The Keys to Successful Parenting

Kendallyn February 7, 2013 Mr. Mellema English 11 The Keys to Successful Parenting Being a successful parent requires a whole lot more than just providing for the physical needs of a child. To achieve being a successful parent, it means to be completely committed to building the well-being of the child. Personally, I think the qualities a successful parent should have is to be completely understanding and supportive, having faith in them, and being full of unconditional love. Having these qualities can have a great outcome of your child's behavior.And I'm sure that's what every parent wants. Showing Support and understanding is key in successful parenting. Understanding your child and taking time out of your day to talk with them and understand them is a very powerful way of showing love and compassion in my opinion. Listening to your kid can, and will draw a closer bond between you and can result in a lot less conflict. I believe by not showing nor having this quality, it can lead t o an unhealthy relationship and disconnection between you and your child.Also, having an absence of someone listening to you and understanding you as a child can result in future problems such as mentally and unhealthy habits. I know this because I have witnessed this in my life. â€Å"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid. â€Å"- Albert Einstein. I think that this quote applies to parenting in some way. I believe that parents should notice and praise all the positive things that a child does in life.It can sure be a confidence boost. You should avoid jokingly calling your child â€Å"dumb†, â€Å"brat†, â€Å"good for nothing,† because there's always that chance that they don’t know you're just teasing them. Some kids take that kind of stuff to heart and start believing that they truly are â€Å"dumb† and ‘good for nothing'. I believe by havin g complete faith in your child not only boosts their confidence, but it makes them realize all the good things they can accomplish. All these qualities are great to have, but I think the absolutely most important quality you hould have is showing and having unconditional love for your children. Growing up, it is inevitable to not make mistakes. It's just apart of life. So when your child does make a mistake, it shouldn’t change how much love you have for them. Without love, there would be no strong foundation to build up a good relationship with your child or even your family. It just wouldn’t be possible to have a healthy stable family if love was absent in your home. I know I'm just a teenager and I have no experience being a parent, but by the looks of it, parenting sure doesn’t look easy.I know there is so much more to being a parent and there are as much responsibilities that reach beyond the moon that goes with it, but I believe by building up these qualit ies that I listed can make parenting a lot more successful and easy on you. So what I'm basically saying is if you keep these qualities in mind, have positive attitude and raise your children with complete positivity and love, there can be a prodigious outcome. And I think that it's totally worth it.

Invention Essay

Invention Essay Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in the middle of a huge parking lot with a handful of heavy groceries and the pouring rain splashing down onto your face. You’ve been standing there for at least five minutes and you have been looking for your car the whole time. By this time your bags are filling up with water and are twice as heavy as when you left the store, your clothes are soaked and you still have no idea where your car is parked.Standing soaked, out in the rain with a bag full of groceries does not sound like the ideal way to spend your day, but now there is a solution to this problem. This solution is called â€Å"The Apollo Beam. † The Apollo Beam is a remote controlled high powered beam of light that can be seen from over 150 yards away. The beam of light is produced by â€Å"Light-Emitting-Diodes† or better known as LED’s. The Apollo, for short, has a circular base which is eight inches in diameter and mounts on to th e top of your car with a high powered suction cup feature.Centered in the middle of that base is another six inch in diameter circular dial which comes standard with three settings. The Apollo comes in any color you want, so long as it is black, however you can choose from a wide variety of colors when it comes to the LED’s. An interesting feature about The Apollo is that the LED’s are aligned in three rows of three and conveniently placed within the dial. You can pick the color that matches your car, your favorite color, or you can even mix and match to create your very own rainbow of colors.This brand new invention only weighs about ten pounds, so it is light weight and easy to install. The Apollo is made of a high quality polypropylene which is perfect for any type weather because it is resistant towards extreme heats, extreme colds, and even wet weather so you never have to worry about it slipping off the top of your car as you drive down the highway. The Apollo is very useful for many annoying situations. Like you visualized earlier one great use for The Apollo is when you forget where you parked when you go to the grocery store, mall, or even to pay a quick bill.The Apollo can even be a time saver when you have those fun nights out at your favorite theme park or ball game and it is incredibly hard to find you car in the huge parking lot, well not anymore with the Apollo on your side. Another great use for The Apollo is for those college students who work during the day and have to take night classes, in case they forget where they parked or if it is too dark and they are frightened to walk all the way back alone. Amazingly enough the range for the remote on the Apollo is quite impressive, it can reach up to 100 yards and the beam of light can be seen from over 200 yards away.Now you might think well what if you push the button on the remote and you set off every Apollo in the parking lot, but that problem has already been solved. Similar to the way garage door openers work each and every Apollo is specifically programmed to your remote only, so there is never any interference with any other electrical devices in the area. The Apollo has many benefits that other inventions do not have. The car alarm and panic button have commonly been used to help find a lost car, but now with the Apollo you have a much less obnoxious way of finding where you parked.Along with the silence of the Apollo, it is also light weight and easy to transfer from car to car. The most amazing benefit of the Apollo is that it is solar powered so there is no expensive equipment or extra hassle or expense of buying batteries over and over again. With solar power there is no energy sucked from your car battery and no recharge station needed to power The Apollo. Whenever The Apollo is not being used it has solar panels that work exactly like camera lens’s work on your digital cameras and because of this the solar panels are called solar lenses.T he super thin and sleek design of the solar panels fit neatly into the base of the Apollo, directly above the battery pack. So when you are not using The Apollo it closes up and the solar lenses are exposed to the sun light so that it can continuously charge itself. The energy from the sun is absorbed by the solar lenses, then transferred and stored in a battery pack located inside the base of the Apollo. When fully charged the Apollo stores enough energy to last an entire week, and The Apollo only takes about 24 hours of direct sunlight to completely charge.The Apollo is very convenient when you have been shopping all day and come out lugging around those heavy shopping bags and you realize you have totally forgotten where you parked. There are countless benefits to The Apollo and do to its lightweight and versatility it will make finding your car a walk in the park. No longer will you have to wait countless hours searching for you car, thanks to The Apollo you can spot your car an d start walking in the right direction before you even step foot off the curb.The Apollo is small and easy to install, you can share it with the whole family no matter what car you drive. The Apollo’s nine super bright LED’s give for an extremely luminous spotlight of colors no matter what the weather is like outside. With three settings and your choice of what colors you want, you can personal your Apollo to be as colorful as you would like. Never again will you walk to the wrong side of the parking lot looking for your car, let the Apollo remember for you. Make looking for your car less of a hassle and more of a joy.With the long distance of the remote and the brightness of the Apollo your lightshow can be seen by all. Let the sun do the work for you with The Apollo’s special micro solar panels or better known as the unique solar lenses. The Apollo is the classic example of American ingenuity, using what is already right in front of us and improving it. Using the power of the sun to power the Apollo saves time, money, and energy for all. Let The Apollo Beam be the light that guides you†¦to your car.

Comparative Analysis of Dominant Russian and American Values

Comparative analysis of dominant Russian and American Values The question of values becomes important when we cannot understand and explain the behavior of foreigners. Probably you know this from your own experience of communication with people from other countries: sometimes we think that foreigners behave strangely or rudely or just differently from what we expect. In most cases this is what is usually called â€Å"cultural misunderstanding†. OK, now let’s dwell on the concept â€Å"value†. There is a considerable confusion surrounding the definition of values.In spite of the fact that there are many definitions and innumerable studies, no definition has attracted widespread consensus. Kurt Baier notes that to define values sociologists employ a bewildering profusion of terms, raging from what a person wants, desires, needs, enjoys, prefers to what the community enjoys, sanctions or enforces. The concept of value refers to two contrasting ideas. At one extreme we speak of economic values based on products, wealth, prices – on highly material things. In another context, however, the word â€Å"value† acquires an abstract, intangible and non-measurable meaning.Among such spiritual values are freedom, peace, justice, equity. In many societies we find a growing antagonism between some of the new values propagated by the mass-media, and the traditional values inherited from the past. For example, we can single out such pairs as: traditional sex roles/blurring of sex roles or traditional family life/alternative families. But let’s analyse all this stuff by looking at two countries, America and Russia. First of all, we’ll give some descriptive information, then we’ll compare them. America.Before we can fully understand the dominant American worldview we need to analyze the historical and cultural roots of mainstream American society. The earliest settlers who came to the North American continent were motivated by the desire to escape the control and the social order of monarchy, aristocracy, and established churches. They were seeking relief from oppression and poverty and were ready to make a fresh start. Freedom is at the center of all that Americans value and hold dear. The U. S. Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, assures individual rights such as freedom of speech, press and religion.The concept of individual freedom began to be associated with the United States. By â€Å"freedom† Americans understand the desire and the ability of an individual to control his own life without interference from any organized authority. As we can see, Americans' notion of freedom focused on the individual and individualism. The early settlers were mostly farmers whose success depended on their ability to survive and confront hardships on their own. This idealized self-reliant individual is easily recognizable in the industrial age as a small businessman who became a financial success on his own.Th is strong belief in self-reliance and self-sufficiency is the basic aspect of the American character. Though people are not equal in their abilities, equality of opportunity is understood by Americans as an equal chance for success, an equal start to enter the race for success. However, this myth proclaiming equal opportunities has become one of the most battered ideals of today. Only a relatively small number of people under corporate capitalism can reach pinnacle of success, no matter how many people are talented or motivated to succeed.Only a few can reach the top because they could discipline themselves and work hardest. There is also support from Protestant theology, which tends to associate hard work and personal achievement with being in favor with God. In any context working hard is highly honored by Americans. The self-esteem of many Americans is closely connected with performing productive and rewarding work. Students and children are encouraged to work part-time to gain v aluable experience and become contributing members of the family instead of being a dependant.Being a productive member of the society is very important and praised and it is not surprising that elderly people and the disabled strive to be useful and productive in any way they can. The phrase â€Å"to go from rags to riches† reflects the great American dream in which material wealth and possessions are one of the top priorities. Russia. Russia, more than any other country, has always been a challenge for philosophers and historians who tried to provide a logical description of Russia's national identity and national character. There are, however, reasons behind this uniqueness and complexity.Russia is a very old country with the history of more than 11 centuries. It often happened that the new stage of development denied all the values of the previous one: from Tsarist Russia to Socialism, from Socialist Russia to the Free Market Economy. However, despite these sweeping chang es Russia has always demonstrated its uniquely Russian character and style which have survived through centuries and resist all attempts to transform or westernize Russia. It is impossible to approach the culture of Russian people without trying to look at the geopolitical context within which Russia has lived for centuries.Russia is a vast country, situated on the crossroads of Europe and Asia. With such a vast territory to govern, Russia evolved into a state ruled from its center. Distance and isolation prevented easy communication with other centers of civilization which contributed to isolation from excessive foreign influence and to the uniqueness of the Russian national worldview. Russia is also a northern country with a long cold winter and short summer. The harsh climate made Russians strong and healthy, capable of enduring extreme hardship, patient and cautious, dependant on the test of time.The vast territories and cold climate, together with the need to survive and resist the attacks of neighboring countries cultivated the spirit of communalism, which is often considered to be a predominant Russian value. From prehistoric times when Russians banded together to cultivate the land, to fell the trees, to harvest the crops and to protect themselves from invaders, sobornost (communal spirit, togetherness) became a distinctive feature of Russians in contrast to the individualism and competitiveness of the West. Communalism at the same time brought about such ideals as dependence on each other's help, mutual support and trust.Russians rely on a close network of family and friends and coworkers as protection against the risks and unpredictability of daily life. On the other hand, communal mentality is alien to the spirit of self-reliance and responsibility. Russians got used to being told what to do and what to think. Even in the modern rapidly changing world decision making is often difficult for Russians who prefer to refer decisions to higher-ups, thus r idding themselves of the responsibility in case things go wrong. Another important feature of the Russian national value system — preference of spiritual over material.N. Berdyaev considered Russians to be the most spiritual people in the world and claimed that the economy can be viewed only as an instrument but not the goal or the highest value. With the advent of the market economy nowadays it may seem that many traditional values will change dramatically. Traditional values are still strong — self-sacrifice, sense of duty, compassion, the importance of family, and love of nature, courage and moral strength. We may only hope that provided with new practical dimensions, these values will remain the mainstream Russian values.The List of Russian-American Values. 1. Going to extremes (Russians) vs. moderation in everything (Americans) A Russian can spend all his money in a restaurant during one night, Americans would probably never do this and would consider the Russian behavior strange or just foolish. 2. Open-heartedness (Russians) vs. being reserved (Americans) A Russian can talk to a complete stranger on the train about his or her problems, an American would probably prefer to talk about football, rather than to share his or her problems with anybody. 3. Generosity, hospitality (Russians) vs.BEING PRACTICAL, saving money (Americans) While Russian dinner is a real feast, Americans make as many hamburgers as there are guests expected; if Americans invite you for coffee, they mean coffee and not anything else. 4. Complaining about problems (Russians) vs. Being always OK (Americans) Russians and Americans solve their problems in different ways: if Russians have problems they go to their relatives or friends, if Americans have problems, they go to their psychiatrist. Russians and Americans also differ in borrowing money: Russians borrow money from their relatives or friends, Americans borrow money from the bank. . Critical/ironical attitude to one's country (Russians) vs. patriotism (Americans) Russian love of their country is geographical (they love their nature, their birch-trees); American love is political (they love their freedom and democracy and they believe that it's their sacred duty to protect freedom and democracy all over the world). 6. â€Å"Being† orientation (Russians) vs. â€Å"Action† orientation (Americans) Americans are more active physically and mentally. Russians prefer to sit at home doing little and earning little money for little work rather than to stand the physical strains of hard work.Russians prefer intellectual entertainment to going in for sports (Americans prefer sports). 7. Leisure orientation (Russians) vs. Work orientation (Americans) You have worked hard before the exam. When you come to your exam and get â€Å"5† you tell your colleagues that you knew everything and you deserved it (American); you tell your colleagues that you knew nothing and got â€Å"5† becaus e of cheating (Russian). 8. Problem making (Russians) vs. problem solving (Americans) Russians have a serious attitude to life, they tend to complicate everything, Americans have a childish attitude to life, they tend to simplify everything.Situation: Your friend doesn't get on with his colleagues and because of this won't get a promotion. You think that a) He has a complicated personality (Russians), or b) He is a fool (Americans) 9. â€Å"Creative attitude to law† (Russians) vs. law obedience (Americans) It's normal to break traffic laws in Russia, then it's normal to bribe the police (Americans can't even think of bribing the police! ). Explanation: When Russians break traffic laws and are stopped by the policeman, they first try to talk with him, appealing to his feelings, since Russians see in him a human being and not the embodiment of the law. 0. Collectivism (Russians) vs. individualism (Americans) Examples from Russian life: cheating on tests, which is considered nor mal among Russian students (When Russian students are told that American students do not normally cheat, Russian students can't understand why. ). A line in the library (Several people from your group will join you in the line and nobody would object, American students would consider this not only strange but totally unacceptable).

Ethics and Values in the Work Place Research Paper

Ethics and Values in the Work Place - Research Paper Example The discussions about international business ethics are as old as international business itself. Throughout the decades of the 1980s and 1990s business ethics was mainly a branch of learning being trained in business schools and argued by scholars. (Charles, 2003) However, by the end of the 20th century business practitioners deal with numerous intimidating issues. A few more imperative concerns are sheathing yield of production, oppressive societal and narrow costs, dissatisfied and unfaithful staffs, a growing surge of worldwide antagonism, geopolitical turbulence, erratic currency structures, and periodic pressures of inflation, depression, and universal market volatility. A profound acquaintance of values and ethics drive business practitioners, their employees, and their organizations to do what they do might well assist them not only to endure current complexities but also to provoke the influential social and technical streams renovating the global business structure. (Frederi ck, 1995) D'Silva (2007) defines business ethics and values as an ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad etc. Anything one may consider appropriate conscientiously may be regarded as ethical and vice versa. However this simply not enough as stated by D'Silva (2007) values and ethics comprise one's intellects to discriminate between moral and immoral in addition to willingness to facilitate someone in a positive manner. Business Ethics may be an approach of honorable doctrines practiced in the business world globally. It imparts strategies for suitable conduct by corporations not only in the policy formulation but in routine activities as well. A moral attempt has so far become essential in the determination of the reputation of the business and ultimately the success of course. In order to achieve this reliable status, business concerns are now making efforts to prepare and follow ethical codes of conduct decoding into the perceptions of commercial and individual account ability. A Model of Ethical decision making McDevitt, et. al., (2006) have created a model of ethical decision-making that amalgamates the decision making procedure plus the content variables taken into consideration by those coping with ethical problems. The model explains the decision-making procedure in surroundings of disagreements, alternatives and assurance with content variables. An improved interpretation of the procedure will help managers in coming up with strategies that improves the probability of ethical conduct in their firms. External environment Figure 1: Adopted from McDevitt, et. al., (2006) A number of Subject matter variables have been presented by the researchers to elucidate the ethical decision making but here only few are chosen in context with the application. These are individual and situational variables. As Figure 1 demonstrates how individual traits of a person are associated with different situational aspects to reach a final decision. Need of Educating Values and Ethics in Business Schools for Career Development As stated by Cornelius, N. et. al., (2007) in order to meet the call of the day it has become a

Shortage of Nurses Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Shortage of Nurses - Research Paper Example Current global shortage of nursing staff has contributed to an increased number of mortality rates. Causes of nursing staff shortage Shortages of nursing staff have been attributed to various factors; addressing these factors can drastically reduce these shortages. Issues related to these shortages include insufficient enrollment of students into the nursing profession, underinvestment by the involved country’s government into health sectors, high turnover rate, poor working conditions, rapid increase in population, increased incidences of rare diseases, and few number of institutions offering nursing education (Andrist et al, 2006). Insufficient enrolment into nursing Students enrolling for nursing education are far much below to address the existing shortage. According to the survey by international nursing council, the number of students enrolling for the nursing profession is below the expectation to address the shortage of staff, and there is a need to increase the number of intakes. Comparing the number of students enrolling for other faculty and with those entering into nursing, few students pursue nursing profession. Reasons for this low enrollment have been contributed by the poor pay that nurses receive, poor working condition, long working hours, and high cost associated in training. Nurses work hard to improve the quality of patient’s life. Despite deplorable working condition, nurse’s wages are much below, hence shying off many students. Because of shortage in staff, nurses end up working for many hours than expected working hours. Most of institutions offering nursing education charges high fee, increased cost in educating nursing student has led to many parents and guardians to convince their children to pursue other courses that are less costly and have better pay (Cowen & Moorhead, 2011). Another contributing cause of the shortage in the nursing industry is an inability of nursing schools and college to enroll a large numbe r of students. According to America, association of nursing (AAN) there has been regulation in the number of annual intake in nursing college. According AAN, the Regulation in number of students is to avoid flooding the industry with many nurses. Despite an increase in the shortage, colleges have not taken an initiative to increase the number of nurse’s students. In addition, the numbers of institutions and colleges offering nursing training are few. This has translated to reduce in number of students enrolling for nursing (Kalisch, 2004). Underinvestment in health sectors Most of the developing countries have invested a lesser amount of their budget in health sectors. In Philippines, the country invests 3.6% of their gross domestic income to health sectors. This is contrary to what United States invests; it invests 16% of their gross domestic income. Because of this underinvestment, it has been difficult to attain millennium development goal (MDG) where it aimed at reducing child mortality rate and improving maternal health. Because of poor investment, it has led to poor recruitment programs. Less number of nurses are employed annually; this weak recruitment has failed to breach the gab in the existing shortage. In addition, due to less investment, nurses are paid less salary; inadequate wages have shy off many student to pursue nursing, hence causing a shortage of nursing staff (Kalisch, 2004). Poor

Juvenile Delinquency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Juvenile Delinquency - Essay Example These offenses range from status offenses like smoking while young, to property and violent crimes. The high percentage of juvenile offenses is a major concern of the society because, the behavior the youths develop in their adolescence affects their adult life if not corrected in advance. The research work that follows will look at some of the causes of juvenile delinquency, prevention methods, and the history of juvenile justice, that is, the handling of juvenile offenses during the early history days and at present, the statistics of juvenile justice in different countries, and the importance of the study. The History of Juvenile Justice For years, law has successfully defined juvenile and adult offenders by drawing a line at different places as well as different reasons. Juvenile crime policy history through the 20th century is a narration of how the conception of young offenders has been transformed by law. Before the juvenile court era, by the end of 20th century, young offende rs were tried and punished in the same way as adults were. Although the law was greatly influenced by common law of England, different countries had different methods of handling juvenile delinquency cases in the early history days. In Greece and Rome, age made no difference on criminal responsibility (Binder, Geis and Bruce, 2001). The young people accused to law breaking received the same treatment as the adults. According to the Roman law, the Twelve Tables, law breaking of underage children and adults got the same treatment, that is, the treatment given to the adults applied to children (Binder, Geis and Bruce, 2001). In the criminal justice system, juvenile offenders got treated the same way as adults, although they differed in the punishment given. The Roman law considered only the children under the age of seven years to be exempted form criminal liability, but girls from 12 years and boys from 14 years were as adults in regard to crimes. Those in between received judgment ac cording to their capability of distinguishing between right and wrong (Binder, Geis and Bruce, 2001). The English Common Law took judgment of juvenile cases like those of Greece and Rome. Although their law termed children as responsible for any crime right from birth, few children under the age of 7 years faced legal penalties for their crimes (Binder, Geis and Bruce, 2001). The rising crimes in early days of history in the United States led to the formation of institutions to treat the wayward youths who developed anti-social behaviors due to social changes in Europe (Krisberg, 2005). The changes affected almost all the fields of life for the people of Europe, for example, increased population due to urbanization led to increased fees paid by farmers who worked on the farms. The living standard of the farmers dropped leading them to migrate to towns and cities to look for means of survival (Krisberg, 2005). This immigration of these farmers into towns caused an increase in crimes that brought unrest in the towns. To control the effects of this immigration, the town leaders enacted laws to prevent immigration and also invented other laws like the ‘Poor Laws’ as it was their name, to prevent the migrants from obtaining citizenship. Although they tried to discourage migration to

Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 4

Research Methods - Essay Example Whilst he acknowledges that legal compliance and laws may provide a correlation to state behaviour and international politics, Waltz feels that is theory that explains them and to this end attempts to reconstruct classic realism through a somewhat scientific approach. Therefore, Waltz’s book seeks to go beyond the classic realist position of politics in terms of state characteristics and state interaction with each other. Therefore Waltz’s central theory of neo-realism in international politics is underpinned by Waltz’s proposition that the system of international politics is inherently dependent on a system of anarchy. This system of anarchy according to Waltz effectively creates the international order of hierarchy, which is further defined by states who are unitary rational actors on the one hand and rational actors on the other. To this end, Waltz’s discussion of the Cold War highlights his propensity towards viewing the international political order from a systemic perspective as opposed to considering the intentions of individual states and human behaviour, which is arguably the inherent weakness of the book in context of contemporary international politics. For example, in focusing on the international politics as a whole state system as opposed to individual state level factors, Waltz avoids assumptions about human nature and morality and power in international politics. Waltz’s neo-realist paradigm proposes that the central factor in international politics is security and whilst gathering power, often results in destructive effects. Therefore, in propounding the idea that state survival is imperative in international politics, Waltz suggests that gathering power isn’t prominent however the goal of survival necessarily results in power being obtained by default. To this end, Waltz’s theory posits that the international system is the dominant factor, which he

How well has poverty reduction policy in Turkey succeeded Essay

How well has poverty reduction policy in Turkey succeeded - Essay Example Attacking poverty had been one of the main aims in the world in recent times and Turkey had been no exception. It is important to know more about the programme and assess how well Public economic management in Turkey is progressing. No doubt, poverty reduction cannot be done in a few years, or as a result of a few policies. This has to be based on a very sound continuous economic programmes and right directions. All over the world, there are many impediments in the way of poverty eradication. In the world of globalization, economic change also depends on many other world problems and economic fluctuations. Hence, expecting an overnight result cannot be exactly practical. In the Press Release No. 39, September 19-20, 2006, Ali Babacan, Governor of the IMF for Turkey, said in the 2006 Annual Meetings of Board of Governors held at Singapore held: â€Å"Inflation is likely to exceed the 2006 target mainly because of adverse energy and commodity price developments. However, it is expected that, in the medium term, it will converge to our target. Current account deficit has widened on account of rising cost of energy imports and accelerating investments whereas the composition of the financing significantly improved by the increasing long term capital inflows† http://www.imf.org/external/am/2006/speeches/pr39e.pdf Turkish economy has undergone a series of changes with the tightening of the fiscal policy and central banking. This does not mean that Turkish economy does not have any worth-mentioning growth. It is considered to be one of the fastest growing economies, in spite of many connected cultural, social and economic problems.

The battle of Trenton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The battle of Trenton - Essay Example In fact this war served as a morale booster and gave immense confidence to the American army to continue the American revolutionary war even though American army suffered lot of setbacks earlier. One of the major significances of this war is the fact that it occurred in the Christmas night. Hessians and British troops never thought that American army may attack them on that particular day. Moreover, they never anticipated that American troops may try to cross the Delaware River under difficult and risky conditions. However George Washington took the risk of crossing this river using some boats even though the river was filled with ice blocks. British troops and the hessians were taking rest or sleeping while American troops arrived quite unexpectedly. More than one hundred British and hessians soldiers were killed in this battle and the rest were captured live. Not even a single American soldier was killed in this

Implement a marketing solution (case study) Case Study

Implement a marketing solution ( ) - Case Study Example 2007). By taking the consumers' needs and wants into consideration, Gillette is offering those products with proper design and accuracy for achieving customer satisfaction. It is a product which provides ultimate satisfaction to its consumers. The main feature of Gillette is that it is having five blade frontage technologies. Even though Gillette is having a brand loyalty among the consumers, still it is facing healthy competition from rivalries. The fact behind this is none other than the expensive price tags that Gillette products come with, as compared to other products. Despite being one of the leading companies in the industry, they are facing competition. Following are the leading competitors of Gillette fusion razor: The primary market for Gillette is basically the wholesale distributors in the market. The distributors are the first purchaser of the product. There is a direct relation between the producer and the distributor. Secondary market is the second stage in the movement of a product in the market. Secondary market represents the retailers of the product. The consumers normally buy the product from the secondary market. 1) Increased quality: this strategy of Gillette states that the company is not interested in making profits at the cost of qual

Urban Sprawl Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Urban Sprawl Analysis - Research Paper Example Suburbanization is defined as â€Å"a process involving the systematic growth of fringe areas at a pace more rapid than that of core cities, as a lifestyle involving a daily commute to jobs in the center†. Suburban life is characterized by the icon of the ‘soccer mom,’ whose life is spent in her minivan as she shuttles her child to and from activities, while they await the arrival of the suburban dad, whose commute to work takes him away from the center of family life. When you understand our history, the attraction to the suburbs is clear. We’ve long been driven to own and improve upon land. Cronon writes of the colonists’ argument for taking land from the Native Americans: â€Å"their supposed failure to ‘improve’ that land was a token not of their chosen way of life, but of their laziness† (55). We’re infused with the notion that land is not precious unless someone owns and builds something on it. Beyond that, we have begun to associate owning single-family residences in the suburbs with moral superiority. In Russell Conwell’s popular lecture, â€Å"Acres of Diamonds,† he asserts: â€Å"drive me out into the suburbs of Philadelphia, and introduce me to the people who own their own homes around this great city†¦and I will introduce you to the very best people in character as well as enterprise in this city†¦ A man is not really a true man until he owns his own home† ... We worship the new, the exclusive, and the private. Our sprawl entails new buildings where people flee to avoid looking at the old buildings they abandoned. The cost of such configuration, however, is quite high. It costs not only in dollars and cents, but resources, and socio-culturally as well. Sprawl is costly in terms of dollars and cents. Burchell points out that there is a budget â€Å"deficit projected under the sprawl growth scenario† (80). Local governments begin to strain under the burden of maintaining existing structures while providing new roads and services to new buildings. Suburban sprawl is extremely costly in terms of our natural resources. â€Å"In the decade between 1982 and 1992, over 13 million acres in the 48 contiguous states of the United States and Hawaii changed from forests, fields, and rangeland to urban use† (qtd. in Pendall 555). There is a finite amount of resources and sprawl does not make efficient use of them. Hayden elaborates on spra wl as â€Å"careless new use of land and other resources as well as abandonment of older built areas† (7). Something sprawl takes from the individual is the sense of community. â€Å"A cost of development that is truly impossible to measure is how much a neighborhood, town, or city contributes to or denies people a sense of place and community† (Burchell 110). Suburban sprawl creates homogenous spaces that lack character or uniqueness. People come and go in their cars and neighborly bonds are often simply not formed. Part of the reason is that suburban spaces are built around automobiles. Hayden refers to the tract-housing, common to suburban developments, as â€Å"automobile-oriented buildings† (8). Rather than being able to

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost Essay Example for Free

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost Essay Walking alone at night, for some, can seem like a peaceful thing to do, to help clear a person’s mind and let the day’s troubles disappear into the dark. For others, though, the night is when a person feels the most alone and must face their own demons. Robert Frost makes the night become that dark, grim and depressing time in which people reflect on themselves in his poem â€Å"Acquainted with the Night†. The first time reading the poem, one just simply thinks a person is taking a walk at night in the city, keeping to themself when meeting the watchman and listening to the sounds on the streets around, all the while keeping time by the moon in the sky as to when to head back home. But, when taking a closer look, the reader can begin to see the pain, grief and the foreboding feeling the speaker has about life itself, the feeling of being alone and wanting it to stay that way. It also shows that the speaker isn’t the only person with pain and grief on this night. The theme of Robert Frost’s poem â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† is depression and grief in the speakers’ personal life. Frost tells us this by using symbolism and tone in the lines of the poem. â€Å"I have walked out in rain – and back in rain. † The second line in the poem tells the reader that whatever troubles the speaker is having or has had is so much for this person, that when they walk in the night, it doesn’t matter what the weather is, they will walk and walk all night through the rain, trying to out walk their troubles. The rain can also symbolize life itself, always pouring one thing after another on a person, one stress after another, one heartache after another, and sometimes no matter how strong a person is, they can never get away from that rain. The following line, â€Å"I have outwalked the furthest city light. † tells the reader, in the literal sense, that the speaker also does not care about the distance as to which they will walk to try to leave their troubles behind. Or it can symbolize that no matter how far a person goes in life, there is always trouble waiting. I have looked down the saddest city lane. † shows the reader that the speaker, though physically alone, isn’t all that alone in the grimness of life. The lane the speaker is looking down gives the reader the picture that it is run down, abandoned almost and even probably poverty stricken. The reader sees that the speaker isn’t the only one with trouble and depression, it surrounds the speaker but the he sees himself as alone in that he is wrapped up in his own feelings and thoughts. Even when the speaker passes the watchman on the treet, he doesn’t want to explain why he is out at night and averts his eyes so that maybe he will get by without being stopped. The speaker wants to keep the solitude he has in his mind intact so he wants to avoid even speaking to the watchman. The lines 7 through 10 go more in depth of the speakers’ feelings of solitude and isolation while he is out in the night: â€Å"I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet When far away an interrupted cry Came over houses from another street, but not to call me back or say good-bye;† The 7th line shows that the speaker really is all alone out there when walking; there are no other sounds of people walking or going about on the street he is walking down. The speaker walking alone reflects how he feels in his everyday life, alone, no one to walk with him and take on the troubles of life. But, he isn’t too far away from others because he can hear a cry from another lost soul dealing with their own turmoil. The lines 8 to 9 make the entire poem come across as almost horrific, because the reader then wonders what kind of cry is it that the speaker is hearing? Is the sound of some crime? Or just another person in and dealing with their own hell? Then the final lines of the poem bring home the morbid tone of the entire piece. Line 11, â€Å"And further still at an unearthly height† symbolizes how the speaker feels about how out of reach and out of touch he is with his surroundings and possibly with life itself. The lines 12 and 13, â€Å"One luminary clock against the sky / Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right. † makes the reader feel the dark tone of the poem even more. The reader, at this point, is brought closer to understanding the speaker’s feeling of loneliness and solitude because that is how most people feel, no matter when it is, it is never the right time or the wrong time for almost anything. It feels as if one can almost never make the right call as to when to do something in their life that is important. The line 13 makes the reader wonder if the speaker is considering suicide, that the speaker is wondering if the time is ever right for committing suicide, or is it ever right for living life. The repeated line â€Å"I have been one acquainted with he night† as the first and last lines of the poem is the final piece that really sets the tone of darkness for the poem as a whole. Night is usually acquainted with darkness, scary things, loneliness, solitude, unhappiness and even depression. So the simple line brings to light the deepness of the inability of the speaker not being able to find things in common with those around him, not being able to open up and discuss himself and his feelings and thoughts. He has known trouble and pain, and doesn’t know how to leave it behind, so he carries it with him so that even during the day, he feels as if he is always in the darkness of night. Overall, Frost’s poem â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† is a poem that can be taken just literally, or symbolically. It depends on the kind of outlook on life each person that reads the poem has. Some might not see the symbolism of the feelings of darkness, isolation and grief, while others see it right away. But either way, the reader can still feel the dark tone of the poem whether it is the first time reading it, or the hundredth, just from the beginning and ending lines, â€Å"I have been one acquainted with the night†.

The Definition Of Stress Psychology Essay

The Definition Of Stress Psychology Essay Stress  is a term that is commonly used today but has become increasingly difficult to define. It shares, to some extent, common meanings in both the biological and psychological sciences. Stress is the bodys reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional adjustment or response. Stress can be defined in terms of all people responding in the same biological way to the same stimulus, or as dependent upon the persons response to the stressor. Any perception of a stress stimulus triggers the persons physiological and psychological responses to situations or events that disturb the equilibrium. Stress is any event that a human being perceives as harmful or threatening. The body reacts to stress with fight or flight response. Stress hormones like adrenalin, dopamine, cortisol, noradrenalin, and endorphins are released in the blood when one experiences stress. The term  stress  had none of its contemporary connotations before the 1920s. In the 1920s and 1930s, the term was occasionally being used in biological and psychological circles to refer to a mental strain, unwelcome happening, or, more medically, a harmful environmental agent that could cause illness. Walter Cannon  used it in 1926 to refer to external factors that disrupted what he called homeostasis. Homeostasis is a concept central to the idea of stress. Environmental factors, internal or external stimuli, continually disrupt homeostasis.  Factors causing an organisms condition to waver away from homeostasis can be interpreted as stress. A life-threatening situation such as a physical insult or prolonged starvation can greatly disrupt homeostasis. Psychologists have defined stress in a variety of ways. Contemporary definitions of stress regard the external environmental stress as a stressor, the response to the stressor of distress, and the concept of stress as something that involves biochemical, physiological, behavioural and psychological changes. While there is little consensus among psychologists about the exact definition of stress, it is agreed that stress results when demands placed on an organism cause unusual physical, psychological, or emotional responses. In humans, stress originates from a multitude of sources and causes a wide variety of responses, both positive and beneficial (Eustress) and negative and harmful (Distress). The most commonly used definition of stress was developed by Lazarus and Launier (1978), who regarded stress as a transaction between people and the environment and described stress in terms of person-environment fit. Stress typically describes a negative concept that can have an impact on ones mental  and physical well-being, but it is unclear what exactly defines stress and whether or not stress is a cause, an effect, or the process connecting the two. With organisms as complex as humans, stress can take on entirely concrete or abstract meanings with highly subjective qualities, satisfying definitions of both cause and effect in ways that can be both tangible and intangible. Both negative and positive stressors can lead to stress. The intensity and duration of stress changes depending on the circumstances and emotional condition of the person suffering from it (Arnold. E and Boggs. K. 2007). Humans may all be faced with the same stressor (stimulus) but the stress response that they show will depend on their individual differences or gender or culture. Stress is an extremely adaptive phenomenon in a person which contributes to his/her survival, activities, and performance.1 Physical and psychological stress can induce a number of immunological alterations in the cell mediated.2 Stressors may influence the immune system through their impact on neuroendocrine, autonomic and central nervous system.3 Psychological stress may influence the functions of the immune system both indirectly through hormonal changes, and directly through nervous regulation during brief but acute stressful periods.4 Exposure to psychological stressors can modulate the primary antibody response.5,6 (4) Some common categories and examples of stressors include: Life experiences such as poverty, unemployment, clinical depression. Obsessive compulsive disorder, heavy drinking,  or insufficient sleep  can also cause stress. Students and workers may face performance pressure stress from exams  and project deadlines. The medical student: Medical students are frequently individuals with a long-standing need for caring, a capacity to tolerate, being in a providing, dispensing, and nurturing relationship with other people. It is not uncommon for medical students to have chosen medicine after a death of a family member or close friend, sometimes with the quite conscious desire to learn how to fight wasteful death. The goal of medical education is to graduate knowledgeable, skilful and professional physicians. The medical school curriculum has been developed to accomplish these ambitions. Medical students are a highly self-selected group who arrive in medical school with a set of developed abilities, motives, adaptive styles, and values that must be taken into account if we are to understand the impact of their medical studies on them. Teams of sociologists have studied the ways medical students organize themselves to excel and to manage the vast amounts of information that they should learn. They consider success in medical school as the first step to a future of helping others and they are not about to jeopardize that. Medical students as a group are attracted to medicine partly because of their special sensitivity to and concern on three psychological issues: death, suffering, and care. Secondly, medical students are distinguished by a preference for certain adaptive techniques, styles, and defences-specifically by a propensity to counter, master, and overcome sources of anxiety, a tendency to react to stress and anxiety. (3) Stress and medical studies: There is extensive literature demonstrating that medical students begin medical school with mental health profiles similar to their non-medical peers. Since the healing profession is distinctively motivated to confront the issues of suffering, death and care, issues that most of their fellows anxiously avoid, through the course of medical school, they experience substantial deterioration in their mental quality of life, due to stress and anxiety. Medical students have to deal with stressors specific to medical school in addition to normal stressors of everyday life which explains this high prevalence of anxiety. (1) Medicine is a kind of training which is emotionally demanding and therefore medical education can be regarded as stressful. High levels of stress have been found in medical students in various studies. Amongst medical students, stress has been reported to be caused by academic pressure, perfectionist standards, increased psychological pressure, mental tension and too much work load. The demanding nature of medical practice requires involvement with the most personal or emotionally draining aspects of life (human suffering, death, sexuality and fear) and these are considered to be stressors. Stress during medical school can lead to problems later in professional life compromising patient care. (1) Studies suggest that medical students experience a high incidence of stress with potential adverse consequences on academic performance, competency, professionalism and health. Medical students experience substantial stress from the beginning of the training process. Students use various coping mechanisms to process stress that vary by year in training and source of stress. The specific coping strategies that students use may determine the effect of stress on psychological and physical health and may determine whether stress has a positive or negative influence. Strategies that centre on disengagement such as problem avoidance, wishful thinking, social withdrawal and self-criticism have negative consequences and correlate with depression, anxiety and poor mental health. In contrast, strategies that involve engagement such as problem solving, positive re-interpretation, reliance on social support and expression of emotion enable medical students to respond in a manner that leads to adaptation, which can reduce stress. Medical education has deleterious consequences. Trainees (students, interns, and residents) suffer high levels of stress, which lead to alcohol and drug abuse,  interpersonal relationship difficulties, depression and anxiety,  and even suicide.  Medical students have mean anxiety scores one standard deviation above those of non-patients. (12) Studies which have tried to identify the sources of stress among medical students generally concern three main areas : academic stress: enormous syllabus to be covered in a limited time, sudden change in their style of studying, flooding of medical science with new concepts, lack of proper guidance, thought of failing in exams, inadequate time allocated to clinical posting, insufficient bed side teaching, social stress : relationship with peer groups, hostel friends, senior teachers, displacement from home, expectations of parents, peer pressure, change in the medium of education, physical stress : inadequate hostel facilities, hostel food etc. (5) Anxiety is also associated with feeling of loneliness, peer competition, long hours and loss of social time. The majority of stressful incidents in traditional curricula are related to medical training rather than to personal problems. (7) Stress may not only impair the quality of life of medical students but can also influence patient care and the complex psychodynamics of the doctor- patient relationship. (5) Stress is receiving increased attention because of the realization that tired, tense, anxious doctors may not provide as high quality care as do those who do not suffer from these debilitating conditions. A medical career can be particularly stressful due to the combination of involvement with life and death and the high expectations of medicine and of doctors held by both the public and doctors themselves. Partly as a result of these pressures and the need to acquire a substantial body of knowledge and skills, medical students experience considerable anxiety at various stages in the curriculum (Arndt et al., 1986; Firth, 1986; Firth-Cozens, 1987; Kidson Hornblow, 1982; Moss McManus, 1992; Tooth et al., 1989). Such anxieties may result in, for example, reduced examination performance (Tooth et al., 1989), increased alcohol consumption (Firth, 1986) and attempted suicide (Warren Wakeford, 1990). (6) Some students may perceive factors such as nutrition, exercise routines, sleep patterns, social activities, having a child to care for, job responsibilities, finances as stressors that they need to overcome in order to achieve a higher academic standing. By themselves, these constraints may have no effect at all on a student, but when combined, a student could perceive them as stressful and these stress factors could have a dramatic effect on a students academic performance. Exam stress during medical studies: Medical students are repeatedly subjected to rigorous examinations in order to check their potential to be a doctor as they have to deal with human life every single day. They have chosen a career which demands not only responsibilities but also ethical and legal liability for others lives. The onus of this responsibility and sheer volume of syllabus places a medical student under tremendous stress prior to professional exams. This stress may manifest with varying magnitude of anxiety (Kidson and Hornblow, 1982) and decrease in psychological health (Aktekin et al, 2001). (13) To a student, the prospect of sitting for an examination could be identified as a stressor and the resulting emotional and physiological state could be described as an exam stress. (4) Many students experience anxiety before a test or exam; a little bit of nervousness can actually enhance performance. However, if stress levels rise to the point where they inhibit performance on the test, then this is considered exam stress. 92% of students said that they got worried during exam time; one fifth of students surveyed revealed that they had suffered anxiety attacks as a result of pre-exam stress. Furthermore, 61% of those questioned cited lack of sleep/insomnia as a result of stress, 51% said that they suffer from headaches or migraines and 47% admitted turning to the one of the worlds best comforts, food. (10) Here below are some of the symptoms of exam stress, which can vary widely in intensity. Some test-takers experience only mild anxiety, and still perform well, but others are left nearly unable to function, failing the test or even experiencing a panic attack. Physical symptoms of exam stress include tremors, sweating, dry mouth, nausea, rapid heartbeat and even fainting. Milder cases include symptoms of butterflies in the stomach, but severe cases can lead to physical illness which must be treated. Behavioural and cognitive symptoms include defiant avoidance of exam situations, or just a little fidgeting. In some cases, exam stress can become so severe that the student is forced to drop out of school entirely just to avoid testing. Many students attempt self-medication with alcohol or drugs; still others report blanking out completely, or experiencing difficulty concentrating, inability to control thoughts and a negative outlook, which are all common behavioural / cognitive symptoms of exam stress. Emotional symptoms of exam stress include low self-esteem, anger, depression and feelings of despair. The students taking the test often feel unable to do anything about their situation, so they may berate or belittle themselves about their performance and their feelings. Exam stress is reported to have a significant impact on the well-being of the student and is associated with changes in the mental and physical health such as increasing anxiety, increasing negative mood and changes in the functions of the immune system. (4) In other words, the exam is one of the stressful events associated with lowered immune system function.14 Academic examinations have often been used in stress research because they are predictable, standardized, and discrete examples of real-life stressors. It was demonstrated that this stress caused a significant neurohormonal change. A small but significant increase in their emotional distress is indicated by an increase in anxiety during the final examination. Glucocorticoids can downregulate the immune activity, but acute stresses were reported to increase the cortisol level.19 Results show that the exam stress can result in significant increase in the cortisol level. (4) According to a study conducted by Shamsdin, et.al. (2010) on thirty five university medical students, two blood samples were provided from each participant one month (first stage) and one hour (second stage) before the exam. The results show that stress has determining effects on the immune response. The exam stress can result a significant increase in the cortisol level. So, these changes may indicate the alterations of immunological status and presence of stress in an immunosuppressed individual, affecting his / her health. Under stressful conditions, the hypothalamus releases corticotrophins into the blood circulation and when it reaches the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, adrenocorticotrophic hormones are released into the blood circulation. When this reaches the adrenal gland, lucocorticoids are released which are chemicals that modulate or regulate the immune response. Since lymphocytes have receptors for glucocorticoids as well as other steroid hormones associated with r esponses to stress, the brain and immune system are sufficiently well connected to one to influence the other. Exam stress  involves a combination of physiological over-arousal, worry and dread about test performance, and often interferes with normal learning and lowers test performance. It is a physiological condition in which people experience extreme stress, anxiety, and discomfort during and/or before taking a test. Exam stress is prevalent amongst the student populations of the world, and has been studied formally since the early 1950s. During states of excitement or stress the body releases the hormone adrenaline. This hormone is responsible for preparing the body for danger, or the fight or flight response. Adrenaline is known to cause the physical symptoms one might experience that accompany exam stress such as increased heart rate, sweating, and rapid breathing.  [3]   Symptoms of exam stress can range from moderate to severe. Students who exhibit moderate symptoms are still able to perform relatively well on exams.  [5]  Other students with severe stress will often experience panic attacks. Student expectations are one major mental factor. For example, if a student believes that he or she will perform poorly on an exam, he/she is far more likely to become anxious before and during a test. (9) Exam stress is the emotional reaction that some students face before exams. The fear is not irrational, but excessive fear interferes with performance. Many researchers suggest that a little worry is good for students because it keeps them task oriented; however excessive worry on the other hand can be very debilitating and interferes with the results if not managed appropriately. (2) Exam stress is a set of responses that includes excessive worry, depression, nervousness and irrelevant thinking to a class of stimuli from an individuals experience of assessment / test and outcome. It is experienced by many students while undertaking any exam. There are four main areas of reported stresses which can contribute to exam stress including life style issues, lack of required information, studying style and psychological factors. (2) Life styles related issues include inadequate rest, insufficient physical activity, poor nutrition and lack of time management are found to be the contributing factors leading to exam stress as reported by many authors. Psychological factors which contribute significantly to exam stress are negative and irrational thinking about exams, outcomes of exams and feelings of no control over exam situation (e.g. going blank during exam) are reported by many authors. Students perception of extensive course load is also reported to cause exam stress in medical students. Examination system itself is a major stress factor for medical students. (2) In other words, the phrase exam is the same stimulus, but some medical students will be feeling very worked up about the exam, others will be more laid back. The internal and behavioural response will be different for each of them. Psychologists try to find out the factors affecting this interaction and stress management depends on the perceived interaction and response. Gender is likely to be an important factor in students anxiety. Women are reported to be more anxious than men, both overall and for most individual situations. (6) Anxiety levels increase in medical students just before exams, with female students found to be more anxious than males, shows a study undertaken by the Armed forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, India (Pahwa, et. al., 2008). (14) According to this study labelled A study of exam related anxiety amongst medical students pre-exam anxiety levels are seen to be higher in female than male population indicating greater increase in anxiety levels amongst females. This is in agreement with other studies that substantiate presence of sex differences in exam related anxiety, with female students having higher test anxiety than male students (Chapell et al 2005, Eller et al 2006). (13) Females are more likely to report concern and stress due to self expectation, a feeling of lack of competence and a tendency to over report symptoms. (1) Comparison of rankings between 1992 and 1995 Birmingham students shows that rankings were consistent over time for both genders, particularly for the higher ranked questions. More detailed analysis of the 1995 data shows that individual female students were more likely to have higher total scores than male students. (6) All stress factors were more common among female students with statistically significant differences in factors which included: studying all night before exams, feeling no control over exam situations, improper nutrition and lack of exercise. Personality and stress: Mental health professionals believe personality plays a significant role in how individuals perceive stress (Martin, 2011). Lazarus and Folkman (1984) define stress as a product of the relationship between the person and the environment. Stress occurs when a person appraises a stressful event as exceeding his / her coping abilities or threatening his / her well being. Personality can influence both health related and everyday behaviours and is also related to an individuals appraisal of a stressful experience (Booth-Kewley, 1994). Stress is not a simple, stimulus-response reaction; rather it is the interaction between an individual and the environment, involving subjective perception and assessment of stressors, thus constituting a highly personalised process. Specific inherited characteristics, early experience in life, and in particular, learned cognitive predispositions make individuals more or less susceptible to the effects of stressors. Resilience and vulnerability to stressors as well as intensity of stress response mainly depend on age, gender, intelligence, and many other characteristics of personality (19). (Psychiatrike. 2011. Stress and personality. Lecic-Tosevski D, Vukovic O, Stepanovic J. psychiatric Department, Belgrade University, School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia.) Research has indicated that certain personality traits can make individuals more vulnerable to stress. There is a number of personality traits that could be described which measure human personality. A broad and comprehensive way of identifying the traits and structure of human personality is the Five Factor model (Digman, 1990). J.M. (1990). (Personality structure: Emergence of the five-factor model.Annual Review of Psychology  41: 417-440). Five Factor Model: This model has originated in a decades-long factor-analytic research tradition (13). Most researchers goal was to create a brief inventory that would allow efficient and flexible assessment of the five dimensions when there is no need for more differentiated measurement of individual facets. (6) Big Five has proven useful as a framework for organizing any findings on adult personality in areas such as behavioural genetics and industrial psychology. (6) The five factor model of personality is better understood as a lexical and factor analytic derived personality approach (Haslam, 2007). McCrae and Costa (1991) claim that this model provides a comprehensive taxonomy of personality traits. However this model has not always been regarded as noteworthy (McAdams, 1992). McCrae and Costa have conducted a lot of research on the model, including cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs (Cavanaugh Blanchard-Fields, 2006) and they argue that the model includes a large number of traits found in language and scientific theory. Thus, this model allows for a systematic approach to personality (12). The five factors model is more than a simple classification of basic personality traits. By the late 1980s, Costa and McCrae were convinced that they and other researchers had found a stable structure of personality. (11) In McCrae and Costas (1996, 1999, 2003) personality theory , behaviour is predicted by understanding the three central or core components and the three peripheral ones. The three central components include (1) basic tendencies, (2) characteristic adaptations, and (3) self-concept. (11) The five factors are labelled by McCrae and Costa (1992) as extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. These dimensions make up the personality traits of the five-factor model, which is often referred to as the Big Five (Goldberg, 1981). The first of the five factors is extraversion. Extraversion has a different importance in different measures. Sometimes it is based on assertiveness, sometimes on spontaneity and energy. Sometimes it is based on dominance, confidence, and agency (Depue Collins 1999), sometimes on a tendency toward happiness. Extraversion is often thought to be implying sociability (Ashton et al. 2002). Others see a sense of agency and a sense of sociability as two facets of extraversion (Depue Morrone- Strupinsky 2005). Finally, others argue sociability is a by-product of other features of extraversion (Lucas et al. 2000). A connection has also been made between extraversion and the approach temperament; thus, some now view extraversion as reflecting a relative sensitivity of a general approach system (DepueCollins 1999, Caspi Shiner 2006, Caspi et al. 2005, ElliottThrash 2002, Evans Rothbart 2007). People who score high on extraversion tend to be affectionate, jovial, talkative, joiners, and fun-loving. In contrast, low extraversion scorers are likely to be reserved, quiet, loners, passive, and unable to express strong emotion (11). The second factor, neuroticism, refers to the ease and frequency with which a person becomes upset and distressed. Moodiness, anxiety, and depression indicate higher neuroticism. Measures often include items or facets relevant to hostility and other negative feelings, but they are dominated by vulnerability to anxiety and general distress. Neuroticism has been associated with the avoidance temperament discussed above (Caspi Shiner 2006, Caspi et al. 2005, EvansRothbart 2007), suggesting that anxiety and sensitivity to threat is its emotional core. People who score high on neuroticism tend to be anxious, temperamental, self-pitying, self-conscious, emotional, and vulnerable to stress related disorders. Those who score low on neuroticism are usually calm, even-tempered, self-satisfied, and unemotional. (11) The next factor is agreeableness. Agreeable people are friendly and helpful ( John Srivastava 1999), empathic (Graziano et al. 2007), and capable of inhibiting their negative feelings (Graziano Eisenberg 1999). Agreeable people become angry over others transgressions than do less agreeable people (Meier Robinson 2004), and this probably short-circuits aggression (Meier et al. 2006). At the opposite pole is an oppositional or antagonistic quality. People who are low in agreeableness display their power to deal with social conflict (Graziano et al. 1996). Agreeableness as a dimension is often characterized as being broadly concerned with maintaining relationships (Jensen- Campbell Graziano 2001). People who score high on agreeableness tend to be trusting, generous, yielding, acceptant, and good-natured. Those who score low are generally suspicious, stingy, unfriendly, irritable, and critical of other people (11). The most commonly used label for the next factor is conscientiousness, although this label does not fully represent the qualities of planning, persistence, and purposeful trying to achieve goals that are part of it (Digman Inouye 1986). Other suggested names include constraint and responsibility, reflecting qualities of impulse control and reliability. Specific qualities included in this trait vary considerably across measures (Roberts et al. 2005). Individuals who score high on conscientiousness are hardworking, conscientious, punctual, and persevering. In contrast, people who score low on conscientiousness tend to be disorganized, negligent, lazy, and aimless and are likely to give up when a project becomes too difficult (11). Agreeableness and conscientiousness share an important property. Both suggest breadth of perspective. Many manifestations of conscientiousness imply taking future contingencies into account. Agreeableness implies a broad social perspective: taking the needs of others into account. It has been suggested that both of these traits have their origins in the effortful control temperament (Ahadi Rothbart 1994, Caspi Shiner 2006, Jensen-Campbell et al. 2002). The fifth factor, most often called openness to experience (Costa McCrae 1985), is the one about which there is most disagreement as far as content is concerned. Some measures (and theories) enrich this factor with greater overtones of intelligence, terming it intellect (Peabody Goldberg 1989). The fifth factor involves curiosity, flexibility, imaginativeness, and willingness to immerse oneself in atypical experiences (McCrae 1996). People who consistently seek out different and varied experiences would score high on openness to experience. They are creative, imaginative, curious, liberal and have a preference for variety. Those who score low on openness tend to support traditional values and to preserve a fixed style of living and they are typically conventional, down-to-earth, conservative, and not at all curious. (13) Big Five and Medical students: Most of the research on the Big Five is based on self and peer ratings, typically made by college students. (6) Conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness have been shown to be related significantly to academic performance (Poropat, 2009). (15) Neuroticism, in contrast, has a negative significant relationship with academic performance. The relation between educational operation and neuroticism, particularly with regard to anxiety in stressful situations such as university examinations has been clarified 14 (18). It is often claimed that, besides cognitive abilities, a mixture of personality characteristics is necessary for people to be successful in medical studies and eventually in the medical profession. However, there is debate as to which personality traits are typical of students in medical studies as compared to students in other academic fields 1-3. (5) A study conducted by Nauert (2009) which was labelled Personality profile of medical students studied more than 600 Belgian students over their seven years of medical studies to determine what impact their personality had on their performance. The researchers employed a commonly used test to measure the Big Five personality traits. Although the study was conducted in Belgium, the personality factors and the modern medical practices are similar around the world so personality should consistently relate to valued outcomes in medical education. Personality traits can reveal a lot about how students perform during the different demands and emphases of a students medical studies. For example, trait conscientiousness was a good predictor of learning success throughout the medical studies of the students. The researchers speculated that extraverted students are more likely to spend less time on studying than on their social relationships during the first years of medical school, which could hinder their academic performance and result in lower grades, whereas students who scored well in persistence and conscientiousness experienced success in their studies (Grohol, 2009). Big Five and Stress: Personality has been linked to the probability of experiencing stressful situations (Bolger Zuckerman, 1995) and to the evaluation of an event as stressful (Guthert, Cohen Armeli, 1999). Stress plays a role in personality/psychopathology associations (Klein, Wonderlich, Shea, 1993). Stressful reactions act as a medi

Reforma Integral De La Educacion Basica

Reforma Integral De La Educacion Basica La Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica de Mà ©xico se encuentra en un proceso de reforma que inicià ³ en 2004 con preescolar y continuo en 2006 con secundaria. En el 2009, la Reforma se generaliza en primaria en los grados de primero   y sexto. Durante los siguientes dos aà ±os, la reforma abarcarà ¡ los grados de segundo y quinto, asà ­ como tercero y cuarto de primaria, respectivamente, para que en el 2012 la Reforma Integral de la Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica haya cubierto su ciclo de articulacià ³n. El nuevo plan, programas y materiales educativos de primero y sexto tuvieron una etapa de prueba durante el ciclo 2008-2009 en 5,000 escuelas piloto. Sus resultados fueron analizados e incorporados previos al proceso de generalizacià ³n en todo el paà ­s. Las razones de una Reforma Educativa son connaturales al avance de la investigacià ³n educativa y la evolucià ³n de las diversas disciplinas cientà ­ficas, pero tambià ©n, buscar hacer de esta reforma una gran oportunidad para mejorar la calidad de nuestro sistema educativo nacional. La Educacià ³n Bà ¡sica debe formar en los alumnos las competencias que requieren para incorporarse con à ©xito en la sociedad del conocimiento, lo que significa mejorar sus capacidades lectoras, matemà ¡ticas, cientà ­ficas y tecnolà ³gicas hacia niveles de alta complejidad, al mismo tiempo que se les brinda una formacià ³n integral para la vida y el desarrollo humano. Ello implica formar en los nià ±os las competencias para saber conocer, saber hacer y aplicar el conocimiento; saber convivir en una sociedad democrà ¡tica y saber ser hacia la autorrealizacià ³n personal. Como en toda reforma educativa, el docente es central para lograr resultados exitosos.   Es por eso que se realizan capacitaciones para profesores de primero a sexto grado, directores, supervisores y jefes de sector de nivel primario, y se actualicen en base a la nueva reforma. La Reforma Integral de la Educacià ³n Primaria, es parte de la polà ­tica educativa nacional con la que se culmina el proyecto de articulacià ³n curricular, impulsado desde la reforma en preescolar y secundaria, orientada a elevar la calidad de la educacià ³n y que los estudiantes mejoren su nivel de logro educativo, cuenten con medios para tener acceso a un mayor bienestar y contribuyan al desarrollo nacional. Esta reforma es parte de la estructuracià ³n global del proyecto cuya base es la coherencia de los fundamentos pedagà ³gicos que promueve y posibilita al docente el acercamiento a los propà ³sitos y al enfoque del nuevo plan de estudio, los programas y los materiales educativos para que se apropie de ellos y encuentre diversas formas de trabajo en el aula acordes con la diversidad y entorno sociocultural. Uno de los ejes fundamentales para el à ©xito de esta reforma, es la participacià ³n de todos los actores en el proceso educativo: alumnos, padres, maestros y autoridades educativas comprometidas con el cambio. Una estrategia inicial es la formacià ³n acadà ©mica a docentes, directivos y asesores tà ©cnicos pedagà ³gicos. Para que la reforma pueda lograr sus objetivos, es indispensable reconocer que a cada maestro le corresponde la tarea de traducir los principios que orientan la reforma a propuestas concretas en el salà ³n de clase, esto es: Realizar una planeacià ³n de sus actividades didà ¡cticas en concordancia con los enfoques de cada asignatura. Reconocer la manera como pueden instrumentarse en una escuela, en un contexto especifico, con un grupo de alumnos con caracterà ­sticas particulares y desde la reflexià ³n de su propia experiencia como docente. Establecer las actividades de aprendizaje y las formas de evaluacià ³n que articulen este nuevo enfoque en la tarea docente, desde los planes y programas de estudio apoyadas en los materiales educativos. La planeacià ³n dentro del proceso enseà ±anza- aprendizaje es fundamental para el à ©xito del trabajo en el aula; en ella intervienen el contexto de la escuela, su organizacià ³n, su infraestructura, matricula y el conocimiento general del grupo, aspectos que el docente considera en su planeacià ³n ademà ¡s del plan de estudios, los programas y otros materiales de apoyo. Cabe mencionar que la planeacià ³n es el espacio donde la creatividad del docente y su conocimiento del contexto de la prà ¡ctica y de sus alumnos se ponen en juego; por esta razà ³n, la planeacià ³n es à ºnica e irrepetible. Considero que las reformas educativas son necesarias porque el conocimiento siempre està ¡ cambiando. Para que una reforma tenga à ©xito tiene que poner al dà ­a las enseà ±anzas y hacer uso de los adelantos, los maestros necesitan estar al dà ­a, aprender lo que no saben, haciendo uso de las tecnologà ­as de informacià ³n, el uso de las computadoras y otros medios auxiliares en cuanto a educacià ³n. La reforma requiere establecer un sistema de evaluacià ³n acorde con los postulados de las competencias y abandonar los enfoques centrados en la memorizacià ³n y en ejercicios mecà ¡nicos alejados de la vida del alumno. Los planes de estudio del 2009 tienen como finalidad elevar la calidad de la educacià ³n para que los estudiantes mejoren su nivel de logro educativo, cuenten con medios para tener acceso a un mayor bienestar y contribuyan al desarrollo nacional. La principal estrategia es la adopcià ³n de un modelo educativo basado en competencias y la articulacià ³n entre los niveles preescolar, primaria y secundaria. El plan de estudios se clasifica en campos formativos: 1. Lenguaje y Comunicacià ³n 2. Pensamiento Matemà ¡tico 3. Exploracià ³n y Comprensià ³n del Mundo Natural y Social 4. Desarrollo Personal y para la Convivencia. Un elemento pedagà ³gico que articula la reforma es la nocià ³n de establecer competencias en los estudiantes. Se busca que el estudiante, en su formacià ³n para ser ciudadano y miembro de una sociedad, desarrolle de manera conjunta conocimientos, actitudes y habilidades para enfrentar situaciones inà ©ditas que le corresponderà ¡ vivir en el mundo de maà ±ana. Perrenaud[1]   indica que el elemento fundamental que orienta la discusià ³n de competencias remite a la lucha por lograr que la educacià ³n supere la visià ³n enciclopà ©dica que lleva a que los estudiantes memoricen y apliquen conocimientos sin entender su relacià ³n con las situaciones cotidianas. Es la lucha del sistema escolar por lograr un aprendizaje significativo. En la vida cotidiana ese aprendizaje no tiene mucho sentido, no es empleado para nada y se olvida una vez que el estudiante esta fuera de la escuela. Por su parte John Dewey[2] nos dice La educacià ³n debe fundamentarse en una teorà ­a de la experiencia†¦ por ello se requiere de una interaccià ³n entre el individuo, los objetos y otras personas. Entendemos por competencia a la capacidad de hacer que demanda tener informacià ³n, mediante la informacià ³n podemos desarrollar una competencia, esto no significa que se deba enseà ±ar en la forma en que habitualmente se hace ya que se pretende acabar con el aprendizaje memorà ­stico. Enseà ±ar por competencias es el resultado de una lucha por superar la visià ³n enciclopà ©dica de la enseà ±anza en el terreno de la educacià ³n. La finalidad es formar al alumno en el uso de la informacià ³n y el desarrollo de habilidades para resolver situaciones cotidianas. Lo importante es lograr que el estudiante construya el sentido prà ¡ctico de lo que aprende en la escuela. [1] 1999. Libro Formar competencias en la escuela [2] 1937. Teà ³rico de la educacià ³n de cara al proceso de industrializacià ³n.

Policy :: essays research papers fc

If Western diplomacy has a role to play it will have to be discreet and carefully considered, always bearing in mind that the governing rule of diplomats, like that of doctors, must be ‘first, do no harm’. ( Monteagle) This thought, taken form The Clash of the Civilizations article, succinctly puts forth the ideas that I, as a diplomat learned throughout the Nations Game simulation. Diplomacy carries out the policy that nations have set. In order to carry out policy diplomats must use tactics and strategies within prescribed guidelines. The primary tool, which was most often used during the nations simulation, was negotiation. Most diplomacy is secret, though results are usually made public. The goal of diplomacy is to further the state’s interests without causing resentment. Diplomacy is an alternative to war to achieve a nation’s goals. Its weapon is words. Diplomacy may employ persuasive threats, but is usually peaceful. ‘Diplomacy seeks to strengthen the state, gaining advantages and allies while neutralizing its opponents. Thus, it tries to create good will toward the state it represents† (Britannica). The role of diplomacy during the nations simulation was very important. Envoys had to be shrewd. In order to further ones country, the diplomat had to know exactly what they needed and not back down. For example, the country of Libertania decided early on that it must concentrate on point totals. Political alliances were of secondary importance to them. Press releases were less focused on good will toward other countries, but more on setting up trade appointments. When rumors of war began to brew, Libertania immediately looked at point totals and choose a country strong in military to ally with. Ideological alliances were not at the forefront of Libertania’s strategy. Libertanian women were concerned about slavery and conditions of women in other countries, but were more concerned about our own country progressing economically. Once Libertania was in a strong economic state , then it could use diplomats to bring their political beliefs to the continent. Outside sources, such as the World Council, at first glance thought Libertania had diplomatic failures. However, it was the complete opposite. Libertania was able to move forward through diplomatic treaties. For example, counties such as Crock gave Libertania hundreds of point totals in exchange for signing an ecological preserve pact to protect the Vastlands. Libertania gave up claims to both Land disputes which to outsides seemed to be foolish, costly mistakes. Conversely, they were ingenious maneuvers which allowed Libertania to collect more points. Other countries were delighted to trade us hundreds of point totals for a piece of land that would only yield a couple hundred points.

Discovering Books :: essays research papers

Richard Selzer / Discuss how reading books changes my life Richard Wright, in his essay â€Å"Discovering Books,† explains how reading books changed his outlook on life and eventually his life itself. The first book that widened his horizons was an overtly controversial book by H. L. Mencken. I have a story not so dissimilar from his. Coming out of High School, I had in my possession the perspective that I knew everything. So I started, straight off the bat, working in a variety of menial jobs, which would have lead me to a dead end, for as the good jobs in today’s society required college degrees. So, after working for two years with a white-collar full of frustration, I decided it was time to take matters into my own ink-stained, carpal tunnel syndrome-stricken hands. I immediately gave my two-weeks notice, and pontificated about going to college. Headed along the yellow brick road towards the registration office, I was intercepted by my malevolent manager, the â€Å"Ineffable John† as he was called by my fellow co-workers, and he said unto me, â€Å"Michael, you don’t want to go to college, stay here and you shall have bestowed upon your unworthy head all which you need to know. Here, fill up my coffee cup.† With his words still echoing in my mind, I wanted to sprint down the hallway, pole-vault over the cubicle prisons, hurdle the water ration cooler, and dive through the double-paned sliding glass doors. This spectacular display of athletic ability would have been terrific, but the ball and chain still shackled to my ankles would have slightly hindered my escape. One week after my pre-resignation notice and John’s wise words of discouragement, my manager’s secretary, Mary, who just had a baby earlier that day but wouldn’t take unpaid sick leave, approached me and said, â€Å"Don’t listen to John, college is a sure ticket to get out of this galley, otherwise you’ll end up having a baby and coming to work on the same day because this company doesn’t provide maternity leave.† A week later I was walking out the double-paned sliding glass doors and into college life. In the counselor’s office, my counselor advised me towards taking a psychology class, seeing as it is a requirement for an AA degree, and because I did not know what sort of degree I wanted at the point. So, I agreed to take the class. Bob Rice was the eccentric instructor of this introduction to the wonderful religion of psychology.

Oedipus the King- Metaphors Essay

â€Å" «Light versus Darkness Knowledge is characterized as a burst of light which contrasts the darkness of ignorance. At the beginning of the play, and towards the fourth episode, we notice the â€Å"darkness†, the lack of knowledge that Oedipus has toward mostly everything that is surrounding him. When Oedipus learns the truth, it â€Å"bursts† into light. The metaphor of light represents truth and knowledge. â€Å" «Sight versus Blindness A reference to this metaphor occurs early in the play, when Oedipus falsely accuses Tiresias and Creon of conspiracy. â€Å"So this is what he wants, Creon the loyal, Creon so long my friend! Stealing up to overthrow and snatch!† (page 22). â€Å"XTiresias responds by using the same metaphor: â€Å"I’m blind you say; you mock at that! I say you see and still are blind – appallingly: Blind to your origins and to a union in your house.† (pg 23) Thus the idea of sight is critical in Oedipus the King. Though Tiresias is physically blind, he sees the truth from the beginning, while Oedipus, who has physical eyesight, is blind to his fate. â€Å" «Ã¢â‚¬ Oh, look upon the city, see the storm that batters down this city’s prow in waves of blood† (pg 5) The priest is comparing the bad situation of Thebes to a storm that attacks at any moment and leaves behind severe damages. â€Å" «Ã¢â‚¬ Now smiled upon by all, saluted now, now drawn aside by suitors to the King, my ear their door to hope† What Creon is comparing here, is his ears to the citizens’ door to hope, meaning that he has the kind of power that makes people hope to achieve something from their request that they submitted to Creon. â€Å" «Ã¢â‚¬ You called me here, I never would have come† Tiresias is actually trying to let him understand that Oedipus is the one who is pushing himself to the truth even though it’s not favorable!!

Essay About Bullying Essay

There are millions of children in the United States that attend local school districts that are suffering from an epidemically called bullying. Bullying does not discriminate against age, sex, or race it is an ongoing problem that needs addressing immediately. It is vital that this situation is identified to prevent irreversible psychological damage to the victim. If this situation is not detained in a timely manner the situation can destroy an individual’s self-image and many times have fatal consequences. It is essential to train school district employees and parents with a variety of strategies to assist victims with bullying. There are many factors that can contribute to a child or adolescent in becoming a target of bullying. There are no specific characteristics that will prevent an individual in becoming a target. Bullies operate alone or in a group to torment their victim. Bullies always pick victims that seem vulnerable to them and know that they will not react to the situation. Bullying has been defined as a repeated aggressive behavior whereby a bully, or groups of bullies, systematically victimized weaker peers (Olweus, 1993; Willard, & Perry, 1990). Bullying grew tremendously in the last decade, it is no longer just about being made fun of the way you dress or look now it is more complicated. Bullying no longer stays in classrooms, schools, or neighborhoods. Technology allows bullying to travel around the world in a matter of minutes this process is done through your fingertips. There are many types of bullying the old fashion type are still in place the bully victimize its target victim face to face it consist of pointing at a person laughing at them and standing there until they see them cry. There is also indirect bullying this means that they make no physical contact with the victim the bullies just spread rumors about the victim and ruin their reputation and credibility with their peers. Now with technology being so advanced cyber-bullying has made its entrance which consists of bullying an individual through websites like face book, Instagram, twitter, or any school website that students create.  Another powerful trend that is in the rise is sexting. Sexting consists of sending or receiving explicit or sexually suggestive nude or seminude images generally via cell phone devices only. In our society today, we see a growing concern regarding bullying. Teacher and professionals are aware of bullying, was not taken lightly as decades ago. All school districts nationwide have adopted a policy that has been in effect it’s called Anti-Bullying policy. This policy has a zero tolerance in bullying in school grounds. Once the victim reports the incident school officials have to take immediate action to protect the victim from the aggressor. School district have also developed many intervention plans and strategies to avoid bullying, they are proactive in the anti-bul lying policy. Districts are making sure that every student is aware of the anti-bullying policy and learn techniques in how to protect themselves and where to seek for help if needed. Bullying is not considered a normal part of growing up. When parents would state that bullying is a part of growing up that the victim had to toughen up, or like many would day it is just child’s play. They never realize that impact that these victims had in their adulthood due to the bullying in their childhood years. Being bullied creates an abnormal family environment. The victim distances themselves from the family to avoid having to discuss the problem. Many times this causes scars in the victims that it prevents them from living a normal life. In cases like this, it is recommended that individuals look for help immediately. A professional is the best option for a family in assisting them in the healing process. We need to find ways to target bullying efficiently to avoid low self-esteem issues that child ren and adolescents are encountering in their safe zone that should be their school and environment. We need to be aware that if these problems are not targeted the victims will have emotional and mental problems and may lead them to commit suicide. America is a land of dreams and opportunities this country has been liberal and allows everyone to have freedom of speech. We are now at an era that people’s rights are equal. Now laws have been changed to respect the gay and lesbian alliance rights in society. There are clubs and organizations in schools that support lesbian and gay rights. These types of clubs create a tense situation among peers and people that join these clubs become targets of bullying. Observing the world of bullying we are able to identify the potential harm that causes  children and adolescents to live trapped in this life. As counselors, our job is to be able to identify this matter quickly. To try to prevent the victim in falling through the cracks and start experimenting with drugs, suffer from depression or decide to escape the situation through suicide. We all need to unite and stand together and target this problem hand in hand with all the resources available. The commitment we have to the community should be one hundred percent. In conclusion, we are aware of the types of bullying that exist in society today, we are also armed with the best key to defeating this issues knowledge. Our oath as professionals is that we are willing to go over and beyond to help a bullying victim and their families. Considering all the points discussed today we are able to acknowledge that we need to create a team with parents to make sure that if a problem of bullying ever arises we are able to communicate and prevent a victim to becoming psychologically disturb and a family to lose a loved one. References Personality & Mental Health. Nov 2012, 6 (4), 325-339.15 Retrieve on 3/21/14 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Jun 2013, 82(6), 2-4-5 Retrieve on 3/21/14

International Biss

‘Arrow and the apparel industry: Solved Case Study Arrow and the apparel industry Q1. Why did Arvind Mills choose globalization as the major route to achieve growth when the domestic market was huge? Ans. : The reasons of choosing global market by Arvind Mills are: 1. Market seeking motives, such as exclusiveness of product and service with high productivity, stringent in-line quality control and an encouraging manufacturing atmosphere. 2.Economic motives, such as profit making by implementing cutting edge technologies to achieve economies of scale and spreading R;D costs. etc. 3. Strategic motives, such as buying-up of sick units, departing worldwide and gaining German and US brand names. Q2. How does lifting of ‘Country-wise quota regime’ help Arvind Mills? Ans. : The lifting of ‘Country-wise quota regime’ surged a demand for high quality garments from India; while Arvind brands crossed over Rs. 60 crore in the year 2002 and planned to setup two more high tech export-oriented factories in India.And now, Arvind has the largest network of 64 outlets with 30 retail chains and 200 multi-brand outlets all over India. The current turnover of Arvind Brand is about Rs. 85 crore, which aimed to reach Rs. 100 crore with 1200-3000 outlets across 480-800 towns. Q3. What lessons can other Indian businesses learn from the experience of Arvind Mills? Ans. : Arvind Mills is one of the trademarks of Indian market, which executed diverse patterns of business. Arvind brand extended the international brands in small towns of India.Of course, many other business brands in India now follows Arvind brand. The other Indian businesses should learn a lot from Arvind Mills: international outset of market; Multi-regional integration approach; union and attainment, strategic alliances, international delegates, global network formation; changes in internal organization, etc. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS Case 1:-BPO – BANE OR BOON? Which of the theories of international trade can help Indian services providersgain competitive edge over their competitors?The theory of free markets can help indian services providers gain competitive edgeover their compititors because India has got an edge over other countries at this pointof time but other nations may try to make their products look cheaper bymanipulating their currencies or by imposing restrictions on imported serviceespecially from india We need to do something like this – do something better than your competitors (either make a better product, market it better, service it better, price it cheaper, whatever). Pick up some Indian services providers.With the help of Michael Porter’sdiamond, analyze their strengths and weaknesses as active players in BPO. WNS, which was established in 1996 and transformed from a captive provider to athird-party provider in 2002, announced in December 2004 a new organizationalstructure focused on its vertical business units. The change to th e vertical focus wasmade to sharpen the company's domain expertise; develop new services andtechnologies; create superior career paths for talented managers; continue toemphasize entrepreneurship and empowerment, and win and retain business bydelivering exceptional value to its clients.The company's business units are organized into the following vertical sectors: travelservices; insurance services; financial services; enterprise services (including financialand accounting services, human resource accounting and health care processing),and knowledge services (including primary and secondary research, and analytics). Each unit is managed by a chief executive officer and has its own operating and salesteams, and draws upon support and â€Å"enabling† services across the company. â€Å"We have seen numerous tangible benefits to our decision in 2004 to more sharply focus our vertical structure,† stated Neeraj Bhargava, Group CEO. Specifically, wehave strengthened our leade rship role in the BPO industry; continued to distinguishWNS from our competitors through our differentiated strategy; maintained our recordof creating value for our key constituencies, especially customers and employees, and broadened our global perspective, thus enhancing our ability to help companies meettheir business challenges. â€Å"These developments reflect positively both on the soundness of our decision, as wellas the breadth and depth of WNS' management team, which is uniquely qualified tolead this company. â€Å"Mr. Bhargava added hat WNS' travel unit continues to be the offshore industry leaderin this segment with a dominant market share, but that â€Å"WNS' formalization of ourvertical structure clearly allowed us to devote additional resources to our non-traveloperations – especially financial services, which include mortgage and insurance. As aresult, we have strengthened our expertise and operations in each of our offerings, aswell as across the company as a whole. † Compare this case with the case given at the beginning of this chapter. Whatsimilarities and dissimilarities do you notice?Your analysis should be based onthe theories explained. Evalueserve: Based in Gurgaon, it has 650 people engaged in market research andbusiness intelligence. Nearly 45% of the company’s revenues come from math relatedprojects. Evalueserve has a research firm called Global Sourcing Now, whichspecialises in high-quality research reports. WNS: A Mumbai-based BPO, WNS has just started its KPO division for market researchwith 300 people. It operates in the knowledge services business segment and offershigh-end services such as market, investment and business research.Wipro BPO – In 2002, Wipro took a quantum jump in the BPO services by acquiring thethen Spectramind. Wipro Limited (Wipro) is engaged in the areas of information technology (IT), services,IT products and consumer care and lighting products. The Company is organized infour segments: IT services, IT products, consumer care and lighting, and others. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 (fiscal 2009), 94% of Wipro’s operatingincome was generated from its IT Services. In Fiscal 2009, IT products represented3% of its operating income, and consumer care and lighting, and others represented3% of operating income.The Company’s IT services segment provides a range of ITand IT-enabled services. In January 2009, Wipro Technologies acquired Citi Technology Services Ltd. (India), the India-based captive provider of technologyinfrastructure services (TIS), application development and maintenance services forcards, capital markets and corporate banking. Similarities: 1. Require knowledge transfer of the organization's business processes2. Involve migration of jobs (along with some people too) to another country3. Necessitated by business compulsions such as cost reduction or shortage of resources4.Technology intensive exercise/process needing a ‘global delivery model'5. Requires structured migration process to minimize the probability of failure6. ITO and BPO Partners are both affected severely by attrition in the workforceDifferences:1. Skills required in the people are different – IT requires strong technology focuswhile BPO requires strong process understanding focus2. Replacement of resources (on account of attrition) is easier and cheaper in BPOsthan ITOs3. ITO staffing strategy is to hire â€Å"trained people† whereas BPO staffing strategy aimsto â€Å"hire the crowd and train them†4.ITO results in loss of jobs to â€Å"knowledge workers† – but they don't care since theycan get plenty of jobs elsewhere; BPO results in loss of jobs to lower skilled â€Å"processworkers† – often they do not have anywhere else to go ITO – Information Technology OutsourcingBPO – Business Process Outsourcing These are two heads, ITO is bent towards technology i. e. softw are outsourcing,whereas BPO is inclined towards process outsourcing. When we say process that could be functional (admin, HR, accounts) shared by all theindustries or technical depending upon each industry and skills required.Moreover, the KPO>RPO>MPO>PPO>EPO and all the newbies are parcel of nicheindustries vis-a-vis skills required. Case 2 PERU What are some current issues facing Peru? What is the climate for doing businessin Peru today? During the 1970s, the Peruvian government nationalized a number of industries andfactories and began running them for the profit of the state in most cases, these state– run ventures became disasters. Peruvian government are facing problem with lack of advance and latest equipmentfor both locating as well as catching and then loading and unloading the fish.Peruvian government might step in during the next couple of years and again takeover the business. If this were to happen, it might take an additional decade for theloan to be repaid. If the government were to allow the fleet owner to operate thefleet the way he has over the last decade, the fleet the way he has over the lastdecade, the loan could be repaid within seven years. Peru is located on the west coast of South America What type of political risks does this fishing company need to evaluate? Identifyand describe them. Political Risk can be divided into several types of threats. Interference with operations †¢ Confiscation (they take a piece of equipment) †¢ Expropriation (they take the whole company) †¢ Nationalization (they take all the companies in a business sector) †¢ Economic instability, which effects production †¢ Currency Repatriation, not being able to get your money out †¢ Currency Inconvertibility, not being able to exchange your money for another currency of international value (yen, dollars, pounds) †¢ Contract Repudiation Persistent and deliberate refusal †¦ to honor obligations as set forth in a Contractà ¢â‚¬ ¦ What types of integrative and protective and defensive techniques can the bankuse? Some prevention techniques apply to individual banks, independently of the rest of the economy. * A bank can take deposits from depositors who do not observe commoninformation that might spark a run. For example, in the days before depositinsurance, it made sense for a bank to have a large lobby and fast service, to preventa line of depositors from extending out into the street, causing passers-by to inferthat a bank run is occurring. [1]* Banks can encourage customers to make term deposits that cannot be withdrawnon demand.If term deposits form a high enough percentage of a bank's liabilities itsvulnerability to bank runs will be reduced considerably. The drawback is that bankshave to pay a higher interest rate on term deposits. * A bank can temporarily suspend withdrawals to stop a run; this is calledsuspension of convertibility. In many cases the threat of suspension prevents the run,which m eans the threat need not be carried out. [1]* Bank regulation or other constraints can impose a reserve ratio requirement,which limits the proportion of deposits which a bank can lend ut, making it less likelyfor a bank run to start, as more reserves will be available to satisfy the demands of depositors. [5] This practice sets a limit on the fraction in fractional-reserve banking. * Full-reserve banking is the hypothetical case where the reserve ratio is set to100%. Under this approach, the risk of bank runs would be eliminated,[11] and bankswould match maturities of deposits and loans to avoid vulnerability to runs. Would the bank be better off negotiating the loan in New York or in Lima? Why?We can think like that New York Bank is in better position to do negotiation with Limain their own terms and condition. The biggest problem is that the ships are getting oldand they needs an influx of capital of make repairs and add new technology. As theyexplained it to the new York banker. â€Å"Fishing is no longer just an art. There is a greatdeal of technology involved. And to keep costs low and be competitive on the worldmarket, you have to have the latest equipment for both locating as well as catchingand then loading and unloading the fish †Case 3:RED BECOMING THICKERWhy that Coke is has not been able to make profit in its Indian operations? Coca-Cola's operations in India have come under intense scrutiny as manycommunities are experiencing severe water shortages as well as contaminatedgroundwater and soil that some assert [18] are a result of Coca-Cola's bottlingoperations. A massive movement has emerged across India to hold the Coca-ColaCompany accountable for its actions. The state of Kerala imposed a ban of colas fromthe state only to be quashed by Coca Cola; the matter is pending in the supremecourt. citation needed] The Plachimada plant in Kerala state, one of Coca-Cola'slargest bottling facilities in India, has remained shut for 17 months now becau se thevillage council has refused to renew its license, blaming the company for causingwater shortages and pollution. In the initial period of setting the business in India, the COKE was not able tomake profit fromthe Indian operation. This is due to a number of factors. †¢ The local population is not accustomed to drinking cola drinks. †¢ The market needs to be developed. †¢ The initial bottleneck was the lack of adequate network of distributors. †¢ Product distribution was weak. The poor distribution created negative impaction the market growth. †¢ Volume was low. †¢ Overheads were growing. †¢ The operation profit was negligible. Do you think that Coke should continue to stay in India? If yes, why? I would like to mention some points if in order Coke wants to continue its operation inIndia. The allegations in other ways helped Coca-Cola Company, India to show theircorporate social responsibility and to maintain good product quality standards. The initiatives all over India helped them reach villages for a good cause and alsoindirectly marketed their products with establishing a trust among the public.After allthese allegations, the CSE is still not convinced of the quality of the product. Therefore, Coca-Cola must prove that they have upgraded their lab with sophisticatedinstrument which is capable of measuring pesticide residue in soft drinks. As per therecent reports by CSE, they claim that the pesticide residue has gone up 27 timeshigher than expected level by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)Coke is facing different type of problem in which some are mention below Critical Issues/Problems:Solid waste and water issue: The communities near the bottling plant in Indiacomplained about the passage of sludge as fertilizer, causing health andenvironmental damage. The most important issue concerning these communities isthe depletion of water levels caused by the Coca-Cola bottling operations which havedrastically reduced avail ability of water for irrigation purposes. Pesticides in soft drinks: The other issue concerning human health caused by Coca-Cola is that their bottled water and soft drinks contain pesticides which were testedby the reputed NGO, CSE.Dual product standards: Coca-Cola is accused of having dual standards in terms of their products and safety measures concerning human health with respect to USA,Europe and India. Community issue: These allegations affected Coca-Cola largely with its sales and alsocaused the closure of one of their bottling plants in Kerala, India. Additionally, Coca-Cola’s products are banned in the state of Kerala, India. What cultural adaptations would you suggest to the US expatriate managersregarding their management style?A key reason for the return of expatriates before the official end of their foreignassignment is the uncertainty and frustration resulting from poor cross-culturaladaptation. The literature provides this general, normative view without much to sayabout the interpersonal conflict expatriates experience in the workplace abroadcaused by cultural differences. Our exploratory study finds that conflicts with co-workers in host countries occur frequently causing high stress and discomfort, andprovides three specific sources of conflict as recounted by sample managers.Theimplications of our findings include: selecting expatriate managers with highemotional intelligence, providing extensive pre-departure cultural training thatconsists not only of cultural facts but also interpersonal skills such as active listening,conflict management, and ethical reasoning, utilizing sensitivity training techniquesto better prepare managers for new situations, and sending the expatriate on one ortwo pre-sojourn visits to familiarize themselves with the host culture and workplacenorms even before the actual expatriate assignment begins.An additional implicationis training the host-country workers, particularly those who will work most closely w iththe expatriate manager, on home country cultural beliefs and workplace norms. Weaim to stimulate managerial thinking and further research on the workplace conflictsthat challenge expatriates managers. Using the Hofstede and the value orientations cultural models, how can youexplain some of the cultural differences noted in this case? When business consultants and professionals in the field of workplace learning and developmentdiscovered Hofstede's dimensions, applications began to emerge in many areas.The following aremerely a few examples of how the field has translated the abstract theory into a series of concreteapproaches. In expanding their market to the global level with clear and consistent global brand images acrossnations, marketers are ever confronting the issue of how to deal with different cultural values. Cultural value is identified as an influential factor on brand image and is widely accepted as one of the crucial concepts in understanding consumer consumption val ue, which determines choices of consuming everyday products and services.Most firms endeavoring to establish and maintainconsistent global brand images, however, adopt a standardized brand image strategy that usuallydoes not consider individual target markets characteristics, including the concepts of cultural valueand consumption value. This study developed a conceptual framework which incorporated culturalvalue not only as a direct antecedent of brand image, but also as an indirect antecedent of brandimage through consumption value, and empirically tested it using the category of apparel.Following this framework, this study hypothesized the differences in brand image, cultural value,and consumption value between the U. S. and South Korea. Data were gathered through surveying university students residing in the San Francisco and Seoul metropolitan areas using a conveniencesampling method. A total of 329 completed questionnaires were used in factor analysis,discriminant analysis, an d structural equation modeling. The results provide insights intostandardized brand image strategies and suggest some implementable tools that might proveeffective in both countries.Case 4THE ABB PBS JOINT VENTURE IN OPERATIONWhere does the joint venture meet the needs of both the partners? Where does itfall short? â€Å"One of the most common instances that encourage learning and sharing is culturaldifferences. In the case study involving the ABB PBS Joint Venture the two companiesfound it rather difficult to understand certain cultural differences. These differencesexisted because the managers and employees of the venture were from the post-communist country of the Czech Republic and were new to the structure of a freemarket economy.The venture had a difficult time interacting and understanding theculture of the European nations that they were conducting business with. To facilitatelearning and knowledge the managers of the venture had to change the mentality of employees and dev elop ways to motivate them to reach the goals of the company. (â€Å"The ABB PBS Joint Venture in Operation†)† What lessons one can draw from this incident for better management of technology transfers? Technology transfer is the process of developing practical applications for scientificresearch.It is a term used to describe a formal transfer of rights to use andcommercialize new discoveries and innovations resulting from scientific research toanother party. It is, regrettably, not uncommon to find big companies and major industrial concernsin the developed countries turning a blind eye to the ethical questions when it comesto technology transfer. The need to show profits, the desire to please shareholdersand the compulsion to transfer technology to the South, whatever the outcome, haveblurred the vision and concept of fight and wrong. Mahatma Gandhi said the solution in India is not mass production, but production bythe masses.Mass production by organized industry has brought in sophisticatedtechnology and militant trade unions, and has been one of the major factors formigration from the rural to the urban areas. The establishment of small scaleindustries, and better facilities for the rural workers, will ease the tension in the citiesand reduce migratory pressures – but it will mean less profits. This ill-conceived approach has almost destroyed indigenous institutions. Thetechnology input from the developed countries should have strengthened,supplemented and supported the existing, proven structures instead of replacingthem.It has increased dependency on the outside, for spare parts, for expertise and forconsultation, thus controlling and co-opting rather than decentralizing anddisseminating. People forget that what is best and most sophisticated could easily bea ball bearing on bullock cart wheels, or a simple set of hand tools for villageblacksmiths. ——————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- Top of Form Search Bottom of Form Search History: Searching†¦ Result 00 of 00 00 results for result for ? p.