which are able to minimize the negative impact on the environment. A profit oriented business should operate in a sustainable environment where business operations can be undertaken smoothly without major challenges. Therefore, every organization that is determined to achieve its primary objectives should take care of the environment by minimizing negative impacts on it. Oil, automobile industries among others often contribute to environmental pollution and cause greenhouse effects which are dangerous to human life and affect the climate. If human life is threatened and the climate is affected, the economic conditions of a country will be affected negatively and business environment will also be negated. In this case, the profitability of the business will decrease in the long run. Therefore, organizations must maintain a good green environment for the success of their businesses. Mining also leads to environmental degradation and pollution. This may make land unproductive and threaten human and animal life. This also leads to the unsustainable development which results in poor performance of organizations in the long run. Such businesses should, therefore, ensure that they always behave responsively towards the community by undertaking environmental-friendly or green operations. Another way by which an organization may demonstrate

How EU policy affects the European Automotive Industry Essay

How EU policy affects the European Automotive Industry - Essay Example However, during the last five years, there has been a slowdown in economic output across the EU, and, while the forecasts are positive, modest growth of 2.0%-2.3% is expected in 2004. Weak growth has led to reduced consumer and business confidence. Industrial production has decreased, including the production of durable consumer goods. Levels of private consumption have fluctuated during early 2003, following modest growth in the previous two years. This is partly due to poor labor market conditions, with EU unemployment rising during 2003. Economic indicators are weak in some major EU economies such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Only the United Kingdom (UK) has managed to resist these trends (Trends and drivers). This has greatly affected the car industry, given the car's status as the ultimate consumer and fashion item, as well as the importance of engineering and design in the manufacturing process. Average profit margins have declined from around 10% in the 1960s to less t han 5% today, and some volume car makers are actually losing money (EMCC dossier). Despite increasing competition worldwide, European automotive has maintained a strong position in exports and global sales. The strong bond between Europe's vehicle manufacturers and the sophisticated customer base in the largest car market in the world constitutes a prominent competitive advantage, while the notable presence of European producers in emerging markets, such as China and the Russian Federation, offers a potential for future growth and profits (info-crono-archivio). Furthermore, EU enlargement created new opportunities for the European automotive industry. The combination of expertise, affordable labor and the proximity to the large European markets has led to the emergence of a very dynamic cluster in the new Member States - especially Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Hungary (info-crono-archivio).Despite these advantages, many challenges remain: the EU automotive industry lags behind the US and Japan in terms of productivity. Labor productivity in the EU-15 is 25 per cent lower than in the US and 30 per cent lower than in Japan; labor costs per hour worked in the EU-15 are comparable to those in the US, but more than ten per cent above those in Japan and almost three times as high as in Korea (data for 2001, converted using purchasing power parities). Annual working time in the automotive industry in EU-15 is more than 20 per cent shorter than in the US (in 2001); there are major technological challenges ahead, most prominently the fuel cell (info-crono-archivio). Influences of EU policies European legislation is one of the main drivers of the European automotive industry. Emissions and recycling legislation have a strong impact both on vehicle technologies and construction (Trends and drivers). EC, industry and consumer concerns for environmental sustainability, road safety and mobility have led to a number of significant technological developments. These have both positive and negative effects on profitability. For example, a limited number of specialist high technology suppliers might prosper while vehicle makers see their already narrow profit margins cut even further. Such a development would make vehicle makers vulnerable to further consolidation and restrict

How does a firms marketing strategy impact its decisions regarding the Case Study

How does a firms marketing strategy impact its decisions regarding the appropriate manufacturing strategy - Case Study Example Without a marketing strategy, an organizations effort to attract and retain customers becomes inefficient. However, with a marketing strategy, other strategies in the firm also become operational. According to Paul Fifield (2012) is an organization’s central concept or its produce by which the approach it chooses to take to has an impact on the market. The correlation that exists between the marketing strategy and manufacturing strategy in an organization has direct relations with its success and competitive capabilities. In chapter 5 of Bowersox, Closs, Cooper and Bowersox’s article, page 107, the authors evidently indicate that the existing marketing practices serve as a foundation for the manufacturing strategy in relation to client acceptability. The relationship between the two is crucial to an organization’s competitive position. When such a relationship does not exist, the manufacturing strategy is not used as a formidable weapon of competition since it is does not form the correct alignment with the marketing strategies (Bowersox, Closs, Cooper & Bowersox, 2011). An excellent example comes from Bowersox, Closs, Cooper and Bowersox’s article where they indicate that the marketing department may only care about the features and aesthetics of a product or service, whereas the manufacturing department conc entrates on the firm’s conformity. The key aim of a manufacturing strategy in an organization is to ensure that it has a competitive advantage over its competitors using the available manufacturing capabilities or assets. However, it is fundamental to note that the competitive advantage is only defined from a firm’s standpoint on marketing. Given that there are often many conflicts that exist between the two, the strategies are always divergent. Hence, for this reason, a firm’s marketing strategy has to have a positive impact on decisions

The Big Bang Theory Essay Example for Free

The Big Bang Theory Essay The beginning of the universe is explained in the big bang theory. It is proved beyond doubt that our universe had a beginning and that its origin was as a singularity about 13 billion years ago. This singularity was infinitely hot, small and dense. It had undergone a series of changes, which includes expansion and cooling to become the present form of universe. This theory is called the big bang theory. According to this theory the process of cooling and expansion is still continuing. There are several evidences as well as arguments supporting this theory as well as opposing it. The main intention of the present paper is to analyze these arguments in search of its validity. History of this theory, its religious interpretations as well as the features of the universe according to this theory also will be discussed in this paper. The big bang theory was proposed by scientist and Roman Catholic priest Georges Lemaitre and his called his theory as hypothesis of the primeval atom (Hubble, 1929). The framework for this model was based on the Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Most of the astronomers today believe in this theory mainly because of the red shift that was observed in the near by galaxies. Scientists believe that the universe is still expending because of the presence of dark energy (Big bang Theory, 2009). There are several features of the universe which support big bang theory. The abundance of light elements such as hydrogen and helium and less occurrence of the heavy elements or heavy metals in universe is actually in support of this theory. This is because it is proved beyond doubt that at such a high temperature that persisted at the time of origin of the universe, the elements of mass numbers more than 5 and their isotopes would have been unstable. This might have resulted in the formation of more light elements at that time. Presence of more matter than antimatter is another feature that supports the theory. Even now the scientists are not able to find a reason for this phenomenon. However, many scientists consider the asymmetry in the decay of some mesons as the reason for this phenomenon. Another feature of the universe is that it is composed of several galaxies and these are separated by cosmic voids. The presence of a radiation in all directions which is quite even or uniform throughout is another factor that supports the theory which explains the origin of universe from a fire ball ( Big bang theory, 2009) One of the argument against big bang theory is that universe had its origin as an explosion. However according to experts it is better to imagine universe as a balloon with an infinitely small size and continuously increasing its size so as to reach the current size. It would be difficult to imagine the universe as a balloon bursting and throwing off its contents. Another argument against this theory is that it universe e originated as a fireball in space. But according to the Einstein’s theory of relativity there could not be anything, space or time or matter or energy before the origin of universe. Thus this argument also has been proved to be baseless (Big Bang Theory An Overview, 2009). There are many arguments or evidences that support this theory. Most of the people believe that universe had an origin. Edwin Hubble discovered that galaxies are moving away from us at speeds, which are directly proportional to the distance from us. This provides evidence for the expansion of the universe, which was originally very small. The discovery of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMB) by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson in 1965 provided evidence that universe was initially very very hot as it is explained according to the big bang theory. Another important evidence is the profusion of hydrogen and helium in the observable universe. This also supports the big bang origin of universe. According to the recent research by NASA and ESA, the universe had its origin from the remnants of a universe, which existed previously. This is called loop quantum gravity theory (Zyga, 2008). This theory also supports the origin of the present universe as a singularity as in big bang theory. Still the arguments regarding the models to explain the origin of universe is continuing between great scientists. But one thing that has to be remembered is that whatever might be the arguments, there would always be a philosophical criterion involved and therefore these arguments are never going to end (Gibbs, 1995). Therefore as long as no one is certain about anything that happened at that time, the arguments would continue. An important factor that has to be considered in the big bang theory is its religious interpretations. Origin of Universe is an area where science and theology places opposite views. According to Islam, Allah is the creator and Evolver of every thing in this universe. Of course the development of the universe to the present stage is something that is super natural and therefore there is nothing wrong in believing that there is a super natural force behind all these evolution and that supernatural force is God. The theologians as well as majority of people believe that it is not possible to evolve something from nothingness. Estes (2009) has put it in a different manner. According to him this explanation of origin of universe is as absurd as believing that when there was an explosion in a place all the metal pieces joined in the air to form a car. He further explains that it cannot be believed that the different parts of the oldest computer one day exploded and then joined to form the most advanced computer now. This development took place as a result of long years of research by human beings. In the same way the development of universe to the present form, required the intelligence of someone who is super natural and that is God himself. When we look at the stars, sun, moon and the galaxy as a whole, we see that they are all moving with accurate speed and timings in such a way that they do not collide each other. The earth is having the exact requirements for the life of man on it. All the requirements of the man are met through the other organisms as well as physical and chemical properties of the earth. It is very difficult to explain all these facts based on big bang theory (Estes, 2009). There is another school of thought in the Islam itself in support of the big bang theory (Huda, 2009). The idea of singularity is present in the Quran also, where it is said that heaven and earth existed as a single unit originally. According to the big bang theory, the elements, which constituted the universe, had come together, cooled down and finally formed into the present shape. This is what exactly said in Quran, the only difference is that it was Allah who gave commands to these elements to behave in the way it had behaved. Come together, willingly or unwillingly. They said: We come (together) in willing obedience' (41:11). The concept that Universe is expanding is also there in Quran. The heavens, We have built them with power. And verily, We are expanding it (51:47). The fact that the universe is continuing to get expanded has been discovered only recently and it was the answer to the long debates by Muslim scholars on the exact meaning of this verse in the Quran. An argument in Islam against the big bang theory is that in Quran it is written that the creation of the universe was completed in six days. But in Quran itself it is written that one day of Allah could be 50,000 years for man. In another place it is written as 1000 years. Thus the day could be regarded as an era with a fixed length of time. And six days could be six such eras, the length of which no body knows. Thus in this way also Quran is not contradicting the big band theory, which suggests that the origin was 13 billion years ago, and since then the formation of different organisms as well as the shape of the universe were gradual (Huda, 2009). Another aspect where Quran supports big band theory is that the process of evolution or the creation as Islam takes it, is never ending. It is clearly mentioned in Quran that Allah is continuing his creation. This is what we see everyday, as a new child or as a new plant which is quite different from both parents (Huda, 2009). Considering all these facts the Muslims of the modern world believe that big bang theory is genuine and that the universe is ever changing. The only difference is that they believe that all these are happening according to the command of Allah and that everything that happens in the universe reveals the super natural power and majesty of Allah. It is stated that the creations are to be viewed upon, as tremendous power of Allah and His name has to be glorified. Thus it could be seen that the Big Bang theory of the origin of Universe is the most widely accepted theory of cosmic origin. It is based on the Einstein’s theory of relativity. There are several features that the universe exhibits which supports this theory. Most of the arguments against this theory by different scientists have already proved to be baseless. More and more discoveries have been made in the last and present century, which supports this theory. Regarding the religious interpretation of this theory, in Islam, the origin of universe and earth and everything on it is explained in the same manner as the big bang theory. Only difference is that, in Quran it is explained to have happened as per the command of God. It is quite logical to believe that there is a super natural power that is regulating all these happenings in the way it is happening so that we could exist happily and peacefully on this earth. References Big Bang Theory An Overview (2009). [online] Available at: http://www. big-bang-theory. com/default. htm (accessed on 11th June 2009) Big Bang Theory (2009). [online] Available at: http://www. answers. com/topic/big-bang-theory (accessed on 11th June 2009) Estes, Y.. (2009). Big bang. [online] Available at: http://scienceislam. com/bigbang. php (accessed on 11th June 2009) Gibbs, W. W. (1995). Scientific American, October 1995, 273: 55. Hubble, E. (1929). A Relation Between Distance and Radial Velocity Among Extra-Galactic Nebulae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 15: 168–173. Huda (2009). Creation of the Universe Six Days or Long Periods of Time [online] Available at: http://islam. about. com/od/creation/a/creation. htm (accessed on 11th June 2009) Zyga, L. (2008). Before the Big Bang: A Twin Universe? [online] Available at: http://www. physorg. com/news126955971. html (accessed on 11th June 2009)

Self Determination Theory | Analyis

Self Determination Theory | Analyis Quality effective coaching is about interdisciplinary knowledge. As well as the ability to recognise implicit and explicit decision making. Coaching is essentially about problem solving, a good coach uses a procedural and declarative knowledge compilation to help towards problem solving. A good example of this would be the Kolbs Experimental Cycle (1984). It shows a continuous flow of development, including; reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, active experimentation and concrete experience. This implies that learning is a process where knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Within this essay I will be discussing an understanding of two different coaching science theories and how they can be applied to real coaching experiences. I will be critiquing both theories, showing how I can improve in aspects of the theory in my coaching and how they both incorporate reflective practice. Self determination theory (SDT) represents a broad framework for the study of human motivation and personality. The theory is based on the premise that individuals pursue self determined goals to satisfy their basic psychological needs to independently solve problems, interact socially, and overcome tasks. According to SDT, a concept that could explain the relationship between participants motivation and their experiences in exercise is due to the level to which their behaviours are autonomous. Autonomous is when a task is; fully volitional, freely pursued, and wholly endorsed by the person. When participants exercise experiences are controlled, i.e. pursued and directed by external or internal forces, it leaves participants feeling like they have very little or no choice. Research clearly supports the idea that individuals have different types of motivation, ranging from high (autonomous) to low (controlled) levels of self determination. Participants can be intrinsically motivated, when they engage in learning activities for their own benefit, and extrinsically motivated when they engage in activities for influential reasons. Intrinsic motivation represents the model of self determination, because a person is motivated to act for the fun or challenge entailed in the behaviour rather than because of external factors, such as pressures or rewards. In contrast extrinsic motivation embraces a variety of behavioural factors that vary in their level of self determination. Intrinsic and indentified regulations are self determined, whereas external and introjected regulations are non self determined forms of motivation (Tessier et al, 2010). Motivational characteristics are influential in shaping participants desire to persist in sport or to discontinue their sport participation. Self determination theory suggests adolescents are more likely to follow peer leaders who afford them autonomy to choose, an avenue for relatedness with the leader and other members of their group, and a sense of competence for the task they are doing (Ward et al, 2010). Although psychological and physical benefits can be obtained from participation in competitive sport (Mandigo and Holt, 2000), it can also lead to damaged self esteem and mood disturbances, particularly when youths experience performance pressure from close adults (Reeve and Deci, 1996). For these reasons, the influence of coaches and parents on youth participants sporting experiences is an issue of high importance in sport psychology. There is considerable research on the interaction of parents and coaches with sport participants. For example, parental pressure predicted decreased enjoyment in basketball (Brustad, 1988), and parental and coach positive emotional involvement predicted the enjoyment in football (Ommun dsen and Vaglum, 1991). Also, having an autocratic coach who provided little feedback decreased involvement and intrinsic motivation. Self determination theory proposes that humans have three fundamental needs that must be satisfied in the social context. The first need is to feel autonomous in performing an activity. Autonomy involves being volitional and acting in such a way as to represent your integrated sense of self (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Autonomy support can be enhanced by allowing participants within an environment to choose the things that they enjoy and really want to do. The second need is to perceive relatedness with others in the community of involvement. By working hard as or within a group, participants can achieve a sense of team bonding, which can in turn lead to strong friendships. A third fundamental need is to perceive competence in relation to the activity. Competence is widely regarded as fundamental to the expression of motivation in the sport context (Reinboth and Duda, 2006). Youth sport literature suggests that experiencing competence in sports is strongly related to being accepted by a pe er group and having positive peer relationships within a group (Weiss and Duncan, 1992). Results from Vazou, et al (2005) even suggested that youths perception of their own competence was related to the level of support and acceptance by peers in the group. This developmental process is about gaining a sense of accomplishment and believing in yourself to complete a task to the best of your ability. This can lead to motivational outcomes in self determination theory. However, this does not account for learning acquisition of new skills, like contextual interference theory. One challenge that many coaches encounter is how to best structure practice schedules that will facilitate the development of skilful movements (Porter, Landin, Hebert, Baum, 2007). Contextual interference (CI) is a functional interference in a practice environment which affects the structure of the session to improve learning effectiveness. The stage of learner development will directly affect the structure of the practice session. It is well established that interference during practice has substantial influence on skill learning (Guadagnoli and Lee, 2004). The contextual interference effect acknowledges that learning is enhanced when interference during practice is high, such as when participants practice multiple tasks in a random order. Results from studies investigating the effects of practice order on motor learning typically show that a random practice order enhances motor learning more when compared with that of a blocked practice order (Wright, Magnuson and Black, 2005). One way to control interference during practice of multiple tasks is to change the order in which the tasks are practiced. For example, a random practice order in which tasks are practiced in a quasi random order (i.e., 3-1-2, 1-2-3, 2-3-1), where each number represents a skill, is thought to introduce more interference than a blocked practice order in which each skill is practiced repeatedly prior to switching to the next skill (i.e., 1-1-1, 2-2-2, 3-3-3). Football, basketball, and volleyball are activities which require general strategies to be formed to cope with the unlimited variations of situations which arise within the game. These open skilled games require variety in training for cognitive generalization to occur, so that the participants can adapt to various unique competitive task demands. It is still important for athletes to experience a significant number of successful practices, whether for variable or specific skills, to achieve an eventual state of over learning (Chr istina, 1996). In a study by Porter and Saemi (2010), they showed that practicing with systematic increases in contextual interference for multiple days would perform better than equally skilled participants who practiced with traditional blocked and random scheduling. The participants practiced three different basketball related passes using either a blocked, random, or increasing contextual interference practice schedule. All participants practiced trials every day for five consecutive days. Participants completed an immediate retention test, and a 48 hr delayed retention test. The results of the immediate and delayed retention test showed that practicing with gradual increases in contextual interference resulted in superior performance compared to traditional blocked and random scheduling. These results were important because the 48 hr delay more accurately reflected a real world athletic environment. It is common for athletes to practice for multiple days in training, and then receive a one to two day break before a game. Therefore it is important to measure the learning of sport skills after one or two days without practice. The findings presented in this experiment suggest that coaches working with moderately skilled athletes can create effective learning environments by progressing from a blocked to a more random schedule during practice. The results further suggest that the benefits of an increasing contextual interference practice schedule can be observed when practice sessions are spaced over multiple days. One reason why a practice schedule that offers gradual increases in contextual interference may be beneficial is because it challenges learners at the appropriate level by creating an environment that becomes progressively more difficult as the athletes skill level improves (Porter and Saemi, 2010). The evidence for contextual interference is strong, when the skills practiced are dissimilar. However, when contextual interference is used, the performer actually spends less time working on any specific skill than if they were to use blocked practice (McMorris and Hale, 2006). The coach must determine how long to spend on any individual skill, this is completely reliant on the level and ability of the performer. Blocked practice may be more beneficial to an athlete wishing to fine tune a specific technique, which will require a lot more time spent practicing that skill technique, for example, a golf swing. On the other hand, for a beginner, the range of skill practices acquired during a contextual interference session may be more beneficial to them. This will allow them to practice a large variety of skills over a short space of time, possibly giving a better rate of retention long term. Both of these theories can be applied in a coaching setting to help participants learning and motivational needs. For a coach, the use of pedagogy and theory based practices are essential in developing a coaching session that is sufficient for the requirements of the participants. Each theory gives the coach a set of structure to the session, and allows the participants to get the most out of it. From personal experience of using both theories in real life practice, I can see that both have their advantages, although dependant on participants ability level and understanding of a specific sport. With regards to self determination theory, the coach can integrate forms of structure, autonomy support and involvement into a session using a variety of methods. Structure can be enhanced by using clear organisation and clearly stated procedures of participant expectation. Sessions should be challenging with maximum participation, allowing coaches to provide informative and timely feedback. F or example, positive and constructive feedback given throughout session to group and individuals encouraging work towards clear session goals, as long the feedback is given in an autonomy supportive manner. Autonomy support is given to the participants through explanation and provided rationale for the practice session, as well as encouragement of expression, choice and creativity for athletes. An example of this could be, avoiding controlling behaviours while coaching and acknowledging the participants feelings and perspectives on the session. The athletes should be allowed opportunities for independent work where they can use their initiative. Autonomy support can be enhanced by the use of student led activities, for example, student signalled starts; this encourages the participants to control how and when the session will progress. Involvement is provided by the relationship between coach and participants throughout the session, showing emotional support and a level of interest. Involvement can be improved within a session by expressing affection towards participants, learning their names and remaining within a close proximity to the athletes during the session. For example, this could be during refereeing by the coach or when giving positive feedback during the session. Self determination theory is a key aspect when trying to improve athletes motivation levels during practice. It does not however, affect the learning process and retention of skill acquisition like contextual interference theory does. When using contextual interference theory in real coaching practice, the coach must know the needs of the participants; this can be done through a needs analysis. According to the athletes sporting level, ability and environment, the session can then be constructed to include varied or random practice of skills. The level of contextual interference used is also determined by the coachs procedural and declarative knowledge on the subject. Although practicing under conditions of contextual interference does not always lead to immediate good performance, research suggests that it leads to better long term skill learning. It is also suggested that learning skills through contextual interference can work better if the skills are not too closely related biomechanically, or in a similar generalised motor program. By using a different array of skills, different motor pathways are being processed, facilitating better learning with a high level of contextual interference. It is usually traditional for coaches to begin the instruction process with blocked, constant practice of a single skill before progressing through drill practices towards random, variable practice conditions. A potential criticism of this approach is that coaches move too slowly through the development stage. According to traditional cognitive models of motor skill learning, such as Schmidts (1975) schema theory, variability in movement and context characteristics are essential to develop a more expansive and generalized motor program to cope with a variety of similar but different situations. The assumption is that when variability is introduced into the practice environment, the learner has to adapt the motor program differently from one trial to the next resulting in a more flexible and interchangeable movement schema (Schmidt and Lee, 1999). A low contextual interference practice schedule may involve practising one skill per session, or perhaps two separate skills, for example, shooting and passing in blocks of 20 30 minutes each (blocked practice). Higher levels of contextual interference would arise if a variety of skills, for example; shooting, passing and dribbling, were practised in a random manner throughout the session (random practice). In the most random practice schedule, a player never practises the same skill in consecutive tasks. The clear message is that to promote learning coaches should try to avoid repetitive, blocked practice by presenting a variety of skills within the same session. Both theories relate to the process of reflection, for coach and athlete. Reflection is a key aspect within learning development; it allows us to reflect on positive experiences to encourage constructive behaviour, as shown in the Gibbs reflective cycle (1988). Gibbs model is clear and precise allowing for description, analysis and evaluation of the experience helping the reflective practitioner to make sense of experiences and examine their practice. It also allows us to reflect on our negative experiences so that in future experiences we can control how to give ourselves the best opportunity for a positive outcome. Reflective thinking needs to be structured so that you can describe what happened to you in a given situation, come to some conclusions about the experiences and possibly decide how to act in dealing with future similar experiences.We learn from experience is a well known statement, but according to Dewey (1933) we dont learn from experience, instead we learn from reflec ting on experience. In order to increase my understanding of both of these theories, I intend to further use and improve in aspects of the theories during my coaching practice. From some of the research that I have done to complete this essay, I can already see areas of my coaching that can be improved upon. Some of these include, my ability to give positive, informative and timely feedback to participants, this will help autonomy support with the participants. I could also improve by knowing all of my athletes on a first name bases, this will help improve my relationship with the participants and increase my involvement with them, an area I feel I could improve on greatly. By increasing my declarative and procedural knowledge of each sport I feel as if I will be able to offer more in terms of opportunities for creativity and initiative within my sessions. All of these will help greatly improve motivational levels of my athletes which then in turn I hope will improve their performances. I have taken qui te a lot from STD theory, but I have also learned just as much from the contextual interference theory in relation to my coaching. This is especially true when I consider how I will be constructing all of my future practice sessions. By taking into account the sporting level and ability of my participants, as well as what skills I am considering introducing, my session will be structured appropriately with the correct level of contextual interference. I will be using a lot more varied and random practice within my sessions, especially for beginners and younger athletes, to help increases their long term retention of new skills. As a coach and a constant problem solver, I am continuously looking for ways in which I can improve my ability to coach at a high level. These scientific theories have helped improve my declarative knowledge of coaching in general, but I will be looking for further ways I can improve my overall performance as a coach.

The Gravity Bong :: The Gravity Bong

The Gravity Bong I was introduced to the gravity bong by a friend. He told me the full name as described to him was the "Afghanistan Gravity Bong". We were sitting around one night and decided to try one out. While I could go into detail concerning the mechanics of the bong's operation, I don't think that is really necessary. The reason it is called a "gravity bong" and not something else is this is what someone called it, that is how they described it to their friends, and now it is an accepted term for the following setup. I have observed some people on the net arguing about gravity vs. pressure vs. whatever. If you have comments like this as a result of this description, I refer you to: alt.engineering.geeks. The type of argument I have observed would have been halted a long time ago by declaring a "TECH TIME OUT !!" at our school. Take a hit man. I feel better now having said all that, so... on with the important stuff... GRAVITY BONG OPERATION: STEP 1: Place the bottomless bottle into a water source such as a bucket of water, sink, bathtub, larger bottle, fishtank (just kidding), etc...When the bottle rests on the bottom, the mouth piece should be above the water level enough to grip the bottle. I'm not sure if warm or cold water is best, or even if it makes much difference seeing as the smoke is not bubbled through it. STEP 2: Pack the bowl and place it on the mouth of the bottle. STEP 3: SLOWLY!! draw the bottle out of the water, while lighting the bowl. The herb should really burn and the smoke will look intimidating. Stop when: a)the herb is all ash (preferable), or b)when the bottom of the bottle is still an inch or so below the water level in the bucket. Begin preparing yourself for a huge hit. STEP 4: CAREFULLY remove the bowl without letting the bottle move downward (up a little is o.k., but don't lwt the bottom come out of the water), exhale deeply, and place your mouth over the opening. Inhale quickly and completely, allowing your head to move downward. Try not to drink any bong water as this kind of sucks! (although its like learning to swim, it's bound to happen a little). STEP 5: Don't cough and hang on tight! PACKED BOWL >> $$ I I I/I BOTTLE >> / BOTTLE >> / / / | / | | / | |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~WATER~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~WATER~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| |~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~| __________________/ __________________/ BUCKET BUCKET Step 1 Step 2 / = BOWL % $$ = HERB LIGHTER __ *% ** = LIGHTER FLAME

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay -- Pregnancy Neurology Medicine Papers

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental, physical, and behavioral defects that may develop in the unborn child when its mother drinks during pregnancy. These defects occur primarily during the first trimester when the teratogenic effects of the alcohol have the greatest effect on the developing organs. The symptoms associated with FAS have been observed for many centuries, but it was not until 1968 that Lemoine and his associates formally described these symptoms in the scientific literature, and again in 1973 when Jones and associates designated a specific pattern of altered growth and dysmorphogenesis as the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Rostand, p. 302). The set of abnormalities characterized by Jones included; "intrauterine growth retardation, an unusual facies, psychomotor retardation, and a 25% incidence of congenital anomalies (especially cleft palate and cardiac malformations)" (Luke, p. 3330. The incidence of FAS world-wide, can be illustrated on the basis of the extre me to which the characteristics of mental, physical, and behavioral defects are exhibited in the newborn. Full characteristics are estimated to be present in 1.9 per 1,000 live births, and partial characteristics are evident in approximately 3-5 per 1,000 live births. The incidence of FAS increases dramatically when only alcoholic women are considered to 25 per 1,000 for full characteristics and as high as 90 per 1,000 for partial characteristics (Luke, p. 333). Currently, FAS is the most common cause of birth defects leading to mental retardation. Down’s Syndrome and spina bifida, the other two most common causes, can be identified and managed during pregnancy. Yet, FAS remains the only cause of retardation that is co... ... and Fetal Alcohol Effects". New York: Plenum Press (1984). p. 64. Feld, S. M. "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Prevention Through Education". Medical Student, 19(2), pp. 15-17. Gottesfeld, Z. and E. L. Abel "Maternal and Paternal Alcohol Use: Effects On The Immune System of the Offspring". Life Sciences, 48,1991, pp. 1-8. Kotch, L. E. and K. K. Sulik "Experimental Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Proposed pathogenic Basis for a Variety of Associated Facial and Brain Anomalies". American Journal of Medical Genetics, 44, 1992, pp. 168-176. Luke, B. "The Metabolic Basis of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome". International Journal of Fertility, 35(6), 1990, pp. 333-337. Walpole, I. et.al. "Low to Moderate Maternal Alcohol Use Before and During Pregnancy, and Neurobehavioural Outcome in the Newborn Infant". Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 33, 1991, pp. 875-883.

Solutions Managerial Accounting

A company usually has a small number of processing departments, whereas a job-order costing system often must keep track of the costs of undress or even thousands of jobs. In a process costing system, a Work in Process account IS maintained for each separate processing department. 4-5 The journal entry would be: work in process, Firing XX Work in Process, Mixing . The costs that might be added in the Firing Department include: (1 ) costs transferred in from the Mixing Department; (2) materials costs added in the Firing Department; (3) labor costs added in the Firing Department; and (4) overhead costs added in the Firing Department.Under the weighted-average method, equivalent units Of production consist Of units rendered to the next department (or to fin- each unit transferred out of the department is counted as one equivalent unit-?regardless of in what period the work was done to complete the units. Under the FIFO method, only the work done in the current period is counted. Units t ransferred out are divided into two parts. One part consists Of the units in the beginning inventory. Only the work needed to complete these units is shown as part of the equivalent units for the current period.The other part of the units transferred out consists of the units started and completed during the current period. -10 The weighted-average method mixes costs from the current period with costs from the prior period. Thus, under the headquartering method, the department's apparent performance in the current period is influenced to some extent by what happened in a prior period. In contrast, the FIFO method cleanly separates the costs and work of the current period from those of the prior period.This makes the FIFO method superior to the weighted-average method for cost control because current performance should be measured in relation to costs of the current period only. 4-11 Operating departments are the units in n organization within which the central purposes of the organi zation are carried out; these O The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , 2008. All rights reserved. Solutions Manual, Chapter 4 departments usually generate revenue. By contrast, service departments provide support or assistance to the operating departments.Examples of service departments include laundry services in a hotel or hospital, internal auditing, airport maintenance services (ground crews), cafeteria, personnel, cost accounting, and so on. 4-12 Service department costs are allocated to products and services in two stages. Service apartment costs are first allocated to the operating departments. These allocated costs are then included in the Operating departments' overhead rates, which are used to cost products and services. 4-14 Under the direct method, interdepartmental services are ignored; service department costs are allocated directly to operating departments. -15 under the step-down method, the costs of the service department performing the greatest amount of service for the other service deep retests are allocated first, the costs of the service department performing the next greatest amount of service are allocated next, and so Roth through all the service departments. Once a service departments costs have been allocated, costs are not reallocated back to it under the step-down method. 4-13 Interdepartmental services exist whenever two service departments provide services to each other. O The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , 2008.

Earth Sociology Essay

The author of the book entitled Down to Earth Sociology focused his writings on conceptual issues regarding the social interactions of the people in everyday life including the aspect of understanding the individual experiences in the society and the analysis of the different dominant social cultures. The selections of the said book also emphasizes the different significant themes of the modern sociology including sociological analysis of the concept of gender, power, politics, sports, religion, racial tensions, crimes, poverty, homelessness, and the global outlook of economic capitalism. In this book, the author Henslin presented his ideas and analysis in the same scientific manner and process that is being implemented by the contemporary sociologist of the modern age. Through this, the book has able to critically analyze and present every intricate detail that is involved in the sociological research as guided by the main concept of the hypothesis. The book presented its views in relation to the present hypothetical concepts and theories in trying to explain and interpret the different social phenomena in the modern civilization. Included in the book of Henslin are detailed discussions of the different sociological theories that are guiding the research and development pursuit of the said field. These sociological theories are defined to have been developed at multiple levels, ranging from large theory to highly definite and explicit small-scale ones. Rather than thinking of one theory being excellent to the other theories it is more beneficial as well as informative to view these different theories as correlation with each other. One of the sociological theories on how to explain different phenomena that has been elaborated is the Structural-Functionalism, which is defined as a sociological theory that pertains on how to explain several social institutions as a means to be able to satisfy or fulfill the individual’s biological means. Another theory that has been discussed in Henslin’s book is the Conflict theory that is explained as a sociological theory that points out that society is not about unity or universal agreement but rather this theory is all about competition. According to this theory, society consists of different individuals who are competing for the limited supply of resources. An example of this conflict is in the Legislative branch of the United States Government wherein men are still viewed as more powerful and superior over women when it comes to the politics. As an effect, women’s privileges to express their opinions and ideas are still significantly limited. In this situation, it is clearly stated that there is a clash or conflict between genders, which also illustrate the obvious concept of inequality between men and women. Aside from the ones previously mentioned, another theory that was discussed by Henslin is the Symbolic Interactionalism that is discussed as a sociological approach on how to understand the proximity or relationship between human and society. The basic idea of Symbolic Interactionalism is that human action and interaction are only by means of exchanging substantial communications and symbols. Based on this theory, humans and lower forms of animals are different from each other because lower form of animals can easily respond to the environment while the human being has the capability to interrupt this process. In addition, lower forms of animals do not have the capability in conceiving different alternative responses to gestures unlike human beings they can easily grasp different gestures. Another theory is the Role Theory; this pertains to the different roles represented by an individual in their everyday lives such as the father, secretary, or friend. For instance, most people their notion or representations of secretary include: answering phone calls, making and managing appointments, filling different paper works, and typing memorandums. These different roles of a secretary could not be expected of professional basketball player. Basically, every individual have different personalities and roles in the society. In addition, the book entitled Down to earth sociology by James M. Henslin focused on real life situation in which all the readers can surely relate. Henslin’s book is indeed user friendly, entertaining to read and indeed valuable because it talks about actual life situations and social phenomenon. The sociological perspectives that is generally employed in the book enables the people to look below the surface of social life and examine different factors that shape our behavior, attitudes, and culture as well as our beliefs in life. Bibliography Henslin, J. M. (2005). Down to Earth Sociology. The Free Press, New York, USA. 13th Edition, Pages 281-296. ISBN 0743267605. Von Der Haar, Christine M. (2005). Social Psychology: A Sociological Perspective. Prentice Hall, USA. ISBN: 0130809837.

Analysis of the Effect of Culture Within an Organization

Analyze the effect of culture within an organization Charles I Ojunta LDR/531 January, 21,2013 James F Traylor R FC. CFM. Analyze the effect of culture within an organization One of the primary responsibilities of strategic leaders is to create and maintain the organizational characteristics that reward and encourage collective effort.. The most fundamental of this is organizational culture. Organization culture is defined as a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguish the organization from other organizations.It develops to help organizations cope with its environment. Strong culture provides stability to an organization. The culture of an organization consists of the shared norms, values, and believes of members.. By establishing a strong culture, leaders can indirectly influence the attitudes and behaviors of members (Schein 1992) But it is not for every organization. For some organizations it is a major barrier to change..Many managers have failed in implementing a new strategy for a new vision for the company due to poor analysis of the organizational culture Culture provides a way to control and coordinate the actions of people without the need for elaborate formal control systems or continuous use of direct influence attempts (Tushman & O’Reilly 1996). There are Six Characteristics of organizational culture. As follows Innovation and risk taking, Attention to details, Outcome orientation, Aggressiveness and stability..Organizational culture can be one of the most important factors in whether a large company succeeds or fails, but it is also one of the hardest things to change about a company , since by its very definition, organizational culture is shared through out the entire company. In analyzing a company’s organizational culture, three core areas are critical each of which is futher broken down to create a list of key concepts which are critical to the process of reviewing the organization.The three areas are Elements o f organizational culture,, the company must look at the contents of the organizational culture, and then the subculture that exists within the dominant culture of the company, The organizational culture of the company refers to the basic assumptions , values and beliefs that the organizations supposed to be based on.. The business organizational culture is looked at in terms of what the business considers important ant or unimportant. Within every company, there is also subcultures or a number of subcultures that exist in conjunction with (or sometimes in opposition to ) the organizational culture.Although sub cultures are considered rebellious groups within the organization, but some subcultures can also serve an important function in understanding the operations of the company and therefore can be an asset therefore they are an important and critical concept in understanding the company as a whole it gives you insight into problem areas in the organization. It is necessary to exam ine the relationship between that culture and the company’s ethics. in three areas, Knowledge management, Anchors of organizational behavior and work place values.Organizations must look at the procedures by which such knowledge is obtained and passed along as well as the organizational memory of the company. In assessing the organizational behavior of the company’ s status with these. In this area the assessment is focused on the importance of values in the work place and the idea of corporate social responsibility A complete analysis of the company requires a final look at the process of group and team formation within the company. This will involve the development of the four other concepts of leadership and culture that are of importance to the company’s analysis-work teams . ffectiveness, cooperation among teams and team inaction and team building efforts. In essence ,the core functions of all these concepts is to generate greater understanding of the compa ny’s ability to make use of teams within the existing organizational culture with the purpose of increasing positive relationship between the existing cultures and the company stated ethics. Therefore an analysis of an organizational culture can greatly enhance the efficiency in the work place. Employees form an overall subjective perception of the organization based on such factors as degree of risk tolerance, team emphasis, and support of people..This overall perception becomes, in effect, the organizations culture or personality.. National Defence University. (2009 04). Organizational Culture. Retrieved from http://www. au. af. mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch16. html Robbin, S. (2007). Organizational Behavior (14th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Zajac, C. (2009-04). Change of organizational culture Premises, aims,and results. Journal of Intercultural Management, 1(1), 109-116. doi:N/A How to analyze Your Company’s Organizational Cult ure. (2010 July). Retrieved from http:// www. organizationalculture101. com/analyzing-organizational-culture. html

Carter Unsuccessful Re-Election 1980’s Essay

Why was Carter unsuccessful in his attempt to secure re-election in 1980? Jimmy Carter was the first elected President in half a century who failed to win a second term. His election in 1976 was set during the period of time when people had lost their faith in the presidency. After Nixon’s humiliation considering Watergate scandal and Ford’s simplistic and unenthusiastic govern, people were looking for someone outside Washington’s corruption. Carter seemed a perfect decision , governor of a small state, he appealed to people as the best solution. Nevertheless, as they got what they wanted it turned out to be wrong. They got a person from the outside that had no idea how Washington worked. People believed he was error prone and inexperienced. Carter soon became a joke and was criticized by the society that was not willing to give their votes for his re-election. Carter made several crucial mistakes during his power. From the beginning of his presidency he was accused of micro-management. This was one of his strategic errors, he tried to do too much too quickly and paid attention to small details forgetting the big picture and failing to grasp the complexity of the plans that he proposed. It is said that he managed the rota for the White House personally. An NSC member said: â€Å"If Carter saw a problem he wanted to solve it, and there was all there was to it – no prioritizations†. His short sight pushed the voters away. People were not eager to vote for someone who would get absorbed in small things, rather than looking at serious problems like inflation, which Carter had inherited. His other mistake was rejecting all the help, including Congress’s. Carter had originally run on an anti- Washington platform, of course that was the reason he got elected; nevertheless it is hard to run a country when you have tension between the President and Congress. Therefore Carter never developed a solid base of supporters on Capitol Hill. Speaker Tip O’Neil was willing to help, however Carter who said that he had been a governor and knew how to deal with legislation rejected his proposal. Carter’s poor communication with Congress got him nowhere. Carter failed to get cooperation from Congress to pass certain legislations, such as his energy program. Americans understood that a stubborn President wouldn’t bring any good to the country; Carter’s personal loyalties made voters doubt his wisdom and retrieve their votes for someone better. His other failure overshadowed everything that he has done as a president. The â€Å"Billygate† scandal had harmed Carters reputation and even lowered his chances of being re-elected. He won his first election in 1976 because people thought he was unaffected by Washington’s corruption, however this scandal highlighted Carters use of presidential power in his own benefit. Carter’s older brother Billy was a redneck; who, in July 1980, registered as a foreign agent and received a $220,000 loan from the Libyan government. It raised a political storm and later on through the investigation it was revealed that Carter used Billy’s Libyan contacts to free the Iranian hostages. President Carter was accused of nepotism however public decided that he was incompetent rather than corrupt but this scandal cost Carter his popularity rating and votes. Nonetheless, some of the negative events that occurred during Carters presidency were not his fault yet he got the blame. A first example would be the energy crises, which was beyond Carters control. Increase of car use, one harsh winter and poor relationship with Middle East were the reason for it, but still Carter was accused. Carter attempted to propose energy legislation, however Congress changed it beyond recognition. The only conclusion was to raise the price for the fuel but people were unwilling to go that far. Voters were unimpressed by the President’s handling of this situation, which soon got even worse and caused even more dissatisfaction from people. The second example is the economy, which was the problem throughout Carter’s presidency yet was a mere question of luck. He inherited inflation, unemployment and rising aging population. 63 per cent of the Americans believed that inflation was their greatest concern yet Carter was not managing it; only 32 per cent approved of his actions. The unemployment was rising to 8.2 million and businesses feared that Carter’s energy proposal would damage the industry. Carter did not know how to handle these types of situation; being all his life a governor of small Georgia he now faced a major crisis. Carter was at the top and therefore blamed, he was simply unlucky. Yet this blame and dissatisfaction cost him votes. Carter also displeased the voters with the way he handled foreign policy. As a President, Carter decided that it was morally right to give Panama Canal over to Panama. He did it with little resistance, which displeased voters and Congress. His other mistake was accepting 125,000 Cuban refugees who were dissatisfied with Communist regime, although March 1980 Refugee Act said that no more than 19,000 were allowed to enter. It was morally right to let the people in and perhaps he would have been accused if he closed the doors for them, yet politics sometimes tend to forget about moral rules in times of crisis. With inflation and unemployment, new citizens were only burdens and caused further disagreement with Carter’s way of running the country. His final concern that had taken all Carter’s attention until his last day as a President was the 60 American hostages in Iran. Many Americans felt powerless and 50 per cent of them thought Carter was too soft with Iran. Carter had a choice; either to take hostages back with violence or with negotiation. He chose a more diplomatic way not wanting to risk lives, however back than people disapproved of this act. When finally Carter agreed on the rescue mission, helicopters that were sent into Iran failed. Eight Americans died, one helicopter was lost in sand storm another failed and set the others on fire. Technical and weather problems were not Carter’s fault yet his failed rescue mission caused Carter’s defeat and helped Republican to use the hostage crisis for votes. The final reason for Carters defeat was his opposition. Ronald Reagan was underestimated by Carter, yet adored by the people. The way he presented himself was the way a true President had to be. His lighthearted jokes and charisma made him come across warmer to voters than Carter. Reagan’s rhetorical question â€Å"is America better off than it was four years ago?† was highly effective and the polls showed that he won the debate. Back in 1980, people believed that Carter was one of the worst presidents they had, yet as the years past people began to justify his acts. He was not great but he did what he could, he was just unlucky. His failures were because Washington was unknown to him and he did things how he usually used to do the back in his state. His big mistake was â€Å"Billygate† and economical crisis, which was not under his control. Reagan compared to Carter presented a true picture of successful presidency. Unfortunately Carter was not what people wanted and some of his failed actions cost him his re-election.

Full Day Kindergarten Programs Essay

The reason children attend kindergarten today is so they can be taught a meaningful and balanced curriculum filled with skills and information. Teachers do this through age-appropriate activities that encourage the children to learn more (Marzollo, 1987). In order for children to develop the necessary skills for success in life, they need to attend kindergarten. In full day kindergarten programs more time is available to develop the necessary social and academic skills children need for success later on (â€Å"Full-day and half-day kindergarten in the United States†, 2004). Full day programs have become more and more popular in the past few decades. In the 1970s fewer than 15% of all five-year-olds in the US attended full day programs; in the 1980s it rose to 30% of kindergarten children attending these programs (Votruba-Drzal, Li-Grinning, & Maldonado-Carreno, 2008). In the 1990s it rose to nearly 50%, and by 1993, 54% of kindergarten teachers were teaching at least one full day class (Paciorek, 2002). In 2001, 57% of kindergarten age children were attending a full day program (â€Å"Full-day Kindergarten Pays Off†, 2003). Review of the Literature Arguments for full day Kindergarten programs. Full day kindergarten programs that are taught in a good learning environment tend to offer a better learning foundation for children, and many important characteristics only found in full day programs are not able to fit into a half day program. The extended time full day kindergarten often boosts the opportunities for implementing these unique characteristics of kindergarten in a way not possible in the half day programs (National Education Association, 2006). There is an extreme need for full day programs in some parts of the country. Today in the US, there are an increased number of single-parent homes or homes where both parents work. This makes it necessary for children to be in school all day, instead of just half the day (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). The advantages that children receive from full day kindergarten extend into the first grade and sometimes beyond. These gains help children academically; enabling them to learn better, which makes them more well-rounded human beings (â€Å"Readings†, 2007). In full day programs, there are more opportunities for children to do in-depth studies and more time for hands-on learning. There is also more stability in full day kindergarten because teachers are given the time to balance large group, small group, or individual instruction. Having this balance has fostered higher learning abilities in children (NEA, 2006). Children in half day programs do not have the same opportunities as children in full day programs because of the time limitations. In half day programs, learning must be done in large groups because there is not enough time to have child-initiated learning. Children need to be given the opportunity to experience how all the different areas of learning are connected and how learning basic skills will help them to understand more complex skills later on in their education (NEA, 2006). Children change in many ways while in kindergarten. They learn to think about the world they are living in, and they also learn to think about themselves (West, Denton, & Reaney, 2000). In full day kindergarten programs children are taught processes of learning that will help them learn throughout life (DeCicca, 2007). â€Å"Full day programs are more likely than half day programs to spend to spend more time every day on letter recognition, letter-sound match, rhyming words, reading aloud, and alphabetizing† (â€Å"Full-day Kindergarten Pays Off†, 2003). President of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, Paul Young, says, â€Å"If you don’t master certain skills at the kindergarten level, then you can’t be successful in first grade† (Thomas, 2002). In their first year of school children will gain the skills and the knowledge necessary for their success in the future (West, Denton, & Reaney, 2000). The number of children that attend full day kindergarten programs varies depending on the type of school they attend and where the school is located. Overall, 56% of kindergarten-age children in the US attend a full day kindergarten program. About 54% of children who attend public schools are in a full day program, while 67% of children who attend private schools are enrolled in a full day program (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). In the US 67% of private schools offer a full day program, while only 57% of public schools do. Catholic schools are more likely to offer full day programs than other private schools, with 78% of Catholic schools offering full day programs and only 63% of other private schools. Fifty-two percent of public schools offer half day programs which is more compared to only 29% of Catholic schools and 40% of other private schools (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Some schools offer only full day programs (53%) but fewer offer only half day programs (39%) and 7% of schools offer both full and half day programs. In the US 61% of schools with a kindergarten program offer at least one full day program and 47% offer at least one half day program (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). The enrollment of children in full day programs varies in different parts of the country. It also varies with the race and economic status of the child’s family. In the US, 60% of kindergarten children are enrolled in full day public or private kindergarten programs. Nine states mandate that a full day program be offered in every school (â€Å"Full Day Kindergarten Growing†, 2008). The majority of the children enrolled in full day kindergarten are children of single parents, children whose parents both work outside the home, and children of low-income families (Paciorek, 2002). The region of the country plays a role in the enrollment of children in full day programs. In the South, 84% of public schools offer full day programs, compared to only 57% in the Midwest, 38% in the West, and 37% in the Northeast (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). A larger majority of children in the Southern region of the country attend full day kindergarten program (82%) compared to other regions: 47% in the Midwest, 48% in the Northeast, and 31% in the West. Public schools located in the suburban and large town areas are less likely to have children attending a full day program (only 45%) compared to schools located in large and mid-sized cities (59%) or small towns/rural areas (65%) (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Parents of kindergarten children put them in these full day programs for many different reasons. One reason is so minority children, or children who are considered â€Å"at risk† for failing academically, are given the chance to stay on the same level as their peers. Full day kindergarten has been shown to considerably close the achievement gaps for minority or low-income children (NEA, 2006). This is especially relevant to gaining the basic skills of learning (West, Denton, & Reaney, 2000). Full day programs also have been shown to significantly improve the math and reading skills of all races (DeCicca, 2007). Children from low-income families have many risk factors they must face that could potentially threaten their health and their development. About one-fifth of US children live in poverty, which has been shown to be a major risk factor for children’s cognitive and academic achievement. Full day kindergarten can put these children on the same level as children who do not live in poverty. (Votruba-Drzal, Li-Grinning, & Maldonado-Carreno, 2008). Public schools with at least 75% minority enrollment offer full day kindergarten (76%), compared to public schools with less than 25% minority enrollment (44-48%). In private schools with at least 75% minority enrollment the children are more likely to participate in full day programs (93%) compared to private schools with less than 10% minority enrollment (54%) (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Racial characteristics play a role in enrollment in full day programs also. It has been shown that African American and Hispanic children enrolled in full day programs closed the achievement gap with white and Asian children in the basic math and reading skills, but African American and Hispanic children are not acquiring the more advanced skills at the same rate that white and Asian children acquire in their first year of schooling (West, Denton, & Reaney, 2000). Full day programs have also been shown to create a larger achievement in math and reading for low-income children than children in half day programs (â€Å"Readings†, 2007). Also, public schools with at least 50% of their enrollment consisting of low-income children are more likely to offer these full day programs (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Children that have completed full day kindergarten programs have been shown to be more prepared for first grade than their peers that attended half day programs. In a study of 22,000 kindergarteners nationwide, students who attended full day programs made larger reading gains than children who attended half day programs (â€Å"Full-day Kindergarten Pays Off†, 2003). Children will be better prepared to meet the strict curriculum of first grade if they have attended a full day kindergarten program, because they are used to the full day schedule and they know how their day will go (â€Å"Leading†, 2008). Full day kindergarten programs need to have a â€Å"content-centered curriculum for this age group† in order for the program to be successful academically (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Many benefits are available to children in full day kindergarten. Studies have shown improvement in full day kindergarten children’s academic skills (Votruba-Drzal, Li-Grinning, & Maldonado-Carreno, 2008). There are many positive academic and social benefits for children of low economic status or disadvantaged backgrounds from attending full day kindergarten. Research that has been done in the past 10 years has shown steady positive academic gains for children enrolled in full day programs. Full day programs offer children a curriculum that is age-appropriate while still providing major academic benefits (Paciorek, 2002). In full day kindergarten there is â€Å"greater socialization, generalization of knowledge, transfer of learning, and a deeper understanding of concepts. † This extra time is not only good for the child, but it improves the teacher’s and family’s experience as well (NEA, 2006). In full day kindergarten other gains are made, such as greater growth of reading and math skills over the course of the kindergarten year. Children who attend full day programs out-perform children who attend half day programs on reading, science, and math achievement tests. Children who attend full day kindergarten also tend to have lower levels of special education and grade repetition (Votruba-Drzal, Li-Grinning, & Maldonado-Carreno, 2008). Children who leave full day kindergarten with better reading skills are more likely to have more success in the first grade and beyond because the material that is taught in early elementary school is usually sequential (DeCicca, 2007). Children enrolled in full day kindergarten programs tend to make greater gains in reading/language arts than children in half day programs over the course of the year (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Since the school day is longer for full day kindergarten students, they tend to participate in learning experiences unavailable to half day students. These experiences will help to develop their early literacy skills so that they are more prepared for the first grade. Reading is the most important activity for kindergarten children. It is required for future success in not only school but in life in general (NEA, 2006). Children enrolled in full day kindergarten have more time to experience literacy. Having this time helps children get a head start on becoming readers and writers (NEA, 2006). Math skills are also improved in full day kindergarten. â€Å"Mathematical learning tends to be quite sequential in nature, so if one masters the basic concepts early it is likely that the burden of future learning will be lowered† (DeCicca, 2007). Sometimes the math taught in full day kindergarten is actually that of a first grade curriculum. This helps children get further ahead in their studies and can make them quite successful later on (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Science skills are also improved in full day programs. Children have time to take part in science experiments fostering the fact that in order to learn science, one must â€Å"do science. † Because of the extended class time, children are able to take part in more difficult math and science thinking. They are able to move beyond the basic counting and identifying numbers that are normally part of a half day kindergarten program (NEA, 2006). In full day programs, children also have greater opportunity to improve their behavior. Children in full day programs are able to have more child-to-child interactions, and this improves their social skills. In one study of full day kindergarten, there were 14 different dimensions tested. Nine of these dimensions were positive: â€Å"originality, independent learning, involvement in classroom activities, productivity with peers, intellectual dependency, failure/anxiety, un-reflectiveness, holding back or withdrawal, and approach to teacher† (Paciorek, 2002). In full day programs teachers are able to take advantage of the extra time. Teachers of full day kindergarten should provide â€Å"child-centered, developmentally appropriate activities† and balance small group and large group activities (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Teachers are able to allow more time for children to have free play, rather than large group activities. There is more time for indoor and outdoor play; children can use â€Å"learning centers†, and children learn how to cooperate with each other (Paciorek, 2002). In order for children to have a balanced development, play needs to be included in the school day. Children develop many different skills while playing which are necessary for success such as â€Å"inductive experience, cognitive dissonance, social interaction, physical experiences, revisiting, and competence†. Play-time has an influence on the intellectual development of children, and it improves learning abilities (NEA, 2006). In full day programs, children scored much higher on achievement tests than children in half day programs on all of the areas that were tested (Paciorek, 2002). There are many advantages to informal testing in kindergarten. Informal assessments focus on the â€Å"developmental and achievement changes in children over time†; it highlights the individual child, rather than the entire group of children. It also offers many opportunities to demonstrate a child’s competence, making the introduction of a tougher curriculum easier. Finally, it helps children understand their learning better, and it provides solid information to share with children’s families (NEA, 2006). Full day programs also create more freedom for teachers. Full day programs are pretty new, so teachers, administrators, and parents are able to create the curriculum themselves. This can be frustrating, but it has many benefits for the children and the teachers (Marzollo, 1987). Many teachers prefer full day programs to half day programs because they are able to instruct children individually. Teachers are also able to get to know their students better. This helps the teachers understand the child’s specific needs to better educate the child. Teachers say there are many advantages to having full day programs. The atmosphere of full day kindergarten is much more relaxed than half day kindergarten, the opportunities for children to develop their own interests are greatly increased, and there is also more time for creative activities (Paciorek, 2002). Teachers of full day programs are not as rushed to fit the whole curriculum in as half day teachers are. The full day teachers are better able to teach different concepts in many ways to ensure that children fully understand the material (NEA, 2006). Teachers of full day kindergarten are able to get to know the families of their students better than teachers of half day kindergarten. Because of this, they can meet the needs of the students more effectively. The relationships between the teachers and families are also improved with full day kindergarten. The parents are more comfortable communicating with the teachers, because they are able to get to know the teachers better. This also helps the teachers teach better (NEA, 2006). Most parents feel that full day kindergarten has done nothing but good for their children. Robyn Ann Kreusel says, â€Å"I never expected my child to be writing three-sentence paragraphs by the end of kindergarten. † (â€Å"Full-day Kindergarten Growing†, 2008). Parents are very satisfied with full day programs, and they believed that their children were better prepared for first grade because of the material they were taught in full day kindergarten. Parents also say their children greatly benefited socially in full day kindergarten (Paciorek, 2002). Today, parents are very interested in their children being able to read at an early age, and a full day kindergarten program is a great way to make this possible (Thomas, 2002). Arguments against full day Kindergarten In the past few years, many questions have been raised about the necessity of full day kindergarten programs. People want to know how all the extra time is going to be used. Some educators feel that this time will be used for â€Å"playtime† or â€Å"daycare. † Others feel that first grade material is going to be pushed down into the kindergarten classroom, making kindergarten too academic. People also want to take into consideration how children learn at this age and the purpose of kindergarten in the first place. Some experts say that academics should be increased, and others say the extra time should be spent on activities the students should do on their own (NEA, 2006). Some parents are worried about full day kindergarten programs. They feel that their children will come home after a full day and be tired and cranky. The full day kindergarten curriculum is tough. In this curriculum there are seven different subject areas. These areas are language arts (which consist of oral language, listening, reading and writing), social studies, science, math, art, music, and physical education (Marzollo, 1987). In a full day program, children have more time to master a curriculum which would normally be more of a first-grade curriculum (â€Å"Full-day Kindergarten Growing†, 2008). Children in full-day programs are also on the same schedule as a first-grade class, so teachers are able to work together on subject substance, which makes it easier for the children to transition into first grade the following year (NEA, 2006). People feel this is a problem in some cases. Experts say the worst way a school board could plan a kindergarten curriculum is to move first-grade material down to kindergarten. Some say that children are pressured to teach subjects that are too hard for them to understand. People also feel children are denied the large assortment of activities that normally take place in a kindergarten classroom (Marzollo, 1987). In some school districts 60% of children are not ready to enter the first grade after their first year of kindergarten because they are pressured to learn material too quickly. Each year, the kindergarten curriculum becomes tougher. Schools now want children to be reading full books on their own by the third grade (Thomas, 2002). Some schools do not provide full day kindergarten programs, but full day programs tend to be found in many Catholic schools. Also, full day programs are very popular in the South, with 84% of public schools offering them It is especially popular in cities rather than small towns, rural areas, and large towns, or suburban areas (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004). Many states whose school districts offer full day kindergarten fund these programs. Twenty-five states and Washington DC provide money to the school districts that offer full-day kindergarten (â€Å"Full†¦Half†, 2004), but many schools in the US do not have the money or the space to offer full day programs to families of kindergarten children (â€Å"Full-day Kindergarten Growing†, 2008). Conclusion Full day kindergarten has many benefits for everyone involved in the programs. It provides many experiences for children that they would not be given if they were enrolled in a half day kindergarten program. Kindergarten is a time of change for children and their parents. Children are able to learn different things in full day programs that they would not have enough time to learn in half day programs. Parents and teachers prefer to have children in full day programs because ultimately it puts the children further ahead and it provides a better opportunity for academic success than the half day programs. References DeCicca, Philip. (2007). Does full-day kindergarten matter? Evidence from the first two years of schooling. Economic of Education Review, 26, 67-82. Retrieved from EBSCOhost: Academic Search Premier. Full-day kindergarten growing. (2008). American School Board Journal 195. 3, 10. Retrieved from EBSCOhost: Academic Search Premier. Full-day and half-day kindergarten in the United States. (2004). US Department of Education. Retrieved from EBSCOhost: Academic Search Premier. Full-day kindergarten pays off. (2003). District Administration, 39. 8, 18. Retreieved from EBSCOhost: Academic Search Premier. Leading the pack, continuing to move forward. (2008). Maryland State Department of Education. Retrieved from EBSCOhost: ERIC. Marzollo, J. (1987). The new kindergarten: Full day, child centered, academic. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers. National Education Association. (2006). Quality full-day kindergarten: Making the most of it. Washington, D. C. : NEA. Paciorek, K. M. (2002). Taking sides: Clashing views on controversial issues in early childhood education. Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill Company. Readings and reports from parents involvement to wellness policies. (2007). American School Board Journal, 194, 55-57. Retrieved from ESCOhost: Academic Search Premier. Thomas, K. (2002, September 19). See Johnny read-by kindergarten. USA Today, p. 8. Votruba, Drzal, E. , Li-Grinning, C. P. , & Maldonado-Carreno, C. (2008). A developmental perspective on full versus part day kindergarten and children’s academic trajectories through fifth grade. Child Development, 79. 4, 957-978. Retrieved from EBSCOhost: Academic Search Premier. West, J. , Denton, K. , & Reaney, L. M. (2000). The kindergarten year: Findings from the early childhood longitudinal study. Washington, D. C. : NCES.