How Can We Organise Our Thinking Essay

Psychologists who study the mental process of thinking, as well as perception, learning, memory and language, work in the area of cognitive psychology. Thinking is probably one of the most difficult processes to describe, as we think in three ways. We think in words and meaning: semantic thought, we think in images by making mental pictures: iconic thought and enactive thought based on impressions of actions, such as tying a shoelace. Our memory provides us with the ability to remember the past and things that we have learnt in the past. On a daily basis we are overloaded with information, so how do we process it? Firstly, we can organise our thoughts by involving and using mental images which helps us memorise better verbal and written information. So, we think about things by making a mental picture in our mind. When starting to learn the a new language, mental images are very helpful to learn the basic vocabulary. A very good example of this is the key word technique. To explain this further, imagine a picture of a bell with a lid on it, which has a nasty smell, the French word is â€Å"La Poubelle†, and is pronounced pooh-bell, which means â€Å"bin† in English. You can then make a mental picture of yourself lifting the lid off of the bell shaped bin and saying â€Å"pooh†. This key word technique created by Michael Raugh and Richard Atkinson, who experimented on two groups of participants, who were asked to learn a list of 60 Spanish words. The group that used the key word technique, when all participants were tested, scored an average of 88% and the group that did not use these key words scored 28%. This proves that the use of mental images help us remember things, and we can develop different memory stagegies such as mnemonics, which are an aid or verse to remember facts. An example of this is, to aid us when setting up a snooker table with the different coloured balls. Most of us know all the red balls go in the triangle, and the location of the black, pink and blue balls. However, we do forget the order of the green, brown and yellow because they are placed in a row of three next to each other. An easy mnemonic way to remember this order of balls is: God Bless You. Second, another important way we can organise our thoughts is by putting them into categories. This is known as concept formation and is the process of developing mental representation by developing categories of a group of objects or events that share similar properties. For example, the concept of â€Å"animal†, this concept contains other sub-concepts and then further sub-concepts. You divide animals into birds, fish and mammals. Then, divide birds into robins, sparrows and owls etc. Using our concepts we can define the features that we associate with birds, such as wings, feathers, beaks, flying.These defining concepts of a bird, do not have to be applied rigidly, as certain birds cannot fly, such as penguins and ostriches. Weston Bousfield conducted an experiment where participants were asked to learn a list of sixty words that could be divided into four categories. Example: furniture, fruit, clothing and flowers. Although the words were presented in a random order, the participants tended to remember them in groups which belonged to the same category,so if they remembered apple, they would remember peach, lemon and strawberry.This shows us that the information was available, but without the category clues given above, we cannot access all of this information. Now, when we try to recall this information that has been arranged in to categories. Each piece of information then cues the next in turn, as it has been stored in our mind in an structured way, as opposed to a random and arbitrary way. Finally, schemas are a vital way to organise our thoughts, as they allow us to remember information about particular things. A schema is mental framework of knowledge developed as a result of experience, that can help us recall information that has been stored, and so provide more cues to prompt our memory. Hence, we file our knowledge about objects, situations, groups of people and ourselves into a large filing cabinet in our mind. The term schema (plural schemas or schemata) that was used by Jean Piaget an influential Swiss psychologist, who spent over 50 years, investigating the way children developed their thinking and cognitive skills, learning and memory.This was done by developing schemas which built up and developed by their result of experience in the world. Simply this means that our memory is a large filing cabinet and each file in the cabinet is a schema. If you opened a schema labelled † going to the cinema† it would contain all your knowledge about trips to the cinema. Buying a ticket, seeing a film, sitting in the dark and eating popcorn. So, if you went to a cinema that you had not been to before, you would open up your â€Å"cinema schema† file in your memory and this would lead the way. John Bransford and Marcia Johnson conducted an experiment, which illustrated the role of schemas.They asked participants to read a passage from a book and recall it as accurately as they could. Half the participants were given the title of the passage and the other half without the title of â€Å"washing clothes†.The title provides a schema, so that the information can be set aside and remembered more easily. In conclusion, we have explored the ways that we think and the ways that organising our thoughts our can improve our memory. So, mental images give us pictures, concept formation puts information into groups of categories, and developing schemas, allows us to construct and remember mental packages about relevant information.Therefore, our memory is the key to how we function and who we are.

The Tempest as a Power Struggle Between the New and the Old World

To what extent do you agree that The Tempest is a power struggle between the old and the new world? Shakespeare’s Plays II Assignment 1 Rocio Corral Garcia 119042576 It is generally accepted that Shakespeare’s Play The Tempest is complex in many senses, but it cannot be denied that it is especially rich in terms of interpretation. A huge variety of critical analyses have been written about Shakespeare’s last play suggesting different possible approaches to it, such as human salvation, magic, colonisation and power.This essay will focus on the struggle between the old and the new world, which is one of the major themes in this play and that can be easily applied to politics and conspiracy in their more broad sense. Prospero is a European who dominates the island on his own and he is able to do so because he has magic powers. In this way he controls the island and its inhabitants by combining threats of force, promises of freedom and all kind of techniques characte ristic of a proper dictator. He takes charge of the island which does not belong to him and exerts his power over the inhabitants, forcing them to serve him as slaves.It is almost impossible to draw a parallelism between this situation and the European colonial power in North America during the XVII century. Thus, it may be assumed that the old world stands for Europe and all its common practices and customs while the new world is represented by the uncivilised island. Throughout the whole play the reader is able to find several occasions in which the struggle between the new and the old world is very noticeable. In the first scene of the play, for example, we find the exchange between Prospero and Miranda talking about what has been left in the old world: dukedom and serving women.For them, living in the island means abandoning all these things and implementing facets of the new world. Miranda has been educated by her father following the old world rules but at the same time she ha s learned the secrets of the island by Caliban. Caliban is a native of the island who rails against language and is forced to submit. He reveals against all those things related to the old world, since he belongs to the new one. This fighting is constant along the play. Then, on the second act Shakespeare presents the difference between the new and the old world in terms of appearance.That is to say, the green and the light of the new world contrast with the European world. The new world is wild and uncivilised. Gonzalo has his own dream which is labelled as a utopian view of the island. He portrays it without order and hierarchy. In his new world there would not be chaos because everyone will be happy: I' the commonwealth I would by contraries Execute all things; for no kind of traffic Would I admit; no name of magistrate; Letters should not be known; riches, poverty, And use of service, none; contract, succession, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none; No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil;No occupation; all men idle, all; And women too, but innocent and pure; No sovereignty; The reader may acknowledge this as the internal fight men had in this era. Following this scene we find the metaphor of the drunken servant men that come to the island and they imagine that they are able to rule it, thinking that they will secure the loyalty of a native through gifts and the promise of benevolent ruling. This metaphor is made on the basis of a strong parallelism with the real accounts of the colonisation. So, there cannot be any reading of The Tempest without considering it as a study of colonialism.During the colonisation the struggle between the colonizers and the colonized world was a constant feature, so this view support the idea that The Tempest is a clear example of the struggle between the old and the new world. The English colonial project is on Shakespeare’s mind throughout the play, as almost every character, from Gonzalo to Stephano, imagines h ow he would rule the island if he were its king. Shakespeare seems as well to be influenced by Montagne’s essay â€Å"Of the Cannibals† since the name of Prospero’s servant is Caliban could be an anagram of â€Å"cannibal†.Prospero stands for the dominant part in his relationship with Caliban and his allusions to him are most the time is contemptuous. Prospero describes Caliban as: â€Å"Devil, a born devil on whose nature, Nurture can never stick† This description of Caliban is quite similar to those descriptions of the â€Å"savages† by Captain John Smith who set the first English settlement in Jamestown, or to those descriptions given by Mary Rowlandson later in the XVII century.These descriptions fit perfectly with Prospero’s concept of Caliban, so maybe Shakespeare’s intention here is to make a direct link between the current accounts of the colonisation process and the situation of the play. Again, this makes a clear inst ance that the play wants to portray the confrontation between the old and the new world. This clear struggle in the play between the new and the old world may be emphasized by political themes associated with Caliban’s conspiracy and Prospero’s colonialist control of the island. This essay will focus now on the political issue of the play.On the one hand, it may be clear that usurpation is the main political theme pervading the play. The possibility of usurpation is precisely what allows Prospero to legitimise and sustain his totalitarism on the island. Paradoxically, he was first usurped from his throne and it is him who repeats that behaviour in the island. Prospero’s power is proved by Caliban’s resistance. Caliban stands for the main dissident voice in the play. His threatening integration of Prospero’s rhetoric makes him a dangerous insider to the established system: â€Å"You taught me language, and my profit on ’tIs I know how to cur se. The red plague rid you For learning me your language! † Caliban’s use of language illustrates perfectly the potential to resistance contained within power. , and Prospero’s response to Caliban consists in violent outbursts of rage: â€Å"Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel. And be quick, thou ‘rt best, To answer other business. Shrug’st thou, malice? If thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly What I command, I’ll rack thee with old cramps, Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar That beasts shall tremble at thy din. Prospero’s violence hardly hides his terror at Caliban’s appropriation of his language. On the other hand, the play deals perfectly with the topic of conspiracy, being Caliban its maximum exponent. Caliban resists to Prospero’s authority, but this authority may be called into question, since Prospero gets it by means of usurpation. Anyway, Caliban’s role is essential in terms of resistance; h owever, by depriving Prospero by his unique discourse, he represents the existence of alternative voices in the island.He exposes three different versions of the past in the island: Caliban’s, Ariel’s and Prospero’s, although it is the latest the one who succeed. Prospero appropriates the past of the island, and he rewrites history according to his own standards, in order to construct a credible narrative. Caliban shows his resistance: â€Å"This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me† Prospero manages to make his version the one to be trusted. He describes Sycorax as the malevolent witch, a chaos and evil, which contrasts with him, the balance.This is another actual clue that asserts the play as the struggle between the new and the old world. Prospero assures that it was Sycorax who imprisoned Ariel and it was him who released Ariel. It seems that Sycorax is dead, since she does not appear on stage, but her presence lurks o minously in the background. Despite her physical absence from the play Sycorax has great importance. In the politics of the play she serves an ideological function as she is constructed as the evil witch, the ‘other', through which Prospero's ownership of the island is legitimised.She is constructed as being the antithesis to Prospero – female, non-European and evil – and Prospero uses her to justify his acts of dispossession. Prospero shapes the past on his own way. However, the presence of other rivals frightens Prospero, and his anxiety increases as it is shown with his irrational outburst of anger at Caliban’s command of language. Besides, in the island there are different ideological ways of thinking, such as Gonzalo’s political manifesto mentioned above â€Å"No sovereignty† (2. 1, 156). Indeed, Gonzalo’s utopia is likely to the real hierarchy in the island, ince there is a king but without sovereignty. Another aspect of the play that may be related to politics is the marriage between Miranda and Ferinand, since it serves as an agreement between the old world, here represented by Ferinand, and the new world, embodied by Miranda. In this way the marriage stands as a peace treaty between both worlds. It might represent a political marriage, which were very common during the Elizabethan period. The reader may find another political marriage in the play, since in Act II Alonso’s daughter marries the king of Tunis against her wishes.But this is not the case of Miranda, since she falls in love to Ferinand at the first glance. However, this marriage is a sort of business because Miranda is a political tool in Prospero’s plan. Besides, it is very interesting that Miranda is the only female character on an island full of men. She makes possible the reconciliation and redemption of both, Prospero and Alonso. The most important value of Miranda is her chastity which enables the marriage. Virginity is a m atter of politics in the play, since with Miranda being not pure the marriage would not be possible.But Prospero makes sure that her daughter is virgin and emphasizes Miranda’s purity linking her to her mother: Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father Was Duke of Milan, and his only heir And princess no worse issued. Finally, it may be concluded that The Tempest presents different instances of the struggle between the old and the new world, and that Shakespeare draws a strong parallelism with the issue of colonisation and the plot of the play. It might be also acknowledged that there is a final reconciliation between both worlds which is sealed by Miranda and Ferinand’s marriage.Although this play was composed in the XVII century, there are several timeless topics that Shakespeare portrays like political usurpation, conspiracy and struggle for power, that occupy a first place in present day life. Bibliography Primary texts: S hakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare, ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974 Secondary texts: Free Tempest Essays: â€Å"Relevance of The Tempest Today† Retrieved February 26, 2012 from: http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=7486 Gibson, Rex. The Tempest. Cambridge Student Guides. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2006.Hamilton, Donna B. Virgil and The Tempest: The Politics of Imitation . Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1990. Montaigne, Michael de, The Complete Essays. London: Penguin,2003. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Gonzalo’s speech. (2. 1,123-32) [ 2 ]. Montagne, Michael de. The Complete Essays. Trans. M. A. Screech. London: Penguin, 2003 [ 3 ]. Prospero’s description of Caliban (4. 1,188-9) [ 4 ]. Caliban’s speech (1. 2,369-70) [ 5 ]. Prospero’s speech (1. 2,371-76) [ 6 ]. Caliban’s words (1. 2,334. 5) [ 7 ]. Prospero’s speech (1. 2,56-59)

How does Edgar Allan Poe misguide the reader in his story ‘The Black Cat’? Essay

When I first read the title of the story by Poe, My immediate assumption was that it was a mysterious story about a black cat that may contain superstition and witchcraft, because in literature, black cats are associated with superstition, darkness and evil but as the essay title questions how it misguides the reader, I thought that the story may have nothing to do with the supernatural. This story, ‘The Black Cat’ is by Edgar Allan Poe. We do not know of what the story is about but we make assumptions from the title and we do not know whether the narrator is male or female because the story is fictional but Poe writes as if it is a personal account and it had really happened to him. His intent of the story is to unburden his soul and I think he wants to confess to everyone and anyone who will listen to him as he says he wants to ‘place before the world what has happened’ and claims he is going to die tomorrow. The opening is unusual because of his proposal when he says ‘tomorrow, I will die’. Also he gives the storyline but without detail, is this to misguide us? We never usually see this in a story. I think the story is about someone who has been involved in a series of unfortunate household events that ‘have terrified, have tortured and have destroyed’ him. The general tone is a frightened and worried one because he says how it has affected him and used powerful language, such as ‘tortured’. Also the writer seems desperate for someone to explain these happenings. In this story this writer has wrote the story in first person. This means that being a reader I can emphasise with the narrator. In most stories the narrator is the hero, he is known as being courageous and have the characteristics of a hero although in this story this is not the case. Poe was the first writer to use this style and make the narrator an ‘anti-hero’ he is also called this because it doesn’t seem right to label him a villain, but he also is not a hero. At the beginning of the story the narrator tries to make you feel sympathetic towards them by telling you that ‘tomorrow, I will die’ and tells of how recent events have ‘tortured’, ‘terrified’ and ‘destroyed’ him. He then continues to tell us how he was a animal lover by saying ‘never was I so happy as when feeding and caressing them’. He also says how he was married early and his wife has ‘a disposition not uncongenial with my own’, he and his wife were very alike and quite obviously happy. We are perceived into thinking he is a nice a nice and well natured gentleman. However we have been misguided as he is far from this stereotype is reality. We are fooled into thinking that he was an animal lover who would never hurt a soul. He tries to get our sympathy because he is consumed with guilt at the fact he sickly mistreated and killed a cat and ill-treated and went on to try and kill his second cat with an axe, but instead he savagely and ‘accidentally’ killed his wife, he says how he ‘buried the axe in her brain’. We have been betrayed completely by the narrator. Another way that the reader is misguided is by the unusual structure. In most stories these usually contains only one major climax but in ‘The Black Cat’ there is a number of major climax’s but the events that happen in the climax’s gets worse as the story goes on, making us forget the last climax that happened and we become ‘immune’. The first major climax is when the narrator ‘gouges the cats’ eye out’. We think this is the major climax but as the story progresses the events become worse and go from the cat being hanged and then finally resulting in his wife being murdered by him. He does this because he wants to tell us the evil things he has done one-by-one because he hopes we will forget about the previous atrocities and still feel sympathy for him. I also feel that, Pluto was used to misguide the reader in this story. First off, we find out that the cat is named Pluto, this could be associated with a mysteriousness and possibly magic and witchcraft. Poe then continues to say how at first the cat was an affectionate, loving pet, none the less he reveals his wife’s belief cats are witches in disguise. This automatically makes us think that supernatural happenings will later come into the story. The fact that he says about the cats white patch changing into a collar like a noose and that the second cat is a reincarnation of the first seems pretty surreal and unbelievable. The reason for this is so that we also believe that the cat is evil. The main role of the cat in this story is to divert the blame from the narrator to the cat for the terrible things he had done and the murder of his wife. The story would be incomplete without the cat, as it would just be about a man who has killed his wife; the cat is the main character. Another way Poe attempts to misguide the reader is by using doubles, a common factor used in gothic horror stories to show the story contains split personallities. In this story, it is two cats that are used as doubles to highlight the fact of the narrators split personality. Also another thing that suggests the narrator has a split personallity is the gouging of his cats eye. In english litrature, the gouging of an a eye is interpretted as the person who done it, wanting to be self-castrated. As this story was wrote in the pre 20th century when homosexuallity was illegal, one theory is that the narrator may have in denile of being homosexual,. This relates back to the self-castration, is it possible he wanted to become a woman? So that it was legal to have relationships with males. And by killing his wife with an axe demonstrates his inability to be with a woman. In conclusion I felt the purpose in the narrator writing his account of what had happaned was to divert the blame of all the horrible things he had done, off of himself. My personal reaction tp this story was rather excited and anxious as to what would happen next, after each climax, but I also felt quite disturbed as the story made me be in the mind of a murderer.

Business plan for chinese restaurant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Business plan for chinese restaurant - Essay Example The owners wanted to provide the market, students from the University and nearby places, with an option for a quick-service restaurant that offers quality food at an affordable price. As an added novelty, the owners will add a twist to the product line by fusing oriental Chinese cuisine with western food to give customers something to rave about and come back for. The main vehicle for its Marketing is online advertising, utilizing the internet as a main tool in engaging the potential customers and enticing them into sampling the products. Social media and search engine optimization tools shall be utilized to enable the company to have a wider reach and focused marketing. II. Market Opportunity/ Problem Definition 1. Customer Value Proposition Mr. Choi’s Kitchen will appeal to customers who are always on the go because the business will adapt a fast food concept and pacing. Clients will spend little time to wait for their ordered food. This set up is best for busy students, you ng professionals and young married couples who have the buying capacity and would want to enjoy classic Chinese food without the frills and fuss offered by the usual Chinese restaurants. Owners have already made initial implementation plans targeting university students. The initial plan was to bring the Chinese restaurant set up to the universities, which is our target market. This restaurant shall be complete with sit down and dine in amenities. Mr. Choi’s Kitchen targets the young crowd with its East meets west and fast food concept. These are people who are always on the go, and would most likely appreciate food being served fast. In this case, they can choose their dishes from among the wide array of food products to be served ala-carte. 2. Customer Landscape Our target market is college students who need a quick and healthy lunch or dinner during their busy school time and interested in Asian food. In the year of 2012, there are 39,236 students and 12,053 employees in t he University of Arizona. This is our primary target market. They are a busy group of people who would prefer the service of a fast food chain. They are constrained by time due to school work, and are highly mobile. They also have a penchant for quick service. This figure does not include other potential customers such as employees working in companies around University of Arizona or downtown of Tucson. The number of residents around the campus within one mile radius is about 20,000. 3. Industry Dynamics There are over 600,000 restaurants and food shops in the United States. Gross annual receipts total more than $ 172 billion dollars per year (National Restaurant Association 2012). It is one of the country’s largest grossing industries. The food industry also employs over ten million people, and generates an annual payroll of more than $ 34 Billion per year. In the article â€Å"How and Where America Eats†, more than 40% of American families eat out at least one night per week. Americans, on the whole, have also become much busier. More and more families now have two incomes and as such, the tradition of staying at home and cooking meals is vanishing. Among these establishments, a significant part offer Chinese cuisine as their food genre. 4. Competitive Landscape Our main competitors include Panda Express in the Student Union, Jimmy Johns on Park Ave., Chipotle Mexican Grill on University Blvd, and Bagel Talk in Park Student Union. They either have the similar business model or

Board of Governance Principles Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Board of Governance Principles - Case Study Example This is the manner, with which the Board ensures revenue for the shareholders' investments with consistent and regular review of long-term plans, decision-making achievements, and replacements for Board members and executive management personnel. At British Petroleum public limited company, the members of the Board entrust their decision-making management authority to the company's Group Chief Executive led by Tony Hayward, the Group Chief Executive, member of the BP board of directors, head of the BP executive management team, and steered by the Board of Governance Principles. Prior to efficient management, the company's Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward must have understood the business ethics of British Petroleum Plc prior understanding the company business, as theoretically, trade is directly related to ethics. In comparison, a good number of commercial executives recognize article of trade-based type of business ethics. This is well-liked by the communication industry, the courses offered in business schools, colloquiums, and educational prose. But, the other type of business ethics called sense-based has been overlooked by the majority in the industry. These two different types of business ethics are supposedly inseparable duo (Pava, 1999). ... Nonetheless, British Petroleum Plc Group Chief Executive Tony Hayward clearly implements article of trade-based and sense-based types of ethics as an indivisible pair which is clearly invoked in the Board of Governance Principles. "The power and success of business are ultimately dependent on manager's beliefs about life's meanings" (Pava, 1999) Corporate success then that is driven by moral code collectively practiced among managers, employees, and shareholders (Pava, 1999) seamlessly fits into these principles. At the British Petroleum Plc, corporate governance structure style is underpinned by the concept of the approach the company manages the business. First, the Board and the executive management of British Petroleum public limited company led by Peter Sutherland, the Chairman of the chairman's and the nomination committees benchmarked image of prominence as the driver of the primary aspiration of the British Petroleum Plc, together with the idea that the company has built through time market edge and asset for advancements. Second, the company is anchored on the conviction that its existence will assists in crafting better opportunities for the human race. For instance, the company will in some way lend a hand to humanity by providing access to heat, light, and transport. All these are achievable with low cost of ener gy production that is safe for mankind and ecosystem friendly (BP plc, 2009). This is being mindful of the chief responsibility of commerce to civilizations. While the business concerns are those of the material needs of a society of people, the corporate company likewise embraces what is beyond substantial wants and desires. In fact, this is the most significant aspect of the company. It is within this realm that company

Case Analysis - Political Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Analysis - Political Interaction - Essay Example nstitution; however, there are multiple restrictions, in form of regulations limiting how lobbyists can appeal national administration for the reparation of criticisms(Ramanna et. al, 2015). Breaking the set rules, even for the corporations guarantees serious consequences including prison sentences. Nonetheless, corporate management is among the core facilitators of financing and lobbying the government; playing roles that have positive and negative influences. Among the core roles of corporate management, lies in campaign finance that entails distribution of available financial resources as contributions and expenditures throughout the campaigning period. Typically, most of the candidates agree that tackling this successfully depends on prominent determinants such as an understanding of the geography and having excellent strategies(Ramanna et. al, 2015). However, without corporate management, most of the executed approaches eventually fail. Corporate management, even outside financing and lobbying the government has most of the practices based on implementation and execution of the best strategies. Resultantly, it enhances the effectiveness of strategies and also comes ups with approaches on handling the expenses relative to campaign finance i.e. salary for the staff and consultants, rented properties, advertisement and purchasing of the utilities. Moreover, in most cases, corporate management applies in reduction of these expenses throug h review and development of better campaigning strategies(Ramanna et. al, 2015). Typically, corporate management enables a significant percentage of campaign efficiency through the inclusion of protocols, policies, approaches and other practices that are mostly prevalent in the corporate world. On the other hand, corporate management has a negative influence through relative practices in financing and lobbying for the government. In fact, most of the critics and negative perceptions of campaign finance and lobbying have the

Seminar question unit 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seminar question unit 4 - Assignment Example Nutrition screening can benefit the prevention of heart diseases through identifying the nutritional characteristics related to the heart diseases (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). Studies have indicated that one of the key prevention measures to reduce the alarming rate of mortality due to heart diseases is through good understanding of the right diet for the body. Consequently, nutrition screening in this area will identify individuals with high level of density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that is responsible for accumulation of plaque in the arteries increasing the risks for heart attack. The identification of the heart related nutritional problems would use a criteria based on diet, height and weight, obesity, and diagnosis to determine the blood pressure level. This will benefit the patient by primarily determining their vulnerability to the heart diseases (Bernstein & Luggen, 2011). In addition, the patient will learn on how to adopt an appropriate diet strategy for sufficient vitamins, nutrients, and calories in the body. Consequently, patients will not only reduce risk of heart diseases, but also improve the body’s immune

Impressions of The First Day at a New Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Impressions of The First Day at a New Job - Essay Example The receptionist was dressed in a purple suit with purple earrings to fit. I tendered my approved application letter and she directed me to the sales department where I would be working. The receptionist directed me to the fourth floor, which was the sales department. I climbed the stairs to the fourth floor as the company had no elevator. I remember that I saw about twelve persons in the sales department. They were all dressed in black suits with seven females and five males. This gave me the impression that they all had a particular mode of dressing. The office was actually a hall and it was painted with green with about twenty-four rocking chairs and twelve round benches in it. As I got to the office, they were all looking at me like an alien. I felt like the ground should open up and swallow me as the faces were too much on me. However, I summoned courage, walked majestically into the office and asked after the Head of the Sales Department. I was surprised to see that the Head of the Sales Department was some inches shorter than I was. I expected that I would meet a huge man as my boss, but spotting him made me see that there is actually a huge difference between fantasy and reality. The Head of my new department spoke with a thin voice and to ld me to sit down on a black rocking chair which was directly opposite his own. He gave me a description of my job and told me that, they work collectively to achieve the goal of the company. This was actually the way that an organization operates (Jones 18). I was introduced to the other staffs of the Sales Department and my boss told them that, they should accept me as one of them as we shared the same passion and have a common goal. I shook hands with them and exchanged pleasantries with all of them. I settled down fast on that same day and was acquainted with the mode of operation of the sales department.

Use of social networks for financial and performance reporting Research Paper

Use of social networks for financial and performance reporting - Research Paper Example This research analyses how the financial reporting and organizations performance have improved for the past few years because of increased use of social networking. Inescapabilty and popularity of the social network has largely created awareness and improved the relationship between the business and the stakeholders by introducing a new way in which financial information is disseminated and eventually consumed. Companies primarily use the social media to report their performances so that the information can reach larger audience who may be interested. Information that was previously released in news releases, conference calls and presentations are revealed through twitter because of its ability to swiftly and efficiently receive and share information from a trusted source. There are live tweets of companies’ earning call enabling shareholders who are physically absent during call to receive live information. According to Scott (2013), â€Å"Of Facebook’s nearly one billion strong users, approximately 200 million are mobile only.† On the other hand, YouTube, and Flickr may be utilized in providing videos regarding earning calls, do presentations thus engaging investors with the business financial reports as well as sharing information such as crucial business transactions that include merger and acquisition. It is worth noting that the social network has the ability to reach even remote communities thus enabling the company to operate in distant and remote places while raising awareness about them. There are many reasons justifying the use of social media in financial reporting and performance. Social media’s ability to reach a huge audience makes it the best communication channels for businesses compared to the conventional methods that are inaccessible to some people. According to Scott (2013), â€Å"Statistical research has revealed that more than 95 per cent of  Facebook users log into their account every day. The same number

Usability will be an important factor in QoL and QoA Essay

Usability will be an important factor in QoL and QoA - Essay Example Current markets are saturated with lots of computer products from different vendors. As a result, manufactures need to develop systems and products that are usable by consumer. In order to achieve this, they should focus on user-oriented methods of product design rather than technology-oriented methods (David, 1984). In doing so, the customers quality of experience will increase which will in turn increase the quality of experience. The key idea behind usability is the object should be designed with key attention and consideration put on the user’s psychology and physiology. In other words, the designed systems should be efficient. By efficiently, it means that a consumer takes little time to learn and use it. This will ensure that the consumer make more use of the given product thus improving their quality of life. Many are the times when products come in the market and go. During this period of time, consumer may forget how to use the particular product. Usability focuses on the ability of consumers to remember how to use this product, were it to return back to the market. It is very important to design products that consumer will easily remember to use as this will enable them establish proficiency hence improving the quality of life (Iler, 2000). Produced goods are never 100% efficient and as a result the manufacture needs to test it before releasing the product into the market. Manufacture need to understand that testing things prior to releasing them into the market is cheaper compared to releasing and then make rectifications later. In addition to that, quality of life demands that for people to experience the general welfare of life the level of errors, arising from usage of commodities, should be minimized greatly (Mellouk, 2014). This means that consumer goods should be designed in a way that consumers will make very minimal errors while using these products. Manufactures should therefore design products with interfaces that are easy to understand

Assess the hierarchical structure of the court system in England and Essay - 2

Assess the hierarchical structure of the court system in England and Wales. To what extent does the common law doctrine of bindi - Essay Example This essay will look at how far this doctrine applied in England and Wales. England and Wales court structure The UK does not have a unified court system in that England and Wales share one system whilst Scotland and northern Ireland each have got two distinct judicial systems. This essay is more concerned with the court hierarchy system in England and Wales, which comprises of: Magistrates’ court these courts are local with seating both qualified and lay magistrates that hear mainly criminal but also civil matters before them at first instance. County courts are staffed by a circuit judge or a district judge and they are all over England and Wales hearing civil matters. The crown court sits to hear criminal matters and may use jury during the trial process. These courts sit in various parts of England and Wales, sittings which are presided over by a circuit judge or a district judge. The high court of justice this court mainly hears civil matters but it also has criminal juri sdiction. It has its sittings in London although this is not permanent since the court may hear cases before it held anywhere in England and Wales. The High Court of Justice is divided into three divisions i. Family division including its divisional court hears appeals from magistrates courts. ii. Queen’s Bench division hears commercial matters, incorporating and administrative court. iii. Chancery division hears civil cases on appeal from the county courts Each of these divisions has different types of work they undertake that notwithstanding they also have jurisdiction to hear appeals from lower courts and a judge sitting in this capacity, the court is referred to as ‘divisional court of the High court’. The divisional courts hear appeals from tribunals and courts below them in the hierarchy. During the High Court sittings, it is presided over by the High Court Judges. Court of appeal this court has two divisions the civil division, which hears civil cases on a ppeal, which have primarily emanated from High Court and the criminal division hearing criminal cases on appeal from the crown court. This court sits in London with senior judges –Lord Justices of Appeal- presiding. The Supreme Court this is the final court of appeal of all civil and criminal cases in England, Northern Ireland and Wales since 1st October 2009. Cases reaching before it must have gone through relevant procedures in a lower court. The Supreme Court has 12 justices who are separate from both parliament and government. Other influential courts (Slapper, Gary, and David 163 - 183) Common law doctrine of binding precedent in court hierarchy The basis of this doctrine is the principle of stare decisis which requires that a later court to use the same reasoning as an earlier court; in essence a particular set of facts should give rise to a particular legal outcome therefore the fairness principle means that cases with similar facts should be similarly decided (Malleso n, 66 -67). The court hierarchy is central to the understanding of this doctrine in the sense that the higher the courts’ position the more far-reaching are the effects of its decisions generally. The lower courts are described to be bound by the decisions of higher courts. This means that the lower court will follow the decisions of the highest court this feature of courts is described as binding precedent. Rules of Binding precedent as they apply 1. The House of Lords In England and Wales, court

Netball study - P.E coursework Essay Example for Free

Netball study P.E coursework Essay Netball is a fast skilful team game based on running, jumping, throwing and catching. Teams may consist of up to 12 players but only seven players may be on the court at one time, the extra players will be used if one of the players on court are injured or to tired. The aim of the game is to get the ball in the opposing goal ting as many times as possible throughout a match. The court is split by two lines that divide the court into thirds. At both ends of the court there is a shooting semicircle and a 10ft goal post with no back board. Each player has a playing position determined by the areas of the court where they may move. The playing positions are; Goal shooter (GS), Goal Attack (GA), Wing Attack (WA), Centre (C), Wing defence (WD), Goal Defence (GD), Goal Keeper (GK) Position responsibilities  GS  Her main job is to score goals and to work in and around the circle with the GA. She must be able to react quickly to things such as rebounds of the ring and quick passes into the circle.  GA  She is also allowed to shoot and must work closely with the GS to feed balls into the shooting area.  WA  Her job is to create as many shooting opportunities as possible. She has to have solid passing with a range of passes into the shooting area.  C  To take the Centre Pass and support the defence and attack. She must be swift and have sharp, quick movements. One of her main roles is to get the ball from the defending area through to the attacking area. She must be quick and have a good range of passing. WD  Her responsibility is to stop the ball getting to the oppositions shooting area. She must be good at intercepting passes. A good WD should be good at controlling the ball. She should be good at marking to prevent the WA feeding it to her shooters.  GD  Her job is to win the ball, and stop it going into the defending area as much as possible to prevent the opposition from scoring goals. She must be a good marker and stay close to the GA. She must be alert so she can collect rebounds and intercept passes so that she can get the ball back down the court into her attacking area. GK  She must guard the shooting area and closely mark the GS to stop her from scoring. Goal keepers are usually among the tallest on the team as it is a good advantage when marking the shooters. She must be alert so she can collect rebounds and intercet passes. She will also be responsible for taking throw-ins from the backline.  A bit about the rules  Centre passes Centre passes are taken alternately by the C, after a goal has been scored.  All players must start in the goal thirds in their starting positions, except for the two Cs who stay in the centre third. The Centre with the ball starts with either one or both feet in the Centre Circle. The opposing Centre stands anywhere within the Centre Third and is free to move and mark players form within. After the whistle is blown the footwork rule applies to the centre. Both feet should be in the circle, but if a player has only one foot in the circle, the other mustnt be touching ground outside the circle. The players outside the centre third must run into the centre to receive the ball. A Centre pass must be caught or touched by a player in or landing in the Centre third, if this does not happen then it is considered over a third and a free pass is awarded to the opposing team.  After receiving a pass  When a player receives a pass they are not allowed to run/dribble the ball. However they may only bounce or bat the ball once to gain control. Players have to be standing before they throw the ball.  Players have three seconds to make a pass or shot after catching the ball.  Balls may not be thrown over two third lines without being touched by at least one player; this will result in a free pass from the second third line the ball crossed.  Throw in  The ball is considered out of court when it hits anything outside the court area. The ball is returned into play by a Throw-In, this is taken by the opposite team to the one which touched the ball last before going out of play. It is taken from a point outside the line where the ball left the court. The player taking the throw in must have their feet up to but not over the line. The 3 second rule applies when the player is in position and holding the ball. Obstruction  If a player has the ball the defenders foot must be 0.9m (3ft) feet from the landing foot of the player with the ball. The defender can jump and spread their arms, as long as they do not move in towards the attacking player. The defenders are not aloud to deliberately block the attackers view by placing their hands in front of their face or eyes.  If a player does not have the ball the defender may be as close as they want, but not touching. The defender must have her arms in a natural position. They cant be outstretched.

Vygotskys Theory of Psychological Development

Vygotskys Theory of Psychological Development Lev Semenovich Vygotsky was born in Russia in 1896, the same year with Piaget. He attended Moscow University and graduated with a degree of law in 1917 just before the start of Russian Revolution (Driscoll, 2005). After a while the Russian revolution where the Marxism replaced, Vygotsky worked in psychology. The new philosophy of the Marxist stressed socialism and collectivism in society. So his views represented Marxist ideas of social change to language and development. Vygotsky also studied various subjects in school such as philosophy, psychology, literature and art. He worked as a teacher at a teacher training institution where he founded a psychology laboratory. His main entry into psychology started with the second Psychoneurological congress in 1924. Vygotsky presented a paper and criticized Pavlovs reflexology theory. After his brilliant presentation performance, Konstantin Kornilov who is the director of Psychological Institute of Moscow University invited Vygotsky for a po sition in university (Gredler, 2005). His dissertation, in 1925,The Psychology of Art, was accepted for the Ph.D. degree. Vygotsky completed manuscripts, articles, and books and edited a journal until his death in 1934 because of tuberculosis. His major writings are about the role of cultural signs and symbols in the development of attention, abstraction, language, memory and reasoning ( Gredler, 2005). Most of his writings were published after his death. His concepts of cultural historical development of cognitive development remained incomplete at his death. After his death some basic concepts fixed with his studies were added his theory. Basic Principles of Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory To understand Vygotskys theory, to look at political environment of his time may be helpful. In 1917, after the Russian revolution, Marxism penetrated all society and emphasized socialism. Sharing between people and co-operating was supported, and the success of any individual was thought as the success of the culture. Marxism also took place on history, believing that every culture could be understood only by examination of the ideas and events that had formed it (Vasta,R., Haith, M.M., Miller,S.A., 1995, as cited in Riddle, 1999). Vygotsky also influenced Marxist theory of social change to language and development (Schunk, 2008). His theory covered these elements in terms of human being development that has been called as a sociocultural approach. According to Vygotsky, the ones development is a result of his own culture and development refers mental development including thought, language and reasoning process. These mental functions were believed to develop through social interactions with people and so represented the shared knowledge of the culture. Vygotksys theory is also a form of dialectical constructivist theory that emphasizes the social environment as a facilitator of development and learning. His sociocultural theory emphasizes interaction between people and their environment. For him, the processes of the human cognitive development are the part of the process of historical development (Schunk, 2008). Briefly, Vygotskys theory is based on the idea that learning begins with social interaction and then knowledge is constructed individually. Vygotskys theory has three basic assumptions. These assumptions are i) nature of human intelligence, ii) biological and sociohistorical lines of psychological development and iii) nature of psychological processes (Driscoll, 2005; Gredler, 2005). Vygotsky thought about the differences between animal and human behavior in terms of psychological development and thought that the behavior of modern cultured adult is the result of two different process of mental development. Firstly, in the human beings, biological factors dominate the early months of life and physical growth is responsible for perception and simple memory, and involuntary attention. The emergence of these mental functions is referred to as primitive development. And sociocultural development is responsible for development of complex mental functions (Gredler, 2005). Secondly, Vygotsky also believed that human mental abilities develop through interaction with the world. Vygotsky investigated how these social interactions turns in to psychological principles In order to explain this phenomenon Vygotsky mention about the terms signalization and signification. According to Vygotskys perspective, a child does not touch a hot stove after putting his hand and feeling pain is an example of signalization (Gredler, 2005). Also, signification process that is a process of assigning meaning to an active stimulus differ human behavior from other animals. These processes are transforming from primitive humans to humans who use signs symbols to change own mental functions. So, Vygotsky believed that psychological development includes the transformation of primitive mental functions to higher mental forms (Gredler, 2005). Vygotsky stated that development does not proceed toward socialization; it is the conversion of social relations into mental functions (as cited in Driscoll, 2005). The social environment influences cognition through its tools such as cultural objects, language and social institutions (Schunk, 2005). According to Vygotsky, humans use tools that develop from the surrounding culture such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. So, culture gives opportunities the children with the meanings to, what to think and how to think. Initially children develop these tools to make sense of their worlds as social functions, ways to communicate needs. The tools, cultural signs and symbols, can be technological or psychological. Cognitive change results from; using these tools in social interactions and internalizing and mentally transforming these interactions (Schunk, 2005). Vygotsky also gave importance the emergence of speech in terms of distinguishing humans from other animals. In Vygotksys view, language was the most important psychological tool that influences childrens cognitive development. By acquiring knowledge a child is supported the means to think in new ways and obtains a new cognitive tool for making sense of the world. For Vygotsky, the analysis of thinking and speech was a major task for psychology, and the central problem was the relationship of thought to word (Gredler, 2005). He identified three different stages in childrens use of language. At first, language is primarily used for communication. It refers social speech. For Vygotsky, speech begins to develop independent of thought. And then, thinking becomes verbal and children begin to use egocentric or private speech to guide their own thinking. Both Piaget and Vygotsky observed that as in problem solving situations pre-school children talking to themselves. While Piaget referred th e self directed behavior as egocentric speech, Vygotsky labeled to it as a private speech. He claimed that private speech originated in the childrens interaction with other people and with these interactions; they start to use their parents instructional comments to regulate their own behavior. Private speech such as talking aloud or whispering while performing a task refers speech for oneself. Researches indicated that children tend to increase the amount of self-talk when facing more challenging tasks (Gredler, 2005). Children start using private speech to organize (plan, direct, or evaluate) their behaviors. The use of private speech peaks during  preschool  years and then decreases. For Vygotsky, this decrease with private speech turns first into inner speech and then into verbal thinking. At last stage of language development, egocentric speech becomes inner speech and children start to use inner speech to guide their thinking and actions. The inner speech is speech for one self, not for communication without words (Gredler, 2005). This transition of speech from social to self-directed to internalized reflects the Vygotsky ´s concept of development as a process of internalization. With the internalization of private speech intellectual development that is the path of all higher mental functions occurs. It was described by Vygotsky in his law of the development of higher mental functions. He stated law of the development of higher mental functions: Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). (Vygotsky, 1978; as cited in Gredler, 2005). Acording to Vygotskys view, development of complex mental functions involves two processes; mastering of the external means of cultural development and thinking (language, counting, writing) and learning to use symbols to master and regulate ones own behavior. Briefly, every higher mental function was external or social before it became an internal mental function. And also Karpov and Haywood stated that; All higher mental processes are mediated by such psychological tools as language, signs and symbols. Adults teach these tools to children in the course of their joint activity. After children internalize these tools they function as mediators of the childrens more advanced psychological processes (Karpov Haywood, 1989, as cited in Schunk, 2008). Mediation is the key mechanism in learning and development from Vygotskys perspective. When mediation becomes increasingly internal and symbolic higher mental functions are created. Vygotsky stated that mediation referred that interposing tools between people and their environment, to modify it and obtain benefits (Schunk, 2005). And also mediators such as tools and language help to people to accommodate to their environment. From Vygotskys point of view, higher mental functions include categorical perception, logical memory, abstract thought and voluntary attention (as cited in Gredler, 1992). These are the products of the sociohistorical development. Vygotsky distinguished the higher mental functions from the primitive mental functions. Primitive mental functions are biological in nature and higher mental functions are the part of the social and cultural heritage of child move from social plane to psychological plane, from interpersonal to intrapersonal, from socially regulated to self regulated, from assisted performance to unassisted performance and from social control to self control (Gredler, 2005). Zone of Proximal Development Zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a key concept for Vygotskys theory. ZPD defined from Vygotsky as the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers( Schunk, 2008; Driscoll, 2005). Briefly ZPD refers the gap between what children can do individually and what they can do with assistance from more knowledgeable person. Also Bruner (1984) stated that ZPD reflects activity in which those who have more knowledgeable or are more skilled share that knowledge or skill to accomplish a task with who know less. Vygotsky claimed that learning occurs in this zone (Riddle, 1999). In ZPD teachers and students work together on a task. With the help of more knowledgeable partner the child can complete a task when he cannot do unassisted. Working in ZPD requires a good deal of guided participation. Learners bring their own understanding to social interaction environment and construct meaning by integrating those understanding with their experiences in the context (Schunk, 2000). Level of performances development shows a change from self regulation to social regulation. Gradually require to the assistance decreases and capacity for self regulation increases. The progress in ZDP is gradual from assisted performance to unassisted and self regulated performance (Moll, 1990). The process in the ZDP described as a stage model which includes four stages which focuses on the relationship between social control and self control. In stage 1 learner has very limited capacity to complete task and parent, teacher or more capable peers offer directions and modeling. Learner response is acquiescent and imitative. Learner gradually understands how related the parts of an activity to one another. Understanding develops with conversation (Moll, 1990). In stage 2, there is a change of mental activity from intermental to intramental. Learners start to handle task without assistance. However, performance is not fully developed. In stage 2, self directed speech reflects development of profound significance. Key mechanism of self directed speech is self regulation (Moll, 1990) In stage 3, assistance does not require and assistance is no longer need. Performance is already developed. Task have been internalized and automatized. Vygotsky described this stage as fruits of development (Moll, 1990). And finally in stage 4, it can be thought that learning is lifelong. However, although a concept can be accomplished by an adult, another concept cannot be accomplished (Moll, 1990). For Vygotsky, teacher direct students while scaffolding process in ZPD and try to provide assistance about how the learner can achieve his goal even without the assistance. A Vygotskian teachers aim is creating self-regulated learners. In Vygotskys theory, role of teachers is to provide the guidance required for learners to bridge the distance between their current skill level and a wanted skill level. Educational Applications There are many educational applications of Vygotskys theory. Instructional scaffolding, reciprocal teaching, peer collaboration and apprenticeship are some of these applications (Schunk, 2008). Instructional Scaffolding Although scaffolding is not a Vygotskian term, in order to it fit nicely in the ZPD, it added by Wood, Bruner and Ross in the theory (Schunk, 2008). Instructional scaffolding is also the process of controlling task elements that are beyond learners capabilities (Schunk, 2008). It is the condition of sufficient support to promote learning. Supports can include some resources, a compelling task, templates and guides and guidance on the development of cognitive and social skills. In scaffolding process, the instructor becomes a supportive tool for the student in the zone of proximal development. The characteristics of an ideal teacher are those of a scaffold: provide support, function as a tool, extend the range of the learner, permit attainment of task otherwise possible, use selectively only as needed (Schunk, 2008; Driscoll, 2005). In short, instructor creates a ZPD and provides the scaffolding for students to be successful (Moll, 2001 as cited Schunk, 2008). Moreover, for scaffoldin g process prior knowledge have an important role for Vygotskain teacher. Because, teacher need to give less assistance if there is more prior knowledgeable person. Reciprocal teaching Reciprocal teaching is an instructional activity that takes place in the form of a dialogue between teachers and students regarding segments of text. Teacher and students take turns assuming the role of teacher in leading this dialogue (Schunk, 2008). The purpose of reciprocal teaching is to facilitate a group effort between teacher and students in the task of bringing meaning to the text. The dialogue is structured by the use of summarizing, question generating, clarifying and predicting (Driscoll, 2005; Schunk, 2008). Peer collaboration Peer collaboration is the notion of collective activity. When peers come together to accomplish a task cooperatively, this social interaction can lead learning. If each student has assigned the responsibility, researches showed that cooperative work is most effective (Schunk, 2008). Apprenticeship Apprenticeship is another application of Vygotskys theory. The purpose of cognitive apprenticeship is to help learners to learn the cognitive processes that experts use to overcome complex tasks through guided experience. While operating in ZPD novices and experts works closely in joint work related activities. For instance, student teachers work with cooperating teachers in schools. It is an example of apprenticeship. Apprenticeship is also a form of dialectical constructivism that depends on social interaction (Schunk, 2008). Critics about the Theory Vygotksky seems social interaction as only way of learning. According to Vygotsky all learning is a social process begins as social activities by interacting with other people and people internalize these processes and can use them independently. But researcher states that as it is known that cultures are critical and needed to be thought while explaining learning it is not only constrained social environment (Schunk, 2008). And it is showed that children learn certain concepts which do not depend on social environment (Geary, as cited in Schunk, 2008). However I agree with Vygotsky in terms of explaning learning from social context to individual context. In my opinion, Vygotskys theory is based on the idea that learning begins with social interaction with other people or environment and then knowledge is constructed individually. Implications of Vygotskys theory are considered by researchers as not clear (Wertsch, as cited in Driscoll, 2005). It is thought that there is no answer to the questions how it is explained the differences between the ZDP of children who have similar history and how it is account for the changing relation between subject and child development. I think the effect of the culture and social environment on learning is important. The culture and social environment affect how children can learn. And also we construct meanings and common shared knowledge of a culture. So we affect and are affected from our culture and history. And our leanings can come from this social environment. But it has still not clear enough to understand learning with only sociocultural theory, and how the teaching should be. Conclusion Although new learning approaches appeared in education, since the earlier in the 20th century Vygotkss sociocultural theory has lost influence on learning. Because Vygotksys theory contributed to development of constructivism with Piaget, Dewey, and Glaserfields theories. Many teachers are still using application of Vygotskys theory such as group works, class discussion or guided discovery consciously or unconsciously. And as Vygotksy claimed children begin to learn in social environment in classrooms with social activities by interacting with other people such as peers or teachers and they internalize these processes and can use them independently. Even though researches showed that children learn certain concepts which do not depend on social environment, the sociocultural approach certainly could not explain all human learning alone. It can explain learning particularly in terms of a social environment. Therefore it is termed as dialectical constructivist theory. To sum up, although there are some criticisms to Vygotksys sociocultural theory, it is clear that the study of human development has benefited from this theory from twentieth century to nowadays. It is clear that although Vygotksys theory remained in complete because of his early death, researchers could not ignore his theorys importance for learning and they developed his theory as we know today.

Pros and Cons of Organisational Mergers

Pros and Cons of Organisational Mergers Abstract The purpose of this paper was to take a look at a topic of our choosing and determine how it relates to a human resource management issue. The topic that was decided to discuss was what the pros and cons are of organizational mergers. We also planned on looking at how organizational mergers affect both the success of the organization and the employees within the organization involved in the organizational merger. Lastly, we went on to look at whether this issue has an HR relationship of if it more of a management issue. Overview So for my topic project I came up with a proposal to investigate what the pros and cons are of organizational mergers. I also planned on looking at how organizational mergers affect both the success of the organization and the employees within the organization involved in the organizational merger. Therefore, we will start by creating an outline of what we will be looking for followed by the research needed to answer the questions asked by the outline. Once we have completed this we will look at a Q A from a human resource professional’s point of view. Lastly, we will conclude by determining whether the pros of organizational mergers outweigh the cons of organizational mergers and if there is any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees. Outline Now to begin the following is the outline we will use to start our topic project. WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF ORGANIZATION MERGERS (Moadhadi, 2015)? What are the pros of organizational mergers (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first pro of an organizational merger is a larger network of economies (Moadhadi, 2015). The second pro of an organizational merger is an increase in research and development (Moadhadi, 2015). The third pro of an organizational merger is all the other economies of scale (Moadhadi, 2015). The fourth pro of an organizational merger is that it allows for the avoidance of duplication (Moadhadi, 2015). The last pro of an organizational merger is that it helps with the regulation of monopoly for the industry (Moadhadi, 2015). What are the cons of organizational mergers (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first con of an organizational merger is that there can be higher prices (Moadhadi, 2015). The second con of an organizational merger is that consumers now have less choice (Moadhadi, 2015). The third con of an organizational merger is that there can be job losses (Moadhadi, 2015). The last con of an organizational merger is that the larger organization can suffer diseconomies of scale (Moadhadi, 2015). WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF MERGERS THAT ORGANIZATIONS CAN GO THROUGH (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first type of organizational merger is a horizontal merger (Moadhadi, 2015). The second type of organizational merger is a vertical merger (Moadhadi, 2015). WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF MERGERS ON THE ORGANIZATIONS (Moadhadi, 2015)? A merger can cause employees to display a new attitude (Moadhadi, 2015). Mergers may cause employees to disapprove of the new regulations (Moadhadi, 2015). Mergers may cause concerns with whether the current benefits and compensations for each of the employees will stay the same (Moadhadi, 2015). There may be employee resistance to the new integrations (Moadhadi, 2015). WHAT KIND OF RESISTANCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL MERGERS CAN EMPLOYEES HAVE (Moadhadi, 2015)? The first reaction is because they have a fear of control loss (Moadhadi, 2015). The second reaction is because there can be excess uncertainty (Moadhadi, 2015). The third reaction is because it may have been a surprise for them (Moadhadi, 2015). The fourth reaction is because the work environment is becoming different (Moadhadi, 2015). The fifth reaction is because there are changes in the way the work is completed (Moadhadi, 2015). The sixth reaction is because they may have competency concerns (Moadhadi, 2015). The seventh reaction is because there may be added responsibilities (Moadhadi, 2015). The eighth reaction is because the employee may have new risks on their company investments (Moadhadi, 2015). The ninth reaction is because the current work may be affect by unsettled matters prior to the merger (Moadhadi, 2015). The tenth reaction is because there may be a risk of the company downsizing due to economic losses (Moadhadi, 2015). Research Before we discuss what the pros and cons are of organizational merger we have to know what a merger is first. So what is a merger? A merger is a chosen fusion of two or more organizations with approximately equivalent stipulations into a single organization (Merger. 2015). Now that we know what a merger is so we can now begin to look at what are the pros and cons of organization mergers. We can begin by looking at what the pros of organizational mergers. There are five major pros to an organizational merger. The first pro to an organizational merger is a larger network of economies (Pettinger, 2012). Basically, this means that by merging the new company now has a much broader network to cater to. The second pro to an organizational merger is there is an increase in research and development (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that the new company is able to come up with better top of the line inventions or designs. The third pro to an organizational merger is all the other economies of scale (Pettinger, 2012). This is basically dependent on what type of merger has taken place. If it is a horizontal merger it will be much larger than if it was a vertical merger which will still expand, but it will be less than that of a horizontal merger. The fourth pro to an organizational merger is that tit allows for the avoidance of duplication (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that the market is no longer over populated and that the market is now only influenced by one company instead of two. The last pro to an organizational merger is that it helps with the regulation of monopoly for the industry (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that the government limits the new company’s pricing so that the consumers do not get hurt. The pros of an organizational merger do so much for the new organization so what do the cons of an organizational merger limit the new organization too? There are four major cons of an organizational merger. The first con to an organizational merger is that there are higher prices (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that now that there is only one choice in the market that they can make their prices less competitive which will make the new prices of the company become a little bit more expensive. The second con to an organizational merger is that consumers now have less choice (Pettinger, 2012). This is really straightforward in the sense that the consumer can no longer chose between the two rivaling companies now they can only chose the one company. The third con to an organizational merger is that there can be job losses (Pettinger, 2012). This is also straightforward in the sense that if the new company is considered as an aggressively merged take over than the employees may h ave to fear the loss of their jobs in under preforming departments. The last con to an organizational merger is that the larger organization can suffer diseconomies of scale (Pettinger, 2012). This basically means that with the merger that the new company may not be able to maintain control and with such problem may lose the ability to motivate their employees. Now these are just a few of the pros and cons of organizational mergers. We will also look into two types of mergers that organizations can go through (Merger. 2015). Earlier I mentioned two types of mergers which we will now explain. The first type of mergers is an organization to organization merger known as a horizontal merger. The second type of mergers is an organization to supplier merger known as vertical merger (Merger. 2015). Now the last things we will look into is how these types of organizational mergers affect the individuals that work within these organizations. With a merger of organizations the employees may begin to show some new attitudes (Kokemuller, 2015). Another issue that may occur is that the employees may not approve of the new regulations (Kokemuller, 2015). There may be concerns with whether the current benefits and compensations for each of the employees will stay the same (Kokemuller, 2015). Lastly, there may be resistance with the integrations of each of the organization’s employees. These are just a few issues that could arise within a newly merged organization (Kokemuller, 2015). With more research we can understand this so much better. Now the last issue is slightly inevitable but there are ways to make the resistance to these changes a little bit more manageable (Bolognese, 2002). By keeping in mind these top ten reasons why the organization’s employees are resistant the organization can limit the amount and length of their employee’s resistance to the new merger (Kanter, 2012). The first reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because they feel they have loss control (Kanter, 2012). The second reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because there is a new excess uncertainty (Kanter, 2012). The third reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because it may have been a surprise for them (Kanter, 2012). The fourth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because everything seems to becoming different (Kanter, 2012). The fifth reason an organization’ s employees might be resistant to the merger is because the way things used to be done are gone (Kanter, 2012). The sixth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because they have concerns about their competence (Kanter, 2012). The seventh reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because there may be more responsibilities (Kanter, 2012). The eighth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because it may affect their organizational investments (Kanter, 2012). The ninth reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because not everything from before the merger was settle appropriately and may cause issue for everyday work (Kanter, 2012). The final reason an organization’s employees might be resistant to the merger is because the new organization might be downsizing due to a loss of funding instead of expanding (Kanter, 2012). With this in mind we can better understand how mergers impact the organization and their employees (Kanter, 2012). Now that we know what the pros and cons are of organizational mergers and how they can affect the newly established organization and their employees let us look at how a human recourse professional is made. Interview of an HR Professional The follow Q A is of my interview with Judy Whimmer an HR professional of 15 years. With CSL Plasma 1) How did you meet the requirements for a human resource administrators status? Answer: The function of a human resource administrator requires somebody that is able to relate with others on a private level and aids them in meeting their goals, while at the same time obeying the companys guidelines (Whimmer, 2015). With that said, I believe that with my 15 years of skills I am more equipped to interact with both employees and consumers (Whimmer, 2015). Since my previous job allowed me to understand what the guidelines of a human resource administrator are (Whimmer, 2015). I now know that human resource administrators have to remain aware of these guidelines while operating (Whimmer, 2015). 2) What are your strong suits and weak points as a human resource professional? Answer: As I deal with an employee’s dilemmas I have a tendency to get overly involved in their problems (Whimmer, 2015). Yet, I believe that this aspect has allowed me to understand their dilemmas better (Whimmer, 2015). After understanding their problems I am able to suggest to them possible solutions while remaining within the company’s limits (Whimmer, 2015). I have come to understand that experiences like this have helped shaped my attitude towards problems that my staff has had in the past and has allowed me to help them while remaining loyal to this company (Whimmer, 2015). 3) According to you, what are the qualities that a human resource administrator must have? Answer: I feel that an administrator has to have understanding, instinct, adaptability, elasticity, concentration, and above all an employee needs to be in touch with what has to be done on a daily bases (Whimmer, 2015). 4) Why did you choose a human resource career? Answer: It was because I enjoyed being involved when new employees are hired (Whimmer, 2015). The reason I enjoy this because human resource administrator are able to help recognize the right people and how they will fit in the company (Whimmer, 2015). It was as a recruitment officer that I found that I enjoyed the human resources field and adopted a human resource profession (Whimmer, 2015). 5) What are the major roles and responsibilities of a human resource administrator? Answer: The role of a human resource administrator is to care for the strategic and functional responsibilities of all of the human resource disciplines they work with (Whimmer, 2015). 6) What are the responsibilities of a human resource administrator? Answer: The responsibilities of a human resource administrator can include, but are not limited to staffing, education, structural progress, interaction, operation progress and administration, income and benefits, crew development, developing staff relationships, forming directions, motivational trainings, evolving company rules and processes, and handling health care programs for employees (Whimmer, 2015). 7) Why did you decide to get into HR after you graduated? Answer: I was looking for a job when I got my first opportunity as a human resource administrator (Whimmer, 2015). I picked it up and gradually realized that I had a liking for it (Whimmer, 2015). I improved my skills by remaining up to date on any new advances in the field (Whimmer, 2015). I also went and acquired a professional degree in the human resource field. It was one of the best choices in my life (Whimmer, 2015). Conclusion So now we have looked at an outline of what we will be researching, we have conducted our research, and we have even chatted with a real life HR professional we will now take the time to determine whether the pros of organizational mergers outweigh the cons of organizational mergers and if there is any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees. To begin the amount of pros to an organizational merger are much more significant than the amount of cons an organization merger has. I also feel that what an organization gains from a merger is much more rational than what may potentially occur to both the consumers and the employees. I also feel that the pros to an organizational merger are better than the minimal issues that may come from the cons of an organizational merger. Now with this said we also have to look at if there is any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees. To answer th is it solely depends on a few things. The first thing is to determine what kind of merger we have on our hands. For example if the merger is horizontal than the success of the merger is dependent on whether the merger takes well by the employees and the consumers. So let us say we have two hospitals that merger this is a great example of a horizontal merger and can have some major recourse in the sense that the doctors may now fear the loss of their jobs and may even resent the new changes or even management and their decision to merger in the first place. We will now look at the other side. For example if the merger is vertical than the success of the merger is dependent on whether the merger takes well by the consumers. So let us say we have a retailer and a third party soda vendor that decide to merger. The retailer now has to make sure that the inventory of their newly merger supplier takes well versus that of the sodas of other non-merged vendors. With all of this said the succ ess of a merger is really dependent on a handful of situations and if they are not the right situations than the successfulness of an organizational merger tanks rapidly. Therefore, I have to conclude that the pros of organizational mergers do outweigh the cons of organizational mergers and the any kind of success that comes from organizational mergers for the organization and the employees is dependent on situational factors and depend on how well the merger is taken by all the parties involved. I also feel that the effects of organizational merger can be controlled by HR Professionals such as the one we interviewed. References Bolognese, A. (2002). Employee Resistance to Organizational Change. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://www.newfoundations.com/OrgTheory/Bolognese721.html Kanter, R. (2012, September 25). Ten Reasons People Resist Change. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from https://hbr.org/2012/09/ten-reasons-people-resist-chang.html Kokemuller, N. (2015). Post-Merger HR and Cultural Issues. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/postmerger-hr-cultural-issues-14400.html Merger. (2015). Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/merger.html Moadhadi, S. (2015). Merger Proposal. Retrieved June 6, 2015, from https://api.turnitin.com/dv?o=545723293u=1007168898s=3student_user=1lang=en_ussession-id=e954f4cc236d3d4b1434f6533eb8d641 Pettinger, T. (2012, February 22). Pros and Cons of Mergers. Retrieved May 26, 2015, from http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/5009/economics/pros-and-cons-of-mergers/ Whimmer, J. (2015, June 5). Human Resource Professional Analysis [E-mail interview].

Plagiarism and the Internet :: Cheating Education Essays Papers

Plagiarism and the Internet A major concern among college students, high school students, professors and teachers is plagiarism. Most students are unaware of what exactly plagiarism is. They all have general ideas, but most donÏ€t know the extent to which it spans. On the other side, teachers and professors are unaware of how to handle the situation. All the technological advances and the World Wide Web make it easier for students to pass off anotherÏ€s work as their own. Plagiarism can be defined as using anotherÏ€s words or ideas as your own without stating the source of information. This not only includes words or ideas, but pictures, graphs, charts, and statistics. The only case where citing is unnecessary is when the fact is common knowledge that can be found in a variety of places and most people know about it. Students who plagiarize from the internet, donÏ€t even consider it really plagiarizing. They feel that since it is not a hard copy of the work that it really isnÏ€t wrong. This goes back to the idea that students today arenÏ€t even sure what to consider plagiarism. With the creation of the World Wide Web, students have the ability to access great amounts of information at a faster speed. Years ago, in order to plagiarize students had to spend hours searching through books to copy information from to write a paper. The internet today contains information on so many topics, that is almost impossible to not find what you are looking for. There are even websites that specialize in providing students with papers. The task of plagiarizing from the internet has become so popular that according to a survey found in Education Week, ≠¥54% of students admitted to plagiarizing from the internet≠¤ (≠¥Statistics≠¤ 1). The commonness of plagiarizing has grown so much from past decades that is becoming hard to control. Although, plagiarism has become so easily accomplished, the same can not be said for catching plagiarists. There is just too much information of the World Wide Web, that it makes it almost impossible for plagiarists to be caught in the act.

Murakami as an Existential Writer Essay -- Philosophy, Writing

Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy and school of literature that holds that life is meaningless and chaotic, and any abstract theories about it are useless. All that exists is the world of phenomena as perceived by our senses. Whatever metaphysical concept that lies behind this world is not only impossible to know and understand, but also holds no significant value. The only choice we have to make in life is to accept this world with a kind of determined joy, to discipline ourselves, and to defy the emptiness and the chaos by finding our own meaning in life (â€Å"Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4†). Although Haruki Murakami does not directly express any existential views in What I Talk about When I Talk about Running and Norwegian Wood, he is a quintessential existential writer because so much of existentialism involves the working out of private dilemmas. There is much focus on introversion in existentialism, and it can be seen in the lives of Murakami’s chara cters. In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami was facing the dilemma of participating in a 62-mile ultramarathon that took place every June at Lake Saroma in Hokkaido, Japan (104). According to Murakami, â€Å"The runners run around the shores of Lake Saroma, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk. Only once you actually run the course do you realize how ridiculously huge Lake Saroma is† (105). The weather gradually changed from being freezing to being too warm for heavy clothes during the ultramarathon (105). While Murakami was running, he began feeling intense pain in different parts of his body (109). Even so, he felt very happy upon reaching the finish line, not so much pride as a sense of completion (115). Through running, Murakami finds his own meaning... ... Through perseverance, we overcome obstacles and find happiness in this chaotic world of ours. We find our own reasons to live and we choose to hold our own values. All of these things are tenets of existentialism. There is no purpose in life but what we make for ourselves. Works Cited "Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4 - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . Murakami, Haruki. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. New York: Vintage, 2007. Print. Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. New York: Vintage International, 1987. Print. "Island of Freedom - Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard." RobertHSarkissian.com. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Murakami, Haruki, Alfred Birnbaum, and Jay Rubin. The Elephant Vanishes: Stories. (TEV)New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.

Comparison and Contrast of Two Poems Essay

William Blake’s poems entitled â€Å"The Tyger† and â€Å"The Lamb† are depictions of human self. The narrators in these poems described their characterization through the illustration of the lamb and the tiger. There are similarities and differences between these two poems in terms of theme, tone, and literary images. By reading these poems, readers would recognize the braveness of the tiger and the calmness of the lamb. Through this, it can be said that these poems are representations of emotions and intentions of the author and narrators in the poems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the poem â€Å"The Tyger,† the narrator already established the burning fire of the tyger’s character in the first stanza. The first line of the poem characterized the persona into a mortal hero because of the use of words and exclamation marks. In the second stanza, ironies of different literary images started to emerge. Fire and sky, wings and hands are some of the ironies that exist throughout the poem. It shows that fire and sky are interrelated concepts with the use of hands and wings to reach its aspects and sense. In the third stanza, humanistic point of view developed. From natural abstract of nature, animal body parts began to unravel as a way of showing the tyger’s being. The second and third stanzas are related to one another because these means that nature and animals are connected and cannot live without each other. The fourth stanza discussed the different threats against the tiger. Chains and hammers are depicted to be the armor against the illogical braveness of the tiger. Its terror characterization showed that humans are aloof with it. They could not able to live with the tiger that is why they were chained and hammered. The fifth stanza symbolizes the resurrection of the tiger. Once he died from the hands of chains and hammers, the sky will comfort him and give him a new life again. It was seen that once an animal died, it will still conceive a new form of life as it emerge into the nature’s womb. At the end of the poem, the tyger will live through its burning fire. It will always live at the heart of the forest by way of perceiving the eye of â€Å"symmetry.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, Blake’s â€Å"The Lamb† is a representation of lamb’s beauty and keenness. She was depicted as a girl – a little girl who seeks love and comfort from within. This little lamb has simple joys in her heart. He wanted to have something to eat to be able to survive. She just wanted to have comfortable shelter to nurture her self from her surroundings and environment. She is happy and contented with what she has for she is young. The author used two stanzas to illustrate the persona of the poem. It means that simplicity of the character lies within her physical and emotional being.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the first stanza, the narrator discussed how the little lamb portrayed her self in beauty and comfort. The narrator also showed how people used the lamb’s fur for their daily lives especially their clothing.   This is how the lamb works for that is why she has simple happiness because she knows that she would become a big help to everyone. In the second stanza, showed how the persona of the poem loved and admired the lamb. The narrator wanted to tell all the people to be mild and gentle towards the lamb because she is a fragile one. The persona relates herself like a lamb that is unique, keen, happy, and contented being despite of everything that she experienced in life. At the end of the poem, the persona said â€Å"God Bless† to the lamb. It means that she must take care of her self for everything she does throughout her lifetime and beyond.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Aside from the lamb and the tyger’s being animals, the similarity with them is their attachment to nature. Nature always becomes their comfort place to live and ponder. Another similarity is the way humans thought towards and against them. People look at them as an object of economic power and raw materials. They could not look at these animals as part of the ecosystem that helps us to become what we are right now in terms of ecological perspectives. In terms of theme, these two poems are similar. They are both illustration of animal oppression and discrimination. These poems are created to express how animals think of their selves and their use in the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other way around, the poem â€Å"The Tyger† is more on loud images rather than the poem â€Å"The Lamb.† Even if they both express the essence and meaning of animal oppression, the poem â€Å"The Tyger† was illustrated in a direct and frank portrayal unlike the poem â€Å"The Lamb.† This poem showed indirect attack towards the issues that it wanted to discuss. â€Å"The Tyger† also used abundant literary images to show the roaring character of the tyger. In â€Å"The Lamb,† the author did not use many literary images because he illustrated the persona as a child who has limited knowledge and learning towards the real intuition of the lamb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the elaboration of the whole poems in this paper, it was seen that â€Å"The Tyger† and â€Å"The Lamb† have differences and similarities based on the literal and logical perspective. It was also seen that the author made different kind of attack from one point to the other. The target audience for the poem â€Å"The Tyger† is mainly for those who have enough vocabularies to understand the meanings of the words while the poem â€Å"The Lamb† is for children who have simple words to acquire. However, they can be seen as children and adult poems if they are entitled to unleash the essence and persona of the animals in the poems. Bibliography Blake, W. (2005). â€Å"The Lamb† 22 March 2008. http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/181.html Blake, W. (1794).â€Å"The Tyger† 22 March 2008. http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/tyger.html

Stanford Prison Experiment and Hard-hitting Local Editorials

For hundreds of thousands of years, human civilizations tended to barter for goods, trading shells and precious stones for food and other important commodities. For the first evidence of money as currency, we need to go back 5,000 years to where modern-day Iraq now sits, to find ‘the shekel’. Though this was the first form of currency, it was not money as we know and understand it today. It actually represented a certain weight of barley, a kind of plant, equivalent to gold or silver. Eventually, the shekel became a coin currency in its own right. In much the same way, Britain’s currency is alled ‘the pound’, because it was originally equivalent to a pound of silver. The ancient Greeks and Romans used gold and silver coins as currency, with the Latin ‘denarius’ ultimately giving birth to ‘dinar’ in various countries including Jordan and Algeria, and providing the ‘d’ that served as an abbreviation for the British penny before decimalization in 1971. It also gives us the word for money in Spanish and Portuguese – ‘dinero’ and ‘dinhero’. The first ever banknotes were issued in 7th-century China, though it took another 1,000 years before the idea of paper money was adopted in Europe, y Sweden’s Stockholms Banco in 1661. British scientists have begun studying a rare meteorite to reveal more about the history of Mars. The rock, named ‘Tissint’ after the Moroccan area where it crashed in July 2011, was recovered from the ground just five months later – not enough time to be too contaminated. â€Å"The Tissint sample is probably the most important meteorite to have landed on the Earth in the last 100 years,† says Dr. Caroline Smith, curator of meteorites at the Natural History Museum in London. An analysis of the rock revealed its Martian origin. It would have been removed from Mars when an asteroid struck he planet, staying in spa ce as debris before being attracted by the Earth’s gravity. Of the 41,000 officially recognized meteorites, 61 come from Mars and the Tissint rock is only the fifth that was witnessed falling. Dr. Tony Irving of Washington University, who performed some initial analysis on the sample, does not think there is much chance of finding fossilized life within it. But the British team could reveal whether minerals have been affected by water or contain elements such as carbon. Smith says â€Å"We’re not looking for microbes, but we’re looking for the chemical and environmental signatures to indicate whether Mars, at ome point in its past, may have provided a suitable environment for life to exist. † While playing computer games is sometimes seen as a solitary pursuit, a study at Brigham Young University shows that it actually enhances social connections. Studying the effect of multiplayer online games on marriages, researchers found that in the 76% of the cases where the couple played together, games actually aided the relationship. In other words, couples that gamed together stayed together. Games may have other effects on us too. The famous psychologist, Philip Zimbardo, recently spoke out on the subject. In his 1971Stanford Prison Experiment, in which volunteers were randomly assigned the roles of prisoner or guard, he showed that human behaviour is heavily influenced by environmental and social pressures. More recently, Zimbardo even suggested that exposing children to morally ambiguous situations in games could be useful in helping them develop their own moral compass. One possibility is to explore virtual worlds through computer games that could enable people to experience and understand concepts that they would otherwise find difficult to imagine. Games about society, populated by real people and open to all, could help test how different ultural backgrounds could be brought together in peace. The Although many community newspapers are justifiably proud of their hard-hitting local editorials, perhaps half of all community papers carry no editorials at all. Publishers who refuse to editorialize often claim that editorial harassing is resented in small communities. Others are fearful of alienating readers and advertisers. Still others say they do not have enough time to develop polished, well-researched editorials on a regular basis. Many publishers are leaders in the commercial and political lives of their towns, and are so much a part of he local power structure that their editorials would not be persuasive anyway. Those who editorialize assert that editorials and opinion columns give identity to their newspapers and leadership to their communities. Indeed, some of the most inspired writing the US has produced – the ‘Crisis’ essays of Tom Paine, the Federalist Papers explaining and defending the Constitution, the stirring commentary of William Allen White of Kansas – first saw the li ght of day as editorial or column material in a community newspaper. Courageous hometown editors regularly win Pulitzer Prizes and other professional honours for crusading ditorials on local issues. It Innovation is not a synonym for invention – an invention has to be taken to the market to be regarded as innovation. Innovation must change the way people do something. In an essay on creativity, Teresa Amabile and others describe innovation as ‘the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization’. Creativity, which includes invention, is only the starting point for innovation, which is a necessary but not sufficient condition for it. As Amabile implies, the business of innovation needs to be managed all the way from the creative inspiration through to a launchable product or service.Innovation is not restricted to products and services. It might be internal to the business, in the form of new and more effective organizational structures or proce sses. It could be a new way of marketing or distribution, like online grocery deliveries. By today’s thinking, innovation can also be in the form of a significant improvement to an existing commodity. When you build a better product, not necessarily a revolutionary one, the whole world will want to buy it. A lot of small types of innovation like this are more akin to continuous improvement, which makes up 85-90% of the average corporate development portfolio. It