Brain Blast! Factors Affecting Retention

Brain Blast! Factors Affecting Retention BY hypoactive Chapter I Statement of the problem: The different factors affecting retention of fourth year students of Vulcan Ecumenical School Three Specific Questions: Why do some people have a better memory than others? ; How do we remember? ; and Why do we forget? Significance of the Study: To widen the knowledge of the readers about retention; Alms to show different ways on how one can have a better retention; This study Is to benefit students especially those from Vulcan Ecumenical School Scope and Limitation This study mainly focuses on the senior students of Vulcan Ecumenical School.The articles gathered here are a combination of local and foreign literature. Chapter II Review of Related Literature Presented In this chapter Is a synthesis of facts that support the topic the researchers would want to prove. Included in the chapter is the definition of memory, parts of the brain that are in charge on remembering and forgetting, connectiv ity of the brain, a deeper understanding on autobiographical and semantic memory, long term and short term memory, how and why people remember and forget, the reason why some people have a better memory than others and some methods on how one can Improve his/her memory.Local Literature According to Alfonse M. Albany of Philippine star, the human brain weighing roughly one-and-a-half kilos, with a volume more or less half that of a medium-sized coconut, with its about 100 billion neurons, each with some 10,000 interconnections, is probably the most complex structure that we know. Yet, that structural complexity hardly begins to hint at the incredible variety and the enormity of its functions. Surely, this is a case of a whole that is vastly greater than the sum of its parts.Albany said that the brain is the seat of our consciousness and of our emotions, the repository of our memories. It synthesizes and analyses our sensory inputs, decides what behavioral responses are appropriate or necessary to promote our continued survival. And when parts of it fail to perform properly, we are burdened with depression, or schizophrenia, or Alchemist's diseases, or other such debilitating disorders. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates put it well: â€Å"Men ought to know that from nothing else but the brain come Joys, delights, laughter and sports, and sorrows, grieves, despondency, and lamentations. No wonder the brain has been the subject of intense scientific scrutiny's for a very long time. A currently active area of study concerns the â€Å"connectivity† of the brain. Physiologists distinguish â€Å"structural† or â€Å"anatomical† connectivity from â€Å"functional† connectivity and both from â€Å"effective† connectivity. The first merely means the physical connections between groups of neurons 1 . The second refers to correlated behaviors of different brain regions. The last involves the transfer of information from one region to another, possibly affecting the behavior of the latter ? a causal connection 2.Our Marvelous Brains On one of the articles of Koruna Sanchez she wrote that because of the amount of information that the human brain receives everyday, a sort of built-in filter kicks in to only allow those that seem important. Otherwise the brain would literally heat up and burn out faster than we would want it to. A good example was when a portrait of the famous Mona Lisa was shown to several persons, they all failed to notice a OF in the background, which of course is not in the original painting.Because we know, or supposed to know what the Mona Lisa looks like, we don't look at other details anymore. Misdirection's is another way to distract the brain. So many examples of seduction were shown, which is the bread and butter of a good magician or illusionist, and yes, even con artists and criminals. Your brain is made to focus on something while ignoring everything else. Watching a basketball bein g passed several times among players while totally ignoring a gorilla that walks among them. And this is what criminals like pickpockets master.That little bump on the shoulder is enough to distract you while they go after your wallet or purse. Or using beautiful women to get the attention of gullible men. You know the rest. Foreign Literature 1. Definition of memory According to lucid research. Mom, the human memory is a complex activity of the brain that allows us to store information and retrieve it again when we need it. There are two discrete memory systems: A system that keeps a record of our personal life experiences is usually called Autobiographical memory. A system that holds the knowledge about the world is called Semantic memory.It is possible for one system to work better than the other because these two work in somewhat different ways. For example, a student might have a good autobiographical memory and recall in detail everything about an event, but a poor semantic me mory o failing to remember things that need to be learned in school. Both memory systems can store information from all our senses – vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch – but in semantic memory visual and auditory-verbal modes of information usually predominate, unless another mode was particularly important.For example, a perfume maker would have a very well-developed semantic memory for doors. 2. Get to know your Brain Parts of the brain that is in charge of remembering and forgetting: The Cortex As said by Dry. Paul Nassau, the Cortex 5 is the outer covering of the brain. It is a word that translates to mean â€Å"bark of a tree†. This is one part of the brain that is responsible for your most complicated thinking abilities. Your memory, language, personality, intentional motor skills, spatial ability and visual perception are all controlled by the Cortex.The Medial Section of the Brain This part tends to be older and more primitive. These are responsible fo r controlling drives, impulses, fears, instincts, emotions, reflexes, subconscious processes and automatic behaviors. Supporter The â€Å"Subcultures† are the deeper brain structures. This permits a smooth integration of information processing in the brain. 3. Short-term Memory According to Keener Cherry, Short-term memory is also known as primary or active memory. It is the information that comes from giving attention to sensory memories.Duration of short-term Memory: Most of the information stored in this memory usually last for approximately 20 to 30 seconds. While many of our short-term memories are quickly forgotten, attending to this situation allows it to continue on the next stage – Long-term memory. The Capacity of Short-term Memory: â€Å"The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two†, expert psychologist George Miller suggested that people can store between five and nine items. More recent research suggests that people are capable of storing approximate ly four chunks of information in short-term memory. . Long-term Memory According to Keener Cherry, Long-term memory refers to the continuing storage of information. The information is largely outside of our awareness, but can be called into working memory to be used when needed. Some of the information is easy to recall, while others are more difficult to access. Duration of Long-term Memory: Long-term memories can last for a matter of days to as long as many decades. Types of Long-Term Memory Long-term memory is usually divided into two types – declaratively (explicit) memory ND procedural (implicit) memory. Declarative includes all of the memories that are available in consciousness. Declarative memory can be further divided into episodic memory (specific events) and semantic memory (knowledge about the world). Procedural memory involves memories of body movement and how to use objects in the environment. How to drive a car or use a computer are examples of procedural memor ies. 5. A deeper understanding about Autobiographical and Semantic Memory According to human-memory. Net, Autobiographical or Episodic memory is a memory system consisting of experiences recollected from an individual's life.Individuals can see themselves as actors in these events, and the emotional charge and the entire situation surrounded by the event is usually part of the memory. On the other hand, Semantic memory is a more structured record of facts, meanings, concepts and knowledge about the external world that we have attained. As stated by Luke Mastic, semantic memory is generally derived from the episodic memory, in that we learn new facts or concepts from our experiences, and the episodic memory is considered to support and underpin semantic memory. 6. Why do we forget? Lucid research. M says that the human memory is a system which is intended to remember information as well as forget information. Generally, we only retain the information we need for as long as we need it , and then it is forgotten. The human brain is constantly bombarded with huge amount of knowledge, and even though the information storage capacity of the human brain is very large, if we store every single item of information that ever reached our senses from the moment we were born, our memory would totally be overloaded before we started school. The fact is: we simply do not need to retain most of the information we receive each day.We only need to preserve some of that information and can safely forget the rest. The trick is to make sure that the information we do need is stored properly in memory ready for memory for a short time provided we strive to keep it there (e. G. By thinking about it or by rehearsing it to ourselves). This process is called short-term memory or at times working memory because we use this when working on any activity, such as listening to a conversation. But unless we also make an active effort to store that information in long-term memory in a semantic form, it will be forgotten very rapidly.Once in long-term memory, information is reasonably permanent. However, if we don't use that information we are likely to find a difficult to access when we need it, and the information is not stored very efficiently, it will also be difficult to access. When we say we have forgotten some item of information what we really mean is either: (a) the information was never properly store in long-term memory in the first place, or (b) the information has been stored in long-term memory but we can't find it because it has been stored in an disorganized way and/or because we haven't used that information for ages. 7.How do we remember, and why do we forget? An article by Shish Uranus said that the notion of memory is so intriguing that we've come up with more metaphors for it than for any other mental phenomenon. Early theories predicted a memory â€Å"Ingram†24, a literal text written by the body to describe past experiences. Freud popularize d descriptions of repressed memories, experiences physically buried in the depths of the subconscious. Modern descriptions are dominated by analogies to computers, in which the human brain is a hard disk that stores experience in electronic files and folders. Our memory represents a change in who we are.Our habits, our ideologies, our hopes and fears are all influenced by what we remember in the past. At the most basic level, we remember because the connections between our brains' neurons change; each experience primes the brain for the next experience. 8. How does the Brain process information Chris McKee said that information processing starts with input from the sensory organs, which transform physical stimuli such as touch, heat, sound waves, or photons of light into electrochemical signals. The sensory information is repeatedly transformed by the algorithms of the brain in both bottom-up and top-down processing.For example, when looking at a picture of a black box on a white ba ckground, bottom-up processing puts together very simple information such as color, orientation, and where the borders of the object are – where the color changes significantly over a short space – to decide that you are seeing a box. Top-down processing uses the decisions made at some steps of the bottom-up process to speed up your recognition of the box. Top-down processing in this example might help you identify the object as a black box rather than a box-shaped hole in the white background.Once information is processed to a degree, an attention filter decides owe important the signal is and which cognitive processes it should be made available to. For example, although your brain processes every blade of grass when you look down at your shoes, a healthy attention filter prevents you from noticing them individually. In contrast, you might pick out your name, even when spoken in a noisy room. There are many stages of processing, and the results of processing are 9. W hy do some people have better memory than other people According to Joyce Ward, people vary in the efficiency of their long-term memory.Some have a good memory and some poor long-term memory. This is probably determined partly by hereditary. But research has shown that most of the difference between people with good and poor memory can be attributed to the methods they use to learn that information in the first place. By developing the appropriate memory strategies we automatically store information in a more organized and efficient way that makes it easier for us to locate when we need it. Despite individual differences in memory, research indicates that in most people memory can be improved significantly by appropriate training. His does not mean that we can enlarge the storage capacity of our memory, what it means is that we can make our Emory more efficient, so that it is more likely to absorb new information and hold that information in a way that makes it easy for us to find i t again immediately when we need it. In order for the brain to process information, it must first be stored. There are multiple types of memory, including sensory, working, and long-term. First, information is encoded. There are types of encoding specific to each type of sensory stimuli.For example, verbal input can be encoded structurally, referring to what the printed word looks like, phonemically, referring to what the word sounds like, or semantically, referring to what the word means. Once information is stored, it must be maintained. Some animal studies suggest that working memory, which stores information for roughly 20 seconds, is maintained by an electrical signal looping through a particular series of neurons for a short period of time. Information in long- term memory is hypothesized to be maintained in the structure of certain types of proteins. 0. Capacity of the Human Memory According to Robert Gonzales, the comparison between the human brain and a computer is not a pe rfect one, but it does lend itself to some interesting lines of inquiry. The capacity of an average human head varies, depending on who you ask. Some experts estimates it in as low as 1 terabyte or approximately 1000 gigabytes. The reason behind the 100-terabyte estimate still has its flaws. It assumes, for example, that each synapse store 1 byte of information. In reality, each one could conceivably store more or less than that. 1 1 .Improving the memory No. 1: Stay Mentally Active Just as physical activity helps keep your body in shape, mentally stimulating activities help keep your brain in shape. Do things that challenge your mind such as solving crossword puzzles and learning to play an instrument. No. 2: Socialize regularly Social interaction helps ward of depression and stress, both of which can contribute and other. No. 3: Get organized You are more likely to forget things if your home is cluttered and your notes are in not in order. No. 4: Focus Limit distractions, and don' t try to do many things at once.If you focus on the information that you're trying to remember, you'll be more likely to recall it later. Understanding – if we understand the information it will be easier for us to remember, and if we understand how memory works, it is easier to make it work well for us personally Practice – the more often one does an activity, the more likely he/she will member it- Memory Strategies – ways of processing information that will help a person remember well. Organization – this ensure that information is stored in a more meaningful and well-organized way which is easy for the brain to recall it. 2. Tips for enhancing your ability to learn and remember According to helped. Org, these are some ways on how one can enhance his/her ability to learn and remember. 0 Pay attention – You can't remember something if you never learned it, and you can't learn something?that is, encode it into your brain?if you don't pay enough att ention to it. It takes about eight seconds of intense focus to process a piece of information into your memory. If you're easily distracted, pick a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Involve as many senses as possible.Try to relate information to colors, textures, smells, and tastes. The physical act of rewriting information can help imprint it onto your brain. Even if you're a visual learner, read out loud what you want to remember. Relate information to what you already know. Connect new data to information you already remember, whether it's new material that builds on previous knowledge, or something as simple as an dress of someone who lives on a street where you already know someone. For more complex material, focus on understanding basic ideas rather than memorizing isolated details.

Global Staffing Strategies and Starbucks Essay

Starbucks Corporation (Starbucks) is a specialty coffee retailer of hot and cold beverages, coffee-related accessories, complementary food items, teas, and other non-food related products. Starbucks has retail stores in 39 countries and about 146,000 employees. The company operates primarily in the United States (U.S.) with headquarters in Seattle, Washington (Starbucks, 2007). In the early 1970s, Starbucks was established and the first location was in Seattle’s Pike Place market in 1971. By 1982, Starbucks began supplying coffee to restaurants and coffee shops. Starbucks expanded the business in 1996 to new locations in Japan, Hawaii, and Singapore. Other locations in Taiwan, New Zealand, Thailand, and Malaysia were created in 1998. Starbucks continued to expand globally in 1999, by reaching locations in China, Korea, Kuwait, and Lebanon (Starbucks, 2007). In a hypothetical situation, Starbucks will acquire a similar business in Mexico. The company will explore locations within Mexico and identify the human resource (HR) challenges that will arise from this expansion. Mexico has unique cultural and regulatory factors that need consideration for the development of Starbucks stores. The organization’s effectiveness to succeed in Mexico is dependent upon solving any issues that result from the growth of Starbucks in a new country. Starbucks will address recruitment and selection practices to use in the newly acquired company. Another HR decision is determining the appropriate mixture of expatriates and nationals to ensure the acquisition is successful. The skill and abilities of employees, along with training and development practices, are an essential part of the company’s organizational strategy to achieve goals. The HR department of Starbucks has a considerable amount of research and decision making to ensure this acquisition successful. Mexico’s DemographicMexico is prepared to become the wealthiest country in Latin American between 2008 and 2010 in basic gross domestic product (GDP). The middle class is expanding with employment growth and rising incomes. Mexico has the second highest population in Latin America after Brazil. The  population is young, with the average age of 27.5 years in 2006 (Country Insight, 2007). A survey in 2006 found, in the United States, that 30% of new customers are college graduates and the average age of a new Starbucks customer is 42 (Harris, 2006). Retail investors view Mexico as a major attraction because of the large size of the Mexican market (Country Insight, 2007). Tourism in Mexico plays an important role in the economy. Past presidential elections and hurricanes have steadily declined tourism, but latest indications show that the industry is marketing toward higher-end tourists who are willing to spend more (Country Insight, 2007). The increase in tourism with high-end vacationers will produce a good market for Starbucks. Human Resource ChallengesUnder the Mexican labor laws, an employee’s daily minimum wage must be at least U.S. $4.50, and includes minimum statutory fringe benefits. Very few Mexican residents receive this low minimum daily wage. The fringe benefits include annual vacation compensation of at least six working days at 125% of the salary, an annual bonus of at least 15 days of salary, a profit sharing program that equals 10% of pre-tax earnings distributed among all employees except high officers, and variable payroll contributions for Social Security and worker’s housing. Social Security contributions can be as high as 22.57% of the payroll salary. Worker’s housing contributions are 5% of the payroll salary (Abogados, 2008). The basis for severance payments for termination cases is the actual daily salary of the employee. Salary can consist of any type of bonus, commissions, and any other payment that provides additional economic benefit and may include cars or club fees. To calculate the severance compensation, divide the total of all these services in the last calendar year by 365 or the actual period worked in the year. Severance payments are also dependent upon the type of termination (Abogados, 2008). The three types of termination are termination with fair cause, termination without fair cause, and termination by mutual agreement. Termination without fair cause allows the employee to collect three month’s salary, 20 days of  additional salary for each year of employment, a seniority premium equal to 12 days for every year of employment, prorated vacation, annual bonus, and profit sharing for the year of termination. These additional salary requirements continue to accrue after the date of termination until the date of payment. Termination with fair cause permits the employee to many of the same benefits except the three’s months salary and additional 20 days. Employees generally do not consent to a mutual agreement unless termination compensation exists. This payment usually equals less than the termination without fair cause (Abogados, 2008). Many of the employment laws in Mexico are similar to the United States. The right to form unions, the right to worker’s compensation, the right to safety, the right to be free from forced labor, and the right to be free from discrimination. Mexicans must consist of at least 90% of the employees in a Mexican company. According to the Commission for Labor Cooperation (n.d.), the most important Mexican labor and employment law to realize is â€Å"there is a single court in every state that deals with most labor and employment disputes, including collective labor relations, unjustified terminations, disputes about whether an on-the-job injury occurred, and equal pay problems†(p. 1). In Mexico, to discriminate against workers because of sex, their social status, political opinion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, or age, as well as other grounds, is illegal. Overtime pay in Mexico must equal twice the amount of regular wages (Commission for Labor Cooperation, n.d.). In 2007 and 2008, the government is pushing for a new labor market bill to reduce the strictness in employment legislation. Congress must obtain a two-thirds vote to pass this bill and that will be complicated. Shortages of skills remain an issue in Mexico (EIU Viewswire, 2006). All the regulations in Mexico that differ from those in the United States will present challenges for Starbucks. Hiring a consulting firm or a group of attorneys who are well versed in the Mexican labor and employment laws will aid Starbucks in understanding and interpreting these laws. Going global can be risky if performed improperly and leaves no room for wrong interpretations of the laws and regulations. Understanding the daily wage  versus an hourly wage, discrimination policies, along with the termination packages can affect the profits of Starbucks immensely. Starbucks must evaluate the turnover, labor, and skills availability in the Mexican market. The need for multilingual employees is a necessity to serve the members of the community and the tourists. Scarcity of workers who speak English is a common problem for investors. Mexico, a country much ridiculed from those critical of the United States trade agreement because of its lower labor costs, has observed companies adjust investment decisions. Skilled labor is an issue receiving more attention as companies seek low-cost sourcing programs and workers with a high competency in English (Jackson, Houdard, & Highfield, 2008). As Starbucks and other companies look to venture into Mexico, the need to understand cultural differences and to study different management practices proves critical. Attention to human resource management is necessary when making strategic choices in the various business avenues available in Mexico. Researchers believe that most companies do not give enough attention to human resource issues. To maximize performance issues such as recruiting, selection, training, compensation, and performance management that require thorough planning and organizing human resources, strategic management is a requirement. Understanding these human resources issues contributes to employee motivation, performance, satisfaction, and empowerment. These factors are critical aspects to an organization’s effectiveness. The common personnel problems that companies encounter are in the areas of loyalty, staffing, decision-making, promotions, compensation, and performance management. Human resource management practices can be the most challenging undertaking for companies, especially when handling cultural changes (Rao, 2001). Mexicans view joint ventures as an opportunity to increase their economic status and as a career opportunity. As more companies move to Mexico, U.S. practices are becoming more acceptable. The ideas of quality circles, flat organizations, teamwork, pay-for-performance, and a careful selection process are more customary. In Mexico, the cultural view of work and  personal life activities intermingles. Because of this attribute, hiring and recruiting mix both personal and work activities (Rao, 2001). Commonly multiple interviews for managerial level positions are performed in an effort to select a candidate who demonstrates a good fit. Hiring qualified personnel with joint ventures will achieve the company’s objectives. Developing a strategic recruitment practice to generate a qualified labor source to ensure effective employee selection is recommended. Employees with adequate technical, organizational, and interpersonal skills should be selected. Bilingual skills are very important in the selection process. Social referrals are widely used in Mexico in the selection process. According to Rao (2001),Social referrals are used. However, the credentials are looked at only as a courtesy. The credentials are not looked at close enough. I specifically know a couple of social referrals, known to the upper hierarchy, who did not perform up to the company standards. These employees had to be removed, taking care, that no disruptions were caused in the social hierarchy. Social referrals are both good and bad. On the positive side, employees are sometimes the best recruiters (p. 16). Mexicans have a strong sense of loyalty toward their bosses. The idea of corporate loyalty is not part of the culture. This results in high employee turnover. To increase organizational loyalty, frequently conducting company-oriented training sessions assists in conquering this issue. The training sessions help develop and instill a sense of commitment, loyalty, and understanding of the company. Orientation programs should provide information on the company’s mission, goals, and strategies that provide the employees with opportunities for socialization, which is valued, by the Mexican employees. Rao (2001) states that U.S. companies usually placed low emphasis on such training programs and invest little. Both U.S. and Mexican companies consider training costly, but many joint ventures have found training programs to have considerable benefits. Ford’s executives believe the joint venture with the Hermosillo plant in Mexico concerning the training and development programs are the main reasons for increased commitment, satisfaction, and a reduction in employee turnover. Starting  with selection and all the way through retention practices, human resource policies can influence employee satisfaction and motivation and consequently the performance of the organization (Rao, 2001). Based on the research of human resource practices and polices in Mexico, the recruitment and selection process can be based on social referrals. Using the existing employees acquired through the purchase of a similar company, Starbucks will continue using the social referral policy. At least two expatriates with Spanish speaking abilities will be sent to each Starbuck’s coffee shop to oversee the transition. This will allow coverage for all shifts. All other employees will be nationals. An assessment of skills necessary for the positions will completed to ensure all skills are identified. Goldstein’s model, which consists of the assessment phase, the training and development phase, and the evaluation phase, will be used (Dreher & Dougherty, 2001). The employee skills necessary will be bilingual, with good interpersonal and communication skills. The employees must possess a cheerful attitude. The ability to read and follow directions in making different items on the menu is another necessity. Establishing relationships with local colleges will prove beneficial in hiring personnel with these abilities in conjunction with the social referral method. Training sessions on the procedures will be offered with face-to-face, hands-on sessions. In auditing the effectiveness of the human resource management, the collection of data will be performed. The data will include hiring statistics such as the acceptance rate, hiring rate, and hiring projections, turnover ratios, exit interviews, employee complaints, and the human resource budgets and expenditures. The level of complaints will consist of, but not limited to, discrimination, harassment, and safety. Another method for auditing will be internal interviews asking what are the perceptions of the company and its goals, the strengths and weaknesses of management, the relations with coworkers, what HR functions work well and what needs improvement, and any other issues the employees cares to discuss. Customer satisfaction cards will be available at all Starbucks locations to obtain results concerning customer service. A legal audit of personnel files and recordkeeping, pay equity, job descriptions, legal postings, Equal  Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, Workerâ⠂¬â„¢s Compensation, and other Mexican legislature is a requirement. Conclusion As Starbucks moves into Mexico with the recent acquisition, many human resource management obstacles will be observed. Understanding the difference legislation Mexico has compared to the United States will be a large undertaking. Complying with these laws while being profitable, will determine the market prices for the coffee products. Reducing turnover, hiring the right people, offering a high-level of training and development is a critical factor for Starbucks. Understanding the culture, along with the skills and abilities necessary to provide excellent customer service will determine the success of the company. Audit results will provide the HR department with information to improve the process. If Starbucks follows the guidelines of Mexico, while instilling U.S. policies, a successful and profitable business should develop. Working in a foreign country can be successful or a failure. Understanding the culture and values of the country, as well as the people, will provide opportunities for Starbucks, the Mexican government and the Mexican people. References Abogados, V. (2008). Mexican labor relationships. Retrieved , from http://www.solutionsabroad.comCommission for Labor Cooperation. (n.d.). Foreign Worker’s Guide to Labor and Employment Laws. Retrieved , from http://www.naalc.orgDreher, G. & Dougherty, T.W. (2001). Human Resource Strategy. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-text]. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved , from University of Phoenix, rEsource, MMPBL530-Human Capital Development Web site. Harris, C. (2006). Starbucks wants to open 40,000 new stores. Seattlepi. Retrieved , from http://seattlepi.nwsource.comJackson, M., Houdard, F., & Highfield, M. (2008). Room to grow: business location, global expansion and resource deficits. Journal of Business Strategy 29(1), p. 34-39. Retrieved , from EIU Newswire database. Mexico an expanding consumer market. (2007). Retrieved , from Country Insight database. Mexico: Business environment at a glance. (2006). Country overview. Retrieved from EIU Viewswire database. Rao, P. (2001). Human resource issues: US-Mexico joint ventures. Retrieved , from http://www.usmcoc.orgStarbucks. (2007). Starbucks Corporation overview. Retrieved , from MarketLine Business Information Center database.

Dream to be a doctor PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dream to be a doctor - PowerPoint Presentation Example My SAT’s prove my assertions. I received a 2210 on my SAT. On my SAT II I received a 760 in Chemistry, 750 in Biology, and 800 in Math II. My GPA was 4.0, with a top 10% ranking in my class. My unique qualifications are my three years experience working in medical institutions. I spent time at Cornell Medical School and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, I grew passionate about oncology. Interacting with the patients was very personally fulfilling. I have always been attracted to the learning about medicinal issues, but finally interacting with them made me more determined to become a medical doctor. I also have talents to balance out the stresses of medical school. One of my talents is playing the piano. Anytime I am stressed, I can lose myself in the music. After playing for a short time, I can refocus on my studies or any other problem in my

The Vietnam War, Conflict on the US Research Paper

The Vietnam War, Conflict on the US - Research Paper Example The U.S. spent great sums over 10 years on military actions in Southeast Asia. The money spent sending a military force overseas takes away needed funds for domestic purposes and usually accrues a debt that must be repaid, with interest over time, generally over many generations. Borrowing to fund wars increases the National Debt which damages the entire economy. The geopolitical realities resulting from the War created a multitude of undesirable effects. The U.S. lost political capital from the people of South Vietnam during the conflict when it incessantly bombed North Vietnam, an unexpected development that was detrimental to the war effort. The U.S. also lost credibility both at home and among all foreign nations following the outcome of the War. The neo-conservative â€Å"war-hawk† philosophy was born during this era. Evidently the people who lived during and witnessed the Vietnam era did not learn the obvious lessons the War provided. The tough lesson learned from U.S. i nvolvement in Southeast Asia was that having the stronger military force does not ensure victory. Although an estimated three million enemy soldiers was killed compared to approximately 58,000 Americans the â€Å"big dog† of the fight ultimately ran home humiliated and beaten with its tail between its legs. Due to the unprecedented media coverage of the conflict, the awful truths of the war were broadcast which caused the U.S. to quickly lose credibility in every country including its own. (Howell, 1984). â€Å"The extensive bombing campaigns and numerous offensives caused massive amounts of destruction on the Vietnamese and their property which only served to alienate the indigenous community. It galvanized the enemy and opponents of the war in both Vietnam and America and led many to question the ethics of the campaigns.† (Olney, 1990 p.80-85) The limits of American supremacy were plainly evidenced by the abuse of its military dominance. The U.S. gained many enemies while losing prestige and respect worldwide. Moreover, if the U.S. had never involved itself in Vietnam, the limitations of its armed forces would not be as evident and the U.S. would still today be considered as mightier and more effective than it really is therefore would carry more political influence than it currently does. However, this unfortunate truth is probably soon to be a moot issue because the U.S. status as the world’s lone superpower is a short-lived situation. Great sums of money are needed to assemble and sustain a military force to maintain the â€Å"superpower† status, money which the U.S. could not afford then and does not have now. The biggest threat to national security is not the â€Å"red menace† as was warned of during the Vietnam era or the terrorist â€Å"evil doers† of today. The National Debt (external), presently topping $13 Trillion, is seemingly a concern in theory only to elected leaders. However, it threatens to not simpl y weaken the military but to plunge the country into a â€Å"third world† status. The U.S. is still considered a sound investment and has a limitless ability to get loans without difficulty, but these loans must be repaid, with interest. â€Å"Saudi Arabia, Japan, China and other countries own a large piece of America, a potentially disastrous prospect. One or a combination of creditor countries could cause a sudden and shocking reduction of the economy which would further increase the debt.† (Okimoto, 2009) The Vietnam War divided America along philosophical battle lines. The older faction of the

Heat Transfer from Steam to Water Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Heat Transfer from Steam to Water - Lab Report Example This research is derived from the basic knowledge of heat energy. The heat content of an object is reflected in the temperature behavior in the object. In the process of evaporation, it is clear that steam gives up the latent heat of vaporization to an object subjected to it, leading to condensation on the surface (Incropera and Dewitt 49). The object of condensation carries a sensible heat at the same temperature as that of the original steam. The experiment tests the pattern and rate of heat flow from steam to the object on which condensation takes place. In the steam, the latent heat of vaporization is generated instantly while condensation of the steam to water takes place. From the background of evaporation, the quantity of latent heat is between 2 to5 times more than the quantity of the sensible heat in the water after it cools (Fan 77). The data collected will be used to conduct analysis and test the hypothesis be plotting the relationship between the transfer rate and the rate of flow of the heat. The principal purpose of this project is to test the heat transfer as the steam changes to liquid water. This requires an important process of determining the quantity of heat energy consumed during the entire procedure of condensing the steam. It also aims to estimate the quantity of the latent heat used in other processes. Like in the case of boiling, heat is used to transform water into steam. This experiment compares the heat spent in heating water to its boiling point that released during condensation of the steam. Finally, this experiment evaluates the manner of heat transfer in condensation to find out if the temperature changes in the process. The equipment in this project includes a tank, pumps, heat exchanger, steam jet vacuum, surface condenser. This experiment is to compute the coefficient of heat transfer.  

Station Nightclub Fire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Station Nightclub Fire - Research Paper Example The video footage reveals that the smoke of the fire acted as the disincentive for the crowd to break through and the exit blockade acted as the catalyst (NIST Engineering Laboratory, 2011). The first flames were thought to be the part of the act. When the flames reached the ceiling and the smoke began to spread all throughout the club, people realized that the fire is not under control. Within a few seconds after the polytechnics ended the band stopped to play and most band members took the escape route through the west. The fire alarm of the club acutely made everyone aware of the danger while most tried to take the way through which they entered. The massive crowd led to stampede and the exit got completely blocked. This resulted in deaths and severe injuries for the staffs. After the tragedy the Governor declared a moratorium on the displays of pyrotechnic for the venues that can hold less than 300 people. After five months of the accident, the band started a benefit tour. A portion of the generated proceeds were forwarded to the Station Family Fund. The site was cleared and the relatives left a multitude of crosses for the deceased. The members who managed to survive intended to acquire the site and place a permanent memorial. Since the month of May, 2003, nondenominational services started at the fire site on monthly basis. The members of the affected families and the friends who lost their dear ones gathered to take part in the memorial. The Station Fire Memorial Foundation was formed in June, 2003. The purpose of the foundation was to purchase the property and take care of the memorial. The Foundation is still continuing the services on yearly basis. Investigations started to dig out the cause of the fire. The investigation included local and the f ederal agencies. The investigators interviewed the witnesses and visited the scene. The scene was divided

Pinterest Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pinterest - Research Paper Example Pinterest Community is an archive site that articulates different forms of communication given the fact that the community takes into account the aspect of technology at hand. These forms of communication include; Email has turned into a standard manifestation of business correspondence, particularly for short messages that oblige movement. This sort of engineering based correspondence permits you to deal with a ton of clients, and also accomplices and different stakeholders without long discussions. Advanced programming of Pinterest permits one to send the same email to all invested individuals with the goal that you can keep the message, name, and items in the front line of their brains. Messaging has turned into the most individual manifestation of business correspondence the extent that Pinterest Community and their movement is considered. While you may give your email location to numerous individuals, your particular content number is saved for a couple of close cohorts. Your correspondences by content have a tendency to be more critical than email. In the event that Pinterest business is moving excessively gradually, this has been considered a channel to analyze whether there is message exploitation. Interpersonal organization destinations, for example, Facebook and Myspace has been a vital apparatus to contact of different society through offering of thoughts the extent that Pinterest group is of concern. The group has changed in accordance with these types of correspondence style to a more casual methodology. Rather than deals pitches, spot messages on these locales that sound like you have a great arrangement for your companions. The statement "website" is another way to say "web log." Amateurs frequently compose these destinations, however getting a blogger to survey an item or administration might be a great approach to spread the saying about your little

Management Issues in Relation to International Travel and Tourism Essay

Management Issues in Relation to International Travel and Tourism - Essay Example Sustainability Management in Tourism 08 5.1 Depletion of Natural Resources 09 5.2 Emission of Greenhouse Gases 09 5.3 Damaging Ecosystem 09 5.4 How to Develop Sustainability? 10 6. Human Resource Management in TUI 11 6.1 Training 12 6.2 Staffing 14 7. Conclusion 15 Bibliography 17 1. Executive Summary Tourism is probably one of the fastest growing industries with an operational network over the entire globe. Many parts of the world have observed positive effects from tourism because it contains an idea of incessant development and modernism. The industry observed almost over 940 million tourists across the world during 2010 with 4.7% increasing financial receipt, ending by US$919 billion (World Tourism Organization, 2011). Depending upon specific area and region, the international travel and tourism industry has substantial effects on cultural and social aspects of a society. By nature, the industry deals with numbers of management issues and in modern scenario the role of these mana gement issues are increasing day by day. In several perspectives, the industry has also close association with global hospitality industry. This report primarily deals with those key management issues which are frequently related to this industry and tourists. On the basis of data collected through various online and offline resources, the report not only highlights the key management issues but it also describes the sustainable tourism and the recommendations to improve it. The last part of the report is regarding HRM policies of TUI in the perspective of global hospitality. 2. Introduction Since by nature, international travel and tourism industry has a vast horizon of operations, therefore behavior of industry also changes with certain changes in any of its associated field. International travel and tourism involves several key management issues and a close coordination between these management issues is the key to success for the companies. The key management issues include prod uct and service management, lodging, food and beverages control, communication, guest accounting, energy management, safety and security management, and tourism sustainability management. Besides these, industry also observes conventional management issues like human resource, financial, political, and marketing management issues. 3. Objectives The main objectives of the report are to highlight the areas where international travel and tourism industry faces management issues and challenges along with the role of gastronomic tourism in context of global hospitality industry. Sustainability tourism is one of the hot issues of tourism management. The study has the objective to have an overview of it and provide recommendations for its improvement. 4. Discussions and Analysis 4.1 Product Distribution Management Product distribution is the most important aspect in the field of international travel and tourism. Its horizon is very much broad as in terms of product and services, it include s the marketing, advertising, sales, and reservations etc. in modern scenario; information technology has revolutionized the product distribution of tourism. Leading tourism companies like TUI, Hilton International etc offer online reservations system to the tourists. Online websites, broachers, and yellow pages are used for the advertising of the product or services. The scope of travel and tourism is very vast because numbers of other activities like pick and drop from air ports; ATM facility, internet, gymnasium and entertaining are the services which are

Adolf Hitler Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Adolf Hitler - Research Paper Example However, his rule ended following the U.S and Russia invasion that led to German defeat and unconditional surrender. After German’s defeat, Hitler committed suicide to avoid being captured and tried for crimes against humanity (Price 35). During his aggressive years, and in the quest to rule over Germany, Adolf left Vienna to settle in Munich but was coerced to return to Austria-Hungary. In the following year, he willingly joined the Bavarian army where he served during the First World War period. His war experiences influenced his thinking about the future of Germany. Following the end of world war one, Hitler took over the German Nationalist Socialist Party, which hoped, would propel him to power. He was an ambitious person who hoped to restructure and rebuild Germany following its humiliation in the First World War. In his program, Hitler aimed to build a racist German that could conquer a series of wars to expand people of German descent to the entire part of world and exclusively take control over it (Toland 51). Hitler believed that Germany had to fight wars all over the world in order to settle German people everywhere on the globe. In his quest for world domination, he started by invading Czechoslovakia, which was followed by a difficult against Britain and France. In his third war, he hoped to fight the Soviet Unions, which he thought would be easy and simple, and would offer raw materials particularly oil for the fourth war against the United States of America. Hitler assumed that the war against the United States of America would be simple because German would use super battle ships and planes that would hit the powerful U.S navy. Once he assumed power in German, all these plans and preparations were implemented but failed to bear fruits since enemies he perceived as weak and feeble fiercely repelled him. In 1938, Hitler invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia as a strategic position to attack France and

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

American History - Essay Example Whatever the cause of one of the fiercest wars in American history, it is worth noting that the event is a good example of interconnection between economics, politics and race. The North was very different from the south in terms of the economy and this in turn affected the politics of the day with the central question being the place of slavery in the economy. Slavery on the other hand, was a strong indicator of racism in America as it was a sign of white supremacy which the Southern whites fought hard to keep. These slaves were very vital to the prosperity of the Southern economy and affected the politics of the day as it gave the slave owners the right to control politics (Egnal, 2009). These large plantation owners required slaves to tend to their cotton plantations thus were against abolition of slavery whereas the North most dependent on industries had no need for slaves thus advocated abolition. The aim of this paper is to show how politics, economics and race are interconnect ed. To achieve this, the paper will discuss one historical event where these issues are interconnected: the civil war. More so, it will discuss the causes of the war to show that it was a result of politics, economics and racism manifested in slavery. ... It is this high population that led to election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860 even without support from the south. As such, the north sought labor for its manufacturing sector and it was in form of free labor. This was due to the capitalistic economy and republican ideals which favored liberal policies as opposed to slavery. The north advocated for rapid economic modernization which entailed imposition of tariffs, internal improvements at the expense of government and introduction of a national bank (Engle, 2001). The north also had iron and coal deposits as well as enough water for moving the economy thus were favored by the tariffs. On the other hand, the south did not have minerals and as such relied on agricultural production to drive the economy especially cotton plantations. The cotton produced would be sent to the north for manufacturing as there were no industries in the south. Owing to this fact, the south was against introduction of a national bank and internal im provement at federal expense as it only favored the north (Egnal, 2009). There were few plantation owners and few small farmers in the south thus the plantation owners controlled the economy of the south. Due to the expansive plantations owned by the whites, extensive labor was needed and this was sourced from slavery. Slaves were brought in from Africa and these were considered inferior than whites hence prevalence of racism. The southern economy was dependent on slave labor hence the quest for secession to avoid the outcome of the abolitionist movement that was cropping up in the north. The civil war thus was prompted by the differences in the economies of the two regions and

Shinto Illustration Essay Example for Free

Shinto Illustration Essay There are many religions in the world. Some are more well-known than others. One of the lesser known Asian religions is the Japanese religion, Shinto. Unless a person travels to Japan or can interact with someone who is willing to share a little about his or her religion, no one will know anything about it. Shinto is ancient native religion of Japan still practiced in a form modified by the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism (Infoplease.com, 2014). According to Molloy (2013), â€Å"Shinto has no known person or group as its founder. In fact, its mysterious origins date back to the ancient people of Japan and their stories of how the world came into being.† Its followers of this religion rarely know the name of the deity they are worshiping, nor do they care to, because their concern lies in whether they can feel its existence. Many aspects contribute to Shintoism in its entirety including nature, the kami, shrines, ceremonies, purification, and festivals. It wasn’t until the invasion of Buddhism into Japan that forces the people to give the religion its name. The main aspects of the practice of Shinto are affinity with natural beauty, harmony with spirits, and purification rituals. The people believe in the divine to be all around them because the beauty and power of nature surrounded them. However, Shinto is more than a nature religion; it also has ethnic and family dimensions. The people of Japan also worship the spirits of their departed ancestors or great leaders of the past. As it has already mentioned; the entry of Buddhism into Japan in the sixth century AD force Shinto to define itself. It then became a complicated process because Shinto belief is so similar to that of the Mahayana Buddhism. Even with the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism, Shinto did not die out. In fact, it took a man name Mutsuhito to step up to the plate and take over the reign of Emperor to get things moving and reinstate the Shinto religion to its fullest capacity. Shinto even became a  national religion, where shrines received national status and priest became official government employees. Unfortunately, it did not stay that way. Japans defeat in World War II brought the disentanglement of the State Shinto; the Emperor destroyed its chief foundation as well as denouncing his divinity. Shinto shrines were returned to private religious practice, and all religions were equal footing. Theoretically, Shinto became strictly private religion but in reality it retains a special place in national life (Molloy, 2013). In its present form; Shinto is characterized less by religious doctrine or belief than by the observance of popular festivals, traditional ceremonies, and customs, many involving pilgrimages to shrines. Currently, there is no dogmatic and no formulated code of morals (Infoplease.com, 2014). However, Shinto practice is usually wherever large Japanese communities exist. The common religious practice that still exists today are worship at Shrines, Celebration of the New Year, Observance of the seasons and nature, and other Shinto practices such as daily worships in an individual’s home. Reference: Infoplease.com: Shinto. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/shinto-history-development.html Molloy, M. (2013). Experiencing The Worlds Religions: Traditions, Challenge, and Change (6th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection.

Black social movements Essay Example for Free

Black social movements Essay Race is used by social scientists to refer to distinctions drawn from physical appearance (skin color, eye shape, physiognomy), and ethnicity is used to refer to distinctions based on national origin, language, religion, food, and other cultural markers. â€Å"Race has a quasi-biological status and among psychologists, the use of race terminology is hotly debated In the United States, race is also a socially defined, politically oppressive categorization scheme that individuals must negotiate while creating their identities. † (Frable , 1997, 139) Before the Black Power Phase of the Black Social Movement, blacks displayed a decidedly dualistic worldview. After 1968, a trend toward a black perspective, which is almost as significant as the dualistic frame, becomes apparent. A reactionary, extreme pro white position is seldom advocated: The dualistic, integrationist ethic was perhaps stronger in the past than it is today, although it is probably still the dominant ideology among blacks. Finally, over the past 25+ years, a nationalistic black oriented ideology has become increasingly important in discussions of black affairs. The racial and ethnic identity terms are often used inappropriately in psychology. While black immigrants to the United States may have a racial identity as black, their ethnic identity reflects their country of origin; racial identity is much more likely to be problematic in the United States than ethnic identity. Whether a researcher assesses racial identity, ethnic identity, or some combination may only be clear after reading the Methods section of their report. EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY CHANGE: 1968-PRESENT The Black Social Movement had two phases: (1) the Civil Rights Phase, which lasted from 1954-1967 and (2) the Black Power Phase, which began to take hold from 1965-1967. (See Exhibit 1) 118 or 73% were conducted during the period 1968-1977. Of these, 22 (19%) were Black group oriented, 84 (71%) were personal self-worth related and 12 (10%) applied personal self-worth and Black group oriented measures on the same sample. A significant number of both Black group and personal self-worth studies from this period show blacks with an increased in-group orientation and adequate to above average levels of self-esteem. (Allen et al, pg. 161)The Black Movement has increased the probability that more blacks will superimpose a black orientation upon a greater variety of situations. As a perspective, the extent to which the world view of the mainstream group (Americanism) has been internalized by a Black person is not one of self-rejection as it was in the past. As a result, some 20 years later and as a side product of the mind set change, Hip-hop (music) was created in the mid-seventies as black social movements began to take less noticeable role in the African-American communities and mainstream media, and replaced by electoral politics. â€Å"It has deep sixties cultural and political roots; Gil Scott-Heron and The Last Poets are considered the forebears of rap. But once the institutions that supported radical movements collapsed or turned their attention elsewhere, the seeds of hip- hop were left to germinate in American society at large-fed by its materialism, misogyny and a new, more insidious kind of state violence. † (Ards, 1999, p. 11) This suggests racial motivation impetus more of a political-cultural propensity rather than a psychological trait. All along, even during the racial segregation and Jim Crow, Blacks have consistently had a high sense of personal worth. The Black Movement probably had a less dramatic effect on the personal identity as opposed to the reference group orientation of black people as whole. Blacks have had, and continue to have, a multifaceted reference group orientation that determine behavior depending upon the situation being confronted. BLACK ELITE LIBERAL CONCEPT Is this America? Land of the Free and Home of the Brave? Fannie Lou Hamers question still rivets attention, for it is at once radical and conservative, communitarian and individualistic, a plaintive cry and a hardened protest, fiercely American and defiant of America. (Robinson, 1997, p. 179) While not a new paradigm in and of itself (and while certainly reductionist), Cedric J. Robinson, in Black Movement in America, calls for framework forces one to consider social movements. He points out that the very success of black activism during the Civil War would point the way toward future divisions within black political culture. Both free black leaders and the masses of Southern slaves who rebelled against their masters turned a white war into a battle over slavery and racial injustice. (Newman, 1999, 683) Slaverys destruction, ironically, removed a common focus of protest, and more importantly, enticed certain black elites to accept the liberal concept of changing American political culture by trying to join it and reform it from within. These elite representatives were largely irrelevant in Robinsons eyes, for the black masses focused on community-building and autonomy (Robinson, 1997, p. 92). The black social movements of the 60’s and 70’s single indicator of common social beliefs may simply be related with other dimensions and intangibles yet to be discovered or even recognized. In brief, due to the impact of during the ten to fifteen year span, black consciousness and awareness had become so pervasive throughout the black population that by the late seventies†¦Ã¢â‚¬  a single item tapping common-fate solidarity was adequate to capture a fully politicized sense of group consciousness. Of course, other changes in the political landscape may also contribute to such a shift. For instance, collective political efficacy among black Americans may have been enhanced by the growing number of black elected officials. † (Bobo Gilliam 1990) A generation has almost passed since the social activisms of the late 50’s and upheaval turbulent 60s and birth of modern day public black social movement. There are now thousands of black elected and appointed officials throughout the United States. Southern presidents have been elected to the White House since 1976, both of whom received the overwhelming support of the African American electorate. A great deal of literature has been devoted to the position that Black working people and the poor challenged the â€Å"system† by establishing, ad hoc or organized significant black social movements that were rooted simultaneously in a political and social tempest. However, thus knowing that a person has a strong black identity will not inform the listener about the nature of his/her personal identity; however, it gives considerable insight into the persons value system, political posture, and cultural stance. REFERENCE(S) Deborrah E. S. Frable , 1997, Article Title: Gender, Racial Ethnic, Sexual andClass Identities. Journal Title: Annual Review of Psychology. Volume: 48. Page Number: 139+. Angela Ards, 1999, Organizing the Hip-Hop Generation. Magazine Title: The Nation. Volume: 269. Issue: 4. Publication Date: July 26,1999 Page Number: 11. Cedric J. Robinson, 1997, Black Movements in America. (New York: Routledge,. p. 179, 92 ) Rich Newman, 1999, Black Movements in America. Journal Title: The Historian. Volume: 61. Issue: 3. Publication Page Number: 683. Walter Recharde Allen, Geraldine Kearse Brookins, Margaret Beale Spencer,1985, Beginnings: The Social and Affective Development of Black Children. Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Place of Publication: Hillsdale, NJ. Bobo, Lawrence. 1988 Attitudes Toward The Black Political Movement: Trends, Meaning, and Effects on Racial Policy Preferences. Social Psychology Quarterly 51:287-302. Gilliam, Franklin D. , and Kenny J. Whitby. 1989 . Race, Class, and Attitudes Toward Social Welfare Spending: An Ethclass Interpretation. Social Science Quarterly 70:88-100.

Comparison Of Parmenides And Heraclitus Philosophy Essay

Comparison Of Parmenides And Heraclitus Philosophy Essay At the first sight Heraclitus and Parmenides uphold the opposite principles, with their doctrines being in dramatic contrast, while the former affirms change, becoming and cyclic recurrence of things and the latter denies their existence. For Heraclitus true being is circular and transforms into not-being, life turns into death and the change that occurs is eternal and cyclical, it truly is (Graham). While for Parmenides true being is motionless and static, it does not change behind the appearance of change. Both philosophers indirectly abolished death by stamping becoming with the seal of being (McFarlane). But, actually, Parmenides and Heraclitus asserted the One. They merely applied to different approaches to teach the same things. Heraclitus affirmed that diverse appearances change, therefore opposites exist in interconnection, depend on each other and are in unity. He conceived a unity of opposites and accepted becoming, while Parmenides refuted opposites, accentuated being and claimed: Being is ungenerated and indestructible, whole, of one kind and unwavering and complete. Nor was it, nor will it be, since now it is, all together, one, continuous. Hereby, different appearances of reality do not truly change, because they so not exist. Parmenides considered that change is impossible, as everything is staying the same, being one single static element, but his opponent, Heraclitus, on the contrary, affirmed that everything is in constant flux, it is changing and his statement everything flows and you cannot step into one and the same river twice have become phrases. He argued that one cannot step twice into the same river, nor touch mortal substance twice in the same condition. By the speed of change, it scatters, and gathers again, so the river will be different every time it is regarded (Graham). Claiming that motion is change, Heraclitus became known for his philosophy of universal flux and fire that, according to him, was the basic material of the world, as well as his controversial theory of coinciding opposites. The philosopher is considered to be independent of a definite school, as this heritage is multilayered and comprises elements of material monism and scientific cosmology, metaphysics and rationalism, but he definitely was a revolutionary whose works despite they were profoundly studied remain controversial and challenging to interpret (Graham). The Greek philosopher presents uses the inductive method by means of which he wants the others to understand the world, he habitually presents a simple situation giving a concrete image, hereby he enables readers to educate themselves. To convey his beliefs more fruitfully Heraclitus uses such stylistic devices as chiasmus and alliteration in his speeches in defense of the theory. The philosopher diligently reiterates that his readers will not understand his message, but he promises to try to explain them everything he is able to see to: distinguish each thing according to its nature and show how it is (Graham). The form in which Heraclitus presents his work is essential for understanding its essence, he uses the technique of verbal complexity and syntactical ambiguity, Charles Kahn, for instance, characterizes his style with two words linguistic density and resonance. With his style similar to Hesoid and the Orphics Parmenides is supposed to have written only one work entitled On Nature that is unfortunately preserved only in fragments, though it originally extended to about eight hundred verses. Parmenides broke the prose tradition by writing it in hexameter verse and was widely quoted by the later authors who kept it for the future generations. The philosopher speaks in support of his principles in the Proem that has a number of interpretation variants and is regarded by contemporary scholars in the aspect of the strict monism, logical-dialectics, meta-principle etc. The work deals with the goddess who must reveal the two ways to Parmenides and he should chose the better one. The two ways present his former error and the truth that becomes clear to him. The work consists of two parts, the first one concerns the truth or the true reality and the second deals with the world of illusion, that is the world of senses and opinions. In the fragment 8 t he goddess utters the philosophers principle of the universal statics by claiming: As yet a single tale of a way remains, that it is; and along this path markers are there very many, that What Is isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ whole and uniform, and still and perfect à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with the past or the future being meaningless for the reason. Parmenides believed that the reality is and must be in the strictest sense and any alternation in it is not possible. Remarkably, in Parmenidess Proem the goddess criticizes ordinary men for being guided with their senses. Unlike Heraclitus, the thinker judges merely by reason and never trusts the senses. In the human perception the world is nothing but a deceitful show (Palmer). Several other fragments found indicate that Parmenides touched upon the themes of physiology and human thought in his work and claimed that our own selves are deceptive and accentuated subjectivity of individual perception. While Heraclitus also emphasizing human affairs is supposed to be the first humanist, who proves the blindness of humans in his doctrine. Though he believed that humans are frequently incapable of understanding, let alone wisdom, he does not deny the importance of senses and says: The things of which there is sight, hearing, experience, I prefer. The philosopher connected accumulation of wisdom with senses and memory rather than with knowledge, and the latter does not necessarily teach humans understanding. So, in accordance with Heraclitus, people do not learn by experience, as they cannot process the information they perceive, however, humans still exercise self-knowledge and sound thinking. To comprehend his insights one should catch their complexity and discover the unity of the elements (Graham). According to Guthrie, for Parmenides there was no cosmology, as he presented the proofs of the impossibility of the opposites existence. Conceiving the plurality of normal beliefs, the philosopher, however, makes mention of cosmology principles in the fragments 8 and 9 where he discusses light and night, as well as the stars, sun, moon and the earth itself. Commenting on his cosmology, Guthrie remarked that for he philosophy it remains just a dialectical device used for viewing the picture of the physical and sensible world (Palmer). The evidence of that is found in the goddesss words when she characterizes cosmology as: the beliefs of mortals. Contrary to Parmenides, Heraclitus being a cosmologist mentions in his texts the kosmos order describing the world around us, that he identifies with fire. Fire is described in his doctrine as the origin of all, all things are merely manifestations of fire and it is a symbol of change because it is never the same, without change, according to him, there will be no world. The elements are in cosmic balance and undergo the eternal transformations with no single element gaining predominance (Graham). Heraclitus says in his work: The turnings of fire: first sea, and of sea half is earth, half fireburst. Unlike Parmenides, who proved the impossibility of the existence of opposites in his doctrine, Heraclitus entails the coincidence of opposites and discusses their interconnection, saying: Sea is the purest and most polluted water: for fish drinkable and healthy, for men undrinkable and harmful. According to Herclitus, contrary qualities are included into the same thing, he reasons that th e same thing is living and dead at the same time, it is waking and sleeping, young and old (Graham). However, the philosopher accentuates that though the opposites are correlative, they are never identical to each other. But the coincidence of opposites results in contradictions that cannot be avoided by the philosopher. Barnes, for instance, blames the scholar for violating the principles of logic and making knowledge an impossible thing (Graham). Analyzing the philosophers beliefs as those advocating the radical change, we see that Heraclitus flux is a case of the unity of opposites described in his doctrine. But contemporary analysts claim, he cannot be both a believer in radical flux and a monist, so he is definitely a pluralist who urges self-control and moderation and regards the soul as the moral center of human existence (Graham). Despising passion, he admires the power received through self-mastery and self-purification: It is not good for men to get all that they wish to g et. Whatever our desire wishes to get, it purchases at the cost of soul. Parmenides also discusses the behavior of the humans, is interested in the human thought and reasoning, though his discourse on that matter concerns cosmology. The interconnection becomes clearer as he discusses a wide range of natural phenomena. Being a rigid monist, Heraclitus believed in war, he even praised it calling it a guiding force in the world and claiming: War is father of all and king of all; without the conflict we would have only lifeless uniformity. The philosopher as well as Parmenides speaks of God, however, Hercalitus means neither the Greek Gods nor a personal entity. He considers that God exists in every soul and in every single thing in the world. Due to his fire and flux theory he explains the presence of God in everything on earth. While Parmenides suggests that What Is is a god, and what must be must be or exist and must be what it is, not only temporally but also spatially (Palmer). Though one thinks that the universe is static, eternal and motionless, denies change and becoming, another one affirms them and opens new perspectives for the Greek though by introducing his theory of flux and fire, both have influenced the philosophic tradition and challenged the naÃÆ' ¯ve theories of their predecessors by developing more sophisticated ones. Parmenides, being a metaphysical monist, and Heraclitus, rather independent of any ancient theories, a material monist, a scientific cosmologist and a rationalist, have much more in common than it used to be generally recognized. Moreover, Heraclitus is supposed to inspire Parmenides for developing a contrasting theory, so that they could be seen as representatives advocating constant flux and universal stasis.

The Beginning of the Second World War Essay -- Adolf Hitler, WWII

When the First World War started to come to an end, many people hoped that it would be the last war that Europe had to endure. Unfortunately to many people who lived through the first war, the Second World War surpassed the first in death, scope, brutality, and by the number of people it reached. The roots were not only buried in the First World War, but also in the precious years after it. It was also the result of Axis aggression, a failed peace treaty after the First World War, and the failure of the Allies to stop the expansion and influence of Axis powers. When the First World War started, many people believed that it would be a quick war (Wilkinson 35). To many who looked the combatants, the Entente powers appeared the strongest (35). Though when push came to shove, Germany's industrial might and cracked army came to a shock for the Entente powers (35). The failure of Germany's invasion plan into France, developed by Count Alfred von Schlieffen, lead to trenches being dug by both sides on the Western Front (40). With casualties mounting on both sides, the Germans risked everything in one last offensive into France (68). Defeat would be the collapse of the Central Powers (68). Victory was almost in reach, although the German army could no longer field enough men to attack (69). On September29, 1918, General Erich Ludendorff of the German General Staff, said that only an immediate armistice could save Germany now (69). With mutinies in the navy, revolutions in Bavaria, and the emperor abdicating, Germany signed an armistice ag reement in terms with the Entente powers.( 70). On November 11, 1918, the First World War came to an end.( 70). The end of the war brought a peace treaty that was signed in the Hal... ...sualties. As the Allies slowly pushed the German’s back to Germany, evidence of the Nazi’s racial polices was slowly uncovered. Mass graves and concentration camps slowly began appearing. Soon, people began to realize what they were fighting for and why it was so important to fight that battle. Hitler, with all hope lost, retreated into his bunker in Berlin where he committed suicide during the last few days of the war. Works Cited Mazower, Mark. â€Å"Dark Continent – Europe’s Twentieth Century†. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, 1998 Wasserstein, Bernard. â€Å"Barbarism & Civilization – A history of Europe in our time†. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007 Wilkinson, James. â€Å"Contemporary Europe, A History Ninth Edition†. New Jersey: Simon & Schuster, 1998 Wright, Mark. â€Å"What they didn’t teach you about World War II†. Navato, CA: Presidio Press, 1998

Controlling Process in Management Essay -- Control Methods Technology

Controlling Process in Management Controlling is directly related to planning. The controlling process ensures that plans are being implemented properly. In the functions of management cycle - planning, organizing, directing, and controlling - planning moves forward into all the other functions, and controlling reaches back. Controlling is the final link in the functional chain of management activities and brings the functions of management cycle full circle. Control is the process through which standards for performance of people and processes are set, communicated, and applied. Effective control systems use mechanisms to monitor activities and take corrective action, if necessary. The supervisor observes what happens and compares that with what was supposed to happen. He or she must correct below-standard conditions and bring results up to expectations. Effective control systems allow supervisors to know how well implementation is going. Control facilitates delegating activities to employees. Since supervisors are ultimately held accountable for their employees' performance, timely feedback on employee activity is necessary. Control Process The control process is a continuous flow between measuring, comparing and action. There are four steps in the control process: establishing performance standards, measuring actual performance, comparing measured performance against established standards, and taking corrective action. Step 1. Establish Performance Standards. Standards are created when objectives are set during the planning process. A standard is any guideline established as the basis for measurement. It is a precise, explicit statement of expected results from a product, service, machine, individual, or organizational unit. It is usually expressed numerically and is set for quality, quantity, and time. Tolerance is permissible deviation from the standard. What is expected? How much deviation can be tolerated? Â · Time controls relate to deadlines and time constraints. Material controls relate to inventory and material-yield controls. Equipment controls are built into the machinery, imposed on the operator to protect the equipment or the process. Cost controls help ensure cost standards are met. Employee performance controls focus on actions and behaviors of individuals and groups of employees. Examples inclu... ...properly to be effective. When control standards are inflexible or unrealistic, employees cannot focus on the organization's goals. Control systems must prevent, not cause, the problems they were designed to detect. Performance variance can also be the result of an unrealistic standard. The natural response for employees whose performance falls short is to blame the standard or the supervisor. If the standard is appropriate, then it is up to the supervisor to stand his or her ground and take the necessary corrective action. An example of effective controls is the dashboard on a car. There are many things that can go wrong with a car. Only the most critical items to the car's operation are the focus on the dashboard (oil level, engine heat, fuel gauge, etc.). Variations in these items are most likely to inflict the most damage to the car. The critical items on the dashboard are easily understood and used by drivers. They point out a problem and specify a solution. They are accurate and timely. They call the driver's attention to variations in time to prevent serious damage. Yet, there is not so much information on the dashboard that the driver is overwhelmed. Controlling Process in Management Essay -- Control Methods Technology Controlling Process in Management Controlling is directly related to planning. The controlling process ensures that plans are being implemented properly. In the functions of management cycle - planning, organizing, directing, and controlling - planning moves forward into all the other functions, and controlling reaches back. Controlling is the final link in the functional chain of management activities and brings the functions of management cycle full circle. Control is the process through which standards for performance of people and processes are set, communicated, and applied. Effective control systems use mechanisms to monitor activities and take corrective action, if necessary. The supervisor observes what happens and compares that with what was supposed to happen. He or she must correct below-standard conditions and bring results up to expectations. Effective control systems allow supervisors to know how well implementation is going. Control facilitates delegating activities to employees. Since supervisors are ultimately held accountable for their employees' performance, timely feedback on employee activity is necessary. Control Process The control process is a continuous flow between measuring, comparing and action. There are four steps in the control process: establishing performance standards, measuring actual performance, comparing measured performance against established standards, and taking corrective action. Step 1. Establish Performance Standards. Standards are created when objectives are set during the planning process. A standard is any guideline established as the basis for measurement. It is a precise, explicit statement of expected results from a product, service, machine, individual, or organizational unit. It is usually expressed numerically and is set for quality, quantity, and time. Tolerance is permissible deviation from the standard. What is expected? How much deviation can be tolerated? Â · Time controls relate to deadlines and time constraints. Material controls relate to inventory and material-yield controls. Equipment controls are built into the machinery, imposed on the operator to protect the equipment or the process. Cost controls help ensure cost standards are met. Employee performance controls focus on actions and behaviors of individuals and groups of employees. Examples inclu... ...properly to be effective. When control standards are inflexible or unrealistic, employees cannot focus on the organization's goals. Control systems must prevent, not cause, the problems they were designed to detect. Performance variance can also be the result of an unrealistic standard. The natural response for employees whose performance falls short is to blame the standard or the supervisor. If the standard is appropriate, then it is up to the supervisor to stand his or her ground and take the necessary corrective action. An example of effective controls is the dashboard on a car. There are many things that can go wrong with a car. Only the most critical items to the car's operation are the focus on the dashboard (oil level, engine heat, fuel gauge, etc.). Variations in these items are most likely to inflict the most damage to the car. The critical items on the dashboard are easily understood and used by drivers. They point out a problem and specify a solution. They are accurate and timely. They call the driver's attention to variations in time to prevent serious damage. Yet, there is not so much information on the dashboard that the driver is overwhelmed.

Penalties for Atheletes Using Performance-enhancing Drugs :: essays research papers

Imagine, just for one minute that you were at the peak of you career, in a competition that would determines whether you sink of swim. You have the choice to go out all natural, or to give yourself a little boost, so it is definite that you will swim. What would you do? Would you run the risk of getting caught? The athletes that stoop to this level are cheats. They are afraid of losing. And as the old saying goes, â€Å"cheaters never prosper†. They are putting so many things at risk in their lives. They face being suspended and completely thrown out of their sport, they put their lives at risk, no to mention giving sport a bad name. Testosterone can build muscle and strength, reduce fatigue and improve recovery time after exercise. To many athletes this sounds better than sliced bread. But in reality they are running a huge risk to them selves and their country. Athletes can be tempted to boost the naturally occurring levels of the steroid to enhance their performance – but there are side effects. High levels of steroids can cause jaundice, liver damage, acne, heart problems, euphoria, mood swings, depression and paranoia. The normal testosterone to epitestosterone in urine varies between individuals, but on average is one to one. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority says the ratio does not vary significantly within an individual unless there has been a replacement of it from an unknown source. Naturally occurring ratios of 6:1 are rare. Any athlete who returns a urine test of 4:1 are said to have committed an offence unless there are biological evidence to prove other wise. They are taking high doses of naturally occurring hormones, and other banned substances to enhance their performance. This is cheating. Ever since we were 5 we knew that it was wrong. When ever some one cheated in a game, you would kick up a stink to try making it fair, because you were cheated. And no one likes a cheater. These athletes deserve more than just a wrap on the knuckles and having to give up some of their pocket money. They ran the risk, and they were caught. They deserve what they get. In our judicial system, persons found guilty of using banned substances have to pay the following consequences, (1) fines of many thousands of dollars. (2) Intensive correction orders. Penalties for Atheletes Using Performance-enhancing Drugs :: essays research papers Imagine, just for one minute that you were at the peak of you career, in a competition that would determines whether you sink of swim. You have the choice to go out all natural, or to give yourself a little boost, so it is definite that you will swim. What would you do? Would you run the risk of getting caught? The athletes that stoop to this level are cheats. They are afraid of losing. And as the old saying goes, â€Å"cheaters never prosper†. They are putting so many things at risk in their lives. They face being suspended and completely thrown out of their sport, they put their lives at risk, no to mention giving sport a bad name. Testosterone can build muscle and strength, reduce fatigue and improve recovery time after exercise. To many athletes this sounds better than sliced bread. But in reality they are running a huge risk to them selves and their country. Athletes can be tempted to boost the naturally occurring levels of the steroid to enhance their performance – but there are side effects. High levels of steroids can cause jaundice, liver damage, acne, heart problems, euphoria, mood swings, depression and paranoia. The normal testosterone to epitestosterone in urine varies between individuals, but on average is one to one. The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority says the ratio does not vary significantly within an individual unless there has been a replacement of it from an unknown source. Naturally occurring ratios of 6:1 are rare. Any athlete who returns a urine test of 4:1 are said to have committed an offence unless there are biological evidence to prove other wise. They are taking high doses of naturally occurring hormones, and other banned substances to enhance their performance. This is cheating. Ever since we were 5 we knew that it was wrong. When ever some one cheated in a game, you would kick up a stink to try making it fair, because you were cheated. And no one likes a cheater. These athletes deserve more than just a wrap on the knuckles and having to give up some of their pocket money. They ran the risk, and they were caught. They deserve what they get. In our judicial system, persons found guilty of using banned substances have to pay the following consequences, (1) fines of many thousands of dollars. (2) Intensive correction orders.

Conflict resolution

Successful negotiations pave the way for smooth relationships in the future. To find peaceful solutions to difficult situations. Full-blown battles use up resources time, energy, good reputation, motivation. By negotiating, you avoid wasting these resources, and you may actually make new allies and find new resources! When should you resolve conflict? Conflict resolution is appropriate for almost any disagreement. Our daily lives offer plenty of opportunities for negotiation – between parents and children, co-workers, friends, etc. And as a result, you probably already have a variety of effective strategies for resolving minor conflicts. But for more serious conflicts, and conflicts between groups rather than individuals, you may need some additional skills. How, for example, should you structure a meeting teens your group and your opponent? When should you settle, and when should you fight for more? How should you react if your opponent attacks you personally? Read on for mor e information on specific conflict resolution techniques. How should you resolve conflict?There are seven steps to successfully negotiating the resolution of a conflict: 1. Understand the conflict 2. Communicate with the opposition 3. Brainstorm possible resolutions 4. Choose the best resolution Use a third party mediator 5. 6. Explore alternatives 7. Cope with stressful situations and pressure tactics Understand the conflict Conflicts arise for a variety of different reasons. It is important for you to define clearly your own position and interests in the conflict, and to understand those of your opponent. Here are some questions to ask yourself so that you can better define the conflict.Inertest What are my interests? What do I really care about in this conflict? What do I want? What do I need? What are my concerns, hopes, fears? Possible Outcomes What kinds of agreements might we reach? Legitimacy What third party, outside of the conflict, might convince one or both of us that a proposed agreement is a fair one? What objective standard might convince s that an agreement is fair? For example: a law, an expert opinion, the market value of the transaction. Is there a precedent that would convince us that an agreement is fair? Their Interests What are the interests of my opposition?If were in their shoes, what would I really care about in this conflict? What do they want? What do they need? What are their concerns, hopes, fears? Interests play an important role in better understanding conflict. Often, groups waste time â€Å"bargaining over positions. † Instead of explaining what the interests of their position are, they argue about their â€Å"bottom line. † This is not useful way to negotiate, because it forces groups to stick to one narrow position. Once they are entrenched in a particular position, it will be embarrassing for them to abandon it.They may spend more effort on â€Å"saving face† than on actually finding a suitable resoluti on. It is usually more helpful to explore the group's interests, and then see what positions suit such interests. Example: Your parent group wants the high school to change its history textbook. You feel that the textbook doesn't represent the history of Africa adequately. You come to the School Committee and say, â€Å"The only textbook that works for us s The People of Jamaica, and that's final! † You have presented a position rather than your interests.By drawing a bottom line, you're stuck in one position. If you don ‘t convince the School Committee to choose this textbook, you'll lose. A more effective way to approach the School Committee would be to state your interests. You might say, â€Å"We're concerned about the under- representation of racial minorities in the current Jamaican history textbook, and would like to find an alternative. † By communicating your interests, rather than one position, you are leaving some room to negotiate while still Ewing fi rm and clear about your goals. Often, the same interest can have many positions.For example, the School Committee might vote to us plenty the history textbook with a packet of articles about minorities as well as other thing about minorities in Jamaica. These are different positions that address the same interest. Communicate with the opposition Now that you have thought through your own interests and those of the other party, you can begin to communicate directly with your opposition. Here are some tips for productive talks: Listen. Their opinions are important to you, because their Opinions are the source of your conflict. If something is important to them, you need to recognize this.Recognizing does not mean agreeing of course! Let everyone participate who wants to. People who participate will have a stake in a resolution. They will want to find a good compromise. Talk about your strong emotions. Let the other side let off steam. Don't, however, react to emotional outbursts! Try an apology instead of yelling back. Apologizing is not costly, and is often a rewarding technique. Be an active listener. Rephrase what you're hearing as a question: â€Å"Let me see if I'm following you. You're saying that†¦ Have got that right? † You can still be rim when you're listening. Speak about yourself, not the other party.In the textbook example, you might say, â€Å"l feel angry to know that my children are reading this old-fashioned textbook,† rather than, â€Å"How could you choose such a racist book? † Be concrete, but flexible. Speak about your interests, not about your position. Avoid early judgments. Keep asking questions and gathering information. Don't tell the opposition, â€Å"It's up to you to solve your problems. † Work to find a solution for everyone. Find a way to make their decision easy. Try to find a way for them to take your position without looking cake, but don't call it a way for them to â€Å"save face. Egos are imp ortant in negotiations! Brainstorm Possible Resolutions Now that you know what the interests of both parties are, and how to better communicate with the opposition, you can start thinking about solutions. Look at all of the interests you have listed, for you and for your opponents, and look for common interests. Often both parties share many interests for example, both groups may want stability and public respect. Before you hold a brainstorming meeting, think carefully about how you'll set up the meeting. Write a clear purpose statement for the meeting. Try to choose a small group of 5-8 people total.Hold the meeting in a different environment from your usual setting. Make sure the setting is an informal one where people feel comfortable and safe. Find an unbiased facilitator, someone who can structure the meeting without sharing his or her own feelings about the conflict. To begin brainstorming, decide whether you want to brainstorm with your opposition, or with only your group. I n either case, you will want to establish some ground rules. Work on coming up with as many ideas as possible. Don't judge or criticize the ideas yet that might prevent people room thinking creatively.Try to maximize (not minimize) your options. Look for win-win solutions, or compromises, in which both parties get something they want. Find a way to make their decision easy During the meeting, seat people side by side, facing the â€Å"problem†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a blank chalkboard or large pad of paper for writing down ideas. The facilitator will remind people of the purpose of the meeting review the ground rules, and ask participants to agree to those rules. During the brainstorming session, the facilitator will write down all ideas on the chalkboard or pad. Choose the best resolutionAfter the meeting, you will need to decide which resolution is best. Review your brainstorm ideas. Star the best ideas – these are whatnot will work With during the conflict resolution process. Set a time to discuss them and determine which idea is the best. The goal here is to use both groups' skills and resources to get the best result for everyone. Which resolution gives both groups the most? That resolution is probably the best one. Use a third party mediator As you are brainstorming and choosing a good resolution, you may want to use a third party mediator.This is a person who is not from your group or our opponent's group, but whom you both trust to be fair. Your mediator can help both sides agree upon a standard by which you'll judge your resolution. Standards are a way to measure your agreement. They include expert opinions, law, precedent (the way things have been done in the past), and accepted principles. For example, let's say you're building a new playground for your town's elementary school. You disagree with the superintendent about what kinds of materials you'll use to build the playground. The superintendent wants to use chemical-treated wood, but you feel it' s unsafe.A mediator might read the current guidelines of the lumber industry and tell you which kinds of wood are considered safe for children. Maybe you and the superintendent will agree to follow the lumber industry's advice-?in other words, to use that as the standard. Your mediator could also, for example, run your brainstorming session. Here are some other possible jobs for a mediator: Setting ground rules for you and your opponent to agree upon (for example, you might both agree not to publicly discuss the dispute) Creating an appropriate setting for meetings Suggesting possible ways to compromiseBeing an â€Å"ear† for both side's anger and fear Listening to both sides and explaining their positions to one another Finding the interests behind each side's positions Looking for win-win alternatives Keeping both parties focused, reasonable, and respectful Preventing any party from feeling that it's â€Å"losing face† Writing the draft of your agreement with the opp osition Perhaps Harriet is considering quitting her job because her boss wants to transfer her to another office.The mediator might say, â€Å"It sounds like Harriet doesn't care about transferring to the downtown office. What she's worried about is losing rank. Harriet, do you agree with that? Ms. Snell, do you understand Harrier's concern? How can we assure Harriet that she won't lose rank if she agrees to transfer? ‘ Explore alternatives There may be times when, despite your hard work and good will, you cannot find an acceptable resolution to your conflict. You need to think about this possibility before you begin negotiations.At what point will you decide to walk away from negotiations? What are your alternatives if you cannot reach an agreement with your opponent? It is important that you brainstorm your alternatives to resolution early on in the negotiation process, and that you always have your best alternative somewhere in the back of your mind. As you consider possib le agreements with your opponent, compare them to this â€Å"best† alternative. If you don't know what the alternative is, you'll be negotiating without all the necessary information!In order to come up with an alternative, start by brainstorming. Then, consider the pros and cons of each alternative. Think about which alternative is realistic and practical. Also think about how you can make it even better. At the same time, don't forget to put yourself in the shoes of your opposition. What alternatives might they have? Why might they choose them? What can you do to make your choice better than their alternative? Roger Fisher and Danny Retell call this alternative your BATAAN Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.You can read more about BAT AN in their book Getting Ready to Negotiate. Cope with stressful situations and pressure tactics So far, we've talked about how to negotiate with a fairly reasonable opponent. However, you need to be prepared to negotiate with all kind s of opponents, both reasonable and unreasonable. What if your opponent is more powerful and influential that you are? What if they refuse to meet or alkyl with you? All of these situations are stressful, and intended to put extra pressure on you to make a quick decision in the opposition ‘s favor. Conflict resolution Healthy organizations which are characterized by well developed problem -solving mechanisms and a collaborative climate are able to identify conflict and deal with it in a elaborative way that leaves the organization stronger and better developed rather than weakened and wracked with hostility (Owens, Valleys, 2011). The potential conflict in this elementary school can be approached with five possible methods namely: muscle, reconciliation, harmony, retreat, and collaboration. The muscle method is assertive, aggressive, and competitive.This style creates win-lose situation. This is termed as † I am the boss. Just do it! â€Å". The reconciliation method is one of accommodating, giving in and acquiescing to preserve relationships while resolving the conflict, at least immemorially. The harmony style assumes a â€Å"middle ground,† aimed at achieving compromise in order to resolve conflict. On the other hand, retreat method avoids or withdraws in from the conflict. It is aimed at not becoming involved with conflict and the strong feelings it may generate.The collaborating approach attempts to reach consensus and stresses working together for a mutual solution to conflicts. (Owens, valleys,201 1). In order to manage the conflict in this elementary school and the community in question, the collaborative method seems in my opinion the most attractive approach in order to lessen the destructive hostility among the staff and all parties t and to pave the way for opportunities of growth and development of the school and the community as a whole.The first step I will take as a new principal is to get to the source of the imminent conflict sweeping across the school environment. I will have a private meeting with the librarian, the physical education teacher, and each of the other parties involved to be able to get to the root of the conflict. With eye contacts, open heartiness and impartial attitude, I will listen actively and discuss the issues tit these individuals privately. After that, I will form a committee comprising of teachers, staff members, parents, community members, administrators, board of directors, and all stakeholders.I will have a meeting with the committee to discuss the issue at hand while the director Of schools and myself serve as facilitators. Each party will present its view of the problem while the other parties listen attentively without interruption. We as facilitators will ensure that each party states its case clearly and calmly without personally attacking the other parties. Secondly, I will ask each party to state two or three specific suggestions on how it thinks the conflict could be solved. An example might be,† I will like the administration to handle all field trip approvals†.Another clear suggestion might be, â€Å"I will like all teachers and staff to select a representative from their respective department to handle curriculum and standards issues†. It is of paramount importan ce for the facilitators to encourage and prompt each party to identify the root cause of the problem and then come up with specific ways that will resolve the issue Seafarer, 2007). Through the lens of impartiality, active listening skills and compassion, I will ensure that the suggestions presented are thoroughly discussed and agreed upon to make the necessary changes.At this point, all parties will be encouraged to engage each other in a reasonable and professional manner to come to an agreement on the suggestions made and are satisfied with the implementation Of the resolutions. For instance, the veteran librarian will be satisfied with the resolution that bus duties will be assigned to any teacher who volunteers for that opportunity. Parents will be satisfied with the opportunity to lead and provide interesting programs for parent -teacher association.Also they will be excited to be given the golden chance to be part of the decision making body of the school improvement ventures . The final step for the facilitators, especially me is to set up a date for the resolutions to be enacted and follow up on its progress. It is of cardinal importance for me to fearlessly look into the conflict in detail, if necessary. If new policies or procedures need to be put in place to avoid the same conflict arising in the true, will have that discussion with the staff and all parties involved. Conflict resolution Successful negotiations pave the way for smooth relationships in the future. To find peaceful solutions to difficult situations. Full-blown battles use up resources time, energy, good reputation, motivation. By negotiating, you avoid wasting these resources, and you may actually make new allies and find new resources! When should you resolve conflict? Conflict resolution is appropriate for almost any disagreement. Our daily lives offer plenty of opportunities for negotiation – between parents and children, co-workers, friends, etc. And as a result, you probably already have a variety of effective strategies for resolving minor conflicts. But for more serious conflicts, and conflicts between groups rather than individuals, you may need some additional skills. How, for example, should you structure a meeting teens your group and your opponent? When should you settle, and when should you fight for more? How should you react if your opponent attacks you personally? Read on for mor e information on specific conflict resolution techniques. How should you resolve conflict?There are seven steps to successfully negotiating the resolution of a conflict: 1. Understand the conflict 2. Communicate with the opposition 3. Brainstorm possible resolutions 4. Choose the best resolution Use a third party mediator 5. 6. Explore alternatives 7. Cope with stressful situations and pressure tactics Understand the conflict Conflicts arise for a variety of different reasons. It is important for you to define clearly your own position and interests in the conflict, and to understand those of your opponent. Here are some questions to ask yourself so that you can better define the conflict.Inertest What are my interests? What do I really care about in this conflict? What do I want? What do I need? What are my concerns, hopes, fears? Possible Outcomes What kinds of agreements might we reach? Legitimacy What third party, outside of the conflict, might convince one or both of us that a proposed agreement is a fair one? What objective standard might convince s that an agreement is fair? For example: a law, an expert opinion, the market value of the transaction. Is there a precedent that would convince us that an agreement is fair? Their Interests What are the interests of my opposition?If were in their shoes, what would I really care about in this conflict? What do they want? What do they need? What are their concerns, hopes, fears? Interests play an important role in better understanding conflict. Often, groups waste time â€Å"bargaining over positions. † Instead of explaining what the interests of their position are, they argue about their â€Å"bottom line. † This is not useful way to negotiate, because it forces groups to stick to one narrow position. Once they are entrenched in a particular position, it will be embarrassing for them to abandon it.They may spend more effort on â€Å"saving face† than on actually finding a suitable resoluti on. It is usually more helpful to explore the group's interests, and then see what positions suit such interests. Example: Your parent group wants the high school to change its history textbook. You feel that the textbook doesn't represent the history of Africa adequately. You come to the School Committee and say, â€Å"The only textbook that works for us s The People of Jamaica, and that's final! † You have presented a position rather than your interests.By drawing a bottom line, you're stuck in one position. If you don ‘t convince the School Committee to choose this textbook, you'll lose. A more effective way to approach the School Committee would be to state your interests. You might say, â€Å"We're concerned about the under- representation of racial minorities in the current Jamaican history textbook, and would like to find an alternative. † By communicating your interests, rather than one position, you are leaving some room to negotiate while still Ewing fi rm and clear about your goals. Often, the same interest can have many positions.For example, the School Committee might vote to us plenty the history textbook with a packet of articles about minorities as well as other thing about minorities in Jamaica. These are different positions that address the same interest. Communicate with the opposition Now that you have thought through your own interests and those of the other party, you can begin to communicate directly with your opposition. Here are some tips for productive talks: Listen. Their opinions are important to you, because their Opinions are the source of your conflict. If something is important to them, you need to recognize this.Recognizing does not mean agreeing of course! Let everyone participate who wants to. People who participate will have a stake in a resolution. They will want to find a good compromise. Talk about your strong emotions. Let the other side let off steam. Don't, however, react to emotional outbursts! Try an apology instead of yelling back. Apologizing is not costly, and is often a rewarding technique. Be an active listener. Rephrase what you're hearing as a question: â€Å"Let me see if I'm following you. You're saying that†¦ Have got that right? † You can still be rim when you're listening. Speak about yourself, not the other party.In the textbook example, you might say, â€Å"l feel angry to know that my children are reading this old-fashioned textbook,† rather than, â€Å"How could you choose such a racist book? † Be concrete, but flexible. Speak about your interests, not about your position. Avoid early judgments. Keep asking questions and gathering information. Don't tell the opposition, â€Å"It's up to you to solve your problems. † Work to find a solution for everyone. Find a way to make their decision easy. Try to find a way for them to take your position without looking cake, but don't call it a way for them to â€Å"save face. Egos are imp ortant in negotiations! Brainstorm Possible Resolutions Now that you know what the interests of both parties are, and how to better communicate with the opposition, you can start thinking about solutions. Look at all of the interests you have listed, for you and for your opponents, and look for common interests. Often both parties share many interests for example, both groups may want stability and public respect. Before you hold a brainstorming meeting, think carefully about how you'll set up the meeting. Write a clear purpose statement for the meeting. Try to choose a small group of 5-8 people total.Hold the meeting in a different environment from your usual setting. Make sure the setting is an informal one where people feel comfortable and safe. Find an unbiased facilitator, someone who can structure the meeting without sharing his or her own feelings about the conflict. To begin brainstorming, decide whether you want to brainstorm with your opposition, or with only your group. I n either case, you will want to establish some ground rules. Work on coming up with as many ideas as possible. Don't judge or criticize the ideas yet that might prevent people room thinking creatively.Try to maximize (not minimize) your options. Look for win-win solutions, or compromises, in which both parties get something they want. Find a way to make their decision easy During the meeting, seat people side by side, facing the â€Å"problem†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a blank chalkboard or large pad of paper for writing down ideas. The facilitator will remind people of the purpose of the meeting review the ground rules, and ask participants to agree to those rules. During the brainstorming session, the facilitator will write down all ideas on the chalkboard or pad. Choose the best resolutionAfter the meeting, you will need to decide which resolution is best. Review your brainstorm ideas. Star the best ideas – these are whatnot will work With during the conflict resolution process. Set a time to discuss them and determine which idea is the best. The goal here is to use both groups' skills and resources to get the best result for everyone. Which resolution gives both groups the most? That resolution is probably the best one. Use a third party mediator As you are brainstorming and choosing a good resolution, you may want to use a third party mediator.This is a person who is not from your group or our opponent's group, but whom you both trust to be fair. Your mediator can help both sides agree upon a standard by which you'll judge your resolution. Standards are a way to measure your agreement. They include expert opinions, law, precedent (the way things have been done in the past), and accepted principles. For example, let's say you're building a new playground for your town's elementary school. You disagree with the superintendent about what kinds of materials you'll use to build the playground. The superintendent wants to use chemical-treated wood, but you feel it' s unsafe.A mediator might read the current guidelines of the lumber industry and tell you which kinds of wood are considered safe for children. Maybe you and the superintendent will agree to follow the lumber industry's advice-?in other words, to use that as the standard. Your mediator could also, for example, run your brainstorming session. Here are some other possible jobs for a mediator: Setting ground rules for you and your opponent to agree upon (for example, you might both agree not to publicly discuss the dispute) Creating an appropriate setting for meetings Suggesting possible ways to compromiseBeing an â€Å"ear† for both side's anger and fear Listening to both sides and explaining their positions to one another Finding the interests behind each side's positions Looking for win-win alternatives Keeping both parties focused, reasonable, and respectful Preventing any party from feeling that it's â€Å"losing face† Writing the draft of your agreement with the opp osition Perhaps Harriet is considering quitting her job because her boss wants to transfer her to another office.The mediator might say, â€Å"It sounds like Harriet doesn't care about transferring to the downtown office. What she's worried about is losing rank. Harriet, do you agree with that? Ms. Snell, do you understand Harrier's concern? How can we assure Harriet that she won't lose rank if she agrees to transfer? ‘ Explore alternatives There may be times when, despite your hard work and good will, you cannot find an acceptable resolution to your conflict. You need to think about this possibility before you begin negotiations.At what point will you decide to walk away from negotiations? What are your alternatives if you cannot reach an agreement with your opponent? It is important that you brainstorm your alternatives to resolution early on in the negotiation process, and that you always have your best alternative somewhere in the back of your mind. As you consider possib le agreements with your opponent, compare them to this â€Å"best† alternative. If you don't know what the alternative is, you'll be negotiating without all the necessary information!In order to come up with an alternative, start by brainstorming. Then, consider the pros and cons of each alternative. Think about which alternative is realistic and practical. Also think about how you can make it even better. At the same time, don't forget to put yourself in the shoes of your opposition. What alternatives might they have? Why might they choose them? What can you do to make your choice better than their alternative? Roger Fisher and Danny Retell call this alternative your BATAAN Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.You can read more about BAT AN in their book Getting Ready to Negotiate. Cope with stressful situations and pressure tactics So far, we've talked about how to negotiate with a fairly reasonable opponent. However, you need to be prepared to negotiate with all kind s of opponents, both reasonable and unreasonable. What if your opponent is more powerful and influential that you are? What if they refuse to meet or alkyl with you? All of these situations are stressful, and intended to put extra pressure on you to make a quick decision in the opposition ‘s favor.