Challenges Facing Organizations Today Essay Example

Challenges Facing Organizations Today Essay Ads by Google Performance Management Measure what Matters and find out What you could do to be better. www. abenetis. com Board Evaluations Board development services from the FS and regulation experts www. ctpglobal. com/ Enterprise Performance Enterprise Performance Software Simple, Practical, Affordable! www. ElegantJBI. com Keesing ID DocumentScan Acquire a Statutory Excuse with the help of Keesing ID DocumentScan www. id-documentscan. nl Real-time appraisals Help your staff focus on what matters; their top priorities teamly. com [pic] | |Ads by Google Performance Management Create Organizational Alignment Manage Employee Excellence ww. DSPanel. com Real Team Building Events A Unique Experience for Any Budget Groups Up to 500 People www. SunBuggy. com IT Personal Development Develop your non technical Skills Grow people within your teams www. voyedge. net Leadership Get Leadership news manufacturing info at IndustryWeek www. IndustryWeek. com Change Management courses Certified training for leaders, employees and practitioners www. picourseware. co. za Free 360 assessment The easiest 360 around. 100% free! Self-managed. Get started in 2 min. atlas360. net Rolex Mentors Proteges Rolex Art Support: Talented Artists their Mentors, Watch the Videos! Rolexmentorprotege. com 360 Degree Feedback Trusted in 50+ languages. Great support. Quantity discounts. www. panoramicfeedback. com Free Time-Tracking Soft Web-based Time Tracking Software Download Free Version. Try Online. www. actiTIME. com Performance Improvement Sustainable results engaged people Experts in business transformation www. agents2change. com [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]Many companies long to learn the secret to success. While business has many critical aspects from vision to strategic planning to customer service the one that is often given the least attention, yet can be the most costly, is people. Your people have the ability to drive customers to you or away from you. To make work fun and simple, or miserable and riffled with issues. They can cause problems or save time and money with their creative solutions. Whats a company to do? Here are 5 keys to make your Organization Successful: 1. Hire the right people when it comes to hiring, many organizations miss the mark by: †¢ Failing to identify and agree upon the position requirements †¢ Neglecting to plan †¢ Asking illegal questions †¢ Asking few follow-up or clarifying questions Succumbing to the pressure to fill the position †¢ Letting individual biases and stereotypes get in the way 2. Give them the tools to do a good job Put yourself in your employees shoes. Would you be able to do a better job if: †¢ You had a faster computer? †¢ There was a file cabinet for pertinent documents? †¢ The printer/copier was closer to your desk? †¢ You had a database program to track customers? †¢ There were bins to organize inventory parts? †¢ You had some help developing a report to track tasks? †¢ The supplies werent locked up and you didnt have to requisition every paperclip? . Provide them with positive, constructive feedback many companies have a formal performance review process, but rarely use it. Constructive feedback is one of the best ways to grow a company! People want to know: †¢ Know they are doing a good job. †¢ Understand what and how they should improve. †¢ Understand how they affect company success. †¢ Know how they can affect their status and pay. †¢ Know how they can get ahead in the company. †¢ Be heard and appreciated for their efforts. †¢ Have open dialogue with their managers. †¢ Have input into their goals. 4. We will write a custom essay sample on Challenges Facing Organizations Today specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Challenges Facing Organizations Today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Challenges Facing Organizations Today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Develop them Keep in mind, companies do not grow; companies are not entities that can grow by themselves. A company can improve productivity, gain new customers, capture new markets, acquire new technology, increase efficiencies, develop creative approaches, increase profitability, etc. , but only through one prime ingredient its people. Invent in their continued learning and they will help the company grow. 5. Reward them How do you reward your people for doing a good job? Most would say money, right? Yes, people want to make a good living and be well paid for the job they do. Thats a given. But money is only part of the equation! Different things motivate different people, learn what is important to your people and reward them appropriately. Keep in mind the number one reason employees leave their jobs is due to a poor boss. They stay because of good leadership that recognizes the needs of the people, and provides praise and recognition. Remember, companies dont change and grow. . . people do! So be sure to reward and recognize the behaviors you want to see. Catch people in the act of doing things right and reward them on the spot with a heartfelt thank you! |Sue E. Thomas, president of Managing Asset Potential (M-A-P, LLC), has over 25 years of business experience, 17 years of equine | |experience and 15 years of Human Resource Management. She possesses an in-depth knowledge of human interaction and team | |dynamics. She has extensive skills in organizational development, leadership development, facilitation and executive coaching. | [pic][pic][pic][pic] †¢ Reports and publications | †¢ Contact us | †¢ BP worldwide †¢ | Home Search Top of Form [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]Search: [pic][pic][pic][pic] Bottom of Form About BP †¢ Products and services †¢ Environment and society †¢ Investors †¢ Press †¢ Careers †¢ Gulf of Mexico response You are here: †¢ BP Global †¢ [pic]Press †¢ [pic]Speeches †¢ [pic]Press releases †¢ Speeches †¢ Features †¢ Images and graphics †¢ Press contacts [pic ] [pic] What is RSS? Which are the Key Challenges Facing the Global Company of the Future? Speaker: John Manzoni Speech date: 12 September 2005 Venue: Wiston House, Steyning, West Sussex, UK Title: Chief Executive, Refining and Marketing Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good evening It’s a pleasure to be here, and to have the chance to take part in this discussion. A few months ago I had the privilege of chairing the annual lecture organised by Tomorrow’s Company which was delivered by a tremendous business leader Jeff Swartz of Timberland. Many companies try to do the right thing, try to be constructive for the societies of which they are part, and try to help the individuals who work for them to achieve their potential. But in terms of engagement in society of both management and staff very few can match what Jeff Swartz has done in developing his family business. He has used social engagement as a means of motivating his entire workforce and positioning his company not just as a supplier of great products and a financial success but also as an active, creative citizen. That event introduced me to Tomorrow’s Company, and encouraged me to start thinking about the role of companies and how it’s changing in response to all the developments which are taking place in the world around us. And so we’re delighted to be supporters of the work being done on Tomorrow’s Global Company. It is clearly work in progress, and this event is one part of the programme of activity. What I thought I’d try to do today is describe some of the issues which we believe global companies are going to face in the years ahead and to pose some of the questions which I hope Mark Goyder and his team will address. They are questions – not answers. In many areas we have experience and have taken initiatives but we are conscious that we have a lot to learn which is why this event and the whole enquiry are so valuable. Every company is unique, and I’ll talk about the issues as we see them in a large business operating across 110 countries worldwide with over 100,000 employees. Of course our experience is different to that of most other businesses, but as I thought about each of the issues I came to the conclusion that almost all of them are likely to be relevant in one way or another to all sorts of different companies. I start from the assumption that business is at the heart of society and can’t ignore what is happening around it. I think that is true now, and I think it’s always been true. We exist for a purpose – which is to provide goods and services that people want to buy at a price they can afford to pay. And we exist thanks to the investment made by our shareholders who put their money, their savings, in trust with us in the expectation of a reasonable, competitive return. That is the precise definition of what business is about. But business won’t succeed if it isn’t engaged with the society around it. For business, the most dramatic change of the last two decades has been the globalisation of economic activity. Of course there has been international trade for centuries, in some activities (including the oil business) it is a global marketplace. But the scale of the change over the last twenty five years has been remarkable. World trade has grown by 300 per cent since 1980 – almost two and half times the growth in GDP. Foreign Direct Investment has grown ten fold by over $ 500 bn from just $ 55 bn in 1980 to $ 560 bn now. In response, companies have grown in scale and scope. The market capitalisation of the companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange has gone up by over five times in real terms. The largest companies are still predominantly based in the industrialised world but there has been a strong recent surge in the development of international investment by firms from China and Russia and India. In almost every sector and area of business life you can find the evidence of globalisation. Communications, culture, and of course employment all now operate at least in part at an international level. International air passenger numbers continue to grow at 6% annually. Millions of students leave their home countries to study abroad – half a million travelling to the U. S. alone. Globalisation is changing the shape of the international economy. Twenty five years ago only 1 barrel of oil in every 7 was consumed in Asia. Now the figure is 1 in 3. The share of the developing countries in world manufactured exports rose from just 5. 5 percent in 1970 to 27. 5 percent in 2001. Of course, globalisation is not yet universal. Many activities are still strictly local in nature and many people – perhaps 2 bn – still live and work outside the international economic structure. But the direction of change is clear. The world is more globalised than it was – and it will become even more global over the coming decades. Globalisation is a dynamic process and in many sectors has only just begun. Mobility for instance which is something we take for granted here is just becoming an economic possibility for hundreds of millions of people across Asia. So is access to communication. The forecasts of the industries involved are instructive. Just to quote one example. The car industry predicts that there will be 194 million more vehicles worldwide over the next decade – with 54 million of those new cars in China. In that context, what are the challenges for tomorrow’s global company? The first point to make is that Tomorrow’s Global company will face many of the challenges faced by today’s more local company. Fierce competition for markets and talent. Scrutiny and in some cases public doubt. The expectations of investors and market pressures for sustained competitive performance. All those issues will remain challenges though some of the pressures involved could be intensified by globalisation. But in addition to those familiar themes there are new challenges driven by the changes in the global economy which are taking place. I will focus on four. The first is the absence of a framework of global rules. Business is used to legal and regulatory clarity. But there is no global framework to match the global nature of business. The international institutions are rudimentary and built for a different age. Trade issues are partially subject to agreement (although of course not all countries are yet part of the WTO process) but environmental issues, investment protection, and questions of intellectual property are not fully agreed. As we are seeing in relation to the question of climate change new international agreements are very hard to establish, particularly when there is no agreement on what the facts of the situation actually are. So companies are operating at a level of integration unmatched by law. That means that a company based in one country must obey the rules of that jurisdiction but it must also and simultaneously obey the law in each and every place in which it is working. That doesn’t always make for simplicity. And in some areas, of which environmental policy is just one, companies often find themselves establishing their own rules well ahead of any formal regulations or laws. That can be a creative process, and one of the ways in which progress is made, but it forces global companies to develop the capability to interact with the policy and regulatory process in many countries, including developing countries. That is a new skill, and one which we have to learn particularly because it requires an understanding of how to develop mutual advantage and not just to pursue our own interests. The second challenge concerns the way in which companies are organised and managed. The sort of global scale and reach which is necessary to be competitive on an international scale requires a widely distributed set of operations, which in many cases (and certainly for BP) are spread over 24 time zones and 110 national jurisdictions. Command and control which has been the organisational model for many companies in the past can’t work effectively at this scale. Companies have to apply real delegation of authority, to establish exactly who is responsible for what and to ensure that everyone, at every level understands the framework of standards within which they are expected to do their job. I think it is a reasonable generalisation to say that if you have a set of business activities spread across 100 or more countries there will always be unexpected events in one place or another. There will be circumstances beyond prediction which require an immediate reaction and that place a heavy premium on the quality of judgement of the local managers and the team leaders. In many cases there won’t be time to call up the line for advice and equally there’s no reason to think that a head office far away will be able to reach a better decision than people on the ground. In place of command and control we have to rely on a new combination of corporate culture, values, and standards – all of which establish an aligned intent within which people can make the day to day decisions and judgements which are required. Understanding how to manage in this way is, I believe is an essential precondition for growth and expansion of global scale. The third challenge is about cultural diversity – and again this is related to culture and values. Business is historically monocultural. Even in our industry which has been working internationally for decades, the nationality of the company has been reflected in the make up of the workforce in general and senior management in particular. Many argued that that carried advantages. It meant that there was close understanding between people doing different jobs and a very clear common sense of values. But in a globalised world that model is no longer sustainable. The colonial approach to business is now a relic of history. It is impossible to do business in China, or India, or Russia or indeed anywhere without employing local staff in senior roles. We also believe that those senior roles shouldn’t be limited to one’s country of origin. Good people have to have the chance to make progress in an international company on a global basis, whatever their background or nationality. Meritocracy is very important in sustaining motivation. That means that we are now operating across cultural boundaries. We can’t just apply a western, Anglo-Saxon set of values and expect everyone to conform to them. We have to understand and adapt to the many strong cultures in which we are working and to try to understand the dynamics and the tensions within the many societies of which we’re part. I find this a fascinating topic. It’s about how to operate in Islamic countries at a time when there is obvious tension between some Islamic communities and the West. It’s about how to operate in areas which are in transition away from rigidly centralised systems – as in Russia. And about how to operate in countries undergoing dramatic changes in living standards and expectations such as China and parts of India. We need people who can go into different cultures and bridge the divides. Those people are few and far between – this isn’t a set of skills which many people have been taught and it doesn’t appear on the curriculum of many business schools. Even better we need to identify strong and senior local people who can bridge the cultural divide in the other direction and who can learn how a global organisation works. That is an ever rarer set of skills. And the fourth issue which isn’t completely new but which is certainly intensified by globalisation, is the question of corporate responsibility for the externalities associated with business activity. Global companies have to have a point of view as to the limits of their own legitimacy and to be clear when they are approaching the boundary line. We have to understand our role and impact in society. The resource sector faces particular issues. As we invest we create wealth but we can also disrupt local economies. International corporate activity can affect local labour markets and currency values. It alters beyond recognition regional economies. And as we sell products we provide heat, light and mobility but we can also alter the environment – from the air quality of cities to the earth’s temperature. Those aren’t always comfortable issues to raise but I think a company which wants to be sustainable has to recognise the reality of its impact and to work hard to apply its skills and technology to make the impact positive. We’re working to do that and so are many other companies. I believe globalisation makes that effort more important because the increased scale of global companies gives them the power to do something which smaller more local enterprises perhaps couldn’t attempt. And part of the bargain, the social contract which allows companies to be as large as they are, is that they become engaged in the challenges the world faces, rather than dismissing them as someone else’s problem. Natural resources are one part of the challenge, but the question of the relationship of Tomorrow’s Global company to the world around it isn’t limited to the question of dealing with pollution or the impact on existing economic structures of large new inflows of funds. As international companies move into more countries, often countries which are at early stage of economic and social development, I believe there is a legitimate role in helping to develop the capacity of those countries – through education, training and the encouragement of institutions which can form a civil society. Companies shouldn’t get engaged in politics but they are citizens of every country in which they work and they have a direct long term interest in contributing creatively to the development of strong societies in support of national authorities but without challenging or pre-empting their legitimacy. This is a very complex issue not just because companies have to take great care not to overstep the boundary of legitimacy, but also because the activity goes beyond the traditional, narrow focus on profits. The answer, I believe, lies in the fact that business is a long term activity. We invest for the long term – in particular facilities and plant, but also in the development of our brand and our market position. The new global context means that companies have a direct long term interest in the development of the places in which they work, to a degree which is greater than our role in developed, industrialised countries where established social systems are in place. An investment in education therefore in a country in Africa or Asia, may not produce short term profits but it could help to protect and enhance a company’s long term position – and have a lasting positive impact on that society. So those are four of the principal issues which I believe tomorrow’s global company will have to deal with. †¢ How to work in the absence of a global framework of rules †¢ How to organise effectively across a wide geographic canvass †¢ How to create an organisation with a global culture, open to all on the basis of merit. †¢ And how to understand our role and legitimacy in the societies of which we are part. Of course, those are not the only issues. We’re very accustomed in the developed world to a clear distinction between the public and the private sector. That’s a distinction which is not well established in many countries where business is now operating. In many countries business is expected to work on behalf of the nation and to obey the wishes of Government. Some businesses in some countries work as agents of domestic or international policy – creating employment in particular regions, establishing a national strength in a particular sector, supporting a particular relationship with another country. Private sector global companies will have to learn how to operate in partnerships with state entities whose objectives don’t start with profits and the interests of shareholders. And I believe they have to understand how to develop the benefits of such relationships – because the combination of the efficiency and drive of the private sector, with the capability and focus of Governments and public sector companies can be enormously powerful. Together the two can achieve progress which either the public or the private sector on their own would find very difficult. I believe the development of such public private partnerships is going to be one of the most interesting issues for international companies over the next few decades. The other issue I want to mention is how business deals with the disparity of wealth and the absence of support and opportunity for many people in many of the countries which are now becoming active parts of the global economy. Welfare systems of the sort we’re accustomed to relying in this country just don’t exist. Business could, of course, simply ignore the problem. We could say that we will deal with those, often a minority, who can afford to buy whatever we are selling and that we hope wealth and opportunity will trickle down to the rest over time. My strong sense is that that isn’t going to be enough. I don’t think companies are going to be comfortable operating in the midst of deep poverty and doing nothing about it. The answer I suspect doesn’t lie in charity or philanthropy. Those are important and business has a role in supporting good causes. I don’t disparage charity. But it isn’t enough and I think the challenge for tomorrow’s global company is to look for new business models which can reach to the bottom of the economic pyramid. To look for technology which for instance can bring power to remote areas which are distant from any electricity grid. We’ve begun to do a little of that in India and Africa – applying the skills and technology we’ve established in our solar business. That technology now supplies small hospitals and schools and provides energy which can offer communities new opportunities. Other businesses are also looking at retail distribution systems, at the application of technology which can improve the efficiency and the safety of the ways in which people light and heat their homes and at the potential for developing local businesses based on agriculture and trade. Of course, there are no simple answers, and of course the return on such activity won’t be enormous. But I go back to my point about business as a long term activity. If you are in the business for the long term you have to think about market development. And to me the hundreds of millions of people who live at the edge of subsistence in India and Africa and elsewhere aren’t just people who need help and aid. They are the consumers of tomorrow and we need to find a way to build that market. So there are many challenges – and they can only be answered through experience and trial and error. There’s no blueprint for tomorrow’s global company. But I don’t want to conclude on a note of difficulty. The challenges are huge but there is also a great opportunity – the largest ever shift in scope and scale for a huge number of business enterprises. That means that there’s a world to win. That opportunity has been created by the spread of prosperity, and the entry into the market place, over the last two decades in particular of tens of millions of people who were previously excluded. That is happening in China, in India and to a lesser degree in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The shift will reshape the nature of business, and the shape of the global economy. I think it is a very exciting moment to be in business. We’re exploring in completely unmapped territory. I think it was Columbus in setting sail who said that he didn’t know what he’d find or how he’d deal with it, but he did believe that the world wouldn’t ever be the same again. I think that is the right note on which to start thinking about tomorrow’s global company. Thank you very much. [pic][pic][pic][pic]back to top †¢ Site Index | †¢ Legal Notice †¢ | Privacy Statement  © 1999-2010 BP p. l. c. [pic][pic]

Medeas fatal flaw essays

Medeas fatal flaw essays Every highly tragic and dramatic figure has a fatal flaw that leads to his or her downfall. The character of Medea fits into this category perfectly. Excessive passion is what leads Medea to her destruction. Her love for Jason, her selfishness, and her rage are all factors of Medea's harmartia. First, the strongest factor contributing to Medea's fatal flaw is her love for Jason. During Jason's quest of searching for the Golden Fleece and meets the Princess of Colchis, Medea falls madly in love with Jason and runs off to lolcos with him. Medea and Jason get married and have two children. Medea's excessive love for Jason started showing when she killed his uncle, who was the king of lolcos at the time, so that Jason could take over the throne and rule. But his uncle's murder resulted negatively for Medea and Jason. They were forced to flee from lolcos to the kingdom of Corinth. Once in Corinth, Jason meets the king of Corinth's daughter. He leaves Medea and their two children and marries the princess. Because Medea is madly in love with Jason, Medea is crushed to find out that Jason has left her. Medea explains to the women of Corinth that, "It has crushed my heart. Life has no pleasure left, dear friends. I want to die. Jason was my whole life; he knows that wel l" (24). Therefore, Medea becomes outraged and over powered with excessive passion. Secondly, Medea's selfishness provides power to her fatal flaw. Medea's selfishness is displayed through the act of killing her own two sons. Medea understands that the slaying of her children will make Jason miserable. During this time, the chorus recognizes her self-worship and states, "O miserable mother, to destroy your own increase, murder the babes of your body! Stone and iron are you, as you resolved to be" (56). Medea does not stop to think what pain she may cause to herself by murdering them. She is only concerned about her happiness ...

Tintern abbey ireland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tintern abbey ireland - Essay Example Indeed, one's uninvited thoughts can express themselves as beautiful, nostalgic, lyrical recollections as is the case with William Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey," a poem inspired by the thoughts which came to his mind upon his visitation and re-visitation of Tintern Abbey. Reading through the poem, one feels that Wordsworth is leading one by the hand, taking one on a walk through the abbey grounds and, more so, through Wordsworth's life and his thoughts - the thoughts which had crept unbidden into his mind when gazing upon, and walking through, Tintern Abbey. Halfway through the poem, midway through this guided tour, however, I realized that I did not need to take the "walk" with Wordsworth, because I had been on the walk myself. I decided to scour my computer for images from my senior trip to Ireland and was delighted when I uncovered the photos of my experience buried deep within the cavernous depths of a black hole I call my MacBook. I then continued reading the rest of the poem as I glanced up every so often at the image plastered on my glass screen. In my dim dorm room, the image seemed to emerge out of the screen and back into my mind. I could actually see Tintern Abbey the way I saw it that day in Ireland. Over a year later, Wordsworth's poem a nd the photos of my trip brought the feelings I had felt and the thoughts I had thought of that day as I gazed upon Tintern Abbey and walked through its grounds, to mind; thoughts and feelings which had been buried deep under more recent ordeals and experiences, came rushing to the fore. Wordsworth's words had not only drawn me into his mind and his feelings but had forced me to recall my own memories of that day. In so doing, I found myself questioning the purpose of this poem. What is it that Wordsworth wanted us, his readers to see, think of and experience Did I, just over a year ago, experience the same walk which Wordsworth had almost five centuries ago Was time repeating itself and were experiences being replicated across the centuries The answer to these questions lay hidden in Wordsworth's poem and in my own memories. I, therefore, had to examine both, much more critically than I had been doing. "Composed A Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour, July 13, 1798" is divided into stanzas that I believe manifest Wordsworth's thought process as he sorts through memories and new revelations when in Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth begins the poem after revealing that it has been five years since his last visit to Tintern. Yet, it is evident that the memory of every sight, sound and smell he experienced that day were still fresh in his mind and were brought to the fore during this second visit: "Once again do I behold these steep and lofty cliffsthe landscape with the quiet of the sky." (Lines 3-5) Wordsworth is not writing of new experiences but is recollecting thee past through the present. As Wordsworth recollects his memories of Tintern Abbey, I gaze at my photographs and recall my own. I can see the rolling hills and cliffs as I saw them that day, and through Wordsworth's words I can distinctly remember the calm of the sky and quiet aura that flooded the ancient arches of the Abbey. To be completely honest, at first I could only remember my personal feelings about

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Marketing - Essay Example The headquarters of the country is California United States, but HP operates its business around the world. HP was founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and David Packard. HP offers wide range of products such as laptops, printers, inks, toners, PCs, etc. HP launched its first inkjet and laser printers in the year 1984. However, these printers were specifically designed for the desktops. In the 90s, HP decided to enter the printer market with range of high quality and innovative printers. Now HP is among the top players in the printer industry. Companies are coming forward to invest their earning in planting more trees, reducing pollution and chemical wastes and gases. They are also bringing out several new eco-friendly and technologically improved products by using 100 % recyclable materials. In this study we would recommend a new product idea HP to introduce an eco-friendly technology in the printer which involves reprinting of the same paper by erasing its ink. This would not only give HP an edge over its competitors, but also make it a market leader from a major player. New Product HP can introduce a green or eco-friendly printer which would reduce the wastage and usage of paper. In this manner it would also assist in saving natural resources like trees and water. A new technology would be integrated in the green printer through which the printer can reprint on the same paper for many times. Not only the individual customers but also business houses, companies or firms are willing to pay higher prices for using eco-friendly products. This would also help in reducing the carbon footprints. It would be one of the most appropriate and innovative technology in the printer industry, so HP should patent the idea and the technology to protect the product manufacturing rights and the product idea. This technology can be also called the reverse printing technology. Though this product would be priced higher than the general printers because of its unique selling propositi on, but it would reduce the cost of papers for the customers. Target Market Target market involves a group of customers for whom the company designs, and develops a product or service. The marketing strategies and mix are designed and prepared by the marketers to satisfy the target customers. Targeting can be differentiated and undifferentiated. Differentiated targeting signifies focusing a particular type of customers and leaving out the rest, but in undifferentiated targeting, the marketer focuses on the mass, so customized product is not developed in this case. The printer market can be segmented into three divisions, first is the personal or individual users, second is the business houses, firms or companies using for their official purposes, and third is the printing businesses that use printers to print for other companies (Atkielsk, 2001, p. 1). Since reverse printing technology is niche and obviously HP would set the price of green printer higher than that of general printer s. So the individuals building for personal usage might not afford it. Moreover, the company cannot launch it at a low price because of its high cost of production, promotional and other costs. Therefore in the initial stage the target customer groups would be the firms, companies and the printing businesses that use it for commercial purposes. Another reason is that the printing companies, firms or organizations print millions of pages every day, so level

Modern Latin America Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Modern Latin America - Assignment Example Poor performance of economic growth and the stagnant status of economy have forced many Latin American nations to refuse Free Trade Agreement of America even at the verge of losing some of the foreign –trade benefits from the United States. Research experts have documented the elements of colonial legacy in the history of Latin American nations. Latin American nations have shown their willingness to share a common past of colonialism, freedom struggle, racial discrimination, poverty, political instability and foreign interferences. Analysing the economic growth of Central American nations like Costa Rica one can comprehend that the implementation of Free Trade Agreement failed to enrich Costa Rica’s economic growth. Colonial legacies in Latin American nations tried to learn the negative side of Free Trade Agreement because America considers the FTA as a political instrument than economic affair. As Eduardo Dimas points out, â€Å"the more FTAs are signed and approved, the more difficult the economic unity of Latin America will be, and the greater will be the ability of the U.S. government to torpedo that unity† (Dimas). It is therefore significant that Latin American nations learn more about the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) of America because its refusal creates serious problems for the nation’s growth.

Reflection on Principles in Nursing

Reflection on Principles in Nursing This essay will discuss and reflect on two principles of nursing practice and relate these to practice experience. The principles of nursing practice tell us what all people can expect from nursing practice, whether they are colleagues, patients, or the families or carers of patients. Nursing is provided by nursing staff, including ward managers (in hospitals) or team members (in the community), specialist nurses, community nurses, health visitors, health care assistants or student nurses. To put it simply, the Principles of Nursing Practice describe what everyone can expect from nursing. Due to many financial challenges facing the UK which is putting all health care and social care sectors under great financial pressure which indirectly is leading to staff shortage and nurses are working tirelessly under undue pressure to deliver the best care for patients. It is therefore a necessity for all nursing staff to be supported wherever possible. The Principles of Nursing Practice allow that purpose to be achieved and make clear exactly what quality nursing care looks like and provide a framework for supporting the evaluation of care through the development of useful measures. There are 8 principles labelled A to H. This essay will focus on Principle D which is where Nurses and nursing staff provide and promote care that puts people at the centre, involves patients, service users, their families and their carers in decisions and helps them make informed choices about their treatment and care and Principle E is where nurses and staff are at the heart of the communication process: they assess ,record and report to treatment and care, handle information sensitively and confidentially, deal with complaints effectively, and are conscientious in reporting the things they are concerned about(RCN ,2010). Consent was obtained from service users and confidentiality maintained regarding patients name and trust details as per NMC, 2008 Principle D will now be discussed. The Nature of healthcare provision is such that decisions made and the treatment and care provided, or withheld may alter the duration and quality of lives of the individuals who experience it (Brooker and Waugh, 2007). RCN (2010) definition of person- centred approach: Understand the individual, their aims and expectations in life Develop a frame of reference to understand their context (family, community, social and cultural dimensions in their attitudes, values and beliefs) Understand their concepts of health and issues My placement at the community hospital was working in partnership in a collaborative way with patients, healthcare professionals, families and other multidisciplinary team members in the delivery of a person centred care. Goodman and Clemow (2008) defined interprofessional working as that of professionals collaborating to work together more effectively to improve the quality of patient care. The original framework for Person centred Nursing developed by McCormack and McCance (2010) comprised of 4 constructs: Prerequisites: which focus on the attribute of nurse and include being professional, competent and committed to the job Care environment: which focuses on the context in which cares is delivered and include organizational systems that are supportive and effective staff relationships Person-centred process: which focuses on delivery of care through a range of activities and include sharing decision and providing physical needs? Outcomes: The central components of the framework are the results of effective personal-centred nursing and it includes satisfaction with care, involvement with care, feeling of well-being and creating a therapeutic environment. At my placement I was personally involved with a patient who had leg ulcer. This patient was unable to move out of bed hence bed bound. I was involved in her personal care, serving, and performing aseptic wound dressing. At the point where the expected discharge date was due, it was then necessary to hold a family meeting with the patient, her daughter and her partner who has a learning disability as well as with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) members involved in her care. The MDT members were social services, occupational therapist, physiotherapist and I as the student nurse with my mentor. The essence of the meeting was to determine the discharge location for the patient. The social services carried out MCA on the patient’s partner who had a learning disability to check if he could cope with the responsibility of supporting his partner after discharge. The partner’s capability to handle finances was also assessed. The physiotherapist assessed the ability of the pati ent to weight bear and what kind of equipment could be used for different transfers a home. The occupational therapist had already assessed the property of the patient and felt it needs to be adjusted to suit the needs of her current immobility status. However, setting up with necessary equipment would take some time and patient would need to be in a temporary accommodation till the house is resolved. Patient was also given the choice of moving to a nursing home where she could have a better quality of life in terms of care but paient refused and insisted on going to her own home even though she had been advised of the limitations of care that would be received as she had to manage by herself most times and partner is not allowed to carry out any manual lifting. My mentor and I‘s role at the meeting was to give an overview of the personal care requirements and other emotional, clinical and physiological needs. Throughout the meting the patient was involved in the decision proc ess to ensure that all her needs were met and tailored to her specific requirements. She was satisfied with the final decision and was finally discharged and happy to go back to her newly tailored home with her partner. It is believed that many nurses experience ‘person centred moments’ that is, particular times in practice when everything seemed to come together and the outcome felt satisfying and rewarding. We all have memories of those moments and stories to tell of their significance to us as nurses- be it a significant event with a patient, an expression of thanks from a family member that made the everydayness of practice seem all worthwhile. Such person centred moments may have trigged the question,’ why can’t it be like this all the time’? Whilst acknowledging that we do not work in a state of utopia and that everyday practice is challenging, often stressful, sometimes chaotic and largely unpredictable.it is important to consider how these person-centred moments can be transformed into ‘person centred cultures of practice where satisfaction, involvement and feeling of well-being are common place. To do this requires a commitment to the on-going develop ment of practice, the attention to rigorous process, the continuous evaluation of person-centred effectiveness and the celebration of successes (McCormack and McCance ,2010) Principle E will now be discussed. This is the fifth principle of nursing practice and it hinges on subjects of communication, the safety of patients, confidentiality, complaints management and conscientious reporting of concerns. Communication is a part of activities that humans engage in and it is recognised by everyone but only few people can define it satisfactorily (Fiske 2011:1)Human communication is defined as the process of establishing meaning via interactions that are symbolic(Adler and Rodman,2009) Communication emphasises on the process by which information is exchanged between two people or more(Bach Grant, 2011)The important aim for a nursing staff or any health care practitioner is to ensure that patients are engaged in effective communication (DOH, 2010) Any healthcare practitioner working in any healthcare setting must be able to utilise different types of communication skills in a variety of relationships. Considering the culturally diverse population that we have to deal with as health care professionals it is imperative for communication to be effective and appropriate to the needs of the services users (Koutoukidis, Stainton and Hughso, 2013) Cross cultural communication poses a lot of problem in the healthcare setting and language barrier is a major issue. I had an instant at my placement where a Chinese lady had problem communicating her needs to us and we had to get her husband in to interpret and he himself was not that fluent but we had to use culturally appropriate methods to obtain and pass on information to deliver person-centred care to the patient. Just recently at placement a group of nursing staff were recruited from Spain to come and work in the UK and trained by my hospital, language barrier was such a big issue as they could not easily express themselves and this posed a problem when they were trying to communicate with patients as well. Fortunately, we were very understanding and so were the patients. The national point of reference for communication makes it mandatory that communication needs be analysed and appropriate methods are used to help patients to communicate effectively. Staffs are also expected to communicate effectively with one another to make sure there is continuity of healthcare for everyone (DOH, 2010a) The formal aspect of communication involves the documentation, sharing of information during handover, managing complaints and reporting of incidents and concerns. These are the main thrust of Principle E and this becomes important when anything goes wrong The National Patient Safety Agency (2007) raised concerns about nurses in terms of unclear documentation and lack of confidence in their reporting. I have seen instances at placement where fluid and food charts are not updated and makes it difficult to assess the actual health status of the patient. The most common one that is easily missed out is the stool chart or Bristol stool chart and most patients based on the record are given laxatives to address the issue of constipation when in actual fact they were alright. In some instances, the patients have had to speak for themselves and verbally give an account of their flow which is sometimes contrary to what is documented but for dementia patients, it is unlikely to get any confirmation or information from them hence they can only be treated on what is documented. Excellent record keeping is an important aspect of nursing that is relevant to the delivery of effective safe and effective care and it should not be seen as optional or a form of duty that should be fitted in when time permits. It is a compulsory responsibility (NMC, 2010). Instead of writing notes at the end of a shift and to ensure accurate records were documented, nurses were encouraged to abide by the principle of ‘Do it and Document it’ (Tucker et al2009). Personally on placement, I have found this Do it and Document it helpful as the day goes so quickly with a lot of responsibilities throughout the day and there is the tendency to forget essential information and task done if one needs to wait till the end of the day to document. I have made it a principle to document immediately as I finish a task or a short series of task and not leave it to pile up. At all times I have my jotter with me to document whatever I do at every point of the way and this has proved to be workable and successful. The use of Vitalpac just introduced at my placement where information of patients in terms of ,personal identification details,routine observat ions and risk assessment data can be recorded in real time,stored immediately and automatically transferred to the hospital server where it can be accessed by relevant professionals in real time has proven to be successful ,cost effective and time saving. It is important that everyone working as part of a team in the delivery of care for a patient must appreciate the contribution made by each person so that appropriate skills are applied. For any teamwork to be the effective, one of the major tools is unambiguous communication which usually takes place via records than face to face. During placement, whilst working within a multidisciplinary team, it was important to us to make sure that information received from other professional are treated as confidential and only used for the purposes they were given and the patients also understood that some of their information may be accessed by other relevant professional members of the team engaged the in the delivery of person-centred-care. (Chapman and Burnard, 2003) In 2009, a safety alert report admonishing all healthcare settings to encourage an atmosphere of openness and accountability in reporting safety incidents and having a disposition of apologising and giving an count of what happened was published by NPSA. This theme was also iterated by parliamentary and health Service Ombudsman’s (2010) report on how complaints are handled in NHS in England. The act of apologising and giving full account of what went wrong helps to create distress relief and reassures those complaining that mistakes will not reoccur. I happened to have being informed by a patient’s husband that he was not satisfied that his dementia wife’s bed was lowered to the ground as he felt that could have increased her confusion. Even though the night staff lowered the bed in order to prevent the patient from climbing out of the bed overnight as she made few attempts, the patient’s risk had to be reassessed and later admitted that the patient Ã¢â‚¬Ë œs bed could have been raised back up. We tried to explain to the husband the basis of actions taken, apologised and adjusted the bed back up. He also noticed that her food chart was not updated at breakfast on her chart; this was immediately updated as patient was not alert enough to eat. As soon as I noticed this series of complaints I took it upon myself to pay extra attention to this patient while on my early shift and this paid off in the end as I supported the husband in encouraging the wife to eat, assisted with personal care and undertook her hourly observations to restore her blood sugar level as it was very low. I informed the nurse in charge of the patients decline in health status and intervention was initiated and her blood level was regularised. The husband left for home that day happier than he came in and was very thankful for my assistance.

Texas Holdem Poker Casino v.s. Online Play Essay -- Compare Contrast E

Texas Holdem Poker Casino v.s. Online Play (All revisions in italics) So what’s this entire buzz about this new poker game? World poker tour play Krieger asks the question, â€Å"Why is it the most attractive card game to all the new comers and regulars alike (Krieger 4).† This new game is being played in almost every Casino from Atlantic City to Las Vegas Nevada. They game now has world championships and is played on TV and watched by millions around the world. This fascinating game known to many as Texas holdem poker is played by many in our homes, casinos, and now the every so popular game is attracting millions online. There are many things that are involved with this game and they include history, how to play, what to play, when to play or fold, how to read and how to bluff. These are only a few of the aspects that will be covered in this paper. So the question a rises for those who plan to make any money playing this game, and that is are the odds better online or in the casinos? Before we get into the odds of playing I will first introduce the modern day Texas holdem card game. According to poker author Krieger, the game originated its name from the first casino it was played in and how it was played (krieger 14). Krieger then adds that the game has only become popular in the last few years. The tournaments have been taking place over the last 40 or so years. These tournaments are the reason many believe the game has become so famous. The tournaments have been known to rake in over 2 million dollars for the winner and payouts for the top twenty positions (Krieger 17). Most of us are falling into this game for the first time, watching these holdem tourney's on television and holding poker night on the weekends. We have... ...to read people will open a lot of avenues of approach such as, knowing when to fold knowing when to bluff and even knowing when to play certain hands and how much to bet on them. Know these give always will allow a player to know what each player has without actually seeing the hand. All of these statements and reasoning above have pointed in the direction that if a player can use his or her skills playing in a casino is a better way to make money playing Texas holdem. In the casino a player can read his or her opponents, bluff his or her opponents out of their money, and have a more enjoyable atmosphere because he or she will be winning money. Where as when a player plays online the only thing he or she can play with are the odds and the people never become a factor. Playing in a casino is a better way to make more money playing Texas holdem than is playing online.

Effect of Music on Memory Retrieval

EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL THESIS STATEMENT: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. DEFINITION OF TERMS A. DICTIONARY DEFINITION B. OPERATIONAL DEFINITON II. WHAT IS MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL. III. HOW CAN MUSIC AFFECT YOUR LIFE A. THEORIES OF FORGETTING B. MEMORY AND RELATED FINDINGS C. MUSIC AND RELATED STUDIES IV. HISTORY OF MUSIC V . ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE VI. EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL IN YOUR LIFE CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY ALIBASHER ABUBACAR IV-C MSU-ILS JANUARY 3, 2011 EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL Culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places ENGLISH IV MS. SALMA M. MACARAMBON Dedication To Her who is able to keep me from falling and to present me before her glorious presence without fault and with great joy, to the only God our savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority through to almighty ALLAH our god, before all ages, now and forever. To my mother who loves me always and keeping me safe and to my father who supports me in doing this and to my sister and brothers who advice me always†¦ Acknowledgement I usually and gratefully acknowlegdes the invaluable assistance rendered by the following persons who in one way or another tremendously helped in the succesful completion of the term paper: Mrs. Salma M. Macarambon, teacher/adviser for her constructive pieces of advice, generous sharing of knowledge, her willingness, patience and wisdom in her teaching; To my friends BATMAN for their suggestion and vital assistance in conducting research and for being available on times of trials and computer services; To my family for their full supports on me in my study and who are always concerned; And above all, to the ALMIGHTY ALLAH who deserves all the glory, praises and thanksgiving. Introduction In the early to mid 20th Century, researchers began to extensively study memory. Since then, there have been tremendous advances in the knowledge of how the mind processes information. The brain is composed of a very complex system of neural networks that transfers information from one section to another. The study of these networks is an ongoing process, because there is still much to learn. From this research, many factors have been found that seem to affect memory. Included in these factors are attention, stress, emotion, music, and aging. This experiment will concentrate on how the factor of music effects memory. The memory is a mental system that receives, stores, organizes, alters and recovers information from sensory input. Sensory memory, short-term memory and long-term memory are the three basic types. Information first enters sensory memory, which holds an exact copy of the data for a few seconds. Short-term memory is the next step, and it holds small quantities of information for a brief period longer than sensory memory. Selective attention is utilized at this time to regulate what information is transferred to short-term memory. Unimportant information is removed permanently (Coon, 1997). Another name for short-term memory is working memory, which describes the thinking and problem solving aspects. Short-term memory, according to psychologist George Miller, can hold a â€Å"magic number† of seven (plus or minus two) bits of information. Bits are units of information such as numbers, phrases or words. Information is held in short-term memory by two types of rehearsal. Maintenance rehearsal refers to silently repeating or mentally reviewing information. Elaborative rehearsal connects the new information with existing information (Coon, 1997). Many areas of the brain are used to process information. However, the hippocampus is the section that transfers information into long-term memory. This type of memory contains all of the presorted important information in a relatively permanent and limitless storage. Long-term memory also organizes information for easy recovery (Coon, 1997). Music has an amazing power to influence man`s emotions and behavior. It has been found to affect and stimulate many different parts of the brain and body. Psychological study of music is based on this reason. Studies have found that music can reduce stress, aid relaxation, alleviate depression, and help store and recall information among other functions. William Congreve once stated that â€Å"music has the charms to soothe the savage beast†. Stress is reduced through music by decreasing the amount of the hormone cortisone released in the body. This can be applied to everyday life for stress relief (Music and Stress, 1998). Music therapy is a new intervention that uses â€Å"music and musical activities for the purposes of altering behavior and enhancing the everyday existence of people with various types of emotional disturbance†. People have been using forms of music therapy since the earliest recorded history. Egyptian priests spoke incantations that supposedly influenced women`s fertility. Hebrews and Greeks treated physical and mental illness with the playing of music. Zenocrates, Sarpander, and Arien, all of whom were Greeks, were the first to use music therapy as a regular practice. They employed harp music to ease the outbursts of people with mental illnesses (Shapiro, 1969). Nursing homes often hire music therapists. People are likely to feel depressed and grief-stricken when moved away from their homes and families into a facility for strangers to take care of them. Music therapy helps to relieve grief and improve emotional tones and feelings (Shapiro, 1969). Therapists can also help residents that suffer from Alzheimer`s and dementia, because studies have found that music can improve their memory. This improvement is partly due to the effect music has on increasing the release of certain hormones in the body (Music and Stress, 1998). Carruth (1997) conducted an experiment to find out if music would improve the face-name recognition of nursing home residents with Alzheimer`s. There was a music condition and a no music condition. During the music condition, a therapist sang and played a guitar to a familiar song. The subjects were allowed to join the therapist in singing. Afterwards, the subjects were given a face-name recognition test. The no music condition received the test in the same manner, except for the singing. Four of the seven participants had a higher mean percent of correct responses during the music condition that during the no music condition. A study conducted at the University of California, Irvine, showed that scores on memory tests of people with Alzheimer`s greatly improved when they listened to Mozart. They recalled shapes and patterns better, for example, than when they were not listening to Mozart (Music Therapy, 2001). At a British Psychological Society Conference in December of 2000, Elizabeth Valentine reported that music promotes memory better than either silence or background noise. Valentine and her colleague selected 23 subjects with dementia to be tested for recall after being exposed to four different types of noise. The four types were no noise, cafeteria noise, familiar music, and novel music. Recall was better with sound than with silence and better with music than with cafeteria noise (Larkin, 2001). As shown, many studies have found that music aids the storage and recall of information in the human memory. Based on the previous information, the following experiment will examine how music affects the recall of information from the short-term memory of college students. Chapter I Definition of Terms Learning – acquisition of any relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of practice or experience. The act of memorizing the 20 groups of 3-digit random numbers. Memory Retrieval – the act of locating information in memory for use. It is measured by the complete sequential 20 groups of 3 – digit random numbers correctly recalled. Independent Variable – intstrumental music being played while memorizing is done by the experimental group. Dependent Variable – the number of groups of 3 – digit random numbers recalled in the sequence during the retrieval process. Extraneous Variables – anything that operates in the experimental situation in addition to the independent variable. In this case were the noise brought about by teacher’s students coming in and out the experimental room, voices of people talking, and the noise inside the C. R. Music – soft instrumental music played by Kenny G in a saxophone where the tempo is slow, entitled, â€Å"Silhouette†, â€Å"Uncle Al,† â€Å"Going Home,† â€Å"Songbird† and â€Å"I’ll Never Leave You. † Intensity – volume is set at #3 on the volume scale. A. Dictionary Definition Webster dictionary defines â€Å"music† as the art or science of harmony of melody, musical score or composition. To make it clear, it is the art of organizing tones into meaningful patterns of sounds Bagar and Biancolli, 1974. Appreciation may then be possible which refers to the force in music which seeks to arouse in the person a love and even evoke musicality (Mursell, 1938) B. Operational Definition Music  is found in every known culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places. Around 50,000 years ago, early modern humans began to disperse from Africa, reaching all the habitable continents. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, it may be concluded that music is likely to have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Consequently music may have been in existence for at least 50,000 years and the first music may have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life. A culture's music is influenced by all other aspects of that culture, including social and economic organization and experience, climate, and ccess to technology. The emotions and ideas that music expresses, the situations in which music is played and listened to, and the attitudes toward music players and composers all vary between regions and periods. â€Å"Music history† is the distinct subfield of  musicology  and history which studies music particularly  Western art music from a chronological perspective. Chapter II What is music on memory retr ieval? Musical memory  refers to the ability to remember music-related information, such as melodic content and other progressions of tones or pitches. The differences found between linguistic memory and musical memory have led researchers to theorize that musical memory is encoded differently from language and may constitute an independent part of the  phonological loop. The use of this term is problematic, however, since it implies input from a verbal system, whereas music is in principle nonverbal. The purpose of this experiment was to see if studying or testing with music affected scores on a memory test. There were four groups in this study. One group had music while studying and testing. Another had music while studying and no music while testing. The third group had no music while studying but music while testing, and the fourth group had no music during both. Each group consisted of approximately 30 freshman or sophomore level psychology students. The students were all given a memory test, which consisted of a list of 15 words and studied it for two minutes. The groups that had music while studying listened to the song â€Å"Sad Eyes† by Enrique Iglesias. After the two minutes were up, the word lists were collected. At the end of the class period, the test was administered. The group that tested with music listened to â€Å"Sad Eyes. † A between subjects factorial ANOVA was calculated comparing the memory test scores for subjects who had music during recall or studying. No significant results were found. Several factors, such as the type of test given and the music type, may have contributed to these insignificant results. What is Music? : Solving a Scientific Mystery is a book by Philip Dorrell which explains a new scientific theory about music: the super-stimulus theory. The main idea of the theory is that music is a super-stimulus for the perception of musicality, where musicality† is actually a perceived property of speech. â€Å"Musicality† refers to the property of music that determines how â€Å"good† it is, how strong an emotional effect it has, and how much we enjoy listening to it. The theory implies that ordinary speech also has this property, in a manner which may vary as a person speaks. The musicality of speech i s much more subtle than that of music, but it provides important information which the listener's brain processes without conscious awareness of the processing, in order to derive some information about the internal mental state of the speaker. This information is applied to modulate the listener's emotional response to speech, and this accounts for the emotional effect of music. What distinguishes the super-stimulus theory from all other serious attempts to explain music scientifically is that it starts from a simple assumption that music perception must be an information processing function, and this assumption results in quite specific explanations of how major aspects of music such as scales, regular beat and harmony are processed in the brain. It is the first theory to explain the perception of musical scales without a priori assuming the existence of musical scales. The theory has to do this, because it is a theory of music perception as an aspect of speech perception, and musical scales do not occur in normal speech. Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch which governs melody and harmony, rhythm and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek mousike; â€Å"art of the Muses†. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to individual interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within â€Å"the arts†, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art. There is also a strong connection between music and mathematics. To many people in many cultures, music is an important part of their way of life. Ancient Greek and Indian philosophers defined music as tones ordered horizontally as melodies and vertically as harmonies. Common sayings such as â€Å"the harmony of the spheres† and â€Å"it is music to my ears† point to the notion that music is often ordered and pleasant to listen to. However, 20th-century composer John Cage thought that any sound can be music, saying, for example, â€Å"There is no noise, only sound. Musicologist Jean-Jacques Nattiez summarizes the relativist, post-modern viewpoint: â€Å"The border between music and noise is always culturally defined—which implies that, even within a single society, this border does not always pass through the same place; in short, there is rarely a consensus  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ By all accounts there is no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might be. Chapter III How can music affect your life? A. Theories of Forgetting There are two theories of forgetting widely accepted. First is Disuse Theory which suggests that forgetting is due to gradual dissolution or disruption in time of neurophysiological correlates of whatever is learned. Conversely, retention is what is left Buxton, 1991. The other focuses on the learning process when interferences may arise, be it before, during, and after learning. Interference theory states the mechanics for forgetting : one memory is forgotten because another item interferes with the memory of it Edwards, 1972. And the first major kind of interference is Retroactive Inhibition (wrightsman et. al. , 1979). In here on the material learned earlier see table 2. 1. Table 1. Experimantal Design for Research on Retroactive Inhibition. Groups| Stage 1| Stage 2| Stage 3| Experimental| Learn A| Learn B| Recall A| Control| Learn A| Learn B| Recall A| Source: Wrightsam et. al. , 1979. The problem here is to determine for the experimental group whether learning material B retoactively inhibities the recall of material A. The control group must rest in stage 2. B. Music and Related Findings In a holistic view, educators found the importance of music to the child’s learning curriculum. In education, one encourages the child to use music as a means of expressing a feeling which is difficult to verbalize, simply because of the many values and satisfaction it has to offer. Music is another meaningful aspects of life to study. Musical experiences are worthwhile. All contribute to a child’s growth. They tell that it is, at the same time an art which is related to many areas of life Raebeck and Lawrence, 1972. Psychological characteristics of the child found to relate to musical experiences include a more logical thinking-reasoning, tendency towards exaggeration – memory, and interest in doing well. Music can serve a purpose. A prime example of this is that music is used to set mood, establish the character of a person in a play, express emotion quickly, and variety, interest and color to the program, and give opportunities for individual and group participation Raebeck and Lawrence, 1972. Music is mentally stimulating and challenging: it awakens one to a sense of form, order, rhythm, texture, and symbolism. Moreover, deep musical experience is characterized by an alert mind Dunningham, 1989. C. Memory and Related Studies Studies had been conducted like that of the Differential Effect of Success and Failure on Memory Retrieval Tambura, 1992, which exudes that learning is affected by some factors which are emotional in nature, that emotional experiences such as succes and failure have some effects on memory retrieval. Another is the effect of embarrassment on retention among MSU-College Students Derige, 1988. Her findings suggest that there are psychosocial aspects like embarrassment that have direct bearing on learning. Chapter IV History of music Classical music, as we use it on this site, basically includes thousands   of years of time. This area basically describes the history of classical music. When we speak of classical music, we are talking of the western influence. We aren't talking about the ancient eastern music of the asian continent. Classical music can be organized in a variety of ways. This section divides   music into six historical periods:  Medieval,  Renaissance,  Baroque,   Classical,  Romantic  and the  Contemporary. Each period is briefly described. and includes a list of important composers, some song files   provided by our generous sponsors, an option to buy some recordings,   and recommended recordings. Also, there is an organized layout which we used   to organize information on this site. We'd like to thank Classical Insites for   helping us acquire sound files and information of these periods. Most of the   information included in this site was from my notes after taking two years of   music theory in high school. To learn more about any of these time periods,   please contact a music theorist specializing in the specific time period   you would like to know about. Chapter V Advantages and Disadvantages Disadvantages-People who hate a genre of  music  and condemn other people for liking it. That's gotta be the lamest thing to me. Bashing other people's music. very one has been born with his brain blank he could work with his brain the way he likes but music activates the dou side in us as it draws lines and tracks for our mind and body to work on to make it closer to your brain imagine like u were free to move any where in the 360 degree of space but when u lestin to music u can only see the lines and tracks that music drew for you so every action u do is less performance and we feel that we need to listen to more music to have more lines to walk in even we had all the 360 degree for us from the start A major disadvantage of music in today's society is that a large majority of popular musicians are making and selling their music for no reason other than to make money. I'll define â€Å"popular† more clearly- almost anything on a top hits chart, a lot of music played on commercial radio, bands that have their name on walmart t-shirts, etc. There are of course always exceptions to this, but most of these bands and musicians don't make music because its a way of expressing yourself and communicating with others; they present themselves and their music because they want to make money. Giant record labels aren't signing bands because they think they're really talented and make great music, they're signing bands that will be easily marketed to an audience; bands that will sell the most Cd's downloads, t-shirts, and concert tickets. Luckily, for those of us who can not stand the top 40 hits that get played over and over and over on the radio, there exists independent musicians, bands, labels, radio stations, etc. Chapter VI Effect of music on memory retrieval in your life Memory is a mental system that receives, stores, organized, alters and recovers information from sensory input Coon, 1997. Research has shown memory to be affected by many different factors. One of these factors is music, which has been found to stimulate parts of the brain. Many studies have demonstrated that music enhances the memory of Alzheimer`s and dementia patients. Music has also been found to reduce stress, aid relaxation and alleviate depression. This experiment placed 60 subjects into three different conditions based on the independent variable of music. The three types of the independent variable were â€Å"The Seasons Spring Movement† by Haydn, Holier Than Thou by Metallica and white noise. Each group visually studied a picture for 30 seconds with their specific music or noise in the background. After 30 seconds the picture was taken away and the music or noise was turned off. The groups then filled out a questionnaire about their memories for the picture. There was not a significant interaction found between the type of music or noise played and memory recall. However, the white noise group made the least amount of memory errors while the Haydn group made the most. These results contrast a lot of the research on the effects of music on memory. Much research states that music, especially classical, enhances the storage and recall of memory. There were some limitations to this experiment. Noise outside of the testing area was not controlled for. Also, subjects may have talked to one another about the questionnaire while filling it out. Further research may explain why the results of this experiment contrast much of the published research on the effects of music on memory. Conclusions The study was designed to research whether there is an effect of music as an interference during the time of learning on memory retention. The research sample consisted to website and a book. It tooks a several months to finish this term paper. This topic chosen to me was not being easy to completed but still I strived hard to finished it. Actually, there are some times that I am being weak for this but for the help of my mother, father, sister, brothers and friends I achieved to finished it. Bibliography Atkinson, Rita L. , Atkinson, Richard C. , and Hilgard, Ernest R. Introduction to Psychology 8th ed. New York: Hardcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. , 1983. Bagar, Robert and Biacondilli, Louis. The Concert Companion: A Comprehensive Drive to Symphonic Music. London: Mc Graw Hill Book Company, Inc. 1974. Beauchamp, kenneth L. , Bruce, Richarcd L. , and Matheson, Douglas. Current Topics in Experimental Psychology, New York: Dell Publishing, 1985. Broadsky, Howard. The Art of Listening: Developing Musical Perceptions. Harper and Raw, 1970. Chaplin, Edward C. Dictionary of Psychology. 2nd ed. New York: Dell publishing, 1985.

Does Haig deserve the title The Butcher of the Somme Essay Example

Does Haig deserve the title The Butcher of the Somme Essay Example Does Haig deserve the title The Butcher of the Somme Paper Does Haig deserve the title The Butcher of the Somme Paper Essay Topic: History In this essay, I will try to figure out what historians all over the world have been talking about for years: Does Sir Douglas William Haig deserve the title The Butcher of the Somme? I will start by correctly defining the term, butcher, before analysing the case for and against this statement. I will finally conclude my essay by weighing up the two cases and comparing the definitions of butcher to his actions. To say that Haig was the hero of the victory at the Somme, although the opinion of the people of the time, must now be looked back on with great scepticism. You cannot deny that Haig made the correct tactical decision to make an offensive at the Somme, in order to take the pressure of Verdun, and it is true to say that he achieved his target objective in doing so. However, it is inexcusable, whatever the gain, to throw away life so carelessly as Haig did. It is also to be noted, that Haigs attitude after the Somme, was that it was a worthy sacrifice, and an honourable way for a man to die. In other words, he didnt care about the loses, as long as he got the praise at the end of it all. It is obvious that to tell the men to walk across no-mans land must be looked at as the ultimate cause for the slaughter of the Somme. It was Haig who gave the order to walk and formulated the strategy for the offensive. His plan was flawed. Firstly he didnt consider all possibilities, the only outcome that he had planned and accommodated for was that everything went according to plan. This was clearly not the case as he didnt consider that the Explosions under the German line were all going to be synchronized, or that the Germans might survive in their dugouts. Also, and even more disastrous, he didnt have a plan B. What this means is, suggesting that not everything goes well, and say the Germans did survive in their dugouts, he didnt have any alternative plan to revert to, he just kept on with the same disastrous strategy, and judging by the fact that he continued with the same plan for 2 months, it seems unlikely that he had a plan B for any outcome, which means that he was relyin g on everything going according to plan a very bad tactical decision. Haig could have easily changed his plans when he realized they werent having any affect and he was throwing lives away, for example (and this is my plan): Began the bombardment again and this time ran across, the barbed wire was a problem but the Irish got through the first time when they ran, so it was definitely possible. And also, the whole objective of the Somme was to take the pressure off Verdun, so once the Germans had dragged half their army up to deal with the Somme, the British had no need to attack them, they could just sit and wait, the Germans werent going anywhere because they knew that they would be vulnerable and could be attacked at any time with all the British soldiers just waiting, the last thing the Germans were going to do was just leave and go back to Verdun, and if they did, (which would be crazy) then the offensive could begin, and attack the weakened lines. However, these plans were obviously made when looking back on the battle, Haig wouldnt have had the lu xury of hindsight. Although, he is to blame for not changing his tactics when the 1st day had been such a failure. When something you try clearly doesnt work, why keep doing it at the cost of lives? After all, the only reason that Haig gave the order to walk was because he was under the false impression that all the Germans had been killed in the bombardment and the men would be walking straight through the trenches to Berlin. It is for this reason that the men were carrying 30 pounds of pack on their shoulders, and were told that they were walking towards empty trenches. However, when this clearly wasnt the case, and it was obvious that they were not walking towards empty trenches, why carry on walking if the only reason for doing so is now void? Haigs mentality is also to be questioned, as his attitude towards human life is simply shocking. His attacking initiative ideas where men are simply thrown over the top on little raiding parties of 10 or 15 people, were madness. Every group died and was just another target for the Germans to shoot down. They had absolutely no hope of succeeding and he knew it. He was just throwing away lives when he knew all who went over the top would die. This may or may not have created an attacking spirit, but what good is an attacking spirit when the men are sent over the top to die? I cant see how the deaths of their friends could possibly create an attacking spirit, the only thing it would create was the impression that there General was a complete maniac. There is no use in raising the morale of troops who are going to die anyway, and surely victories would create a better morale boost for the men than constant casualties. Imagine this: You are a middle aged lady in England and you are proud to say to all your friends that your husband has gone to fight for his country. You are then informed that he has been killed in action. After the war, you find out that he was killed in a raiding party, all to raise the morale slightly of men on the front line. You think to yourselfoh, wont they be happy! Im sure his life was a worthy sacrifice and the other men had high spirits for the next week, to know that another 15 people had been sent over the top and died. Haig said, the day before the offensive: The men are in splendid spirits. Several have said that they have never before seen so instructed and informed of the nature of the operation before them. The barbed wire has never been so well cut, nor the artillery preparation so thorough. All the commanders are full of confidence. This statement in itself tells the story. Haig was either miss-informed or delusional, and despite the fact that the wire was clearly not cut, he sent the men out anyway.

Free Essays on Color Consious

Shoppers at the Wilson’s Leather Outlet in Albertville, MN are seeing the merchandise in a whole new light. Instead of the old in store lighting strategy, the retailer installed new metal halide pulse start lights. The lamps from Osram Sylvania, combine conventional pulse-start characteristics with a unique â€Å"bulgy† arctube design that delivers improved reliability and greater color consistency from lamp to lamp. The new lamps are said to be showing the merchandise in a new light. Wilson has traditionally used 250-watt metal hide lamps with a protective shroud. Managers did not like these lamps because they gave off low light and the colors were not consistent. Wilson searched for a product that had a higher color-rendering index, better lumen maintenance and minimal color shift. When the new lamps were compared to old ones there was no comparison, the new bulbs were hands down the better bulbs. With the new bulbs in the stores, merchandise and graphics were extremely sharper. Over time Wilson’s plans to integrate the new bulbs into all of its old and new stores throughout the country. With all of the new technological advances in lighting, each store must be up on their competitors. Although lighting may not directly affect sales, it does however help keep the customers inside since the lighting was more pleasurable.... Free Essays on Color Consious Free Essays on Color Consious Shoppers at the Wilson’s Leather Outlet in Albertville, MN are seeing the merchandise in a whole new light. Instead of the old in store lighting strategy, the retailer installed new metal halide pulse start lights. The lamps from Osram Sylvania, combine conventional pulse-start characteristics with a unique â€Å"bulgy† arctube design that delivers improved reliability and greater color consistency from lamp to lamp. The new lamps are said to be showing the merchandise in a new light. Wilson has traditionally used 250-watt metal hide lamps with a protective shroud. Managers did not like these lamps because they gave off low light and the colors were not consistent. Wilson searched for a product that had a higher color-rendering index, better lumen maintenance and minimal color shift. When the new lamps were compared to old ones there was no comparison, the new bulbs were hands down the better bulbs. With the new bulbs in the stores, merchandise and graphics were extremely sharper. Over time Wilson’s plans to integrate the new bulbs into all of its old and new stores throughout the country. With all of the new technological advances in lighting, each store must be up on their competitors. Although lighting may not directly affect sales, it does however help keep the customers inside since the lighting was more pleasurable....

Symbolic Interactionism of George Herbert Mead Essay

Symbolic Interactionism of George Herbert Mead - Essay Example This theory is more of how the human world nature and the people in it act in relation to it, with the main interest being on how everyone constructs and develop the real meaning and better understanding of self, others and behavior through the means of social interactions. This theory, as expounded on by George Herbert Mead in the early twentieth century, is a framework that enables for the enhanced understanding and interpretation of how information flows and the communicating individuals or groups smoothly and efficiently interact with each other through the appropriate use of symbols. Within the context of this theory, people are believed to inhibit a world that is mainly socially composed, as the meaning of objects, events, and everyday’s behaviors originate from the human given interpretations which may vary from one person or group to another depending on how the communicated idea is perceived. According to Mead explanation on this ideology of symbolic interaction, the society or people are seen as not to react with every event directly but rather are dictated depending on their interpretations of the meanings derived from the events or actions. Therefore, it is important to note that according to this theory of Symbol Interactionism by George Herbert Mead, the particular choice of words that people use in the description of human behaviors i.e. of themselves and that of other individuals are quite important. As can be derived from the description and the introduction development, this theory by Mead identifies three key principles which are meaning, language and thought as applied during communication process. The meaning of any action or event is never inherent in that particular event action. Therefore it comes to our senses that â€Å"meaning† as can be perceived of an event is never pre-existing in a state of nature; arises from the social interactions as implied by the communicator to the receiver; and can always be

Brand management in Irelands indigenous sector Essay

Brand management in Irelands indigenous sector - Essay Example 442). Brand assets are difficult and expensive to develop, maintain, and adapt. The offering environment is cluttered, confused, and complex in part because of the proliferation of products, brands, and sub-brands. Dynamic market contexts with the emergence of new sub-categories make it necessary to adapt and stretch brands, putting additional strain on their ability to deliver the needed support. Consequently to understand the dynamics of brand management and assess whether or not they are successful in communicating the brand to consumers and whether or not those strategies enhance their brand equity, this proposal was developed. The organization of this proposal is the following. Firstly, a description of the project is presented. Secondly, the methodology is proposed. Thirdly, an approximated time schedule of research is developed. Finally, a provisional table of contents is suggested. The aim of this research is to assess whether a firm is successful in communicating the brand to consumers and whether their strategies enhance their brand equity of three Ireland companies. Consequently, the general objective is: In reference to academic relevance, this research pretends to support empirical evidence to the field of marketing metrics. The suggestion of Rust et al. (2004) about search for empirical support to the chain of marketing activities has been taken into account. With respect to managerial relevance, th... 1.3. Academic and Managerial Relevance of the Subject In reference to academic relevance, this research pretends to support empirical evidence to the field of marketing metrics. The suggestion of Rust et al. (2004) about search for empirical support to the chain of marketing activities has been taken into account. With respect to managerial relevance, this research pretends not only to tell the board that brand management contributes to the company, but also to give them the effectiveness of marketing in money terms. 2. Description of the Project 2.1. Literature Review in Short 2.1.1. Brand Management Brand Management is the best way for firms to manage their precious brand assets (Low and Fullerton 1994). Additionally, brand managers are responsible for the performance of brands as well as central coordinators of all marketing activities for their brand and responsible for developing and implementing marketing plan. Along the years the research in Brand Management has been associated with Corporate approach, Retailing, Strategies, Alliances, Brand Extension, new Research methodology approaches, Non-profit firms, International decisions, and others. One reason for studying brand arises from a strategy-based motivation to improve marketing productivity (Keller 1993). Perhaps a firm's most valuable asset for enhancing marketing productivity is the knowledge that has been created about the brand in consumers' mind from the firm's investments in previous marketing programs. What consumers know about brands is the brand knowledge. On the other hand, brand Awareness is related to the strength of the brand node or trace in