Saturday, August 31, 2019

Organizational Culture Essay

In 1986, Steve job purchased the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm for $10 million and established the independent company called Pixar. Ed Catmull as the co-founder and chief technical officer of Pixar. At that time, there are about 44 people are emplyed at Pixar. Pixar Animation Studios is an Academy Award  ®-winning computer animation studio with the technical, creative and production capabilities to create a new generation of animated feature films, merchandise and other related products. Pixar’s objective is to combine proprietary technology and world-class creative talent to develop computer-animated feature films with memorable characters and heartwarming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages. In November 22, 1995, Pixar Animation Studios forever impacted the future of filmmaking, storytelling and the medium of animation with the release of its first feature film, Disney ·Pixar’s Toy Story. After Pixar founded nine years ago, Toy Story exhibited years of creative and technical achievements from a small group of passionate computer scientists and animators, led by present day President Ed Catmull and Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter. After Toy story released in 1995, Pixar Animation Studios cooperated with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to create and produce another feature film such as A Bug’s Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. 2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Pixar is one of the successful company which climb to the pinnacle of computer animation was a quick one and the company continues to push the envelope in its art and technology inspired moviemaking endeavors. (Pixar, 2012) Issue Identified Pixar is one of the successful corporation in the world. Pixar is famous on creative and it is important breakthroughs in the application of compute r graphics (CG) for filmmaking. Also, Pixar has attracted some of the world’s finest talent in this area. Since 1986, The technical and creative teams of Pixar have collaborated to developed a wealth of production software used in-house to create its movies and further the state of the art in CG movie making. This proprietary technology allows the production of animated images of a quality, richness and vibrancy that are unique in the industry, and above all, allows the director to precisely control the end results in a way that is exactly right for the story. Pixar continues to invest heavily in its software systems and believes that further advancements will lead to additional productivity and quality improvements in the making of its computer animated films. Moreover, Pixar can climb quickly to the pinnacle of cuomputer animation throght creative. Therefore, in this report, I would find out the reason that Why Pixar’s culture is related to creative? Nowadays, If some one talking about Pixar, they must concerned creative in the process. People know Pixar would related to creative. In opppsite, People know creative also would related to Pixar. Therefore, Pixar is important for the creative and the industry. It seems Pixar and creative as a body, they can’t separate each other and they were interact each other. For example, Pixar produced their feature films thorugh their creative and technology team. Thinking in-depth, If the Pixar’s creative and technology are not talent to creation, could the Pixar climbed to the pinnacle of computer animation quickly? Could the Pixar successful in the industry? That all of examples are the assumption, but I think that creative is one of the critical elements for the development of Pixar. Therefore why this report wanted to find out the reason of why Pixar’s culture is related to creative through some theorey. Theoretical Framework For find out the reason that why Pixar’s culture is related to creative, I would use some theorey as reference to find out the reason. The theoretical framework adoted in this report is Mckinsey’s 7s. Although there are other theoretical could be use but why i would use Mckinsey’s 7s. Some theoretical look at internal factors, others look at external ones, some combine these perspectives, and others look for congruence between various aspects of the organization being studied(McKinsey’s 7s model, 2005). However, Mckinsey’s 7s model was developed by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in 1980 which cannot really be considered as a pure strategy model, but rather as a way of thinking about development or remodelling of organizations. Its name comes from the seven factors that Tom Peters and Robert Waterman found essential in the context of organization development: strategy, skills, shared values, structure, systems, staff and style (Joe Cheal, 2008). Also, The Mckinsey’s 7s model is very useful tool for analysing and diagnosing organisational issues, and then for the planning of interventions and change (Joe Cheal, 2008). In the first phase of the Mckinsey’s 7s model is usually determined. The next step is to define what the organization must be especially good at in order to be able to implement its strategy, in other words, what skills it must develop or otherwise acquire. The final step is to determine what changes are needed in the other five factors to make the change a successful one (McKinsey’s 7s model,2005). The advantage of the Mckinsey’s 7s model is its simplicity and immediacy, and then in the complexity that follows by understanding that these components do not stand alone, but work in relationship to one another (Joe Cheal, 2008). The model involves seven interdependent factors which are categorized as either â€Å"hard† or â€Å"soft† elements. For â€Å"hard† elements including strategy, structure and systems. For â€Å"soft† elements including shared values, skills, style and staff [pic] For the â€Å"hard† elements, the Strategy refers to the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. Moreover, it is known of the concepts relating to organizational change. The structure refers to the way that organization is structured and who reports to whom. The systems defined as the procedures or processes which exist in a company and which involve many people for the purpose of identifying important issues, getting things done or making decisions such as daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done. Also, it is important things that system could strongly influence on the company and it is power tools of management for decision making. For the â€Å"soft† elements, the shared values refers to the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. The skills refers to actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company. The Staff defined as the employees and their general capabilities. Also, it is concerned with the question of what kind of people the company needs. This is not so much a question of single individuals as of the total know-how possessed by the people in the organization. Last, the style defined as the style of leadership adopted and it could be influence the style of the company performance (Joe Cheal, 2008). Main Body Pixar Animation Studios was succeed since Pixar created the first new generation of animated feature films, Toy Story which obtain the awards and it was the breakthrough to the computer animations. Regarding to the structure of Pixar, the begining of the Pixar since 1986, Steve job purchased the computer graphics division of Lacusfilm and established the indepentent company called Pixar. Also, Ed. Catmull as the co-founder and the chief technical office of Pixar and that time. Moreover, Ed. Catmull attracted John Lasseter who is working in the Disney (Mark Henne, 1996). Now, Ed.  Catmull is the president and co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and president of Walt Disney Animation Studios. And John Lasseter is the Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studio, Principal Creative Advisor, Walt Disney Imagineering (Pixar, 2012). They were devoted to the Pixar such as Pixar’s talent of computer animations to led the succeed of creating the first feature films, Toy Story. Till to recently, Pixar is the leader in the industry. Pixar produced many famous feature films through their creative. Also, Pixar can obtain subtantial advantage through all of successful feature film. For example, Pixar can obtain the revenue as $362 million of the Toy Story. Also, Pixar can obtain the reputation such as Academy Award while produced the famous feature film (Datamonitor, 2004). The strategy of the Pixar is the design of the company and the work space. Why the work space’s design would be the strategy. It is the distinctive of Pixar. For example, the work space of â€Å"Cars 2† director and Pixar creative head, Lasster which is blast of color, plastic and nostalgia, filled floor-to-ceiling with so many toys it’s hard for the brain to process. Also, the president of Pixar, Ed.  Catmull’s work space is modest space looks colorless by comparison, with some chairs, a table, a desk and no clutter(Peter Hartlaub, 2011). It seems like that a simply open office design but it is important of the strategy. Most employees like worked in Pixar because Pixar could gave them freedom such as communicate wilth anyone, they work as the familiar so they enjoy to work in the Pixar. Moreover, creative is important for Pixar and each employees so the strategy of Pixar is make each of employees enjoy the company, the work space, the environment (Ed. Catmull, 2008). Also, Ed.  Catmull, the president of Pixar who is bearded comes to work in jeans and a short-sleeved black button-down shirt (Peter Hartlaub, 2011). He wears look like casual and employees also can wears casual that what is creative. Employees didn’t face to pressure and easily to involve the work and perfect integration with other employees when they were brain storming and produce the successful feature films. The systems is the dailies of the Paxir. It is the practice working of daily reviews and dailies, which is a process for giving and getting constant feedback in a positive way. This process is John Lasseter learnt from Disney and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). When John Lasseter joined Paxir and Paxir build up an animation crew for Toy Story. John Lasseter used the process of daily reviews where learnt from Disney and ILM. Then, John Lasseter used what he learnt to develop Paxir’s daily reviews process (Ed. Catmull, 2008). In the process, anyone were encouraged to comment and showed the incomplete state to the whole animation crew. There are several advantages of the process. First, everyone would be more creative after everyone showing the work still in progress. Second, the director or creative lead guidling the review process can communicate and focus on the important points to the whole animation crew at the same time. Third, everyone can learnt from and influence each other. Also, highly creative piece of animation will spark others to raise their game. Last, everyone’s overwhelming desire to make sure their work is good when showing to other and the finished version is possibility that won’t be what the director wants. The daily review process avoids such wasted effort (Ed. Catmull, 2008). The staff of Pixar can defined as three part respectively recruitment, contracts and Pixar University. First, the recruiting standard of Ed. Catmull is extremely special. Ed. Catmull always hired employees by their talent. For example, Ed. Catmull always hired some one who is better than himself such as John Lasseter (Ed. Catmull, 2008). In general, most company wouldn’t hired some one who better than CEO or president because it is threaten for CEO or president. Second, the employees in the Pixar weren’t hired by contracts or signed by contracts. According to Randy S. Nelson, who joined the company in 1997 and is dean of Pixar University. Mr. Nelson said contract allow employees irresponsible as a company. Also, there have the excellent things created in Pixar which incredible workspace, opportunities to learn and grow, most of all greatest co-worker is better than any contract (William C. Taylor & Polly LaBarre, 2006). It is why Pixar wouldn’t need to signed contract of each employees. Last, the Pixar university is one of the improtant thing for training the employees. Every employees even an animator, technician, director, president or other positions in company is encouraged to develop up to four hours per week for a training. In the class, employees might be set next to the direcotr or president. It is also the way of creative. Moreover, Pixar is encouraged even accountants also need to learn drawing. Mr Nelson said drawing class not only teach drawing, it teaches how to improve their observation (William C. Taylor & Polly LaBarre, 2006). The skill of Pixar generally is the breakthroughs in the application of computer graphics (CG) for filmmaking. Also, Pixar has attracted some of the world’s finest talent in this area such as John Lesseter who is hired by Ed. Catmull. Pixar’s technical and creative team have collaborated since 1986 to develop a wealth of production software used in-house to create its movies and further the state of the art in CG movie making. The proprietary technology allows animated images of a quality, richness and vibrancy that are unique in the industry. Also, Pixar continuity to investment on their proprietary technology cause Pixar believes that they can improve the quality of making computer animations by their skills (Pixar, 2012). Moreover, there are important dynamic created by John Lesseter: â€Å"Technology inspires art, and art challenges the technology. The other one might feel that it is a sentence, it just a word. But for Pixar’s technology and creative team, they believes that it is a way of life had to be established and still has to be constantly reinforced. Also, all of the employess in Pixar believes that the technology integrated with art would produce to magic. The magic of the animation, the magic of the creative (Ed. Catmull, 2008). In generally, the style of Pixar must be creative. But, What is the creative come from? The style refers to leadership of Ed. Catmull, according to the above, Ed. Catmull is the president of Pixar. , the style would refered by Ed.  Catmull who is wearing casual and created the modest work space. Moreover, the style of Pixar is full creative and casual, Pixar gave subordinates freefom but not indulge cause relax could lead employees bring talent and creative into full play. Therefore, Pixar give everyone must have freedom to communicate with anyone. Also, when employees offer ideas it must be safe for everyone. For example, employees make a concerted effort to make it safe to criticize by inviting everyone attending these showings to e-mail notes to the creative leaders that detail what they liked and didn’t like and explain why. Moreover, employees must stay close to innovations happening in the academic community. For example, Pixar recommended their technical artists to publish their research and participate to in industry conferences. Although the publish may leak out the ideas but Pixar can keep connection of academic community. It can helps Pixar can attract exceptional talent and reinforces the belief throughout the company that people are more important than ideas (Ed. Catmull, 2008). The shared value of the Pixar that it is clearly in the people development business — going to great lengths to nourish, support, creative and fun for its employees. That means Pixar is the company that focus on the development and the fun. For example, in the Pixar, there had stage is set with Steve Jobs’s inspired design of the curved metal roof resembling an airplane hangar, and the open-air â€Å"incredible-sized† atrium that serves as a â€Å"town square† for impromptu meetings, company celebrations, and just plain having fun. Also, the Pixar university provide training for each of the employees which four hours per week. It is because Pixar focus on developments. Pixar hoped their employees could maintain the competitive, improve their talent and make employess closer as familiar such as when employees could find president Ed. Catmull in a class at Pixar university. This is why Pixar identified as people development business. Also, there are so much fun in the Pixar. For example, employees of Pixar had a lot of freedom such as they could communicate with anyone and they weren’t signed any contracts. Moreover, they never considerd to leave away of Pixar. It is because they enjoy this work, they enjoy this work style and this shared value where Pixar had (Bill Capodagli & Lynn Jackson, 2010). Conclusion In conclude, Pixar is the creativity and development company which was Steve Job established. Also, Pixar is the successful company of breakthroughs of the computer graphics for producing the feature films which climbed to the pinnacle of computer animation quickly. It is the reason of Pixar shared value. The shared value of Pixar is development to the employees and the fun. The Pixar university lead Pixar to be succeed that provide the continuously training for the employees four hours per week. For example, The university provided the drawing course for the employees whether you are animator or accountant. It is because Pixar believes that drawing can help everyone enhanced their observation and high observation can helped emplyees lead to perfect performance. On the other hand, the creative of Pixar concerned the fun of shared value. Pixar is the modest and the most creative company in the computer animation industry. Firts, the workspace’s design in the Pixar is unique and is modest. It can give the special environment to employees and animation for employees who were working in the Pixar. Second, employees of Pixar have most enough freedom that they could communicate with anyone. It can give employees shares their ideas, working progress and they can form a small team to showing their work, brain storming in any time. Third, each of employees of Pixar aren’t signed the contract. It is because Pixar believes that contract led employees irresponsible for company and lack of freedom of employees. It is the reason that why Pixar have a fun. Last but not least, the Pixar produced the feature films through the creativity. It is the talent of the Pixar and there are many feature films were succeed in the world such as the first feature film, Toy Story which obtain the Academy Award, substantial revenue and the reputation to the Pixar. It is reasons that why Pixar need the creative. Pixar couldn’t lost creative, also creative couldn’t lost creative. It is because Pixar and Creative are relatively indispensable. If people wanted to know Pixar, then people must know the creative first cause creative is the gatekeeper of Pixar. Moreover, Pixar is the company improved by creative which the culture is build on the creative. In simply, known Pixar, known Creative. If anyone want to joined the Pixar. , the first critical requirement is talent. Why is not creative? It Is becuase Pixar always recruit the best people and Pixar believes that after you joined Pixar, Pixar can provide the training, the environment that developing the own unique creative progressively. Therefore, Pixar is the most creative company in the industry and Pixar and Creativity wouldn’t separate each other.

Rules of evidence

Why are Americas rules of evidence more restrictive than those established by other countries? America's rules of evidence are more restrictive because unlike some countries we have Constitutional protections that safeguard Individual rights. An example of this would be the Supreme courts determination that a state rule requiring that a defendant wanting to testify In a criminal case must do so before the admission of any other defense testimony Is a violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment due process clause.The due process clause protects citizens of the united States from unfair and disorderly legal proceedings, coupled with the right to be informed of the nature and charges in accusation against them among other privileges. With this in mind it can be easily concluded as to the necessity of the restrictive nature of the rules of evidence. Although America adopted the English system of evidentially rules, many changes have been made since that time.Although the adoption of the Federal Rules of Evidence and the uniform Rules of Evidence has not embraced the simplicity that the drafters of the constitution may eave envisioned, they do bring about more uniformity and consistency to the legal system. The Federal Rules of evidence regulate evidentially matters in all proceedings In the federal courts and they bring about a significant measure of uniformity In the federal system. Unfortunately there Is far less uniformity among the states. Only thirty-six jurisdictions have adopted evidence codes that model the Federal Rules of Evidence. Out of the fifty states only forty-two have adopted these rules completely or in part. Of the remaining eight states, my home state of Georgia is in this line up. About a week ago I had the opportunity to learn of this first hand.My attorney and I were preparing a witness list to give to the District Attorney in a criminal case we have. He asked me to research the statute cited on the States witness list and tell him what i t says about using a defendant as a witness. To my surprise this is what I learned. Pursuant to O. C. G. A. 17-16-1 (2010) the deflation of a â€Å"witness statement† In a criminal proceeding Is as follows: (2) â€Å"Statement of a witness† means:A) A written or recorded statement, or copies thereof, made by the witness that is signed or otherwise adopted or approved by the witness; (B) A substantially verbatim recital of an oral statement made by the witness that is recorded contemporaneously with the making of the oral statement and is contained in a stenographic, mechanical, electrical, or other recording or a transcription thereof; or (C) A summary of the substance of a statement made by a witness contained In a memorandum, report, or other type of written document but does not Include notes r summaries made by counsel.Paragraph three of this statute is the statement that demonstrates Georgia is not homogeneous with the Federal Rules of Evidence; and it also exclud ed our defendant as a witness in her own defense. I find to be ironic that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land yet individual states are allowed to have laws that are contrary. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the Judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding. With the understanding that states can nullify federal laws that they determine to be â€Å"unconstitutional†, as was the case in Oklahoma regarding the Affordable Care Act; it is quite perplexing that Georgia along with seven other states find it unconstitutional to deny a defendant the right to testify in their own defense.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Bus 117 Introduction to Organizational Dynamics Week 5 Final Paper Essay

In this paper I will discuss how a team leader assesses how big the team is needed in order to accomplish the task assigned to them. This paper will also discuss the how conflicts can arise while trying to meet their goals. Such as which person works better in certain areas. I will also talk about how a team leader resolves their problems that may accure. In addition I will also discuss if team work will take longer to complete task along with some of its advantages. I will also point out some of the resistors to team work like not have the proper tools or supplies. I will also discuss how to be proactive so that you don’t run into this situation. Last but least I will give my own personal opinion on what I think when it comes to team work and how efficient it can be for the whole department. After speaking to one of my old supervisors and asking him how he went about making the determination of the size of the crew needed for the job. First explained that he would see how big the job was what equipment was going to be needed for the job. Next he would determine which of the guys would be needed to do the job. Now the size of the team was determined by how experienced the workers are in what the job calls for. The main thing he looked for in his workers skills were technical expertise, problem-solving and decision-making skills and interpersonal skills. He explain that he could have a hundred works but not have the experience to get the job done in the time frame given. So that’s why his people are carefully chosen so that it can go according to plan and making this operation very cost efficient and correct. He said usually smaller teams are the best and it reduces the risk of communication breakdown. As an example he said that if they had to ship out twenty windshields he would need all packing materials to be ready and make sure that he had seven people for the job to be done in a timely manner. Two of the seven would prep the shipping boxes the other two would properly pack the windshield so that it would get to the proper destination without damage. The other two would put all warning stickers and make sure that they were put at the right loading docks so that they could be sure. See more: how to start an essay The last person would inspect that right part was being shipped to the proper location on the order forms from the customers (dealers) and making the final calls that parts were on their way. When I asked him if he came across any conflict of any type his response was no, the reason he said no was because he cross trained everyone in the department and put his strongest workers in the position that they exceed in. also he built up a relation between them as far as work was concerned. Another he had weekly meetings and would listen to all concerns and let them talk it out amongst themselves and then in the end after listing to everyone he would answer all concerns that were in his control. The concerns that were beyond his pay grade he would bring it up to his supervisors and the following week he would inform his employees with the best answer that was given to him by his supervisor. His most common conflict wasn’t so his employees as he explain it was having the right part in stock or the part being in the right location. As went along with the interview I asked if he felt that team work might take longer than it would a single person. Surprising he said it all depends the on the task at hand and how well it’s prepared and if all supplies are in stock. Like the large load of windshields being shipped out would require a large team where a single person may not even close to finishing a third of the shipment due to the fact he would have to stop and look for some else with time on their hands or pull a busy person from his job to be able to lift the windshield to be able to finish packing it. By doing this it slows the entire shipping department and causing a little confusion that may cause some conflict. By better planning of larger jobs makes it a lot easier and more efficient to get the job done in a shorter time. I believe that having the right team and all the proper materials that team work would not take longer to do the job. I must also ke ep in mind that in a team work environment communication becomes the key fact due to the fact if communication breaks down it can lead to disaster. You must always be on top of making sure that the right orders were sent out by communicating frequently. There are many different types of resistors when it comes to team work and the one I found in our job environment was not having the right part to ship ran out of packing material due to back orders or not having the address to ship to. This affects the team greatly causing work to pile up while waiting for back orders to be filled pushing current work back to fill the back orders coming in making them a priority to get the old out and then work with the current. Even then with careful planning and watch due dates for back orders to arrive can help better plan how to organize your personnel. I’m a firm believer that being proactive in any situation and staying ahead of the game even when behind can only lead to positive outcomes in the end. I believe team work is more efficient when it calls for it. A good team starts with a great leader as well as a great team makes a great leader meaning that as long that there is a respect boundary between the leader and workers are there e fficiency is already there. The best way to make sure that your team is working in a efficient manner its best to prioritize your day in advance make sure everything you need for the next day is there and list your task by priority. Next set deadlines corresponding to what you have prioritized the night before in the order you put them last but least make sure your work space is organized and paper work is order to be able to start a fresh day. In doing this helps ensure that your team is running efficient and to their max potential. Leaving no room for conflicts or miscommunication for course of the day. In this paper you have read how a team leader determines what size the team should be and how they make their determination. You have also read on what kind of conflicts may occur in a team environment and how they can be resolved. I have also explained on how resistors can affect the team and they are not always within the team its self. You have also read how teams can be more ef ficient when properly organized.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Reasons For Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Reasons For Global Warming - Essay Example Moreover, this group of thinkers believes that the warming trend is not unusual and is a normal cycle of weather changes which occur naturally. Their claim about the Earth’s climate is clear. They believe that the Earth's climate is not affected by humans' actions, prevention and suspension of any act. It is free of our activities and temperature swings occur naturally. A study in this regard reveals that the Earth has a planetary ‘iris', which consists of tropical cloud cover. This cloud cover spreads out and contracts to control the quantity of heat exhibited from the surface of the Earth. On the contrary, however, it is said by the supporters of global warming that medieval warm period was not researched properly and the research contains flaws. They also argue that there is no validity of the claims that the recent extreme conditions, including heat waves, intense precipitation, massive forest fires and worldwide coral bleaching, in the Earth's environment are the re sult of changing the climate. These are invalid, unrealistic and self-created myths which are not validly proven so far. In addition, they argue that the CO2 emitted by the activities of humans is not comparable to the natural resources that are available to eliminate the threat of the 'non-existing' global warming. The natural resources that the Earth acquires are greater than the Carbon Dioxide emitted hence, none of the human activities can be held liable for the massive increase in CO2 over the course of last few centuries. The cause of the warming temperature has been disclosed by this group as a natural phenomenon. The debate over the solar variability, cosmic rays, recovery from the ice age and so on (Leroux 2006). This group also denies the claim that the warming is caused by greenhouse gases. The fact that they present in this regard is that warming does not follow the trend of greenhouse gases concentration. This group also asserts that the increased warming detected aroun d the world for the past century is the effect of increased urbanization. This

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Management . Hidden value book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management . Hidden value book - Essay Example The difference here begins with the CEO who has a whole different outlook on the world of business. He believes that business will flourish only if the customers have respect for the work you do and the goals you have for your company, that this is more than setting goals for increasing revenues but increasing the overall respect by his employees and his customers. He believes that begins with "realistic" goals about accomplishing something with meaning and he does not mean financial goals (OReilly &Pfeffer, 2,000 pg. 121). He believes that any employee can accomplish the goals of the company, if the goals are understood and essentially set by them. He does not look for employees that have great degrees but employees who are enthusiastic about the business and what it should accomplish. He will train them once hired. The company is successful with this goal setting and people policy because the employees are involved. They understand the goals that are set and they are within the locus of their control. Regular people who have a desire to lead and want to drive the company forward are given the opportunity to do that and many accomplish great things. They are all given more responsibility. For example when salespeople are given the ability to write up their orders, they are given more responsibility and with that responsibility comes the success that is driven by success. The CEO is also involved at the ground level as he respects employees and customers, so they respect him. He does not feel he needs to hire degreed employees but dedicated employees. In the past the focus in hiring employees has been to hire the best which at that time meant education and degree, certifications. It was often found though, that these people did not stay long in one place unless there was a great opportunity for improving their status or an ability to move up the ladder in that company. However, most newly trained management would agree with this CEO. You need to put

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Marketing case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing - Case Study Example After the presentation of a memo, an executive summary is expected. This refers to the official response that complies with the memo. In our case, we shall consider the response of SM. Keith Nyamekecho who is the example in our case study.  The issue is about expansion of computer services in their company in order to meet the increasing customer demands.  The clients identified a strategy of opening more branches all over the nation as a way of expanding as distributing their services, making them available to all the customers over the United States of America. This expansion required them to purchase more computers. The reason as to why they chose my company is because of the quality products. The price of the company is also customer friendly and delivery done on time, with good customer relations. Us. TELCON.NETWORKS believes in quality service. They probably considered my company because I also offer quality products that will enable them to meet the customer goals and sust ain the customer needs.   Upon the agreement on the price and date of supply, I delivered the ordered type of computers –50 PC computes Intel XP 608 at $1350 each and 50 PC computers Samsung CtL-973 at $1520 each. There was no negotiation of the price since before the drafting of the memo, Us. TELCON.NETWORKS had already made a research on the exact price of which I offer the specific computers.  The types of computers I offer in sell in my company are among the most modern that can be used in all types of business.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Strange Fruit Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strange Fruit Paper - Essay Example Billie Holiday composed and performed the song Strange Fruit in 1930s with the main themes of the growing hypocrisy by the southern American whites and the increased lynching of the blacks as explained by racial discrimination. The book by David Margolick however fails to have an extensive analysis of the politics of racial discrimination and lynching of the blacks by the song but touches on the issues of race as influenced the music industry of the time. The main concern of Margolick in the book is on how such a single song as ‘strange fruit’ would stir up awareness in subverting political cultures that are rather backward as well as ‘reaching to the soul’ of the listener. The song is therefore portrayed as having been very effective in exposing the behind scenes efforts by the whites to promote desegregation while black artists took a lead in using creative arts to express themselves and protest against racial discrimination in the time. The book is theref ore very clear on expressing such themes as martyrdom and suffering as were the song’s identity (Margolick 15-107). The Strange Frui song as originally composed is portrayed as having been a very controversial and powerful type of jazz ballad within the story. Unlike the common themes such as love and dancing that are typical of jazz especially in moonlight, the song moaned the strange ‘fruit’ that trees from the south bore. Blood was on the trees’ leaves, as well as roots and this right away raised the eyebrows of people when the song was first performed within the January of 1939. Through well planned and neatly organized piece of art, sad, harsh as well as unforgiving words are what illustrate the feeling of Holiday towards racism. Through taking the traditional vocal jazz format, the song rose be very popular, controversial and influential of the time. Thematic concerns of a ballad jazz are often much

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Migration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Migration - Essay Example The two main movements are involved include immigration and emigration. Immigration would be the movement of individuals into a country. Emigration is the movement of individuals from their home country. The balance between emigration and immigration would be known as net migration and this can be either positive or negative. Positive would be when immigration exceeds emigration and negative would be the reverse of that process. There are various causes for Global woman migration including pull and push factors. Pulls would be things that attract people to other areas. In the case of Asian migration to the United States it would be considered the freedoms allowed, the diversity managed and even the lack of limitations on procreation as would be the case in China. Jobs and weather differences can also cause migration and this has occurred often in certain areas of Asia especially since the tsunami wiped out a majority of the forms of industry throughout the coastal regions of Asia. War in Afghanistan and Bosnia, known as push factors; cause a great number of people to flee to other countries. These women are considered refugees in place of immigrants. (Roopnarine & Gielen, 2005) There are many different influences and consequences relative to migration for anyone that moves from where they originated. Factors that would have to do with migration include the economic growth and development of the country that people are leaving, specifically GDP, the level of domestic development, and finally income and quality of life within the countries. Another two factors include how urbanized an area would be and variations in that consideration along with levels of education that would in fact be available for children across the country of origin in place of isolated areas. Occasionally, the amount of US influence on a country can either adversely or conversely affect the amount of migration. Brunson McKinley, Amanda Klekowski, Von Coppenfels, and Frank Laczko wrote a very interesting piece titled Challenges for the 21st Century in which they spoke of global woman migration as being "an integral part of the world we know today." (Mckinley, Von Koppenfels, and Laczko) They continue to say that migration has changed over the years to become a more transient condition, a temporary condition from country to country usually in regard to seasonal work and as a result of natural catastrophes. The worst portion of this is that illegal migration, undocumented workers from all over the world would have become far more prevalent as has been learned over the years. There have been a few positive aspects in regard to migration including raising the migrants' standard of living and the fact that they do make a contribution to the countries that have labor shortages. There would be equally intrusive negative effects including deterioration of social, political and economic conditions in those countries that are sending immigrants to the US. This is undoubtedly evident as a result of the tsunami, the earthquake and other such terrible natural disasters that have occurred. It is also seen in the war that once consumed Bosnia and also the one that is continuing in Afghanistan. 2. America use to follow a specified mode of ethical and mandatory code of conduct within family like dress code and other such variables but with the emergence of China into the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Current Economic Situation Marked by High Unemployment and Low Essay

The Current Economic Situation Marked by High Unemployment and Low Inflation - Essay Example This essay not only describes current economic situation in the United States that was explored as an example. The current economic situation in the United States of America marred by high unemployment and low inflation can ideally be explained with the help of the Philips Curve. As per A W Philips, there existed a relationship between the levels of unemployment and consequently the rate of change in money wages and the rate of change in prices and hence inflation. To put it in simple words, as per the Philips Curve, historically speaking, their lies an inverse relationship between Demand Pull Inflation and the rate of unemployment. The researcher also provides the reader with some steps, that would not only increase the aggregate demand but would also check the expanding unemployment rate. The Salient Factors that have impacts on the US economy rates, such as The Labor Market, Product Markets and Other Factor Markets are explored in details. The researcher od this essay also discuss es and presents some alternate scenarios that say an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent and an inflation rate of 10 percent will not warrant such measures. In such scenario that was discussed, the pragmatic approach on the part of the government will be to pursue a restrained fiscal and monetary policy to contract the supply of money in the markets. In conclusion, it is stated that in the current scenario showing high unemployment and low inflation, it is advisable that the government pursues an expansionary fiscal and monetary policy.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Decartes' Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Decartes' Argument - Essay Example We look at and feel the objects around us with our senses- thus our senses are the gateway to understand the phenomena of the world. However, our senses and perceptions are defined in different ways. Sometimes we do not feel the same way about certain things at different times. As we grow from our infancy to adulthood and beyond, our perceptions change with time, our experiences, and learning. Therefore, we cannot depend upon our senses to comprehend or understand the nature of objects or the world itself. Our senses give us a limited knowledge about other objects or ourselves. For instance, we can sense or feel physical or emotional pain through our senses; yet we cannot ascertain the duration of pain from our previous experiences. This is an everyday example that manifests the limitation of trusting our senses. Descartes argued that passion led by reason can be trusted to a greater extent. This is because with each new experience, we learn something new about the way we perceive the world with our senses. If our reasoning faculty is in charge of our senses, we can broaden the areas where we can trust our senses. The claim is that if, in any particular case, the teachings of nature were untrustworthy, then the veracious God would have given us the means to correct it... we can ... trust the teachings of nature and believe that our sensations proceed from bodies, in spite of the fact that our inclinations are not always trustworthy. But, when another faculty, reason, of course, gives us the means to correct the teachings of nature, then they must be rejected... In the end, Descartes uses sensation to establish the existence of bodies, he is very careful to claim that sensation, by itself, does not establish the nature of bodies. (Rorty, 106) This is where other philosophers object to Descartes argument. He believes that senses do not belong to the material world as they keep changing with the change in objects; or sometimes convey incorrect perception of

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Barriers and Disparities in Health Care Research Paper

Barriers and Disparities in Health Care - Research Paper Example The paper â€Å"Barriers and Disparities in Health Care† investigates the numerous barriers to achieving satisfactory health care, which in turn lead to disparities and eventually result into poor healthcare. Some of the barriers currently existing in the health care provision include geographic barriers, socioeconomic and cultural barriers. Geographical barriers refer to people living in the rural parts who cannot get quality health care because of insufficient facilities in those regions. Health care facilities in the rural regions are normally understaffed because there is challenge of recruiting the health care providers to work in the rural regions. Rural populations are exposed to numerous geographic and climatic barriers which at times makes the hospitals to be located in rugged terrain which are not easily accessible. Moreover, there are lacks public transportation in the rural areas which hinders populace from receiving health care. There is also widespread poverty in rural areas than in the urban settlements. Socioeconomic factors also largely deters adequate provision of quality health care since low income households cannot afford health insurance cover and access the high cost of health care delivery. The less income families may not be able to pay for essential out of pocket charges such as deductibles and medicines even if they may afford insurance cover. Socioeconomic factors are therefore very significant in preventing adequate access to health care facilities.... Cultural beliefs about diseases and health care differ amongst different communities around the world across the world. For instance, the Western attribute of healthcare may differ from other countries health belief systems. Other people especially from Asia are always comfortable with traditional mode of treatment than the modern strong and improved medicines. Sensitivity about culture is therefore very important because any disregard of culture by a healthcare practitioner may prevent an individual from vulnerable populace from receiving quality healthcare. There is disparity in health literacy and therefore health care providers must ensure that they consider cultural considerations before for successful health care delivery (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2013). Health Care Disparity Better health outcome requires that the entire population should receive equally superior health care but this has not been the case due to numerous disparities that persist. Disparities however differ in almost every population depending on various factors. Ethnicity, culture and race are amongst the parameters that contribute to disparities in healthcare provision. Generally, these disparities can be classified into communication failure, provider discrimination and lack of preventive care (Mason, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2006). Communication between health care providers and the patients is vital in ensuring adequate provision of health care. Failure to properly communicate may result into inappropriate diagnosis and improper admission of medicines. There are some patients who cannot speak similar language as the health providers hence there may be a need of

Views against suicide Essay Example for Free

Views against suicide Essay Jessie mothers remarks to commit suicide is to accept the logic of the absurd but in some small way to triumph over it. (p. 24) Psychiatrists believe that committing suicide is self-abuse and self-murder (masturbation and suicide). Both behaviors became the bogeys of the psychoanalysts as well. In 1910, Freud concluded the first essay in which he specifically addressed the subject of suicide with these words: Let us suspend our judgment till experience has solved this problem. (Freud, 1910). What is the problem? It was know[ing] how it becomes possible for the extraordinarily powerful life instinct to be overcome. In 1917, Freud announced his famous solution self-murder is aggression turned against the self: [N]o neurotic harbors thoughts of suicide which he has not turned back upon himself from murderous impulses against others (Freud, 1917). Freuds far-reaching generalization is a sobering reminder of the influential influence of the religious-psychiatric tradition: He treats suicide as if it were a unitary occurrence. David Hume (1711-1776) would wholly disagree with Jessie, arguing that suicide is not contrary to love of self, of neighbor, or of God. Hume claimed that even assuming the truth of Aquinass theism, one requirement of not preclude suicide from being rational and moral. That is, if it is consistently permissible to encroach on divine providence by disturbing the operations of diverse natural laws (by curing diseases and the like), then, by parity of reasoning, it ought to be similarly permissible to commit suicide. Moreover, couldnt a person commit suicide while expressing gratitude to God for the good she has enjoyed and for the ability to escape her current misery? After all, Aquinas allowed self-inflicted killings when one is divinely commanded to do so! Hume, a known skeptic on religious matters, is being ever so ironical and sardonic in his essay. When I fall upon my own sword, therefore I receive my death equally from the hands of the deity as if it had proceeded from a lion, a precipice, or a fever. There is no being which possesses any power or faculty, that it receives not from its Creator, nor is there any one, which by ever so irregular an action, can encroach upon the plan of his providence, or disorder the universe. Its operations are his works equally with that chain of events which it invades; and whichever principle prevails, we may for that very reason conclude it to be most favored by him (Hume, 1783). Moreover, Ecclesiastic law still forbids suicide, and religious penalties against the act are, nominally, still in force. However, as soon as secular law recognized insanity as an excuse for suicide, so, too, did canon law. For approximately the past century, rabbinic and church authorities alike have classified suicides as ipso facto non compos, permitting them to receive normal religious burial services. The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion states: Judaism does not consider the individual as the owner or unlimited master of his own life; consequently, suicide, which amounts in rabbinic thought to murder, is strictly forbidden. . . . However, recent rabbinic ruling considers the suicide as being of unsound mind, and as such he is allowed to be interned [sic] with others. (R. J. Z. Werblowsky and G. Wigoder, p. 367). The Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant clergy use the same formula for annulling the sinfulness of suicide. After a well-known Catholic American killed himself and was given an elaborate burial, a spokesman explained: Today it is the churchs feeling that a person must be crazy to commit suicide. And we place the insane in the hands of God, for his mercy and his judgment. . . . The church will not judge [him]. (San Francisco Chronicle, 22 October 1983, p. 3) Roman law expanded the criteria that made suicide morally acceptable. For example, tedium vitae a mental state we are likely to call depression, but is better rendered as having had enough (of life) -was a justification for it (A. J.L. van Hoof, p. 122). However, Roman law prohibited the suicide of slaves, because they destroyed not themselves but their masters property; and of defendants accused of crime, because their deed prevented the law from determining whether they were guilty or not. If their deed was interpreted as signifying guilt, the law required that their corpse be denied ritual burial and their property be confiscated. Christian canon law adopted the practice of denying religious burial to the suicides corpse, and medieval English criminal law reinstated the penalty of forfeiting the suicides property (A.J. L. van Hoof, p. 16). Views for suicide Jessie claims the decision to be a rational one, a logical conclusion to a life that has lost its true meaning; there are disturbing glimpses of another motivation. To begin with she is on medication, which has given her an apparent sense of clarity and equanimity. If she is herself, then, she is so by virtue of chemical intervention, though there are hints of an obsessive behavior not touched by her medicine. She has a notepad in her pocket which contains a checklist, a countdown to annihilation. She is, she explains, cold all the time, and longs for the dark and quiet of death, a place where nobody can get me †¦ Dead is everybody and everything I ever knew, gone. Dead is dead quiet (night Mother, p. 16). She likens herself to Jesus, whom she suddenly perceives as a suicide (I didnt know I thought that) (p. 17). Though, well known philosopher may agree with Jessie as Margolis takes suicide to be essentially a matter of choosing death for its own sake. In the case of genuine suicide, according to Margolis, the victims overriding concern is to end his own life. (1975) Moreover, Immanuel Kant claims that the exercise of freedom in self-destruction is self-contradictory. He seems to favor, however, the moral heroism of Cato (a Roman statesman who killed himself rather than surrender to Julius Caesar), but does not label it a suicide, since Cato was presumably attempting to rescue his personal integrity and not intending to destroy himself. That is, despite his antisuicide stance, Kant claims that there are times when life ought to be sacrificed. If I cannot preserve my life except by violating my duties towards myself, I am bound to sacrifice my life rather than violate these duties. He views humanity in ones own person as inviolable. Suicide, by contrast, treats our personhood as a thing; it reduces us to the stage of a beast. Persons, for Kant, are ends-in-themselves, having the capability for autonomy and rationality that comprise their humanity. Jessie suicidal act goes with Kant view of life. According to him, Life is not more important than virtue. To live is not a necessity; but to live honorably while life lasts is a necessity. Kant maintains that the fabric of society is destabilized by those who advocate a right to suicide and romanticize it somewhat in the progression. Nonetheless, pace his categorical imperative, it seems suicide can be universalized on Kantian grounds, e. g. , anyone whose situation in life is such that his or her continued existence would cause others a greater amount of suffering than his or her suicide must commit suicide. Conclusion According to the sources discuss, it can be said that argument against suicide are more powerful and it is definitely goes against Jesse’s suicide. Jessie chooses to shoot herself with her fathers gun, and if not with that then with her husbands. These were the two men she loved, the two men who might have saved her had they not left, derelict her in their different ways. There is no irony in the choice. The man who saw her into life, and perhaps tainted her blood with the seeds of epilepsy, now ushers her out. At the same time, Thelma, apparently disengaged, separated from her daughter by a sense of guilt and mutual incomprehension, and finds herself deeply committed to saving her. While her mother philosophy was Things happen. You do what you can about them and see what happens next (p. 39) is not without its logic or ethics. Moments before her daughters death, indeed, this woman, who until now has appeared content to drift through life, unquestioningly, can be explained as nearly unconscious from the emotional devastation †¦ so far beyond what is known as pain that she is virtually unreachable'(p.52). For the first time in her life she knows what she is living for and though she will be frustrated in her attempts to save Jessie, Jessie, perhaps, may have saved her in so far as she has lured her back into the world. Work Cited Catholic Church Says It Wont Judge White, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 October 1983, p. 3. A. J. L. van Hoof, From Autothanasia to Suicide, (London: Rutledge, 1990) p. 122. Freud, Contributions to a Discussion on Suicide (1910), in SE [Standard Edition], vol. 11, p. 232. Essays on Suicide, and the Immortality of the Soul, ascribed to the late David Hume, Esq. â€Å"Two Letters on Suicide†, from Rosseaus [sic] Eloisa (1783) Freud, Mourning and Melancholia (1917), SE, vol. 14, p. 252 Joseph Margolis, Negativities: The Limits of Life (Columbus, 1975), pp. 23-36. Marsha Norman, night Mother (New York, 1983). R. J. Z. Werblowsky and G. Wigoder, eds. , The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion, p. 367. Richard B. Brandt, The Morality and Rationality of Suicide, in Handbook for the Study of Suicide, edited by Seymour Perlin, pp 61-76, 1975. U S. News and World Report (April 9, 1984): 18.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Novel Sequential-presentation-only (SPO) Line-up Effects

Novel Sequential-presentation-only (SPO) Line-up Effects Simultaneous, Sequential and Sequential Presentation Only line-ups in mediating Hit False alarm rates   Valerie Lim Abstract Exculpating individuals due to mistaken identifications in simultaneous line-ups have stirred questions of trust to the procedure. Researchers proposed a sequential presentation line-up to reduce the false identifications more than they reduce hits as a superior procedure. This study investigated if a novel sequential-presentation-only (SPO) line-up could draw the benefits of both procedure by hypothesizing (a) a sequential line-up will yield fewer hits and false alarms than a simultaneous line-up and (b) a sequential presentation only line-up will yield fewer false alarms than a simultaneous line-up without a significant reduction of hits. 713 participants assessed a set of images to an image of the perpetrator in different line-up conditions. The first hypothesis was partially supported while the second hypothesis was not. This study suggests that simple manipulations have potential to make the simultaneous line-up more reliable and a novel SPO line-up does not redeem the effects. Eyewitness identifications are among the most persuasive, and sometimes only, juncture in the apprehension of criminals. This typically involves a simultaneous line-up(SIM) where the suspect(target) is placed among known innocents(foils) who resemble the witness’s description of the perpetrator (Wells Olson, 2003). The selection or lack of selection from the witness is given significant legal weighting. However, 75% of convictions involved exculpation through DNA testing where eyewitness misidentification was at fault. Furthermore, in 38% of these cases, multiple witnesses have misidentified the same innocent person (Project, 2009), which brings to question the accuracy of the procedure. Lindsay and Wells (1985) devised the sequential line-up (SEQ) procedure as a better alternative. Each line-up member is presented one at a time and witnesses must decide if the line-up member matches the perpetrator before moving on to the next. Witnesses are unaware of the number of members shown, similar to real world cases, where each member is shown once. The â€Å"superiority effect† stems from the enhanced overall accuracy as SEQ reduces false identifications(false alarms) when the target is absent(target-absent conditions), more than it reduces correct identifications (hits) when the target is present (target-present conditions) (N. Steblay, Dysart, Fulero, Lindsay, 2001). The differences in line-up performance can be attributed to witness’s decision strategies (Gronlund, 2004). In SIMs, witnesses employ a relative judgement strategy where they evaluate the similarity of line-up members to their recollection of the culprit relative to one another, even when the resemblance Is vague (McQuiston-Surrett, Malpass, Tredoux, 2006; N. K. Steblay Phillips, 2011). In target-present conditions, the perpetrator is the closest match, resulting in more hits (N. Steblay et al., 2001). In comparison, target-absent conditions risk foils with the closest resemblance to be picked, in effect producing more false alarms. This flaw is further enhanced when the dissimilarity of appearance in line-up members increases (Charman, Wells, Joy, 2011). Accordingly, presenting a line-up sequentially is said to eliminate relative judgements and to allow absolute comparisons to each line-up member exclusively to memory (Lindsay Wells, 1985; N. K. Steblay Phillips, 2011). However, in target-present conditions, sequential line-ups produce lower hit rates compared to simultaneous line-ups (McQuiston-Surrett et al., 2006). The reduction in hit rate is better understood with signal detection theory (SDT) (Meisser, Parker, Parker, MacLin, 2005). SDT posits that our ability to recognise and differentiate between familiar and novel stimuli rests on our response criterion and discrimination accuracy. Discrimination accuracy is the ability of an individual to correctly detect a signal (hits) vs. correctly reject its absence (correct rejections), while response criterion is the strength of evidence required before a signal (hit) is registered. In line-ups, the response criterion is familiarity-based and if a line-up member exceeds the familiarity threshold and corresponds to the witness’s memory of the perpetrator, it produces a hit, or otherwise it is rejected (Gronlund, 2004). It is important to note that witnesses lack awareness of the number of line-up members they will be shown in sequential line-ups. This raises the criterion threshold, which means more hits will be unlikely and more misses are produced. Furthermore, since witnesses cannot revise their previous decisions on a line-up member, they are subjected to a conservative response bias (McQuiston-Surrett et al., 2006). In effect, this reduces the hit and false alarm rates. Ideally, a line-up procedure that employed absolute judgement without a criterion shift would confer the best of both simultaneous and sequential procedures. This maximises hit rates while minimises false alarms, optimising the discrimination accuracy. This study examines a novel type of sequential procedure, named sequential presentation only (SPO), which theoretically can do so. The SPO involves line-up members being shown one at a time, while leaving the decision making until after all line-up members have been shown. This retains absolute judgement in the decision making process while decreasing response bias. As a result, the hit rates should be comparable to those of a simultaneous line-up. It follows that this study hypothesises in target-present manipulations (a) a sequential line-up will yield fewer hits and false alarms than the simultaneous line-up and (b) a sequential presentation only line-up will yield fewer false alarms than the simultaneous line-up without a significant reduction in hits. Method Participants The participants were 713 PSYC20007 Cognitive Psychology students who completed the task in groups as part of a laboratory experiment. Students were randomly assigned to conditions with 240 in the Simultaneous presentation condition, 229 in the Sequential presentation condition and 218 in the Sequential Presentation Only condition. 26 Participants were removed for having incomplete data files. Stimuli and Apparatus Participants were group tested in a computer lab. The experiment was completed in an internet browser running an experiment programmed using HTML and Javascript. The stimuli were black and white head shots of males taken from Kayser (1985); each photo was presented on a white background. Procedure On each trial, the words â€Å"Get Ready† were presented for 1000 ms followed by the presentation of a target face (the perpetrator), which was presented for 500 ms and was immediately backward masked by a scrambled image of that face presented for 1000 ms. The line-up was then presented, and the participants response recorded. In the simultaneous presentation condition, all five faces were presented simultaneously in a row across the centre of the screen with a small gap between each face along with identifying numbers 1 to 5. The number of remaining trials was displayed on the screen at this stage. Participants were instructed to respond with 1 to 5 indicating the line-up member that they thought was the target or to respond 6 if the target was not present in the line-up. The experiment then advanced to the next trial. In the sequential condition, the five line-up members were presented one at a time for until a response was made. For each line-up member, the participant made a response (yes or no). There was a 1000 ms blank interval between each face. Once all of the five line-up members were completed, the participants were informed of the number of remaining trials for 1500 ms, and the experiment advanced to the next trial. In the Sequential Presentation Only condition, the five line-up members were presented one at a time for 1000 ms each. There was a blank interval of 1000 ms between each line-up member. After the final line-up member, the response scale was presented until a response was made. The number of remaining trials was displayed on the screen at this stage. Participants were instructed to respond with 1 to 5 indicating the line-up 7 member that they thought was the target or to respond 6 if the target was not present in the line-up. The experiment then advanced to the next trial. In each condition, the line-up was constructed from a set of five faces drawn from a set of 54 possible faces. On target present trials, the target was drawn randomly from the set of line-up faces. On target absent trials, the target was drawn from the remaining 49 faces. There were 50 trials in the experiment. Results The mean ratings for the Simultaneous, Sequential and SPO condition as a function of Hit rates and False alarms are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Mean hit rates and false alarms as a function of line-up condition A one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in the hit rate, F(2,684) = 12.62, p ÃŽ ·2 = .04. A post-hoc analysis using the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons showed significant difference in the hit rate between the SIM condition and the SEQ condition (Mean Difference = 0.08, p Mean Difference = 0.05, p = .02), but not between the SEQ and the SPO condition (Mean Difference = 0.04, p = .10). A one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in the false alarms, F(2, 684) = 9.28, p ÃŽ ·2 =.03. A post-hoc analysis with the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons showed significant difference in the false alarm rate between the SIM and SPO condition (Mean Difference=0.69, p Mean Difference= 0.01, p=1.00) as well as the SEQ and the SPO condition (Mean Difference= 0.06, p= .004). According to Cohen (1988), both hit rate and false alarms demonstrated a small to medium effect of line-up procedure. Discussion This study investigated if a novel SPO line-up could attain optimal discrimination accuracy. In target-present conditions, it was hypothesized that (a) sequential line-up will yield fewer hits and false alarms than the simultaneous line-up and (b) the SPO line-up will yield fewer false alarms than the simultaneous line-up without a significant reduction in hits. The first hypothesis was partially supported as there were fewer hit rates but not false alarms in the SEQ condition. Our second hypothesis was not supported. Results showed that the sequential condition produced less hits compared to the simultaneous condition, this was consistent with previous research (Lindsay Wells, 1985). However, false alarm rates were comparable. As for the SPO condition, a significantly lower mean hit rate was produced, as well as a higher false alarm rate compared to both the other conditions. Simultaneous line-ups induce a relative judgement decision approach (Gronlund, 2004). In a target-present condition such as ours, the line-up member that most resembles witness’s memory of the culprit will induce a higher mean hit rate (N. Steblay et al., 2001). This was supported in our results. In a simultaneous target-absent line-up, the foil with most resemblance should be picked with similar reasoning, producing more false alarms. However, our results showed that false alarm rates were higher in the sequential line-up instead. Sequential line-ups cause a criterion shift, influencing a conservative â€Å"no† or â€Å"unsure† response in witnesses which reduces hits and false alarm rates (McQuiston-Surrett et al., 2006). A possible explanation our results did not replicate this is the use of instructions which states explicitly the target may be absent or present. Instructions may prompt witnesses in realising that a criminal’s absence was a genuine possibility (N. Steblay et al., 2001), and thus will consider each person in succession (absolute judgement strategy) (Dysart Lindsay, 2001). Since simultaneous line-ups do not induce a criterion shift, witnesses have less of a conservative bias and will refrain from guessing more (Palmer Brewer, 2011). This accounts for the high rate in the simultaneous line-up and low false alarm rates compared to the sequential condition. However, since the same instructions were given to both conditions, it does not explain the unexpected results in the sequential condition. Perhaps showing all the line-up members in one sitting works at ease to witnesses’ memory and hence decisions (Smith et al., 2014). Further investigations need to verify this result. Participants in the sequential condition refrain from making an identification as a result of the criterion shift (Palmer Brewer, 2011). This reduces the overall hit rate. To negate this effect, all decision making is reserved to the end of the line-up procedure in the SPO condition. However, it still produced a significantly lower mean hit rate compared to the simultaneous condition, suggesting a criterion shift is unaffected by when participants report their decisions. Furthermore, the results indicate that the difference between the simultaneous and SPO line-ups were not significant in regards to false alarms. The SPO condition was created to retain the low false alarm rates by appealing an absolute judgement framework. It appeals to memory in the sense of match-making, instead of a relative judgement among line-up members (Gronlund, 2004). By theory, this would discourage false alarms from occurring. Nonetheless, our results were comparable between the simultaneous and SPO procedures. This could also be explained in terms of the effect of imposing instructions. The caution that it gives participants makes it more likely in minimizing false alarm rates in the simultaneous condition, but may not be as dominant in a sequential set-up. This study included presenting photographs of suspects as opposed to actual human entities in line-up conditions. The photographs only contained the suspect’s neck to facial features, excluding their physical build-up. This means that our line-ups may not include ecological validity (McQuiston-Surrett et al., 2006) and should be validated in similar trials and psychological concepts before being used in practice. In conclusion, this study found that the simultaneous condition have potential in possessing optimal discrimination accuracy in regards to more hits and fewer false alarms. This is a contradiction to previous research as the superiority effect of the sequential condition may not hold even under target-absent settings. This finding followed when validating a novel SPO procedure was ineffective. A lower hit rate and higher false alarm rate resulted, becoming the worst performer of all conditions. However, it should be taken into consideration photographs cannot replicate real world ecology and may affect response criterion. Further research should focus on binding the findings to psychological concepts related to memory and decision making in line-up procedures. References Charman, S., Wells, G., Joy, S. (2011). The Dud Effect: Adding Highly Dissimilar Fillers Increases Confidence in Lineup Identifications. Law Human Behavior (Springer Science Business Media B.V.). 35(6), 479-500. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioural Sciences (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Dysart, J. E., Lindsay, R. C. L. (2001). A Preidentification Questioning Effect: Serendipitously Increaseing Correct Rejections Law and Human Behaviour, 25(2). Gronlund, S. D. (2004). Sequential line-ups: Shift in criterion or decision strategy? Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(2), 362-368. Lindsay, R. C., Wells, G. L. (1985). Improving eyewitness identifications from lineups: Simultaneous versus sequential lineup presentation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70(3), 556-564. McQuiston-Surrett, D., Malpass, S. R., Tredoux, C. G. (2006). Sequential vs. Simultaneous lineups: A review of methods, data, and theory. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 12(2), 137-169. Meisser, C. A., Parker, C. G., Parker, J. F., MacLin, O. H. (2005). Eyewitness decisions in simultaneous and sequential lineups: A dual-process signal detection theory analysis. Memory Cognition, 33(5), 783-792. Palmer, M. A., Brewer, N. (2011). Sequential lineup presentation promotes less-biased criterion setting but does not improve discriminability. Law Human Behavior, 36(3), 247-255. Project, T. I. (2009). Reevaluating Lineups: Why witnesses make mistakes and how to reduce the chance of a misidentification. . Smith, A. M., Bertrand, M., Lindsay, R. C. L., Kalmet, N., Grossman, D., Provenzano, D. (2014). The Impact of Multiple Show-Ups on Eyewitness Decision-Making and Innocence Risk. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20(3), 247-259. Steblay, N., Dysart, J., Fulero, S., Lindsay, R. C. L. (2001). Eyewitness accuracy rates in sequential and simultaneous lineup presentations: A meta-analytic comparison. Law and Human Behaviour, 25(5), 459-473. Steblay, N. K., Phillips, J. D. (2011). The not-sure response option in sequential lineup practice. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(768-774). Wells, G. L., Olson, E. A. (2003). Eyewitness testimony. Annual Review of Psychology, 54(1), 277-295.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Double Dissociation: Optic Ataxia and Visual Form Agnosia

Double Dissociation: Optic Ataxia and Visual Form Agnosia Organisms, at one level, are obviously collections of parallel systems that are potentially independent, although normally interactive. (Weiskrantz, 1990) The argument of separate visual processing streams is a long and turbulent one, which stems largely from Ungerleider and Mishkins (1982) early work with monkeys. Following this research, Mishkin, Ungerleider, and Macko (1983) suggested two streams of processing. They characterised the ventral stream as the what route, used to analyse visual characteristics of objects, and the dorsal stream as the where stream, which calculated the spatial relations of the object. However, in 1992, Milner and Goodale proposed a reinterpretation of the dual pathway model (Goodale Milner, 1992, 2004; Milner Goodale, 1993, 2006). In this new model, the ventral stream was concerned with the visual perception and processing of object form and object recognition, to transform visual information into a perceptual representation of the world (Goodale Milner, 1992). Importantly, it also encoded spatial relations of objects in an allo-centric sense. This allows us to think about our world, its objects, and t he placement of objects. In contrast, the dorsal stream was involved in the controlling actions interacting with the goal object. The dorsal stream calculates spatial relations in an ego-centric view, using accurate and precise measurements. In more general terms, it can be stated in short, that this new model suggested that differences between the two streams should be evaluated, not in terms of visual inputs, but as the output systems which the two streams serve. Both streams receive the same visual information, but they interpret it in different ways (Milner Goodale, 2008). In their study of this model, researchers searched for the ideal complementary double dissociation which would unequivocally support Milner and Goodales claim that these streams are completely separate entities, which receive visual information, and then interpret and react to this information in very different ways. They found support for these claims by the flagship double dissociation studies using neuropsychological patients. The key conditions in these case studies and experimental research studies are Optic Ataxia (OA) and Visual Form Agnosia (VA). These neuropsychological disorders are, to Milner and Goodale, the quintessential case for a double dissociation. The term of double dissociation is an elusive idea in neuropsychology, with clear and concise dissociations difficult to come by. In a single dissociation, damage to a particular brain region interrupts one function, but not another function. This implies that these two functions are independent of each other in some form. The most commonly referenced single dissociation is the condition VA, in which the patient perceptual abilities are impeded, but not the visuomotor abilities. Furthering on from single dissociations, interest has turned to finding double dissociations. These double dissociations, as originally described by Teuber (1955) are seen as powerful tools in neuropsychological research, to discover and study the separate functional modules and to strengthen the evidence for a single dissociation. However, double dissociations can be very difficult to prove, as to be a true double dissociation it must be shown that two different external manipulations will affect two patients differently. That is, the first manipulation will affect patient A, but not B, whereas the second manipulation will affect patient B, but not A. This can be used as a starting block to make inferences of the modular functions of brain areas. The dual visual systems double dissociation of OA and VA, or perception of objects with mis-reaching and inability to perceive with successful grasping became the workhorse of Milner and Goodales model. They based much of their early findin gs upon studies carried out with patient D.F which showed a single dissociation (James, Culham, Humphrey, Milner, Goodale, 2003; Goodale, Milner, Jakobson, Carey, 1991). Patient D.F. is the most researched neuropsychological patient in the study of dual visual streams, and it is from research carried out with her that led to the fruition of Milner and Goodales model (Goodale et al., 1991). D.F. suffered bilateral lesions of the occipito-temporal cortex, considered to be the ventral stream area, which resulted in a profound case of Visual Form Agnosia (Milner et al, 1991). That is, she was incapable of visually perceiving the form of objects and yet she could accurately make visually guided movements and grasp objects (James et al., 2003; Goodale et al., 1991). It was argued that this research indicated that D.F.s visuomotor skills were left intact, implying firstly, that there was evidence for a single dissociation, and secondly, that D.F. could show pure visuomotor skill with out the interference of perception. In other words, she could show what the dorsal stream in Milner and Goodales model was capable of achieving (Milner et al., 1991). This original study was quickly followed by a stream of research which investigated the visuomotor capabilities of D.F (Goodale, 1994b; Milner et al, 1991) and a second VA patient; S.B. (Dijkerman, Le, Demonet, Milner, 2004). The further research illustrated that D.F.s visuomotor skills allowed her to scale her grip and orientate her wrist correctly, similarly to controls (Milner Goodale, 1995). In matching orientation tasks D.F. failed, appearing to choose orientations at random, yet when asked to reach towards a slot and post an item she performed at a similar level to controls (Goodale et al., 1991). Studies illustrated her ability to use visual information involving the orientation and shape of a particular object for online corrections of hand movements and in an object grasping task for regular shapes, (Dijkerman, Milner, Carey, 1996; Carey, Harvey, Milner, 1996), and irregular shapes (Goodale et al., 1994c). These findings were later replicated with S.B. (Dijkerman, McInto sh, Schindler, Nijboer, Milner, 2009; Dijkerman et al., 2004). The interpretation given to D.F.s visuomotor abilities suggested that the undamaged dorsal stream was controlling the visuomotor abilities, without the input of the damaged ventral stream. This was a powerful argument for Milner and Goodales model as it emphasised the functional dissociation within the visual system. On the opposite side of this dissociation, researchers studied patients (I.G. and A.T.) with Optic Ataxia (OA); a visuomotor disorder. This involves gross mis-reaching for visual targets, usually most severe in the peripheral visual field, can manifest in the contralesional visual field and the contralesional hand (Perenin Vighetto, 1988). However, patients can identify objects normally; unlike patient D.F., OA patients can discriminate the size, shape, and orientation of objects. However, these patients have difficulty in grasping objects correctly or in a functionally correct manner. OA patients will not appropriately scale their grip during reaching; they open their finger grip too wide, and close it once they reach contact with the object (Jeannerod, Decety, Michel, 1994). In addition, their reaching duration is increased, their peak velocity is lower than controls, and they misplace their fingers when they have to visually guide their hand towards a slit (Grà ©a et al., 2002) . Similarly, in reaching tasks with target jumps, both A.T. and I.G. failed to show online adjustment of movement like healthy controls (Pisella et al., 2000; Grà ©a et al., 2002). This indicates a feed forward and feedback deficit in OA. More simply, OA patients do not possess the capabilities to quickly alter their movements; they rely on the involvement of slower and later visual and motor feedback. However, does all this research lead onto the conclusion of a classic double dissociation? Milner and Goodale argue that no clearer evidence could be shown; one condition (VA) leads to inability to perceive items, yet can act on these items, and the other condition (OA) shows an inability to grasp an item, and yet they can perceive all their features. The problem is, this case of double dissociation may not be as straight forward and concise as Milner and Goodale assume. There is a new stream of research showing the exceptions and difficulties in the dual visual system assumption. A classic dissociation calls for one function to be within normal performance range and the affected function to be far below normal performance (Shallice, 1988). In relation to D.F.s visuomotor abilities, more recent research has highlighted difficulties in claiming a classic dissociation. Although D.F. does manage to grasp items in most cases, this is not to the level of normal range; she makes semantic errors in grasping tools in non-functional ways (Carey, Harvey, Milner, 1996). However, she also fails to grasp neutral laboratory blocks using the most comfortable grasp (Dijkerman, et al., 2009), and she fails to complete visuomotor guiding or grasping tasks with any shapes of significant complexity (Goodale et al., 1994a; Carey et al., 1996; Dijkerman et al., 1998; McIntosh, Dijkerman, Mon-Williams, Milner, 2004). In fact, more recent research has found restrictions to D.F.s grasping abilities, showing that she does not automatically select a grip posture which minimises awkwar d and uncomfortable grasps, like control subjects (Dijkerman et al., 2009). Furthermore, even in successful completion of simplistic tasks, D.F. may not use the same visual cues that healthy controls use. When prisms were used to perturb D.F.s vision, it was found that D.F. relies almost exclusively on vergence angle and vertical gaze for establishing object distance in reaching tasks (Mon-Williams, McIntosh, Milner, 2001; Mon-Williams, Tresilian, McIntosh, Milner, 2001). In fact there have been reports of the daily difficulty in carrying out actions for VA patients, namely S.B. showing at times greater peripheral misreaching than OA patients (Là © et al., 2002; Pisella, Binkofski, Lasek, Toni, Rossetti, 2006). VA patients use compensation techniques such as, moving their head to focus the target in central vision and slowing their goal directed movements (Rosetti, Vighetto, Pisella, 2003; Pisella et al., 2006). Dijkerman and colleagues found that patient D.F. could perform a grasping task well when she could use binocular viewing, even when her head po sition was fixed on a chin rest. However, she could not complete the task under monocular viewing unless she could tilt her head to compensate (Dijkerman et al., 1996). Specifically, D.F. needs to use either binocular disparity or motion parallax to recover the depth of an object and successfully carry out a grasping task. The empirical evidence illustrates that patients with VA struggle with many visuomotor tasks and in many cases can only complete simple tasks. Therefore, their performance is far from within the normal range, shown by control tasks with uninjured brains. Firstly, this puts into question the strong single dissociation thought to be illustrated by VA. However, even more importantly and secondly, these findings cast doubts on the pure dorsal abilities, suggesting that even with an uninjured dorsal stream visuomotor skills are affected, which in this case prevents the possibility of a double dissociation. The past research of OA has equally been viewed only through the eyes of the dual processing model, excluding the finer details. For example, clinically, a diagnosis of OA requires for all other perceptual deficits to be excluded. Specifically, issues with visual acuity, visual neglect or injury to the eye itself must be ruled out as explanations for misreaching with visual guidance. However, these diagnostic guidelines have not always been followed, and assessments of such issues have been absent or carried out in approximations (Schenk McIntosh, 2010). Stricter assessments have recurrently shown impaired discrimination of object location or orientation, particularly in the extra-foveal visual field where OA symptoms are most severe (Michel Henaff, 2004; Pisella et al., 2009). It has been argued that in truth, OA is more closely linked to attentional disorders, such as visual neglect or visual extinction (Michel Henaff, 2004; Pisella et al., 2009; Streimer et al., 2007, 2009). A.T.s attentional visual field was described as being narrowed to a functional tunnel vision (Michel Henaff, 2004). The confusion of OAs true origin comes from the fact that misreaching occurs in extra-foveal vision, when patients cannot fixate on the object. The visuomotor abilities of OA patients in central vision show little to no deficits in carrying out visually guided grasping tasks under normal conditions, unlike the misreaching that is present in the peripheral visual field (Grà ©a et al., 2002; Pisella et al., 2000). More recent studies have suggested that misreaching also affects proprioceptive targets which are not in the direction of gaze (Jackson et al., 2009; Blangero et al., 2007). Jackson et al. (2009) argue that this indicates a difficulty in representing several locations simultaneously, indicating that OA is not simply a visuomotor problem. Similarly, recent papers have shown that perception itself is also impaired in the peripheral visual field (Michel Henaff, 2004; Rosetti et al., 2005). These findings plunge the status of OA as a visuomotor disorder into uncertainty; and it unquestionably casts doubts on optic ataxia being considered as evidence of a dissociation of perceptual and motor functions within visual processing. Furthermore, with a growing number of researchers questioning the clarity of OAs strict visuomotor deficits, the argument of a double dissociation loses even more conviction. Many years of research have emphasised an impairment of actions in OA, and an impairment of perception in VA. However, are the differences between these two conditions and the empirical evidence strong enough to support a case for a double dissociation? As Pisella and colleagues (2006) highlights, looking over past research on the vision for action studies on OA patients and VA patients; it becomes obvious that these sets of patients have not been tested in identical settings. As previously noted, vision guided grasping movements are impaired in the peripheral vision of OA patients; however, these same abilities have only been tested in the central vision for VA patients (Pisella et al., 2006). As indicated earlier, OA patients have been shown to deal with visually guided grasping to a successful level in central vision and ecologically valid conditions (Grà ©a et al., 2002; Pisella et al., 2000). Without empirical evidence to indicate the true abilities of VA patients reaching in p eripheral vision, it cannot be concluded that their reaching is unaffected. Similarly, OA patients perceptual abilities have not been significantly studied. It is assumed that their perception is at normal levels, however, this same assumption was given to VA reaching until it was more closely studied. Thus, this major fault in the claim for a double dissociation does not take into account the fundamental assumption for double dissociations; that testing of the function must be carried out in the same conditions (Teuber, 1955). Given the arguments presented, it seems unlikely that OA and VA are a complementary double dissociation reflecting the inner workings of a separate vision for action and vision for perception processing routes. This suggestion is much too simplified. It is much more likely that the vision for perception and vision for action streams interact a great deal, and thus both streams have an effect upon each of these two conditions. We are unclear of VA patients peripheral visual abilities, and thus they cannot be truly compared to OA patients extra-foveal misreachings. In fact, with doubt mounting about OAs actually link to the vision for action stream, the argument becomes even more clouded. Diagnostically, this must be cleared up before any conclusions of its involvement can be made. In a comparable trend, patients with VA do not perform as well in visually guiding grasping tasks as originally claimed; they in fact perform well below normal levels (Goodale et al., 1994a; Carey et al., 1996; Dijkerman et al., 1998; McIntosh et al., 2004). Furthermore, under normal conditions and in central vision, OA patients actually perform better than previously claimed, due to their compensatory techniques (Grà ©a et al., 2002; Pisella et al., 2000). This coupled with recent findings of OA patients perceptual difficulties in peripheral vision, (Michel Henaff, 2004; Rosetti et al., 2005), it becomes an extremely difficult task to claim a double dissociation. Although, it may be extreme to claim no interaction between these conditions, they are not completely separate entities either. The fact remains that both conditions allow us to learn a great deal about the visual system under the Milner and Goodale model, and there is certainly a complementary divergence of symptoms in p art. However, the issue lies in attempting to construct these components into a complementary double dissociation; the components just do not add up. Hence, it is necessary to move beyond the rudimentary dichotomy of vision for action and vision for perception, and consequently the supposed double dissociation and simplification of OA and VA. Despite previous conventions on the unification of these deficits as one dissociation, as has been shown deeper research is beginning to highlight the cracks in this dissociation. It is necessary to advance the Milner and Goodale model beyond the research reliance on the OA and VA double dissociations. It is important that the assumptions made of OA and VA being clear and concise indicators of each visual streams abilities is eased. Although individually, patients such as D.F. and S.B., who have perceptual deficits as found in VA, can be useful indicators of the most basic abilities of the dorsal stream, this cannot be guaranteed to indicate workings of the ventral stream. As shown previously, the interaction between the two streams may be greater than previously thought. Thus higher function s of the dorsal stream may fail in patients with VA without the necessary interactive involvement from the ventral stream. Similarly in cases of OA, moreover, this may be in even more doubt with the disagreement of attention deficits playing a vital role in OA symptoms. In essence, the fixation on a double dissociation between OA and VA is hindering future research and the advancement of the dual visual processing model. This simplistic idea of the absolute double dissociation must be abandoned, and a more interactive approach taken to achieve research advancement.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Character of Marek Shimerda in My Antonia :: My Antonia Essays

The Character of Marek Shimerda in My Antonia      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Willa Cather's novel, My Antonia, Marek Shimerda is starved for attention because he is constantly ignored due to his mental retardation. It is solely because of his handicap and the assumption of his inability to help out with the farming and household chores that his family views him as helpless which results in Marek's strange and awkward actions. He is presented as an ill minded young man throughout the novel, repeatedly excused, and resides in the shadow of his healthy, fully functional older brother, Ambrosh Shimerda.    Marek is a token character that is simply taken for granted. He is portrayed as strange and useless. When Jim Burden and his family first meet the Bohemians, he is approached by Marek, the second eldest son. "As he approached us, he began to make uncouth noises, and held up his hands to show us his fingers, which were webbed to the first knuckle, like a duck's foot. When he saw me draw back, he began to crow delightedly" (Cather, 24). Everyone who encounters this poor boy instantly views him as `crazy'. All of his actions are presented as strange. "The crazy boy, seeing the food, began to make soft, gurgling noises and stroked his stomach" (Cather, 60), and evidently he is. "The crazy boy went with them [outside], because he did not feel the cold. I believed he felt the cold as much as any one else, but he liked to be thought insensible to it. He was always coveting distinction, poor Marek" (Cather, 82)!    Because of everyone's inability to understand and relate to Marek, he is pitied and constantly excused. After Jim`s reaction to Marek`s webbed fingers, Marek begins to express himself, maybe even trying to communicate with what could be a new friend, but he is immediately quieted. ""Hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo!" like a rooster. His mother scowled and said sternly, "Marek!" then spoke rapidly to Krajiek in Bohemian. "She wants me to tell you he won't hurt anybody, Mrs. Burden. He was born like that..." No one bothers to befriend this young man or even tries to talk to him throughout the entire book. Although he is obviously mentally challenged, it is not evident that any one of the characters in Cather's novel tries to reach out to this young man or teach him to be a helpful resource around the Shimerdas' household.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Exposing Children To Profanity :: essays research papers

The United States Constitution gives Americans many rights. One of those rights is the freedom of speech. A controversy has erupted in the United States because the government is unable to determine the limitations on this right. "In early America when our forefathers wrote the Constitution, profanity was not accepted" (Shoeder 72). This makes determining the true definition of "speech" difficult. A majority of people believe profanity is an acceptable form of language. These people feel that they are free to say what they want without worrying about the rights of others. Due to this insensitivity, a child has a hard time walking down a street without hearing offensive words. For example, there is a man standing on a street corner harassing another person. The child hears profane words used by the man, and from this the child relates anger with profanity. Another example is a woman seen arguing with a cashier using profanity in an attempt to get her way, and the child with her begins to believe that to get your way you must cruse. A third example is a waitress having a bad day, and taking it out on the customers the child in the booth next to the customers and the waitress is thinking that this is a proper way to communicate. All of these examples are using improper language for children to hear (Shoeder 72). Parents are then expected to explain and make excuses for the vocabulary being used by others. Profanity has become uncontrollable and has had a great role in the moral decay of our society. The main goal for parents and government officials should be the regulation of profanity in the United States.Adults are formed through the experiences of their childhood. The way a person acts and speaks is often determined at a young age. When a parent uses profanity, a child may feel free to also use these words. For instance, a mother may not intentionally use profanity when cutting her finger while in the kitchen. As a result of the mother's action, a child may use the same words when they get hurt (Hochman 29). Parents play a great part in a young person's upbringing so it is not surprising that children imitate their guardians' actions. Growing up without a role model forces a child to look for other sources to imitate. Television has role models for children to admire most of them are not beneficial for children.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Islamic Country Business Practice Are Differ from Us Essay

Do I thing business practices in Islamic country are likely to differ from business practices in the United States? If so how? Yes, I agree with this statement that business practices in Islamic country are differ from business practices in the United States. When a business organization is capable and qualified enough to meet up the national demand then they can operate business crossing to the border. When a company operates is business activities more than one country having its own branch office in the host countries then it can be called international business. As multinational business is operated in more than one country so there must be an influence of the several host countries to operation and functional activities of the business. When business practices are doing between Islamic country and United States that time we faces some different between those countries. And those are as follows: Language is the first and foremost aspects of international business. As every country has its own language. They obviously prefer that their language is highly evaluated. Moreover to make them understand it is better to express them in their own language. For Islamic country their local language is Arabic, Hebrew etc. and on the other hand English is the local language in U.S. if they each other language then as a result their profitability will be increased and the growth of the business practices is ensured. Laws are based on the Muslim Holy Book, the Quran. The system is often known as â€Å"Sharia† but their business rules and regulation are not so strict. In United states their laws are very strict for export their product in other countries for this strict rules and regulation it decreased other countries to import product from them. It make difficult to business practices between Islamic country and United States. Religion is also an essential part of a country’s culture which influences business. Islamic countries people are Muslim religious and U.S. people are as Christians, Jews religious. If we want to express it in the way of fashion like western fashion and eastern fashion. Muslim countries like to weal long veil or covered dress whether the western countries like to wear short dress pattern. Islamic countries people are pray five times in a day, they doing fast a whole month of Ramadan, and they follow Friday as holiday. But in U.S. countries celebrate Christmas day and they follow Sunday as holiday. And those different make critical to business practices between Islamic countries and United States. Education also plays a vital role in their purchasing power as well as their attitude and consumption patterns too. If they people are educated in a country the income level and quality awareness must be higher. They will not be price biased rather than they would be quality biased. This thing also differ business practices between Islamic country and United States. The Islamic countries people are tend to be very hospitable and regard treating guests with generosity and warmth as a point of personal honor. The common practice in Islamic country is to shake hand at first meeting and again upon leaving. In Islamic country people maintain closer physical proximity while taking and conversation often involve more physical contact than is common in the United States. When a guest in an Arab person’s home, avoid giving gifts of food or drink. Through this may be common practice in the United States, in the Middle East such gifts imply that the host is inadequate. Product acceptability is also a major point for business practices in different country. Like hard drinks and poke types of product are not allowed in Muslim country but those types of product are available and allow in United States. So it’s also being a different between Islamic country and United States business practices. The weather pattern is also an important aspect of international business practices. For example the clothing pattern of cold country and the high temperature country will not be same. As well as the cosmetics pattern of the clod and hot weather country will not be same. Most of the Islamic country weather is hot so when U.S. goes for their business practices those countries they must match the weather. Business practices are also differing by population, income rate, economic growth rate, heritage so many things are related with business. In fine it can be said that to operate international business efficiently we must have sufficient knowledge of their cultural pattern, their attitude, buying pattern, behavior, response to a decision, sensitive issues of their culture, their belief, and always be prepared to handle any sorts of uncertainty to overcome them. Then we can hope the growth of the business firm in the foreign country in competitive environment and their changing pattern as well durability.